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Arsenal have suffered another injury setback after Ben White underwent a minor knee operation earlier this week, sources have told ESPN.
The timescale of his return is unclear and dependent on the success of the surgery but the 27-year-old is set to miss multiple matches. One source has suggested there are fears White could be sidelined for several weeks but there is no confirmation at this stage.
Arsenal face a busy return to action following the international break with Nottingham Forest at home on Nov. 23 before a midweek trip to Sporting CP and then a visit to West Ham.
White has been carrying a problem for several weeks with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta explaining earlier this month that he had "a little issue, so we have to protect him."
With White opting not to make himself available for England, the break from first-team football afforded Arsenal an opportunity to address the problem which has limited his involvement this season.
The defender was unable to start key games at Manchester City and Newcastle and did not feature at all against Paris Saint-Germain in October.
After Sunday's 1-1 draw at Chelsea, Arteta admitted he was "praying" to avoid further injury problems after being without several players at times this season including substantial lay-offs for captain Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Merino and Jurriën Timber.
Arsenal remain without Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney due to injury.
Khawaja on Bumrah: 'Thinking about where am I scoring runs against him, not getting out'
"I mean, when you first face him, it's just his action. It's a different, bizarre kind of action as his release point is very different than other bowlers," Khawaja told Fox Cricket. "It's just a bit further up. So a lot of guys release the ball from near the popping crease. [Against Bumrah] it feels like he gets a bit further out just with his front braced leg and pushes the ball out.
"So it feels like it comes out and then gets there a lot quicker than you expect it. It's just once you get used to the action, it's fine. I played against him a lot. Not to say that he can't give me out first ball. I mean anyone can. But it's one of those things where once the first time you face him, it's very awkward and then when you get a little bit of rhythm it gets better. But he's still a class bowler."
Khawaja feels there is a lot more in the Indian attack to worry about than just Bumrah. "Everyone talks about Jasprit, but they actually have a lot of other good bowlers," Khawaja said. "I think [Mohammed] Siraj is a very good bowler. He's a very good bowler to both right-handers and left-handers. When [Mohammed] Shami was fit, when he was playing those series, he was a very good bowler. He was very underrated. No one really talked about him. And then they got good spinners lining up, too, which really complements their fast bowlers."
"So for me it's never ... I'm just not thinking about Jasprit Bumrah. You want to ask me where do you think... I'm not thinking about where he is getting me out. I'm thinking about where am I scoring runs against him. And I'm sure all good batsmen would tell you exactly the same thing because if he misses, well, then I'm coming and then if he bowls good stuff, then I'll respect that. So that's just Test cricket."
The five-match series begins with the Perth Test from November 22.
Kusal Mendis credits bowlers for getting the job done in rain-hit game
"Asitha bowled a good line in the first couple of overs, but after that, they scored a few runs off Dilshan [Madushanka]," Kusal said after the game.
During the period when New Zealand's openers were attacking, Sri Lanka had to deal with a wet ball and a wet outfield, and a much skiddier surface, courtesy heavy rain during a prolonged innings break. They might have been fearing the worst when nearing the halfway point of the innings.
"When we were batting, there didn't really seem to be much difficulty for the bowlers; there was no dew or drizzle to deal with," Kusal said. "But we need to give credit to our bowlers. After the rain, with the dew, the ball gets quite wet. So I think the ball came on to the bat better for them [New Zealand] on the wicket, than it did for us."
It was the reliable Theekshana, though, who eventually provided the breakthrough, with a double-strike in the 14th over to remove both openers. This left New Zealand having to start over again, and gave Sri Lanka the opening they had been looking for to turn the screws.
"Our plan was to keep the runs down at least, even if wickets weren't coming," Kusal said. "The idea was to make sure the required run rate kept rising, and to build that pressure."
"Honestly, he's bowling quite well," Kusal said of his captain's bowling exploits. "He has bowled a fair bit since his time with the Under-19s. But after he came to the national team, you would have five frontline bowlers regularly. So it wouldn't be as common to use a part-time bowler."
Asalanka has bowled in each of Sri Lanka's last nine ODIs, picking up nine wickets in the process. Most of his success however has come on favourable home surfaces, particularly in the series earlier this year against India on a Khettarama turner.
His efforts on Wednesday, though, were the first in conditions that might not have been as ideal for spin bowling, and it speaks towards Sri Lanka's growing confidence in Asalanka, the bowler - something highlighted even further by the fact that in several of Sri Lanka's recent ODIs, they have opted to go with just four frontline bowlers.
"It was only because Charith had bowled so well in previous tours that we decided to go with just four [frontline] bowlers [against New Zealand]," Kusal said. "He understands what's needed of him when bowling, and adjusts depending on the batter. Even as a captain, he reads a lot of things well. Even during practice, we ask him to bowl more, so that he can be ready when needed."
The long-term feasibility of such a plan is questionable, particularly with genuine batting allrounders in Dunith Wellalage and Chamindu Wickramasinghe finding themselves out of the XI. While Wellalage offers better bowling - and can also work on his batting - Wickramasinghe can well clear the ropes apart from being a more useful seam option than Liyanage.
Also, by opting to play two part-time bowlers in Kamindu and Liyanage - the captain Asalanka remains a certain starter apart from injury or rest - Sri Lanka also rule out option of having a frontline fifth bowler. However, for the time being, they seem content with trialing out their current combination.
"Janith, Charith and Mendis - all three are bowling well," Kamindu said. "In these sort of conditions, when the ball is harder to grip, then you need a seam bowler, which is what Janith is there for. The other two are there if it's a spinning wicket. Kamindu Mendis can bowl with both hands.
"Honestly, they do the job when required. Sometimes, if the conditions change, we can see if we need to bring in a genuine fast bowler or spinner."
Prop Vilikesa 'Billy' Sela has signed a new deal with Bath.
The 19-year-old is currently out for up to two months with a shoulder injury suffered during the Premiership Rugby Cup win against Bristol Bears last Saturday.
Sela joined Bath's academy in 2023 and made his first appearances in the Premiership this season, coming on as a replacement in the wins against Leicester and Sale.
The tighthead prop started his career playing in the back row and has also represented England at under-20 level, as part of the squad that won the World Championship in South Africa in the summer.
He had been called up to the England A side for their match against Australia A this weekend, before injury forced him to withdraw.
He joins centre Louie Hennessey in extending his deal with Bath, although the length of the new contract is unknown.
Messi jerseys to test Paraguay's away shirt ban
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is confident there will be Lionel Messi jerseys in the home section despite the Paraguayan Football Association's (APF) ban on rival shirts ahead of Thursday's South American World Cup 2026 qualifier.
Argentina will play Paraguay at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion on Thursday, and APF manager Fernando Villasboa warned the home crowd to wear only Paraguayan shirts as no jerseys from Argentina, Argentine clubs or clubs that contain the names of players from other countries will be allowed.
"We won't allow the other team's shirt. It's not a problem against Messi. We respect the careers of all footballers. It's just that the home ground is very important to us," Villasboa told a news conference on Wednesday.
Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said: "I have nothing to do with the T-shirt ban. I had no idea about that. I think the idea is to reduce the margin of a possible source of conflict."
"Messi is our rival tomorrow, I wish him the best game of his life against Peru, but not tomorrow," he added.
However, Scaloni said the global impact of Argentina's No. 10, the country's all-time leading scorer and World Cup winner, is far greater.
"Logically, for the Paraguayan footballer, for the fan, they all want to wear the national team shirt. But Leo [Messi] is stronger than all that and there will be Argentina shirts," Scaloni told a news conference on Wednesday.
"It doesn't mean they don't support Paraguay. I think it's good that football people recognise what he is. And it's not because you have a shirt that you become an Argentina fan."
Argentina sit atop the South American standings on 22 points, three clear of Colombia. After the Paraguay match, they will host Peru on Nov. 19.
BBL and WBBL introduce new player trade window
The BBL and WBBL have introduced a new trade window which will allow clubs to sign players and swap draft picks for a brief period after the conclusion of both competitions.
There has also been a change to the contracting embargo period - where no players can be signed - which will now begin after the home-and-away part of each tournament rather than after the final. The new 10-day trade period, dubbed the player movement window, will be the only time where clubs can make changes to their list once the embargo begins.
For the WBBL, the new trade period will be from December 2 to December 11 and in the BBL it will run from January 28 to February 6. During the two windows, clubs cannot extend contracts of existing players which can only be done before the embargo begins or after it is lifted which is expected to be mid-March.
During the new trade window, clubs can:
Previously, there could be no player signings outside the embargo window although non-binding agreements could be reached. One example of where the new model could have had an impact recently is Melbourne Stars' interest in Matt Kuhnemann only for Brisbane Heat to be able to persuade him to stay before the contracting embargo period lifted.
Clubs will also have to work within squad sizes: for the WBBL, there can be eight players on a list before the trade window and a maximum 10 afterwards and in the BBL the corresponding numbers are 10 and 12.
Overseas players signed on multi-year deals count towards those squad sizes. Across both tournaments, that includes Marizanne Kapp, Amelia Kerr, Chamari Athapaththu, Lizelle Lee, Nadine de Klerk, Sophie Devine, Sam Billings, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert, Chris Jordan, Tom Curran and Finn Allen.
The ability to trade players has been available in the BBL since 2013 although has been used in a limited capacity. Ahead of this season, Wes Agar was traded from Adelaide Strikers to Sydney Thunder as part of a draft pick exchange between the clubs. In 2023, Adam Zampa and Sam Harper were traded between Melbourne Stars and Renegades.
"The introduction of Player Movement Windows immediately following the WBBL|10 and BBL|14 seasons will add another strategic dimension to our Leagues," Alistair Dobson, the executive general manager of Big Bash Leagues, said. "The windows will add certainty and stability for players and clubs at a crucial period in the list management cycle."
England Women appoint Courtney Winfield-Hill as assistant coach
Winfield-Hill, a 37-year-old former cricket and rugby league professional who was part of England's backroom staff on the tour of Ireland in September, will be reunited with the squad in South Africa once she has finished her second-year stint as an assistant coach with WBBL side Brisbane Heat.
Winfield-Hill worked with Trent Rockets in the most recent edition of the Women's Hundred and previously held a regional academy coach role with Northern Diamonds as well as assistant coaching roles at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women's Premier League and England Women's A and U19 squads.
"I am really proud to be a part of the set-up," Winfield-Hill said. "Since working with England teams, I have been made to feel nothing but welcomed and feel the ECB have invested in developing me as a coach.
"The development of the domestic game over the last five years has been brilliant to watch and I have taken a lot from recent involvements with the England A, development games and the Ireland tour. South Africa and the Ashes are two exciting series and I am really looking forward to linking up and working with the group."
After moving to England in 2018, she led Leeds Rhinos to a Grand Final and Challenge Cup double in 2019. She represented England at the Rugby League World Cup in 2022 having qualified on residency and now works for the sport's governing body as Senior Women and Girls' Partner.
Jonathan Finch, Director of England Women's Cricket, said Winfield-Hill's dual background in professional sport offered a fresh outlook to the current coaching set-up, led by head coach Jon Lewis.
"Courtney has played such an important role in developing the up-and-coming players on our international pathway and adds tremendous value in any environment she is part of," Finch said. "She will bring a different outlook on the game into the coaching team which will ensure the support we provide to players continually moves forward in what will be an exciting period for the senior team."
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women's cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan bowl in seven-over shootout after rain delay
Toss Pakistan chose to bowl vs Australia
Pakistan opted to field first in the first of three T20Is at the Gabba. A match that lightning and persistent rain delayed in Brisbane for the best part of three hours got underway as a seven-over contest. Pakistan will field a batting-heavy line-up, with left-arm fast bowler Jahandad Khan omitted at the last minute for wicketkeeper-batter Sahibzada Farhan. Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf all play, while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan - who skippers the T20 side for the first time - are slotted in to open.
Australia captain Josh Inglis admitted he would have fielded first, too. Much of their top five is unchanged from the ODI series, with Adam Zampa the specialist spinner, while Tim David comes into the middle order. Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson round out the bowling attack.
A seven-over game means two bowlers can bowl a maximum of two overs, with no other bowlers allowed more than one. The powerplay consists of two overs.
Australia: 1 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 2 Matt Short, 3 Josh Inglis (capt & wk), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Tim David, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer Johnson
Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam, 2 Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), 3 Sahibzada Farhan, 4 Usman Khan, 5 Salman Agha, 6 Irfan Khan, 7 Abbas Afridi, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Haseebullah Khan, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Naseem Shah
Groin injury rules Ngidi out of action till January
Ngidi, who has not played any cricket since the ODI series against Ireland in Abu Dhabi last month, underwent a medical assessment as part of his structured conditioning period, during which scans revealed bilateral proximal adductor tendinopathy. He will begin a rehabilitation programme and is expected to return to action sometime in January.
If Bavuma cannot play, Aiden Markam will lead South Africa, albeit without much recent form to his name. Markram has only crossed fifty once in in his last seven Test innings, and has experienced a tough time on the T20 circuit, where he leads the side. He has not gone past 30 in his last 12 innings. Bavuma's spot in the batting order could be retained by Ryan Rickelton, who played in the Tests against Bangladesh with modest returns of 27, 1*, and 12.
Bavuma had sustained the injury when he fell awkwardly as he made his ground to complete a run against Ireland. He retired hurt on 35 in that game, and was unable to field. The injury is on the same elbow which Bavuma had hurt in 2022 on a T20I tour of India. It ruled him out of South Africa's tour of England later that year.
Bavuma has only played in five out of South Africa's 10 Tests since taking over the leadership in February last year. In the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, Bavuma has only captained South Africa in three of their eight matches and has only batted in two, after being injured in last year's Boxing Day Test. South Africa are in a strong position to qualify for the WTC final. They need to win all four home Tests to secure their spots at Lord's but three wins and other results in their favour could also get them there.
Bracewell admits NZ 'didn't time the chase very well'
"So as much as playing against them [Sri Lanka], you sort of watch them with the best seat in the house and see how they go about their business."
In that context, for around 35 overs they observed a masterclass in how to navigate a sometimes sluggish surface. While rain in the first over of the day had ensured that any dryness in the pitch would be mitigated, this still wasn't an entirely batter friendly track.
Getting in was crucial, and so proved Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando during a 206-run second-wicket stand off just 215 deliveries, one that effectively took the game away from the visitors.
"It was difficult looking to start on as we saw, because after that big partnership between Fernando and Mendis, it was hard for the guys to come in and score straight away," added Bracewell. "Partnerships are obviously hugely important and we saw that partnership in the first innings of some 200 runs. I think that's what changed the game.
"The majority of the time is obviously favourable here in Sri Lanka for spin, but batters can still play well on those wickets and put you under pressure. And I think we probably saw that today. The batters played really well and we'll have to keep coming up with different answers and throwing different things at the Sri Lankan batters throughout the series, to try to break those partnerships a little bit earlier."
After Pathum Nissanka fell early, Mendis and Avishka ensured the scoring rate remained stable between five and six runs an over, rotating strike with the odd boundary thrown in. It was only closer to the halfway stage of the innings that they felt comfortable enough to up the scoring.
Between the start of the 23rd over and end of the 28th over, they struck 52 runs, with the 200 coming up in the 35th over. Sri Lanka at this point were well set, but the new batters coming in after both Mendis and Avishka fell struggled to push the score to that 350 mark.
Sri Lanka though, with their eventual 324 on the board, had done enough to ensure that even with a DLS-adjustment New Zealand would have a challenging target of 221 off 27 overs. In their chase, New Zealand got off to a similarly good start, as the opening pair of Will Young and Tim Robinson put on 88 off just 80 deliveries. But once they fell, the innings began to fall apart.
"I think you look at the fine margins of when guys got out in our innings and things like that. And obviously there's a little bit of scoreboard pressure, so guys coming in had to get going straight away.
"So that that always makes it a challenge, but that's part of the job of coming in that middle order. And we obviously didn't get it right. But we'll come again in a couple of days and we'll be looking to resurrect that again."
Among those who perhaps could have done more was Bracewell himself. He remained unbeaten on a 32-ball 34, but with wickets tumbling at the other end he was left ruing over what could have been.
"I think it was one of those ones where to chase to 221 in 27 overs was always going to be a pretty tough ask. I think we gave it a pretty good shot but we perhaps could have fired a few more shots there through the middle as well.
"I'll put my hand up and and say I could have taken the game on a little bit earlier, but yeah, I just don't think we quite timed the chase very well."
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