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Manchester United moved up to ninth in the Premier League table and within two points of the Champions League places with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

The Red Devils claimed all three points at Anfield for the first time since January 2016 after a late header from Harry Maguire sealed the victory for the away side.

Bruno Fernandes volleyed a brilliant ball to the back stick for the England international to nod the ball back the other way into the far corner, just six minutes after Cody Gakpo’s equaliser.

Whilst it was Maguire who scored the winning goal, United had Senne Lammens to thank for the three points because of his performance in goal.

Why Senne Lammens won Man Utd the game against Liverpool

United have had their fair share of troubles with goalkeepers in recent seasons. Altay Bayindir conceded 0.84 more than expected and made one error that led to a goal in the first six matches of the Premier League season, per Sofascore.

Lammens, however, has come in from Royal Antwerp and looks to be a safe pair of hands. After a clean sheet against Sunderland, the Belgian giant made four saves and prevented 1.25 goals, per Sofascore, against Liverpool.

The pick of the saves came in the first half when he prevented British-record signing Alexander Isak from scoring by smartly sticking a foot out to keep the shot out of his net.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Without his shot-stopping and calmness behind the defence, Man United may have only come away from Anfield with a point, or none, given how poorly Altay performed at the start of the season.

Whilst Lammens was a shining light in goal and should be considered undroppable, Mason Mount should be ditched from the starting XI by Ruben Amorim.

Why Man Utd should drop Mason Mount

The England international, who scored against Sunderland before the break, started as part of a fluid front three alongside Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, with Benjamin Sesko dropped to the bench.

It was a tactic that worked, to a point, as the movement across the front confused the Liverpool defence and created some promising moments, including Mbeumo’s goal.

Mount’s individual performance, though, suggests that the £66.4m signing from RB Leipzig should be brought back in to lead the line against Brighton next weekend.

Minutes

61

29

Shots

2

1

Big chances missed

1

0

Touches

19

19

Pass accuracy

58%

62%

Key passes

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

Successful dribbles

0

1

Duels won

1/3

4/6

As you can see in the table above, Sesko created more chances, completed more dribbles, and won four times as many duels, in roughly half as much time on the pitch.

The Slovenia international, who has scored two Premier League goals this season, offers a physical presence at the top end of the pitch that allows Mbeumo and Cunha to play off him, which they did not have when Mount and Cunha were rotating in the number nine role.

Mount played the role that was asked of him by Amorim and provided energy in the win over Liverpool, but his end product in and out possession was simply not good enough, as he had even fewer touches of the ball (19) than Lammens in goal (55), per Sofascore.

This is why the head coach should ruthlessly drop him from the starting XI in order to bring Sesko back in to lead the line against Brighton next time out, as the former Leipzig man is a natural number nine who can offer a greater threat in front of goal.

Forget Mainoo: Amorim has the next Pogba in "generational" Man Utd talent

Manchester United appear to have another elite-level star already within Ruben Amorim’s ranks.

2 ByEthan Lamb Oct 18, 2025

La Federación de Críquet de las Américas (FECA) aims to coordinate the growth of cricket across North, Central, and South America

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2025Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced plans to establish and spearhead (FECA), a regional body that will “act as a collaborative platform to coordinate the exponential growth of cricket” across North, Central, and South America.The move comes following CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow’s visit to Lima, Peru, highlighting the board’s commitment to expand the sport beyond the Caribbean. CWI is set to assume a parental role in FECA as the only ICC Full Member in the region.”This marks a pivotal step in advancing cricket across the Americas,” Shallow said in a statement. “Cricket West Indies embraces its responsibility not only to the Caribbean but to the wider region. We recognise the importance of structure, collaboration, and a unified vision to unlock the immense potential that exists throughout the Americas.”CWI’s chief executive officer, Chris Dehring, highlighted the importance of growing the game in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, among others. According to the CWI release, there are currently 72,000 registered players in Brazil alone.”Our efforts to expand cricket must redound positively to each country under our remit,” he said. “This growth will not only uplift national programmes, but will also strengthen West Indies cricket by broadening our base, increasing opportunities, and deepening our regional relevance.”With the emergence and development of cricketing hubs in areas such as Brazil, with 72,000 registered players – most of them women under professional contracts – along with Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, this region is ripe for meaningful engagement.”Currently, two youth teams from the USA are part of CWI’s Rising Stars Under-19 Tournament in St. Kitts, while USA national players such as Aaron Jones, Ali Khan and Shayan Jahangir have been part of the CPL.In addition, four senior teams from the Caribbean will travel to Lima to participate in the Bolivarian Games, which could prove to be an entry point into the South American sporting structure. Cricket is set to feature in the 2027 Pan American Games, where the Caribbean nations with Olympic accreditation will compete.

Ahead of the Oval Test, Gill reflected on his tactical choices, the team’s resilience, and the learning curve of leading in tough conditions

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jul-20252:40

Gill: Levelling series with a young squad will be a big achievement

A captain who had led in just five first-class matches before taking charge of the Test team. His overseas form a subject of scrutiny. His best bowler available for only three out of five matches. A batting line-up thin on experience after the retirements of two stalwarts. India arrived in England in early June with several questions to answer.Two months on, Shubman Gill’s India enter the final Test of this highly compelling Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series with the chance to finish 2-2.”Very significant,” Gill said about what it would mean to his team to draw the series after losing the first Test in Leeds, then bouncing back to win in Birmingham without Jasprit Bumrah, nearly pulling off a pulling off a miracle at Lord’s, followed by a hard-fought draw in Manchester.Related

India gain an edge. England have the lead. What will happen next?

Do India's bowlers have a leg-side problem?

Injured Stokes out of fifth Test against India, Archer and Carse rested

Bumrah to miss Oval Test against England

Every Test going deep into the final day is rare in a five-match series. The hot weather and slow pitches have pushed the players’ limits and caused injuries – most significantly ruling Ben Stokes out of the fifth Test at The Oval.”If you look at the kind of cricket we have played, sometimes the scorecard of the series, as in where we are in the series, doesn’t determine that. Every match that we have played, it was very difficult to decide which team is going to win after four days of cricket,” Gill said. “If we are able to do that for every match for four matches coming outside of India with a relatively young team, it is going to be a big achievement for us if we are able to level the series.”This century, India had won the three-Test series in England 1-0 in 2007 and had drawn the series 2-2 in 2021-22. Both those teams went to England with plenty of senior players and leadership experience. That is not true for this side and, and yet, between June and July, Gill has shown he can compartmentalise captaincy and batting, and not let one impact the other.As batter, he is over 200 runs ahead of the next-most prolific scorer this series, and as captain, he has made debatable decisions on the field but has admitted his mistakes and come out wiser. “The series has been a great learning curve for me,” Gill said. “There are some things that you can only learn from experience, and I’ve learned so much from these four matches that we have played and hopefully we’re going to finish on a high.”One of those decisions was on the third morning at Old Trafford, when Gill delayed giving the ball to offspinner Washington Sundar, who had found sumptuous drift at Lord’s and taken a four-wicket haul in England’s first innings. The dry pitch was favourable for Washington but Gill brought him on only after lunch and the offspinner dismissed Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in quick succession.”It’s very difficult when you are playing six bowlers [because] then one or two bowlers are definitely going to be under-bowled,” he said, explaining that passage of play. “In the last match also, people felt that Washington could have come in earlier, which is a valid point, but sometimes when you are out in the middle you see with this ball [Dukes] when there are two spinners bowling early in the innings, it’s very hard to maintain the ball and the fast bowler goes out of the game for about eight-ten overs because then you need to maintain the ball.3:37

What attack should India pick at The Oval?

“So, in hindsight, there would always be opinions and there would always be thoughts, and you could have done this, would have done that. But what matters is when you are out there in the middle, you want to be able to make a decision that you think would suit the best for that moment. And when you are playing with six bowling options, there would definitely be some opinions where one bowler is going to go under-bowled, but it’s good to have more bowling options rather than not having bowling options for sure.”India will stick to the six-bowler strategy at The Oval too, with Akash Deep set to replace Bumrah and Shardul Thakur retained as bowling allrounder. Washington, Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel, who replaces the injured Rishabh Pant, comprise the lower-middle order.While he had not seen the pitch before the media briefing, Gill, perhaps based on the inputs he got from the team management, said it was “good”. By that, he meant it was green and the forecast – overcast conditions – for all five days might bring the fast bowlers into play.Gill, however, did not reveal whether Arshdeep Singh, the solitary left-arm quick in the squad, would make his Test debut, or whether Prasidh Krishna, dropped after the victory at Edgbaston, would make a comeback at The Oval as the third fast bowler in the XI.

Southampton are now two wins from two in the Championship without Will Still occupying the Saints’ hot seat.

Amazingly, this is the first time the South Coast titans have won back-to-back league contests since April 2024, with a miserable bottom-of-the-table finish last season not helping this dismal record, which was then being followed up by Still, unfortunately, looking out of his depth at St. Mary’s.

Now only seven points off the Championship playoff spots, it does feel as if the Saints could mount a promotion push if they can get their next managerial appointment spot on.

All signs are pointing to Gary O’Neil being Still’s successor, as the 42-year-old attempts to put his previous Portsmouth ties to one side as a player, to potentially take over Pompey’s fierce rivals…

The latest on Southampton's manager hunt

The ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers boss is the current frontrunner for the Saints vacancy, with reports in recent days noting that they were trying to conclude a deal having established contact with O’Neil.

However, the unemployed head coach is also being considered by Southampton’s Championship rivals, Norwich City, with the Canaries previously having O’Neil on their books as a midfield star before he retired.

Southampton haven’t just been linked with O’Neil. A return for Russell Martin to the St. Mary’s dugout is also being speculated, after his disastrous time at Rangers was cut short.

Moreover, the current interim manager steering the ship steadily in Tonda Eckert shouldn’t be ruled out, either.

As the German made it two wins from two in a caretaker position, it was reported by Football Insider that he is one of the ‘main’ and ‘key’ contenders under consideration to be given the job.

It would be a risky appointment, with Eckert more used to coaching U21s football than managing in the senior game.

But, to get a disgruntled fanbase back on side, it might well be a better move than going after O’Neil’s services.

Why Eckert could be a better appointment than O'Neil

Of course, in O’Neil’s favour, he has managed at the very top of the English game and succeeded in flashes.

He managed to galvanise the Old Gold during the 2023/24 season, even as the likes of Ruben Neves and Nathan Collins jumped ship, with 13 league wins helping Wolves to a comfortable 14th spot in the unforgiving division. Could he be that same stabilising force on the South Coast that pushes Southampton out of their current mess?

However, when the going got tough at Molineux after a bright 23/24 campaign, everything unravelled at a worryingly quick pace, with just two wins from 16 games in charge the following season – which saw Wolves leak 40 goals – seeing him be unsurprisingly put out of his misery.

Chairman Jeff Shi even stated that he cut ties “too late”, with the mood around St. Mary’s no doubt souring if Southampton’s form was to fall off a cliff under his guidance, owing, again, to his strong Fratton Park loyalties.

Southampton could look to continuity instead, in bumping Eckert up to first-team managerial duties, with the 32-year-old much in the same mould as Still before him in being a new and exciting breed of head coach.

Games managed

12

Wins

7

Draws

4

Losses

1

Goals scored

26

Goals conceded

18

Said to favour a 3-4-2-1 formation, Eckert has also largely been a success at the Saints to date, away from picking up two wins from two as the interim fill-in, with five wins and four draws also collected, working closely with the rising stars coming through at Southampton in the U21 ranks.

He has also been a transformative figure for the senior players to latch on to as well, with Adam Armstrong already picking up an assist against Queens Park Rangers and a goal against the Owls under his short reign to date, with statement summer signing Finn Azaz also on the scoresheet under Eckert last match to pick up his first strike in Southampton red and white since late August.

Azaz would even publicly praise the 32-year-old after that 3-1 victory for being a “very detailed” boss, with the feel-good times hopefully continuing if he can collect more wins.

Surely, if more wins are secured, Eckert will be handed the permanent gig.

After all, the promotion-winning Martin was just a year older than Eckert when he was given his first main job at Milton Keynes Dons, with a move for O’Neil just feeling a lot more stale.

Southampton now 'looking to finalise' deal with "underrated" manager after contact

The Saints are chasing a replacement for Will Still.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 8, 2025

Chelsea and England talisman Cole Palmer has now successfully trademarked his infamous goal celebration even though he has previously admitted that he copied the idea from Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers. The trademark is only related to use of the celebration in commercial ventures, meaning other players can still use it on the pitch should they wish to do so.

Palmer trademarks his 'cold' celebration

Palmer's trademark application has been approved by the United Kingdom's government Intellectual Property Office, as reported by The Chelsea star had previously trademarked his 'Cold' nickname and has now made the same move with his celebration. It won't stop players from mimicking him on the pitch, but it does means others can't use it for commercial purpose without his permission. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWhy has Palmer made this decision?

Paul Jordan, partner and co-head of the trademark, designs and copyright group at Bristows LLP told "I think for me this just looks like someone, in Cole Palmer, he or his advisors are taking their intellectual property and image rights really seriously. And they're just trying to assemble a bundle of registered rights that they can demonstrate to the world are super important, which might drive value when he’s entering into deals. I think is about assembling a bundle of rights to say, 'hey, look, I take intellectual property seriously, I'm doing everything in my power to button up anything that I think is proprietary to me', rather than you’re going to see lots of lawsuits seeking to restrain other people doing the gesture."

Chelsea star follows Ronaldo and Mbappe

Palmer's move sees him follow in the footsteps of some greats of the game. Ronaldo has previously trademarked his famous 'Siuuuu' celebration, while Kylian Mbappe has done the same with his signature move of crossing his arms and tucking his hands underneath his armpits after scoring. Former Real Madrid star also Gareth Bale moved to trademark his 'Eleven of Hearts' celebration during his career and Erling Haaland's famous yoga pose has received the same treatment. Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly famously copied Haaland's celebration on the pitch after scoring for Arsenal against Manchester City earlier this year.

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Palmer admits celebration came from Rogers

Palmer may have become synonymous with the celebration but he has previously admitted to taking the idea off former Manchester City team-mate Rogers. He told : "I first did the 'cold' celebration last December in a game against Luton where we won 3-2. It's a nod to my former City academy team-mate Morgan Rogers [who is now at Aston Villa]. It symbolises joy, passion and hard determination for the game plus it's funny as it works well with my name. Everyone knows it's my celebration. Lots of people might have done it, but everybody knows it is my celebration."

Rogers subsequently admitted he had come up with it first:He definitely copied me. It's my celebration. Check the timeline, I did it first. He's one of my closest friends in life. I couldn't be more proud of him."

Palmer isn't the only player to have used the celebration, with Valencia winger Diego Lopez insisting he came up with the idea first. He told earlier this year: "I haven't received the receipt yet… I don't know if it's because he doesn't have my address, because they haven't given it to him or why. If you want, I can explain that I have been doing this celebration for four years and I will continue to do it. In fact, I hope to do it more often because it will mean that I have scored a lot of goals."

The Alex Bregman sweepstakes finally came to a conclusion on Wednesday night and the Boston Red Sox found themselves the winner. After months of rumors connecting the two sides, reports emerged that Bregman had agreed to a three-year, $120 million deal to play at Fenway Park. It's a natural match as far as what Bregman was looking for financially and what the Red Sox needed as they enter spring training.

Those reports also revealed Bregman's contract would include deferred money, which is all the rage in MLB nowadays after the Los Angeles Dodgers deferred an enormous amount of money on Shohei Ohtani's contract to ensure they could keep a championship roster around him. On Thursday, ESPN's Buster Olney revealed what Bregman's deferred money will be.

Per the longtime MLB insider, a third of Bregman's deal is expected to be deferred— $40 million in deferred money. Which means, in the eyes of Boston's book-keeping operation, Bregman's deal is actually worth $90 million over three years.

The Red Sox appear unlikely at this juncture to immediately take advantage of whatever financial wiggle room gained by giving Bregman deferred money.

But clearly it was part of what finally got the deal over the finish line, so Boston fans should be pleased regardless. Bregman is a great fit and gives the lineup an extra shot of talent that it would've dearly missed otherwise.

After sacking Liam Manning, Norwich City have reportedly conducted an interview with former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil and set a managerial deadline.

The Canaries made the decision to sack Manning after 15 Championship games in charge. The former Bristol City manager arrived off the back of an excellent campaign with the Robins, in which they secured a playoff place, but was unable to replicate that form in charge of Norwich.

Instead of the top six, the Canaries have found themselves in the bottom two courtesy of Manning and only above Sheffield Wednesday, who were hit with a 12-point deduction after entering administration.

After two wins in 15 league games, Manning’s tenure suddenly makes former manager Johannes Hoff Thorup’s time at the club look rather promising, on reflection. Whether there’s some regret that those at Carrow Road didn’t give the latter more time is up for debate, however.

Sporting director Ben Knapper released a statement after sacking Manning, telling fans that they “tried absolutely everything possible” to turn things around under the former Bristol City boss.

Meanwhile, the search for a new manager is very much underway with reports going as far as to claim that the Canaries have already interviewed two candidates for the job.

Norwich interview Gary O'Neil

As reported by The Telegraph’s John Percy, Norwich have now interviewed O’Neil for their vacant managerial role and are keen to make an official appointment in the next 10 days.

The ex-Premeir League manager was recently linked with a second stint at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but turned his former club down. Now, he could be on his way to Carrow Road.

Former Blackburn Rovers manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has also reportedly been interviewed, but O’Neil’s Premier League experience should make him Norwich’s number one choice.

Dubbed “fantastic” by former Wolves winger Jordan Graham during his time in the Midlands, O’Neil has all the credentials needed to finally turn things around at Norwich, who sit four points adrift of safety in the Championship.

Live football streams: Watch Premier League, the Championship & more

A war of words has erupted between La Liga and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) following scathing criticism by president Javier Tebas. The Spanish league chief used a recent appearance at a sports summit in Argentina to lament the state of football in the South American country and the way its institutions are managed, drawing a sharp rebuke from AFA president Claudio Tapia.

Tebas laments state of Argentine club football

Tebas has sparked a row with the AFA following highly critical remarks made during the 'Olé Summit' conference in Argentina. Tebas took advantage of his platform to express his views on the current state of Argentine football, particularly focusing on the domestic club game and its management.

"My first feeling is sadness because a country with so much passion, so many fans, and such a strong sense of belonging doesn't have football and clubs with the performance level to become a world power at the club level," Tebas stated during the conference. He went on to point out what he perceives as a "lack of potential" within Argentine football and claimed to feel Argentine by adoption, adding that he suffers "because of the state" of the sport in the country.

AdvertisementAFPAFA President Tapia hits back at Tebas

The comments from Tebas were met with an almost immediate and sharp response from Tapia. The AFA president took to social media platform X to address the La Liga president's criticisms, labelling them as an insult to Argentine football and its history.

"Our tournament isn't a league for the few: it's popular, competitive, and developmental," Tapia wrote in the first of two posts responding to Tebas. "To belittle it is to ignore our history and the contribution we make to world football. What can we expect now, if you've already criticised even the Club World Cup?"

Tapia continued his defence in a subsequent post, highlighting Argentina's status as current world champions and rejecting Tebas's interference. "We are the League of World Champions, and we don't accept insults from those who should be promoting respect between institutions," Tapia stated. He also addressed Tebas's comment about feeling Argentine by adoption with a parting remark: "And to be clear, you don't need to 'become a citizen.' Argentinians are born wherever they want."

Tebas also takes aim at Saudi Pro League

During the same conference in Argentina, Tebas also addressed the current standing of La Liga following the departures of global superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. While acknowledging he would prefer to have such players in the league, Tebas argued that the strength of a competition lies in its clubs and competitiveness rather than individual stars.

"I would prefer to have Messi, Cristiano, Mourinho, Guardiola, all of them… But that’s not the key to sustaining growth. Players are temporary; what makes you great are the clubs and a strong competition," Tebas said.

He then used the Saudi Pro League as an example to support his argument, suggesting that the influx of star players does not guarantee a league's status as one of the world's best. "Take the case of the Saudi league, which has major stars, but still hasn’t taken off as one of the best in the world," Tebas claimed. He insisted that La Liga's structural model and strict salary-cap rules have preserved its growth and that broadcaster contracts remained stable even after Messi's departure.

Tebas maintained that La Liga remains the second-best league in Europe behind the Premier League and is narrowing the gap. "In Europe, the Premier League is on top, but we come right after them. Below us are the Bundesliga, Serie A, and the French league. You can also see it in followers and engagement on social media. We’re growing every day, widening the gap with other competitions and narrowing the distance with the Premier League."

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AFPWhat next for La Liga and the AFA?

The public spat between Tebas and Tapia is likely to strain relations between La Liga and the Argentine Football Association. The exchange highlights a clash in perspectives on football development and management, with Tebas advocating for a European model focused on club performance and financial controls, while Tapia defends the Argentine approach, emphasising its "popular and competitive" nature and its success in producing world-class talent and winning international tournaments. This incident adds to the list of public disagreements involving Javier Tebas, who has also recently had exchanges with players like Thibaut Courtois regarding La Liga's plans to play matches overseas. The long-term consequences of this latest row remain to be seen.

Threlkeld, Lister star with bat in tense five-run victory over The Blaze

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay16-Sep-2025Lancashire 241 for 6 (Lister 96, Threlkeld 92) beat The Blaze (K Bryce 124, Elwiss 55) by five runs Lancashire Women maintained their hold over The Blaze in this season’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup to book a place in the final despite Kathryn Bryce’s magnificent 124 in a tense semi-final at Trent Bridge.Ellie Threlkeld’s side await the winners of Wednesday’s second semi-final between Hampshire and Surrey at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton. The final is on the same ground on Sunday.Lancashire Women beat The Blaze home and away in the league phase and pulled off a five-run victory in this match despite being without the competition’s top runscorer, Emma Lamb, who is with England ahead of the Women’s World Cup, and another of their key batters in Eve Jones, who is injured.With the bat they recovered from 52 for four to post 241 for six after Scotland international Ailsa Lister hit a career-best 96 from 91 balls and captain Threlkeld a season’s best 92 from 128.Seamers Grace Potts, who limped through most of her spell after suffering an injury in her first over, took three for 32 and Kate Cross ( three for 47) then led an excellent bowling display, restricting the home side to 236 for nine.Bryce and Georgia Elwiss (55) combined to add 150 for the fourth wicket in The Blaze’s reply but a superbly disciplined Lancashire attack ensured that The Blaze were never on top of the required scoring rate and that pressure paid off for them as the home side, 179 for three with 10 overs remaining, ultimately fell short.Lister and Threlkeld shared a 166-run partnership for the fifth Lancashire wicket, 21-year-old Lister underlining her potential by hitting 11 boundaries before she was stumped in search of the one more needed for a maiden hundred, the home side rueing a dropped catch when she was on 66.Seamers Cassidy McCarthy (two for 27) and Orla Prendergast, who conceded only 26 runs in 10 overs, impressed among The Blaze bowlers.Asked to bat first on the pitch that would have been used for England’s washed-out T20 international against South Africa last Sunday, Lancashire Women found themselves in trouble at 33 for three after 10 overs.McCarthy uprooted Gaby Lewis’s middle stump and had Seren Smale caught at short backward square, the left-armer Grace Ballinger finding the edge to have Fi MorrisAlice Clarke – tasked with filling the shoes of Lamb at the top of the order – fell to a good catch on the legside boundary as she pulled Prendergast and with their opponents 52 for four in the 18th, The Blaze were well on top.But Threlkeld brought her experience to bear in guiding her younger partner through a testing period before the pair kicked on from the 35-over mark, upping the scoring rate to seven per over for the next 12 before Lister, spared by the normally safe hands of Kathryn Bryce at deep midwicket on 66, went down the pitch to Kirstie Gordon’s left-arm spin and paid the price.Threlkeld departed in the next over, run out going for a second by McCarthy’s arrow throw from the point boundary.The Blaze, missing their three England players but accustomed to managing without them, would have seen chasing 242 as well within their compass, although less so after matching their opponents in losing three wickets in their opening powerplay.Mahika Gaur bowled Sarah Bryce with a full delivery before Kate Cross removed Georgie Boyce, caught and bowled off a leading edge, and Prendergast, who stepped across to be leg before for a second-ball duck, leaving The Blaze in peril at 37 for three.But just as Threlkeld and Lister rescued Lancashire, Elwiss joined Kathryn Bryce to turn their side’s innings around. Yet though Bryce passed fifty for the seventh time this season from 64 balls, none of Threlkeld’s six bowlers conceded runs easily.Bryce brought up her hundred, the fifth of her career in List A cricket and a first in Blaze colours, from 121 balls as the partnership ticked over to 150, but the big breakthrough for Lancashire came shortly afterwards as Elwiss, who had clocked up her fifth half-century of the season, was caught at backward point on the reverse sweep off Fi Morris, with 55 still needed off 52 balls.The wicket opened up one end for the visitors and after Marie Kelly, Michaela Kirk and and Lucy Higham all went cheaply, The Blaze needed 33 from 18 balls, which came down to nine off the last over, but when Bryce holed out to mid-off to give Potts her third wicket, their chance had gone.

The Los Angeles Dodgers touched down in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday morning ahead of their MLB regular-season opener at the Tokyo Dome next week.

After landing in his home nation, Shohei Ohtani took to social media with a simple message for his fans, helping to build excitement for the upcoming two-game set against the Chicago Cubs.

"I'm back," wrote Ohtani, translated from Japanese.

Ohtani posted a series of images and videos upon his arrival in Japan, one of which included his beloved dog Decoy next to plenty of luggage.

The two-game series against the Cubs gets underway on Tuesday, March 18, with first pitch set for 6:10 a.m. ET.

Before establishing himself as a generational talent in MLB, Ohtani was lighting it up back home in Japan, where he was a two-way superstar for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league until 2017, after which he joined MLB's Los Angeles Angels, and subsequently the Dodgers. Now, he's hoping to put on a show in front of his adoring fans in his home country.

In addition to Ohtani, the Dodgers roster fellow Japan natives Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, both of whom are expected to take the Tokyo Dome mound for the games against Chicago. Meanwhile, the Cubs will be deploying All-Star starter Shota Imanaga during the first of the two games.