One European club is now ready to launch a move to sign a big-money Liverpool star in 2026, despite facing competition from the Saudi Pro League.

Slot expects "aggressive" Leeds vs Liverpool

Despite Wednesday night’s timid draw against Sunderland at Anfield, Arne Slot was in good spirits ahead of Liverpool’s next game against Leeds United this weekend. The Reds will be looking to stretch their mini-unbeaten run to three games in the same week, but must also get back to winning ways after Wednesday.

On paper, a trip to newly-promoted Leeds looks routine and once upon a time it was exactly that for the Reds. Those days, for the time being, are gone, however, and the Premier League champions are now set to square off against a side who could physically outmatch them once again.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot admitted that he expects to face an “aggressive” Leeds side: “Yesterday I looked at Leeds v Chelsea and I thought I saw a Liverpool game; Chelsea conceding a set-piece and for the third goal making a big, big error where they conceded a goal from. [It was] very difficult for them.

“Either Leeds went very aggressive to one-v-one or they went to a low block and it was really hard to create chances. It’s not only difficult for us, that playing style, it’s difficult for many teams – including us.”

It’s been the story of Liverpool’s season so far. Whenever they’ve encountered physicality, the Premier League champions have simply been bullied.

Something had to change and that has seen Mohamed Salah sacrificed. The struggling Egyptian has not started either of Liverpool’s last two games and reports suggest he could yet leave the club in 2026.

Galatasaray ready to launch Salah bid

According to reports in Spain, Galatasaray are now ready to launch their bid to sign Salah next year. The Turkish giants are looking to take full advantage of the winger’s situation and will reportedly aim to beat clubs in Saudi Arabia to his signature.

Whether Liverpool are willing to sell Salah remains to be seen, though. The Anfield icon only signed a new two-year deal last season, which is set to expire in 2027, but they must ask themselves if he is now past the peak of his powers.

Van Dijk raves over "world-class" Liverpool star who has been "really bad"

Liverpool have not been at the races of late.

By
FFC Staff

Dec 5, 2025

Former centre-back, turned Sky Sports pundit, Jamie Carragher certainly believes that’s the case, recently saying: “The catalyst for Liverpool at the very start of the run in 2018 with Jürgen Klopp was Alisson, Van Dijk and Salah.

“Alisson’s injured a lot now, he doesn’t play so much. But you watch Van Dijk now, not the same player, and Mo Salah looks like his legs have gone.”

The 33-year-old will be desperate to prove Carragher wrong and make his £21m-a-year contract worthwhile even if that is to be from the bench following Slot’s recent ruthlessness.

Huge Gakpo upgrade: £70m "superstar" now keen to join Liverpool in January

Tasmanian in line to become Usman Khawaja’s seventh opening partner in last two years

Alex Malcolm17-Nov-2025

Jake Weatherald and Usman Khawaja batted alongside each other in adjoining nets at Perth Stadium on Monday.There are similarities in their stances but that is about where the similarities end, both as players and as people. However, they have struck up a rapport already, at least publicly via the media, as two unique individuals willing to have some fun with each other.Weatherald went first, stating on the Grade Cricketer podcast that he wasn’t sure if Khawaja knew his name despite playing against him for 10 years. The clip went viral on Instagram. Khawaja struck back with a comment on the post, “Who this?”Related

Is Head's form a worry? How the Australians have prepared for the Ashes

Doggett awaits his day as Perth Test debut looms into view

Hazlewood out of Ashes opener with hamstring injury

Weatherald, on his first day in an Australian dressing room, continued the fun.”He still calls me Jack, so we’ll get there eventually,” Weatherald told reporters on Monday. “Hopefully, if I get a game, he can find Jake there somewhere.”Jokes aside, Khawaja could be forgiven for not remembering names given Weatherald is potentially going to be his seventh Test opening partner in the last two years.That Weatherald still doesn’t know if he playing four days out from the first ball is an indicator of how unsettled Australia’s opening pair has been.In Weatherald’s favour is that he is the most experienced opener of the six since David Warner retired, at least in first-class cricket. Every one of his 145 first-class innings have come opening the batting. He has more first-class innings and more centuries, 13, than Khawaja does in the position, albeit nine of Khawaja’s 11 have come in Test cricket where he has turned into one of Australia’s best ever.Despite all that experience, though, a debut in an Ashes Test in Perth is a different beast. Even for a 31-year-old who has experienced some serious challenges in life, Weatherald went through what every new kid at school does on his first day.There was a moment before he spoke to reporters, where he leaned on the fence and stared up at the gargantuan Perth Stadium stands and imagined what it would look like on Friday when all 60,000 seats are occupied.”I’ve played a little bit of Big Bash cricket here, but at the same time, to represent your country in a place like this, it’s such a cool stadium,” Weatherald said. “To look out and see what it looked like, obviously with everyone full and obviously walking out to bat, I was sort of imagining what it’d be like to go out there.”He was wearing his brand-new Australia whites, with his initials, JW, embossed on them and number 66 on the back. The same number worn by his potential opponent this week, Joe Root. It could very well be a nod to Chuck Berry and “Route 66″, given Weatherald’s passion for rock-and-roll guitarists.There was, however, a number missing on his shirt. Eleven of Australia’s 13 squad members in Perth on Monday that had assembled for various media commitments also had their Test numbers embossed.Weatherald and Brendan Doggett did not. They may well do by the end of the week. But it was a subtle reminder that this school is different.He might have played BBL cricket at Perth Stadium before, with a match-winning half-century for Adelaide Strikers to win an elimination final against Perth Scorchers in his last outing at the venue. He also has a century at a full Adelaide Oval in a BBL final. But Test cricket is another level and Weatherald is aware that replicating what has made him the best Sheffield Shield opener of the past 12 months under Ashes pressure will be a huge challenge.”It’s certainly going to be a difficult thing,” Weatherald said. “That’s a part of being an international cricketer, I guess, the fact there’s lot more to it. But at the same time, I think that’s going to be the true test for myself, to go out there and just try and operate the same way. And if I walk out there and nick off first ball then I walk out the innings after and try to repeat the same thing again, in terms of my process.”Trusting his process is what has got Weatherald to the brink of a Test debut. He did not change a thing in his first net session with the team. While Khawaja, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and most others opted to face a majority of throw downs from the coaches on spicy surfaces, Weatherald stayed true to what he has been doing for Tasmania, facing the best bowlers he can in the nets to replicate match conditions as best he can.He took on a brutal spell from Pat Cummins, facing a lion’s share of his eight overs. Beau Webster found nip and awkward bounce at a slightly less venomous, but no less nickable pace. Nathan Lyon found spin and bounce as well. Weatherald took it all on. It looked incredibly hard work. But he endured with the same positive mindset he has shown for Tasmania in recent times.”He’s been a revelation for us at the top of the order,” Webster said of his Tasmanian team-mate.”We were sort of crying out a little bit for someone who can take the game away early in the innings, and he does that. We saw even a couple of knocks this year to go with his exceptional year last year, where he puts the pressure back on the bowlers. And he does it quickly. He bats how you want to as an opening of batter in Australia right now. He punishes the bad ball, and he’s really selective when the ball’s around the stumps. So he’s been excellent for us.”

NZC turned around a projected deficit of $ 6.8 million.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2025Former wicketkeeper-batter Mark Greatbatch has been elected as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) president, the board said in a release on Wednesday. A press release from the board also announced a profit of NZ$ 2.2 million for this financial year, turning around a projected deficit of NZ$ 6.8 million.Greatbatch, who played 41 Tests and 84 ODIs for New Zealand from 1988 to 1996, has also served as head coach and selector for the national men’s team. He replaced Lesley Murdoch, who completed her three-year term.”I want to convey my enormous gratitude to Lesley for her professionalism as the NZC President over the past three years, and for her great support for the game as well as the organisation,” NZC chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon said.”I also want to welcome and congratulate Mark as our new President and wish him well in the role. We are fortunate in New Zealand cricket to have such strong figures wanting to contribute and give back to the game.”NZC had returned a surplus of NZ$ 8 million in 2024. Wednesday’s press release said NZC’s “reserves [were] at a record $37m, supported by strong broadcasting agreements, high-value playing programmes, and a solid commercial base.””NZC’s financial position is a strong one,” Puketapu-Lyndon said. “A small net surplus represents a significant outperformance against budget, reflecting prudent management and disciplined oversight – through what was a challenging operating environment.”Cricket here has never been a one-size-fits-all affair and NZC places great value in the ability of our Major and District Associations, and clubs to understand what works best in their regions and catchments.”We’re committed to working closely with them to ensure they’re well equipped to service the grassroots environment upon which our entire game is based.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Na Era Abel Ferreira, o Palmeiras estabeleceu uma relação ímpar com a Copa Libertadores, como se o principal torneio de clubes da América do Sul tivesse encontrado um dono, situado em uma prateleira exclusiva entre os melhores do continente.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasGustavo Gómez iguala Luís Pereira e se torna o maior zagueiro artilheiro do PalmeirasPalmeiras16/05/2024PalmeirasEndrick tem edema na coxa e vira dúvida para despedidas do PalmeirasPalmeiras16/05/2024PalmeirasFica no Palmeiras? Estevão é direto sobre interesse do ChelseaPalmeiras16/05/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! Palmeiras no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Verdão

Com a vitória sobre o Independiente de Valle, do Equador, por 2 a 1, o Verdão garantiu a primeira colocação de seu grupo pelo oitavo ano consecutivo e caminha para assegurar a melhor campanha na fase de grupos pela sexta vez nas últimas sete edições de Libertadores.

Porém, no início do Século XXI, entre 2002 e 2015, o cenário era diferente. No período, o Palmeiras participou apenas quatro vezes da competição e em nenhuma delas conseguiu superar as quartas de final.

continua após a publicidade

A temporada 2017, no entanto, marca a virada de chave do Alviverde, que vivenciou na realidade sua própria jornada do herói no torneio. Após aceitar o “chamado à aventura” e, posteriormente, encontrar seu mentor – Abel Ferreira, o Palmeiras passou a controlar o cenário sul-americano e, com dois títulos no mesmo ano, transformou a tradição em dominância.

Agora, a busca é pelo tetra campeonato, que transformaria o fato em realidade. À vista disso, a reportagem separou os recordes do Palmeiras na competição.

continua após a publicidade

PALMEIRAS ENTRE OS CLUBES BRASILEIROS NA LIBERTADORES

– Mais finais disputadas: 6 (1961, 1968, 1999, 2000, 2020 e 2021) ao lado do São Paulo;


– Mais títulos: 3 (1999, 2020 e 2021) ao lado de Flamengo, Grêmio, Santos e São Paulo;


– Mais gols marcados: 465 gols;


– Mais participações na história: 24 edições disputadas.

– Mais jogos: 238


– Mais jogos como mandante: 117


– Mais jogos como visitante: 119

– Mais vitórias: 136


– Mais vitórias como mandante: 80


– Mais vitórias como visitante: 54


– Mais vitórias fora do Brasil: 49


– Único a vencer em seis países em uma mesma edição: 2018 (Brasil, Colômbia, Argentina, Peru, Paraguai e Chile)


– Mais gols como mandante: 269


– Mais gols como visitante: 193


– Mais gols fora do Brasil: 164

– Maior série invicta como visitante: 20 jogos (entre 2019 e 2022)

– Maior série invicta fora de casa: 22 jogos (entre 2019 e 2022), somando vitórias nas finais de 2020 e 2021 em campo neutro

– Entre os brasileiros, isolou-se como o clube com mais semifinais na história (11), sendo recordista também em semifinais seguidas (quatro, ao lado do Santos de 1962 a 1965). Ao lado do Grêmio, passou a ser o clube com mais quartas de finais (12) e mais oitavas de finais (16).

– Primeiro paulista a eliminar os três rivais do estado: Corinthians (quartas de 1999 e semifinal de 2000), Santos (final de 2020) e São Paulo (quartas de 2021).

Tudo sobre

Libertadores 2024STARPLUS

Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman made the most of Queensland’s butter fingers before Corey Rocchiccioli guided the tail home in a thrilling one-wicket Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland.Set 272 for victory from 90 overs on Friday at the WACA Ground, WA went from a comfortable 155 for 2 to a shaky 249 for 9 as Queensland’s attack put the squeeze on.Related

• Webster bags eight for the match but Tasmania lose to South Australia

• Victoria storm to 300-run victory to stay unbeaten

• Green finds runs ahead of Ashes series as contest bursts wide open

But Rocchiccioli (24 not out off 37 balls) and No.11 Cameron Gannon (10 not out off 13 balls) showed nerves of steel in an unbeaten 23-run final-wicket stand to guide WA to their first win of the season with 7.3 overs remaining.Whiteman, in his 100th Shield match, was the rock at the top of the order, with his knock of 81 off 170 balls helping set up victory. But he had some luck along the way.The 32-year-old was yet to score when he was dropped at second slip by substitute fielder Hugh Weibgen, who was on the field for the rested Matt Renshaw (knee).Whiteman was dropped again on 47, this time in the deep by another substitute fielder – Benji Floros.Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright and Cameron Green failed to go on with their starts, while Cooper Connolly was out for just 2 as Queensland worked their way back into the contest.Xavier Bartlett loomed as the biggest threat to WA’s victory hopes, with the home side going from slipping to 159 for 4 when he struck twice in the space of three overs by having Green caught on the pull and Connolly flashing a top edge to the keeper.Whiteman’s luck finally ran out when he hooked Gurinder Sandhu to the deep and Angus Lovell took a tumbling catch, reducing WA to 180 for 5.WA still needed 55 more runs for victory when Aaron Hardie fell for 12, and when Josh Inglis departed for 28, WA’s tail was well and truly exposed.But Rocchiccioli and Gannon stood up when counted, reviving WA’s season after they began with two losses and a draw.It wasn’t only Queensland’s dropped catches on Friday that proved costly.They were cruising at 183 for 4 in their second innings late on Thursday before a collapse struck. Player of the match Rocchiccioli snared four quick wickets as Queensland slumped to 187 for 8 by stumps.Rocchiccioli claimed another wicket on Friday morning to help dismiss Queensland for 203.

Manchester United Women are reportedly trying to sign Swedish defender Hanna Lundkvist and German forward Lea Schuller as the January transfer window nears. The Red Devils sit fourth in the Women's Super League and are in with a shout of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League. Now, it seems, Marc Skinner's side are keen to strengthen their squad next month.

Man Utd want reinforcements

Last week, United boss Skinner called on the club to be aggressive in the winter transfer window and expects to have new recruits in before their WSL clash with Arsenal in early January. This follows after midfielder Celin Bizet announced she is pregnant, while Hinata Miyazawa could represent Japan at the Women's Asian Cup in March. 

He told reporters: "We made have made history for Manchester United (2024 FA Cup win and qualifying for the Champions League). We are showing progression. Now we need to be aggressive in the window and bring in new players that help support the growth of the team. 

"I would hope to have one of two players potentially before then. We need three or four in the window. It is a great opportunity to build. The market is crazy but we are talking about it. We need depth so the quality doesn't drop in certain areas when we have to rotate. The (players) won't like it because they won't want to rotate but we need to be aggressive."

AdvertisementAFPMan Utd close in on signings

Ahead of United's WSL game with Tottenham on Sunday, Skinner was once again asked about the Red Devils' chances of signing some players in January. Previously, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe  has expressed lukewarm interest in the fortunes of the women's team. Aside from that, Skinner revealed the latest on the club's recruitment plans on Friday.

He said: "We are already hopefully close to a couple of players, which I think will be exciting. We need to be creative within the parameters, but what I'd say is, we need to add to the group. I think I've said this all throughout…. I think everybody's said it, haven't they? But I must stress, and I need to stress again: it's not because of the quality of my players, it's just the depth to kind of continue that experience as well, especially with the level of competition. I mean, you look at this Champions League, a tough tie at the top of the table and then [we have] Champions League again, then a quarter-final. So the level of competition is there. We need to bring in and I know both Matts [Johnson and Hargreaves], head of recruitment [and] obviously head of women's football, are looking into that and have been for ages. So there's a plan, there's a focus. Hopefully we're close to a couple and if we can bring more in that would be nice."

Man Utd eye international duo

Now, according to The Athletic, United are pursuing Lundkvist, who is about to become a free agent following the expiration of her contract with San Diego Wave. The 23-year-old Swede has also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain but it seems the WSL side may secure her services. Moreover, the Red Devils are also interested in Bayern Munich's Schuller, whose contract expires next summer. The 28-year-old has scored 103 goals in 179 appearances after joining the club in 2020. If they can sign this duo, that would be a big boost for United's thin squad. 

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

AFPWhat comes next for Man Utd?

United's last three games before they head off for the winter break are against Tottenham, Juventus in the Champions League, and then Spurs again, this time in the League Cup. 

Incidentally, when pressed on where United needs to strengthen, he added: "I think we need to add to the front line. I think honestly in almost all the units in terms of defence, midfield and attack, I'd like to add some depth where we can have a little bit of adaptation, if that makes sense. So we don't become the same team. What I don't like and what I dislike is when we become one style, I need us to continue to mix that style. So yeah, I'm available, or I want to be bringing players in hopefully in each unit in order to kind of just freshen it up and just give that boost of quality and experience."

Former Premier League striker Tomasz Radzinski has thrown up the name of a shock winger as a potential replacement for Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah. Salah’s public outburst last week, in which he accused the club of mishandling him and hinted at tension with manager Arne Slot, has intensified the speculation about his future. At 33, and with three consecutive games spent on the bench, the Egyptian superstar suddenly appears closer than ever to ending his decorated Anfield tenure.

• Salah’s future in doubt as rift with Liverpool's deepens

  Salah signed a two-year contract extension earlier this year, but recent events have thrown his long-term commitment into doubt. Despite his status as one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever forwards, many have asked why he chose to air frustrations publicly at such a sensitive moment in the club’s season, while Jamie Carragher believes the timing was deliberate, to send a strategic message to the board. And with the Africa Cup of Nations call-up imminent, some believe he may have already played his final match for Liverpool.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Radzinski: 'Anything can happen'

  Speaking in an interview with ComeOnabout Liverpool’s delicate situation, Radzinski insisted the Reds need not panic, even if their talisman departs.

  "It's a very funny situation over at Liverpool, so it's hard to judge from the outside. We don't know what's going on at the training ground," he said. "I think they have enough players. I think they've done, in my eyes, fantastic deals in the summer. I just don't think the players who they brought are performing at the moment, but it probably has nothing to do with their personalities or whatever. It's just sometimes when you come from a different competition, different teams, not every team suits every player. This is how it is."

  Then came his eyebrow-raising suggestion: Harry Wilson.

  "Harry Wilson to Liverpool, why not? If he can perform this well for Fulham," he suggested. "Before Mohamed Salah became one of the greatest players in the Premier League, he had to move to a few other clubs as well. At Chelsea, he was not really rated and he had to go to Italy only to come back to the Premier League to be exceptionally fantastic. Anything can happen. The sky is the limit.

  "It's all up to the individual himself and obviously the chemistry together with the manager at that moment and the way the team is playing. If you come to a team and you start playing a new formation and style, it's going to be strange for your head. So you're going to have to adapt to that as well. But, Wilson can do it."

• Wilson expected to leave Fulham

  Radzinski went further, suggesting Fulham may already have accepted losing their star winger in the summer, who has just over six months left in his current deal.

  "If the contract has not been signed until now, it is unlikely it will be signed. The fans should be concerned because Harry Wilson is a really important player," he opined.

  "This suggests the management was not up to scratch, I'm guessing. If you know you have such talent and someone who can perform this well for so many years, you don't wait until December to think about a contract extension. You do that last season in December. So, I'm almost sure that Harry Wilson is going to be leaving."

  Praising Wilson’s technique and vision, he said: "You see the goal, the way you think about making that pass and then making that shot that he did with the outside of his foot. This is of the highest quality in the Premier League. This is something only the top 5% can think about and then execute as well. He's fantastic. He will be missed and unfortunately, he will be leaving. You know already now that he's not going to be wearing Fulham colours from next summer."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Getty Images Sport
  

  What comes next?

  While Wilson’s potential move is one storyline, the most seismic plot centres on Saudi Arabia’s growing confidence in landing Salah. Saudi Pro League chief executive Omar Mugharbel confirmed the league’s interest, calling Salah "welcome" and naming him among their primary targets. According to , Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are already preparing substantial offers. One senior figure was quoted as saying: "We are absolutely convinced that Mo Salah will come to Saudi. No doubts about it. We don’t know if it will be January, in the next market, or next summer."

  The next chapter in the saga will unravel on Saturday when Liverpool face Brighton in the Premier League. It will be Salah’s final match before joining Egypt for AFCON, and his place in the starting XI could speak volumes. If he starts, tensions may be easing. If he is benched for a fourth straight match, Saudi clubs will sense their moment.

Blake Snell was electric in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night, twirling seven innings of scoreless ball and surrendering just two hits. The veteran lefty racked up 12 strikeouts and the final one came in interesting fashion after he talked manager Dave Roberts into keeping him in the game.

Holding a 3-0 lead with two outs in the seventh, Snell was working with runners on first and second. With the tying run at the plate and 107 pitches already delivered, it looked as though Roberts would be making a move to bring in Alex Vesia from the bullpen. Vesia certainly thought that was happening as his skipper jogged on the field but Snell had a different plan.

Snell was able to successfully lobby to keep competing and Roberts did a quick U-turn toward the dugout after hearing what he needed to hear from his starter. Vesia, who thoughtfully was trying to keep up the pace of play, was forced to stop his jog toward the mound and return to his perch behind the left-field fence.

"I was excited," Snell said after the game, via MLB.com. "I don't like the bullpen finishing my innings. I'm very adamant about that. I don't want them in that situation. I put myself in this, I can pitch my way out of it."

Roberts's trust was immediately rewarded as Snell fanned Otto Kemp to end the threat. Loving the moment, he raised his fist in celebration.

Unfettered attitude to risk and reward both makes and breaks a memorably chaotic innings

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Jun-2025

A dejected Harry Brook walks back on 99•Getty Images

Harry Brook does not really celebrate centuries. He has always considered that a bit uncouth. Though only 26, he’s an old soul, very much from the “but that’s your job” school of thought when it comes to lauding your output as a batter.Even so, it was hardly surprising that his reaction to missing out on a ninth Test century revealed a cocktail of emotions. Annoyance, as he gave himself a facepalm, head tilted to the sky. Anger, revealed by the dramatic arch of the back, as if about to spit an expletive to the moon.The milestone would have been nice, of course, particularly as one of Yorkshire’s own, and given that he had probably deserved one in front of his home ground when he all but took England home here in the 2023 Ashes. But most of all, you felt his reaction reflected the dereliction of duty he felt, with this current match situation very much in the balance.Related

• Bumrah shoulders heavy load to underscore what India will miss

• Brook 99 and Bumrah five-for set up one-innings thrash

• Bumrah draws level with Kapil Dev; Brook gets lucky again

• Pope determined to deliver 'runs after runs after runs' following Headingley ton

England were still 73 behind, but now with only three wickets left to make up that difference. Such is the talent in his hands and feet that many in the England dressing room were quietly wondering about the healthy position they might be in if he were to go on for another hour. But then, Prasidh Krishna dug one in short, and the narrative changed.Brook’s periscope pull felt straight to Shardul Thakur at deep fine-leg. It was an ego pull compared to the idiotic one he had played to midwicket in the last over of day two when on nought, only for it to be scrubbed from the records after Jasprit Bumrah was found to have overstepped. But thankfully for England, this dismissal did not derail the momentum of their innings, as they finished just six behind India’s 471.The novelty of getting out on 99 might grow on Brook, particularly as it is the first time he has been dismissed in the 90s across 322 professional innings. His tenth century across formats for England might not have drawn more than a cursory removal of the helmet and raise of the bat, but Headingley’s congregation had been waiting patiently for their boy’s moment. They had to make do with some cursory applause instead as he slumped off, now aiming any expletives at the ground beneath his feet.Brook’s innings was a helix of brilliance and nonsense, a contradiction of dominant gallops out of the crease and anxiety-reducing risks that contributed to the 13 boundaries that littered his day-three work. It was good without being great, but all the more memorable for the bad bits.5:39

Manjrekar: ‘All possibilities open’ in the last two days

He had every right to feel aggrieved at it being cut short, but Brook already owed a debt of gratitude to Bumrah’s overstep, without which it would have ended after nine deliveries. He breathed again after 62 balls, when a sliver of an edge off Ravindra Jadeja was missed by Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.Brook’s control percentage across his 112-ball innings was 80%, which seems high until you accept that he was technically in control of the shot that brought about his dismissal – ironically, he had rolled his wrists on the shot to keep it down, when the better option might have been to launch it skywards and clear the stands. The deliberate wristy flick off his 103rd ball that broke through Yashasvi Jaiswal’s hands at fourth slip was also executed “perfectly”.Bumrah was the unfortunate bowler for that one. He had sent Brook to bed last night with the stench of leather in his nostrils having fizzed a warning shot of what was to come on Sunday. Brook, though, came with a clear focus – he was not going to get got, he was going to go get.Krishna was pumped square, then dumped into the stands at straight midwicket at the end of the very first over. “Phwoar, where did that come from?” Ollie Pope later revealed he had said to himself, while watching from the other end.When Bumrah showed up again, Brook had two sighters before jumping out of his stance to land the first blow of this round. Having started again on 0 off 12, his first ten balls of the third morning had brought him back up to speed with 19 runs.The calculation of his second-new-ball assault was just that. Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were given the honours, and both were treated accordingly. Bumrah was, at least; Brook defended a few, found the odd single, and survived the error of the Jaiswal drop. Siraj, however, suddenly found himself embroiled in a ruckus.A dismissive slap through mid-on, a lash to point and an attempted charge-and-slap that only brought two was followed up with a hard-length ball, a stare and a few words for Brook. It’s worth noting Brook is not much of a talker. “He doesn’t want to chat,” revealed Pope of Brook’s habits out in the middle. “He might want to know which way it’s swinging, but that’s it.” And yet, his response was profound, thumping a ball from outside off so deep into the long-on stand that even Siraj was lost for words. That took him to 91, rounding on the inevitable century that never materialised.It is worth isolating Brook versus Bumrah, even if the bout did not end up affecting the scoreboard meaningfully, in either the runs or wickets column.The catch off a no-ball and that drop off a legal ball came after 28 deliveries in all, with just 11 runs scored. But one of those deliveries – that charging four at the start of the day, Brook’s only boundary off Bumrah – was perhaps his most meaningful. “If I can do this to you,” Brook seemed to be saying, “imagine what I can do to the rest of your attack?”Jasprit Bumrah reacts after Yashasvi Jaiswal reprieves Brook•Getty ImagesBrook didn’t do it again, but the message had been heard loud and clear. Even by Bumrah.”He makes you think as well,” Bumrah said at the close. “You know he can play an aggressive shot and sometimes he can shut shop as well and try to negate if somebody’s bowling a good spell. So yeah, he played really well.”I think fate had decided 99 for him!” he added. “He assessed conditions and, you know, he fancies his game and plays an aggressive style of cricket.”If all that sounds familiar, it is because England’s batters, their captain and their head coach constantly talk about doing exactly that. Rarely, though, do they get it right. And even here, Brook did not.But for a bowler of Bumrah’s ilk to notice the intent, even amid the flaws, speaks to a very real truth. Joe Root is the sole great, Ben Duckett the most expressive, and Ollie Pope their only centurion in this Test so far, but Harry Brook is the totem of this English batting group.

First home hundred in new role at No. 3 marks overdue arrival of England’s perennial coming man

Alan Gardner12-Jun-20225:55

#PoliteEnquiries: Is Joe Root now the Fab One?

These have been lean years for the production of England Test batters. Since Joe Root’s debut almost a decade ago, a succession of candidates have auditioned without looking the part. Ollie Pope was different, picked out as the heir apparent – but success only came in fits and starts. If there was ever a poster in the dressing room, in the style of the stencilled portrait that accompanied Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, only with HOPE replaced by POPE – well, it was getting a bit tatty around the edges by now.Finally, here at Trent Bridge, almost four years since he made his debut against India, Pope delivered on his promise with a first Test century at home. It came in only his third first-class innings at No. 3, having been recalled following a difficult winter and anointed once again as English batting’s great whites hope. Could he cut it in the pivotal spot in the order, where some say your best batter should be deployed? To borrow from the Obama campaign once again: “Yes he can!”That was certainly the mood of adulation and appreciation which spilled forth to greet Pope’s scampered two after pushing Matt Henry into the covers shortly after lunch on day three. Ben Stokes, his new captain, led the standing ovation on the England balcony, while Joe Root, who was in charge for Pope’s first 23 Test appearances, fair leapt across the 22-yard strip before racing over to enclose his partner in a congratulatory embrace.Root congratulates Pope on his first hundred at home•Getty ImagesEngland’s current regime, overseen by Stokes and Brendon McCullum, is all about pumping the players’ tyres, but there can be no greater confidence-booster than actually producing the goods. Despite the flatness of the surface, and conditions in Nottingham that continued to be on the fill-your-boots side of hospitable, there were still moments when Pope’s technique and temperament were tested. An attack featuring Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson rarely gives up easy runs.Pope had reached fifty on the second evening, having survived a sharp chance to first slip off Boult, and England’s batting coach, Marcus Trescothick, emphasised the faith being placed in the 24-year-old, who had never previously batted at first drop before last week’s Lord’s Test.”That’s what we see a lot in county games, and if we can draw that out and continue to let him grow in that position, then we know the player that’s in there,” Trescothick said. “Hence the reason why he’s in the team, and we’ve pushed him up to No. 3, because we all appreciate that he has the talent. It’s nurturing it and bringing it through to be the player he can be.”For all Pope’s silky qualities, his progress at international level has been far from serene. Two brief appearances in 2018 – again thrust into an unfamiliar position at No. 4 – brought him 54 runs at 18.00, and he spent 15 months out of the side before going on to record a maiden hundred on the 2019-20 tour of South Africa. After 10 Tests, which included an innings of 91 against West Indies in Southampton, Pope’s average stood at 43.38.Related

Joe Root, Ollie Pope fulfil captain's decree of positivity

Daryl Mitchell unfazed by dip in fortune after posting career-best 190

Major fire destroys pub co-owned by Broad

Stokes charges up his learning curve as captain

Ollie Pope: 'I've always seen myself as a top-order batter. I know I've got the game to succeed'

Few would have predicted the subsequent slide but, either side of a shoulder operation, his returns dried up while concerns about his technique grew. After the winter’s Ashes ended with Pope being scuttled by Pat Cummins, bowled behind his legs to add to English ignominy, his average had fallen below 30 and he was relegated to carrying drinks in the Caribbean.Since then, as Pope told ESPNcricinfo before this series, he had returned to Surrey and worked on stripping his game back. “I’ve just tried to keep it as simple as possible and put a big focus on my decision-making rather than thinking too much about my technique,” he said.Watch Pope bat for any length of time and you will be left in no doubt about his ability to ping shots around the ground. But coming in at No. 3 in Test cricket is only likely to increase the scrutiny on that aforementioned decision-making – as his dismissals for 7 and 10 at Lord’s made clear. The ball from Boult that did for him in the second innings, a searing seam-and-swing skidoosh into off stump, had the air of the unplayable; but Pope’s skittering feet and slightly closed bat face suggested there might have been better ways to to play it.At Trent Bridge, in more benign circumstances, it was again Boult and his left-arm interrogation that would prove Pope’s greatest challenge. The eighth ball he had faced, after coming in early on the second evening, produced a waft in the channel that could only do Pope damage, and it was Boult who found the edge at the start of his second spell, only for Daryl Mitchell to spill the catch going low to his left.That let-off came during an adrenalin-fuelled counter, mainly off the bowling of Henry, in which Pope zipped from 11 to 50 in the space off 22 balls. Two top-edged hooks flew into the stands, but there were several more authentic strokes besides, Jamieson drilled through the covers and then cut away for two fours in the space of three balls to complete his first Test half-century since last September.Devon Conway shakes Pope’s hand after he fell for 145•Getty ImagesHe resumed on a balmy Sunday morning with no doubt about what another expectant full house was hoping to see. With Alex Lees providing positive vibes at the other end, enthusiastically cover-driving his way to a first Test fifty, Pope was able to ease himself back in. There were a couple of anxious fiddles at Boult, another outside edge falling narrowly short of Mitchell, before an authoritative response three balls later as he stroked his first boundary of the day.For a while, as Lees’ cover drive brought his downfall and Root made a typically busy start to his innings, Pope was becalmed, facing just 28 balls during a 15-over period in the lead-up to lunch. He went into the interval on 84, but did not dally after the resumption, aided by four overthrows and then gliding through the 90s in the space of seven balls. The elation, and the relief, was palpable as Pope’s helmet came off, the bat swung vigorously in celebration. England’s coming man had finally arrived.There was time for some fun afterwards, as Pope and Root looked to make good on Neville Cardus’ assertion that Trent Bridge was “a lotus land for batsmen, a place where it was always afternoon and 360 for two wickets”. Henry was ramped for six, then thrashed impudently for four more after switching ends. Root slipstreamed his way to a 116-ball hundred, before Pope eventually fell to another attacking stroke after tea.Pope walked off as only the third man other than Root to score a Test hundred at No. 3 for England since the retirement of Jonathan Trott in 2015. The HOPE in the dressing room now is that there will be a few more to come.