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The fastest fifties in IPL history, featuring some of the world’s mightiest hitters

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-20251:12

Chawla: Very little margin for error against Shepherd

Yashasvi Jaiswal (13 balls) Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2023

Yashasvi Jaiswal, 21, ripped up the IPL record books, slamming the league’s fastest half-century, off 13 balls. He made a two-paced pitch look like a belter to reignite their IPL campaign. Surprisingly, KKR captain Nitish Rana gave himself the new ball and the move backfired, with Jaiswal hitting 26 runs off the opening over. The other Rana – Harshit – wasn’t spared either as Jaiswal chopped the fast bowler behind point and flat-batted him down the ground for fours. Jaiswal also laid into Shardul Thakur and brought up his half-century inside three overs. Jaiswal threatened to convert it into a hundred, but the target wasn’t big enough. Eventually, Royals hunted down 150 with nine wickets and almost seven overs to spare.

Romario Shepherd (14 balls) Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2025

At the start of the 19th over, RCB were 159 for 5, having slumped alarmingly following quick fifties from openers Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli. They had scored just 45 in their previous seven overs, for the loss of four wickets, but proceeded to score an astonishing 54 off their last two overs, setting a new IPL record for most runs across the 19th and 20th overs. Romario Shepherd faced all but one of the last 12 legal balls and hammered six sixes and two fours off Khaleel Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana, en route to an unbeaten 53 off just 14 balls.BCCI

Pat Cummins (14 balls), Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2022

Chasing 162, KKR slipped to 83 for 4 in 12 overs on a challenging Pune pitch. Pat Cummins, though, came in at No.6 and hoicked the second ball he faced for six. In the next over, Cummins took Jasprit Bumrah for a six and a four to raise KKR’s hopes. He then smashed Daniel Sams for 6,4,6,6, 2 (nb), 4,6 to zoom to 56 off 15 balls and seal victory for his side.BCCI

KL Rahul (14 balls), Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2018

For nearly four seasons, the record for the fastest fifty in the IPL stood at 15 balls, before KL Rahul went berserk with a flurry of boundaries on his debut for Kings XI Punjab. A fortunate top-edged six off Trent Boult kicked things off, before he unveiled an array of exquisite cover drives and pulls off Mohammad Shami’s first over. At 27 off nine balls, the fastest fifty seemed some way away, until he smashed Amit Mishra’s undisciplined first over for 24 runs to eclipse the previous mark by a single ball. He soon got out trying to whip Boult through the legside, only to be caught at short third man off the leading edge. By then, though, he had taken his place at the very top of a list of the IPL’s elite hitters.BCCI

Sunil Narine (15 balls), Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2017

After their destructive opener Chris Lynn injured his shoulder early in the 2017 season, Kolkata Knight Riders experimented with Sunil Narine as a pinch-hitting opener. He got them off to some quick starts and showed enough ability to retain his position as an opener when Lynn returned. Chasing 159 in Bengaluru, Lynn and Narine decided they wanted to try and finish the game inside 10 overs. Both went ballistic, but it was Narine who raced Lynn to a 50. He went after fellow Trinidadian Samuel Badree, hitting him for three sixes in a row, before smashing three fours in a row off S Aravind. When he lofted seamer S Aravind into the stands beyond long-on, Narine equalled the record for the fastest half-century in the IPL.Yusuf Pathan struck the fastest IPL fifty•BCCI

Yusuf Pathan (15 balls), Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2014

Yusuf Pathan’s innings came in his side’s final league game, in which they had to chase 161 in 15.2 overs to get two shots at qualifying for the final. After being dropped twice early on in his innings, Yusuf made the most of it, mowing Dale Steyn for 26 runs in an over, ensuring Knight Riders closed out the chase in just 14.2 overs.Associated Press

Nicholas Pooran (15 balls), Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2023

Chasing a mammoth 213 against Royal Challengers, Pooran came in with Super Giants still needing 114 from 56 balls. From 10 off five deliveries at one stage, Pooran ended with a 19-ball 62; seven of those deliveries were dispatched for six, while four went for fours. He reached his half-century off just 15 deliveries, mercilessly going after every bowler. By the time he was dismissed, Super Giants needed just 24 off 18, and would end up edging a one-wicket win.Associated Press

Jake Fraser-McGurk (15 balls), Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2024

Jake Fraser-McGurk made a mark early in his maiden IPL season, smashing a 15-ball fifty in just his third match, although in a losing cause. Chasing a mammoth 267 against SRH, Fraser-McGurk tried to do his bit at No. 3. After starting with two dot balls, he struck four fours in the next six balls before smashing three sixes against Washington Sundar. He handed the same treatment to Mayank Markande as well, to reach the half-century off 15 balls, and eventually finished on 65 off 18, an innings studded with seven sixes and five fours.AFP/Getty Images

Jake Fraser-McGurk (15 balls), Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2024

Fraser-McGurk matched his feat seven days later, against MI, and this time batting first to haul his team to 257. Opening the batting in a day game, Fraser-McGurk started took on Mark Wood off the first ball of the game. After carting Wood around the park in a 19-run over, Fraser-McGurk also struck a six and four off Jasprit Bumrah in the second over, which went for 18. He brought up his fifty by dispatching Piyush Chawla over long-on for six, followed by a four, before tearing into Hardik Pandya in a 20-run over full of boundaries down the ground. He eventually fell for a stunning 84 off 27, holing out off Chawla, after setting things up nicely for the middle order.

On Tuesday, Stoinis muscled LSG to an elusive home win with a takedown of Mumbai’s fast bowlers

Deivarayan Muthu17-May-20232:52

Moody explains how Stoinis outsmarted Mumbai Indians

The Ekana Stadium didn’t roll out the black-soil turner for the final league game in Lucknow this IPL, but the red-soil one was just as difficult for all batters – except Marcus Stoinis.He was the only one to strike at over 170 on that track, his expertly-paced unbeaten 89 off 47 balls being the difference on Tuesday. Like most other batters on the day, Stoinis had started slowly, scoring 35 off his first 29 balls, but cranked up to top gear to smash 54 off his last 18.This was Stoinis’ best IPL score. This is already Stoinis’ best IPL season in terms of both runs (368) and strike rate (151.44). Before this game, a large chunk of Stoinis’ runs had come away from Lucknow on better batting tracks. Lucknow Super Giants might have been tempted to bump him up to the top, where he has been successful for Melbourne Stars in the BBL, once they decided to bench Kyle Mayers for their last home fixture. Instead, LSG promoted Deepak Hooda to open with Quinton de Kock and backed Stoinis’ muscle in the middle order.ESPNcricinfo LtdStoinis channelled all of that power in the 18th over, bowled by Chris Jordan. He went 6, 4, 4, 6, 4. The first ball was a 144kph length ball on the stumps that disappeared beyond the bigger long-on boundary. It brought up Stoinis’ half-century and had LSG’s mentor Gautam Gambhir on his feet, applauding the landmark. Jordan then took pace off the ball, but Stoinis still picked away him for fours on either side of the wicket. Then Jordan marginally missed the yorker and bowled a low full toss. It was still a hard-to-hit delivery, but Stoinis extended his arms and launched another six over the long-on fence. Jordan was left scratching his head in utter disbelief.Related

• Marcus Stoinis brings the muscle in Lucknow's thrilling victory

• Mohsin Khan: 'I had given up hope of playing cricket at one point'

But this sequence wasn’t particularly special because Stoinis always dominates Jordan in T20 cricket. Overall, Stoinis has taken Jordan for 151 runs off just 61 balls at a strike rate of almost 250 without being dismissed in T20s. However, the one-handed sixes off both Jason Behrendorff and Akash Madhwal in the 19th and 20th overs were truly remarkable.Both Behrendorff and Stoinis play for Western Australia in domestic cricket. The left-armer knows that Stoinis relishes pace on the ball, so he denied him pace and pushed a dipping yorker away from his swinging range. Stoinis got beaten by the change-up, and his bottom hand flew off the bat on impact, but he still manufactured enough power and elevation with one hand to clear long-off. Madhwal then just missed his middle-stump yorker on the final ball of the innings, but Stoinis created swinging room and enough power with just one hand again to clear long-off.2:31

Bishop: The way Stoinis paced his innings was superb

The yorker is arguably the bowler’s best delivery in T20 cricket, but Stoinis’ swing is so powerful that he can hit sixes off that length with just one hand on a used pitch. Kieron Pollard, who used to do this often on the field, was helplessly watching all the carnage unfold from Mumbai’s dugout.Tom Moody, the former Australia allrounder and an analyst at ESPNcricinfo, tried to make sense of Stoinis’ one-handed bombs.”It’s been done with the pace of the delivery, so therefore he gives his bottom hand away, but still the velocity of the swing coming down through the arc and he just extends the swing through with the top hand in control of the striking of the ball,” Moody said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out. “It takes strength, it takes balance and control because you still have to have your head in a strong position. If you throw your head back from that position, the ball is going nowhere. It’s a case of he’s been done [in] there, but he just extends that top hand through the ball to make sure he gets maximum contact.”That ability to hold his shape and use his reach has also helped him get on top of spinners this IPL. It was on display against Mumbai Indians again, with punchy sixes off Hrithik Shokeen and Piyush Chawla soon after the powerplay. With LSG currently third, this skill could also prove useful in spin-friendly Chennai for the playoffs. Throw in the pace dominance, and Stoinis has proved to be a man for all surfaces this season.

They will be hoping to get at least Axar back, whose batting will allow them to play a more attacking spinner in Kuldeep

Sidharth Monga11-Feb-2021With the first Test of the series being India’s second home defeat in more than eight years, it had to be a rare event. While England played excellent cricket from the moment they won the toss, they needed some good fortune to go their way too. One hundred and sixty-six Tests have been played since the start of 2017. There have been results in 146 of those. Only five times has a team made fewer errors with the bat than India’s 102 in Chennai to lose a Test. To lose 19 wickets to just 102 uncontrolled responses is terrible luck – Cheteshwar Pujara got out in the first innings despite being in full control of the shot – especially when England’s first innings alone took 136 not-in-control responses to end.Given the toss, the conditions and England’s resolute batting, India had to work harder for their wickets. It’s the opposite of what happened in Australia when it was the visitors who enjoyed some luck in the last three Tests when the ball was in play.Events in the final innings of the last two Tests in Australia and also in the recent game between Bangladesh and West Indies in Chattogram might have had some impact on England’s lack of declaration and fans’ expectations, but the Test was – as most of them are – won and lost in the first two innings. Not only did India’s first innings feature three unlucky wickets and some sensational catching, but the surge in the effectiveness of bowling was also huge.Related

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England enjoyed at least a bonus day of batting before the ball started to misbehave at all, which is not how the other Tests in the aforementioned list played out. Four out of the five Tests mentioned earlier were typically low-scoring affairs, the fifth was between India and Afghanistan.The penalty for batting errors went up considerably day three onwards in Chennai. The first innings took 13.6 false responses for a wicket to fall, the next three took 6.8, 5.7 and 4.1 respectively. Interestingly, the frequency of false responses didn’t really follow a linear pattern: there was one false response every 10.7 balls in the first innings, and every 9.4, 4.9 and 8.5 balls in the subsequent ones. Arguably, England were batting for a declaration in the third innings and played a few shots too many, which might be reflecting in poor control percentage on the fourth day; or perhaps India saw something in how England tackled the misbehaving ball on day four, which gives them confidence for the rest of the series.This points to two factors other than dumb luck. England could afford to bowl more attacking lengths because they had the runs on the board and a more responsive pitch to bowl on. While the economy rate went up, the errors were likelier to bring them wickets. Also, on more difficult pitches, you pay more for your errors. And this pitch got really difficult after the first two days. This was perhaps the kind of pitch that MS Dhoni used to rail against because it made the toss crucial, especially when Anil Kumble had retired and he had just Harbhajan Singh as the settled spinner.Washington Sundar might have to sit out despite his batting hand in the last Test if India play both Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav•BCCIThis is not to say that this is the first time a team has enjoyed good luck in Test cricket. India did so in Australia. England did so when they were in India last time, winning three tosses and having to induce fewer false responses for a wicket, but this time they backed it up with the big runs to make any slice of luck became significant.This time around, England are more determined to grind India out if they get to bat first, which shows in their squad composition. India are missing a key bowler: with a complete and relentless attack in the past, India could contain teams to 450-500 instead of the 578 England got here. Also, India are towards the end of a long season, which began with the IPL and carried into the gruelling tour of Australia. In the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, the fitness of the other bowlers will continue to be tested should England win the toss on a similar pitch again.Good examples of how India negated the toss disadvantage by restricting the opposition to 400-450 include the Mohali Test against Australia in 2013, the Mumbai and Chennai Tests against England in 2016, and the Ranchi Test against Australia in 2017. They will be hoping they get at least Axar Patel back, whose batting will allow them to play a more attacking spinner in Kuldeep Yadav. That might mean Washington Sundar might have to sit out despite his batting hand in the last Test, but when playing a spinner at No. 7, you are looking more at his bowling than batting.Virat Kohli’s press conference after the first Test betrayed a hint of annoyance at questions looking for any larger issue with the team. Kohli himself made just nine mistakes when he batted, and was out two times. The team knows they were in a tough situation, the kind they have made look easy in the past.Should they lose the toss again and find the pitch to be similar – the latter is less likely to happen – India will ask for better control from their bowlers and a little bit more luck when they bat in the first innings. For the first time in four years, India have been properly challenged at home. The next three Tests will make for fascinating cricket.

Game 5 of the World Series featured a pitching performance for the ages.

It just wasn’t authored by the player most would have expected it from.

Blue Jays rookie starter Trey Yesavage dominated the defending champion Dodgers, spearheading a 6–1 victory that brought Toronto one win away from its first championship since 1993. He struck out 12 batters and gave up just one run on three hits over seven innings, breaking the record for most strikeouts by a rookie in World Series history previously set by Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949.

He outdueled Los Angeles ace Blake Snell, who gave up five runs on six hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings.

The Blue Jays ambushed Snell, with Davis Schneider driving the game’s first pitch over the left field wall for a lead-off homer. Two pitches later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did the same, blasting the eighth home run of his historic postseason.

That start to the game took the air out of Dodger Stadium, and Yesavage made sure it never returned. As the series heads back to Toronto, here are four takeaways from Game 5.

Dave Roberts is out of lineup options

Their dominant pitching and sweep of the Brewers masked it, but the Dodgers bats haven’t been clicking for some time now. Los Angeles managed only 15 runs across four games in the NLCS, and has scored just 18 in the Fall Classic. And no matter what tweaks Roberts makes, it hasn’t seemed to make a difference.

For Wednesday’s game, Roberts tried to shake things up by moving Mookie Betts from second to the No. 3 hole, and shifting Will Smith up to No. 2. And after resisting for the entire playoffs, he finally decided to bench center fielder Andy Pages, who was 4-for-50 during the postseason with zero walks. None of it mattered.

Too many key Dodgers bats are slumping at the wrong time. Betts is 3-for-23 this series, and has just one extra-base hit in his last 52 plate appearances. Tommy Edman is 3-for-21. Since his home run in Game 2, Max Muncy is 1-for-13 with five strikeouts. Roberts can reshuffle things all he wants to, but with the Dodgers’ backs against the wall, none of it is likely to wake the lineup out of its prolonged, ill-timed slumber.

Trey Yesavage rises to the occasion

MatériaMais Notícias

A KPMG, empresa contratada para auxiliar o Corinthians na renegociação de dívidas, alegou calote e moveu uma ação na justiça para cobrar R$ 1,5 milhão do clube paulista.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Timão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Corinthians

A dívida foi confessada por Duílio Monteiro Alves, ex-mandatário do Corinthians, em documento firmado no dia 30 de dezembro, antepenúltimo de sua gestão. À época, Duílio assegurou à empresa que o montante seria depositado até o dia 20 de janeiro, em uma única parcela, o que não se confirmou. 

O acordo com a KPMG foi assinado em maio de 2021, no primeiro ano de gestão do agora ex-presidente. Na ocasião, o Corinthians vinha de um aumento exponencial em sua dívida, que beirava R$ 1 bilhão segundo o balanço financeiro da época.

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O objetivo da parceria entre as partes era trabalhar na renegociação das dívidas do clube, além de auxiliar na captação de novos recursos para complementar a renda. No entanto, a défice financeiro do clube cresceu drasticamente desde então e hoje ultrapassa o valor de R$ 2 bilhões. 

Ao assumir a presidência do Corinthians, em janeiro de 2024, Augusto Melo encerrou o contrato com a empresa de consultoria e contratou a Ernst & Young para assumir a função.

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أصدر نادي برشلونة بيانًا بشأن أزمة دخول الجماهير لملعب كامب نو قبل لقاء ديبورتيفو ألافيس، المقرر إقامتها عقب دقائق ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

ويستضيف فريق برشلونة نظيره ديبورتيفو ألافيس، مساء اليوم السبت، وذلك في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

مباراة برشلونة وألافيس تأتي ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني موسم 2025/2026 على ملعب “كامب نو”.

ويحتل برشلونة في الوقت الحالي، المركز الثاني في جدول الدوري الإسباني برصيد 31 نقطة، على بعُد نقطة واحدة من ريال مدريد المتصدر في حين أن ألافيس يمتلك 15 نقطة ويحتل المركز الرابع عشر.

وواجه جمهور برشلونة أزمة في دخول ملعب اللقاء بسبب وجود مشكلة في استلام التذاكر من التطبيق الخاص بها.

اقرأ أيضًا | بديل ليفاندوفسكي.. عامل إضافي قد يقرب برشلونة من ضم نجم الدوري الألماني

وأصدر برشلونة بيانًا جاء على النحو التالي: “كانت هناك مشكلة في تنزيل بعض التذاكر من تطبيق الأعضاء، تم حل المشكلة الآن بإرسال ملف PDF جديد مع تذاكر جميع الأعضاء الذين لديهم تذاكر لمباراة اليوم ضد ألافيس”.

وأتم البيان: “هذا يضمن إمكانية وصول الجميع إلى مدرجات كامب نو على Spotify دون أي مشاكل”.

وفقًا لصحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” تم فتح ست نوافذ لتزويد الجمهور بتذاكر ورقية بصيغة PDF بعد تحديد رقم عضويتهم وجهاز تحديد أماكن التذاكر، طوابير الانتظار طويلة جدًا بسبب استمرار المشكلة، الأعضاء الذين وصلوا إلى ملعب كامب نو قبل المباراة بساعة ولم يتمكنوا من الوصول إلى مقاعدهم، ينتظرون منذ حوالي 40 دقيقة.

S’ha produït una incidència en la descàrrega d’algunes entrades a l’aplicació de socis. El problema ja ha quedat resolt amb l’enviament, a tots els socis i sòcies amb localitat per al partit d’avui davant l’Alabès, d’un nou PDF amb les seves entrades. Així, garantim que tothom… — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) November 29, 2025

انتقد واين روني، أسطورة نادي مانشستر يونايتد، محمد صلاح، نجم نادي ليفربول، موضحًا أن الدولي المصري لا يساعد الريدز في الدفاع.

محمد صلاح تراجع مستواه بشكل ملحوظ خلال هذا الموسم، ووقع ابن الـ33 عامًا ضحية للانتقادات خلال الفترة الأخيرة على وجه التحديد تزامنًا مع تراجع نتائج ليفربول.

ليفربول خسر من جديد في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وهذه المرة أمام نوتينجهام فورست بثلاثة أهداف دون رد يوم السبت الماضي، كما تعرض الفريق لهزيمة قبل أسبوعين ضد مانشستر سيتي بثلاثة أهداف أيضًا.

ويرى روني في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة ”ESPN”، أن مدرب ليفربول، آرني سلوت، يجب أن يجلس محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء خلال الفترة المقبلة.

وقال روني عن محمد صلاح: “صلاح لا يساعدهم دفاعيًا، أنا متأكد من أنك إذا كنت أحد اللاعبين الذين تعاقد ليفربول معهم، فستجلس على مقاعد البدلاء وتشاهدهم لا يركضون”.

وأضاف روني في حديثه: ”أفهم أن محمد صلاح أسطورة في النادي وكل ما فعله معهم، ولكن إذا كنت على مقاعد البدلاء فما الرسالة التي سترسلها إذا رأيت أحد زملائك في الفريق لا يركض للخلف وهو يبدأ كل مباراة بشكل أساسي”.

اقرأ أيضًا .. حكم مباراة ليفربول وآيندهوفن في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وأوضح: “لو كنت مكان آرني سلوت، لحاولت اتخاذ قرار حاسم ليؤثر على بقية الفريق، عندما لا تفوز بالمباريات، تريد أن تبقى متماسكًا وتكون فريق يصعب هزيمته”.

وأردف روني: “بينما أعتقد أنهم يمرون بهذه الفترة، على سلوت اتخاذ قرار بنسبة 100% وجعلهم متماسكين، وجعل كل لاعب يركض للخلف للدفاع، وعندما يبدأون بالفوز بالمباريات يمكنك إعادة محمد صلاح للتشكيل الأساسي على أمل أن يركض للخلف أكثر”.

وتابع: ”أعتقد أن هذا سيؤثر على ليفربول بكل تأكيد في النهاية، هم لم يكونوا رائعين على الإطلاق، وهذا لا يقتصر على فان دايك وصلاح”.

واستكمل روني في حديثه: “أود أن أقول إنهم قادة الفريق، لكن لاعبين مثل ماك أليستير الذي يلعب هناك منذ بضع سنوات، وجرافنبرخ الذي قدم أداءً رائعًا العام الماضي، عليهم بذل قصارى جهدهم ودعم الجميع ومحاولة بناء فريق قادر على الفوز مجددًا”.

ويعتقد روني أن ليفربول قد تأثر كثيرًا بوفاة ديوجو جوتا من الناحية الفنية والمعنوية، حيث اختتم: “إنهم يمرون بوقت عصيب، أليس كذلك؟ ربما عليك أن تنظر إلى جوتا، ما حدث له للأسف وما تأثير ذلك على اللاعبين. إنه زميلهم في الفريق، وأنت معه كل يوم وهذا بالتأكيد له تأثير”.

Aston Villa have now registered their interest in signing Everton’s James Garner, amid a new update on the midfielder’s future on Merseyside.

Villa are very much back on track in the Premier League, signing off before the international break with a 4-0 battering of AFC Bournemouth, courtesy of goals from Emi Buendia, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen.

However, one of Unai Emery’s more recent signings was once again absent from the match-day squad entirely, namely Harvey Elliott, who has been frozen out after seemingly failing to impress his manager since arriving on an initial loan from Liverpool in the summer.

There have been widespread reports suggesting Emery didn’t actually want to sign Elliott in the first place, and would’ve preferred to have brought in Lucas Paqueta or Marco Asensio, casting the Englishman’s future into further doubt.

Villa will only be required to sign the attacking midfielder on a permanent basis if he makes ten appearances this season, but having fallen out of favour, it is currently difficult to see a way back.

Aston Villa register interest in signing James Garner

Emery clearly has serious reservations about Elliott, but it has now been revealed that Aston Villa want to bring in another new English midfielder, having made contact by registering their interest in signing Everton’s Garner, according to a report from Football Insider.

The Villans have joined Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in the race for the central midfielder’s signature, with the latter club making an approach of their own, meaning there could be stiff competition.

The 24-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, so his future at Everton is now ‘up in the air’, although the Merseyside club do retain an option to trigger a one-year contract extension.

The Englishman, who scored his first Everton goal at Villa Park in the EFL Cup back in 2023, has been a key player for David Moyes’ side this season, starting all 11 Premier League matches and putting in a particularly impressive performance against Crystal Palace.

Hailed as “phenomenal” by Trevor Sinclair, the 18-time England U21 international has also displayed his versatility by slotting in at right-back and left-back this season, putting in a solid display against Villa in the 0-0 draw back in September, which earned a 7.9 SofaScore match rating, the highest of any player.

James Garner’s statistics against Aston Villa

Number completed

Tackles

4

Duels won

6 (6)

Big chances created

2

As such, Garner could be a shrewd signing for Aston Villa, who should look to capitalise on the midfielder’s contract situation and get a deal done this winter.

Aston Villa chasing another midfielder to partner Boubacar Kamara Aston Villa chiefs convinced £31m sensation would be Kamara's perfect midfield partner

The Villans are fighting with some of Europe’s heavyweights to secure his signature.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 15, 2025

Celtic are considering appointing Nicky Hayen as their next manager and a new update has now emerged regarding their pursuit of the Belgian.

Hayen has been mentioned as one of the leading contenders to replace Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead, with the Northern Irishman departing last week. The 45-year-old has been very open about potentially leaving his role in charge of Brugge, hinting that he would be keen on coming in as the new Celtic boss.

Hayen is far from the only option for Celtic, however, with Martin O’Neill thought to be open to the idea of staying in charge of the Hoops for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, should the club’s owners like that idea.

The likes of Lee Carsley, Kieran McKenna and Damien Duff have all been linked with the job, too, as the Scottish Premiership champions look to nail their appointment and claw back the deficit on Hearts in the title race.

Celtic willing to offer Hayen big wages

According to Voetbal Nieuws [via Sport Witness], Celtic will try to “lure” Hayen away from Brugge with a high salary, and have knocked on his door. The Hoops are trying to use “money, prestige, and the lure of Glasgow” to bring him to Parkhead, with his current club hesitant to allow him to leave without receiving plenty of compensation.

It is easy to see why Hayen is a leading contender to be Celtic’s next manager, with the Belgian averaging 2.03 points per game across 80 matches in charge of Brugge. He also won the league title with them in 2023/24, and the Belgian Cup last season, showing that the Hoops would be bringing in a manager who knows how to win trophies.

Hayen’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation isn’t dissimilar to Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system, meaning Celtic’s players shouldn’t find it too difficult to make the adjustment, and at 45, he is still a young manager who would bring vibrancy to Parkhead.

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Posts ByBen Gray Nov 1, 2025

There may be a temptation to give O’Neill the job until the end of the season, but if Hayen makes himself available very soon, he should be looked at as a great option.

Celtic are looking at hiring "box-office" alternative to Nicky Hayen

The decision had been on the cards ever since he was overlooked for CSA’s central contracts in April

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2025

South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen has announced that he is stepping away from international cricket, as he looks to prioritise his T20 league future.The decision means Klaasen, who will be 34 next month, played his last game for South Africa in the Champions Trophy semi-final defeat to New Zealand in Lahore in March. That has turned out to be the final game of a seven-year international career, in which he played four Tests, 60 ODIs and and 58 T20Is. It was in the white-ball formats that he really made an impact, and his reputation as one of the game’s most fearsome middle-order hitters; he exits ODIs with one of the highest career strike rates.Related

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It was in the 50-over format that he played one of the innings people will remember most, a blistering 83-ball 174 against Australia in Centurion. He was a key figure in South Africa’s runs to the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup as well as the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup. His dismissal in that final against India for a 27-ball 52 was one of the major turning points in South Africa’s ultimately doomed chase.The decision to retire, though, had been on the cards for a while now. He was overlooked for Cricket South Africa’s central contracts in April. Klassen had been on a white-ball only contract until then, having retired from Test cricket in January 2024.1:45

Would Heinrich Klaasen rather dance at the IPL opening ceremony or appear in a Telugu film?

At the time, both David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen accepted hybrid contracts which allows them to play in ICC events and agreed-upon bilateral tours. Of Klassen, CSA had said in a statement only that “discussions regarding his future are ongoing and a final decision will be made in due course.”Klaasen’s decision was also inevitable given Shukri Conrad’s plans for the national side. Announced as South Africa’s white-ball coach last month, Conrad made it clear that playing for South Africa would be the priority over T20 leagues in his tenure and committed to putting the best South African team forward in all their games.South Africa have a busy schedule coming up across formats, including several white-ball commitments through July, August and September. Those series clash with a number of leagues, including Major League Cricket (MLC), the Hundred and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). As one of South Africa’s most sought-after players on the T20 franchise circuit, Klaasen is signed up for the MLC and the Hundred (for the Seattle Orcas and Manchester Originals respectively).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Conrad was expected to talk to players who were not given central contracts, including Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi as well but he was very clear when taking over about his selection criteria: “All our players must be available for selection. If they make themselves unavailable for selection, well, that’s a decision that they’ve made and the path that they’ve chosen.” He was especially keen to avoid situations where players do not feature in bilaterals but are parachuted in for an ICC event or one where a severely under-strength national squad has to take the field.”It is a sad day for me as I announce that I have decided to step away from international cricket,” Klassen said in a statement. “It took me a long time to decide what’s best for me and my family for the future. It was truly a very difficult decision but also one that I have absolute peace with.”To have played with the Proteas badge on my chest was and will always be the biggest honour in my career. I look forward to spending more time with my family as this decision will allow me to do so.”Enoch Nkwe, CSA’s director of national teams and high performance, said they respected Klaasen’s decision. “Heinrich has been a true match-winner for South Africa. He was a player capable of changing the course of a game in a matter of overs,” he said. “His commitment and impact in the white-ball formats have been immense, and we thank him for his outstanding service to South African cricket.”He has been transparent with Cricket South Africa throughout the past few months, and we fully respect his decision to retire from international cricket. We wish him continued success in the next chapter of his journey.”