West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has made an admission about his future at the club amid repeated suggestions he could leave in January.

Paqueta’s time at West Ham has been intriguing to say the least, and fresh speculation has emerged recently about a potential winter exit from the London Stadium.

West Ham paid £51 million to secure his services in a club-record deal from Lyon three years ago, with the Brazilian quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s most technically gifted playmakers in his debut season under David Moyes.

Paqueta helped the Hammers to a glorious Conference League triumph that year, their first major trophy since 1980 and first European trophy since 1965, but a spot-fixing scandal then began to overshadow his time at the London Stadium.

The 28-year-old was charged with four alleged breaches of FA rule E5.1 in May 2024, relating to matches involving West Ham, with allegations that he directly sought to influence matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for influence of the betting market.

The investigation, which began in August 2023, cast a dark cloud over his future, with the FA once seeking a lifetime ban for him. Throughout the ordeal, West Ham stood firmly by their star man, and in July this year, he was finally cleared.

With that uncertain point of his career finally over, Paqueta got back to focusing on the pitch, and clubs also started taking an interest in the £150,000-per-week star.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

Aston Villa tried to sign Paqueta in the summer, but he ultimately chose to stay put and show loyalty to a side who backed him off the field.

However, credible reports are indicating that his long-term future could be away from Rush Green. The Times recently reported that Paqueta is keen to leave West Ham as early as next month, with Fabrizio Romano also backing up that the ex-Ligue 1 star’s exit is a realistic possibility.

Lucas Paqueta makes West Ham transfer admission and expects move to happen

Now, the player himself has come out to make a revelation of his own.

Speaking to Brazilian outlet Globo, as translated by Standard Sport, Paqueta says that he had a desire to return to Flamengo in the most recent summer window, and he expects that transfer to happen eventually due to his close ties with the club.

Paqueta’s current deal expires in 2027, and while Nuno Espirito Santo won’t want to lose him in January, a summer transfer certainly appears on the cards next year.

Unfortunately for chairman David Sullivan, by that point, the Irons wouldn’t be in a position to demand big money for the player with just one year remaining on his contract.

Flamengo’s best opportunity to strike a reunion could be next year, if a more illustrious European or Premier League big-hitter don’t move to entice him first.

West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has seemingly changed his tune about one member of the Hammers squad he reportedly didn’t fancy, with the tactician speaking highly of him in the build up to this weekend’s clash against Burnley.

Nuno has been very experimental with his Irons team selection since taking over from Graham Potter in September.

One of his first orders of business was axing James Ward-Prowse from the matchday squad entirely, despite the midfielder being vice-captain and an ever-present under Potter.

The 30-year-old hasn’t made a single matchday squad during Nuno’s time in charge and all signs point towards Ward-Prowse leaving West Ham when the January transfer window opens in under two months time.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

While the writing is on the wall for Ward-Prowse, Nuno has been chopping and changing his preferred options in recent weeks, especially after striker Niclas Fullkrug’s latest in a long line of injuries.

The Portuguese deployed Lucas Paqueta as a false nine against both Brentford and Leeds United, but to no avail, with Nuno tinkering his full-back and midfield choices for the two defeats as well.

Against Newcastle last weekend, Nuno finally found a winning formula, electing to gift highly-rated youngster Freddie Potts his first Premier League start for the club whilst dropping Paqueta back into midfield, with Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo impressing after swapping sides at centre-back.

Striker Callum Wilson was also handed his first start under Nuno.

The Englishman, who signed on a free transfer from Newcastle in the summer, was finally given the nod but replaced on the hour-mark by Tomas Soucek after putting in a decent shift against his former club.

According to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee last month, when asked why Nuno wasn’t playing Wilson in place of Fullkrug initially, the manager simply didn’t “fancy” the 33-year-old as an option.

However, he now appears to have changed his mind.

Nuno changes tune about Callum Wilson as he makes "very important" West Ham claim

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Burnley, Nuno was adamant that Wilson is a “very important” player for West Ham and praised his performance at home to Newcastle.

The 51-year-old also strongly hinted that Wilson is in line for another start against Scott Parker’s side at the London Stadium.

Wilson was once one of the Premier League’s most prolific strikers, scoring 18 top flight goals for Newcastle in 2022/2023 before a plethora of injury problems dampened his form.

So far, the ex-Bournemouth hitman has been fit and readily available for all of West Ham’s games since joining, and Nuno will be praying that continues, at least until January.

West Ham are believed to be in the market for a striker, and this is backed up by the likes of Sky Sports and Fabrizio Romano, with Fullkrug apparently deciding to leave West Ham when the winter window reopens.

Being a referee in the Premier League is arguably one of the toughest jobs in football, with a select group of officials regularly entrusted to take charge of top flight fixtures.

Even though VAR is still causing plenty of controversy week in, week out, decisions on the field are now more important than ever, with technology doing its best to try and not get involved unless it is ‘clear and obvious’.

The game is also arguably faster than it’s ever been, so referees need to be extremely fit and quick to react. But who is the best referee in the Premier League right now?

Premier League referees ranked (min. 3 games)

Rank

Ref

1

Anthony Taylor

2

Michael Oliver

3

Stuart Attwell

4

Craig Pawson

5

Jarred Gillett

6

Darren England

7

Chris Kavanagh

8

Simon Hooper

9

Andy Madley

10

Peter Bankes

11

Robert Jones

12

Michael Salisbury

13

Tony Harrington

14

Samuel Barrott

15

Thomas Bramall

15 Thomas Bramall

One of the least experienced referees in the Premier League, Thomas Bramall was the man in the middle that made a huge mistake by disallowing Aston Vila’s goal against Man Utd on the final day of the 2024/25 season.

That arguably cost Villa a place in the Champions League, but the PGMOL have stuck with Bramall, who, at 35 years of age, appears to be a referee in the early stages of his top flight career.

14 Samuel Barrott

One of the card happiest referees in the Premier League, Samuel Barrott is one of the most inexperienced officials in the top flight after making his debut in 2023/24.

He took charge of 23 games in 2024/25, apologising for one mistake he made in Crystal Palace’s defeat to Brentford after wrongly ruling out Eberechi Eze’s free-kick.

13 Tony Harrington

Tony Harrington is among the referees to average the least amount of fouls awarded per 90, but that doesn’t make him a bad official.

He made his Premier League debut in 2021/22 but just hasn’t been given a regular run of games in the top flight. Harrington’s best tally of games came in the 2024/25 season where he officiated 18 fixtures.

12 Michael Salisbury

Michael Salisbury has never been a regular in the Premier League after taking charge of his first game in the 2021/22 season.

He was on VAR duty and instructed referee Robert Jones to look at Josh King’s goal against Chelsea which was incorrectly ruled out. Salisbury was dropped by the PGMOL shortly after.

11 Robert Jones

Nottingham Forest aren’t the biggest fans of Robert Jones, with Evangelos Marinakis’ side lodging an official complaint against the 38-year-old after a series of decisions against the Reds.

He was the first Premier League referee to ever perform a red-card rejection, however, some of Jones’ decisions are controversial and he averages awarding a penalty every three games.

10 Peter Bankes

Peter Bankes has now reffed more than 100 games in the Premier League since 2019, however, the Merseyside-born official has regularly come in for criticism from fans.

Former referee Keith Hackett even said Bankes looked “out of his depth” in 2025 after a decision he made in Man Utd’s clash with Bournemouth.

9 Andy Madley

A FIFA licensed referee who has taken charge of the FA Cup final, Andy Madley has taken charge of more than 100 Premier League games since 2017/18.

More recently, he has made some controversial decisions, including one between Everton and Man Utd which resulted in Toffees fan Tony Bellew calling him a “cheat”.

8 Simon Hooper

Often blowing early instead of allowing advantage, Simon Hooper has enraged Premier League players and managers in recent years.

An experienced top flight official after making his debut in 2015, Hooper has often come in for criticism and was actually injured at the end of October in Liverpool’s defeat to Brentford, while he was also the man in the middle during the Reds’ controversial defeat at Tottenham in 2023.

7 Chris Kavanagh

Chris Kavanagh has been a hot topic of conversation in recent years, whether it be for sending off Declan Rice for kicking the ball away or leaving Bruno Fernandes upset after he missed his penalty.

The Greater Manchester official has been on FIFA’s books since 2019 and is closing in on 200 Premier League matches at the age of 40.

6 Darren England

Another FIFA referee, Darren England caught the eye of the international governing body after two years as a Premier League official.

He was a part of the VAR team that somehow incorrectly ruled out Luis Diaz’s goal for offside in Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham, but in recent years on the pitch, has been consistent.

At the same MCG where, two years ago, 90,293 people had cheered for Kohli, this Boxing Day Test has panned out very differently

Alagappan Muthu27-Dec-2024Virat Kohli got booed at the MCG.Sound at this ground seems to bubble up, like in the old cartoons where witches prepare their potions, the pot frothing away with each new ingredient until one of them makes the whole thing explode.The shoulder barge with Sam Konstas happened between overs. It wasn’t caught live, like Mohammed Siraj’s send-off to Travis Head. That noise was full throated and organic and it was dwarfed on Friday when Kohli nicked off for 36 off 86. The crowd knew what had happened. They didn’t need help from replays on the big screen or nudges on social media. The displeasure was instant and it rolled down like thunder.”BOOOOOOOOOO!”India had gone from 153 for 2 to 154 for 4.Related

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Seven balls earlier, Kohli had been involved in a mix-up and India lost their top-scorer of both the innings and the series. Yashasvi Jaiswal looks up to Kohli. At training, he steps off from facing the bowler to gather his inputs. Here he barely looked at him. They were three feet apart, both stuck at the bowler’s end, and he barely looked at him. To be fair, though, the single wasn’t on. Pat Cummins was too close at mid-on. There was incredulity in Australia’s celebrations, and ferocity in everything they did afterwards. Those last five overs to stumps were pure theatre.Mitchell Starc came back into the attack. The slip cordon sprouted extra people. The idea that a ball could ever be left alone seemed increasingly obtuse. And half-an-hour’s play began to stretch to eternity. Eighty-five thousand people added to the occasion as they synced their hands coming together to the bowler’s feet pounding the turf.Kohli had been able to stay in his bubble for the entire time he was in the middle until right this very moment.Right this very moment, it popped.”He was really disciplined today,” Steven Smith said at the press conference. “He was leaving nicely, making the bowlers come to him a bit more, and scoring well through the leg side and when we went short. So yeah, I thought we were in for a bit of a masterclass there. But fortunately, Barrel [Boland] got one to sort of straighten, probably off the line on that fifth, sixth stump. And it probably was one of the only ones he played at.”Two years ago, Kohli had made 90,293 people sing his name here. A sizeable portion of the 172,389 that have come through the gates on days one and two of the Boxing Day Test have felt very differently. The put a big red ball on his nose and bumped subtlety off a cliff. “Clown Kohli” said the headline. Cutting Stuart Broad out feels less petty now.Australia’s tabloids haven’t shied away from saying what they think about Virat Kohli•The West AustralianKohli was name-checked by the head of the local organising committee for LA 2028 to explain how cricket got into the Olympics. He is the third-most followed sportsperson on Instagram after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. More to the point, Australia have seen him as their kind of player. Gifted. Positive. Never-give-up. The respect he used to get here wasn’t grudging. It was genuine and it’s eroded because he hasn’t been making runs; far too busy making errors of judgment. There was one at Melbourne airport when he rounded on Australian media for disrespecting his privacy. Another at the ‘G when he disrespected an Australian cricketer’s privacy by making a beeline straight for him.Kohli was in the middle of turning all of that around. For 35 off 83 balls he was pristine. For the last 1 off 3 he was something else. Shaken. Resigned. Done. He didn’t even look back once he edged the ball. His hands just dropped. He just knew.India needed him in the middle when their best batter of the tour, KL Rahul, was dismissed last ball before tea. There were still seven minutes on the clock for the resumption when he and Jaiswal walked out to the dugout. There has always been an eagerness about this batting. It is supposed to translate as wanting to be out there. But it was coming off wanting it too much. The run-out in the dying stages of the second day’s play against New Zealand in Mumbai. Taking guard way in front of his crease in Perth. Chasing after that one cover drive that was supposed to get him into rhythm.On a Melbourne pitch that wanted to patch things up with the batters after putting them through the wringer for the last two or three years, all Kohli had to do was trust himself; trust his training to come through. And it did. The first thing he did once he made it to the crease was practice this leave. People sometimes do the front-foot push just to get a feel of the hands going through to the line of the ball. He’d done enough of that.He’s still popular in Melbourne, mind you, but the local fans’ patience is running thin•Getty ImagesWhen Kohli got off the mark, Cummins looked down at his hands curiously, as if to figure out just how he could bowl on the pads of one of history’s greatest flickers of the ball. He was responding to length a lot better in this innings, actually shifting his weight back when he had to instead of always lunging forward. Even with his leaves.There were a couple that were wide of off stump but he still shifted his weight back, in response to the shorter length, and pulled his bat up. Then there was another against Cummins that was pitched up and on that fifth stump line. He covered his stumps, pressed forward, and then left. The impact point with the ball on the cover drive that brought him his first boundary was right under his eyes. Reaching for the ball has been his forever problem. He wasn’t doing that here. He could only stomach shouldering arms to 34 deliveries across his five previous innings in this Test series. He did it 21 times here, in just two hours at the crease, and it looked so easy. He looked so good.Then came the run-out. Kohli looks for those rapid singles too. He managed one early in his innings, but that time he’d cushioned his shot and the man at short cover meant to prevent the rotation of strike became redundant. Later in his innings, he nudged one off his toes to the left of midwicket, who try as he might, couldn’t get there, and the right of mid-on.”Been stealing doubles since 2012,” he had said during one of his more dour centuries in the West Indies last year, pointing to the act of how he gets going simply by running between the wickets. The glamour shots look good on the reels but singles and twos are the essence of his batting. The fact that it led to his wicket two months ago and his partner’s wicket now – both resulting in the team’s implosion mere minutes before stumps – must be difficult to digest.Kohli got booed out of the MCG. But it almost seemed like he couldn’t hear them.He had looked so good.

Also returning for the three-match series in Harare were Brad Evans and Tadiwanashe Marumani

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2025Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe’s veteran wicketkeeper-batter, is back in their T20I squad, more than three years after he last played in the format. Taylor, who returned from a three-and-a-half-year ICC ban in August, was named in Zimbabwe’s 16-man squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. The other notable inclusion in the squad was Sean Williams, who is back in the T20I fold after more than a year.Taylor had been banned from all cricket in January 2022, for failing to report an approach from alleged corruptors without delay. With the ban ending earlier this year, Taylor subsequently returned to the international fold in the Bulawayo Test against New Zealand, before playing the ODI series against Sri Lanka last month. Taylor’s last T20I, though, was in April 2021, against Pakistan in Harare.Williams, meanwhile, had previously played a T20I in May 2024, and he’s set for a comeback into the format ahead of the Africa regional qualifiers later this month for the T20 World Cup in 2026. Zimbabwe will be competing in the tournament alongside Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, with two World Cup spots on the line.Zimbabwe had missed out on qualifying for the T20 World Cup 2024 despite 20 teams participating in the tournament, as they couldn’t finish in the top two of the Africa Region Qualifier after suffering losses against Namibia and Uganda.Among other changes for the T20Is against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe left out Newman Nyamhuri, Wessly Madhevere, Vincent Masekesa and Tafadzwa Tsiga from the squad that played the tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand in July. Apart from Taylor and Williams, those back in the squad were fast bowler Brad Evans and top-order batter Tadiwanashe Marumani.Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka have so far faced each other in only six T20Is, the last of which was in January 2024. Sri Lanka had won the three-match series after Zimbabwe levelled it with victory in the second match.Zimbabwe’s T20I squad vs Sri LankaSikandar Raza (capt), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sean Williams

Head coach admits team “exposed” in record defeat, despite having already sealed series

Firdose Moonda07-Sep-2025

South Africa pose with the series trophy•ECB via Getty Images

South Africa’s coach Shukri Conrad labelled his team’s record 342-run defeat to England in the third ODI “embarrassing” while captain Temba Bavuma said the performance “doesn’t do us justice” after their recent ODI success. South Africa have beaten both Australia and England 2-1 in series over the last month.Their loss in the third match in England, which was a dead rubber, came after a comprehensive win in game one and a nail-biting triumph in game two. That secured a first series in England since 1998. But the magnitude of the defeat in Southampton, which comes after a 276-run loss against Australia – also in a series that was already won – asks questions of how quickly and dramatically South Africa switch off, especially when the result does not matter.”Any excuse is better than none. We were definitely off today. And against a top side like England, when you’re not on top of your game, you do get exposed,” Conrad said at the post-match conference. “A similar thing happened in Australia, where after going 2-0 up, it was a complete aberration. They got in excess of 400 as well. But if we were going to be poor at something, we’d rather be poor at games that aren’t clutch games. We’re not making light of today’s defeat. That was slightly embarrassing.”Related

Concern for South Africa as Bavuma suffers calf strain

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Bethell, Root tons, Archer four-for see England hand out record thrashing

Both defeats – South Africa’s two heaviest in ODIs – have come when they have fielded first and were accompanied by lack of discipline and dropped catches. Against Australia, South Africa bowled 15 wides and put down Alex Carey, who went on to finish the innings strongly. Against England, they bowled 19 wides and dropped two catches including Jamie Smith on 23 and Jacob Bethell on 44. Bavuma said at the post-match presentation that bowling that many extras was “far from ideal, not good enough” and said it “could be complacency”, while Conrad believed a wayward bowling performance impacted the rest of their skillset.”The bowling affects the fielding and the other way around, but nine out of ten times, Matthew Breetzke is taking that catch [off Smith, who offered a chance off a leading edge in the covers],” Conraid said. “We’re not going to read too much into that, but it’s a difficult one because when that edge is not there and something doesn’t go your way and the harder you try, it’s just not there. I’m not offering it as an excuse because it’s not supposed to be like that, but the fielding wasn’t at the usual high standard that we set. All in all, yeah, it was an embarrassing performance in the field.”Among South Africa’s bowling lows were Nandre Burger’s 0 for 95, which was the most expensive in their history, and Codi Yusuf’s 0 or 80, the worst by a South African debutant. Some of that may be down to inexperience especially in the absence of pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who has not played an ODI in either Australia or England as he recovers from ankle inflammation.Conrad confirmed Rabada could have been “really pushed and forced through today” but South Africa decided they “didn’t want to take any risks with him” ahead of the T20Is next week. “The T20 is the priority for us. When we earned the right to give him another rest, we definitely exercised that because with the T20 World Cup looming, we want to make sure that we get a good take on that. We’ve obviously got two massive Test series [against Pakistan and India] coming up.”Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, who was rested, and Marco Jansen, who has not played since the World Test Championship final where he broke his thumb, will all be back for the T20Is. A new concern is Bavuma, who could not bat after hurting his calf – but as he is not part of the T20Is, he will be assessed on his return to South Africa. Bavuma’s injury was among the reasons South Africa’s batting stumbled to their second lowest total in ODIs – 72 – as they went in pursuit of a target of 415 for which Bavuma said there is “no real formula”.In the end, they were blown away by a searing opening spell from Jofrra Archer, who took 3 for 1 in his first three overs and finished with 4 for 18. Archer’s first wicket was Aiden Markram, who nicked off against a short, wide ball and sent the rest of the line-up into freefall.”Aiden lost his wicket to a pretty innocuous delivery, and that probably summed up the day,” Conrad said. “And then from there, before you know it, you’re four down. Obviously, the disruption of Temba not being able to bat, that played a part as well but it is very difficult to explain. If you’re not on top of your game, if the edge is not there, then you’re going to get exposed.”Bashful as they were in this match, Bavuma also highlighted South Africa’s achievements over the last month after beating both Australia and England with a game to spare. “There are lots of positives in the series, coming to England away with a fairly inexperienced side and we wouldn’t want today’s performance to diminish that,” he said. “There are shining moments so we’ll try to highlight those. They can’t be wiped away by one performance.”

Veteran Brazilian defender Thiago Silva is wanted back at AC Milan, according to reports, with the Rossoneri looking to reunite the South American centre-half with his former Chelsea team-mate Christian Pulisic. Silva is now 41 years of age and back in his homeland with Fluminense, but he is not ready to retire just yet and could be lured back to European football.

• Thiago Silva won Champions League with Pulisic at Chelsea

  Silva headed home in the summer of 2024 when returning to his roots in Rio de Janeiro. He is now enjoying a third stint with Fluminense, having started out in their youth system and made over 140 appearances for the club between 2006 and 2008.

  It was that stint which earned the classy defender his first move to Italy. Milan bought into his potential and saw him grace over 100 matches for them – becoming a Serie A title winner in 2010-11.

  Silva was then lured away to France by the ambitious project at Paris Saint-Germain, spending eight years there before heading to Stamford Bridge in 2020. Champions League glory was savoured with Chelsea alongside USMNT star Pulisic.

  The United States international left west London for Milan in 2023, with Silva saying at the time: “He is a good boy and a fantastic player. Last year he didn't have a great chance to play with us. I don't know if he will go to Milan one hundred per cent, but if he were to go he would certainly do well.”

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  Milan want to sign an experienced defender in January

  Pulisic has starred for the Rossoneri, becoming a talismanic presence while posting personal bests in the goal scoring department. He would likely welcome the presence of another familiar face at San Siro.

  reports that Milan are looking into the possibility of bringing Silva back onto their books. They are said to be in the market for an experienced centre-half heading towards the January transfer window.

  They already have Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter and youngster Jan-Carlo Odogu to call upon, but want another proven operator to form part of that group. Milan missed out on Manchester City star Manuel Akanji, as he moved to Galatasaray, and versatile Liverpool defender Joe Gomez over the summer.

• Could Thiago Silva reunite with Allegri at San Siro?

  Reports in Italy claim that “the possibility of bringing back Thiago Silva, 13 years after his last appearance for Milan, is gaining traction”. He is considered to be the perfect option to add “leadership, stability and an immediate upgrade to the defensive unit” in Massimiliano Allegri’s squad.

  Silva worked with Allegri during his previous stint with the Rossoneri and has been showing no sign of slowing down in Brazil. He has made 41 appearances for Fluminense this season, scoring three goals, and impressed during a run to the semi-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

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  Thiago Silva record: Appearances & trophy wins

  His contract is only due to run until the summer of 2026, with a man that earned 113 caps for Brazil previously stating that he wants to bow out at the top. That could mean hanging up his boots next summer, or embracing one last challenge.

  Silva has said: “This is the contract I have with Fluminense. In my mind, I was pretty certain about the decision to maybe stop. It’s not concrete yet, it’s just my thought. Because, as I said recently, recovery is very exhausting for me. Being away from my family for so long. I thought it would be easier. Honestly, I thought it would be easier and it’s not. It was our decision. Isabelle understood perfectly. My kids, a little less. We’re always together, but I mean physically. It’s very tiring for me.

  “I think every player would like to stop at their peak, still feeling good and delivering positive results. I wouldn’t want to stop at a moment when, suddenly, someone like Kaio Jorge easily gets past me, scores a goal, and we become a laughing stock. I intend to stop at a good level, performing well. That’s my thinking.”

  Whenever the day comes for Silva to bow out, he will do so having made over 860 appearances at club level while claiming Champions League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Club World Cup titles – along with bronze and silver medals at the Olympic Games.

And were the 20 wickets that fell in Multan the most for the first day of a Test?

Steven Lynch28-Jan-2025Was Noman Ali’s hat-trick against West Indies the first for Pakistan in a Test? asked Nasir Ahmed from Pakistan
That hat-trick by slow left-armer Noman Ali, which reduced West Indies to 38 for 7 in the second Test in Multan, was the first by a Pakistan spinner in a men’s* Test, but it was their sixth overall. . (They also have one in a women’s Test, by legspinner Shaiza Khan, also against West Indies, in Karachi in March 2004.)The other men were all by quick bowlers: Wasim Akram took two in successive matches against Sri Lanka during the Asian Test Championship in 1999, and he was followed by Abdul Razzaq (2000), Mohammad Sami (2002) and Naseem Shah (2020). When he achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, Naseem became the youngest to take a Test hat-trick; at 38, Noman is now the second-oldest (after Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath, who was a month senior against Australia in Galle in 2016). Here’s the list of hat-tricks in men’s Tests. Shaiza Khan’s is one of only three hat-tricks in women’s Tests.There were 20 wickets on the first day in Multan. Was this a record? asked Richard Arkwright from England
Twenty wickets on the first day of the second Test between Pakistan and West Indies in Multan was a new high for any Test in Asia, surpassing 18 on the first day between India and West Indies in Delhi in 1987. But it’s not the overall record: 25 wickets went down on the first day between Australia and England in Melbourne in 1902, and it’s only a year since 23 fell on the first day between South Africa and India in Cape Town last January.The most wickets on any day of a Test is 27, on the second day of the match between England and Australia at Lord’s in 1888.Which player was run-out while attempting to complete his 10,000th Test run? asked Ricky Dooley from Sri Lanka
The man who was run out one short was Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene, who was beaten by a throw from South Africa’s Jacques Kallis while trying for his 10,000th Test run in Centurion in 2011. He was, according to the ball-by-ball commentary, “less than a yard away from his 10,000th run”. Jayawardene got to five figures with his first scoring shot in the next Test, in Durban.This is a timely question, as Australia’s Steve Smith is currently sitting on 9999 Test runs after also being dismissed one short – caught in the gully rather than run-out – in the final Test against India in Sydney earlier this month. He’ll be looking to make it 10,000 in the Test that starts tomorrow in Galle.Andrew Flintoff was previously the youngest to score a century for England A or the Lions before being overtaken by his son, Rocky•Getty ImagesDid Rocky Flintoff become the youngest Englishman to score a first-class century the other day? asked Martin Hazell from England
Rocky Flintoff, who’s still three months short of his 17th birthday, scored 108 for England Lions in their four-day game against a Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane last week. Had it been a first-class match, he would indeed have become the youngest… but the teams were rotating 14 players, which means it doesn’t count as first-class. He does have another chance to take the record, in the unofficial A-team Test that starts in Sydney on January 30.Rocky’s century was apparently the youngest for England A or the Lions in any match, a record previously held by… his father Andrew Flintoff, who was 20 when he hit 104 for England A in a 50-over game against Kenya in Nairobi in 1998.And so the youngest Englishman to score a first-class century remains Shiv Thakor**, who was aged 17 years and 180 days when he made 134 on debut for Leicestershire against Loughborough MCCU at Grace Road in April 2011. Thank you for answering my question last week about Nos. 9, 10 and 11 top-scoring in a Test innings. But the three highest scores in West Indies’ first innings in the second Test against Pakistan also came from the last three. How often has your answer been made redundant in just three days?! asked Nadeem Moghal from the United States
I did notice, with some astonishment, that West Indies’ last three batters in Multan repeated their achievement in the first Test: No. 9, Gudakesh Motie, top-scored with 55; Jomel Warrican added 36 from No. 11; and Kemar Roach chipped in with 25 from No. 10: the next-highest score in the innings was 21 by the No. 4 Kavem Hodge (no one else reached double figures).This particular achievement did not happen at all in the first 2576 men’s Tests, but has now occurred in successive matches. I certainly didn’t expect last week’s answer to be out of date so quickly! However, even that wasn’t quite a record… during the 2011 World Cup, I was asked about batters who had scored ODI centuries on their birthday. There were three – but on the day the answer was published (March 8, 2011), Ross Taylor made it four with 131 not out for New Zealand against Pakistan in Pallekele on his 27th birthday.January 28, 2024, 15:08GMT
*The answer was amended to clarify that Noman Ali’s hat-trick was the first by a male Pakistan spinner.
** This answer was corrected after publishing.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

A 61-run third-wicket stand held the Hong Kong innings together

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2025Hong Kong clambered to a respectable 149 for 4, as Nizakat Khan drove them through the middle and back end of the innings, after Anshy Rath had held down the fort in the early overs. The two combined in the middle for a partnership worth 61 off 43 balls – Nizakat contributing 33 off 22, while Rath went at a slower pace.Nizakat was not out at the crease on 52 off 38 balls at the end. It was his 12th T20I half-century, and his first against a Full Member (ICC or ACC), plus Hong Kong’s second ever fifty at this event. He’d been reprieved twice in the 17th over, bowled by Nuwan Thushara, but with so many wicket left, he was perhaps right to try low-percentage shots. Rath had fallen two runs short of 50, and struck at 104.34. He scored almost exclusively in front of square.Sri Lanka may have hoped to blow Hong Kong away when they asked them to bat first, but they didn’t have a lot of luck in the early overs. Zeeshan Ali scored boundaries off the outside and inside edge, and Dushmantha Chameera dropped off Thushara’s bowling.Chameera would go on to put in another strong performance, however, eventually dismissing Zeeshan, and later, Rath. He took the innings’ best figures of 2 for 29, but the spinners also delivered some economical overs. Maheesh Theekshana conceded only 22 off his four overs, while Wanindu Hasaranga took 1 for 27.

Manchester United have made an approach to sign Elliot Anderson, and Nottingham Forest’s demands to sanction a departure have now been revealed.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Man United plan to bolster their options in the engine room next year, when commenting on their interest in Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller and Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.

The transfer expert said: “January is not going to be easy. It’s going to be about opportunities in the summer could be different. And for sure, Manchester United in 2026 will add again, at least one midfielder.”

The desire to sign a new central midfielder comes amid uncertainty over Kobbie Mainoo’s future, with it recently emerging the youngster is in advanced talks to join Napoli, while Ruben Amorim may also need to plan for life after Casemiro, as the Brazilian’s contract is due to expire next summer.

The 33-year-old is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal, despite putting in some solid performances this season, with Rio Ferdinand praising the former Real Madrid man for his performance in the 2-1 win against Liverpool at Anfield last month.

Ferdinand said: “He was outstanding in that first-half yesterday. I think his positional sense and awareness in that midfield area in a big game like that was invaluable.”

Man Utd make approach to sign Elliot Anderson

According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, Man United have now made an approach to sign Nottingham Forest star Anderson, having “registered concrete interest” in signing the midfielder.

Forest have been “informed” of their Premier League rivals’ desire to get a deal done, but it would be fair to say they are playing hard ball, as a fee in the region of £100m – £120m is “still being demanded.”

It is no wonder the Tricky Trees are hesitant to sanction a departure unless they receive a huge fee, considering the Englishman has impressed for both club and country this season, putting in a fantastic performance on his Three Lions’ debut against Andorra back in September.

More recently, the 23-year-old got on the scoresheet in Forest’s 3-1 victory against Leeds United, bagging the third goal from the penalty spot to help his side secure what could prove to be a vital three points in the relegation battle.

Lauded as “sensational” by The Athletic’s Nick Miller, the four-time England international has also impressed from a defensive point of view over the past year, placing in the 89th percentile for tackles per 90, when compared to other midfielders, having averaged 2.89.

Anderson is exhibiting very promising signs at Nottingham Forest, but £120m would be a huge fee to pay for a player who is not yet regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, so Man United should try and get a deal done for a much lower fee.

Man Utd shortlist another British midfielder as Casemiro replacement Man Utd shortlist British Casemiro replacement thriving after two major knee injuries

The Red Devils are set to make sure Ruben Amorim gets his wish as they head into 2026 at Old Trafford.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 10, 2025