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India head coach also says Shubman Gill “has done phenomenally well” as Test captain

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2025Head coach Gautam Gambhir has called for more bounce and carry from pitches in home Tests, after India spent 200 overs on the field across two West Indies innings on their way to a seven-wicket win in the second Test that ended on Tuesday.India have responded to last year’s 3-0 defeat to New Zealand by departing from the previous trend of square turners and moving towards pitches with greater balance between bat and ball. India made big first-innings totals in both Tests against West Indies, but while their bowlers got plenty of help from the Ahmedabad pitch for the first Test, they had to work extremely hard to take 20 wickets in Delhi, particularly after enforcing the follow-on.”I thought that we could have had a better wicket here,” Gambhir said in his post-match press conference. “Yes, we did get the result on day five, but again, I think nicks need to carry. I think there has to be something for the fast bowlers as well. I know we keep talking about spinners playing an important role, but when you have got probably two quality fast bowlers in your ranks, we still want them to be in the game as well.Related

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“And it is okay if there is not enough [turn], but there has to be carry. So where we all saw [that] carry wasn’t there, [it] was a bit alarming, and I think going forward, [I hope] we can get better wickets in Test cricket, because all of us have the responsibility of keeping Test cricket alive. I think the first and foremost thing to keep Test cricket alive is playing on good surfaces.”Gambhir felt West Indies’ fightback with the bat in Delhi augured well for their future, after they had come into the Test match on a prolonged run of low totals.”I have always believed that world cricket needs West Indian cricket,” Gambhir said. “That is something which is very important. It was very nice to see them fight. And obviously, they are an inexperienced team and there are a lot of changes that have happened there, but the way they fought in the second innings will give them a lot of confidence.”Shubman Gill won his first Test series as captain•BCCIWith this series wrapped up, India now go to Australia for a white-ball tour before returning home for a full series of Tests, ODIs and T20Is against South Africa. While some of India’s players face the challenge of constant switching between formats, some are currently only part of the red-ball set-up; Gambhir felt it was important for them to tune up for Test series by playing domestic cricket.”I thought that the best thing that happened in the [West Indies] series was the way the Test guys prepared before the series. Going to play the India A game against Australia [A], it was very, very important. And playing Ranji Trophy before the South Africa series is going to be equally important as well.”I thought that is something which this group of players have done exceptionally well. They are preparing themselves really well for the Test series, and that is where you could see the results as well. So, for me, I think sometimes it is difficult, but that is what professionalism is all about: try and use the days to the best of their ability, because we know that there are very quick turnarounds.”Especially, from here to one-day cricket, then T20 cricket and then, what, after four days, back to Test cricket. But again, the guys [who] were just part of Test cricket. I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important, rather than just going to NCA [the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, formerly the National Cricket Academy] and working on their skills. I think the more they play [domestic games] before the Test matches, it is very important for them.”The win over West Indies continued an impressive start to Test captaincy for Shubman Gill, who led India to a 2-2 draw in England in his first series in charge. Gill has now been appointed ODI captain as well.”No one has done him a favour by appointing him Test captain or now one-day captain,” Gambhir said. “I think he deserves every bit of it. He has worked hard and he ticks all the boxes. And for me as a coach, I think someone who is saying the right things, doing the right things, working hard, work ethics, commitment, putting his body on the line, being the first guy on the field, what more can a coach ask for?”And I know it is tough for him. It was tough and I have said it many times that England was probably the toughest Test cricket. Five Test matches over a course of two, two-and-a-half months, against a quality England side, intimidating batting line-up, inexperienced Indian team, what more could he have faced?”But then again, the way he has handled himself and more importantly, the way he has handled the team, and more importantly, the way the team has responded to him. I think sometimes we only keep talking about the captain, but the way the team has responded to him and to his leadership is equally important. You have got to give credit to the entire group in that dressing room.”Yes, you do earn respect by scoring runs, but you also earn respect by saying the right things and doing the right things. I think your actions should be more than any other thing, not just the performances. I think he has done phenomenally well and so has the team.”

Lionel Messi's former World Cup-winning Argentina team-mate, Alejandro Gomez, has finally returned to action for an Italian second-tier club after serving a two-year doping ban. Gomez, who was part of Argentina's triumph in Qatar three years ago, has not touched a football since October 2023 after testing positive for a banned substance. He last played for Monza in Serie A.

Gomez returns to action after two years

Also known as Papu Gomez, the 37-year-old midfielder tested positive for terbutaline, a banned B2-adrenergic substance similar to salbutamol, after taking a cough syrup intended for his child. He was on the books of Sevilla at that time and the Spanish giants immediately terminated his contract following the case, leading Gomez to a short spell with Monza. He served a two-year suspension that ended on October 18, 2025. 

Gomez returned to action on Saturday as his new club Padova faced Venezia in a Serie B clash. He came on as a substitute in the 58th minute amid a warm welcome from the fans but he could not stop his side from losing the clash 2-0.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'I didn't come here to sightsee'

After making his first appearance in over two years, Gomez sent out a defiant message to his fans and the world as he said: "I didn't come here to sightsee. My ambition is to take Padova as high as possible."

Gomez was furious after learning about doping ban

At the time of his suspension, Gomez had shown frustration as he felt he was harshly punished. The World Cup winner told Corta: "You take cocaine, smoke a joint, and you get six months. I got two years for taking my son's cough syrup. Who gets that in their head? But hey, I got it and here I am, still going strong. Yes, I was really angry, really furious. I had a hard time watching football at first; I turned off the television. For me, football was dead. I isolated myself and started working with a psychologist because it was a cycle I couldn't get out of." 

The Argentine also reflected on the emotional toll of being sidelined right after the greatest triumph of his career, lifting the World Cup in Qatar with Argentina: "The first few months were tough because I didn't understand why this was happening to me, at the peak of my career, after having won a World Cup. But life sometimes gives you these surprises and blows. It kept me going, like: 'Why do they have to retire me from football like this if I don't want to and it's not my time?' Why should two or three people in suits and ties, who've never played sports, decide when I should retire?"

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AFPGomez angered Messi at World Cup

Captain and legendary Argentina star Messi was reportedly left furious after Gomez allegedly made an inappropriate comment about his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, during the World Cup in Qatar. A panellist on the 'A La Tarde' programme on Tartu TV alleged that as the Argentina players celebrated in the dressing room following one of their games, Gomez made the comment. The panelist said: "Everyone is happy because they progressed, everyone in the locker room starts to sing. What does Alejandro El Papu say? 'Hand over Antonela!' "Imagine Messi's laser eyes… Immediate red card!"

Let’s lead off with a spoiler alert. The documentary—not unflawed, but quite a good one, on balance—is titled, provocatively, But the demise of Canada’s beloved National League team was not a murder (who) so much as it was a death from natural causes (what).

The film depicts a cast of heroes, including the universally beloved Felipe Alou, a very cool Pedro Martínez, Canadian star Larry Walker and an assortment of beleaguered fans whose loyalty wasn’t reciprocated. And there are villains—cloying David Samson and his former stepdad, owner Jeffrey Loria, and, to a lesser degree, the hapless Claude Brochu.

But above all, there were immutable, unsentimental forces at play. That is, the usual suspects: An unfavorable exchange rate meant that the Expos took in revenue in Canadian dollars, but paid players their ever-escalating salaries in stronger American dollars. A provincial government that—agree or disagree—took a stand that other cities did not, and refused to commit public money to funding a new sports venue. There were the revenues lost and revenues spent maintaining the old venue—Olympic Stadium, a charmless white elephant on the wrong side of town, built to host a few events for the 1976 Summer Games, not 80-plus baseball games a year in a flourishing pro sports sector decades later. 

Rule of thumb: When you play in a domed stadium and still face rain delays because the roof springs leaks, you know you’re in trouble. The Expos’ death? Olympic Stadium wasn’t the scene of the crime so much as it was the proximate of the crime.

Nevertheless, the Netflix documentary, which premieres Oct. 21, offers both a poignant, locally flavored love letter and an earnest post-mortem for a franchise that deserves better. The Montreal Expos’ last game was held in 2004 after a strange sort of three-way trade that brought MLB franchises to Miami and Washington, D.C., and eliminated one from Quebec. And more than 20 years later, countless fans have yet to work through their grief. Now here comes the film—explicitly geared to the French-speaking locals—that will provide a bit of balm for what remains an open wound.

The timing for the doc’s release works as well. Never mind that the lone remaining Canadian team, the Blue Jays, of course, are amid a deep postseason run. At a time of tariffs, rhetoric over a 51st state and “American betrayal” chilling neighborly relations, the story of a foreign baseball team, brash Americans and the winners-take-all realities of capitalism add resonance.

recently spoke to Montreal-based director Jean-François Poisson and producer Marie-Christine Pouliot.

As South Africa’s most experienced specialist batter, his role is multi-fold in the two-Test series. It’s a challenge he’s up to take on

Firdose Moonda13-Nov-20252:04

Bangar: South Africa’s spin-bowling allrounders will be critical

Temba Bavuma had played only four Tests before he first batted in one in India, as the least experienced specialist batter of a side that was already defeated. He opened the batting, which he told ESPNcricinfo today was, “the best thing that could have happened because batting in the middle order was quite tough,” but back then, he called it “the toughest piece of batting I’ve had to do in my life.”If only he knew how much tougher it was going to get.Fast-forward a decade and Bavuma has realised that “Test cricket doesn’t get any easier.” He lists the 2018 sandpapergate series against Australia, when he had just returned from a broken hand, as “quite tough having not played any cricket,” and the 2019 series in India, which South Africa lost 3-0, as “also quite tough,” but arguably his toughest Test knock was most recent one. In the World Test Championship final, chasing the highest score at Lord’s against Australia, Bavuma was nursing a hamstring injury and scored the most important 66 runs of his career.Related

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Interestingly, 66 is also Bavuma’s highest first-class score in the subcontinent, for South Africa A in 2015, where he has only batted 22 times. That innings came a few months before the Test series. This time, Bavuma has been in India before most of his team-mates, again playing for an A side as he makes his return to the longest format. After a first-ball duck against India A, he scored 59 last week in South Africa A’s successful chase of 417. More importantly, he familiarised himself with his subcontinent gameplan after missing South Africa’s series in both Bangladesh last year and Pakistan this year through injury.”Having come off a long layoff from Test cricket, it was just about getting back on the field, proving my fitness to myself and everyone around and spending some time at the crease,” Bavuma said at the pre-match press conference. “I think that was important – to try to make whatever adjustments that I need to with conditions here in the subcontinent. I spent a lot of time on my feet in the field and it was a good exercise.”

“He’s our best player. It’s as simple as that. If you take the last two years maybe, he’s been one of the best players in the world.”SA head coach Conrad on Bavuma

It was also an opportunity to remind himself of what lies ahead. Bavuma is now the most experienced specialist batter in a side that knows success far better than its opposite. South Africa, at full strength, have not lost a series under Bavuma (the 2024 makeshift squad that lost in New Zealand did not include him, nor any of those on this tour). And his stocks continue to rise.”Whenever we go into a series, there’s a lot more of an expectation for us as a team to uphold the world champion status,” Bavuma said. “From a confidence point of view, it’s a case of us kind of walking proudly with that badge, being known as the champions. We have a lovely opportunity now coming up against India in their own conditions. It’s a great opportunity for us to kind of stamp ourselves with that label.”While Bavuma said “not much” can trump winning the WTC, “second to that would be winning in India.” Not England. Not Australia. But India, because, “we haven’t been able to do it for the longest time.”Temba Bavuma checked out the Eden Gardens pitch•Associated PressSouth Africa last won a Test in India in 2010, when none of the current crop were involved in international cricket. They have been on two tours of India since with humbling results as they lost 3-0 on each occasion. They last won a series there in 2000, when Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen were not even born. “The longest time” seems a reasonable description, especially considering India’s formidable home record. Never mind South Africa, no team beat them in a home series for a dozen years between England winning in 2012 and New Zealand’s victory last year. That’s 18 successive home series wins for India which puts into perspective the scale of the task. “We understand the magnitude of the challenge,” Bavuma said. “For some of us, there have been moments of hurt having come from India. We know what it’s about. We look forward to the challenge.”Bavuma knows that better than most. His most recent Indian heartbreak is fresher than anyone else’s and didn’t involve Tests. It came at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he captained South Africa to the semi-finals but was the only batter in the top five who did not score a century and played with an injured hamstring in the knockouts. The memes were cruel and included images of Bavuma seeming to fall asleep in the pre-tournament captain’s presser when the camera angle had just caught him awkwardly looking at his hand and being pushed in a wheelchair by the batters who were scoring runs. The experience could either have turned him away from leadership entirely or made him stronger and it seems to have done the latter.”It wasn’t the greatest of World Cups for me from a batting point of view, so I could understand why the criticism would have come but that’s probably more from a player point of view,” he said. “From a captaincy point of view, it always felt as if it’s a process of discovery. You’re always kind of learning a little bit more about yourself. You start off with maybe an understanding as to how you want to go about things but then as time goes by, as things happen, you work with different coaches, that generally comes into your whole idea. Now, I’m a lot more comfortable in my own skin. There’s no case of having to prove to myself, prove to the players or prove to people back home that I’m deserving of the title. The results that we’ve achieved speak for themselves. The type of reaction that I get from the players, also speaks for itself. The criticism, all of that, that’s not going to go away. For as long as you’re in these types of positions, the magnifying glass is always going to be on you. That’s just something that you have to accept. I just try to take it day by day and to enjoy it.”In the South Africa changing room, Bavuma is undisputedly regarded with the utmost respect. “He’s our best player. It’s as simple as that,” South Africa’s coach Shukri Conrad said. “If you take the last two years maybe, he’s been one of the best players in the world.”Bavuma scored 59 in South Africa A’s win over India A in the outskirts of Bengaluru last week•PTI Since February 2023, which is when Conrad took over the Test side, of batters who have scored more than 500 runs in Tests, Bavuma’s average is 56.93, the sixth-highest.Amongst the South African public, the perception of Bavuma has changed from seeing him as a bit-part player to someone who tried hard but couldn’t convert scores into centuries to being regarded as crucial to the operation and that’s largely because of his role in winning the mace. “I feel like there’s been a major shift in mindset towards the Proteas and towards cricket,” Bavuma said. “There’s been a lot more appreciation and love that’s been shown towards the team, but also to individuals within the team. For myself, probably a lot more, appreciation for my presence within the team.”And globally? That’s still to be determined, and Bavuma knows it. He is eyeing at least another two years in the game, both as ODI captain with a home World Cup to prepare for and as Test captain in the current cycle, which is where he believes this team will really be measured. “We have our own goals,” he said. “We know we want to do it as a team, and we know at what point we want to start measuring ourselves. We know that after two years, we can’t consider that a proper legacy. Winning the Test Championship was big in a lot of ways but we’d like to see ourselves after four years. We will continue doing what we set out to do two years ago.”By then, Bavuma will be 37, would have played international cricket for 13 years and will likely be on the cusp of retirement. He probably won’t play another Test series in India between now and then which makes this one crucial to his place in cricket’s pantheon.

Liverpool thought they were back, two goals to the good, but these new habits have seeped into the fabric of Arne Slot’s project, and they are proving tough stains to wipe out.

Still jubilant from their win against Chelsea in midweek, Daniel Farke’s Whites met Liverpool with the expected passion and combativeness, fuelled by a raucous home support, and while the champions weathered that early storm and struck twice through Hugo Ekitike, back in the starting line-up, they succumbed to more defensive disaster, drawing the game 3-3.

The Frenchman has been a shining light throughout a dreary campaign for the Redmen, overshadowing record signing Alexander Isak, but Liverpool’s frontline still lacks balance and connectivity, and that’s why FSG are gearing up for a winter raid on Bournemouth for Antoine Semenyo.

The latest on Semenyo to Liverpool

It has emerged that Semenyo, who has been Bournemouth’s talisman this season, has a £65m release clause in his contract that becomes active during the winter transfer window.

Cue the circling sharks.

Liverpool are joined by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in their vested interest, but the Reds have been reported to be leading the race for a player earmarked as the perfect successor to Luis Diaz, who joined Bayern Munich in August.

A big-game player with so much dynamism, the Ghana international, 26, has been declared the “best winger in the country” by Chris Waddle, and you would sense that he would only go from strength to strength in a leading role on Merseyside.

Ibrahima Konate’s latest blunder illustrated the desperate need for new defenders, but Slot will feel that Semenyo’s signature is equally important for the Anfield side, whose balance is all wrong in the final third.

And there’s one man in particular who is flattering to deceive.

Liverpool star must be replaced by Semenyo

Liverpool have been in a rut this season, and Cody Gakpo has been carried along in the stream, popping up with some moments in front of goal but lacking the multifacetedness that a winger like Semenyo would bring to the table.

Against Leeds, Gakpo failed with all six of his attempted crosses and lost the ball 13 times. He created only one chance for his teammates (data via Sofascore).

There is a pointed lack of nuance to the Dutchman’s game. Oh, he’s talented, to be sure, and dynamic enough, but Semenyo far outstrips him in such areas, so powerful and athletic and clever with his movements and decisions.

Matches (starts)

14 (12)

14 (14)

Goals

4

6

Assists

3

3

Touches*

42.2

48.9

Shots (on target)*

2.4 (0.4)

2.4 (1.4)

Accurate passes*

19.1 (79%)

19.7 (78%)

Chances created*

1.8

1.3

Dribbles*

1.1

1.6

Recoveries*

2.7

5.0

Tackles + interceptions*

1.1

2.0

Duels won*

4.9

6.5

Gakpo knows where the back of the net is, and he is skilled in playmaking too, but Semenyo is the talk of the town and rightly so, standing out in a Bournemouth team that might have lost their way in regard to three-point hauls, but remain one of the most interesting attacking outfits in the country.

Conversely, Liverpool are a structural mess, and their Netherlands winger is failing to provide the width and energy and solutions that were presented with a regularity that led to the Premier League title last season.

As analyst Josh Williams put it, it was an “annoying” display from Gakpo, and the 26-year-old needs a contrasting profile down the left if Liverpool are to restore their presence as superstars.

Liverpool ace who's fallen off a cliff looks like "Fabinho in his final year"

Liverpool’s draw against Sunderland illustrated a litany of problems Slot is still dealing with.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 4, 2025

In one of the most pivotal scenes during the hit movie 'Moneyball', which tells the story of the Oakland Athletics' ground-breaking, data-led approach in baseball – later copied by the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) at both the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool – the club's general manager Billy Beane has a candid discussion with veteran player David Justice over his role.

"David, you're 37. How about you and I be honest about what each of us wants out of this? I want to milk the last ounce of baseball you got in you, and you want to stay in the show," Beane, played by Brad Pitt, says after interrupting Justice in the middle of a batting practice. "Let's do that. Now, I'm not paying you for the player you used to be – I'm paying you for the player you are right now. You're smart, you get what we're trying to do here. Make an example for the younger guys, be a leader. Can you do that?"

Justice, whose body language switches from dismissive and defensive to fully engaged during Beane's speech, accepts that challenge and subsequently helps to revive the A's fortunes. It's easy to imagine Arne Slot pulling Mohamed Salah aside and delivering some similar home truths amid Liverpool's struggles for consistency on the football pitch this season, only to be met with a far more hostile response.

Salah signed a new contract at Anfield back in April that guaranteed him another two years in the Premier League "show". But the 33-year-old has since failed to set a shining example as the highest-paid player in the Liverpool squad, or seemingly take on board any constructive criticism.

Instead of stepping forward as a leader in times of trouble, Salah has become a destructive force, putting himself above the team. No one can take away the 'Egyptian King's' status as a Reds icon after so many years of brilliance and tangible success, but his decision to publicly speak out against Slot after being dropped to the bench has permanently tainted his legacy.

Getty Images SportFrom talisman to complete liability

Salah finished fourth in the final vote for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, which was a fair reflection of his stellar contribution to Liverpool's Premier League title success in 2024-25. Ever-present under Slot in the Dutchman's first year at the helm, Salah racked up a combined total of 47 goals and assists, the most ever recorded in a 38-game season.

His ruthless finishing and dazzling playmaking skills made the difference week in, week out, and in August, he deservedly became the first man to ever win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award three times. But Salah hasn't come close to matching those heights in the first half of the current campaign.

In fact, it could easily be argued that he has become a liability. The former Roma and Chelsea forward has only scored five goals in 19 appearances across all competitions, and even more worryingly, has been almost completely anonymous in Liverpool's build-up play and defensive phases. 

There are two key reasons for that. The first is that Trent Alexander-Arnold's summer move to Real Madrid has hit Salah harder than anyone could have predicted. Without a constant supply of world-class service down the right flank from the England international, Salah has looked completely lost.

Secondly, Liverpool have also been unable to cover for Salah's refusal to track back without pressing monsters Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota. The club's decision to sell Diaz to Bayern Munich in the summer window has aged poorly, and the tragic death of Jota has left a void that new additions such as Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike have yet to fill.

AdvertisementAFPLoyalty all used up

There have been widespread calls for Salah to be taken out of the team throughout the season, which Slot largely resisted initially. He was restricted to late Champions League cameos against Galatasaray and Eintracht Frankfurt, but started all of Liverpool's first 12 Premier League games.

Slot showed Salah a great deal of loyalty based on the mutual trust they had built up last term, especially as results took a major turn for the worse. The Reds endured a run of nine defeats in 12 games across all competitions, with a 3-0 home loss to struggling Nottingham Forest marking the lowest point.

Liverpool dropped to 11th in the table after that result, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal after just 12 matches. Their title defence ended that day, and Slot was, in the eyes of many, hanging on to his job by a thread. Shoring up the weak right side that opponents had been exploiting at will was the first obvious step towards steadying the ship, and that meant taking Salah out of the firing line, which Slot did for the trip to West Ham on November 30.

Sure enough, the Reds produced a much-improved display to win 2-0, and Salah didn't even get off the bench. He did get a full 45 minutes as a half-time substitute in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland at Anfield three days later, but found himself back in the dugout for the duration of Liverpool's 3-3 thriller against Leeds on Saturday.

There was nothing much wrong with the attack at Elland Road; it was a series of familiar defensive mistakes that cost Slot's side. Liverpool may well have lost the game had Salah been on and in the same half-hearted mood he has been all season. So when he accused Slot of throwing him "under the bus" after the game, it was impossible to feel any sympathy towards the Egypt international.

Getty Images SportNo right to claim special treatment

After the humiliating loss to Forest, Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher urged Salah to front up to the media as one of the most experienced and respected figures in the dressing room. “On the back of all these Liverpool defeats, it's always Virgil van Dijk who comes out,” Carragher told . “I only ever hear Salah speak when he gets man of the match or he needs a new contract. I'd like to see Mo Salah come out as one of the leaders, one of the legends of Liverpool, come out and speak for the team. It shouldn't always be the captain.”

Salah finally came out at the weekend, but only for self-serving reasons, and couldn't resist signing off with a petty swipe at Carragher.

"I couldn't believe that I'm sitting on the bench for 90 minutes! The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I'm very, very disappointed to be fair,” he said. “I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I'm sitting on the bench and I don't know why. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame. I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far, I am on the bench for three games, so I can't say they keep the promise. After what I have done for the club, it really hurts. Tomorrow, Carragher is going to go for me again and again, and that’s fine.”

Carragher was only asking Salah to take a bit of responsibility and issue a rallying cry, which would have meant a lot to the Liverpool faithful and Slot. But Salah clearly doesn't care about the club's current plight. That 'woe is me' attitude smacks of arrogance and a lack of self-awareness. The board may have promised that Salah would remain their main man during contract talks, but it had to have been conditional on him maintaining his standards. Now that they have plummeted, he has no right to claim any special treatment.

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Getty/GOALBigger than the club

Salah also committed the unforgivable crime of disrespecting his manager. “I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don't have any relationship,” he said of Slot. “I don't know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn't want me in the club. I don't think I am the problem. I have done so much for this club. I don't have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I am not bigger than anyone but I earned my position. If I am somewhere else, everybody would go to the media and defend the players. I am the only one in this situation.”

The only one who has been thrown under the bus is Slot. Salah must have the memory of a goldfish, because Slot was his most fierce ally amid a barrage of criticism between August and November, and snapped back angrily when presenter Lynsey Hipgrave pressed him on Salah's importance before Liverpool's 3-2 loss at Brentford: “Should I have to explain or do his numbers speak for themselves? Mo has been so influential for this club since he’s been here and since I’ve been here.”

Slot had also been pleased with Salah's reaction to being dropped, describing him as a "top professional", but will surely now be re-evaluating that assessment. Despite his pleas to the contrary, Salah obviously thinks he's bigger than the club. He's shown his true colours, undermining Slot in the process, and the Liverpool boss now has to affirm his authority.

So many players have been guilty of underperforming, from Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate to Alexis Mac Allister and £116 million ($155m) man Florian Wirtz, while Isak and Milos Kerkez currently fall into the bracket of major transfer flops, and Slot has been forced to shuffle his pack consistently. But Salah is the only one who has thrown his toys out of the pram. He hasn't been the only problem, but he is now main one.

The NZ allrounder followed figures of 2 for 16 with 46 off 24 balls

AAP27-Nov-2025Alice Capsey’s four wickets – including three in an over – were not enough as Sophie Devine led Perth Scorchers to a WBBL win over Melbourne Renegades.Scorchers survived a dramatic collapse to beat Renegades by four wickets and deny the home side a share of top spot on the WBBL ladder.Chasing 150 on Thursday at Junction Oval, Scorchers were cruising at 116 for 2 in the 13th over.After taking two wickets, Sophie Devine had been promoted to open and her blazing innings had put Scorchers in what appeared to be an impregnable position.But first Georgia Wareham bowled Maddy Darke for 15 and two balls later, Alice Capsey had opener Beth Mooney stumped for 41. The English spinner stunningly snared another two wickets in the same over to leave the Scorchers in major strife at 118 for 6.But Freya Kemp (18 not out) and Lilly Mills (15 not out) stopped the rot, guiding Perth to 151 for 6 with eight balls left.Capsey snared 4 for 14 from her three excellent overs of offspin.Earlier, Devine had taken the key wicket of Renegades No.3 Sophie Molineux for only 5 before Renegades were all out on the last ball of their 20 overs.The New Zealand star then moved up the order and belted the Renegades attack around Junction Oval, hitting six fours and two sixes in her knock of 46 from just 24 balls that ultimately proved the difference.The Renegades would have joined Hobart Hurricanes at the top of the ladder with a win. Instead, they stayed third ahead of Saturday’s big local derby against the second-placed Melbourne Stars.Chloe Ainsworth claimed two wickets in the 13th over of the Renegades’ innings and they were struggling at 94 for 7.Nicola Faltum and Sarah Coyte then had a quickfire stand of 46 for the eighth wicket that meant the home side posted a competitive score.Coyte was run-out for 24 from 18 balls and Fulton top-scored with an unbeaten 41 off 28 deliveries, with six fours.Ainsworth returned a miserly 2 for 17 from her four overs and Amy Edgar also claimed two wickets.