Despite missing four first team players, including Allan Donald, Warwickshire enjoyed a good start in their vital promotion contest at Chelmsford as openers Michael Powell and Mark Wagh batted through the opening session.The visitors had been invited to bat by Essex but the home side’s pace bowlers, including fit again left armer Mark Ilott who had been sidelined from the last five matches with a troublesome hamstring, failed to find a consistent line or length leaving their opponents to seize the initiative. The only alarm for the batsmen came when Wagh, with his score on 18, was dropped by Stuart Law at second slip off the bowling of Ricky Anderson.The openers reached a century partnership in the 34th over and in the same over, Powell moved to his half century having faced 122 deliveries that included 6 boundaries.Lunch score: 112-0 from 35 overs (Powell 51, Wagh 46)
Well, Alexander Isak’s debut campaign in a Liverpool shirt may have been cut brutally short after he broke his leg when scoring against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
The extent of the Swedish striker’s injury is yet to be confirmed, but reliable sources such as The Athletic believe that he will be sidelined for at least several months. This ongoing anxious wait will not end in good news, unfortunately.
Isak has not been at the races this season, having struggled since joining from Newcastle in a record-breaking £125m move. However, Isak’s finish was crisp and classy at the weekend, and now there is a concerning hole that FSG and Slot need to fill in promptly.
How Liverpool plan to replace Isak
The slim sliver of solace that can be taken from this latest conundrum is that Isak has not ruptured his ACL. A long-term knee injury would have kept him out well into the 2026/27 campaign, and his athleticism would have taken a hit.
Another source of consolation can be found in the prolific Hugo Ekitike’s continuing purple patch. The Frenchman, recruited during the summer for £69m, bagged his fifth goal in three Premier League matches against Spurs.
But with Mohamed Salah’s future on Merseyside also uncertain, and with the Egyptian currently out at the African Cup of Nations, it’s looking increasingly likely that sporting director Richard Hughes is going to accelerate plans to sign a forward this summer.
The No. 1 target? Antoine Semenyo, of course, who is slated for a departure from Bournemouth this winter, with a long line of suitors ready to pounce.
According to transfer insider Ben Jacobs, Liverpool held “talks” with the 25-year-old’s representatives last month, but they have fallen behind Manchester City and Manchester United in the race. Tottenham are keen, but outsiders.
Semenyo has a £65m release clause active for the first half of the January transfer window, and Isak’s injury is bound to alter FSG’s stance with The Guardian reporting that personal terms have already been ‘agreed’.
Why Semenyo is the perfect Isak replacement
Semenyo has been incredible this season. There’s no two ways about it. A couple of strikes in recent weeks have taken the Ghanaian winger’s tally up to eight goals and three assists from 16 Premier League appearances.
A versatile winger who has spent more time on the left flank this term, Semenyo would be a stunning (and belated) Luis Diaz upgrade for Liverpool, settling the equilibrium and working with the in-form Ekitike over the business months of the campaign.
He might not be a focal frontman in the same vein as Isak, but the Cherries talisman is still a superstar forward, and he’s only sharpened his tools since the summer.
Semenyo’s Last Two Prem Seasons
Stats (* per game)
24/25
25/26
Matches (starts)
37 (36)
16 (16)
Goals
11
8
Assists
5
3
Shots (on target)*
3.4 (1.1)
2.4 (1.3)
Big chances missed
12
5
Accurate passes*
21.1 (78%)
19.9 (77%)
Big chances created
11
4
Key passes*
1.2
1.4
Dribbles*
1.9
1.6
Ball recoveries*
4.3
5.1
Tackles + interceptions*
1.8
1.9
Duels won*
6.1
6.4
Data via Sofascore
Liverpool cannot afford to let one of their Premier League rivals grow with Semenyo in the mix. Not when they need such a profile so badly. He would be the perfect Isak replacement, and that says something about where Liverpool’s recruitment went a bit wrong this summer, with Semenyo not a central striker but a dynamic and protean threat.
His brace at the start of the season nearly foiled Liverpool at Anfield, and it was then that Slot and co learned of the scale of Semenyo’s ability. Perhaps it was then that he was earmarked.
Isak has been at odds in Liverpool’s system this season, so far removed from the lofty heights of last year. Semenyo, conversely, has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League.
Subscribe for in-depth Liverpool transfer and injury coverage Get the newsletter to follow thorough coverage of Isak’s injury, Ekitike’s form and Semenyo transfer talk — clear analysis of how Liverpool might respond and who could fill the striker gap, plus related club transfer insight. Subscribe for in-depth Liverpool transfer and injury coverage Get the newsletter to follow thorough coverage of Isak’s injury, Ekitike’s form and Semenyo transfer talk — clear analysis of how Liverpool might respond and who could fill the striker gap, plus related club transfer insight.
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Said to be looking “unstoppable” by talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent, the prolific winger is powerful and multi-faceted. He is the real deal, and Liverpool must get a deal wrapped up swiftly.
This situation is anything but ideal. However, Liverpool could ease the setback considerably by adding Semenyo to the ranks, perhaps creating a more balanced frontline in the process.
The decision against directly replacing Diaz this summer was an ill-advised one, and Semenyo could be not just a replacement but an upgrade to fire Liverpool back into the ascendancy.
He's as good as Van Dijk: Liverpool make £66m Guehi upgrade a key target
Liverpool have now made this £66m star a top target heading into 2026, who could be an upgrade on going after Marc Guehi.
The gentle exodus of players from Zimbabwe continues with news that Gary Brent and Terry Duffin are believed to have quit international cricket.Brent, 32, played 70 one-day internationals and four Tests for Zimbabwe but was increasingly at odds with the board, and was one of the rebels who went on strike following the sacking of Heath Streak as captain in 2004. Although he did make a comeback, he is said to have grown frustrated with the attitude of the national selectors and last month gave notice on his contract.Duffin, 26, was Zimbabwe’s captain until 2006 and played 23 ODIs and two Tests. His last major match was during the 2007 World Cup and since then he has struggled with injury, although he represented Zimbabwe Provinces in South Africa as well as Southerns in the domestic Twenty20 tournament in March.It is thought that he applied for the board’s permission to play club cricket in England but this was refused, even though he is not in the main national squad. Duffin travelled to England anyway where he is playing for Winsley in Wiltshire, and it is reported that he will go to New Zealand rather than return to Zimbabwe at the end of the season.
If Australia are to go where no Test team has gone before and win 17 games in a row, they’ll have to pull off the second-highest run chase in the history of the game. Set 413 to win the series in Perth, they finished the third day on a precarious 2 for 65, with Irfan Pathan’s splendid swing bowling once again accounting for both openers. No team has ever chased more than 369 to win a game on Australian soil, and even Don Bradman’s Invincibles didn’t have to score more than 404 at Headingley in 1948.When Australia made good use of occasionally overcast morning conditions to reduce India to 5 for 125, the game was very much in the balance. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar had been packed off by Brett Lee, and Mitchell Johnson had just induced a waft from Sourav Ganguly. With the lead 243, India once again faced the prospect of an overseas fairytale becoming a nightmare.That it didn’t was due to a classy 79 from VVS Laxman and sterling contributions from the lower order. Pathan preceded his bowling heroics with an accomplished 46 as nightwatchman, and MS Dhoni showed remarkable restraint in compiling a doughty 38. The biggest irritation for Australia though was RP Singh, who smacked Andrew Symonds for six during the course of an entertaining 51-run partnership that stretched the lead beyond 400.Australia’s cause was also severely hampered by an appalling over-rate. Having bowled a dismal 22 overs in the morning, Ricky Ponting had no option but to turn to spin in the afternoon. Symonds and Michael Clarke bowled 21 overs between them in the middle session, with Lee being reintroduced just 20 minutes before tea.The respite from Lee and the relentlessly accurate Stuart Clark gave India freedom to exhale and build. Pathan had fallen to Clark soon after lunch, edging to slip, and he was magnificent right though, giving nothing away and constantly beating Dhoni’s swishes outside off stump. But once he went off, and the Clarke-Symonds combo took over, India cut loose. Laxman played a superb off-drive off Clarke, and after dawdling 41 balls for five, Dhoni’s patience finally snapped.He thumped Clarke over long-on for six, and then hit Symonds to the other side of the sightscreen. One ball whizzed past Clarke’s outstretched fingertips, and when Symonds speared one in, he jumped out to deposit it into the crowd at long-off.At the other end, Laxman was all elegance, clipping the ball through the leg side and driving beautifully. He reached his fifty from 97 balls, and Australia’s frustration mounted by the minute before Symonds offered some relief. Dhoni, who combined patience and impetuosity, miscued a paddle sweep behind to Gilchrist, and Anil Kumble lasted just four balls. But RP and Laxman carried on merrily for 17 overs, and by the time Clark and Lee returned to mop up, the target was an intimidating one.The morning session had been much more even, with quick scoring offset by the loss of four wickets. Lee’s pace and swing whipped out Dravid and Tendulkar, the cornerstones of the first innings, and it was left to Pathan to lead the side towards a competitive total.
Struck a painful blow on the shoulder by Lee early on, he left the bulk of the early scoring to Virender Sehwag, again in stand-and-deliver mood. Two flays through the off side off Clark left no one in any doubt about his intentions, but Lee should have had him soon after. Michael Hussey couldn’t hold on to a low chance at gully though, fumbling even at the second attempt.It wasn’t a costly miss though. Sehwag hadn’t added to his 43 when Clark summoned up a superb delivery that cut back to crash into the stumps via the pad. Sehwag had fallen to similar deliveries many times over the past two seasons, and Clark had clearly done his homework.Dravid struck one peachy off-drive, but then fenced at a Lee delivery that swung away at pace. The appeal from behind the stumps was spontaneous, and as Dravid trudged off disconsolate, the stadium rose to welcome Tendulkar back to the arena where he played his greatest Test innings (that 114 in 1992).Lee almost had him first ball, squared up by a superb delivery, but the edge streaked to the boundary. And though he did play the shot of the morning, a stunning drive straight past Lee, it was the bowler who had the last word, with pace and movement off the pitch trapping Tendulkar right in front.With Ganguly departing for a blob, flirting with a Johnson delivery that shaped away, it required something special to tilt the balance back India’s way. They got it too, from Pathan and Laxman. Pathan struck a couple of gorgeous shots down the ground and also drove through the covers beautifully when the bowlers overpitched. There were moments of good fortune too, an edge that flew through the slip cordon, and a vociferous leg-before appeal from Johnson that might have gone on to clip leg stump.At the other end, Laxman’s ability to work the ball away with those wonderfully supple wrists evoked a few oohs and aahs, but by the time tea had been taken, they were replaced by desperate chants of “Boring, boring”. A crowd that hadn’t seen Australia lose here since the days when the Caribbean still produced great fast bowlers was slowly soaking in the reality that yet another golden run might have come to a shuddering halt at Indian hands.
Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, has said that Shane Bond will play in the Super Eights match against Ireland in Guyana on Monday. Fleming believes that resting Bond while he is in excellent bowling form could have counter-productive effects.”He’ll [Bond] definitely play,” Fleming told NZPA. “It’s important we get two points against Ireland, we’ll pick our strongest side.” Bond was rested for the final group-stage match against Canada but played both the first two Super Eights matches against West Indies and Bangladesh. He has taken eight wickets in four matches in the World Cup at an economy-rate of 2.29.”I hope to play every game, I prepare myself to play every game,” said Bond. “I’ve sat out enough games through injury so I never like to be rested.”New Zealand’s strongest side against Ireland is unlikely to include Ross Taylor who was unable to run at full pace during a training session on Saturday. Taylor strained his hamstring during his half-century against Kenya in the group stages.Taylor had said that his chances of playing Ireland were 70-30 but Fleming was less optimistic.”Ross has been a little bit ginger in terms of his movement,” said Fleming. “If he’s not quite right we’ll probably be conservative but we’re pushing as hard as we can to get him right as quickly as possible. We want him back into cricket, back into the fold. He’s been out of cricket for a while if he misses this one.”New Zealand have three crunch games coming up against Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia and Fleming asserted that rotating the players and tinkering with the starting XI would be kept to a minimum.”It’s important there’s continuity of selection. I’ve been involved in World Cups where we’ve chopped and changed probably a little too much,” said Fleming. “I made a point at the start [of the tournament] with [coach] John [Bracewell] that my view was always going to be conservative. If you’ve got 11 or 12 guys doing well you keep that going as long as possible.”Fast bowler Michael Mason was ruled out of the Ireland match after sustaining a calf-strain against Bangladesh. Either Chris Martin or Mark Gillespie would take his spot in the starting XI on Monday.
ScorecardPlate Group Points TableA half-century from Nikhil Doru and his 76-run partnership with Ajay Jadeja lifted Rajasthan to a 156-run lead before Pankaj Singh rocked the Orissa top order to push them to 91 for 5 to propel Rajasthan to a commanding position by the end of the second day in Ranji Plate semi-final at Jaipur. Deepak Mangaraj removed both Doru and Jadeja enroute to his second five-wicket haul but by then the duo had powered their side to a position of strength.Lalit Modi, the President of Rajasthan Cricket Association, had pumped in lots of money to improve the infrastructure in Rajasthan cricket, also drafting in Ajay Jadeja to captain the side and it has paid dividends. Jadeja, who led the batting averages for Rajasthan this season with a run tally of 493 -that includes four fifties and a hundred- once again, came up with a vital contribution yesterday. Doru chose the right moment to chip in with his second fifty of this season and the duo stretched the first-innings lead.Pankaj Singh continued with his good first innings performance (4 for 26) with a three-wicket haul in the second to push Orissa on the back foot. Only S Sehgal put up a semblance of fight, facing 100 balls for his 34. Orissa, who led their group in the league stage with 18 points, are now looking down and almost out and barring a minor miracle Jadeja-led Rajasthan will head towards the final.
India have agreed to play an additional one-day international when they tour Pakistan early next year. They were scheduled to play five according to the original itinerary, but an extra match has been added as a response to Pakistan’s gesture of playing six one-dayers on their current tour.Both the boards had reached a settlement when the Test originally scheduled for Ahmedabad was shifted to Kolkata due to security reasons expressed by the Pakistan board, and Ahmedabad was instead granted a one-day international. “We’ve agreed to play the additional match under a reciprocal agreement according to which when India tours Pakistan early next year they’ll also play six one-day internationals along with three Tests,” a PCB official was quoted as saying in , a Pakistan daily.According to the ICC rules, teams generally charge a fee of over US$25,000 for playing an out-of-schedule one-dayer. However, the PCB has agreed to waive those charges. “We are not taking any fees for playing the sixth one-day international next month,” the PCB official said.
There’s a hole in the Indian batting order, and it’s at the top. Since Sunil Gavaskar’s retirement in 1986-87, 26 different players and 41 opening combinations have failed to yield the answer to the most contentious question facing Indian cricket: who will square up against the new ball in Australia. Plenty of openers have already paraded their ware, without distinction, it may be added, in the season openers. National selectors have lined up a few more for the two tour games against New Zealand. Wisden CricInfo caught up with two from the long list who are likely to get their first chance of the season.Akash Chopra, Delhi Chopra, 26, has been a mainstay of the Delhi Ranji team for the last five seasons, and an outstanding performer in India’s A tours to Sri Lanka and the West Indies. An injury kept him out of the Challenger Trophy, but now he gets two chances to display his talent before the first Test against New Zealand. Being picked for both the tour games against New Zealand is a pleasant surprise. I know the opener’s slot is still up for grabs. Now my priority will be to take it game by game. Over the years I have added a few shots under my belt. Naturally, I am a patient batsman and have the temperament to stick around for long at the wicket. But after adding a few more strokes, I have tried to increase the pace of my scoring and this helped me a lot during the India A tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies in the last couple of seasons.If it was not for the injury (he tore the anterior cruciate ligament on his right knee while playing a game of football three weeks before Delhi’s semifinals against Tamil Nadu) I would have played the Challenger Trophy too. I had attended the camps at the NCA in Bangalore in the tune-up to the Challenger, and Andrew [Leipus] was a bit apprehensive about the total recovery from the injury and thought a couple of weeks more would heal it completely. At the NCA, Leipus and King put me on to additional two-and-a-half hour training to analyse my recovery. But more importantly, John Wright told me at the camp that he had been following my game and felt that I was almost there. It has strengthened my self belief.Interviewed by Nagraj GollapudiDeep Dasgupta, West Bengal Deep Dasgupta, 26, has been both saviour and villain in his eight-match Test career. Asked to open the batting when nobody else wanted the job in bouncy South Africa, his obduracy was instrumental in securing India a draw in the second Test. In his next Test, against England at Mohali, Dasgupta eked out a vital century on the first day. Obscuring that, however, has been some blatantly inept wicketkeeping performances, for which he has been shown no empathy. Now, the spotlight will be on him after more than a year which he spent honing, in particular, his work behind the stumps.Even though I didn’t get picked for the Challengers and Irani Trophy, this selection hasn’t come as a big surprise. I had heard some talk that I might get picked, and also read some newspaper reports which hinted it. Given the bouncy pitches in Australia, I got the feeling that they might be looking for a keeper who could bat. This game is a big opportunity for me.My last season was mixed. I perhaps didn’t perform as well with the bat as I could have, but I also got some very poor umpiring decisions. I think my keeping has definitely come along. I spent the summer in England, playing for Norwich Cricket Club, and standing up to swing bowlers in helpful conditions was good learning.Opening the batting in those conditions was also an experience. There are four openers (including myself) in this India A team, so I’m not sure where in the order I will bat. For Bengal last season, I batted both at the top and in the middle. I enjoy batting for long periods generally, and I’d be delighted to open for India again.Interviewed by Rahul Bhattacharya
Led by 19-year old opening batsman Arran Thompson, England Women completed an easy yet long drawn out six-wicket win against the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) XI at the Guru Nanak College Ground in Chennai. The lung-opener proved to be little more than a solid practice session out in the middle for the visitors. A low scoring affair on a slow wicket, the hosts managed just 137/9 in 50 overs, something that England knocked off in 46.1 overs.On winning the toss, WCAI XI skipper Sulakshana Naik elected to bat. Not soon after, she would have regretted the decision with her team struggling to put runs on the board. Gulshan, Sudharani and Arpita Patel made ducks while Reema Malhotra and Seema Bhomwick managed just 4 apiece. Opener Jaya Sharma held one end up with a spirited 30, the captain herself made 23 but it still appeared as though the end of the innings was nigh when the seventh wicket fell. With nothing to lose, Kamakshi (34) and Savita Nirala (11) threw the bat around with gay abandon, notching up a 33-run 8th wicket stand. On the back of this, the WCAI XI limped to 137/9 off 50 overs.Docked two overs for not bowling their overs in the allotted time, England needed to get going from the word go to ease the pressure. As it turned out, there was no pressure on the batsmen at any point, with the WCAI XI bowlers struggling to maintain a good line and length. Arran Thompson knuckled down to the task at hand and stroked her way to a patient unbeaten 65 (202 mins, 119 balls, 2 fours). Although run-outs accounted for two quick wickets in the middle of the innings, there were no hiccups in the England chase. Skipper Clare Connor was unbeaten on 13 when the match was completed.At the end of the day, it was not a match that generated tremendous excitement. Yet, the England women will be happy with the what they achieved – getting their tour off to a winning start.
Warwickshire kept up their bid for promotion from Division 2 of the NationalLeague by defeating Derbyshire by 45 runs on their own ground. They did sowith a comparatively modest total of 150-8 in 45 overs of struggle on a slowpitch in which their hosts were bowled out with 25 balls over.Dougie Brown ripped through the batting with three wickets in nine balls – Michael Di Venuto, one of his victims, is usually an aggressive batsman but took 17 overs over his 15 runs.Batting first Warwickshire, themselves, were in trouble against Kevin Dean,returning from a three-week lay-off with a groin injury,who dismissed threebatsmen in the first six overs. Dominic Ostler (27) and Brown (24) stemmedthe decline. The lowly total assumed a different aspect when Ed Giddinsbowled Luke Sutton with only three runs to Derbyshire’s credit.Dominic Cook was missed at first slip and slammed into the bowling of Welch until to be bowled by Giddins. Di Venuto and Steve Stubbings (21 from 52 balls) could not shake the grip the bowlers had secured. Off-spinner Simon Lacey, hurt in practice, was added to Derbyshire’s long list of injuries.