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Davis Schneider blasted the most important home run of his life on Wednesday night, taking the first pitch he saw from Blake Snell over the left-field fence for a leadoff ambush to start Game 5. Vladimir Guerrero would follow suit with a homer of his own, allowing Toronto to enjoy a 2-0 lead before most fans had settled into their seats. The Blue Jays then cruised to a 6-1 victory as Trey Yesavage confounded the L.A. offense and Canada is one victory away from bringing the World Series trophy north of the border as the series shifts back to Toronto.

Schneider's long ball could very swell prove to be the moment the Blue Jays finally wrestled away control and overcame Shohei Ohtani's ridiculous one-man show. And if that happens, the highlight will have a helpful second angle thanks to Schneider's dad, who chose to record his son's first plate appearance even though Fox and other international broadcast rights partners also had cameras on the game.

But it's a good thing he did because the elder Schneider's reaction could not have been more pure. He also classily edited his language so the official account of Major League Baseball could share the clip more widely on its large platform.

This is exactly the type of thing one would expect from someone whose handle is "bballdadd44745." Years and years of doing GameChanger hones a baseball dad into a machine when their kid is at the plate, you can rest assured that the at-bat will be chronicled for internal use. And credit to pops for keeping it together as well as he did. There are tons of other dads out there who have larger reactions to a play in the third inning of an 11U game.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

When the Giants shocked Major League Baseball by acquiring Rafael Devers from the Red Sox on June 15, many believed the team had found its missing piece. That dream pairing has turned into a nightmare.

Already possessing an excellent pitching staff, conventional wisdom suggested the Giants needed to add some thump to their lineup, preferably from the left side of the plate. They landed one of the game’s best players who fit that description, yet somehow it hasn't worked.

The 28-year-old Devers is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger who helped the Red Sox win a World Series in 2018. His relationship with the franchise soured considerably over the offseason, as the team’s signing of fellow third baseman Alex Bregman rubbed its incumbent star the wrong way. That eventually led Boston to trade its best bat to the Giants for a considerably light return.

On the date of the trade, San Francisco trailed the Dodgers by just two games in the National League West. The deal looked like a game-changer. Devers appeared to be the power bat San Francisco has lacked for years—no Giants slugger has topped 30 home runs since Barry Bonds in 2004. Plugging Devers into the middle of the lineup was supposed to wake the offense up. Instead, the team went cold, collapsed and sold off key pieces at the trade deadline.

San Francisco's pitching staff has largely held up its end of the bargain. Since June 15, Giants pitchers rank fifth in baseball in FIP (3.88) and eighth in xFIP (3.96), though they are only 16th in fWAR (3.5). A decent offense combined with that staff should have produced a winning formula. Yet the bats have disappeared, as have the team’s playoff chances.

We’re going inside the numbers to see just how this happened.

0.0 — Devers’s fWAR since his first appearance with the Giants on June 17.

5 — Home runs for Devers in 43 games since joining the Giants. He had 15 in 73 games for the Red Sox.

107 — Devers’s wRC+ since joining the Giants, 18th among designated hitters.

.318 — Devers’s wOBA with the Giants, significantly lower than his career wOBA of .359.

.715 — Devers’s OPS since joining the Giants, which would be the worst of his career, and nearly 200 points lower than the .905 mark he had before the trade. It’s also 156 points lower than his mark from 2024.

3 — Regulars with a wRC+ above 100 for the Giants since Devers joined the lineup on June 17. Willy Adames (155), Devers (107) and Casey Schmitt (106) are the only hitters with more than 50 plate appearances to top that mark. Jung Hoo Lee just missed at 99.

4.2 — fWAR for Giants hitters since Devers joined the lineup, 22nd in baseball in that time.

9.5 — Percent playoff odds for the Giants currently, per FanGraphs, down from 65% on June 16, the day after the Devers trade.

17 — Wins for the Giants in 43 games since the Devers trade. That 17–26 record works out to a .395 winning percentage. They were at .569 before the deal.

39 — Team home runs since adding Devers, tied for 26th in baseball.

96 — wRC+ for the Giants as a team before Devers joined the team, 18th in baseball.

97 — wRC+ for the Giants since Devers joined, 21st in MLB.

172 — Runs scored by the Giants since adding Devers, dead last in baseball.

.235 — Giants’ batting average since Devers joined, 27th in MLB.

.304 — Giants team wOBA with Devers, 24th in baseball.

.376 — Giants team slugging percentage with Devers, 27th in baseball.

250 Million — The approximate amount of money left on Devers’s contract after this season. There are eight years left on the 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed with the Boston Red Sox in January of 2023. Boston did retain some of the salary this season. The deal also carries $75 million in deferred money.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the Giants. Devers has a long track record of success and will improve at some point. The bad news is that he’s gone from an extreme hitters’ park in Boston to an extreme pitchers’ park in San Francisco. Fenway Park has a park factor of 105, the second-highest in baseball, while Oracle Park is at 96, tied for the second-lowest. That will undoubtedly hurt his numbers.

Barring a miracle turnaround, the Giants appears done this year. The franchise will need to regroup and build around Devers moving forward. Somehow, Buster Posey and Co. need to find a way to give their offense a pulse. They thought their big, shocking trade would do it.

Back to the drawing board.

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s long-term future at Crystal Palace remains unclear with negotiations over a new contract believed to have stalled. The France international has become one of the best strikers in the Premier League under the stewardship of manager Oliver Glasner, whose own future remains uncertain as his current terms expire at the end of the season.

• Mateta has thrived under Glasner's guidance at Palace

  After initially joining Palace on an 18-month loan deal from Bundesliga side Mainz in January 2021, Mateta has flourished following Glasner’s arrival three years later. In his first two seasons under the guidance of the former Frankfurt and Wolfsburg boss, the forward scored 36 goals in all competitions, playing a significant role in the club winning the FA Cup in 2024-25.

  And Mateta has picked up from where he left off in the last two seasons, scoring nine goals in all competitions so far this term. The 28-year-old has netted seven times in the league, making him the joint-third top goalscorer behind Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (14) and Brentford forward Igor Thiago (11), with Brighton attacker Danny Welbeck having also found the back of the net on seven occasions.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Report claims France striker is in no rush to sign new deal

  However, while Mateta continues to sparkle in south London, he is also being linked with a move away as he gets ever-closer to the end of his current contract, which runs out in 2027. And according to the talks between the former Lyon hitman and Palace have reportedly hit the buffers.

  The report states while promising discussions first took place earlier this year, Mateta is now in no rush to commit his long-term future to Palace. Having broken into the France squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup, it is understood Palace’s No. 14 wants to assess his options after next summer’s showpiece in North America.

  While negotiations are believed to be ongoing, the report concludes by saying a number of European clubs have shown an interest in signing Mateta, including Serie A side Atalanta, who are competing in this season’s Champions League. Raffaele Palladino’s side are currently 11th in the Italian top flight, while they are also 10th in the league phase of Europe's premier club competition.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Glasner angered by Palace's lack of summer investment

  The news comes after Palace head coach Glasner – whose own contract expires at the end of 2025-26 – criticised the club’s lack of investment in the summer following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat against Manchester United.

  After losing star man Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, Palace made six permanent signings and one loan acquisition ahead of their maiden European campaign in this season’s Conference League.

  “If you play European football for the first time in your history, you should invest and not save,” Glasner said after the loss to United. “I think January is too late [to add]. We will have played more than 50 percent of our games.

  “Everything was pretty clear and I didn't say anything but today I think it is also time to speak about it that we missed the chance to play an even better season in the summer.

  “We are still in very good positions but the chance to play an even better season we threw away in the summer.”

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  Palace boss has confirmed Guehi will leave in the summer

  While Palace were able to keep hold of captain Marc Guehi in the summer, Glasner revealed in October that the defender has told the club he will leave on a free transfer when his contract expires in 2026. The England international was on the verge of joining Liverpool on transfer deadline day, only for the move to be called off.

  "I think Marc has already told us that he doesn't sign a new contract, so he will leave next year," said Glasner. "The club wanted [him to stay]. They offered Marc a new contract. But he said, 'no, I want to make something different'. And that's normal. 

  "And for us, it's how we can deal with this situation? [What] is the best way to get this next step done? And that's all about how we are talking together.”

  Both Mateta and Guehi are expected to start when Palace take on strugglers Burnley in the league on Wednesday. Glasner’s charges are currently ninth in the top flight, while they also sit 18th in the Conference League standings.

He was involved in a 91-run partnership for the last wicket before claiming a four-wicket haul to help Australia A take a 226-run lead in the first innings

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2025Fast bowler Henry Thornton proved to be the proverbial thorn in India A’s flesh as he put Australia in control of the second unofficial Test in Lucknow.Batting at No. 11, he scored an unbeaten 32 in a 91-run partnership for the tenth wicket with Todd Murphy, who made 76, before taking a four-wicket haul that helped Australia A take a 226-run lead in the first innings.”We were just having a fair bit of fun up there and it’s a good challenge against some really good bowlers to see kind of where your skills are at,” Thornton said after the second day’s play. “It was a pretty simple game plan. If they missed, we were just kind of trying to hit the ball for four and it came off today.”After toiling for 13.2 overs on the second morning to separate Australia A’s last pair, India A lost KL Rahul cheaply – caught behind off Will Sutherland. Thornton struck three blows after lunch, dismissing N Jagadeesan (38), Devdutt Padikkal (1) and India A captain Dhruv Jurel (1) in successive overs. Murphy, who scored his maiden first-class fifty earlier in the day, accounted for Nitish Kumar Reddy with his offspin as India A slid to 75 for 5.B Sai Sudharsan offered resistance with a steady half-century at No. 3 and added 51 with Ayush Badoni (21) for the sixth wicket. But two more wickets in five balls left India A reeling at 127 for 7.B Sai Sudharsan scored a steady half-century•Tanuj/ Ekana Cricket StadiumPrasidh Krishna joined Sai Sudharsan and hit a four and a six before he was struck on the helmet by Thornton’s bouncer in the 39th over. He was in the middle for three more overs before walking off with a suspected concussion. He was replaced in the XI by Yash Thakur as the concussion substitute. Sai Sudharsan helped India A inch closer to 200 before Murphy trapped him lbw. Two balls later, Gurnoor Brar was run-out to end India A’s innings.”We had a simple plan, put energy on the ball, bash the top of the stumps,” Thornton said. “I felt like I was in the game bowling that length. So it would be interesting to see what happens in the second innings. Hopefully it starts to spin and it brings Murph (Murphy) and Rock (Corey Rocchiccioli) into the game.With over two days left in the game, Australia A opted to bat again instead of enforcing the follow-on. But they lost three batters before stumps, with Mohammed Siraj, Brar and Manav Suthar picking up a wicket each. Sam Konstas fell for his first single-digit score in the series, following his century in the opening game and 49 in the first innings. His opening partner Campbell Kellaway did not last long either. Suthar, who picked up a five-for in the first innings, struck with his fifth ball to dismiss Oliver Peake. Captain Nathan McSweeney offered resistance to end the day with Australia A ahead by 242 runs.

Alexander Isak's torrid start to life on Merseyside continued, as he logged just 15 touches in 67 minutes of action in Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. The Swedish striker is the first player to lose his first four league starts for the club in over 100 years. Isak now shares the unwanted record with Percy Saul, who turned for the Reds all the way back in 1906.

Isak takes unwanted Liverpool record

This mind-bending stat was shared to BlueSky earlier today by Opta's Football Data Editor Michael Reid. It brings the £125m man's woeful form since joining from Newcastle into stark relief.  

Isak cut a dejected figure when he was given the hook shortly after the hour in Liverpool's latest abject display. GOAL gave Isak a 2/10 grade for his showing against Forest.  

The 26-year-old's first league start came in Liverpool's 2-1 defeat away to Crystal Palace back in September. That loss kicked off the Reds' capitulation after winning their first five games of the league season. Further starts against Chelsea and Manchester United resulted in two more 2-1 losses for the club. 

Saul joined Liverpool at the start of the 1906/07 season after making 94 appearances for Plymouth Argyle. The defender's inauspicious run saw the Reds lose against Sunderland, Birmingham, Everton and Arsenal in the early stages of that First Division campaign. Liverpool would eventually finish 15th. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportProtracted transfer saga leaves Isak scrabbling for form and fitness

The 26-year-old's poor form is likely a result of the protracted transfer saga that rumbled on during the summer. 

Isak forced his former employer Newcastle into negotiating with Liverpool as he downed tools during the Magpies' pre-season preparations. Isak did not report for duty on the club's pre-season tour of Asia before announcing he would never play for the club again if they did not sanction his switch to Merseyside. 

Newcastle's eventual capture of German striker Nick Woltemade facilitated a British record £125m deal ($164m) for the ex-Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad man.   

A lack of fitness restricted Isak to bit part appearances for the Reds in the following weeks, while an adductor injury sustained in Liverpool's 5-1 win away at Eintracht Frankfurt in October stymied his progress further. 

Isak has bagged one goal and one assist in nine appearances for Liverpool. His sole effort came in the club's 2-1 win over Championship outfit Southampton in the Carabao Cup. 

Isak's personal struggles since Liverpool move

Further to his struggles for fitness, the fallout of his move is clearly having an impact on Isak's personal well-being. 

The fractious nature of his departure from Tyneside prompted the striker to invest £30,000 in guard dogs for his new home, as he revealed he received death threats in the aftermath of his transfer.   

After appearing as a second-half substitute in Sweden's 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Switzerland earlier this week, Isak opened up on his frustrations at his current predicament. However, he stopped short of giving himself a free pass for his performances on the pitch. 

Isak said: "It’s always frustrating when you’re injured. Regardless of whether it’s one match or more. It’s always worse for the player himself.

"It hasn’t been optimal. But when I’m on the field, I don’t give myself any excuses. I always want to play my game and perform. But yes, it’s hard to be away and not be able to help and contribute. Now I’m back and I’m positive. There’s not much that’s easy in football. But with experience, you learn to deal with things. That’s how it is with injuries and all that. You learn to deal with it and get back on track the right way."

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Getty Images SportWill Isak retain his starting spot for Liverpool?

Isak's recruitment was supposed to be the final purchase of a summer spending spree that would deliver back-to-back Premier League titles for the Reds. However, with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez all struggling with form and fitness since joining Arne Slot's side, the vaunted class of the summer window has failed to live up to the hype.  

Only Hugo Ekitike has emerged with his reputation enhanced. The Frenchman had been moved aside to make space for Isak after his arrival. Given Isak's repeated poor showings, will Slot put his faith in the 23-year-old as the Reds look to turn their season around? 

Manchester United are in the market to bolster their squad in January, and Fabrizio Romano has now delivered a frank update on their pursuit of West Ham United playmaker Lucas Paquetá.

The Red Devils have made themselves a much-improved force under Ruben Amorim in recent weeks, with new signings making their mark across the field after a tumultuous start to the campaign at Old Trafford.

Still, there is much to improve on for his side and supporters will be keen to see that come to fruition during the schedule ahead, though their recent fortunes have been in start contrast to West Ham’s difficult start to the Premier League campaign.

In among it all, uncertainty over Lucas Paquetá’s future has come to the fore, with murmurs starting to accelerate that he could be set for a January move before the 2026 World Cup, where he will hope to start for Brazil and help lead Carlo Ancelotti’s side to glory.

Frustratingly, his campaign hasn’t fully come to life yet, with two Premier League goals to his name against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest coming earlier in the season.

Harking back to Manchester United, it is well known that they are in the hunt for a midfielder, characterised by their pursuit of Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson.

Kobbie Mainoo has found himself struggling for regular minutes under Amorim, so it won’t come as a surprise to hear that alternatives are being considered at Old Trafford.

Now, Romano has delivered an intriguing update on the future of Paquetá, something that involves both Manchester United and West Ham.

Fabrizio Romano delivers update on Lucas Paquetá's future

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has delivered an update on whether Manchester United could look to make a move for West Ham midfielder Paquetá.

He stated: “In January, if there is the right opportunity, Paquetá could have the possibility to go and leave West Ham. So keep an eye on that one, because it’s a concrete possibility.

“Many asking about Manchester United. At the moment, I am not aware of concrete or advanced negotiations between Paquetá and Manchester United or Manchester United and West Ham.

“That’s what I am told at the moment on the Paquetá story. Let’s see what’s going to happen. Because Paquetá could be very interesting in terms of role, in terms of quality. But financially, West Ham are not going to give Paquetá for free or for small money.”

Conceivably, any notion of an exit could depend on the money West Ham are presented with for the Brazilian playmaker. Although his side haven’t been in good form, he has still shown his creativity and fashioned 13 chances in the top-flight, per Fotmob.

Man Utd have also held talks to sign another midfielder

Manchester United have a hole left to fill in their midfield, creating an intriguing situation that may still have many layers left to unfold.

As those at Ibrox continue their hunt for a new manager, one former Rangers star has told them to go and get a Championship manager who’d join the club “in a heartbeat”.

Rangers schedule manager talks

As things stand, it’s Steven Gerrard who sits top of Rangers’ list of candidates to replace Russell Martin. The former Aston Villa manager is reportedly set to hold talks with the 49ers this week as they look to welcome him back to Ibrox for the first time since he left for the Midlands in 2021.

Whilst the return talks are set to be far from simple, Gerrard recently admitted that he has “unfinished business” in the technical area after failed spells in Saudi Arabia and the Premier League.

Looking for an opportunity to reclaim his coaching career, the Rangers job represents an ideal opportunity for Gerrard. He has already been there and done it – winning the Scottish Premiership in 2021 – and there’s no doubt that the Gers need a similar transformation to the one he oversaw four years ago.

That said, he’s not everyone’s top option. Instead, according to one former player, Rangers should be targeting an impressive Championship manager.

Ross McCormack: Lampard would join Rangers "in a heartbeat"

Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, former Ibrox ace Ross McCormack named-dropped Frank Lampard when asked who he believes Rangers should be targeting and claimed that the Chelsea legend would leave Coventry for the Gers “in a heartbeat”.

The former striker said: “If you could get one for me it would be Lampard, having seen what he’s like. I think you leave Coventry in a heartbeat to go to Rangers.”

'I just spoke to Rangers manager candidate and if Ibrox came calling he'd go'

The Gers are still on the search for their next boss.

By
Ben Goodwin

Oct 8, 2025

If Lampard was available then it would be hard to argue with McCormack. The Chelsea legend has got his managerial career back on track at Coventry City, who have looked unstoppable in the Championship so far this season – remaining unbeaten after nine games.

The frustrating truth for Rangers fans, however, is that Lampard is unlikely to ditch his current project now that it is in such a promising position. Coventry and the former Everton manager have their sights set on the Premier League. That’s something that not even Rangers are likely to disrupt.

Instead, the 49ers may be forced to settle for another legendary England midfielder.

Alan Shearer believes that new Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa made a poor judgement call by turning out for DR Congo during the September international break. Wissa is yet to make his debut for the Magpies following his arrival from Brentford after he suffered a knee injury on international duty despite missing the bulk of pre-season as he sought to secure a summer switch to St. James' Park.

AFPShearer calls out summer signing

Newcastle legend Shearer has called out Wissa for what he believes was a poor error in judgement. The 29-year-old scored in both DR Congo games as they followed up a win over South Sudan with defeat to one of the AFCON favourites Senegal last month.

Wissa was initially pencilled in to return for Saturday's game at Brighton as Newcastle make the tough trip to the south coast. However, reports now suggest that the ex-Bees forward will have to wait a little longer to finally pull on a Magpies strip for the first time.

Shearer has now called on Wissa to show some loyalty to his new employers as the club wait on one of their two summer striker signings to take to the pitch.

AdvertisementWissa should sit out AFCON

"It will be a really difficult decision for Wissa not to go to AFCON because you always want to represent your country," Shearer told Betfair.

"But what I would say is, because of him not training or playing during the summer, he could've shown more responsibility in not playing as much as he did in those two games when he went away on international duty and hadn't played at all.

"But it's really tough to say to someone they can't and won't represent their country when it means so much. And we know AFCON is huge and players want to play in that tournament.

"It'll be a tough ask, but I understand that there'll be a lot of people thinking that he's never played for Newcastle and he needs to show some loyalty towards us.

"I get it and understand that point-of-view because Newcastle shelled out a lot of money on him and he hasn't been able to take to the St James' Park turf as yet. It'd be a really tough decision for him and Newcastle. Whether there's a way around it, I'm not so sure."

Getty Images Sport'No recurrence or problem, just slightly longer'

While Newcastle had hoped to have Wissa available for selection for Saturday's game at Brighton, Eddie Howe revealed earlier this month that the summer arrival is still a little way off a return to action.

"Yoane saw a specialist again for a check-up on his knee. We probably think now it'll be eight weeks rather than six. No recurrence or problem, just slightly longer," Howe said.

An additional two weeks on the sidelines means Wissa should return to action at the start of November when Newcastle make the trip to West Ham.

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AFCON looming large

DR Congo, meanwhile, get their AFCON campaign underway at the end of December having been drawn alongside Benin, Senegal and Botswana in Group D. The Leopards will hope to have their talisman lead the line in Morocco and in a favourable group, DR Congo should ease to the knockout stages of the competition.

AFCON 2025 kicks off on December 21st and runs all the way to January 18th 2026 and players could miss up to eight Premier League matches if their nation makes it to the final. Newcastle won't be the only team affected by the iconic tournament over the hectic festive period.

Sunderland may have nine players jetting off to Morocco later this year, while Wolves could be without five players and Crystal Palace four. Arsenal, Leeds and Chelsea won't be affected by absent players, while Tottenham and Bournemouth will be able to call upon key pair Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo, respectively, due to Ghana's failure to qualify for the competition.

Jamie Carragher has sent Liverpool manager Arne Slot a warning about the “dangerous” game he is playing tweaking the Reds’ system following back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.

Slot admits Liverpool must "find answers" to form

After spending around £400m in the summer, many expected Liverpool to look better than ever under Slot, who switched his system to work new signings into his side. So far, however, they’ve looked at their most vulnerable and, Hugo Ekitike aside, it’s fair to say that a lot of their fresh faces are yet to get going.

How Liverpool perform without Alisson as Arsenal title race advantage shared after new injury

The Brazilian is set for another spell on the sidelines.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 3, 2025

Last weekend’s defeat against Crystal Palace looked on the cards since Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on the opening day and a second-consecutive defeat against Galatasaray didn’t do anything to ease concerns. Now, Slot has admitted that his side must “find answers” after recent results.

One of the most disappointing aspects about Liverpool this season has been the form of Florian Wirtz. The £116m midfielder has looked a shadow of the midfield star that the Reds signed from Bayer Leverkusen and hasn’t been involved in a goal since the Community Shield.

Carragher wasted no time before taking aim at the German in midweek and the Liverpool legend has now doubled down on his criticism whilst firing Slot a “dangerous” warning.

Carragher sends Slot warning

Writing in his column for The Telegraph, Carragher warned Slot of the “dangerous” nature of persisting with a faltering system. He believes Slot’s plan was to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold’s creativity with Wirtz, and the manager now has a choice to stick with it – possibly with disastrous consequeneces – or pull the plug until the team has settled back to form without the German.

Carragher wrote: “He (Wirtz) is yet to add what Liverpool are missing without Alexander-Arnold, while at the same time the team has lost the intensity which made them so difficult to play against.

“It means Slot has a dilemma as he tries to defend the title going through a transitional phase that might take longer than many thought. He must decide whether to regroup and temporarily revert to the strategy of last season, accommodating Wirtz in a different role or leaving him out entirely until he is up to speed with English football.

“Or he might persist with his vision believing more short-term pain might be necessary until it clicks. The latter would be dangerous because even with all the credit in the bank from his title win, there is immense pressure to keep winning, especially when you have spent a combined £230m on two players who are supposed to be ready-made to take a championship-winning side to the next level.”

South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has returned to India to join his IPL side Gujarat Titans (GT) and is available to play the franchise’s next game, against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. GT’s director of cricket Vikram Solanki said the day before the game that Rabada “has expressed regret” about testing positive for a recreational drug use which made him miss a month of IPL 2025, and that the fast bowler will “take his lessons” from this episode.”Speaking about Kagiso, I’d like to just get a couple of things across,” Solanki said. “The first of which would be that Kagiso has expressed regret at an error in judgement. He’s made a telling statement. I read his statement, and I thought that his statement speaks volumes about the personality of the character that he is. He has expressed regret, as I said. But he is very much looking forward to getting back to playing the game he loves. He will take his, sort of, lessons from this and we’re just looking forward to having him back part of our group, having him back at practice. He served his time.Related

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“The second thing I’d like to place on record is that as far as procedure and protocol is concerned, everybody that’s involved in this episode, right from Kagiso, his representative, all matters, as far as requirements [go], have been followed to the letter. We try to be mindful of the emotion around Kagiso as well. But having said all of that, he’s now back, having served the time to serve the suspension for 30 days. And what we’re looking for now is for him to just be back doing what he loves, and for him to be doing stuff that we appreciate him doing. And that’s to be part of the team.”Rabada trained with the rest of the GT squad at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday evening, with fellow fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, but for under half an hour before he sat under one of the umbrellas next to the nets. While he bowled, he was seen having chats with the head coach Ashish Nehra, who even put an arm around Rabada a couple of times in what seemed like a pep talk.Once he finished bowled, Rabada sat next to his GT team-mate Rashid Khan, and was soon joined by Trent Boult, his team-mate from the MI franchises in the SA20 and MLC. Rabada then went on to have a chat with Akash Ambani, the owner of the MI franchise in T20 leagues.Solanki agreed that off-field issues like suspensions and bans could “easily” distract a player.”You are absolutely right, it is easy to get distracted,” he said. “One of the things he’s made very clear is that he doesn’t want this episode to distract anybody. But as far as the team’s concerned, he spoke very eloquently about the fact that this is something he’s dealing with. As far as the team is concerned, the team will of course support it. It’s our job to support the players we have, whether it be on the matter of form or it be on the matter of personal matters like this. We will be supportive of Kagiso.”While Rabada flew back home in early April to serve his one-month suspension, GT have placed themselves fourth on the points table as one of the strong contenders for the playoffs, with seven wins from 10 games. Even in Rabada’s absence and their lead spinner Rashid Khan not having a great tournament (he averages 50.28 after 10 games), GT have emerged as one of the most formidable bowling attacks in the tournament, with Prasidh leading the Purple Cup list with 19 wickets, Siraj taking another 14, and left-arm spinner Sai Kishore not far behind with 12, while also holding an economy rate of 8.35 compared to Rashid’s 9.51.Solanki said the rest of GT’s attack had “pulled together” in the absence of Rabada, for whom they had shelled out INR 10.75 crore in the auction.”I think all of the bowlers have performed outstandingly,” Solanki said of his attack. “Often you speak about batting and the obvious thing is partnerships in batting. But I think you’ve seen across the tournament that the bowlers have operated in partnerships as well, and that’s very much the case.”And what we found ourselves in as far as Kagiso’s absence was that the rest of the group pulled together, it speaks volumes of that group that they’ve pulled together and been able to deliver the performance as they have.”