They left Maheesh Theekshana out against Bangladesh, as rapid, round-arm and two-arm bowlers unsettled the opposition

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Sep-20252:42

Maharoof: SL didn’t transition well after golden generation left

If you doubt things have shifted for Sri Lanka, please consider that before they had stepped on to the field in the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh on Saturday, they had decided to leave out their mystery spinner.For Sri Lanka men’s earliest T20I teams, mystery spinners were vital. Muthiah Muralidaran had the killer doosra, Ajantha Mendis had batting orders wrapped around his fingers, Akila Dananjaya was picked from obscurity at age 18 for a World Cup campaign, Sachithra Senanayake, Tharindu Kaushal… you get the picture. Even Rangana Herath had a carrom ball.So central was mystery spin to strategy that Sri Lanka’s captains would even occasionally hide mystery spinners during group matches to keep their secrets shrouded till the knockouts.Related

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But it’s 2025. Times have changed. Horizons have broadened. Sri Lanka have rapid bowlers. They have round-arm bowlers. They have two-arm bowlers. Against Bangladesh, they turned up, totted up their options, and decided the mystery spin of Maheesh Theekshana was surplus to requirement. They fielded three frontline fast bowlers. This was in Asia, on a track that always looked like it would take turn.It is an interesting trio of quicks. Two of them bowl roundarm. Two bowl fast. Two are good in the powerplay (each of those descriptions fits a different pair). For the team management, it’s also likely that different calculations recommended each of these bowlers. Dushmantha Chameera, the most senior fast bowler in the squad, had the form coming into this match – plus the experience. Nuwan Thushara had been expensive in the last game he had been picked for, but the man had 12 wickets in five matches against Bangladesh – plus an economy rate of 6.57. These are not numbers worth ignoring. Matheesha Pathirana had much worse numbers against Bangladesh in T20Is – and an economy of 10.09 in three matches – but perhaps there was a hunch that roundarm bowlers rattle this particular opposition.It would turn out that Pathirana would bowl a wild final over, and finish with bad figures. But it didn’t matter, because even without him, Sri Lanka’s seamers had still set this game up in the first two overs. Thushara bowled an airtight first over, looking for that swing into left-hand batter Tanzid Hasan, before zooming through the gate with one that straightened off the last ball. Chameera was even better following up from the other end, finding pace and pitch-perfect lengths in the channel before nicking Parvez Hossain Emon off.Sri Lanka wrecked Bangladesh to 0 for 2 in two overs•Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty ImagesThushara and Chameera had each bowled a wicket maiden, and Bangladesh were 0 for 2. Rarely are T20 matches decided in the first two overs, but by this stage, Bangladesh had used up 10% of their overs, lost 20% of their wickets, and wasted a third of their powerplay for zero runs – a situation they had never been in before. Batting teams also don’t tend to spring out of holes like that.Worse, Thushara’s next over brought only four runs, and Chameera’s next just three, all of which meant batters were taking risks they otherwise might not have. In the middle of the fifth over, Towhid Hridoy was caught short by a direct hit from Kamil Mishara from the deep, as he attempted a dodgy third run. From 11 for 3 after 4.3 overs on a decent track, a competitive score tends to require minor miracles.Spin, meanwhile, was entirely ineffective for Sri Lanka. I’m joking, of course – Wanindu Hasaranga came in to spin googlies into pads, dust off some celebrappeals, and take two wickets, which was more than any of the quicks. This being a Sri Lanka match at an Asia Cup, familiar decorum must be maintained. And yet it was Thushara and Chameera’s identical figures – four overs, one maiden, 14 runs, for one wicket – that both broke the game open for Sri Lanka, and depressed Bangladesh’s final score most.There are signs now that following a 10-year lurch, Sri Lanka might be entering a period of stability. There are several reasons for this, two of which are the domestic structure having improved significantly since the introduction of the National Super League, and consistency from the selectors headed over the past two years.Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets against Bangladesh•Asian Cricket CouncilOn the fast-bowling front, what this has meant is that quicks aren’t rushed from T20s to Tests to ODIs the moment they begin to prosper at the international level, and Sri Lanka have been able to develop a pace battery for each format. Thushara and Pathirana only really play T20s, for instance. Dilshan Madushanka is solely an ODI bowler for now. Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara are Test specialists.The coaching staff also seem to have had an effect. Chameera has always had a decent yorker, but he is currently deploying them more consistently than he ever has in the death overs. On Saturday, he bowled the 20th over against two set batters, and conceded only eight runs.The era of the mystery spinner was Sri Lanka’s greatest in white-ball cricket. Those teams made five global finals between 2007 and 2014, winning one. But sometimes the past needs letting go. This team could still play mystery spinner Theekshana through the course of this tournament. But they have built up options.

This has not been a good week for Chelsea Football Club.

Down to ten men against league leaders Arsenal, they did at least salvage some pride from that game. To hold one of the best sides in Europe, if not the best side in Europe this season to a 1-1 draw with fewer players is certainly reason to celebrate.

However, a week on from defeating Barcelona in the Champions League, this midweek was a great deal more frustrating for Enzo Maresca and Co.

A game against Leeds United should have been easy, right? Think again. The Blues lost 3-1 and slipped further behind the Gunners in the race for the title. That dream looks over for another year, but according to Maresca, there is one big reason to remain positive.

Maresca shares good news for Chelsea

Maresca has admitted that Cole Palmer’s return to action at Elland Road was the only positive.

The attacking midfielder has been absent for a large portion of the season but has been back among the matchday squad across the last two games.

Palmer came off the bench in the 61st minute for his first outing since late September after toes and groin problems and understandably, that was the only consolation Chelsea’s Italian gaffer could extract from such a horror night on the road.

Maresca said: “Probably it’s the only good news of the night. I’m happy for him, he’s back, now he needs to build a little bit the physical condition and he will be important for us, for sure.

“He’s getting better, but he needs to play minutes. He had more-or-less half-an-hour, hopefully we can give him more in the next game.”

Palmer has been a breathtaking signing at Stamford Bridge, notably bagging 18 goals and registering 14 assists in all competitions for his club last season.

Well, Maresca will certainly need his talisman to rediscover that form after dropping points in consecutive fixtures.

Speaking about the result, the former Leicester City manager stated: “When you play the last two games against Barcelona and Arsenal, you expect a better performance, no doubt.

“But, for many reasons, it’s not going to be possible for every game again, because we change players, because we have players that we said many times it’s not possible to play every two, three days. When you change players, also the level drops, that is the reality, because they are important players for us. Moises, Reece (James), with these kind of players, we cannot use them every game. It’s impossible, because otherwise they can get injury again and be out for months.”

Chelsea are now fourth in the table after Aston Villa defeated Brighton in midweek. While the Blues looked in something of a title race last week, they are now nine points off top spot.

For the World Champions, you would expect that their hopes now rest on the cup competitions for the rest of the ongoing season.

As bad as Tosin: Maresca's 4/10 flop must never start for Chelsea again

Chelsea’s title hopes seemingly went up in smoke away at Leeds United.

ByRobbie Walls Dec 4, 2025

Amanjot, Ghosh, Rawal, Mandhana and others react to India’s maiden World Cup win

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2025

Amanjot Kaur is engulfed by her team-mates after taking a vital catch•ICC/Getty Images

Shafali Verma, Player of the Match: “At the start, I had said that God has sent me to do something special and that reflected today. I’m very happy that we’ve won the World Cup. I can’t express it in words. It was tough [coming into the tournament midway] but I was confident that if I keep self belief and stayed calm, then I can do anything. My parents, friends and my brother supported me immensely. Today, I was thinking that I need to make runs anyhow and that the team needed to win. My mind was quite clear and I batted according to my plans. I was happy they got executed. Smriti was talking to me continuously, Harman is always a supporter. Team-mates also supported me, they were very welcoming too. Seniors just said to play my natural game, not to move away from my natural game. [Sachin Tendulkar watching from the stands] It is a very memorable moment for me. When I saw Sachin sir, I got a special kind of boost. I speak to him occasionally, he gives me a boost always. Today also I got inspired just by seeing him.”Deepti Sharma, Player of the Tournament: “Honestly, this still feels like a dream. We have not yet got rid of the emptions. I am so happy to contribute in a World Cup final. I feel really glad. We just wanted to take the positive takeaways from every match. On the fans, I will say, they have come in huge numbers. I want to thank the fans, they have supported us in every match. This was not possible without them. As a team, we feel great after this result. I just want to enjoy every department. I like challenges. I had the bat and ball in my hand. I just had to play according to the situation, and I enjoyed a lot. What better a moment, on this stage, to perform as an allrounder for the team… can’t get better than this. [On Laura Wolvaardt] I think Laura played a very good innings. We were not relaxed. We were very calm, kept on cheering everyone up in the drinks break. As a bowling unit, we wanted to take it till the last ball. We just wanted focus on our best balls. and we did that. [On the changes she wants to see] There has been a lot of change after 2017 and I hope we get more matches. So that will be great.”Related

Deepti, Shafali star as India savour World Cup glory

Amanjot Kaur: “Everyone playing knew how important Wolvaardt’s catch was. I guess I fumbled first time ever in my life, glad I got a second chance. That’s all, I don’t have words to express. [What does this mean?] This means a lot. You can see the crowd cheering. We have created history. This is just the starting, Indian cricket will be at the next level. We are going to dominate all over the world in every format. [Message to family] Congrats to everyone. My family, my coaches, whoever has family here or those sitting at home. My grandmother is not well, she is watching at home. [The support] I think it’s their victory as well. Because they came in huge numbers to support us. This is for you Mumbai, this is for everyone, this is for Pratika who missed out due to injury. I know how it feels to miss out a match due to injury. Not everything is good but there’s good in everything. Very grateful.”Pratika Rawal gets off her wheelchair to celebrate with her team-mates•ICC/Getty Images

Richa Ghosh: “[On the importance of the win] This win has a lot of importance. We have been waiting for the World Cup for a long time, [had the lingering feeling of] when we will lift the trophy. And today we have won the trophy. We are champions. I can’t explain this feeling but we are all very happy. You can see how emotional everyone is. It’s totally different. [Talk in the huddle] I think in the huddle, the talk was this is the last day, one more day and we just wanted to give it all. No matter what happens, we just wanted to put our bodies on the line. [On the finish] There was pressure of the final, there is so much crowd and fans. But I wanted to performed well, that was the main thing. Everyone trusted me that I can go out and hit and that helped me a lot.”Pratika Rawal: “Well, I can’t express enough. There’s no words. It’s not going to come out of my mouth. This flag on my shoulder, it means a lot to me. And you know, being here with my team, it’s just surreal. I mean, injuries are part and parcel of the game. I’m very happy that I was a part of this team, this winning team. You know, this team, I just love this team. I can’t express my feelings towards this team. So I’m very happy that we actually made it. And we’re the first [Indian] team who has won the World Cup in so long. And the whole India deserves this. To be very honest, it was very difficult for me to sit out and watch the match because it’s actually very difficult. It’s very easy to play inside, rather than watching from the outside. But seeing this energy, seeing this environment, it just, you know, it gave me goosebumps. Whenever there was a wicket, whenever there was a sixer, you can see the energy. It’s amazing. It’s genuinely amazing.”Jemimah Rodrigues is ecstatic after India’s win•ICC/Getty Images

Smriti Mandhana: “I don’t know how to react to that [being World Champions]. Still sinking in. I haven’t been emotional on a cricket field, but just a very unreal moment. Home World Cup. Just to read ‘Champions – India’, I am still not able to process it. Every World Cup we go in and there’s been so many heartbreaks for all of us. But we always believe we’ve got a bigger responsibility with women’s cricket and genuinely to see the support we’ve got in the last one and a half months… I mean, I don’t know how to explain the last 40 days. But to end it with a World Cup win today, I will take the 45 days of not sleeping every night. [After exit from last T20 World Cup before the semi-final] The last T20 World Cup was a difficult one for all of us, but we had a clear focus on trying to work on our fitness, trying to be better at each aspect. The super-strength of this team – no one will talk about it – is how everyone just stuck in, played for each other. In a World Cup you need everyone’s support, good days and bad days. We enjoyed each others’ success. I can’t tell you how the team environment is… that’s just magic.”Amol Muzumdar: “[Feelings] Absolutely proud, there’s no doubt about it. I don’t know, it’s not sunk in yet. It’s an unbelievable achievement by all the girls. They deserve every credit, they deserve everything that will follow from here because they have worked incredibly hard. I know for a fact that they have done every Indian proud. [On the earlier losses] We did not look at those losses as losses, we just thought we couldn’t get over the line. We dominated a lot of those. There were some hiccups in the campaign, but we were still alive in the tournament and here we are on 2nd November, 2025 as World Champions. [On what this does for women’s cricket in the country] I don’t know, I really don’t know. I am sure they deserve everything what will follow hereon. They have worked extremely hard for this. It is a watershed moment for Indian cricket. [A word on Shafali?] One word… magical. Absolute magical. Turns up in the semi-final, no pressure.. in the finals, home crowd, packed stadiums, turns up a blinder of an innings and then picks up a few wicket with the ball. Absolutely magical.[On the fielding] That was one thing we spoke a lot in the dressing room in the last two years that fielding and fitness was really something we spoke about and focused on it. And here we are… they just turned it up on this day in a World Cup final. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac and Wrexham have been warned off a shock swoop for England international Raheem Sterling. The Premier League title winner currently finds himself stuck in the infamous ‘bomb squad’ at Chelsea. A January move is expected to be agreed, as Sterling gets his career back on track, with it being suggested that he could head to the Championship.

Bomb squad: Sterling frozen out by Maresca at Chelsea

Sterling has spent his entire career to date in the top tier, having stepped out of Liverpool’s academy system and completed a move to Manchester City in 2015. He won four top-flight crowns while working with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

He returned to his roots in the English capital when joining Chelsea in 2022, but has found the going tough at Stamford Bridge. After spending last season on loan at Arsenal, the 30-year-old winger has now been frozen out by Enzo Maresca in west London.

AdvertisementGettySterling to Wrexham: Does move make sense?

Sterling opted not to force through a transfer over the summer, but needs to make a fresh start early in 2026. Dean Saunders has suggested that ambitious Hollywood co-owners in Wales could look to make a play for another marquee signing.

The former Wrexham boss – speaking to BOYLE Sports who offer the latest football betting – has said: “Raheem Sterling to Wrexham? Why not? You might see some big players that have watched the documentary and they think, ‘I'll have a bit of that. I'd love to play for them, Wrexham.’ You might get somebody like Raheem Sterling saying that.

“I can't get my head around his situation. What's going on? He’s not over the hill. He's a very good player. Having said that, the Championship's not easy to play in. I've managed in the Championship and sometimes Premier League players come down and play in it and they can't believe what's going on. We're playing all the time and every game's a battle. Millwall away on a Tuesday night. When the ball's up in the air all night, some of them find it difficult.”

Wrexham warned off approach for Sterling

While Saunders believes Sterling could be a shrewd addition for the Red Dragons, becoming another star on ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ in the process, EFL pundit Lee Hendrie is not so sure.

He has told : “I’d probably disagree with Deano on that, I don’t think he’d be a fit that would be right for Wrexham. Particularly, the way they play, I’m not sure Raheem would be the one, unless they had him and played him as a bit of a luxury role where he could play off the front and be that luxury attacking player. I’m not sure that they’d play that way, and counter for that, I think they are looking for promotion.

“Could he fit into a Championship side? Yeah, I don’t see why not, maybe you could see him at an Ipswich or maybe a Boro or somewhere like that. I still think he could offer something in the Premier League, I really do.

“Even if you’re looking at the lower end of the Premier League, I think he has got ability, it’s whether he wants to take that on and take that drop, that’s the other question. I think it takes some finances to take him into the Championship because I’m sure there will be lots of offers for him to go abroad and elsewhere. I could see that not being a fit for him at Wrexham.”

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Getty/GOALTransfer records: Reynolds and Mac continue to spend big

Wrexham acquired plenty of Premier League pedigree during the summer of 2025, as Reynolds and Mac oversaw a record-breaking spend of more than £30 million ($40m). They drafted in the likes of Conor Coady, Lewis O’Brien, Kieffer Moore, Callum Doyle and Nathan Broadhead.

More movement at SToK Racecourse is expected in upcoming transfer windows, as the Red Dragons push for promotion into the top tier, but it appears unlikely that a bid for Sterling will be lodged – leading the 82-cap England star to explore alternative options.

One Rangers player who Danny Rohl does not rate could be on his way out of Ibrox amid interest from the Championship, according to recent reports.

Rohl praises "fantastic" Rangers reaction

After back-to-back draw against Falkirk and Dundee United, Rangers couldn’t afford to drop points again in the Scottish Premiership. They’ve been much improved since Rohl’s arrival, but another day without victory would have sparked all too familiar concerns around Glasgow.

The German and his Rangers team bounced back from those draws in style against Kilmarnock, however. With a brace from Bojan Miovski to accompany Mikey Moore’s effort, the Gers sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Rohl shared his delight at full-time, but also urged Rangers to “develop” their “game management” – telling reporters: “From the first minute tonight, I knew the fans were behind the team. We have to do this together.

“I think looking back through the whole week, It was a good performance on Wednesday from Bojan Miovski. I’m glad Mikey [Moore] is back but in general, it was a whole team performance.

“We have to develop our game management, but tonight it was a fantastic reaction and now we have five wins in seven so this is a good step forward. We have to continue, everyone wants to win against us or take something from us. This is a tough league so we have to put the work in.”

It would be a good time for those at Ibrox to hit top form, given how frantic the festive period is and with the January transfer window now less than a month away from swinging open.

The winter window represents the first chance for Rohl to stamp his mark on his side and rumours have already claimed that he’s after a clinical striker.

Arrivals are unlikely to come without departures, though, and Kieran Dowell is among those who could reportedly be heading for the Ibrox exit door.

Hull City keen to sign Kieran Dowell

According to Alan Nixon on his Patreon, Hull City are now keen to sign Dowell in the January transfer window. The midfielder is yet to feature under Rohl, who quite clearly doesn’t rate him, and now looks destined to leave on loan in just under a month.

It’s been the story of Dowell’s Rangers career, but he must get his move in the January window.

The 28-year-old was offered some hope when Russell Martin arrived instantly jumped to his defence by saying: “And by the way he tries really, really every day, trains like an absolute beast, which I don’t think some people have come to this club and been bought for a lot of money, and I don’t think they have done that.”

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Any hope of a Rangers revival has now evaporated, however, with Rohl seemingly ready to bid farewell to the midfield flop who has struggled since arriving in 2023.

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