Nottingham Forest head coach Sean Dyche arrived at the City Ground to replace Ange Postecoglou in October and has enjoyed a fairly strong start to life in the Midlands.

The English tactician has won three of his six matches and kept three clean sheets, most recently masterminding the incredible 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, though, the player Dyche knows the most within the Forest squad, Chris Wood, has been unavailable for selection due to a knee injury.

The latest news on Chris Wood's injury

The New Zealand international suffered a knee injury in October that has kept him out of action for over a month, and he is yet to feature under Dyche for the Tricky Trees.

Prior to the Liverpool win, Dyche said: “It is just a settling period (for Wood), it is nothing too serious, it is a grumbling knee. It is serious enough to stop him from loading it; from loading in daily training, but it is settling down.”

This means that it is a case of wait and see for the experienced frontman before he can return to training and Premier League action, after he scored a staggering 20 goals in the top-flight for Forest last term.

The former Burnley man only scored two goals from 2.77 xG in the first eight matches of the current Premier League season, though, per Sofascore, and it will be interesting to see if Dyche can get him back to his best.

Meanwhile, Forest are reportedly eyeing up a January transfer window swoop for Porto centre-forward Samu Aghehowa, who could be the manager’s new version of Wood.

Why Samu could be Dyche's new Wood for Nottingham Forest

The current Tricky Trees striker turns 34 next month and there is no guarantee that he will come back from this knee injury to deliver goals on a consistent basis, which may be why a new striker is on the agenda for January.

Like Wood, who is 6 foot 3, Samu is a physically imposing centre-forward who stands at 6 foot 4 and has the strength and size to compete with Premier League defenders to be the kind of focal point that Dyche wants his number nine to be.

Journalist Zach Lowy once claimed that the Porto marksman can be “one of the best STs in Europe” and his form in Portugal suggests that he is now living up to that praise.

The Spain international scored six goals in nine Europa League matches in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, whilst his form in the Portuguese top-flight has been phenomenal.

Samu – Liga Portugal

24/25

25/26

Appearances

30

10

xG

14.07

4.98

Goals

19

6

Minutes per goal

119

105

Assists

3

1

Aerial duel success rate

51%

60%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Samu has provided a consistent and clinical threat in the final third for Porto in the Liga Portugal since the start of last season, whilst also winning the majority of his aerial contests in that time.

These statistics suggest that the 21-year-old centre-forward would be the perfect signing for Dyche as his next version of Chris Wood, because he has the physique, the finishing skills, and the aerial ability to be a complete number nine for the Forest boss.

The Spaniard would also have Wood at the club as an experienced mentor for him to continue his development, as the ex-Burnley ace is 12 years his senior and could be an excellent role model to help with his transition to English football.

Therefore, Forest should push hard to get a deal done for the Porto sensation because he could be an excellent addition to the squad as Wood’s natural successor under Dyche.

Related Gibbs-White would love him: Nottingham Forest looking to re-sign £20m star

This star could improve Forest’s midfield and benefit Gibbs-White

Posts ByJoe Nuttall Nov 24, 2025

Big Picture – South Africa look to extend winning run

It’s been a change of fortunes for both sides since their respective opening games at the Women’s World Cup, 2025. After a crushing defeat in their opener, where they were bowled out for 69 against England, South Africa have turned things around in style, edging past New Zealand before putting themselves back as strong contenders by beating hosts India in an epic chase.Bangladesh began with a statement win over Pakistan but have since faltered. They pushed England close and were thoroughly outplayed by New Zealand, leaving their campaign teetering.Related

• Mlaba handed demerit point for waving at Deol

• 'Simplicity is everything' and impossible is Nadine for South Africa

South Africa’s resurgence has been powered by individual brilliance. Tazmin Brits stood tall against New Zealand, while Nadine de Klerk delivered a game-changing performance against India, with Chloe Tryon playing a supporting role. Captain Laura Wolvaardt, too, found form at the top of the order. South Africa will hope their core batters can fire in unison as the tournament enters its crunch phase.It’s not just their batting that South Africa will be pleased with. Nonkululeko Mlaba has been the standout among bowlers, her left-arm spin proving decisive in the middle overs. South Africa’s next fixtures are against Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, teams currently occupying the bottom three spots on the points table. With their net run-rate still in the negative (-0.888), South Africa will want more than just wins to stay in the hunt for the top four berth.For Bangladesh, their bowlers have performed well so far in the tournament, boasting the second-best team average (23.26) behind only England, but the batting remains a concern. While two different players have registered fifties in the tournament, the lack of consistency has held them back. If Bangladesh are to challenge South Africa, they’ll need their top and middle order to click.Nigar Sultana needs to step up with the bat for Bangladesh•ICC/Getty Images

Form Guide

Bangladesh LLWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWLLW

In the spotlight – Chloe Tryon and Nigar Sultana

After a quiet start to the tournament, Chloe Tryon chose the right moment to shine, showcasing her all-round skills against India. She first dented India’s batting with a clinical spell of 3 for 23 by removing key players in Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Amanjot Kaur. Then she walked in with South Africa 81 for 5 in their 252-run chase, and helped script one of their most memorable wins. She managed all of this while nursing a calf niggle.While Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana has led energetically on the field, her form with the bat has been a concern. Scores of 23, 0, and 4 in her last three outings, each ending with a soft dismissal, have left a void in Bangladesh’s top order. She was full of praise for her bowling unit after the loss to New Zealand, but called out the team’s shortcomings with the bat, stressing the need to build partnerships and show composure when chasing targets over 200.

Team news – Tryon fit for Bangladesh clash

With batting being a concern, will Bangladesh look to bring back the experienced Fargana Hoque at the top of the order?Bangladesh (probable): 1 Rubya Haider, 2 Sharmin Akhter, 3 Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), 4 Sobhana Mostary, 5 Sumaiya Akter, 6 Shorna Akter, 7 Fahima Khatun, 8 Nahida Akter, 9 Rabeya Khan, 10 Marufa Akter, 11 Nishita Akter NishiChole Tryon, who batted with a calf niggle against India, is fit and available for South Africa•ICC/Getty Images

South Africa will want to keep their winning XI. Tryon, whose calf required heavy strapping when she was batting against India, is fit and available to play.South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Anneke Bosch/Annerie Dercksen, 6 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 7 Chloe Tryon, 8 Nadine de Klerk, 9 Tumi Sekhukhune, 10 Ayabonga Khaka, 11 Nonkululeko Mlaba

Pitch and conditions – Rainy and humid in Vizag

Visakhapatnam has been the most batting-friendly venue of this World Cup so far, with a high-scoring pitch laid out during the India-Australia clash. There is a chance of rain on Monday afternoon, but the weather is expected to clear up later in the day. The temperature will peak around 31°C with high humidity. Dew has been a factor in the evening and could influence the toss.

Stats and Trivia

• This will be South Africa’s 50th World Cup game
• Fahima Khatun has 15 wickets this year. She needs to add six more to her tally to have the most for Bangladesh in a year
• Marizanne Kapp is two wickets away from becoming South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in World Cups, going past Shabnim Ismail’s 36.
• Fargana Hoque needs four more runs to complete 500 runs against South Africa. She will become the first Bangladesh player to hit 500 runs against any opponent in women’s ODIs

Quotes

“With a bowling style like mine, what I try to do is bowl my variations as much as possible. Coming to the subcontinental teams, sometimes pace doesn’t work, or rather, go your way. So, I think I try to change up my pace there and then see how that can actually work for me.”
“I agree our batting collapsed [against New Zealand]. We’ve already discussed it with our batting coaches and among the players. We’ve been working on those weaknesses, and hopefully the batters will come back in the next match. We have other capable batters in the team. And our captain, Joty, always plays in a way that inspires us. I believe she’ll do better from the next match.”

Closing in on his arrival, Kim Hellberg has already reportedly made the decision to overhaul Middlesbrough’s backroom staff and hand interim manager Adi Viveash a new role at the club.

The Swedish manager has already caused plenty of controversy around the Championship after he rejected Swansea City in favour of Boro in a late twist, and is now set to arrive in Teesside with the task of picking up where Rob Edwards left off.

Having reportedly paid £250k to secure his services, Boro will be hoping to see Hellberg get off to the perfect start, but to say he doesn’t have an easy start would be an understatement.

With Viveash set to remain in charge against Oxford United this Saturday, Hellberg’s first game in charge is likely to come against Championship leaders Coventry City. If nothing changes between now and that game, then Middlesbrough will be able to go within a point of the league leaders with victory on their manager’s debut.

It will be interesting to see how the 37-year-old sets his side up for that game. His preferred formation is a 4-2-3-1, which Boro played so often under Edwards and will now look to use to their advantage under a new manager. This should at least help ease any period of adjustment for all involved.

The Swede isn’t wasting any time before implementing other changes, however. Reports are now claiming that he’s already made an immediate staff overhaul involving interim boss Viveash.

Hellberg makes instant Viveash decision at Middlesbrough

According to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Hellberg has already appointed David Selini as his assistant manager and made the decision to keep Viveash on as a technical coach as part of a staff overhaul. The young coach has instantly got to work to make changes in an attempt to hit the ground running in Riverside.

It’s a new role that Viveash has more than earned. The Boro coach stepped up for the club when Edwards departed, leading them to a 2-1 victory over Birmingham City and there’s no doubt his presence will help to welcome Hellberg to the job.

Meanwhile, Selini is also an interesting appointment. The Hammarby assistant has only worked with Hellberg for over a year, but is now set to join him in the Championship at just 31 years old.

In Hellberg and his assistant, Selini, Boro have placed their trust in a young management team and must now hope that their gamble ends in the pay out of promotion.

When Gian Piero Gasperini was unveiled as Roma's new coach back in June, he made a point of repeatedly stating that his first objective was getting the fans onside. The former Atalanta coach may have worked miracles in Bergamo but he's always been a bit of a divisive figure, so his appointment certainly wasn't met with universal approval among the supporters.

Truth be told, they would have preferred to see local legend Claudio Ranieri continue as coach for another year. However, Ranieri refused to reverse his retirement in order to take up a directorial role with the club and felt that the infamously gruff Gasperini was precisely the kind of character required to revive Roma.

"I didn't like him [when I was a coach]," Ranieri revealed with typical honesty, "and I told him so, but he was chosen because I am convinced that Rome needs a strong personality, a coach who is never satisfied, who is always angry, who wants to improve the team, the individual.

"I will be a friend for him, I will be on one side and if he needs something, we will try to solve problems together. He's aware of the difficulties we will encounter but if I had stayed, I would have lost a year of time for the construction; he was called to build something that can bear fruit.

"That won't be easy, of course, but that's why we offered him a year to make himself understood." Happily for everyone involved, Gasperini has needed less than six months to win over the fans by cooking up a surprise Scudetto challenge…

• The first sign of Gasperini's killer counters

  An hour into Sunday's Serie A clash with Cremonese, Roma were 1-0 up and going top of the table – not that you would have known that from Gasperini's demeanour. He'd been on edge pretty much all afternoon, irked by the decision-making of the match officials, and, in the 62nd minute, he was sent off.

  Unsurprisingly, Gasperini lost it and, rather amusingly, he argued afterwards that if he was going to be dismissed, it should have been in the first half rather than the second. Indeed, when he was issued two yellow cards in a matter of seconds just after the hour mark, an irate Gasperini insisted that, in that particular moment, he hadn't actually said anything insulting towards the referee or his assistants.

  However, Gasperini's rage quickly dissipated. While he was still reluctantly making his way to the stand, substitute Evan Ferguson scored his first goal for the club. Five minutes after that, a visibly ecstatic Gasperini was out of his seat and slapping colleagues after Wesley finished off the kind of killer counterattack with which the 67-year-old had enjoyed such remarkable success at Atalanta.

Advertisement

• The wizard of Rome

  By the time the moment came to speak to the press after a 3-1 win that moved Roma two points clear at the summit of Serie A, Gasperini was all smiles – and particularly when he was shown images of a piece of street art that appeared in the Italian capital last week depicting him as a wizard concocting a title challenge with 'grit, heart and sweat'.

  "That's wonderful but disconcerting!" Gasperini joked in his post-match interview with . "The ingredients are fantastic, though, and I agree they are the things that we need. Maybe we can also add a little spice and salt." With Gasperini as coach, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Keeping a lid on the fans' expectations represents a tougher task.

  What's interesting, though, is that Gasperini isn't really trying to rain on anyone's parade. He's actually preaching positivity, looking to ride rather than quell the wave of optimism generated by Roma's best start to a season for 10 years.

  "We want to keep playing like this," Gasperini said on Sunday. "It's only right to dream in these positions, while at the same time being aware that very few dreams come true in the end. However, we're trying to keep the dream going for a while longer."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Continuing Ranieri's good work

  The good news for Roma's long-suffering supporters, some of whom weren't even alive when they last won the Scudetto (2001), is that we've already seen enough evidence to suggest that the Gasperini-led title challenge is at least sustainable.

  As Ranieri alluded to, nobody anticipated an especially smooth transition from last season to this. Gasperini is a notoriously demanding coach, he has been known to clash with unwilling workers, and it usually takes some time for his methods to take root.

  There was, therefore, a fear that his spell at Roma would go the same way as his last stint at one of Italy's biggest clubs, when he was sacked after just five games in charge of Inter all the way back in 2011.

  However, Gasperini has done a sensational job building upon the excellent platform put in place by Ranieri, who took over with the Giallorossi in total disarray last November and led the club to a fifth-place finish, after losing just once in the second half of the season.

  As a result, Roma have retained a base level of organisation and commitment that has allowed them to continue eking out wins. Indeed, across Europe's 'big five' leagues, only Real Madrid (23) have won more matches by a single-goal margin in 2025 than the Giallorossi (20).

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• A surprisingly strong defence

  Roma have also kept clean sheets in half of their 12 Serie A games so far, and conceded just six goals – fewer than anyone else in Italy's top flight thanks to the likes of veteran centre-back Gianluca Mancini, goalkeeper Mile Svilar and midfield duo Manu Kone and Bryan Cristante, who are both doing an excellent job of protecting the three-man backline.

  However, to say that the excellent defensive record is surprising would be a massive understatement, as Gasperini's Atalanta were renowned – and revered – for their offensive game, which was significantly aided by the willingness to go one-v-one at the back.

  Gasperini even brought up his adventurous approach in his first press conference as Roma boss. "I don’t think it's any secret, everyone knows what kind of football I like," he said. "My style of play reflects my own characteristics.

  "My teams have always played in a certain way, with intensity and quality, scoring a lot of goals, always focused on scoring one more rather than conceding one fewer."

  And yet 10th-placed Udinese are the only team in the top half of Serie A to have scored few goals (12) than the current league leaders (15).

Varun Chakravarthy remains the No. 1 T20I bowler

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-20251:20

Chopra: Very little the bowlers could do against Abhishek

Pakistan’s Saim Ayub is the new No. 1 allrounder in men’s T20Is while India opener Abhishek Sharma has broken the record for highest rating points, extending his lead at the top of the men’s T20I batting charts.Ayub moved up four places to the top of the allrounder rankings, pushing India’s Hardik Pandya down to No. 2. Ayub took eight wickets in six innings and went at only 6.40 per over in the Asia Cup, although he scored only 37 runs in seven innings. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi dropped one position to third while Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza complete the top five.Abhishek, who was already leading the batting rankings, reached 931 rating points after his half-century against Sri Lanka. He has surpassed Dawid Malan’s previous best mark of 919 rating points in 2020. Abhishek, who only debuted last year, finished the Asia Cup with 314 runs at an average of 44.85 and a strike-rate of 200 to clinch the Player-of-the-Tournament award.Full rankings tables

Click here for the full team rankings

Click here for the full player rankings

Abhishek has an 82-point lead over England’s Phil Salt, who is second, with India’s Tilak Varma third. Jos Buttler remains at fourth while Pathum Nissanka moved up to No. 5 after scoring 261 runs in the Asia Cup.Among bowlers, Varun Chakravarthy retained the No.1 spot after taking seven wickets in the Asia Cup. Kuldeep Yadav rose nine places to 12th after his 17-wicket haul in the tournament. Shaheen Afridi jumped 12 spots to joint-13th, and Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain advanced six places to 20th.

SEATTLE — The most dangerous hitter in the Detroit Tigers lineup has never hit 30 homers, driven in 70 runs or made an All-Star team. Injuries and left-handed pitchers have kept Kerry Carpenter from elite statistical thresholds and acclaim. But don’t do what the Seattle Mariners did in Game 1 of the ALDS: overlook him.

Carpenter is a career .507 slugger who mashes high fastballs. This year he slugged .571 against high fastballs (at least 33 inches off the ground), the 12th best mark among hitters who saw at least 350 such heaters—ahead of Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez and Cal Raleigh.

“One thing about Carp,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “is he can be streaky. But no matter what, he’s looking to get off his A swing. Even if it’s two strikes, he can do damage. And that’s why he is so dangerous.”

The Mariners did not respect the danger ever present in Carpenter’s bat, and that is why they suffered a brutally painful 3–2 loss Saturday. They burned their closer for six outs and still lost, knowing they are staring at seeing the best pitcher on the planet, Tarik Skubal, two of the next four possible games, including Game 2 Sunday. Ouch.

Yes, a 73-mph, 15-hop single from Zach McKinstry plated the winning run in the 11th inning, a run set up by two egregious mistakes by Seattle reliever Carlos Vargas at such a juncture: a leadoff walk and a wild pitch.

But it was one swing by Carpenter that changed everything, a swing that should never have been permitted by the Mariners. Seattle manager Dan Wilson, running his first postseason game, held a 1–0 lead in the fifth with one on, two outs and first base open with George Kirby on the mound. Wilson had his best lefty, Gabe Speier, up in the pen with Carpenter due to bat with another lefty, Riley Greene, behind him.

Wilson sent pitching coach Pete Woodworth to the mound for a conversation with Kirby.

“Yes, in the back of my mind I thought they weren’t going to pitch to me,” Carpenter said, adding with a laugh, “Maybe my first two at-bats convinced them.”

Hinch had set a trap for Wilson by batting Greene and Carpenter back-to-back. By showing he will pitch-hit for either one with lefty masher Jahmai Jones, Hinch puts the onus on the other manager early in a game. No matter what option you choose, Hinch will have the platoon advantage.

Wilson chose to have Kirby pitch to Carpenter, even though Carpenter had four home runs in 10 at-bats against Kirby. Even though Carpenter is a high fastball hitter.

“Yeah. It’s a tough one,” Wilson said, “and you do the best you can and try to take the information that you have and what you’re seeing. And we thought George continued to throw the ball pretty well there and still had pretty good stuff and a lot left in the tank, and he had been in a couple of tough spots earlier, but really pitched out of it well.”

Kirby, a high-fastball pitcher, has the stuff to better attack Greene, not Carpenter.

“With Carpenter,” Wilson said, “you're trying to keep it down in the zone or trying to get him to chase up in the zone.”

Said Carpenter: “I always feel like the more I face people, the more opportunity I have to have success. And so yeah, I was hoping to get another opportunity off him.”

يخوض فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي مباراة في دوري أبطال أوروبا 2025-2026، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء حيث يواجه نظيره إنتر ميلان الإيطالي.

ويستقبل إنتر ميلان خصمه ليفربول على ملعب “جوزيبي مياتزا” ضمن مباريات الجولة السادسة لمرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويعاني ليفربول بشكل واضح هذا الموسم تحت قيادة مديره الفني آرني سلوت، وفشل في الحفاظ على تقدمه أمام ليدز يونايتد في الجولة الماضية بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وحسمت المباراة بالتعادل الإيجابي 3-3.

وزادت الأمور توترًا بعد التصريحات التي أدلى بها نجم الفريق محمد صلاح، والتي أبدى من خلالها اعتراضه على وضعه الحالي في ليفربول، لجلوسه بديلاً في ثلاث مباريات متتالية بالبريميرليج، واتهم النادي بالتخلي عنه، كما أشار لانقطاع علاقته بالمدرب آرني سلوت.

وقام سلوت باستبعاد محمد صلاح من قائمة ليفربول للمباراة أمام إنتر ميلان، بحسب ما أعلن النادي مساء الإثنين.

ويحتل ليفربول المركز 13 في دوري أبطال أوروبا برصيد 9 نقاط، وقد تعرض للهزيمة في مباراتين بمرحلة الدوري، ويأتي إنتر ميلان في المركز الرابع بجدول الترتيب بـ 12 نقطة. موعد مباراة ليفربول وإنتر ميلان اليوم

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مصر، الحادية عشر مساءً بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول وإنتر ميلان اليوم

تذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN sports HD 1. معلق مباراة ليفربول وإنتر ميلان اليوم

يعلق على المباراة، عصام الشوالي.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Mookie Betts captured his fourth World Series ring on Saturday night thanks to him leading a double play in the 11th inning to have the Dodgers beat the Blue Jays 5-4.

The six-time Gold Glove award winner put his skills to the test in the last few innings of Game 7 on Saturday. Betts admitted he was “nervous” the last few innings, especially knowing how much weight he had on his shoulders to produce a major play. And, the shortstop succeeded by getting an out at second from a ground ball, and then throwing the ball to Freddie Freeman at first to get the second out to win the title.

Betts described the “positive reinforcements” he gave himself during this crucial play.

“That ninth inning, that was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been on a baseball field. Man, I’ve never done it. I never did it in Game 7 of the World Series,” Betts told the MLB Network crew after the game. “I mean, literally, I was talking to myself that whole—as Yoshi [Yoshinobu Yamamoto] was throwing the ball, I was literally talking to myself like ‘Be nasty, Mook. Be nasty right now.’”

Here’s a full video of the Dodgers’ final play to seal the victory.

Betts scored one of the runs on Saturday night in the sixth inning after he was walked. Over the course of Los Angeles’s postseason this year, Betts averaged .229/.333/.314, while producing 16 hits, four runs and eight RBIs.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Alan, ex-Fluminense e campeão Brasileiro em 2010, voltou a ser convocado para a seleção da China. Atualmente no Qingdao West Coast, o jogador se naturalizou em 2019 para defender o país asiático e retorna a lista após estar ausente desde fevereiro de 2022. Os jogos acontecem no dia 6 e 11 de junho contra Tailândia e Coréia do Sul, válidos pelas eliminatórias asiáticas para Copa do Mundo de 2026.

➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

continua após a publicidade

– Motivado e feliz pelo reconhecimento do trabalho nesse retorno promissor ao futebol chinês pelo Qingdao. Seguir focado para entregar sempre o melhor em campo agora pela Seleção e avançarmos de fase nas eliminatórias – disse o atacante, que anotou cinco gols e contribuiu com duas assistências nessa temporada.

Alan tem larga carreira na China, com passagens por Tianjin Tianhai e Beijin Guoan, mas foi no Ghangzhou Evergrande que teve grande destaque. Por lá, conquistou os prinpais títulos do país e do continente, incluindo a Super Liga Chinesa, Copa da China, Supercopa da China e Liga dos Campeões da Ásia. Pelo Fluminense, o jogador teve duas passagens e soma 101 jogos e 29 gols, além dos títulos do Brasileirão de 2010 e Carioca de 2023.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Fluminense

Tudo sobre

ChinaFluminense

Kagiso Rabada sustained a rib injury during South Africa’s first training session in India on Tuesday, which ended up ruling him out of the Eden Gardens Test on the morning of the match. No decision has been made on whether he will be available for the second Test, which starts in Guwahati next week.ESPNcricinfo has established that Rabada was taken for a scan the morning after injury occurred. However, he still attended Wednesday’s training session. The extent of his participation in that session is unclear, though. He did not take part in Thursday’s optional training – which is regular practice for many senior players – and underwent a fitness test before play began on Friday morning. After experiencing discomfort during the test, a late call was made, ruling Rabada out of the Test match.Corbin Bosch, who has played three Tests prior to this tour, was named in the XI in Rabada’s place. Bosch was also part of South Africa’s Test squad in Pakistan, but did not play in either of the matches on the tour. He is now one of three seamers in South Africa’s line-up for the first Test; the other two are Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder.South Africa do not have any other seamers in their squad, after Lungi Ngidi was left out of both the Pakistan and India series in a horses-for-courses approach to playing in the subcontinent. Despite Rabada’s injury, no replacement players have been called up to the squad yet.South Africa will play another Test, followed by three ODIs and five T20Is, over the next five weeks in India. The white-ball squads have not yet been announced, but it is expected that South Africa will select as close to a first-choice T20I squad as possible, with next year’s T20 World Cup in mind. Rabada is expected to be part of that T20I squad.