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Manchester United are in a race with fellow Premier League side Everton in a bid to sign a £9 million international who has been labelled the “bargain of the summer”, according to a recent report.

Man Utd eyeing new midfield reinforcements

The Red Devils return to action at the end of this week, as they travel to Stockholm in Sweden to face rivals Leeds United in their first game of pre-season 2025. The hope Ruben Amorim will have is that his side will finally have Bryan Mbeumo through the door before that game gets underway.

Man Utd make loan proposal to sign £166k-a-week Bayern ace and get a reply

Man United have submitted a bid to sign a player from Bayern Munich on loan.

By
Brett Worthington

Jul 13, 2025

Once the deal for Mbeumo is completed, there has been a lot of talk that the next target will be a striker, but INEOS and co are also scouring the market to strengthen their midfield department. It was recently reported that United have made a move for not one but two new midfielders.

It’s been claimed that United have made an approach to sign Richard Rios from Palmeiras, who has been heavily linked with a move to AS Roma. The Brazilian side are said to want at least £25 million for Rios, who could be considered a replacement for Casemiro.

The second midfielder United are chasing is Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha. The Red Devils have submitted a loan approach for Palhinha, but the German side turned it down straight away, with Bayern looking to sell the player on a permanent basis instead. These two players could be very good signings for United, but there is another midfielder firmly on their list of potential summer signings.

Man Utd in race with Everton to sign £9m ace called "bargain of the summer"

According to Football Insider, Man United are very interested in signing Wilfred Ndidi from Leicester City. The 28-year-old has just suffered relegation with the Foxes, and while he is under contract until 2027, the midfielder has a £9 million release clause that can now be activated.

The Nigeria international is expected to leave the King Power Stadium, and while United are an option for the player, Everton, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Juventus are also in the race for the Nigerian international.

Ndidi, who has been dubbed the “bargain of the summer” by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, has been a Leicester player since 2017. During that time, he has faced the Red Devils on 14 occasions in all competitions, and he has lost 10 times overall, with the Foxes only winning two games.

Wilfred Ndidi’s Premier League record
Apps	220
Goals	7
Assists	14

His potential arrival at Old Trafford could see him be a replacement for Casemiro, who could remain at United but may not have a bigger impact this season than he did last, due to competition for places and the fact he isn’t getting any younger. Despite the Foxes’ struggles last season, Ndidi still managed to impress, recording five assists in 28 Premier League games.

ECB’s director of business operations says board is willing to wait for the right fit for competition

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Sep-2024

The ECB are not rushing their timeframe for the sale of equity stakes in the Hundred•ECB/Getty Images

Private investment into the Hundred may not be finalised by next year if the right bids and suitors are not found, according to Vikram Banerjee, director of business operations at the England & Wales Cricket Board, and the man tasked with selling off stakes in the Hundred franchises.The ECB announced at the start of September that they had officially opened the process to secure private investment into the eight Hundred teams. Though the initial plan was to have sales ratified ahead of the 2025 edition of the tournament, the process could roll on to find appropriate valuations and owners.Each of the eight hosting counties are set to be given a 51 percent stake, which they can hold or sell, with the remaining 49 percent in each side available to be sold by the ECB. Any money raised from that 49 percent will then be distributed between first-class counties, Marylebone Cricket Club and the recreational game. Financial advisers Deloitte and Raine Group have been recruited to ensure fair market value, with legal co-counsel provided by Latham & Watkins and Onside Law LLP.Though the ECB are collaborating with host venues to assess the suitability of prospective partners, they are doing so with vigilance. A report in City AM on Tuesday stated the governing body have warned Hampshire they will be stripped of their stake in Southern Brave if their prospective new buyers GMR Group – owners of IPL side Delhi Capitals – do not pay a fair market price for the Hundred franchise.The Telegraph reported in August that GMR Group had agreed a £120 million deal to buy Hampshire, which could see them pocket the 51 percent gifted to the county as part of that deal. If that were the case, investors could view purchasing counties outright as a cheaper gateway into the competition, although that would first require a process of demutualisation by the member-owned clubs concerned, with Hampshire and Durham the only exceptions at present.Yorkshire, who host Northern Superchargers at Headingley and are subject to a bid from Sun Group, who own Sunrisers Hyderabad, are currently seeking to undergo a process of demutualisation, with a super-majority of 75 percent in favour required from at least 50 percent of the club’s 6,000 members.The ECB are understood to have had promising conversations with investors throughout the summer. A number from India and from further afield, including the US, were entertained at Hundred matches this season. As well as capital, the ECB want buyers to bring their expertise to the table, particularly around global engagement, sporting operations and in-ground experience.While the plan remains to announce investments into the Hundred in early 2025, Banerjee explained that the onus on finding the right price and partner for the teams lends itself to a longer, more drawn-out process.Lord’s-based London Spirit is expected to be the most lucrative team in the Hundred•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

“The most important thing is we get the right partners,” Banerjee told the Business of Sport podcast. “If that takes a bit of time, that takes a bit of time. I think it’s fine.”We have been running for four years and so, if in this first round, we [find that] either the values aren’t there for one or all of the teams, or the right partner isn’t there for one or all of the teams, it’s fine. We’ll just carry on running it, we’ll do another year. My priority is to get the eight partners and make them amazing and help us grow.”Banerjee did not rule out a partial sale, whereby only some of the teams are under new ownership, though he believes the scale of interest at this stage suggests that will not come to pass.”I don’t think so, at this point of where we are in the process,” he said. “You know, the amount of people, the amount of interest, the breadth of interest – there’s some really exciting names in there, some of which haven’t been leaked to the press, funnily enough.”London Spirit is expected to be the most sought-after component of the Hundred, given the prestige of its host venue Lord’s, but Banerjee insisted the ECB would not be rushed into a decision for any of its teams.Related

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“But if we don’t get the right partners for [eg] London Spirit, we’ll hold it and we’ll work with the MCC for another year and try again in a year’s time. I think that’s possible.”Having said that, in terms of a timeline on what we’re looking for, we are hoping these are done over the next six months, so that whatever this new world looks like for the competition, those deals have transacted by the 2025 season.”Having all investors on board by next summer is integral to ensuring next summer’s competition is as seamless as possible, not least ahead of the opening of ticket sales and the player draft, which are expected in February and March, respectively. Though a partial sale of teams is far from ideal, the competition’s current media rights – which make up around 80 percent of the revenue for the competition – are fixed until 2028, and the presence of a salary cap should in principle ensure a level playing field for the coming seasons.Banerjee also revealed any expansion of the number of teams in the Hundred is only likely to take place in 2029. Durham and Somerset were two host venues mooted for an introduction as early as next year to give the competition a greater presence in the North-East and South-West. However, the need to see how the Hundred evolves after investment has shifted the goalposts.”We’ve talked about 2029 being the earliest to give us time to bed in and see how this thing grows and there’s a whole set of criteria to make sure a) that the player pool is there so it’s still best versus best on men’s and women’s, and b) the competition has grown.”So an investor today doesn’t lose out, but actually benefits from that, as well as the whole game. And then see that, if a venue wants to come in to be a new team, it’s ready.”

Manchester United could now be offered the chance to sign a Brazil international midfielder in exchange for Jadon Sancho, according to a new report.

Man Utd make moves to replace Ten Hag's flops

Since the 2024/25 season came to an end, there has been a lot of talk about the future of many players at Old Trafford, with goalkeeper Andre Onana one of those whose future has come under serious scrutiny.

A very up-and-down season which saw Onana make several mistakes in the Premier League and Europa League has now seen him be linked with a move away this summer. At the end of last week, it was reported that AS Monaco are interested in signing Onana from United, but the Cameroon international is said to be keen on remaining at Old Trafford and proving his worth.

While that may be the case for Onana himself, United are already working behind the scenes to look at players who could potentially replace him. Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is said to be keen on the idea of joining the Red Devils and prefers that move over joining Barcelona in this transfer window.

Related Man Utd submit £13m bid to sign "great" Real Madrid player and get reply

The Red Devils are still looking to replace Onana.

Posts 1 ByTom Cunningham Jun 23, 2025

However, United have their eye on another goalkeeper, as according to a report from Spain, United have submitted a bid worth £13 million to sign Andriy Lunin from Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have rejected that offer, but a deal is there to be done for United, should they improve their bid.

Man Utd offered chance to sign Douglas Luiz

In other news at Old Trafford, according to Gazzetta dello Sport’s Giovanni Albanese, relayed by Sport Witness, Man United could have the opportunity to sign Douglas Luiz in a deal that would see Sancho join Juventus.

The Serie A side were keen on signing Sancho last summer, and the link between the club and player hasn’t broken since then. Juventus have been in talks with Sancho’s entourage over a transfer, and their general manager Damien Comolli is now looking at ways of adding a player into the deal so it can be completed.

This is where Luiz comes into the mix, as the midfielder, who has struggled since joining the Turin giants, could be a player United are willing to take in exchange for getting rid of Sancho. Luiz, who has been dubbed “world-class” by former teammate John McGinn in the past, played just 19 games in Serie A last season, three of which only came as a starter.

Douglas Luiz’s Premier League stats

Apps

175

Goals

20

Assists

18

However, during his time in the Premier League, the Brazilian was a consistent presence in the midfield for Aston Villa. In the 2023/24 season, Luiz scored an impressive nine goals and recorded five assists, which helped him secure his move to Juventus.

But given how things have gone in Italy, a move back to England could be on the cards, and given Juventus value Luiz at £30 million, United may be willing to snap their hands off for this type of transfer.

Bangladesh vice-captain feels the bowling performance was a positive from this T20 World Cup campaign

Mohammad Isam28-Jun-2024

Taskin Ahmed is bowled•ICC/Getty Images

Poor form from the batters was the primary reason for Bangladesh’s disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, according to vice captain Taskin Ahmed. He said that almost everything went according to plan except the batting during Bangladesh’s 47-day tour of the Americas.In a tough environment for batters across the tournament, Bangladesh’s batting unit had the lowest collective average among the Super Eight teams.Bangladesh’s top three failed to give them a start in any of their innings with Litton Das scoring the lone fifty from those positions. Towhid Hridoy’s 153 runs at 128.57 was their best batting performance but Shakib (111 runs at 106.73 SR) and Mahmudullah (95 runs at 94.05 SR) couldn’t provide him with enough support in the middle order.Related

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“The seniors’ off-form had an effect on the team but not off the field,” Taskin told reporters at the Dhaka airport, after the Bangladesh team’s arrival on Friday morning. “They are great team men. We stayed as a team for 47 days. Everything was fine off the field. It is quite normal that a team will have problems when important players are not in form. I am hopeful that we can recover from this, and play better soon.”Taskin said that the batters only found better pitches when they reached the West Indies but even then he said that he hadn’t seen such a long batting slump by Bangladesh in his international career.”When you talk about the batting, if you look at the statistics, I think every [teams’] batting department suffered in the USA this time. Bowlers got a lot of help. We got better [batting] wickets in the West Indies.”I haven’t seen such a long bad patch for the batters in my ten years playing for Bangladesh. I hope it goes away quickly.”We never had great numbers in T20s. We are improving slowly. We cannot just look at minus points; we are in the negative already. We are trying to get a ‘plus’. Your frustration is expected. We will give you a good win. You have to keep faith in us. We will give it our best.”Taskin was part of a strong bowling display from Bangladesh. He was returning from injury but Tanzim Hasan and legspinner Rishad Hossain led the bowling charts; Rishad remains in joint-third position among the tournament’s top wicket-takers, ahead of the final. Taskin said that it proved talented cricketers are coming up from Bangladesh.”The bowling unit has been doing well for the last few years. We have been consistent. It will keep getting better.”Tanzim and Rishad are among the tournament’s top wicket-takers. It is a positive. We have some future stars emerging from Bangladesh. It says that we have ability. What has taken place has hurt us and the fans, especially our inability to win certain matches,” he said.Taskin said that they were left disappointed with the last game against Afghanistan especially, when Bangladesh had to chase down their target in 12.1 overs to make it to the semi-finals but couldn’t get the job done.”We could have done a lot better. We were all quite disappointed with the last match. We tried to win it in 12 overs, but when we realised it wasn’t possible, we tried to win the game. We still couldn’t win.”There are positives from the campaign. Our bowlers did very well throughout the tournament. We qualified to the Super Eight. We won three matches in the T20 World Cup for the first time. So there are positives, but there are negatives too. We are disappointed like the rest of you. We didn’t play up to expectations.”

There is a big task ahead for Daniel Farke and the recruitment team at Leeds United after the 2024/25 season ended with promotion to the Premier League.

The Whites lifted the Championship trophy at Home Park after they beat Plymouth Argyle 2-1 on the final day of the campaign, thanks to a last-gasp winner from Manor Solomon.

They ended the season with a staggering 100 points on the board, beating Burnley to the title on goal difference, and can now prepare to play in the top-flight next term.

The three newly-promoted clubs have all been relegated from the Premier League in each of the last two seasons, which paints a picture of how difficult it is going to be for Leeds, and Burnley, next term.

They will need to nail their recruitment to build a squad that is capable of following in the footsteps of the six teams that have fallen before them, which makes the summer transfer window absolutely vital.

Leeds need to land top-quality players who can come in to make an instant impact in the first-team, as they did when they once splashed the cash on Rio Ferdinand.

Why Rio Ferdinand was a great signing for Leeds

Back in November 2000, the Whites swooped to sign the England international from West Ham United for a reported fee of £18m, which was a British record fee at the time.

Although Ferdinand was only 22 at the time of the move, Leeds knew that they were signing a quality operator at the heart of the defence because he had already played 155 times for the Hammers in their first-team.

The English colossus made 32 appearances in all competitions during his first season at Elland Road, including seven in the Champions League, before he hit his stride in his second year in West Yorkshire.

Ferdinand went on to play 41 times in all competitions in the 2001/02 campaign and was named in the PFA Team of the Year in the Premier League for his performances at centre-back, which speaks to how impressive his displays were.

His form for Leeds in those two seasons led to interest from elsewhere, and Manchester United swooped in to sign him for a British record £30m in the summer of 2002.

This shows that the defender was a great signing for Leeds because he was one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League in his second season, as shown by his inclusion in the Team of the Year, and they made a substantial profit on him within two years of his arrival.

Leeds could, now, find their next version of Rio Ferdinand by moving to sign a new central defender this summer, amid reported interest in a Ligue 1 star.

Leeds eyeing move for Ligue 1 star

According to The Sun on Sunday’s print edition (4 May, page 55), as relayed by MOTLeedsNews, Leeds have sent scouts to watch Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi in action this season.

The report claims that the West Yorkshire outfit have made the centre-back one of their top targets heading into the summer transfer window, following their promotion to the Premier League.

It states that Marseille are looking for a fee in the region of £20m for the 26-year-old defender, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Whites are willing to pay that much money for him.

The outlet also reveals that the Argentina international, who currently plays under Roberto De Zerbi in France, would be interested in a move to England, which should come as a boost to Leeds in their pursuit of the £20m-rated star.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It is now down to Leeds to enter talks with Marseille, if they decide to press ahead with their interest in the Argentine ace, to wrap up a deal for Balerdi before any other teams enter the race for his signature.

If the Whites can get a move over the line for the Ligue 1 colossus in the summer transfer window, the right-footed titan could be Rio Ferdinand 2.0 for the club.

Why Balerdi could be the next Ferdinand for Leeds

As aforementioned, part of what made Ferdinand such a great signing for Leeds was that he was already an experienced player at the top level who could slot straight into the side.

Balerdi has played 161 times for Marseille, 124 times in Ligue 1, and has been capped six times by Argentina at international level, which shows that he has plenty of experience at the top level.

This means that Leeds would not be signing a young player with little experience in Europe’s major leagues and taking a big gamble on a promising gem, they would be signing a star who is ready to make an instant impact in the Premier League.

Balerdi’s performances in Ligue 1 for Marseille this season suggest that he could come in as an instant upgrade on Joe Rodon, despite the Welsh star’s solid showings in the Championship.

Appearances

24

46

Tackles per game

2.0

0.9

Interceptions per game

1.3

0.6

Duels won per game

5.0

4.4

Aerial duel success rate

65%

60%

Ball recoveries per game

6.1

4.0

As you can see in the table above, the Argentina international has made more defensive actions – recoveries, tackles, duels won, interceptions – per game than Rodon has on average, whilst also being more dominant in the air.

These statistics suggest that he could make an instant impact at Elland Road because he has already outperformed the Wales international at a higher level, which suggests that he could be an upgrade on him.

In March, De Zerbi described him as an “extraordinary” player and hoped that “big European teams” forgot about him in the summer transfer window.

This suggests that Leeds would also be signing a player who could be on the radar of ‘big’ European sides in the future, which could see him sold on for a profit further down the line if he is a success in the Premier League.

Better signing than Solomon: Leeds lining up move for £25m "machine"

Leeds United could land an even better signing than Manor Solomon by signing this £25m star.

ByDan Emery May 2, 2025

Balerdi could, therefore, arrive as Ferdinand 2.0 as a proven top-level centre-back who could hit the ground running before being sold to a huge club in the future for a profit on the £20m that could be spent on his services this summer.

Despite their mighty batting line-up, there’s something South Africa haven’t done well in ODIs of late, and that needs addressing fast

Vishal Dikshit23-Oct-20232:14

Markram on how South Africa will approach chases

Eight 300-plus scores this year. Six totals of over 300 in their last seven games, and two of them over 400. Three 300-plus scores this World Cup already, including a 229-run thrashing of the defending champions England. All this with the most explosive batting of the tournament so far.So where’s the catch?That, dear reader, is in the fact that all but one of those feats have come batting first.If you leave out their successful chase of 343 against England at home back in January, all their blazing batting performances have been recorded when batting first. And their three wins in this World Cup have also come when batting first.Related

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They were lucky in their last game, against England, where they lost the toss but still got to bat first, and hammered one short of another 400. Jos Buttler later admitted that England should have batted first in the sapping heat and humidity of Mumbai.South Africa have been out of their comfort zone chasing in ODIs this year. It was evident barely a week ago when they tried chasing down 246 (in 43 overs) in Dharamsala against Netherlands, the lowest-ranked and only Associate team at the World Cup, but just about managed to cross 200 to fall well short.It is a new pattern with South Africa. Before the loss to Netherlands, their last attempt to chase down a target was in early September against an Australian attack without Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, yet they lost by a massive 123 runs. Their last successful chase came against Netherlands in March this year, but the target was a modest 190, and the one before that was also in March, against West Indies, who failed to qualify for the World Cup.In short, South Africa’s mighty batting line-up has smashed a lot of runs batting first in 2023, but has struggled while chasing. And if they lose the flip of the coin on Tuesday afternoon against Bangladesh, they could very well be asked to field first in the unforgiving weather of Mumbai – and have to chase a stiff target, because Wankhede could yet again provide a flat deck, with short boundaries thrown in as a bonus.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Yeah, it’s more of an approach where we’re trying to… almost trying to approach it as if we’re still setting a target,” Aiden Markram, who was the captain in place of the injured Temba Bavuma in their last game, said on Monday of their chasing trend. “Although we are chasing in the game itself, to apply yourself as a batter and to get yourself in, doing it the same way as you would if you were setting a target. And then once you’re feeling in, to sort of try to understand the situation and what’s required of you at that certain time. And we have batted a lot and we haven’t chased a lot, so it’ll be a great challenge if we do get to chase tomorrow and try and implement what we’ve been chatting about off the field.”Chasing a target may not be the only challenge for South Africa on Tuesday. South Africa went down 2-1 in their last ODI series against Bangladesh, at home in March 2022, and their two losses to Bangladesh in World Cups – in 2007 and 2019 – also came while, guess what, batting second.”We haven’t done particularly well against them in the past, so that’s extra motivation for us to come out and replicate what was a good performance against England,” Markram said, “but more from an intensity level and a standards level, that’s something that we’re going to try to focus on and trust that if we take care of those sorts of things, hopefully it’s enough for us on the day.”They’re a fantastic team. If you don’t rock up on the day and if your skills let you down on the day against a team like Bangladesh you will be put under a lot of pressure. So that’s probably where we’ve got it wrong in the past. Naturally they bring a great attack that is well-rounded now. You can’t just say they’re going to bring fantastic spinners because their seamers have done a great job in the recent past. So, they’re a fantastic team.”South Africa found out early in this tournament – by losing their second consecutive World Cup game across formats to Netherlands – what an upset feels like. If they are thrown the challenge of chasing a stiff one on Tuesday, they would want to prove that their batters can shine under pressure too.

It was not a flawless innings, and by his own admission came to an end with a “very bad shot”, but he showed glimpses of what he could bring to India’s middle order

Shashank Kishore11-Feb-20223:19

Who’s in India’s middle order? Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, says Aakash Chopra

Between India’s semi-final exit at the 2019 World Cup and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, it appeared as if India had found their No. 4 in ODIs. In this period, Shreyas Iyer hit six half-centuries and a century in 11 innings, on surfaces ranging from the Caribbean to India and New Zealand.The hundred, his first in ODIs, at Seddon Park in Hamilton, was a terrific effort in dropping anchor and allowing KL Rahul to do the big hitting at the end. He had walked in at No. 4 with India having lost the openers inside 10 overs, and by the time he had finished, India were on their way to 350. They nearly got there.Related

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More than the hundred itself, his soaking up of pressure, strike rotation, and usage of the short boundary to his advantage stood out as he rebuilt the innings and enhanced his reputation. This should’ve been the start of a long run. Enter Covid-19, and nationwide lockdowns.Two years later, Iyer is once again in rebuild mode having spent much of the past year recovering from a shoulder injury that has not just cost him match-time with the Indian team but also perhaps his IPL captaincy. He is rebuilding not just an innings, like he did on Friday in top scoring with 80 in the third ODI against West Indies, but his white-ball career too.India are still searching for squad balance and a new batting blueprint. Of priority has been the search for batters in the top six who can bowl. Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya are currently missing, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda and Washington Sundar are all being tried out. This search has left batters like Iyer, who don’t bowl, in a middle-order jostle amid stifling competition. Virat Kohli and Rahul are certainties in the middle order. And so, it seems the tussle – even if it may not seem that way on the face of it – is between Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav.Having wasted three straight opportunities in South Africa, the ongoing ODI series against West Indies was going to be a big test. However, five days from the series, Iyer contracted Covid and was forced to miss the first two ODIs. With Suryakumar grabbing opportunities in both those games, a polished 64 in the second averting a batting collapse, Iyer needed a big knock to make his presence felt upon his return to the XI.Over the past week, much of the discussions around Iyer have revolved around the upcoming IPL auction, and how franchises could possibly break the bank for him. For Iyer, though, it was a matter of trying to shut out the noise and focus on the “controllables” that players often refer to. And on Friday, Iyer walked in with India in trouble with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having fallen in the same over.

“To be honest, I played a very bad shot. At that situation, I had 15 overs left in hand, so I was really disappointed with the shot I played. Obviously there’s something to think [about].”Shreyas Iyer on the shot that got him out

“It was not at all easy to bat [early on],” Iyer told host broadcaster Star Sports. “When I went in, the ball was swinging and seaming. Shikhar Dhawan and I decided to play closer to the body as much as possible, and see one or two odd balls if we get really loose, we will punish it. That’s what happened. They were also not sticking to one line, so we had an advantage [in] that. Fifty overs is a long format, and obviously you need to give yourself a little bit of time at the start and later on you can cover it up.”He walked out to a short-ball attack from the pacers. Iyer held his shape and got right behind the line. Twice, he was beaten by late, away movement. At one point, he was half-expecting the short ball to the extent that he wasn’t quite getting fully forward. Then when a full one came along, he inside edged to mid-on. Iyer should’ve been run out as Rishabh Pant turned his back on him but survived. Then as West Indies upped dot-ball pressure, Iyer backed away to try and scythe Odean Smith over point. It was a scratchy beginning.”It was two-paced but there was some extra bounce on it,” Iyer observed. “The cut shots that I usually tend to hit, I was missing it today. It was coming on really good onto the bat and it was quick as well. The bowlers were hitting hard lengths and were short. Definitely, they had come with a plan.”But, slowly, Iyer’s tentativeness gave way to some semblance of normalcy as Pant too got his eye in. The pair milked singles and set about repairing the innings. As Nicholas Pooran looked to get some overs of spin out of the way, Iyer shunned his impulsiveness. Without going into his shell, he nudged the ball around at a strike rate of 71.As he approached his half-century, the white-ball striker in him took over. The first signs of him being in his groove was a ramp over the cordon. When in full flow, this is a high-value shot for Iyer. This time, he was lucky to get away with it because third man had been placed a tad finer. Then, a ball later, Iyer played a gorgeous on-drive all along the ground.As the partnership veered towards a century, Iyer looked in ominous touch. Joseph was flicked mercilessly to the deep-square-leg boundary and then, in his next over, Iyer brought out the pull. From being tentative early on, he was starting to pick lengths early. He was getting into positions to cut and pull in a split-second. Iyer had seamlessly moved from second gear to fourth. Every time West Indies appeared to have control, Iyer picked up boundaries.He had started manipulating the fields expertly and hitting bowlers into gaps he was struggling to find early in the innings. And then all that handwork that raised hopes of a second ODI century was undone when he slapped Hayden Walsh straight to long-off. Iyer took an age to walk off, knowing fully well he had missed out on a great opportunity to build past a hundred.”To be honest, I played a very bad shot,” he said. “At that situation, I had 15 overs left in hand, so I was really disappointed with the shot I played. Obviously there’s something to think [about]. I had a brief chat with the coaches and my team-mates. There’s something to learn from this.”It wasn’t a flawless innings, but it was another reminder of the value he brings to India’s middle order.

Rafael Devers is trying to break the San Francisco Giants out of their frustrating, months-long slump, and took his team's collective frustration out on a baseball Sunday afternoon.

During the top of the third inning of the Giants' matchup with the New York Mets at Citi Field, Devers turned around a 94-mph fastball from Frankie Montas and launched it into the upper deck. It had the team's announcers in awe.

Video is below.

Officially, the ball came off the bat at 105.9 mph and went 403 feet, but that looks much farther than the official tally shows.

Since acquiring Devers from the Boston Red Sox on June 15, the Giants have the worst record in baseball at 14-26. The All-Star slugger has struggled to fit in with his new team. Entering Sunday, he had played 39 games with the Giants and was slashing .219/.322/.363 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. His fifth home run with the team sure was memorable.

Devers and the Giants are currently punishing the Mets 7-1, so maybe a breakout is on the horizon.

Meghalaya’s Akash Choudhary made history on Sunday, becoming only the third player in first-class cricket to smash six sixes in an over and scoring the fastest fifty in the format. He did so by hitting an unprecedented eight sixes in a row, en route to his 11-ball fifty.Primarily a seamer, Choudhary achieved the feat on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh in Surat. Coming in at No. 8 with Meghalaya 576 for 6, he began his innings with a dot and two singles before smashing six sixes off left-arm spinner Limar Dabi in the 126th over of the innings. Thus, he joined an elite club that previously included only Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri. Mike Procter had also hit six consecutive sixes but across two overs.Choudhary continued his onslaught in the next over as well, hitting offspinner TNR Mohith for two back-to-back sixes to bring up his fifty. He broke the previous record – off 12 balls by Leicestershire’s Wayne White against Essex in 2012 – by one ball. Choudhary’s was also the second-fastest fifty in first-class cricket in terms of time taken (where data is available). He took nine minutes. The record belongs to Clive Inman, who took eight minutes for his 13-ball half-century for Leicestershire against Nottinghamshire in 1965.