West Indies’ emphatic 201-run triumph over Bangladesh in the first Test in Antigua has not only bolstered team morale but also catapulted several players up the ICC Test rankings.

The performance, though not the most polished, was a statement of intent that showcased a balanced team effort spearheaded by emerging stars and seasoned campaigners alike.

Alick Athanaze, one of the shining lights of the victory, has climbed 18 places to 62nd in the batting rankings after his crucial knocks of 90 and 42. The 25-year-old’s maturity under pressure has been a revelation, solidifying his status as one of the brightest prospects in West Indies cricket.

Justin Greaves (up 43 places to 81st) and Mikyle Louis (up 25 places to joint-86th) also made significant gains, highlighting the depth and promise in the West Indies’ batting ranks.

The Caribbean fast-bowling trio of Jayden Seales, Kemar Roach, and Alzarri Joseph has reaped the rewards for a disciplined and hostile display in Antigua. Seales, who led the attack with precision, has moved up three places to a career-best 11th in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings.

Roach’s masterclass of swing and seam bowling, coupled with his ability to dismantle top-order batters, has pushed him four spots to 17th. Meanwhile, the fiery Alzarri Joseph has climbed three places to 29th, reflecting his growing reputation as a strike bowler capable of rattling opposition line-ups.

Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed stood out with a six-wicket haul, 6-64, in the second innings, lifting him from 67th to 51st in the bowling rankings, while Litton Das and Mominul Haque have inched up a slot each to 32nd and 47th positions in the batting rankings.

Meanwhile, India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has regained the top spot in the men’s Test bowling rankings after leading his team to a resounding 295-run victory over Australia in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship series in Perth.

Bumrah’s hauls of five for 30 and three for 42 have helped him overtake Josh Hazlewood and Kagiso Rabada and reach a career-best 883 rating points, the highest rating points tally ever by an India seam bowler. Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (904) and Ravindra Jadeja (899) are the only bowlers from India to record higher points tallies.

This is the third time that Bumrah has been top of the rankings this year. He was top ranked for two one-month stretches each starting in February and October.

India’s huge victory in the first of five Tests is reflected in gains for several other players including centurions Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli.

Opener Jaiswal has overtaken Harry Brook and Kane Williamson to reach a career-best second position after top-scoring in Perth with 161 in the second innings, while Kohli’s unbeaten 100 has lifted him nine spots to 13th position after being outside the top 20 batters for the first time in 10 years.

KL Rahul has advanced from 60th to 49th position and Nitish Kumar Reddy has entered the batting rankings in 74th position, while Mohammad Siraj has moved up three spots to 25th position in the bowling rankings.

Australian Travis Head is back in the top 10 after notching a fighting 89 in the second innings while Alex Carey (up one place to 39th among batters) and Mitchell Marsh (up 10 places to 68th among bowlers) are among others to progress after their performances in Perth. Steve Smith, who could only manage zero and 17, has slid down to seventh place, his lowest position since December 2014.

Rory McIlroy has been nominated for the 2024 PGA Tour Player of the Year award.

The four-time major winner faces competition from Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele for the accolade, having won his sixth Race to Dubai earlier this month.

Voted for by fellow PGA Tour members, the winner will receive the Jack Nicklaus Award.

McIlroy won the DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic, DP World Championship, Zurich Classic and Wells Fargo Championship during an impressive year, in which he also recorded seven top-10 finishes and missed just one cut in 19 events.

Meanwhile, Scheffler claimed his second major title at the Masters, as well as winning Olympic gold in Paris and the FedEx Cup.

Compatriot Schauffele won the first two majors of his career at the US PGA Championship and The Open, while not missing a cut in the 22 PGA Tour events he entered.

Tim Walter has been sacked as Hull City's head coach after just six months in charge at the MKM Stadium.

The German was appointed in May as successor to Liam Rosenior, who guided the Tigers to a seventh-place finish in the Championship last season.

However, Walter has been unable to build on that momentum, winning just three of his 17 league matches in charge.

Tuesday's home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday extended a nine-game winless streak for Hull, who occupy 22nd place in the table, and ultimately spelt the end for the 49-year-old.

"Hull City can confirm we have parted company with head coach Tim Walter with immediate effect," a statement on the club's website read. "Assistant head coaches Julian Hubner and Filip Tapalovic have also left the club.

"First-team coach Andy Dawson will take interim charge while the club conducts a thorough recruitment process for a permanent successor.

"We would like to thank Tim, Julian and Filip for their efforts during their time at the MKM Stadium and wish them well for the future."

Lamine Yamal has been named the 2024 Golden Boy winner following a memorable year with Barcelona and Spain.

The 17-year-old scoops the award given to the player voted Europe's best under the age of 21 by journalists across the continent's leading newspapers, including Tuttosport, The Times and L'Equipe.

Yamal played a starring role in Spain's Euro 2024 success, while he has consolidated his position in Barca's attack under Xavi and Hansi Flick - helping the Blaugrana to the LaLiga summit this season.

The winger, who will receive his trophy next month, beat the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Leny Yoro and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens to the award.

It is the latest individual award Yamal has landed, having also scooped the Kopa Trophy at last month's Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The teenager is the fourth Barca player to win the Golden Boy accolade, after Lionel Messi, Pedri and Gavi.

Daniel Jones will sign with the Minnesota Vikings after the embattled quarterback was recently benched and then released by the New York Giants.

Minnesota has gone 9-2 so far with Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback and Nick Mullens serving as the backup after the team lost rookie first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy to a season-ending knee injury in August.

Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, now joins the Vikings’ quarterback room after being benched during New York’s bye in Week 11.

He said he took “full responsibility” for not winning more as the captain of one of the NFL’s signature franchises, but after learning of his new role, Jones asked to be released.

Jones was 24-44-1 as a starter in New York, with his best season coming in 2022. The Giants went 9-7-1 that campaign and won 31-24 at Minnesota in the wild-card round of the play-offs.

He signed a four-year, $160million contract extension before the 2023 season but tore his right ACL in Week 9.

Jones went 2-8 this season as the Giants’ starter and ranks 32nd among 35 qualified quarterbacks with a 79.4 passer rating.

Rubem Amorim acknowledges Manchester United's lack of goals is a cause of concern, but is confident they can address the issue ahead of his first home match in charge.

The Portuguese will lead the Red Devils out at Old Trafford on Thursday for the first time since replacing Erik ten Hag, when his side face Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.

United are aiming to get back to winning ways, after they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly promoted Ipswich Town in Amorim's first match at the helm last weekend.

Despite registering just under 60% of possession, the visitors recorded only four shots on target with an xG of 0.8 compared to Ipswich's 1.59 at Portman Road.

"Of course, there is a concern in that, but I think we have to improve as a team," Amorim told reporters ahead of United's clash with the Norwegian side.

"We have quality players that can score so many goals. You can feel in the second half [against Ipswich], we controlled possession of the ball, but were not dangerous.

"We will try to improve as a team - Rasmus [Hojlund] and Rash [Marcus Rashford] and even Bruno [Fernandes] - to score more goals. All these guys need to improve. We can score so many goals."

The United manager also revealed he will rotate his squad as he prepares for his Old Trafford bow.

"We have to do it, especially in this moment, because we have a lot of games," he added. "And, at the beginning of something, they have to feel that they are part of the team.

"They are international players. We will try to rotate and try to win every game - have a clear idea of how to play and everybody needs to be on the same page.

"Everyone has told me it will be a special time. I just want to win the game, just to give that happiness to the supporters.

"Before the match, it will be like a new sensation. But, after the whistle, it will be one more game, and we want to win that match."

Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes says the players must take the blame for Ten Hag's dismissal at the end of last month, but insists he and his team-mates are now looking ahead to life under their new boss.

"If you change a manager mid-season, it is because things are not going as you want and if things are not going as you want, then everyone has to take the blame.

"As I have said before, it is easier to get rid of a manager than 15 or 20 players. But now, our focus is on what the future can bring, and understanding the ideas of the new manager as quickly as possible."

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler does not want to stop his fans dreaming of Champions League qualification following their impressive start to the season.

They have accrued 22 points in their opening 12 matches of the season and currently occupy fifth place in the Premier League, one point behind second-placed Manchester City and level with the respective third- and fourth-placed sides Chelsea and Arsenal.

Their run of form led to a section of fans singing about potentially qualifying for Europe's top tournament during their 2-1 victory over Bournemouth last weekend.

While Hurzeler would not be drawn on the chant, he did not exactly dampen fans' enthusiasm, saying: “I don’t listen so they can sing what they want. 

“I didn’t hear it. I was focused on the game, but I think it is always important to make the supporters proud because in the end, they pay a lot of money, they spend a lot of time to support us, and it’s our responsibility to give them something back.”

There has been surprise from some quarters at the position the club currently occupy, having finished in 11th last term while juggling the Europa League. But not from the manager, who talked up his players following their most recent victory.

"There is no surprise [at the progress] or expectations. It is belief in the process and the guys," he said.

"If you see them work everyday, you see an unbelievable work ethic. When you are a man down, you have to stick together and support each other. We can improve on a lot of points but I believe in the process."

Southampton manager Russell Martin, meanwhile, is trying to keep positive ahead of his side's trip to the Amex Stadium and following their 3-2 defeat at home to Liverpool.

"I think there's so much more to come. The fight is there, they're running," he said.

"It's about work, analyse the problems. We have to keep learning and helping the players through it as much as we can. Playing out is what got us to the Premier League and I'm really proud of the players.

Southampton were relegated bottom of the league in 2022-23, which was their most recent season in the Premier League.

Despite currently occupying the same spot, Martin believes that this season is different and that the players are doing their best for him and the club.

"I think the feeling is very different from the last time this club was in the Premier League. There's no lack of fight, they're really trying," he said.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton – Joao Pedro

Pedro has been directly involved in six goals in his last five Premier League appearances, scoring four and supplying two assists.

The Brazilian forward scored the opening goal in Brighton's 2-1 victory against Bournemouth last weekend and the equaliser against the Citizens in the previous match.

Southampton – Adam Armstrong

Armstrong has scored three goals in his last three home appearances for Southampton, being the last player to net four in the top flight at St. Mary's since Charlie Austin in 2016.

The 27-year-old scored the only goal of the game in Southampton's only victory this season against Everton, which came earlier in November.

MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN

Brighton have won their last two Premier League games, last winning three in a row in September 2023. The Seagulls are also unbeaten in all six of their home league games this term (W3 D3), their longest such run from the start of a campaign since 2015-16 (10 in the Championship).

They are also the only team to be unbeaten when conceding the first goal in Premier League games this season (W2 D2). Meanwhile, Southampton have gone on to lose all eight games in which they’ve conceded first, with only Nottingham Forest also having a 100% loss rate (2/2).

And having been winless in their first seven Premier League meetings with Southampton (D4 L3), Brighton have now won three of their last five against them (D2).

However, Southampton have lost just one of their last seven Premier League games played on a Friday (W4 D2), going down 1-0 at Aston Villa in September 2022. This follows a run of four straight defeats on Friday games, a run which culminated in a 9-0 home loss to Leicester City in October 2019.

The Saints have also scored in all 12 of their top-flight games against Brighton – it’s the most they’ve faced an opponent while scoring every time in the competition, while Brighton have only faced Man City (15) more without keeping a clean sheet.

But Southampton have struggled away from home. They have lost each of their last nine Premier League away games – only once have they lost 10 in a row on the road in the top-flight, doing so between December 1973 and April 1974. The last side to lose 10 in a row in the Premier League were Aston Villa (February 2016 to September 2019).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton – 63.7%

Draw – 19.2%

Southampton – 17.1%

Ange Postecoglou is relishing the task of facing the "unbelievable" Claudio Ranieri when Tottenham Hotspur face Roma in the Europa League on Thursday. 

Ranieri came out of retirement earlier this month to take charge of the Giallorossi until the end of the season, returning for a third stint at the club. 

Across his previous two spells, the 73-year-old managed 96 games in all competitions, registering 53 wins, with a win percentage of 55.21%.

His first game in charge ended in defeat, however, with Roma losing against Napoli, as former striker Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal of the game for Antonio Conte's side.

Thursday's meeting will be the first between Roma and Tottenham, and Postecoglou is looking forward to the tie, as well as taking on Ranieri. 

"It's unbelievable. It just goes to show the passion he has for the game, because I'm sure there's more enjoyable, simpler ways to enjoy his life now, but he still has that in him," he said.

"I haven't come across him before, but I'm looking forward to saying hello because it's always nice to actually meet some of these people who have made such a massive impact on football, particularly in my field, management.

"He's always come across as a gentleman. I'm looking forward to meeting him, and it just goes to show that kind of bug for being a manager on the touchline doesn't leave you."

Spurs come into the encounter on the back of an impressive 4-0 victory over Manchester City last Saturday, inflicting Pep Guardiola's fifth defeat in as many matches. 

Postecoglou's side have also impressed in Europe, winning their last seven home matches in the Europa League without conceding, while also scoring 19 goals themselves. 

Spurs have endured an up and down start to the campaign, with consistency in results failing to transpire, particularly in the Premier League thus far. 

While Postecoglou acknowledged there had been some difficult moments this term, he lauded his players for some of the outstanding football they have played this season. 

"You'll see the same Spurs you see every game. It's about going out there and trying to play our football and try and be the best we can be," Postecoglou said. 

"Sometimes, that doesn't work out and hasn't worked out for us in a couple of games this year. We know that and it's something we need to kind of improve.

"At the same time, it's been more good than bad. If you are looking for likely outcomes, I'd say good but we have had the flat spots that we are working through.

"I don't discount the football we have played either. We've played some outstanding football. For me, it is about progress.

"I keep saying that we're a better side than we were last year and we want to keep improving and if we keep improving, the areas where there are gaps, we will slowly overcome."

Max Verstappen claimed that he would have won his fourth world title "much earlier" had he been driving for McLaren instead of Red Bull. 

Verstappen clinched this year's championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last Sunday, finishing fifth, a place ahead of title rival Lando Norris, which was all he needed to do. 

He joined Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel on four world titles, with only Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton (both seven) and Juan Manuel Fangio (five) winning more.

Verstappen has won eight races this season, the latest of which came in a stunning wet-weather performance at Interlagos to all but end Norris' hopes of challenging him. 

Should he fail to win another race, he will be the F1 champion with the fewest victories in a season since 2012, when Vettel only needed five race victories to triumph.

But his season did not come without its struggles, despite winning seven of the first 10 races of the season. 

Prior to his win at the Brazilian Grand Prix, he had gone nine races without a pole position and 10 without a win, his worst streak since the penultimate round in 2020, when he went 17 qualifying rounds without a pole and 11 consecutive races without a victory. 

He said after clinching the crown on Sunday that he was "very proud" of retaining the championship as "for 70 per cent of the season we didn't have the fastest car, but actually we still extended our lead".

This was seemingly on his mind after McLaren's chief executive, Zak Brown, stopped to congratulate the Dutchman on his title win midway through an interview. 

The Dutchman quipped "like you said, before I could only win it in the fastest car. This year has been a little bit different!", in apparent reference to comments made by Brown earlier this year. 

Brown said in an interview with F1's Beyond the Grid podcast back in May that Verstappen "would not be able to win the world championship today in any other car other than the Red Bull."

But speaking later on to Dutch media as his title celebrations continued, Verstappen was quoted by De Telegraaf as saying: "Things like that only motivate me.

"If people are critical and think that I can only win in the best car, then I prove the opposite," Verstappen said. 

"If I don't get credit for this now, then I don't know what else I can do. Would I have become champion in the McLaren? Yes! And much earlier too."

Up next for Verstappen is the Qatar Grand Prix, where he has the chance to make even more history in the competition. 

Should he finish fourth or higher, he will become only the third driver in Formula 1 history to break the 3000 points barrier (2989.50 currently), something only Hamilton (4847.50) and Vettel (3098) have achieved.

Crystal Palace’s point away to Aston Villa shows that the club are on the “right pathway” after a difficult start to the campaign, so says head coach Oliver Glasner.

Despite leading on two occasions against the Villans, the Eagles have just one victory in the Premier League this season (D5 L6); their joint-fewest after 12 games of a single campaign in the competition.

While Palace have failed to replicate the form they showed at the start of Glasner’s tenure at Selhurst Park, he is confident that they can build on their latest result when they welcome Newcastle United to south London this weekend.

"I’m very proud of the team's performance. We’re missing some key players in attack, but we still scored two amazing goals,” Glasner said.

"I’m very proud how they played together, worked together, fought together and believed in getting a point here. Overall, it was a good performance for us, and we go home very pleased with the point.

“I think we're on the right pathway, getting a point here at Villa is a good result for us. And now we want to improve our performance to take the win against Newcastle, because this will be necessary.”

The latest round of fixtures concluded at St. James’ Park, though Newcastle faltered at home to West Ham, with Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on target either side of half-time.

The Magpies have now lost two of their last three Premier League home games (W1), as many defeats as in their previous 20 league matches (W13 D5), leaving them 10th in the table and four points behind the top four.

And Newcastle boss Eddie Howe lamented his side’s inability to put away their chances against the Hammers, while also citing the manner in which his side conceded both goals.

"I don't think anything takes me by surprise in the Premier League. We know every team has qualities. We were the dominant team at half-time and the game would have been very different if we had equalised before the end of first half,” Howe said.

"We know we made individual mistakes for both goals. It was disappointing from our perspective. Very uncharacteristic from us because we've defended well in recent weeks.

"At the end we had players out of position, so I didn't like the way we looked at the end. But up until that 60-minute mark, I thought we were the dominant team.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Crystal Palace – Jean-Philippe Mateta

While Mateta has failed to hit the heights of last season for the Eagles so far this term, the Frenchman’s assist against Aston Villa will give him confidence about returning to home soil.

All five of his goals for Crystal Palace in all competitions this season have come in home games. Since Glasner’s first game in charge of the Eagles in February, Mateta has scored 16 goals in just 13 starts at Selhurst Park in all competitions.

Newcastle – Anthony Gordon

After failing to make the desired impact against West Ham last time out, Gordon will be keen to add to his two Premier League goals this season.

The England international has created more chances (24) than any other Newcastle player this season, and has two goals in six appearances against Crystal Palace, one for the Magpies and one during his time at Everton.

MATCH PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE WIN

While Newcastle are favoured by Opta’s data-led simulations, after winning their first four Premier League away games against Crystal Palace, they have won just one of their last nine visits to Selhurst Park in the competition (D5 L3).

After being unbeaten in eight Premier League away games against London sides between October 2022 and October 2023 (W4 D4), Newcastle have also now lost six of their last eight visits to the capital (W2), shipping at least two goals in seven of those games.

Newcastle have lost three of their last five Premier League games (W2), as many as they had in their previous 17 combined (W9 D5).

However, the Magpies have kept 14 clean sheets in their 26 Premier League games against Crystal Palace. Only against Aston Villa (19) and Arsenal (15) have they recorded more in the competition, while it’s their highest percentage of clean sheets against sides they’ve faced 20 or more times (54%).

Crystal Palace won this exact fixture 2-0 in April, last winning consecutive league meetings with Newcastle between 1971 and 1972 (a run of three).

But the Eagles have just one win and eight points from their 12 Premier League games this season, their lowest points haul at this stage since 2018-19 (also eight), and fewest wins since 2017-18 (also one). This will be the first time they’ve played a Premier League match while starting the day in the bottom two of the table since December 2017 (2-1 v Watford).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Crystal Palace – 33.6%

Draw – 26%

Newcastle – 40.4%

Wayne Rooney says Plymouth Argyle's under-18 side would have performed better than his first team during their humiliating 6-1 defeat by Norwich City.

The former England captain suffered his heaviest defeat with the Pilgrims, who are just two points outside the relegation zone having failed to win an away game all season.

Plymouth, who were missing the likes of skipper Joe Edwards, goalkeeper Connor Hazard and Morgan Whittaker through injury, recorded an xG of 0.62 compared to Norwich's 3.15.

The visitors also enjoyed just 27.5% of the possession, and Rooney pulled no punches in his assessment of the performance at Carrow Road.

"We were nowhere near good enough," he said. "We are down to the bare bones with injuries, but that is no excuse.

"But if players want to come in the team and stay in the team, then they need to perform better than that. I could probably put the under-18 team out there, and they wouldn't concede six goals.

"I'm very disappointed, angry, frustrated and the next 24 to 48 hours are not going to be very nice for the players, but we need to get to the bottom of why this is happening."

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo believes his side should be “worried” after losing back-to-back Premier League games for the first time this season.

On their return to top-flight action following the international break, Forest were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Arsenal, with their toothless display in attack seeing them fail to register a shot on target.

The result dropped Nuno’s side down to seventh in the standings after their impressive start to the campaign, and the Forest boss wants to see improvements, particularly at the back after conceding six goals in the space of two games.

“It was not a good performance. I will not say bad, but I think we did a lot of bad things. We came up short in all aspects of the game. Offensively we were short, and defensively we must recognise we have conceded six goals in two games, so we should be worried,” Nuno said.

“We have to put it right immediately this week. We have to get back to being compact, solid and not giving too much time to individual players with such quality.

“Second half we were better when we had adjusted a little bit. We were better pressing. But Arsenal were very clinical and played good. They killed the game, and it was a tough day for us.”

Ipswich, meanwhile, denied new Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim a winning start with the Red Devils after holding them to a goalless draw at Portman Road last Sunday.

The Tractor Boys have now failed to win any of their first six home league games in a season for just the fourth time in the club’s league history, though Kieran McKenna believed his side were worthy of the victory against his former employers.

"We could have won the game, we finished the first half in the ascendancy and deserved to be at least level. The second half was competitive, we had a few big chances but had to be disciplined with our defending,” McKenna said.

“On another day we could have won it but if you concede an early goal the game could have run away from us, so credit to the players."

McKenna also showered praise on midfielder Omari Hutchinson, with the former Chelsea man netting a stunning equaliser to cancel out Marcus Rashford’s early opener.

“He’s shown good stuff from the start of the season, but he’s starting to understand it a bit more. It’s his second season of senior football, it’s his first season of starting, and it’s his first season being in a team who are going to be in the bottom third of the league, or likely to be,” he added.

“He’s maturing well, and he showed all the qualities we want from a number 10 today. We feel like when teams come and press us high and open up the middle of the pitch, having a dribbler like Omari in there is really, really hard to handle.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nottingham Forest – Callum Hudson-Odoi

Hudson-Odoi has created more chances (18) and had more touches in the opposition box (40) than any other Forest player this season.

However, he has managed just two goals from 13 appearances in all competitions so far this term, and Nuno will be hopeful he can rediscover his scoring touch this weekend.

Ipswich Town – Leif Davis

Davis has adapted well to life in the top-flight, and Ipswich fans will be glad to know that the knock he sustained against United was nothing serious.

He has created more chances than any other Ipswich player in the Premier League this season, with his 28 also the most among defenders so far in the competition this term.

MATCH PREDICTION: NOTTINGHAM FOREST WIN

Forest have lost just one of their six league meetings with Ipswich (W4 D1), with this the first between the sides since a 1-1 draw in March 2019.

The two teams have met each other four times in the Premier League – Ipswich won both meetings in 1992-93 as Forest were relegated, while Forest won both games in 1994-95 with the Tractor Boys going down.

Forest are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against promoted sides (W5 D3), though, winning the last four in a row. Forest had failed to win any of their previous 15 such games before this run (D9 L6).

However, having lost just one of their first 10 Premier League games this season, Forest have now lost both of their last two. They’ve conceded three goals in these defeats, as many times as they’d conceded three or more goals in their previous 22 league games combined.

Ipswich, meanwhile, are winless in their last 14 away league games against Forest (D6 L8), with their last such victory coming in December 1999 (1-0 thanks to a Matt Holland goal).

McKenna’s side have drawn more games than any other Premier League side this season (six). It’s the first time they’ve drawn as many as half of their first 12 league games since 2018-19 (six) and first time in the top-flight since 1992-93 (seven).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Nottingham Forest – 57.9%

Draw – 21.9%

Ipswich Town – 20.2%

The Guyana Amazon Warriors kicked off the inaugural Global Super League with an emphatic six-wicket victory over the Lahore Qalandars on Tuesday, thrilling their home fans with a clinical all-round performance in Providence. The win, sealed with 12 balls to spare, showcased the Warriors' depth and intent to make a strong statement in this groundbreaking competition.

After winning the toss, Amazon Warriors captain Imran Tahir elected to field first. The decision paid immediate dividends as Tanzim Hasan Sakib claimed the tournament’s first wicket in the second over, trapping Mirza Baig lbw. However, Baig’s opening partner, Adam Rossington, counterattacked with a quick-fire 32, striking two sixes and three boundaries before being caught by Dwaine Pretorius.

Despite Rossington’s early aggression, the Qalandars struggled to maintain momentum as Tahir, Gudakesh Motie, and USA spinner Hassan Khan stifled the scoring with disciplined spells. Tom Abell anchored the innings, but with regular wickets falling, Lahore’s progress remained muted.

The game-changing moment came in the penultimate over when Pretorius, already influential in the field with two catches, delivered a stunning display of death bowling. The South African all-rounder ripped through the Qalandars’ lower order, picking up four wickets in the over, including Abell, Carlos Brathwaite, Asif Afridi, and Faheem Ashraf. Pretorius ended with stellar figures of 4-21, leaving the Qalandars reeling at 121-9.

The collapse was completed in the next over as Salman Mirza was dismissed, setting the Amazon Warriors a modest target of 125.

Shai Hope was steady with 45 from 43 balls

Chasing 125, the Warriors’ innings mirrored the match's earlier stages—steady but with moments of brilliance. Shai Hope, in his typically assured style, anchored the innings with an unbeaten 45 off 43 balls, ensuring the team remained on track despite a few hiccups along the way.

With 17 runs needed from 18 balls, the match hung in the balance until Mirza's final over. However, Keemo Paul provided the fireworks, smashing 20 runs in the over, including a towering six to finish on 27 from just 13 balls. The Warriors cruised home, sending the Providence crowd into jubilation.

Pretorius’ all-round heroics were instrumental in the Warriors’ victory. His four wickets in one over, coupled with two key catches, earned him the Player of the Match award.

The Amazon Warriors’ commanding win sets the tone for the Global Super League, establishing them as early favorites in the competition. With a balanced team featuring star performers in both bowling and batting, they’ve already laid down a marker for the rest of the tournament. The Qalandars, meanwhile, will look to regroup and address their late-innings collapse as they prepare for their next match in this highly anticipated league.

Matheus Cunha says Wolves can start to look up the Premier League table after back-to-back wins, as Gary O'Neil's team bid to continue their revival against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Wolves were rooted to the bottom of the table and winless after 10 matches, but victories over Southampton (2-0) and Fulham (4-1) have lifted them out of the relegation zone.

Cunha has been the key to their resurgence, providing seven goals and three assists this season with seven of those involvements coming in their last four matches.

Since his Premier League debut in January 2023, Cunha has both scored more goals (21) and provided more assists (10) than any other Wolves player. His 31 goal involvements are the second-most of any Wolves player in the competition's history, behind Raul Jimenez (58).

Speculation had begun to mount around O'Neil's position before Wolves' turnaround, but Cunha says the squad are united in their aims after regaining their confidence.

"We never had a doubt about this," Cunha said of O'Neil's position. "He did a lot of good things for us last season, and then we started to build an unbelievable relationship. 

"But, of course, football is like life, everyone knows that it's the results that matter in the end.

"But the work that you show is as important for me, for the group and for everyone. We are very happy with him and we are very happy with the results. I hope now we can start to fight for the things we want."

 

O'Neil's former club Bournemouth are six points clear of Wolves in 13th, having lost successive games after enjoying a strong start to the campaign.

Their latest defeat came against 10-man Brighton and Hove Albion at the Vitality Stadium, where a fifth yellow card of the season for star winger Antoine Semenyo ruled him out of Saturday's trip to Molineux through suspension.

"Every team has injuries, has suspensions," head coach Andoni Iraola said of Semenyo's suspension after the Brighton game. "We will miss now Ant, that is also a big miss.

"I don't know if everyone has finished healthy or not. We'll see, but we will have to adapt, I think for sure every team is adapting."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wolves – Matheus Cunha

There is no doubt about Wolves' star man this campaign. As well as boasting more Premier League goal involvements than any other player outside the 'big six' clubs (10), Cunha has been involved in more attacking sequences (56) than any other Wolves player.

Cunha has been involved in half of Wolves' Premier League goals this term (10/20). 

Only Mohamed Salah (66%), Dwight McNeil (60%), Bukayo Saka (57%), Erling Haaland (54%), Liam Delap, Chris Wood (both 53%) and Cole Palmer (52%) have been involved in a higher share of their team's goals.

 

Bournemouth – Milos Kerkez

In the absence of Semenyo, Bournemouth will have to rely on creativity from elsewhere, and left-back Kerkez is capable of providing it at a ground where he was sent off last season.

Kerkez ranks fifth among all Premier League defenders for open-play crosses (30) this season, with only nine defenders bettering his 12 open-play chances created.

MATCH PREDICTION – WOLVES WIN

Having won four consecutive Premier League away games in November and December last season, Bournemouth have won just three of their last 16 on the road (four draws, nine losses).

One of these was against Wolves in April, but O'Neil may just be confident of getting one over on his former employers on Saturday.

Wolves have won their last two Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 22 combined (five draws, 15 defeats). They last won three in a row last December.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, are yet to win a Premier League match against a team that did not start the day in the relegation zone (Everton and Southampton) or the top four (Arsenal and Manchester City) in 2024-25.

Neutrals should expect entertainment whatever the result. Wolves' 12 Premier League games this term have featured 48 goals, more than any other side. 

Their 20 goals scored are their most 12 games into a top-flight campaign since 1972-73 (25), while their 28 conceded are their most at this stage since 1983-84 (31). 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Wolves – 39.1%

Bournemouth – 34.3% 

Draw – 26.6%

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