The series will be tagged onto the tour of South Africa although ZC had also held out hope for a Test match

Tristan Lavalette28-Nov-2025

Australia faced Zimbabwe in three ODIs in northern Australia in late 2022•AFP/Getty Images

The long Test drought between Australia and Zimbabwe is set to continue, but the countries will contest a three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe next year ahead of the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa.Before their Test and ODI tour of South Africa, earmarked for September-October 2026, Australia will have a brief stopover in Zimbabwe for a trio of ODIs, a development first reported by and likely to be officially announced in the coming weeks.The series is to be played in Harare, and possibly Bulawayo, with the flagship 10,000-seat stadium at Victoria Falls unlikely to be ready by then.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Zimbabwe Cricket had been pushing for a one-off Test match to be included in what would have been a showpiece of the tour. But it will not eventuate with Australia to undergo a heavy Test schedule, playing at least 19 Tests from mid-2026 to the Ashes tour of 2027. An ODI series also looms as important preparation for Australia with Zimbabwe to co-host the next 50-over World Cup along with South Africa and Namibia.Zimbabwe and Australia have only played three Tests against each other with the last two being in October 2003 in a short series best remembered for Matthew Hayden briefly setting a world record score of 380 in the first Test at the WACA.The only Test in Zimbabwe was played in 1999 when a Steve Waugh-led Australia won by 10 wickets in what proved to be wicketkeeper Ian Healy’s last Test match.The ODI series will end an eight-year absence for Australia in Zimbabwe. Australia were part of a T20 tri-series, also involving Pakistan, in 2018 while they last played the 50-over format there in 2014.While Test cricket between the nations remains on pause, Zimbabwe power brokers are confident that England will visit for a one-off Test match as an extension of their tour to South Africa in late 2026-early ’27. It is hoped the match will be played at Victoria Falls, named the Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium.England and Zimbabwe in May ended a 22-year Test drought with a four-day match at Trent Bridge. The countries have played just seven Test matches against each other, with only two in Zimbabwe – a 0-0 drawn series in December 1996.ZC have been actively trying to encourage countries to stopover en route to neighbouring South Africa and long circled late 2026 as opportunities to negotiate rare fixtures with Australia and England.”We are a Test nation, so playing the top countries like Australia and England at home will go a long way to making this format popular in Zimbabwe,” ZC chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani told ESPNcricinfo.”Playing against the best teams will help our players develop their skills in Test cricket. Understandably Australia wants to prepare for the World Cup, but hopefully we can play them in Test cricket in the future.”As ESPNcricinfo reported earlier this month, the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle is likely to feature all 12 Full Members in one division.It means teams will have more incentive to play Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland, who aren’t part of the current nine-team WTC. If the 12-team, one division WTC eventuates as expected – a final decision is likely at the ICC meetings in March – it has been widely assumed that those teams will mostly host one-off matches. No extra funding is expected to be available for hosting Tests.But Zimbabwe plans to host longer series in the next WTC, doubling down on their commitment to Test cricket. “Some countries might just play a minimum number of Tests, but we are hoping to play more,” Mukuhlani said. “We will aim to stage two or more Test match series against the likes of Australia and England.”

Jose Mourinho has dismissed Antonio Conte’s claims that fatigue played a decisive role in Napoli’s 2-0 defeat to Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Portuguese manager insisted his tactical decisions were the key difference, labelling his counterpart's complaints about the fixture schedule as little more than an "excuse" after the Serie A leaders were beaten in Lisbon.

• Mourinho wins the battle against Conte

  The latest chapter in the long-standing rivalry between Mourinho and Conte was written at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday night, with the Portuguese tactician claiming the bragging rights after his Benfica side secured a vital victory over Napoli in the Champions League league phase. However, the post-match narrative quickly shifted from the action on the pitch to a war of words in the press room, centred around the physical condition of the two squads.

  Conte, whose Napoli side have been setting the pace in Serie A, pointed to a congested fixture list as the primary reason for his team's sluggish display. The Italian coach highlighted the disparity in preparation time, noting that Benfica had played their last domestic fixture on Friday, whereas Napoli were in action on Sunday in a high-profile clash against Juventus. Mourinho, however, was in no mood to accept that narrative.

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• AFP
  

  Mourinho: 'We interpreted the game well'

  When presented with Conte’s comments regarding Benfica’s physical advantage, Mourinho was characteristically blunt. The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss rejected the notion that rest days decided the outcome, arguing instead that his specific tactical adjustments were what dismantled Napoli’s system.

  "Saying Benfica were fresher physically feels like an excuse," Mourinho responded. "We interpreted the game well, I decided to play [Franjo] Ivanovic rather than [Vangelis] Pavlidis upfront and that changed the way we attack."

  Mourinho elaborated on this specific selection decision, offering a tactical insight into how he exploited Napoli’s defensive setup. He suggested that Vangelis Pavlidis, usually a key figure for the Eagles, would have played into Napoli's hands due to his style of play, whereas Djordje Ivanovic offered a different profile that unsettled Conte’s back three.

  "Pavlidis is someone who makes the kind of movements with the midfield that makes it easy for a team like Napoli to press him," Mourinho explained. "Ivanovic gives more instability to a team that defends with three."

  This tactical tweak allowed Benfica to bypass Napoli's renowned pressing triggers, creating gaps in a defence that has otherwise been watertight in Italy this season.

• Conte: 'We expended a lot of energy'

  For his part, Conte cut a frustrated figure. The Napoli manager felt his side were fighting an uphill battle before a ball was even kicked due to the accumulation of minutes in the legs of his key starters. With a shallow squad depth preventing significant rotation, Conte felt the lack of sharpness was inevitable.

  "The match was certainly hard, difficult, on a hot pitch," Conte stated. "We come from a series of games every three days, the same players are always playing and it is inevitable that we start to feel something.  Sunday's match was a key one, we had to travel, Benfica played on Friday, that's two extra days of recovery. But we have to take these things into account, we knew we'd spent a lot of energy, even mentally. Today some players were tired, you could see it, and there's no chance of any special rotation." 

  The physical fatigue manifested in technical errors, according to the Italian. Napoli, usually so precise in their build-up, found themselves making uncharacteristic mistakes and struggling to cope with Benfica’s early intensity.

  "Today someone was tired, you could see it, and there is no possibility to make particular rotations," Conte admitted. "Tomorrow they will rest, then we will prepare for the match in Udine. Surely not being brilliant leads you to make wrong choices or not be so precise. At the beginning we struggled and committed errors."

  Conte pinpointed a specific moment early in the game where their pressing structure collapsed, leading to a loss of confidence that permeated the rest of the first half.

  "We knew about the difficulties anyway, we wanted to start strong and on the first pressure we took a ball behind [the defence], this took away some certainties," he explained. "In the first time we were very long, and they found passing lines."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Accepting the defeat

  Despite the grievances regarding the schedule, Conte ultimately conceded that on the night, the hosts were the superior outfit. He acknowledged that managing energy levels is part of the reality of modern football, even if the result was painful to accept.

  "I know the situation, and I knew it also when we won, and I also know that we will carry it forward for a while," Conte said. "One must also understand that there are evenings in which the opponents have more energy compared to you, and today they deserved it more than us."

  The result leaves Napoli sitting 23rd in the Champions League table and in real danger of crashing out over the final two games of this phase, while Benfica currently sit just outside of the top 24 and need to claw their way in if they are to book a place in the knockout play-off round.

Celtic are back in Scottish Premiership action once again this evening as they prepare to welcome Dundee to Parkhead for Martin O’Neill’s last game in charge.

The 73-year-old manager has confirmed that the match will be his last as the interim boss before Wilfried Nancy is in post ahead of the clash with Hearts at the weekend.

Celtic won 2-1 away at Hibernian in his final away game in the dugout for the Hoops, but the experienced Northern Irishman may want to make some changes to the starting line-up from that win.

Celtic's best performers against Hibernian

Among the players who should keep their place in the XI after that game against Hibs is goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who only gave possession away 11 times from 54 touches and saved all three of the shots against him from open play, per Sofascore.

Celtic’s number one made a couple of impressive close-range saves towards the end of the game and completed all three of his run-outs to clear the ball to preserve all three points, whilst it would be incredibly harsh to criticise him for not saving Martin Boyle’s penalty.

The two goalscorers, Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels, should also retain their positions in the line-up, along with Reo Hatate and Hyun-jun Yang, who set up the goals.

Whilst Yang was not officially credited with an assist for Engels’ goal, the clip above clearly shows that it was his cross that was slightly deflected into the Belgian’s path.

Liam Scales, despite being harshly penalised for a handball, should also keep his place after winning eight of his 12 duels, per Sofascore, and completing 95% of his attempted passes.

Meanwhile, there were a couple of players whose performances may lead to them dropping out of the line-up, including right-sided attacker Luke McCowan, who should be dropped this evening.

Why O'Neill should drop McCowan today

The Scottish central midfielder has been utilised on the right wing in recent weeks, in the absence of any natural options in that position, and he started there against Hibernian on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the left-footed star was unable to deliver a high-quality performance to suggest that he deserves to keep his place in the team heading into O’Neill’s final game against Dundee.

McCowan, who was signed from Dundee in the summer of 2024, played the opening 63 minutes of the clash with Hibernian, before the manager opted to bring Benjamin Nygren on out wide.

Minutes

63

Touches

34

Shots

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Goals + assists

0

Duels won

1/4

As you can see in the table above, the 27-year-old flop had fewer touches in the game than Schmeichel, a goalkeeper, and failed to make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch.

The experienced midfielder also lost 75% of his physical duels in the win, per Sofascore, which shows that he found the physicality of the game a bit too much to deal with whilst playing on the right wing.

McCowan provided quality on a regular basis in the final third in the 2024/25 campaign, with a return of eight goals and eight assists in 36 league outings for Dundee and Celtic combined, but he has been unable to carry that into the current season.

The Hoops midfielder has not provided an assist in the Premiership since O’Neill’s first game in charge against Falkirk, and his only goal of the league season came against St Mirren on the opening day at the start of August.

This shows that McCowan has not provided much of a threat at the top end of the pitch for the Scottish giants in recent months, which may be why the experiment of playing him on the wing has not been too successful.

It is also why O’Neill should ruthlessly drop him from the starting line-up for tonight’s clash with his former club, opening the door for Nygren to start on the wing instead of in central midfield.

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The Sweden international has scored seven goals in all competitions for Celtic this season, including five in the Premiership, per Sofascore, and he may carry more of a threat than McCowan did from the start against Hibernian on Sunday.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl should be delighted with the way that his team ran out 3-0 winners against Kilmarnock with relative ease on Saturday night.

Two goals from Bojan Miovski and a strike off the bench from Mikey Moore sealed all three points for the Gers, who had drawn their previous two games to Dundee United and Falkirk in a frustrating manner.

The German head coach should be particularly pleased with Miovski’s two-goal burst because it will provide the centre-forward with some much-needed confidence after a poor start to life at Ibrox

Why Bojan Miovski has been Rangers' most frustrating player

Out of all of the club’s summer signings, the Macedonia international has been their most frustrating player because he has not delivered at the level that everyone knows he is capable of.

Unlike most of the other signings, Miovski arrived as a proven Scottish Premiership performer who is in the prime years of his career, at 26, after a return of 32 league goals in two seasons with Aberdeen.

Prior to Saturday’s game against Kilmarnock, though, the left-footed forward had only scored one goal in nine league starts for the Light Blues, per Sofascore, and has lost 68% of his physical duels in the division.

Miovski was much improved against Kilmarnock, with two goals, which makes his poor form up to that point all the more frustrating, because that is the kind of performance that he can deliver.

It’s a display that Rohl recognised too. In quotes taken from PA Media, the manager said: “We had a conversation with each other and then he made step-by-step a huge step forwards against Dundee United. He had some good chances. He’s more adaptable at the moment, not just staying on the last line, it helps in building up as well.

“I’m happy when a striker scores two goals, it’s fantastic. In general, we spoke about what I demand from him. He told also what he is thinking at the moment. And then I think, especially after the Falkirk game, we spoke about spaces, what I want to see from the centre-forward and big spaces.”

The 26-year-old marksman is not the most improved player under Rohl, though, as that title has to go to Nasser Djiga, who has stepped up in recent weeks.

Why Djiga is the most improved Rangers player under Rohl

After Rohl’s fourth match in charge, against Celtic in the League Cup, Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described the Wolves loanee as a “rotten” signing.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Football FanCast even suggested playing James Tavernier at centre-back at the start of November because of Djiga’s poor form for the club up to that point.

That criticism was fair after several high-profile errors, including a red card against Dundee, an inexplicable defensive mix-up against Club Brugge, and Four Lads Had A Dream claimed that he “genuinely looks lost” during the loss to Celtic in the semi-final defeat that led to Edgar dubbing him “rotten”.

It did not seem like there was any way back for the Premier League loanee, who was as ‘rotten’ as Miovski was, but his run of form since John Souttar and Derek Cornelius picked up injuries has been an impressive response to that criticism.

Because there was an argument, due to his high-profile mistakes, that Djiga was the worst performer in the club, it is only logical that his recent showings make him the most improved player in the squad.

Whilst Miovski scored two goals against Kilmarnock, the striker had not scored in his previous 11 games and is yet to show his quality consistently, and the Wolves defender has now strung several performances together.

Appearances

4

Sofascore rating

7.3

Clean sheets

2

Tackles won

6/8

Clearances

18

Ground duels won

14/18

Aerial duels won

7/14

Error led to shot or goal

0

As you can see in the table above, Djiga has really stepped up in the right-sided centre-back role since Souttar picked up an injury on international duty with Scotland, winning an eye-catching 14 of his 18 ground duels in four league outings.

The Burkina Faso international has shown that he can be reliable at the back for a stretch of games, with no direct errors leading to shots or goals, whilst being dominant in his defensive duels.

Rangers have kept two clean sheets in the last four league games with Djiga at the heart of the defence alongside Emmanuel Fernandez, and Rohl will be hoping that his new defensive partnership continues to shine over the festive period.

The 23-year-old loanee, in particular, needs to prove that his current form is not a flash in the pan and that he has put the mistakes that he made earlier in the season behind him to be a reliable option for the German manager moving forward.

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On current evidence, Djiga is the most improved player under Rohl, going from “rotten” to reliable, but now he needs to do it over a prolonged period of time.

Quite simply, Liverpool have been a shambles in defence this season. Arne Slot’s side have a slew of problems, mounting by the matchweek, but the crux of it comes down to disorganised, error-strewn defending.

Five defeats from six Premier League games, nine losses from 12 in all competitions, successive Anfield defeats against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, seven goals shipped, this is a crisis for the Reds.

It beggars belief. And right at the struggling heart of it is Ibrahima Konate, whose future on Merseyside is very much up in the air.

Ibrahima Konate's Liverpool future

It really cannot be understated how dismal Konate has been throughout the 2025/26 campaign. He has been indescribably weak in key battles, his resolve far too brittle.

Errors have littered the France international’s campaign, and Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher even suggested that it has been a “sackable offence” on Slot’s part for continuing to field the 26-year-old after such consistent inconsistency.

It’s clear that the centre-back’s contractual conundrum, out of a deal next summer, has been weighing heavily on his mind, especially since Real Madrid have made their vested interest known over the past year.

However, the £70k-per-week defender has been so unconvincing that Los Blancos have ended their pursuit. Liverpool remain committed to renewing their struggling star’s deal, even with interest from further suitors sure to intensify come January.

There is surely a way back to the ascendancy for a player who served so confidently in a title-winning campaign, but with Virgil van Dijk getting old, it’s clear that FSG need to find new defenders regardless.

There’s no doubt that sporting director Richard Hughes will feel rueful after missing out on Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, a deal effectively in place on deadline day and the Three Lions star ready to complete his medical before the Eagles failed to source a replacement.

However, there is another who could end up succeeding Konate, though this Liverpool prospect has endured a tough start to his career at the club.

Liverpool have a teenage Konate upgrade

Liverpool’s dearth of defensive options this season have meant that Slot has been unable to drop Konate and bring in another. However, Giovanni Leoni was slated to be that man.

Leoni, 18, joined Liverpool from Serie A side Parma this summer in a £27m deal, Hughes drawn to his potential to become one of the best in the business. The Italian is powerful, dynamic and prodigiously talented on the ball, with his long and limber frame making him the perfect fit in the Premier League.

However, disaster struck on his debut in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win over Southampton, when Leoni ruptured his ACL, sidelining him until the end of the season.

It was only one fixture – and against second-tier opponents at that – but Leoni showed a lot of promise for his new club, very much at place on the ball and winning four of five contested duels, including each of his three aerial battles.

It was the kind of display that proved Leoni is “one of the best young centre-backs in the world”, something noted by Liverpool reporter James Wathland as the fanbase chews on their frustration over losing such a shrewd defensive solution for the campaign.

Giovanni Leoni vs Southampton

Match Stats

#

Minutes played

81′

Touches

102

Accurate passes

88/91 (97%)

Possession lost

3x

Recoveries

3

Tackles won

0/1

Interceptions

3

Clearances

6

Ground duels

1/2

Aerial duels

3/3

Data via Sofascore

Liverpool’s defenders are often tasked with initiating forward moves from the back, and while Leoni is not refined in this regard, there is undeniable promise that Slot and Liverpool’s coaching team will be developing even in the teenager’s period of convalescence.

Liverpool have a sensational defensive talent in their mix, and while fans won’t be able to witness him in action again until the latter months of 2026, they can rest assured that Leoni has what it takes to reach superstar status down the line.

This may be considered when Hughes and co weigh up Konate’s value and whether they should extend his time on Merseyside for his prime years.

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After losing their way against Australia and England, India finally produced the complete batting performance that was expected of them

Sruthi Ravindranath24-Oct-20254:10

Review – India’s stellar batting display

Too many dot balls. Low strike rates. Middle-order collapses. A batting line-up that doesn’t finish well.Those were some of the phrases that had trailed India into the crucial clash against New Zealand. By the end of the evening at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, each one had been crossed off the list. On Thursday, India didn’t just start well but stayed the course.When Smriti Mandhana missed a sweep and was given out lbw on 77, there was that familiar feeling. Would this be another wasted start and shift of momentum? Not this time. An almost reluctant review showed the ball had brushed the bat. Mandhana survived.It wasn’t long ago that India had watched commanding starts wilt under pressure. Against Australia, Mandhana and Pratika Rawal had added a 155-run opening stand, only for the innings to falter after Mandhana was dismissed for 80. A late collapse limited them to 330 with seven balls left in their innings.Against England, Mandhana had again stood tall amid early wickets, but her dismissal, trying to up the ante, triggered another slide. Three wickets fell quickly, and India ended up falling short by four runs.Related

Stats – Mandhana, Rawal tear up the record book

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Thursday’s contest was also a high-stakes one: a win would confirm India’s place in the semi-final. The chatter before the game was more around India’s credibility with the bat. Could they live up to their promise? The DY Patil Stadium, a venue that India are familiar with, with its quick outfield and batting-friendly surface, felt like the perfect stage for a revival.However, it wasn’t a smooth start for India after they were put in. Mandhana and Rawal admitted after the match that the first few overs were tricky. New Zealand’s new-ball pair found movement, and India crawled to six runs after four overs.Rawal then pounced on a few loose deliveries from Rosemary Mair, and Mandhana found her first boundary in the seventh over, dropping to one knee to sweep spinner Eden Carson for four and then hitting her for a six in her next over. From thereon, India were in consummate control.”I like pace more than spin for sure. I like to dominate pace,” Mandhana said after the match, when asked if she had planned to take on spin. “But it was an important game. There were a few nerves in there for the first three-four overs. We were trying to give a good start. I saw the scoreboard and there were three-five odd runs. I was like, ‘okay, we can’t do that.’ Then I said [to myself], just back yourself and try and play the ball.”Rawal’s strike rate has often come under scrutiny, raising questions about whether it added to the pressure on Mandhana and the middle order. India head coach Amol Muzumdar had dismissed the concern on match eve, insisting that India didn’t see it as an issue and wanted her to “continue the way she bats”.After matching Mandhana’s tempo on her way to a fifty, Rawal briefly slowed down before finding her rhythm again, notably taking on the experienced Lea Tahuhu. Perhaps the most defining moment of Rawal’s innings came when she launched Tahuhu straight down the ground with a clean, straight-batted loft. She held the pose for a second as if to let everyone know she had found her rhythm.”Initially, yes, there was a bit of struggle with me personally,” Rawal said. “I was not able to middle the ball as well as I could do in the previous matches. But I’m very happy [with] the way I kept my nerves. I held my head down and just focused on everything that come my way. With Smriti obviously, on the other hand, it makes my job easier. Whatever the calculations that we do out in the middle, you don’t have to do much. You just get it by just talking that what areas to target – what all the bowlers that we can target.”Mandhana blended grace with aggression and showed her range: a pulled six off a waist-high no-ball over deep backward square leg, a signature six down the ground, and even a hint of innovation when she shaped to scoop Sophie Devine before pulling out at the last second.Muzumdar had also spoken about the need for a three-digit score, asking India’s batters to convert their starts. India hadn’t produced a century in five games. On Thursday, they produced two. After scores of 80 and 88 in her last two games, Mandhana reached her hundred off just 88 balls.”The first three games did not go my way,” Mandhana said. “Especially the second and the third one [against Pakistan and South Africa]. After getting to 20, I [used to tell myself that I] will back myself to play a longer innings after 20. But I was getting out. In the World Cup, you have to keep a lot of things in the past. You have to understand if you are feeling good, you have come off a good form, you just need to keep continuing and not complicating. That’s the only thing I kept telling [myself], it doesn’t matter when there will be the later stage. I am feeling good and that’s what matters.”She departed for 109 off 95 balls in the 34th over but there was no slowdown this time, with Jemimah Rodrigues, who was promoted to No.3, hitting an unbeaten 76 off 55 balls. Her promotion was a bold call, considering she had been dropped in the previous game and had endured a lean patch in recent months. Harleen Deol had been a fixture at No. 3 for 25 ODIs running. But the move worked.Rodrigues walked out brimming with intent, timing her drives sweetly, perhaps an evidence of the long training session a day before where she had mostly practiced that stroke. Alongside Rawal, she maintained the high tempo. Rawal soon brought up her own century, adding flourish with two sixes after reaching the landmark – it was the first time in her 23-match career she had hit two sixes in an innings. Rodrigues, meanwhile, hit 11 fours to give India the strong finish they needed.India had finally batted the way they’d been expected to – without panic, or a mid-innings lull, or a collapse. It was as complete a batting display as they’ve produced all tournament.The middle order wasn’t tested, but for once, it didn’t need to be, as India’s batters showed they could dictate a game from start to finish. It was also a sign that this batting group has both the depth and the freedom to experiment. The win secured their semi-final spot and provided the kind of commanding statement India had been waiting to make.

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has sent a heartfelt message of support to his "brother" Ronald Araujo, insisting that the squad is desperate for the defender to return from his "spiritual journey" in Israel. The Spain international also urged the Uruguayan to look past his recent errors as he battles to recover from the emotional issues that have kept him on the sidelines.

Araujo heads to Israel while Barca compete in the Champions League

The situation surrounding Araujo has dominated the headlines in Catalonia over the past week. While Hansi Flick's side have been performing admirably on the pitch – staging a dramatic comeback against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday evening – the absence of a key defensive figure has left a void in the dressing room.

It recently emerged that Araujo has been granted special permission by the club to travel to Tel Aviv. This was not a standard holiday, but rather a "spiritual journey" designed to help the centre-back disconnect from the relentless pressure of life at Barcelona and reset his mental state. Reports have suggested the player has been left "emotionally shaken" by a combination of injury setbacks and fierce criticism, prompting him to seek solace in the Holy Land.

Speaking to the media, Pedri broke his silence on his team-mate's absence, offering a touching tribute to the bond they share and making it clear that the players are waiting with open arms for his return.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPedri in touch with 'brother' Araujo

When asked about Araujo’s current situation, the Spanish international revealed the personal connection he has with Araujo.

"It is not an easy topic," Pedri admitted to . "I want to give him all the encouragement in the world, I already spoke with him in private. He is one more of the family, we love him very much and we need him both on and off the pitch."

Araujo has faced intense scrutiny this season, often being made the scapegoat for defensive frailties. The pressure reached a boiling point recently, contributing to his decision to step away, but Pedri urged his friend to let go of any guilt he might be carrying, insisting that imperfection is part of the game and life.

"These are things that happen; there are errors inside and outside the pitch," Pedri explained. "We all make mistakes and we need him because, for me, he is a brother. I love him very much and I wish for him to be with us as soon as possible, when he is well."

Echoing Pique's defence

Pedri’s emotional plea comes just days after Pique launched a fierce defence of Araujo. The former captain applauded the Uruguayan for "raising his hand and saying enough" regarding the abuse he receives. Pique criticised the "open bar" culture of insults in Spanish football, where players are expected to endure relentless toxicity without complaint.

Pique noted that players often have to build an "armour" to survive, something he admitted was "not healthy." Araujo’s trip to Tel Aviv is an attempt to heal without becoming hardened or cynical. By taking a "spiritual" break, he is prioritising his long-term mental health over the short-term demands of the fixture list.

Getty Images SportWhat comes next?

Barcelona face Osasuna in La Liga this weekend with the aim of at least maintaining their four-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table, a match Araujo will miss as he continues his time away. The club have put no pressure on his return date, allowing the "spiritual journey" to take its natural course as Hansi Flick's men target a fifth consecutive win in all competitions this weekend.

Araujo, 26, has featured in 15 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League this season. He was suspended for Tuesday's win at Camp Nou due to a red card he received against Chelsea last month and has missed the Catalan club's last three matches in La Liga.

The 15-member squad also includes Vaibhav Suryavanshi, with Vihaan Malhotra as Mhatre’s deputy

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2025Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre will be leading India Under-19 at the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai from December 12. The BCCI announced a 15-member squad for the tournament, with the side also including aggressive opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Vihaan Malhotra will be Mhatre’s deputy at the competition.Mhatre, meanwhile, hasn’t been in good form recently. He had impressed for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025, where he was called up to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad, with 240 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of nearly 189. But since then, he has been inconsistent with his returns.Mhatre got just 27 runs in four one-day matches on the England tour, but hit back to be the top-scorer with 340 runs in the two Youth Tests. In Australia, after that, he got just ten runs in three one-day games and 38 runs in the Youth Tests against Australia Under-19. In four first-class matches during India’s domestic season, which included a game for India A against South Africa A, Mhatre managed only 156 runs at an average of 26. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture that followed, he scored 18 against Railways, though he did record an unbeaten 53-ball 110 against Vidarbha on Friday, leading Mumbai to a seven-wicket win.At the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup, which will be played in the one-day format, India are in Group A with Pakistanand two qualifying teams while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and another qualifier are in Group B. India open their campaign December 12 against one of the two qualifiers.

India squad for Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup

Ayush Mhatre (capt), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra (vice-capt), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Naman Pushpak, D. Deepesh, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh*, Udhav Mohan, Aaron George*Subject to fitness clearanceStandby players: Rahul Kumar, Hemchudeshan J, B.K. Kishore, Aditya Rawat

Varied repertoire delivers five game-changing wickets as Australia outwit hosts in thriller

Vishal Dikshit12-Oct-20253:54

Healy was Australia’s bedrock

A little bit of variety is valued a great deal in life; on the dining table, in the wardrobe, in your wishlist of books and movies…you get the drift. On the cricket field, and particularly in this Women’s World Cup, it’s hard to match the variety in the Australia squad, and even the variety of trickery with which their allrounder Annabel Sutherland can deceive opposition batters, primarily using her fingers and wrist.Thanks to one of the few benefits of the length of the 50-over game, Sutherland’s exemplary bowling display against India on Sunday showed its full range through three different spells. Initially, it looked as though her focus would be on containment, but eventually she ended up inducing a collapse of 6 for 36 on what was probably the flattest pitch of this World Cup.Sutherland’s timing of shining through was also on point – on her 24th birthday – and in front of a sold-out crowd in Visakhapatnam, which had neither bought tickets to see Australia edge the hosts nor to see some changes of pace help take down India’s established batters on a pitch that was made for runs.Sutherland was first handed the ball after 10 overs, by which stage India had added 58 without losing a wicket and without any troubles. By the time she had sent down her first four deliveries, all to Pratika Rawal, Sutherland had already used the first type of arrow from her quiver: pace. Rawal, on 26 off 32 at the time, was struggling to middle the deliveries that had pace and came off an accurate line and length in the corridor. On the fourth delivery, which happened to be the fastest of the over at 117kph, Rawal finally found a single and went off strike.As a batter, you would think the same pace-on strategy would continue in her next over? Cute. This time Sutherland started bowling offcutters and Rawal was visibly frustrated by her inability to connect properly with the first four balls, before she mistimed a pull to the leg side and the catch fell just short of a diving Ashleigh Gardner, going through for four. Even then, a four-run over made it two overs for just six, while her first spell of 16 runs in four overs was already standing out in an innings that was picking up pace.With the runs flowing and not a wicket in sight, captain Alyssa Healy opted for more bowling changes which delivered the wicket of Smriti Mandhana, but India were nicely poised at 192 for 1 after 30 overs. Enter Sutherland again. The ball was old, the pitch still hard, the sell-out crowd starting to get its money’s worth and the innings heading towards an imperious finish.Related

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Sutherland pounded the ball into the pitch at 111.3kph and forced Rawal into a pull that wasn’t going to clear Ellyse Perry in the deep. With the two set openers gone, Sutherland now started to play with the new batters and her full repertoire started to come out: the offcutter, the cross-seamed delivery, the back-of-the-hand slower ball and the slower bouncer. By now she had seen the pitch enough to know which delivery to bowl at which point, to which batter, and at what length. While Sutherland was doing her thing from one end, Alana King had started to find some drift, turn and bounce to prevent the batters from getting away with it at the other.”I think Belsy’s (Sutherland’s) spell, I think we got our length right in that department,” Healy said after the game. “I think we bowled a little bit poorly at times and probably gave India an opportunity to cash in. Whether that be at the start of the over or the end of the over, we couldn’t really create a lot of pressure, but I think Alana King and Annabel Sutherland actually created a little bit of a partnership there; created some pressure, created some opportunities, and then Belsy cashed in at her end.”In the end, Sutherland was given the ball again when 42 overs were done and India were headed towards a massive total through Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh, who were riding on their rapid fifty stand off just 30 balls. But just as Healy had said before this game, having watched South Africa’s win against India, Australia had a decent idea about what to do and when at this ground. Healy and Sutherland would have known that pace-on was not going to work in this situation.And so off went the pace. Sutherland dug a back-of-the-hand slower ball into the pitch which Ghosh didn’t get as much distance on and found long-on in the 45th over. In her next over, Sutherland bowled so slow – easily slower than some of the quicker spinners – at just 87.5kph, and Rodrigues mistimed it completely, straight down the ground. Kranti Gaud suffered a similar fate soon afterwards.To get the better of India’s No. 11, Shree Charani, Sutherland was almost showing off. She used the scrambled seam from around the wicket at 106.4kph, and the tailender could only edge it onto her stumps to give Sutherland her maiden ODI five-for.More than 660 runs were eventually scored in Visakhapatnam, boundaries came thick and fast, and runs were hard to stop in most stages. Yet, one bowler finished with an economy rate of 4.06 and sent down 36 dots. How’s that for variety?

A BCB spokesperson confirmed the news, saying that the board has received a letter from the BCCI saying that the white-ball series will be scheduled at a later date

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2025Bangladesh’s tour of India to play a series of three ODIs and three T20Is in December has been “postponed”.A BCB spokesperson confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday, saying that the board has received a letter from the BCCI saying that the white-ball series will be scheduled at a later date.No specific reason has been given for the postponement but it is understood that the prevailing political tensions between India and Bangladesh was a key factor.The series, a part of the ICC’s future tours programme, was meant to be India’s last set of games before the start of the next edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and the only series between their triumphant ODI World Cup campaign and the WPL. The matches were expected to be played in Kolkata and Cuttack, with the ODIs kicking off the new cycle of the Women’s ODI Championship for both sides.Earlier this year, India men’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh, originally slotted for August 2025, was pushed to September 2026.”This decision has been reached following discussions between the two boards, taking into account the international cricketing commitments and scheduling convenience of both teams,” the BCCI had said in a statement at the time. “The BCB looks forward to welcoming India in September 2026 for this eagerly anticipated series. Revised dates and fixtures for the tour will be announced in due course.”