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The 2025 MLB season has reached its final month and there are still questions that need to be answered, division races to shake out and award races to be decided. Which division leader’s lead is safest? And with a month of games remaining, is the playoff field already set? 

In terms of individual player milestones, will Aaron Judge, who surpassed Yogi Berra on the Yankees’ all-time home run list, one day pass the legendary Babe Ruth as well? And could Justin Verlander, after notching his 265th career win, become just the 25th pitcher to record 300 career victories? 

We’ll answer each of these questions and more in the latest edition of Fact or Fiction. 

The playoff field in MLB is already set

I know I’m being a bit of a party pooper with this answer, but it’s hard to argue with the current playoff landscape in MLB. 

For a brief moment to begin August, the Mets and Yankees, both mired in dreadful slumps, had their fan bases longing for the return of New York football. However, both clubs have emerged from the danger zone and stand on firmer ground as the calendar flips to September. 

As for the other current wild-card holders, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where the likes of either the Red Sox or Padres, two of baseball’s best teams since the All-Star break, fall out of the playoff race. Likewise for the Cubs, who, even after a middling month of August, still have a firm grasp on the third National League wild card. 

If there’s going to be a shakeup in the postseason landscape, it will happen in the American League, where the Royals, Rangers and even Guardians all could conceivably catch the Mariners for the third wild card. But all three of those clubs have a noticeable Achilles heel—offensive woes for the Royals and Guardians, injuries for the Rangers—that make it tough to envision these teams taking the field come October. 

Of the six division races, one is seemingly decided—the AL Central—and two are trending toward that territory—the NL East and Central. The division-leading Blue Jays, Astros and Dodgers all sport leads of fewer than five games. 

All of this to say, there could be some musical chairs going on in the season’s final month as clubs jockey for positioning. The seeding and playoff bracket could look a bit different come season’s end. But get used to the teams that currently represent the playoff field. 

Of the 12 teams in pole position entering September, 10 of them boast 90 percent or better postseason odds on FanGraphs and nine of them have similar figures in Baseball Reference’s playoff odds. Hopefully, the good folks at FanGraphs and Baseball Reference are wrong and there’s a September surprise or two in store. Just don’t be too crestfallen if that doesn’t happen. 

Verdict: Fact

Aaron Judge will one day top Yankees’ all-time home run list 

Despite strong spells from Warrican and Mujeeb, fielding lapses cost Royals in a tight finish

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2025Karima Gore continued his superb form in CPL 2025, scoring his second consecutive half-century to guide Antigua and Barbuda Falcons to a commanding six-wicket victory over Barbados Royals on Saturday. Chasing 152, Falcons rode on Gore’s unbeaten 64 to claim their first points of the tournament in front of a home crowd.After a disappointing loss against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in their season opener – despite Gore’s 61 – Falcons bounced back with a disciplined all-round performance. Winning the toss and opting to field, the Falcons bowlers kept Royals in check for most of the innings. Quinton de Kock provided a brisk start with a fluent 57, and captain Rovman Powell added a late flourish with a powerful unbeaten 51 off just 24 balls to take Royals to 151 for 6. Jayden Seales was the pick of the bowlers for Falcons, returning 2 for 15 in an economical spell.In response, Falcons lost a couple of early wickets, but Gore held the innings together. Batting at No. 3, he anchored the chase, rotating strike effectively and finding the boundary when needed. He scored 39 off his first 41 balls, and by the end of the 16th over, Falcons still needed 45 off 24. Gore then accelerated, smashing 19 runs off his next six deliveries – including two consecutive sixes off Eathan Bosch in the 18th over – to ease the pressure. Eventually, it came down to six off the final over, and Gore sealed the chase with two balls to spare.Royals will be left ruing their missed opportunities in the field. Several dropped catches and missed run-out chances allowed Falcons and Gore to flourish. The fielding lapses not only released pressure but also gave Gore at least two reprieves, which he capitalised on to steer the game in Falcons’ favour.Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican and offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman conceded just 43 runs from their eight overs combined and picked up a wicket each, but it wasn’t enough to contain Falcons.

Brace of centuries hunt down hefty 393-run target as Worcestershire are left facing relegation

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Jul-2025

Warwickshire 184 (Smith 68, Webster 57, Shahzad 6-42) and 396 for 5 (Malik 142, Webster 100*, Mousley 69) beat Worcestershire 333 (Brookes 140, D’Oliveira 57) and 243 (Brookes 87, Roderick 50) by five wicketsWarwickshire pulled off the third biggest run-chase in their history to record a sensational five-wicket Rothesay County Championship victory over Worcestershire at Edgbaston.Second best for the first three days, on the fourth, Warwickshire chased down a target of 393, reaching 396 for five thanks to Zen Malik (142 from 222 balls), Beau Webster (100 not out, 166), Dan Mousley (69, 107) and Kai Smith (48 not out, 40). As the sun came out for the first time in the match and batting conditions eased, they delivered a remarkable recovery from 12 for two the previous evening.Malik unfurled a high-class career-best while Australian all-rounder Webster, in control from his first ball faced, was just as pivotal to the triumph. It was a real heartbreaker for Worcestershire as a victory which would have galvanised their survival fight turned into a defeat which shunts them to the brink of Division Two.Twenty-three days earlier at Southampton, Worcestershire needed to take seven Hampshire wickets on the last day and took only one. This time they need to take eight and found just three. That inability to close out winning positions will almost certainly cost them their First Division status.Warwickshire resumed on the final morning on 55 for two and, to their delight, the thick cloud that sat over Edgbaston for the first three days had departed. Batting was much at its easiest all game and Mousley and Malik applied themselves diligently to deny the visitors early impetus from a wicket.Mousley, recalled to the championship side due to Sam Hain’s paternity leave, reached 50 from 89 balls and a long overdue maiden championship century beckoned when he reverse-swept Bertie Foreman to short third man.Malik chugged on with immaculate concentration while Webster restrained his attacking instincts to launch another productive partnership. When Malik struck Foreman for ten in two balls to take the total halfway to the target, the home crowd’s thoughts started to turn towards an unlikely win.Malik reached his second first-class century (156 balls) with a six over the well-peppered short Hollies-side boundary. Webster followed to his half-century from 103 balls and Warwickshire went into tea on 267 for three, needing 126 from 35 overs.Malik skied Ethan Brookes to long on but left with his side firmly on course for victory. Ed Barnard edged Tom Taylor behind in the first over with the new ball, but Smith joined Webster to work the ball astutely around the big field to add an unbroken 84 in 11.2 overs.The unlikeliest of victories ultimately arrived with great comfort with 82 balls to spare, and Warwickshire’s exhilaration was as great as Worcestershire’s desolation.

Hampshire reply with resolve after title-chasers post imposing 578 for 8 declared

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay23-Jul-2025Hampshire 90 for 0 (Weatherley 43*, Middleton 34*) trail Nottinghamshire 578 for 8 dec (James 203*, Haynes 103, McCann 79, Hutton 71) by 498 runsLyndon James masterfully struck his maiden double-century as title-chasing Nottinghamshire took control of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Hampshire.James helped his side to maximum batting points with an awesome 203 not out, overtaking his previous personal best of 164.With him, Jack Haynes took himself to a fourth hundred of the season – the most in Division One – while Brett Hutton’s 71-run cameo allowed Nottinghamshire to declare on 578.Joe Weatherley and Fletcha Middleton reached close with no damage for the hosts – ending on 90 without loss, in arrears by 498 runs.The day was a procession of bat raises from Nottinghamshire batters – six of them in total.Haynes was the first as he converted his overnight 70 to three figures in 42 day-two balls – 129 in total. It was the fourth time he had passed fifty, and the fourth time he had converted to a hundred this season.But after a flourish of drives and boundaries, his 106-run stand with James was ended when Kyle Abbott got Haynes chipping the second new ball to mid-on.Hampshire had an inexperienced attack – without Keith Barker, Liam Dawson, Brad Wheal and John Turner – and failed to build any pressure throughout the day, albeit with an unhelpful ball.However trouble-free much of the bowling was, the batter standards were incredibly high – led by James.The all-rounder kept up the scoring rate throughout his innings as he mixed a constant yearning for runs with a tight technique.His one major life came on 94 when Hampshire missed a third chance in the slips during the innings – a frequent pattern this season, and one which was met by derision in the stands and by Abbott curling into a frustrated ball at mid-on.James shook off the nineties nerves to reach his second century of the season, and the sixth of his career – one of real fluency.Liam Patterson-White had accompanied him for 66 runs – one of six partnerships to pass 40 – before James Fuller pinned him lbw.But Hutton – who will be replaced by Josh Tongue from day three onwards after his release from the England squad – arrived to ignite the innings even further.Where fours had previously been struck, short balls were cannoned into the stands by both Hutton and James – combined they struck 12 in total – as any hope of containing them had disappeared for Hampshire.Nottinghamshire reached maximum batting points – which could be crucial in their Championship bid. They had started the round just a point behind leaders Surrey.Hutton picked out long-on for an 87-ball 71, but James kept going despite being disturbed by tea when on 197. He reached his double century with a flick to the boundary and a fist pump.Nottinghamshire immediately declared on 578 and gave Hampshire’s refreshed opening pair of Middleton and the recalled Weatherley a testing 32 overs – with Ali Orr absent with a concussion suffered in the Second XI.As it happened, both breezed through with sturdy defences, although the defensive nature could harm their quest for much needed bonus points in the long term.

رفع فيل فودين مهاجم مانشستر سيتي، رصيده في جدول ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، بعدما سجل لصالح فريقه أمام سندرلاند.

ويستقبل مانشستر سيتي خصمه سندرلاند على ملعب “الاتحاد” ضمن مباريات الجولة الخامسة عشر للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج” لموسم 2025-2026.

وسجل فودين الهدف الثالث لصالح مانشستر سيتي في شباك سندرلاند، وذلك بالدقيقة 65 من عمر المباراة.

ويحافظ النرويجي إيرلينج هالاند مهاجم مانشستر سيتي، على صدارة ترتيب الهدافين برصيد 15 هدفًا.

ورفع هوجو إيكتيكي رصيده التهديفي أيضًا، بإحراز هدفين لصالح ليفربول أمام ليدز يونايتد في مباريات الجولة ذاتها. ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي

1. إيرلينج هالاند، مانشستر سيتي، 15 هدفًا.

2. تياجو، برينتفورد، 11 هدفًا.

3. فيليب ماتيتا، كريستال بالاس، 7 أهداف.

4. داني ويلباك، براتون، 7 أهداف.

5. فيل فودين، مانشستر سيتي، 6 أهداف.

6. بريان مبيومو، مانشستر يونايتد، 6 أهداف.

7. أنطوان سيمينيو، بورنموث، 6 أهداف.

8. ريتشارليسون، توتنهام، 6 أهداف.

9. هوجو إيكتيكي، ليفربول 5 أهداف.

10. برونو جيماريش، نيوكاسل، 5 أهداف.

11. نيك فولتماده، نيوكاسل، 5 أهداف.

12. محمد صلاح، ليفربول، 4 أهداف.

13. كودي جاكبو، ليفربول، 4 أهداف.

ويمكن متابعة ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2025/26، محدث بشكل مستمر من هنا.

يواصل الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، استعداداته لمواجهة إنبي ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الرابطة المصرية “كأس عاصمة مصر”.

وعقد ييس توروب، المدير الفني للأهلي، محاضرة فنية مطولة للاعبين قبل انطلاق المران، حيث ناقش معهم العديد من الجوانب التكتيكية وخطة العمل للمباراة المقبلة، في إطار البرنامج الموضوع للمرحلة القادمة.

وشهد المران بداية بتدريبات بدنية مكثفة، تلاها تنفيذ مجموعة من الفقرات الفنية والخططية، بينما خاض حراس المرمى تدريبات قوية قبل المشاركة في التقسيمة التي أجراها الجهاز الفني بمشاركة جميع اللاعبين المتاحين.

طالع.. 3 صفقات عربية قريبة من الأهلي.. ورحيل مُنتظر

وقرر الجهاز الفني منح راحة لمدة 5 أيام للرباعي محمد شريف وياسين مرعي ومحمد مجدي أفشة وكريم فؤاد، عقب انتهاء مشاركتهم مع منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس العرب، وذلك بهدف منحهم فرصة لالتقاط الأنفاس قبل العودة إلى المباريات المحلية.

وأكد وليد صلاح الدين، مدير الكرة بالنادي، أن اللاعبين حصلوا على إجازة من التدريبات حتى يوم الإثنين المقبل، حتى ينالون قسطًا كافيًا من الراحة بعد المجهود الكبير الذي بذلوه خلال البطولة.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع إنبي، مساء غدًا الخميس على أرضية استاد السلام، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر.

England star’s maiden appearance for RCB earns quiet approval as pragmatism holds sway in selection

Matt Roller02-May-2025A decision that would have provoked outrage a decade ago was met with a shrug of the shoulders on Friday: an England player missing a Test match due to their involvement in the IPL. Jacob Bethell scored half-centuries in each of England’s last three Tests, shortly after his 21st birthday, but did not feature in the squad named to face Zimbabwe on May 22.After crossed wires last year prompted short-notice withdrawals from the play-offs and frustration from franchises, the ECB have honoured a commitment to the BCCI that England players will be fully available. The result is that Bethell will be with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in India as they push for a maiden title, rather than batting at No. 3 at Trent Bridge.England’s decision not to pull Bethell out of the IPL early reflects the realpolitik of world cricket, and the status of a one-off Test against Zimbabwe. To do so would have undermined the ECB’s relationship with the BCCI – at a time when Indian investment in English cricket is being finalised – while unfairly placing him in the eye of a storm. Pragmatism has won the day.Bethell’s absence has also deferred a tricky call for England’s management, which will now wait until their series against India in mid-June. “You want your best players always available, don’t you?” Luke Wright, the national selector, said. “But he’s an outstanding cricketer… He’s ticking along really well [at the IPL] and we’re excited to have him back in the summer.”Wright said that he has been “in close contact” with RCB’s management this season to check on Bethell’s progress, and has received positive reports from head coach Andy Flower and director of cricket Mo Bobat – both of whom used to work at the ECB. “To get that experience to even open the batting with Virat Kohli… what an experience that is,” Wright said.

He’s destined for greatness. I think England have a genuine superstar in the making and selfishly, as RCB, we’re very happy to have bought him slightly earlier in the cycleMalolan Rangarajan, RCB’s lead spin-bowling coach

Bethell’s first appearance of the season, against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, was as full-on as it gets: walking out to delirious cheers for his opening partner, and facing a new-ball attack of Axar Patel and Mitchell Starc. He slog-swept his sixth ball to deep backward square, but in whipping a six and a four over the leg side of Starc, Bethell gave the IPL a glimpse of his quality.On Test debut in New Zealand, Bethell earned as much praise for his first-innings 10 as for his second-innings half-century: the scorecard alone did not reflect the impression he made while seeing off probing new-ball spells from Matt Henry and Tim Southee. In the same vein, his 12 on Sunday was only a footnote in RCB’s win, but still made an impression on those who saw it.Starc offered a wry smile after both of Bethell’s boundaries. “We were laughing about it at breakfast,” Alyssa Healy, the Australia women’s captain and Starc’s wife, said on the podcast. “Mitch said, ‘I executed! That ball was top of off. That’s exactly what I was told to bowl.’ And he’s gone for six over backward square… This kid is an absolute gun.”Bobat first encountered Bethell as a 14-year-old playing in the prestigious Bunbury Festival; Bobat was working as the ECB’s player identification lead, and Bethell, playing with boys a year older than him, was named player of the week. Six years later, he signed him for INR 2.6 crore (£250,000 approx.) at the IPL’s mega-auction.Bethell impressed in his maiden Test series in New Zealand•AFP/Getty Images”Everyone in England probably knows that he is going to be one of England’s brightest stars over the next five-to-ten years, across formats,” Bobat told ESPNcricinfo in Delhi. “To secure a player at the value we did of that potential in year one of an auction cycle is brilliant. I’ll be amazed if he’s not featuring more regularly [for RCB] over the next few years.”He’s way beyond his years. He’s 21 years old, but you wouldn’t know it: he may as well be 30. He’s very calm, very professional, and incredibly driven. He’s soaking in everything that the IPL – and RCB – is providing him: there’s some big players here that he is watching, observing, and learning from.”Chief among those is Kohli, Bethell’s opening partner on Sunday night. “Virat’s brilliant around our practice environment, brilliant with the younger lads,” Bobat said. “We’ve paired them up batting together [in the nets] at times too. He’s spent a huge amount of time with him.”Related

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When England toured India earlier this year, Bethell found himself getting stuck against spin. He has worked closely with Flower and Dinesh Karthik, RCB’s batting coach: “He’s working really hard on his game against spin, which for most English players is an important work-on,” Bobat said. “He’s opening up different scoring areas now.”He has been encouraged to develop his own left-arm spin by England, working with Malolan Rangarajan, RCB’s lead spin-bowling coach. “He has been unbelievable with his work,” Rangarajan said. “He’s destined for greatness. I think England have a genuine superstar in the making and selfishly, as RCB, we’re very happy to have bought him slightly earlier in the cycle.”Bethell may find himself running the drinks again when RCB play Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, with Phil Salt set to return from the illness which vacated an overseas spot. He would have played more cricket if he had spent April and May with Warwickshire, but it is abundantly clear that being in India has helped Bethell’s all-round development.”If he was playing in England right now, of course he’d be developing his red-ball game… But what he’s getting out here is a proper feel for the premier white-ball competition in the world,” Bobat said. “I can say this, having been on both sides of the fence: English cricket likes to pit Championship cricket against the IPL. I don’t believe it needs to be an either/or.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo encerrou sua participação no Campeonato Carioca com a vitória sobre o Boavista e conquista da Taça Rio no domingo (31). Com a goleada por 4 a 0 e enorme vantagem conquistada no jogo de ida, o Alvinegro entrou em campo com um time alternativo, repleto de jovens da base e jogadores que retornam de lesão.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

Mais que o troféu e a vaga assegurada na Copa do Brasil de 2025, o Botafogo ganhou ótimas notícias e reforços para a sequência da temporada. O bom desempenho de peças secundárias do elenco e a volta de importantes jogadores, como Luiz Henrique e Jeffinho, dão uma maior confiança no crescimento do time às vesperas do início da fase de grupos da Libertadores.

LH retornou ao time logo como titular, após seis semanas fora por lesão na panturrilha. Agora dono da camisa 7, o ponta-direita atuou por 45 minutos e foi o melhor jogador do Botafogo enquanto esteve em campo, levando muito perigo tanto com dribles quanto armando o jogo. Principal contratação do clube para a temporada, o jogador fez apenas seu terceiro jogo com a camisa alvinegra.

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No intervalo, Luiz Henrique deixou o campo para dar lugar a Jeffinho, que também fez sua volta após quase dois meses machucado. Talvez o melhor jogador do Glorioso no primeiro mês de temporada, o atacante viu Júnior Santos crescer enquanto esteve ausente e terá de lutar por seu espaço no time. Contra o Boavista, o camisa 47 foi discreto, mas teve flashes com bons dribles.

Quem também fez seu retorno após lesão foi Patrick de Paula. Afastado dos gramados por 400 dias, o meio-campista entrou durante o segundo tempom já com o 2 a 0 consumado, e foi bem participativo. PK recebeu algumas bolas no ataque e até arriscou de longe duas vezes, primeiro em falta na entrada da área, e depois em chutaço que parou o goleiro.

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Além da volta de lesionados, atuações de jovens que ganharam minutagens nesta Taça Rio. Kauê, autor do segundo gol do Botafogo na noite de domingo (31), tem tido cada vez mais espaço com Fábio Matias. Por sua vez, foi Matheus Nascimento que assistiu o companheiro em lindo passe de calcanhar e teve uma atuação muito sólida.

Desta forma, o Alvinegro pode contar com outras peças que não os recentes protagonistas para o restante da temporada, e inicia sua trajetória na fase de grupos da Libertadores em seu melhor momento. O Botafogo recebe o Junior Barranquilla na quarta-feira (3), às 19h, no Estádio Nilton Santos.

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BoavistaBotafogoLibertadores

He says captain Hayley Matthews is thriving in the new structure, and Deandra Dottin has “fitted in beautifully” on her return

Valkerie Baynes03-Oct-2024Bringing the fun back has been a big part of West Indies’ women’s T20 World Cup preparations. It’s a simple ethos, but a much-needed one championed by head coach Shane Deitz, the Australian who is a year into his job.”There is a lot of laughter,” Deitz told ESPNcricinfo. “[It’s about] generally having fun, and being relaxed, and enjoying each other’s company, enjoying the experience of playing cricket, [and] travelling the world.”That’s one thing that, coming from other jobs where it’s a bit more serious and they want a lot of structure, it’s good that we have a bit less of those things and make it a bit more [about] backing your gut feeling and your intuition, and how you want to play and how you naturally grow up playing.Related

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• Powerplay podcast: Matthews on Wales, WI and World Cup plans

• Deandra Dottin back in West Indies squad for T20 World Cup

“You grow up playing on beaches, in the streets – a bit more [of] that environment. Australia’s a lot more structured. So just finding that balance and how to work it into our cricket has probably been one of the things that we’re trying to learn and use that to our advantage, [and] make the girls feel comfortable that that’s how we’re going to play.”Originally from New South Wales, Deitz was a wicketkeeper-batter for South Australia from 1998 to 2008. He coached the Bangladesh women’s team in 2013-14, and was heavily involved in Vanuatu cricket as a player, a coach, and an administrator, before becoming head coach of the Netherlands women’s team immediately prior to taking up his current post with West Indies.Despite his well-travelled CV, it has been a sharp learning curve for Deitz, who took over at West Indies from Courtney Walsh, who in turn had taken over from Gus Logie.”They’ve had a lot of Caribbean, [or] West Indies legends coaching them for a while,” Deitz said. “I’m far from [being] a legend – [just] a middle-aged white man from Australia. It’s a very different culture that I’ve grown up with compared to the girls, so it was about understanding them, [and] understanding the culture, and using that as part of our cricket.”I grew up watching the West Indies cricket team, and they definitely had a style about them and the way they wanted to play. So I wanted to encapsulate that into our style a bit and use what they have in their culture, and bring it into cricket. Also, just gain their trust that I’m here for them, and I’m here to make them better cricketers, and make the team a better team. That was the main thing – just understanding them and getting the team working together.”Deandra Dottin reversed her international retirement just before this year’s T20 World Cup•ICC via Getty ImagesImmediately before this T20 World Cup, star allrounder Deandra Dottin reversed her international retirement, which she had attributed at the time to concerns about the team environment. Dottin won a place in the squad for this World Cup, and Deitz says she has slotted back in “really well”.”She’s known a lot of girls for a long time,” he said. “We’ve changed a few things off the field and how the team is set up with particularly a leadership group. We really control the culture of the team and how the team works off the field. Deandra was coming in really wanting to help the team and play well. Whatever the team needs, she’s happy to do, and she’s fitted in beautifully, and the leaders of the group have made that all work.”Similar to AFL teams, who have a captain supported by several deputies, West Indies now have five team leaders, led by skipper Hayley Matthews, elected by the players to represent them with team management. Deitz didn’t name the other leaders, but said Dottin, who returned after they had been elected, was not one of them.”We spend a lot of time with each other, so like any family or room-mates or whatever, you’re always going to have a little bit of friction from time to time,” Deitz said. “So [it’s about] just making sure we’re all together and we have open conversations. If you’ve got an issue, we just talk about it, get it out there, solve it, and move on quickly.”Shane Deitz on Hayley Matthews: “The hard thing is she wants to do everything”•Getty ImagesDeitz said Matthews was thriving in the new structure. Since becoming captain in 2022, Matthews has scored 1284 runs in T20Is at an average of 40.12 and at a strike rate of 120.45 compared to her corresponding career numbers of 25.70 and 112.88.”The hard thing is she wants to do everything,” Deitz said. “It’s trying to tell her to stop. She wants to be involved with everything and run everything. She gets bored sitting down for ten seconds – particularly at the games.”I think that’s why she bats so long. But she’s been so good off the field, and what I talked about before – about the fun and enjoyment of cricket – she does that so naturally. And her personality is really coming out [with] her captaincy, and that’s a big, big bonus for us.”In terms of building depth around Matthews and Dottin, Deitz believes things are moving in the right direction. After their 2016 T20 World Cup triumph, West Indies women’s cricket fell away sharply amid a lack of resources. But in 2021, CWI increased the number of women on retainer contracts by three to 18, and in 2023 launched the West Indies Women’s Academy.”It’s a good thing now, the Under-19 World Cup – that makes a lot of countries step up their high-performance programmes,” Deitz said. “Australia, England and India, the big three countries, have more resources, more facilities, more infrastructure, [and] everything else to produce more players. We can’t complain about that. We’ve just got to maximise what we’ve got, and in our region, what we can do to try to get to that level. It can’t be an excuse; we’ve just got to be smarter, work better.”

Harry Kane has received more transfer advice from Chris Waddle, with the England captain being told that “Bayern Munich are massive but Real Madrid are even bigger”. It has been revealed that exit clauses in Kane’s contract at the Allianz Arena can be triggered in 2026. A Premier League return is considered to be unlikely, but the prolific striker could end up heading for Spain.

• Trophy target: Kane eager to savour more success

  The 32-year-old frontman has offered no indication that he is looking for another new challenge, with an extension to his deal in Germany being mooted. Remarkable individual standards have been maintained with Bayern – registering 108 goals through 113 appearances.

  Kane has broken his trophy duck in Bavaria, savouring Bundesliga title and Super Cup successes, and is setting his sights on more major honours with club and country. A move to Santiago Bernabeu would present him with opportunities to compete for the grandest of domestic and continental prizes.

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  What next for Kane – Premier League, La Liga or Bayern stay?

  Ex-Tottenham and England star Waddle believes that Kane should be opening himself up to a spell in La Liga – potentially as a ‘Galactico’ in Madrid – with there little to suggest that he would be willing to retrace steps to north London as Spurs’ all-time leading scorer.

  Waddle told : “I know, it sounds nice, doesn't it? I've heard this before where people talk about Harry Kane coming back. It would be great for Tottenham of course, but I’m not sure Tottenham will want him at the price and his age.

  “Even if there was another team who wanted him, I’m not sure Bayern Munich will want to sell him. They let Robert Lewandowski go to Barcelona at about the same age, and he hasn’t stopped scoring since he left. I’ve looked, and Real Madrid could use a No. 9 like Harry Kane. Lewandowski could be stepping away from Barcelona and he’d be great to slot in there too.

  “Harry will be thinking that he’s done his job in England, he might feel the same about his time in Germany. He could now be looking at Italy, Spain or France for a new challenge. Bayern are massive, but Real are even bigger – what a story that would be!

  “If I was Real Madrid, Barcelona or Milan, I’d be asking why wouldn’t I go for him? He scores goals, technically very good, he can play as a No. 9 but he can play as a No. 10 too. Some of the work he’s done with Nicolas Jackson has shown just how good his passing and link-up play is. He can create. So really, I’d be surprised if Bayern would even let him leave rather than tie him down for another two years.

  “If I was Harry, I’d rather try life in Spain than head back to England. That record would be special, but his track record in England already speaks for itself.”

• Another Galactico? Kane urged to join Bellingham & Mbappe

  Waddle has previously said of Kane joining the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe in the Spanish capital: “If he decided, ‘I've done well in Germany, now I'm going to have a game in Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid,’ I'm sure Real Madrid would be interested in taking him if he wanted to leave Bayern. And listen, I'm sure Tottenham would welcome him back.

  “He's a great player, and people talk about Harry Kane being a really good, intelligent centre-forward. People say he's not quick enough or this or that, but he's gone through his career and scored goals everywhere he's gone. Every season he consistently scores goals, and that's what he's paid for. But he's a very good footballer.

  “He wouldn't necessarily say, ‘I'd love to go back to Tottenham.’ If I were him, I'd think, ‘Why don't I sample somewhere else and play for someone like Real Madrid?’ What an opportunity that would be.”

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  Kane transfer fee: Cost of triggering Bayern clause

  Kane’s contract at Bayern is due to run until 2027. He could, however, be freed from that agreement by an offer of £57 million ($75m) during the summer of 2026. It remains to be seen whether any of his reported suitors – as Barcelona are heavily linked with an approach once more – decide to formalise their interest after Kane has captained England at another World Cup.