Lionel Messi has been caught on camera speaking English, quelling a long-standing rumor that he has not learned the language. The Argentine superstar has been plying his trade in the United States since 2023. He was captured putting his language skills to the test in footage obtained by the match referee during the 2025 MLS Cup final.

Messi's career: From Barcelona to Miami via PSG

Messi spent 21 years tied to La Liga giants Barcelona, having joined their academy ranks as a teenager. There were no language barriers to break down there, with the record books being rewritten in Catalunya by the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

He headed to Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in 2021, but spent only two years in the French capital and had no real need to communicate with locals. Having endured a tough time at Parc des Princes, the American dream was chased when accepting an offer from David Beckham and Co.

AdvertisementWatch Messi caught on ref cam speaking English

Trophy No.48: Messi is the most decorated player of all-time

Messi, alongside wife Antonela and their three sons, settled quickly in South Florida. He has enhanced his standing as the most decorated player of all-time. Having inspired Inter Miami to Leagues Cup and Supporters’ Shield triumphs, major trophy No.48 was obtained when savouring a historic MLS Cup success.

As captain of the Herons, one of Messi’s responsibilities is to interact with match officials. There are plenty of teammates who are happy to do tthe alking for him, but the evergreen 38-year-old also wants to get his message across.

Ref cam video from a cup final date with Vancouver proves that the World Cup-winning GOAT can express himself in basic English when required. He is seen debating one decision as he asks: “No foul?”

AFPThree more years! Messi signed Inter Miami contract extension

Messi is clearly not confident enough to carry out interviews in English, but he knows enough to get by. He also has several more years in Miami through which to widen his vocabulary.

A contract extension with the reigning kings of American soccer is set to keep him in his current surroundings until 2028. More trophies will be chased down in that time, with the expectation being that the mercurial No.10 will form part of Argentina’s World Cup title defence in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

Spinner revealed last week that England had released him from his deal after Ashes omission

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2025

Jack Leach has signed a contract extension with Somerset after revealing that he has been released from his England central contract.Leach has played 39 Tests for England, most recently on their tour to Pakistan a year ago, and was the only spinner to take 50 County Championship wickets this season. But he has slipped down the pecking order to the extent that England have opted to take the allrounder Will Jacks to Australia as their back-up spin option ahead of him.He has been centrally contracted since the start of the 2021-22 winter but will fall back onto his county deal with Somerset next year. Leach was already under contract with his hometown club until the end of next season, but the county announced on Monday that he has now signed a two-year extension until the end of 2028.Related

Shoaib Bashir set to leave Somerset when contract expires

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Nathan Lyon: 'In my eyes, Jack Leach is still England's best spinner'

Jack Leach masterclass plunges Hampshire into deeper trouble

England have not yet announced their central contracts for 2025-26, but Leach told the BBC last week that he had been informed by managing director Rob Key that his deal would not be renewed. “My contract was up, so he obviously told me that and at the same time, said about the Ashes squad and that I wasn’t going to be in it,” Leach said.”I was gutted about that. That was really my aim for the summer, and it wasn’t to be, so [now] it’s time to reflect and try to keep getting better and get myself back in there… I don’t know from their point of view whether they have completely moved past me, but I believe I’m still getting better and I need to keep showing that in county cricket.”Shoaib Bashir, who has leapfrogged Leach to become England’s first-choice spinner, is widely expected to leave Somerset after he did not feature for them in any format this season. He is likely to retain his central contract for 2025-26, meaning that the ECB – rather than whichever county he joins – will pay his salary.Elsewhere, Sussex have announced the signing of batting allrounder Jack Leaning from Kent on a three-year contract, while legspinning allrounder Calvin Harrison has signed a permanent deal with Northamptonshire after impressing on loan from Nottinghamshire earlier this year.

Dylan Cease became the first big free agent to sign this offseason, agreeing with the Blue Jays on a seven-year, $210 million contract Wednesday. The deal makes the former Padre one of the highest-paid pitchers in the sport as he now earns a salary of $30 million per year.

Though Cease has had his share of inconsistencies, starting pitchers are the most valuable position in the sport and there are only so many with his talent level available. As such, he was able to cash in with a huge deal. After Cease, there are a number of pitchers that also could sign big deals in the coming years, including teammate Michael King, Ranger Suarez and most notably, two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

Now that Cease has agreed to sign with the Blue Jays, here’s a look at MLB’s highest-paid pitchers.

Who is the highest-paid pitcher in MLB?

The highest-paid pitcher is Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who earns a massive $70 million a year. Ohtani is of course also a designated hitter and four-time MVP, which is why his contract is so much bigger than any other pitcher.

Between pitchers who do not also hit, Phillies’ Zack Wheeler is the highest-paid starter on an annual basis.

Top 10 highest-paid pitchers in MLB

Here are the top-10 highest-paid pitchers in MLB ranked by annual salary.

Pitcher

Team

Annual Salary

Total Contract Value

Shohei Ohtani*

Dodgers

$70 million

$700 million

Zack Wheeler

Phillies

$42 million

$126 million

Jacob deGrom

Rangers

$37 million

$185 million

Blake Snell

Dodgers

$36.4 million

$182 million

Gerrit Cole

Yankees

$36 million

$324 million

Corbin Burnes

Diamondbacks

$35 million

$210 million

Dylan Cease

Blue Jays

$30 million

$210 million

Garrett Crochet

Red Sox

$28.333 million

$170 million

Tyler Glasnow

Dodgers

$27.312 million

$136.562 million

Max Fried

Yankees

$27.25 million

$218 million

Cease’s contract with the Blue Jays makes him the seventh-highest paid pitcher annually and tied for the fifth-highest based on total value. Since free agency began last year in 2024, Cease, Snell, Burnes, Crochet and Fried have all signed massive deals that have made them some of the league’s highest-paid pitchers.

Cease is notably the only player on the above list that has not made an All-Star Game. Though he has loads of talent, he has been inconsistent, going 8–12 with a 4.55 ERA in 2025.

How pitcher salaries have changed over time

Salaries for baseball players and pitchers have exponentially grown over time, and especially since the 1970s. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the highest-paid players were making low six figures. In 1979, Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan became MLB’s first player to earn at least $1 million in a season when he signed with the Astros on a four-year, $4.5 million deal.

By the late 1990s, pitchers like Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux were commanding upwards of $10 million per year. That number rose to over $20 million a decade later for Johan Santana, and even surpassed $30 million in the 2010s for pitchers like Zach Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. MLB’s top pitchers are primarily making between $30-$40 million per year still.

How pitcher salaries compare to other positions

Top starting pitchers are among the highest-paid players in baseball. Wheeler is MLB’s third-highest paid player on an annual basis, behind only Ohtani and Juan Soto, who makes an average of $51 million per season as part of his 15-year pact with the Mets. Of the 10 highest-paid players in MLB, five are pitchers––not including Ohtani.

Despite not being in the lineup every day, typically only playing once every five to six games, quality starting pitching is hard to come by, and thus top of the line starters are rewarded handsomely. Starters typically appear in a little more than 30 games per season, barring injury, whereas players like Soto, Aaron Judge, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Mike Trout, all of whom command huge contracts and rightfully so, are expected to play almost every game.

The Yankees fell short of the ultimate goal again when they were eliminated by the Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday.

New York fell in a 2-0 hole after the series opened in Toronto and battled back to take Game 3 on Tuesday, only to watch its season end with a 5-2 loss in Game 4 on Wednesday night. After the game, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone was asked if he has any doubts about his future in New York after he finished his eighth year managing the team.

"No, I'm under contract," he said. "I don't expect anything."

Before the regular season, the Yankees announced they had reached a two-year contract extension with Boone to keep him as their manager through the 2027 season. He remains confident his team will eventually break through and win the franchise's first World Series since '09.

"I believe in so many people in that room," he said postgame via SNY. "That hasn't changed, the fire hasn't changed. It's hard to win the World Series, been chasing it all my life."

The Yankees went 94-68 in the regular season, tying the Blue Jays for the best record in the AL, but they were given the first wild-card spot because Toronto held the tiebreaker. They had a chance to put the Blue Jays behind them, but Toronto's home-field advantage and high-powered offense was too much to overcome. Boone admitted it wasn't the easiest year for him personally, but he expects to be back in the Bronx next season and make a run at the World Series full force.

"This has been a tough year for me personally," he mentioned Wednesday via Fox. "But all you go through to become this team you think can really do something special and for it to abruptly end is always difficult."

Winning at least 90 games in six of his eight seasons as the Yankees' skipper, Boone is still in search of that elusive World Series.

انتهت منافسات الجولة الأولى من المجموعة الثانية ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الرابطة.

وتلقى بيراميدز خسارة ثقيلة أمام البنك الأهلي بنتيجة 6-1  على أرضية استاد السلام، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الأولى من مرحلة المجموعات لـ كأس الرابطة.

ترتيب مجموعة الزمالك في كأس الرابطة بعد التعادل مع كهرباء الإسماعيلية

وتقام منافسات بطولة كأس رابطة الأندية في نسختها الخامسة، بعد أن أقيمت 4 نسخ من قبل، توج بها فيوتشر في المرة الأولى وسيراميكا كليوباترا حصل عليها 3 مرات متتالية.

واستطاع فريق الجونة الفوز أمام الإسماعيلي بنتيجة ,3-1، في المواجهة التي جمعت بينهما مساء أمس الأربعاء.

في نفس المجموعة حقق بتروجيت الفوز على وادي دجلة بهدفين مقابل هدف  ليحصد أول ثلاث نقاط.  ترتيب مجموعة بيراميدز في كأس الرابطة

1-البنك الأهلي: 3 نقاط

2-الجونة: 3 نقاط 

3- بتروجيت 3 نقاط

4-مودرن سبورت 0 نقاط

5-وادي دجلة: 0 نقاط

6-الإسماعيلي: 0 نقاط 7-بيراميدز: 0 نقاط

MatériaMais Notícias

“Chosen”, a inscrição na tradicional faixa usada por Memphis nos jogos, significa “escolhido” em português. A palavra simboliza a confiança do holandês, que voltou a ser decisivo pelo Corinthians ao marcar o gol da vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Cruzeiro, no Mineirão, no jogo de ida da semifinal da Copa do Brasil.

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O atacante balançou a rede 11 vezes pelo Timão nesta temporada. Não é o artilheiro da equipe, posto que pertence a Yuri Alberto, com 18 gols, mas Memphis vem ganhando destaque por aparecer nos grandes jogos.

Além do gol marcado na semifinal da Copa do Brasil, o camisa 10 também decidiu o clássico contra o Palmeiras, quando anotou o gol da vitória por 1 a 0 na Neo Química Arena, em julho, pelo jogo de ida das oitavas de final. Mais tarde, o Corinthians voltaria a vencer o rival por 2 a 0, no Allianz Parque, garantindo vaga nas quartas.

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Frequentemente contestado por suas atuações, Memphis chega à reta final da temporada em alta. Recentemente, marcou um golaço, com direito a caneta no zagueiro, na vitória por 3 a 1 sobre o São Paulo, pelo Brasileirão, resultado que encerrou um jejum de dois anos sem triunfos no Majestoso. Após o duelo contra o Cruzeiro, o holandês ainda se declarou à torcida do Corinthians.

– O Corinthians é muito grande. Eles (torcida) sabem o quão importante eles são. Eles nos carregam durante o jogo, em casa será ainda mais. Eles são muito importantes para nós. Nós jogamos por eles, porque eles nos dão tudo. Nós queremos ganhar este título por eles – disse o jogador a transmissão da Amazon Prime.

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

Gols de Memphis pelo Corinthians em 202511 golsPor campeonato:6 – Brasileirão2 – Copa do Brasil2 – Paulista1 – Copa Sul-AmericanaPor adversário:2x vs Sport1x vs Cruzeiro1x vs São Paulo1x vs Grêmio1x vs Palmeiras1x vs Botafogo1x vs América de Cali1x vs Vasco1x vs Mirassol1x vs São Bernardo

*Dados levantados pelo SofaScore Br

Tudo sobre

Copa do BrasilCorinthiansDepayFutebol Nacionalmemphis depay

With the January transfer window only a few weeks away, Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl will already be thinking about the positions that he wants to strengthen in.

There are several areas of the squad that could do with improvement ahead of the second half of the season, given that the Gers are nine points adrift of first place, and attacking midfielder is one of those positions.

Thelo Aasgaard was brought in from Luton in the summer transfer window, as one of 12 arrivals, and the number ten has failed to deliver regular quality on the pitch, with as many red cards (one) as goals (one).

The Norway international has produced one goal and one assist in 22 appearances, per Transfermarkt for Rangers, and his assist was a simple pass to Djeidi Gassama, who raced forward and scored from distance against Dundee.

Rangers told to sign Championship star in January

Now, the Light Blues have been predicted to make a move to re-sign one of their former players, who would arrive at Ibrox as an upgrade on Aasgaard.

Transfer Focus

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

Speaking on Clyde Superscoreboard, as relayed by The Scottish Sun, Livingston first-team coach Marvin Bartley has tipped Rangers to bring Joe Aribo back to the club in the January transfer window.

When asked about a possible deal, Bartley said: “I think that is one that could happen.”

“When a player enjoys somewhere, and obviously he had to leave because it was a really good offer that he got down the road, and he has not played as much football as he wanted to play. He is still a really, really good footballer and did well for Rangers. I wouldn’t be massively shocked if he came back in January.”

The Scottish Sun explains that Aribo is reportedly set to leave Southampton, whom he joined from Rangers for £10m in 2022, and could be available for a fee of £1.5m, amid interest from teams in Turkey.

Why Rangers should bring Joe Aribo back to Ibrox

For a fee of £1.5m, a deal to bring the Nigeria international back to Ibrox seems like a no-brainer on paper, because he still has plenty left to give at the age of 29 and has already proven himself in a Rangers shirt.

Plenty of players, most recently Steven Davis, Leon Balogun, and Allan McGregor, have returned for second spells in Glasgow, so it is not out of the ordinary for the club to re-sign one of their former stars.

Aribo’s current availability, as he has not started a league game for Southampton this season, provides the Light Blues with the perfect chance to bring him back for a fraction of the fee they raked in for him in 2022.

The left-footed star is a proven performer in Scottish football. During his time at Ibrox, the 29-year-old midfielder scored 26 goals and provided 25 assists in 149 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

This shows that the £70k-per-week ace offered a regular threat at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Ibrox giants, whilst playing as a central midfielder, as an attacking midfielder, or on the right wing.

As you can see in the table above, Aribo was as impressive at scoring goals as he was at creating them in the Premiership during his three season stint in Glasgow, which shows that he knows how to deliver quality in the top-flight.

Aasgaard, however, has failed to show that he has what it takes to be a consistent and reliable performer for Rangers in any competition, let alone the Premiership, which is why Rohl should be looking for an upgrade on him in January.

Aribo, who Ezri Konsa said has a “languid” style, has scored nine goals in 111 matches for Southampton to date, per Transfermarkt. He has not been as prolific as he was for the Gers, but 53 of those games came in the Premier League against high-quality opposition.

However, returning to the Premiership could reignite his career because it is a level that he is comfortable at and knows how to perform in, as evidenced by his time with the Gers before he moved to England.

Rohl must replace Rangers star who's having an "amazing time" at Ibrox

Danny Rohl must replace this Glasgow Rangers star when the January transfer window opens for business.

By
Dan Emery

3 days ago

Therefore, Aribo could return to Ibrox as a big upgrade on Aasgaard in the number ten position as a player who can deliver goals and assists, to win crucial points for the team, on a regular basis, whilst the Norwegian has struggled on both fronts.

It would be fair to say that it has not been the ideal week for Danny Rohl and Rangers, with the new boss already in danger of falling into Russell Martin territory at Ibrox.

Having failed to beat ten-man Braga a week ago, the Gers have since slipped to two frustrating draws against Falkirk and Dundee United, the latter of which was only rescued following a last-gasp Nedim Bajrami spot-kick on Wednesday night.

At a time of initial chaos at Celtic following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation, alongside a recent slump for Premiership leaders Hearts, the Light Blues have failed to capitalise, now finding themselves still nine points off the pace in fourth spot.

Of course, much of the blame will lie at the feet of the departed Kevin Thelwell and co, following a simply bizarre summer of recruitment, although Rohl himself should not be free of criticism amid his continued, head-scratching selection decisions.

Rangers' worst performers against Dundee United

After the highs of scoring his first Rangers goal against Livingston not too long ago, Emmanuel Fernandez was brought crashing back down to earth following arguably his worst display for the club to date in midweek, having been particularly at fault for the hosts’ opener.

The 24-year-old simply allowed goalscorer Zachary Sapsford to breeze past him down that left flank, while his overall woes were evident as he lost eight of his 18 total duels, as per Sofascore, alongside the hapless Nasser Djiga.

All eyes are on that struggling backline, although the attacking unit must also shoulder their share of the blame, with Bojan Miovski’s early Rangers woes continuing, having scored just once in the league following his arrival from Girona.

A former hero at Aberdeen – and at one stage lauded as the “best player” in the Premiership in his position – the 26-year-old has yet to fire in his new surroundings, with his inability to provide a physical focal point laid bare after losing eight duels himself against the Tangerines.

The man behind him, Danilo, was also notably ineffective, having failed to convert any of his five shots, while Djeidi Gassama was also lacking on the flanks, having lost the ball 20 times from just 56 touches.

A moment of magic from Jayden Meghoma, alongside Bajrami’s 98th-minute penalty, helped to spare most of those blushes somewhat, although heading into a hectic festive schedule, Rohl must surely ring the changes.

On the evidence again of Wednesday night, the aforementioned Djiga must well be one of them – and not just in the short-term.

The Rangers star who must not start again under Rohl

As the old saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Chalkboard

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

As harsh as it may be, we are approaching similar territory with regard to Djiga, with the on-loan Wolverhampton Wanderers man again looking so underpar at Tannadice.

Calamity after calamity has been the theme of his Ibrox stint to date, memorably sent off on his home Premiership debut against Dundee, while going AWOL in the desperate defeat at Club Brugge in the early weeks of the season.

Too many errors to count, in truth, with the 23-year-old again somewhat culpable last night, having failed to engage with that man Sapsford, as the Dundee goalscorer surged into the area.

For the home side’s second of the night, Djiga was also again at the scene of the crime, tamely turning his back as Amar Fatah weaved his way through to score.

Quite why Rohl – albeit while limited with regard to alternatives – is persisting with the summer signing is to be debated, with the defender’s woes also seen in how he failed to register a single tackle or interception, nor provide a single key pass from his centre-back berth.

Perhaps a saving grace for Rohl might be the upcoming African Cup of Nations, with Djiga set to link up with Burkina Faso as early as 15 December, thus ruling him out of contention until the New Year.

Touches

70

Pass accuracy

92%

Key passes

0

Possession lost

7

Tackles

0

Interceptions

0

Ground duels won

2/3

Aerial duels won

1/4

Dribbled past

1

While it is yet to be made clear whether there is a break clause in the 6 foot 4 flop’s loan deal, perhaps January might then provide a perfect opportunity to send him back to Molineux, once he returns from international duty.

In an ideal world, that scenario would ensure that Wednesday’s draw represents the final time that Djiga lines up, or at least starts under the Rohl regime, with the German coach in desperate need of a different solution at centre-back.

His job might depend on it.

Worse than Miovski: Ibrox flop just played his worst game for Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers flop played his worst game for the club in the 2-1 defeat to Dundee United on Wednesday.

ByDan Emery Dec 4, 2025

And together, they showed their team now turns up when the pressure’s on

Firdose Moonda29-Oct-20258:30

‘This is the knock Wovlaardt will be remembered for’

Laura Wolvaardt looked like she was forcing a smile as she raised her bat to her first World Cup century, and 10th overall in ODIs. It may have been because, at 200 for 5 in the 40th over, there was still work to be done, but it’s more likely because that’s just who she is. Focused. Clinical. As she says, someone who “likes my statistics and overthinks about cricket”, but needs to “enjoy the good moments a bit more.” Others would say someone who is ice cold.Marizanne Kapp has played more ODIs for South Africa than anyone else and in five World Cups but her tears still flow at the national anthem like she is hearing it for the first time. In fact, she even cried two days before this match because she had “one of the worst net sessions in the last 10 years of my career.” Take that same softie and put a ball in her hand and something changes. She steams in, swings it, smashes stumps. Pure fire.Together they were the perfect combination as South Africa simmered and boiled before they froze England on their way to their first World Cup final. The temperatures have been a talking point throughout this World Cup and South Africa’s semi-final one was perfect.Forget everything that came before, because South Africa did. Semi-final losses in 2017 and 2022 to the same team they would play today? Irrelevant. Most of the players from those matches are not here, there’s a different coaching set-up, things have changed. Sixty-nine all out just 26 days ago, against the same opponents and on the same ground? Also irrelevant. Blow-outs happen and another happened just four days ago against Australia. As the saying goes, it’s not how you start… A bilateral record of 36 losses in 47 previous meetings with England including only one win in their last eight? The most irrelevant of all because South Africa are now a team that can turn up when the pressure’s on.They have reached their third successive women’s final and fifth successive final across all formats and genders (T20 World Cup finals for both men and women in 2024, Under-19 Women’s World Cup final and World Test Championship final in 2025), and they’ve managed it because their big players step up in big moments. No bigger than Wolvaardt, their leading ODI run-scorer and, and Kapp, the world’s leading seam-bowling allrounder.It’s fair to say neither was dominating the World Cup conversation before this match. Though Wolvaardt had scored three crucial half-centuries in the group stage, she hadn’t grabbed the headlines like finisher Nadine de Klerk. This year, she had been overshadowed by her opening partner Tazmin Brits, who had scored five hundreds and had been, in Wolvaardt’s words, “carrying me”.Two extremes come together to achieve just the right temperature for a semi-final•ICC via Getty ImagesBrits has been all or nothing at this tournament, and today she tried to find the middle ground. She also quickly realised that Wolvaardt was having the better day. “I didn’t want to block up Wolfie, because she was seeing the ball really nicely,” Brits said afterwards, explaining the out-of-character reverse sweep she played that resulted in her being bowled by Sophie Ecclestone. “But I know if Wolf and I come off, that’s what sets the team up for 280.”Wolvaardt was batting breezily, with her first fifty coming off 52 balls, but when Brits was dismissed and then South Africa lost three wickets for three runs, she had to be more cautious. Her next fifty took 63 balls and it seemed she was going too slowly, but she had a plan. “The main goal was to get to 40 overs,” Wolvaardt said. “Once we got to 40, I felt my job was done for the day.”By then, she also had a hundred, the only one by a captain in a World Cup knockout game. She decided she’d set things up for the finishers Chloe Tryon and de Klerk, and “just try and whack, almost like a free hit.”The whacking brought her another 69 runs in 28 balls, including four sixes. She had only hit 13 in her ODI career up to then. Her plundering of runs over the on side showed off a whole new side to her game: not just leg-side play for the owner of the world’s most drooled-over cover drive, but power-hitting leg-side play. She took down Linsey Smith, South Africa’s nemesis from 69 all out, in an over that cost 20 in a full-circle moment for her team.Wolvaardt is now the leading run-scorer at this World Cup, and this innings could be as defining for her as Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171* against Australia in Derby was in 2017. It is career-defining whatever happens in the final, but it will be a once-in-a-generation-feat if it ends up being the innings that set South Africa up for the trophy.Ultimately, that is what they want to gift players like Kapp who, though she hasn’t said it, is probably playing her last ODI World Cup. Before this tournament, Kapp told ESPNcricinfo that she didn’t think her career would be complete without a major trophy. “I almost feel like it doesn’t matter what you have achieved over your career, if you don’t have a World Cup, it’s just not the same,” she said before leaving for the tournament in September. “I’m scared that I might retire the day I win a World Cup. It would just be absolutely amazing.”The off-side strokeplay was gorgeous as always, but Wolvaardt showed she could go the other way too•ICC/Getty ImagesAnd she has taken them to the brink. Everyone will talk about Kapp’s figures of 5 for 20 and especially her opening over, and they should. The delivery that dismissed Amy Jones was a beauty. It nipped back in, found the bat-pad gap, and took out off and middle stumps. Kapp unleashed a near-vein-bursting celebration close to the pitch, where rage combined with unadulterated joy, before she composed herself to dismiss Heather Knight three balls later. That was the one that moved away, which Knight didn’t need to play at but inside-edged onto her stumps. South Africa had all but won the game then, and that may not even have been the most important hand Kapp played.Without her 33-ball 42, South Africa’s innings may not have had an injection of impetus at just the right moment. And who knows what might have happened had she not returned for a second spell and got rid of Nat Sciver-Brunt just as the England captain was starting to cause concern. Kapp’s last three incisions came in the space of seven balls, all caught behind. She should have had another but Sinalo Jafta could not hold onto a chance, diving to her right. In that spell, rather than movement, Kapp relied on discipline, just landing the ball from where it could kiss the edge, and ended up bagging her career-best figures when the team needed it most. That’s what makes this special for her.”To be honest, I probably haven’t had the best World Cup personally. So coming into this game, I knew I was due a good performance,” she said. “In past semi-finals I probably haven’t been at my best either, and have not contributed the way I should have. So I’m really happy that tonight I could make a difference in the result. It’s just the love of the sport. That’s why we play, because we just love cricket so much. And I absolutely love playing for South Africa.”That’s why Kapp has always carried the fire, and she may be teaching someone like Wolvaardt to thaw a little.A broad grin attached itself to the South Africa captain’s face at the end and it almost succeeded in hiding where her mind was already going. “We have experience from the last [T20] World Cup when we had that amazing game in the semi-final [against Australia] and that almost felt like too big of a high. We played our final before the final,” she said. “It will be really important to regroup after this and know we still have a big game against a good opposition.”Then, Wolvaardt caught herself. “I will enjoy tonight.” And Brits reminded her why.”There’s a lot of complications in our country but we made history today. There’s something that’s working.” Something as magical as ice on fire.

Jasprit Bumrah was rested while Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya continue to recover from their injuries

Shashank Kishore23-Nov-20253:52

Rishabh Pant vs Tilak Varma for Shreyas Iyer’s middle-order spot

India batter KL Rahul will captain the side in the three ODIs against South Africa starting on November 30. Rahul steps in with regular captain Shubman Gill still recovering from the neck injury he suffered during the first Test in Kolkata earlier this month.Rishabh Pant was back in ODI mix as the second wicketkeeper, having last played the format in August 2024. Jasprit Bumrah was rested having featured in all four home Tests this season, the T20 Asia Cup as well as the ODIs in Australia over the past two months. Shreyas Iyer too wasn’t in the squad as he continues to recover from a lacerated spleen.With Shreyas unavailable, a middle-order spot opened up for Tilak Varma, the left-hand batter, who featured in a recent one-day series against South Africa A in Rajkot.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tilak has so far played four ODIs with modest returns, but has established himself as a regular in the T20I set-up. He could compete with Pant for a spot in the middle order that also has Virat Kohli, Rahul as well as Ravindra Jadeja, who was rested for the Australia ODIs. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are the other allrounders in the mix. There was no spot for Axar Patel.In Gill’s absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to open the batting with Rohit Sharma. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was in sparkling form for India A during the one-dayers against South Africa A is the reserve opener. Gaikwad, who last played in an ODI two years ago, made scores of 117, 68* and 25 during India A’s 2-1 series win.Mohammed Siraj has been rested, presumably to manage his workloads after he featured in each of the four home Tests, with Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana as the frontline pace bowlers. The squad also comprises Dhruv Jurel as the back-up middle order batter.Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, is undergoing the final phase of his rehab for a quadriceps injury at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He has been named in Baroda’s squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s that start on November 26, and could play the first three rounds of matches before the selectors take a call on him for the T20I series against South Africa. Hardik, who was part of the Champions Trophy wining squad in March, missed India’s previous ODI assignment due to the injury he picked up during September’s Asia Cup.The three ODIs against South Africa will be played on November 30 in Ranchi, December 3 in Raipur and on December 6 in Visakhapatnam.India’s ODI squad for South Africa seriesRohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (capt & wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel