Shohei Ohtani might not be performing up to his lofty standards at the dish thus far for the Dodgers this postseason, but there was a welcome—and rare—sight at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night.

For the first time since March, Ohtani was out on the field taking batting practice, and the Dodgers star not only got some extra hacks in, but put on a show in the process.

Ohtani's batting practice session got off to a slow start, to the amusement of his Dodgers teammates.

But it's not how you start, it's how you finish. And on one of Ohtani's last BP swings, he crushed a ball out of Dodger Stadium. The home run caromed off the top of the roof in the pavilion section en route to traveling all the way out of the park.

Even though it came in a practice session, the homer had to be a good sight for the Dodgers, given that Ohtani hasn't gone yard since Game 1 of the wild-card round against the Reds, when he belted two homers. The presumptive 2025 National League MVP has struck out 12 times in his last 25 at-bats, collecting just a pair of hits in that span as the likes of the Phillies and Brewers have been determined to either attack Ohtani with a steady diet of breaking balls or not let him beat them by intentionally walking the slugger.

Perhaps a return to Dodger Stadium, as evidenced by one batting practice swing, will be good for Ohtani. Game 3 of the NLDS is set for Thursday at 6:08 p.m. ET.

Manchester United desperately needed attacking reinforcements during the summer window, after netting just 44 league goals in the Premier League during 2024/25.

Ruben Amorim wanted an overhaul in such a department, with incomings and outgoings needed to help change the club’s fortunes in England’s top-flight.

INEOS went into the transfer market and spent around £200m on an attacking trio of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, whilst allowing the likes of Rasmus Hojlund to depart.

Mbeumo has already wasted no time in hitting the ground running at Old Trafford, as seen by his tally of five goals in his first 12 league outings – the most of any player in the squad.

However, that hasn’t stopped the board from targeting added reinforcements, with numerous attacking talents still on the club’s radar ahead of the January window.

The latest on United’s hunt for reinforcements in January

Over the last couple of days, United have once again been touted with a move to land Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo in the upcoming window.

The Red Devils are just one side who are currently in the race for the Cherries star, with the Ghanaian international currently having a £65m release clause in his deal at the Vitality.

However, Amorim’s men aren’t alone in their pursuit of the 25-year-old, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur all keeping a close eye on his situation at present.

He’s not the only attacker currently on their radar, with Borussia Dortmund talisman Serhou Guirassy another option being targeted by INEOS and Amorim ahead of January.

According to Sky Sports in Germany, United have been offered a €50m (£44m) deal to land the Guinean international, after his release clause became active.

It also states that Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City are just a handful of teams who can activate such a clause, but it’s unclear if the player himself would entertain a winter move.

Why United’s latest target would be Amorim’s own Haaland

Erling Haaland is a player who many United supporters have envied over recent years, with the Norwegian talisman constantly providing the goods for local rivals Manchester City.

It could have been so different, especially considering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pleaded with the board to sign him during his tenure in charge at Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old has since moved to the Etihad, with such a transfer allowing the forward to take his career to the next level – as seen by his remarkable goalscoring record since his move in 2022.

Haaland has racked up a staggering 143 goals in just 163 appearances, including a mind-boggling 22 goals in just 21 outings across all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s men.

During his time in England, he’s played against the Red Devils on nine separate occasions, finding the net eight times – with such a record one of the best for teams he’s faced.

However, Amorim could be about to land his own version of Haaland with a winter deal to land Guirassy, with the pair possessing numerous similarities.

Both would have moved to the Premier League from Bundesliga side Dortmund, whilst both have showcased their phenomenal goalscoring feats in recent years.

When comparing their respective stats from the current campaign, the Guinean international has managed to outperform the City star in key areas despite his own record in front of goal.

Guirassy, who’s been dubbed “one of the best strikers in Europe” by Lothar Matthaus, may have been outscored to date, but has posted a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate.

Games played

10

12

Goals & assists

6

15

Shot on target accuracy

59%

57%

Pass accuracy

72%

64%

Passes into final third

1.1

0.6

Carries into final third

0.8

0.7

Aerials won

2.9

2.6

Fouls won

1.3

0.7

Such a tally highlights his impressive ability in the final third, arguably taking advantage of more of the opportunities that have fallen his way in front of goal this season.

The Dortmund star has completed more passes this campaign, with more of his efforts being made into the final third – which could hand the United side an added creative threat in attacking areas.

His all-round dominance over Haaland is further reflected in his higher tally of carries into the final third and aerials won per 90 – both of which would improve the Red Devils’ attack tenfold.

£44m for a player of his quality in the current market would be an excellent deal for a striker who has consistently found the back of the net in the last few years.

Should he get anywhere near the levels produced by Haaland in the Premier League, it would be a sensational deal and one that could help Amorim in his quest for success.

Best January deal since Bruno: INEOS make PL "warrior" Man Utd's top target

Manchester United have a new top target ahead of the January transfer window.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 29, 2025

South Africa started the day staring at defeat, only 63 ahead with three wickets in hand, but registered a stunning win, their first in India in 15 years and the second-smallest successful defence in Asia. The whooping and cheering among the South Africa players echoed amid a shocked Sunday crowd at Eden Gardens as the visitors bowled India out for 93 in the absence of their injured captain Shubman Gill.Temba Bavuma was ever present, scoring the only half-century of the match and taking South Africa to a lead of 123 on a pitch with extravagant sideways movement and variance in bounce. He was helped a little by some ordinary spin bowling on the third morning, but he had earned the errors after defending resolutely on the second evening.Related

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• Stats – South Africa's first win in India since 2010

The target of 124 was always going to be tricky with Simon Harmer outbowling India’s spinners in the country where he had a forgettable tour in 2015-16. The uneven bounce made Marco Jansen a handful, causing the double jeopardy you need to defend small totals.India began the day in the ascendance but not with bowlers likeliest to take a wicket. Axar Patel opening the day was a surprise, and as the singles flowed with ease you could sense panic. Rishabh Pant, who had been excellent with his rotation of bowlers and field placements on the second evening, began to change bowlers too quickly and also took a desperate review against Bavuma when Ravindra Jadeja had clearly pitched outside leg from over the wicket.That Jadeja was bowling over the wicket in itself was a sign of desperation when all you really needed to do on this surface was bowl a good length and shut the scoring. Jadeja, who until day two was the best player of the match, just struggled to maintain that length and bowled seven overs for 21 runs. Washington Sundar, one of the three spinners in the last four home Tests, was not used at all.Temba Bavuma and Corbin Bosch added crucial runs in the morning•Getty Images

Bavuma’s defence found an ally in Corbin Bosch’s big hits, which he deployed mainly against Kuldeep Yadav. The two added an invaluable 44 for the eighth wicket, 25 of which came off Bosch’s bat. Eventually it was the fast bowlers that kept India alive. Jasprit Bumrah hit the top of Bosch’s off, and Mohammed Siraj, in only his second over of the innings, got the better of Harmer and Keshav Maharaj with reverse swing.It was always going to be a tough target on this pitch, but India had hope in South Africa’s selection of only two spinners, one of whom, Maharaj, had gone for 16-1-66-1 in the first innings. Jansen, though, stunned them at the start in his first two overs to send back the openers. Both these balls jumped off a length, got big on the batters, and took the outside edge.Simon Harmer was unplayable at times•BCCI

Washington, India’s newest No. 3, played resolutely again, mirroring the first half of Bavuma’s innings and facing the most balls in the match, but as it tends to happen on these pitches, Dhruv Jurel put a long hop into the hands of deep midwicket. The ball did stop on him as it tends to happen on these pitches.Harmer might have got on the board with this fortunate wicket, but he bowled beautifully to earn that stroke of luck. Ten years after a crushing tour of India, he is back a much-improved bowler. He could change his trajectory subtly, most of the times able to bowl a good length at different paces. It showed in how he completely tied up the most dangerous batter in the India line-up, Pant, and eventually earned a return catch with dip and turn.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

At 38 for 4, Washington and Jadeja added 26 runs, looked comfortable, but this is when Jadeja’s old-school method of defending with the bat behind the pad came back to haunt him. Just like in the first innings. Once again out lbw pad-first to Harmer, Jadeja ended forgettably a Test he had been largely good in, one during which he became only the fourth man to take 300 wickets and score 4000 runs.Aiden Markram reminded India of the nightmare Glenn Phillips had been on lottery pitches last year when he came on and finally got the edge of a distraught Washington, who scored 31 off 92 to go with his 29 in the first innings. Harmer then spun one past Kuldeep when he slowed it down tantalisingly.At 77 for 7, India were left needing a miracle from Axar, who threatened one when Bavuma gave him a sighter against Maharaj. He hit two sixes and a four, but when he happened to mishit he found a calm Bavuma making a difficult over-the-shoulder catch look ridiculously easy.Siraj lasted only one ball, triggering wild celebrations, the loudest from Kagiso Rabada, who has tasted only defeat on two previous tours of India and was missing this Test with a rib injury.

Harry Kane’s unique talent has been explained by Wes Brown in an exclusive interview with GOAL. The Bayern Munich striker is one of the most fearsome No.9s in world football, with the record books being rewritten in domestic and international competition. Kane is currently waiting to discover who England will face in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

England's GOAT: Kane closing in on more records

He will, fitness permitting, head into that tournament as captain of the Three Lions. Kane is a talismanic presence for his country, with his historic haul of goals being raised to 78 through 112 games. He is also just 14 caps short of beating Peter Shilton’s all-time appearance record.

That bar is expected to be raised in the not too distant future, with many suggesting that Kane should now be considered England’s GOAT. If he were to capture a major trophy with the Three Lions – bringing 60 years of pain to a close – then it would be difficult to argue against that standing being enjoyed.

England will be leaning heavily on their skipper next summer – after seeing him hit eight goals in a faultless qualification campaign – with it seemingly imperative that he is fit and firing when another bid for global glory begins.

AdvertisementTalismanic figure: Could England win without Kane?

Quizzed on whether England could win the World Cup without Kane, ex-Manchester United and Three Lions defender Brown – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “It would be very difficult. Harry Kane has been so good because he knows where to be. It’s the same as [Cristiano] Ronaldo in the sense that ‘we’re not as young now, but’.

“I marked Harry Kane a few times, it was at Sunderland. Honestly, for the majority of the game you think you are absolutely fine. It sounds really weird but you can ask many people: Who would you rather play against, a really fast young guy who is trying to run everywhere, into corners and doing 800 stepovers, or play against Harry Kane? The weird thing is, you might think Harry Kane. But the problem is that Harry Kane will leave with a goal on that day. How? I don’t know, but he will because he’s clever and he knows what to do and where to be. Is he running all over the place? No, I don’t think he has ever done that. When he gets in the box and you take your eye off him for a second, he’s in the right spot and he will score. Sometimes you go home thinking ‘I don’t know how he scored today’. It’s hard to explain. There are players that can do that. You’re like ‘I’m not that tired, I’ve not been running everywhere, he’s done his job when needed, held it up, turned, and all of a sudden he has scored!’

“He’s a player that you definitely need in that squad, 100 per cent. With that experience now, doing it in Germany as well. I’m not saying we won’t score without him, but he 100 per cent starts for me and is captain.”

Getty Images

Special precautions: England need Kane to be fit & firing

Another former England star, Kane’s ex-Tottenham team-mate Fraizer Campbell, recently told GOAL when the same question was put to him: “It’s a difficult one. You have got [Ollie] Watkins, who is a quality player but he’s not in the same bracket as Harry Kane yet. It would be an issue.

“We have got a lot of good, technical 10s who could potentially play higher up the pitch like a false nine. [Marcus] Rashford has played No.9 before and he’s doing well this season. It would be a big miss for us, but we would have to cope somehow. Maybe come the start of next year we just wrap him in cotton wool and tell him not to play too much for Bayern!”

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GettyWorld Cup draw: England to discover group stage opponents

That may be the best solution, with Kane having surged beyond 100 goals for Bayern this season – on the back of breaking his trophy duck in Germany last term when becoming a Bundesliga title winner.

He is now chasing down more medals with club and country and England will discover their 2026 World Cup group stage opponents when the draw takes place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

The Ashes can wait for now as white-ball campaign prepares to get underway in Christchurch

Cameron Ponsonby16-Oct-2025Christchurch. The city of scooters.Contrary to popular belief, not everything runs smoothly in New Zealand. The Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, for instance. A $500 million major sports complex was scheduled for completion in 2015, but when you walk past the site that’s a kilometre down the road from Hagley Oval, the builders are still there. A flat white occasionally takes four minutes to arrive rather than three – and cricket is being played in October.This month’s T20I against Australia, on October 1, was the earliest New Zealand had ever played a home international. Two weeks later, Wellington and Otago are currently playing a pre-season friendly, even though the start of the domestic season is still over a week away. The only team playing competitive cricket in New Zealand currently, is New Zealand. The scooters are good though.But if the timing of this series is considered far too early, and the construction of the local swimming pool considered far too late, then the vibes and morale in both camps is just right.Unusually, in such a crammed cricketing calendar, both sides managed to carve out quality time together in the lead-up to their showdown, which will consist of three T20Is followed by three ODIs. England were down in Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, with bungee jumps, skydiving and jet boats available to all.”I was just playing golf,” said Harry Brook.Meanwhile, New Zealand were in Hanmer Springs. An idyllic location consisting of thermal pools, hiking and quiet pubs where the team could get to know one another, and new head coach Rob Walter, that bit better. There are also, at the thermal pools, waterslides.”They got a hammering,” said former No.1-ranked T20I bowler, Jacob Duffy.Jordan Cox will be given a chance at No.7 after his maiden fifty against Ireland•PA Photos/Getty ImagesConditions in Christchurch, where the first two T20Is will be played, are mixed. The mornings and afternoons consist of a strong sun and a jumper wrapped around your waist, while the evenings require multiple layers all at once. The wind that whips round Hagley Oval isn’t for the faint-hearted, and the night-time T20Is will see hands shoved in pockets and jumpers required for players and spectators alike.But, in an oddity of the modern bilateral series, both teams are at close to full strength. Injuries, rather than rest and rotation, are the core reason for any absence. England have left Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Jofra Archer at home until the ODIs, but otherwise captain Brook has his full deck to play with.”We’ve got a great opportunity here against a very strong side to go out there and try and capitalise on the momentum we’ve already made,” Brook said. “The last game we played together as a full group, we got 300.”Because of England’s recent ODI woes, it is easy to forget that in T20Is they have been strong, losing only one of their last seven bilateral series. Similarly, New Zealand’s recent T20I record is excellent. The recent defeat to Australia aside, they have lost just one of their previous 11 bilateral series. While a lack of context remains the perennial problem for these series, quality is one thing that the coming week won’t be lacking.As has become customary with this England side, they named their team a full two-and-a-half days before the start, with Sam Curran and Jordan Cox the notable inclusions at No. 6 and 7 respectively.Related

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Curran, previously unfavoured by the McCullum regime, will play a full role as an allrounder, as he has also been included as the fifth bowler. While Cox, off the back of winning the PCA Player of the Year award, will play an unfamiliar finisher role to stake his claim for a place at the World Cup. Jos Buttler, who went down with a stomach bug on the journey over, is now fully fit and will open the batting and keep wicket.England are at pains to stress that the focus of this series … is this series. A bit of T20 World Cup preparation, yes, but the Ashes will come later. And while they may mean it, it’s hard to imagine they really believe it. How could they?Gus Atkinson, for instance – who is not part of the white-ball squads – arrived today to begin his individual preparation to take on Australia, while Mark Wood and Josh Tongue are due to land next week to do the same.They will work with bowling consultant Tim Southee, the former Kiwi legend who has been part of England’s coaching staff over the summer. He had been expected to leave his role following this series and not be part of the Ashes coaching squad. However, this looks subject to change with Southee currently earmarked to stay with the group in Perth for the warm-up against the Lions and for the first Test before leaving to play in the ILT20.”It’s something I’d love to be a part of,” Southee told talkSPORT. “But obviously there’s a few things to go through first.”New Zealand are boosted by the return of Rachin Ravindra and captain Mitchell Santner, but are still missing several players through injury including Finn Allen, Adam Milne, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips and Lockie Ferguson. Kane Williamson and Ben Sears are also absent.”I think we missed him last series,” Duffy said of his captain Santner, whose return has seen Ish Sodhi miss out on selection. “Not only his four overs, but his leadership too. There’s still a few guys missing out, but to have a couple big more horses in the tanks is not going to hurt us.”Even with their number of injuries, New Zealand’s pace attack remains daunting, with Duffy backed by the likes of Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Zak Foulkes. The exciting Bevon Jacobs, who was picked up by Mumbai Indians just under a year ago, before he’d even made his international debut, is also expected to feature.All in all, whether it’s October or not, the contest is well poised and an exciting series of high-quality cricket awaits. And that can never be too early in the year.England XI: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Tom Banton, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Jordan Cox, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Luke Wood.

The match went down to the wire, but with three needed for a win and two for a tie, Sophie Ecclestone was run out off the final ball

AAP07-Dec-2025Ellyse Perry smashed her way to the best score of her WBBL career as Sydney Sixers secured a thrilling one-run win to book their first appearance in a finals series in three years.Facing Adelaide Strikers in a straight shootout for a spot in the finals, Perry looked to have all but wrapped up Sixers’ berth when her side batted first at North Sydney Oval on Sunday and finished on 173 for 4.Opener Perry crunched 111 off 71 balls, which included three sixes and 16 fours.But a late surge from Strikers, led by Bridget Patterson, meant the game went down to the wire with the Adelaide side requiring three runs for a win off the final ball. Sophie Ecclestone was run out as she chased a second run that would have sent the match to a Super Over, handing Sixers victory.