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Scotland Under-19s beat Kenya Under-19s by 15 runs in a low scoring match at Woodvale Road, Eglinton, to stay at the top of the points table. After choosing to bat, Scotland were in trouble at 77 for 6 before a 65-run partnership between Anjan Luthra and Sam Page revived the innings. Page, who top scored with 48 built another handy stand with Kyle Smith as Scotland reached a respectable 188. The only substantial contributions in Kenya’s chase came from opener Rushabh Patel – who scored 50 – and No. 3 batsman Duncan Allan, with 43. The pair added 83 for the second wicket, but once they were dismissed in consecutive overs, the chase faltered, with Kenya managing only 173 for 8 in their 50.Wicketkeeper Mathew Cross, who had been the lone performer among Scotland’s top order and was part of five dismissals in the fiels – including those of Patel and Allan – was named Man of the Match. “We would have been happy with a score of 210-220, but still, to reach 188 after being six down early on was a big effort,” Cross said. “When Kenya batted, we felt that one wicket could change the match. Allan fell at the right time for us to fight back. We dried up the runs [after that] and the asking-rate increased.”At Lodge Road, Coleraine, Nepal Under-19s beat Papua New Guinea Under-19s by 29 runs and moved into the second spot on the points table. Batting first, Nepal scored 277 for 7, driven by a fluent 91 from Rajesh Pulami Magar. Magar’s knock, which included eight fours and a six, was cut short when he was run out by PNG keeper Dogodo Bau. Opener Sagar Pun and Pradeep Airee also scored half-centuries as Nepal finished with 277 for 7. Vagi Oala and Christopher Kent were the main contributors in the chase, scoring 64 and 80 respectively. However, a penetrative spell from left-arm fast bowler Avinash Karn – he picked up a five-for in 6.3 overs – made sure PNG were always behind, eventually folding for 248 with three balls to spare.Magar, who was named Man of the Match, said his team was wary of PNG replicating their successful chase against Canada in the previous round of matches. “We lost a few wickets early on, so I had to stay at the wicket and build a partnership,” he said. “PNG chased down Canada’s score of 266 yesterday and we were a bit wary of their ability to chase the score. But our bowlers bowled brilliantly and restricted them very well.”Canada Under-19s eased to a five-wicket win against USA Under-19s at the Bready Cricket Club No2 Ground, Magheramason. Asked to bowl, Canada shot out USA for 101 in 40.3 overs, courtesy a six-wicket haul from opening bowler Manny Aulakh. The chase was steered by a rapid 42 from Rayyan Pathan, who struck five sixes in his 42 off 29 balls. Though USA managed to pick up five wickets, Canada were never stretched, getting home with 16.4 overs to spare.Aulakh, the Man of the Match, said the pitch assisted the quicks. “There was something in the pitch for the fast bowlers. We stuck to the basics and they [USA] made a few mistakes. This was one of my best spells.”At the Bready Cricket Club Afghanistan Under-19s registered a comprehensive nine-wicket win against Vanuatu Under-19s. Afghanistan justified their decision to bowl, running through Vanuatu in 26.2 overs. The attack was led by left-armer Sayed Shirzad, who claimed 5 for 38 in nine overs. He was well supported by Yamin Ahmadzai and Abdul Naseri, who picked up two apiece. Chasing 112, Afghanistan lost an early wicket, but were solid thereafter with Javed Ahmadi and Hashmatullah Shaidi knocking off the target at over seven runs an over.Man-of-the-Match Shirzad said Afghanistan were pumped up as it was a must-win match for them. “It was do or die for us, we had to win to stay in the hunt,” he said. “I bowled wicket to wicket and that paid rich dividends.”Ireland Under-19s‘s match against Namibia Under-19s at New Strabane Park was washed-out after only eight overs. The match will be replayed on Monday. Ireland need a win to regain the second spot on the points table.

Tottenham Hotspur have wrapped 2025 up with a win. Victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park has rekindled hopes of securing a place in next season’s Champions League, but there is a very long way still to go.

Thomas Frank was delighted with a spirited and resilient performance, but he will, of course, know that improvements are needed.

The Lewis family need to welcome investment in the January transfer window, adding fresh technical quality to Frank’s central midfield.

Spurs' plan to sign a midfielder

Last season’s winter transfer market was a busy one, and that trend is likely to continue next month. Tottenham have to ensure they are in amongst the big spenders, with tactical imbalances and less-than-impressive players hindering Frank’s project.

It’s worth issuing a reminder that both James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are expected back in the New Year after battling through long-term issues. Neither has featured under Frank’s management.

Tottenham need more control, though. An anchor in a deeper berth. Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha have flattered to deceive in the middle of the park.

Adam Wharton would be a significant upgrade, with TEAMtalk insider Dean Jones claiming that the north Londoners are ready to step up their long-standing interest in the Crystal Palace midfielder.

Palace value Wharton, 21, as high as £100m, but with a host of elite suitors circling, Tottenham might be wise to pay the figure in 2026. It would enhance Frank’s system and then some.

Why Wharton would be an upgrade on Bentancur

In Bentancur’s defence, he has spent a lot of his time in Tottenham battling against injury. But Bentancur’s defence is shaping up to be is only positive attribute this season, leaving much to be desired on the ball, layering his team’s attacking efforts.

Analyst Raj Chohan has even gone as far as to claim that the 28-year-old is a “candidate for worst centre-midfielder at a big six club”. Wharton, on the fast track at Selhurst Park, would add youth and energy to a midfield that desperately needs all of the above.

Bentancur is an established and technically gifted international. He has a wealth of experience at the highest level. It is not too much to ask that he pass the ball forward every once in a while.

Wharton trumps him in that regard. The “passing machine”, as he has been described by prominent journalist Henry Winter, has been instrumental in Oliver Glasner’s title-winning success across the past year, so composed and collected from the heart of the Eagles system.

Premier League 25/26 – Bentancur vs Wharton

Stats (per 90)

Bentancur

Wharton

Goals scored

0.08

0.00

Assists

0.08

0.14

Touches

58.64

55.69

Pass completion (%)

84.6

75.2

Progressive passes

2.75

5.83

Progressive carries

0.55

1.25

Shot-creating actions

1.34

3.47

Ball recoveries

6.05

5.76

Tackles + interceptions

3.62

3.26

Aerial duels won

1.89

0.83

Data via FBref

Wharton, moreover, is an able defender. Sofascore show that he has won 56% of his ground battles in the Premier League this season, averaging 1.9 tackles per game.

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And he’s only getting better. The England international has much more to his game than Bentancur, who has become stodgy and uninspiring beside a partner in Palhinha whose defining attribute is his tough-tackling combativeness.

There isn’t enough variation and nuance.

To give rise to Tottenham’s sleeping sparkle, Wharton must be signed. Though Palace would play hardball over a winter signing, Spurs might be richly rewarded for biding their time and striking during the summer, perhaps having addressed a number of different positions in January.

Tottenham’s new hierarchy must showcase their ambition by adding quality to Frank’s squad next month. Bentancur is limited in what he can do, and placing Wharton as the nucleus would only reinforce the bench, tidy up the centre and add new dimensions to Spurs’ creative efforts.

Related Semenyo upgrade: Spurs pushing to sign £295k-p/w "superstar" for Frank

Tottenham are planning to strengthen their frontline in the January transfer window.

Posts 2 ByAngus Sinclair

Semi-final scenarios

All teams have an off day on Tuesday before the final day of round-robin play on Wednesday. Guernsey play Qatar in what is effectively a quarter-final match in Group B with the winner joining Italy as the second semi-finalist from their half of the draw while Italy play Cayman Islands for a chance to claim the top spot in the group.
In Group A, Jersey play Ghana for a chance to go to 3-0 and seal a semi-final spot while Germany play Vanuatu in the other match. Should Jersey beat Ghana and Vanuatu beat Germany, it would create a three-way tie for second place in the group with the second semi-finalist determined by net run rate. Germany currently have the best net run rate of the three.
Germany can clinch a semi-final spot with a win and a Ghana loss while Ghana can likewise take the spot with a win plus a Germany loss to Vanuatu. The possibility also exists of a three-way tie for first place should Jersey lose to Ghana and Germany beat Vanuatu but Jersey currently have a +0.939 net-run-rate advantage over Germany. Jersey will automatically clinch a semi-final slot in spite of a loss if Vanuatu beat Germany.

Group B

Ghana played their second nailbiter in a row on Monday but this time came out victorious with a two-wicket win over Vanuatu. New-ball strikes were key once again for Ghana as Vincent Ateak removed day-one top-scorer Jonathan Dunn for 12 while Obed Agbomadzie took three wickets for the second day in a row including the key scalps of Patrick Matautaava and Nalin Nipiko to set Vanuatu back at 41 for 4 in the 14th over. Captain Andrew Mansale top-scored with a battling 26 before his side was bowled out for 124 in 47.2 overs.The 16 unused deliveries proved vital as Ghana’s attempts to drive home a net-run-rate advantage nearly backfired spectacularly with victory in sight. Ghana were 116 for 3 when captain Peter Ananya was dismissed for 50 by Matautaava at the start of the 31st over. Subsequent attempts by the middle order to score quick runs to kill off the match were foiled by a pair of run-outs before Nipiko claimed wickets off back-to-back balls in the 34th over to put himself on a hat-trick with Ghana eight down with two runs still needed for victory. But 18-year-old Godfred Bakiweyem pinched a two off the hat-trick ball after entering at No. 10 to clinch a tense win.Jersey moved a shade closer to a semi-final berth with a five-wicket win over Germany in Benoni. Medium pacers Charles Perchard and Ben Kynman and left-arm-spinning allrounder Ben Stevens took two wickets each in a collective bowling effort to restrict Germany to 248. Germany captain Rishi Pillai top-scored for his side with 46 before they were bowled out in the final over.Stevens followed up his five-for from day one with his first fifty of the tournament, striking 53 off 65 balls while teaming with Peter Gough and Jonty Jenner for a pair of half-century partnerships. Sussex batsman Jenner then saw Jersey across the line, finishing with an unbeaten 68 off 65 balls including eight fours and a six as victory was sealed with 32 balls remaining.

Group A

Italy moved to 2-0 and clinched a spot in the semi-finals with a six-wicket win over Qatar. Captain Gayashan Munasinghe took 3 for 52 opening the bowling before Hasnat Ahmed ripped through the tail to claim 4 for 37 as Qatar were dismissed for 209 in 46.3 overs.Openers Gian Meade (51 off 84 balls) and Rakibul Hasan (62 off 67 balls) got the chase off to an emphatic start with a 123-run stand. Damian Crowley fell four short of his second fifty in a row but by the time he was dismissed Italy needed just 23 to win. Peter Petricola took Italy over the line with an unbeaten 21 to secure victory with 49 balls to spare.Guernsey bounced back from their opening-day loss to Italy with a six-wicket win over Cayman Islands. Opener Sacha de Alwis had taken Cayman to a strong position near the halfway point of the innings by top-scoring with 60 after they chose to bat first but things turned south when he was second out to fall with the score at 115. Medium pacer David Hooper put the brakes on the middle order by taking 5 for 36 as Cayman managed just 99 runs off the final 28 overs to finish on 214 for 9.Josh Butler (93 off 87 balls) dominated a 97-run opening stand with Matthew Stokes in reply while Oliver Newey produced a half-century for the second day in a row, making a brisk 54 off 38 balls. Guernsey eventually reached the target with 13.3 overs to spare, putting themselves back in the hunt for the other semi-final spot from Group B while Cayman Islands have been eliminated from semi-final contention.

Western Australia have included Adam Voges, who has been in India with the ODI squad © Getty Images

Western Australia’s new leadership group of Marcus North as captain and Tom Moody as coach will face their first test with a Ford Ranger Cup match against New South Wales on Friday. North led the side on and off last season but this week’s Perth outing will be his first since he was permanently handed the reins.The Warriors have named a 13-man squad to take on the Blues with no new faces since last summer. Adam Voges, who is the state’s new vice-captain, has been listed to play although he has spent the past fortnight in India as cover for the Australian ODI team.Western Australia’s top order was one of their strengths in 2006-07 and the key players will be present again on Friday – Justin Langer, Luke Ronchi, North and Voges. The Warriors finished third on the FR Cup table last season and were one win short of a place in the final.Squad Justin Langer, Luke Ronchi (wk), Marcus North (capt), Adam Voges, Chris Rogers, Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Sean Ervine, Shawn Gillies, Aaron Heal, Brett Dorey, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson.

Chris Gayle ain’t happy with Michael Clarke © Getty Images

The table tennis ball bounced past, blissfully uncontested, as I was still rejoicing in the magnificence of following through on a fearsome smash, utterly convinced that the point was already mine.”Don’t try that again if you not prepared for it to come back,” said one of my uncles, a better-than-average table tennis player and cricketer who was using my grandmother’s dining table to teach me an important lesson that remains as fresh as the day it occurred more than 30 years ago.Last Wednesday’s verbal clash between Chris Gayle and Michael Clarke in Mumbai brought home the relevance of that bit of advice, and also reinforced the belief that when it comes to the concept of “do so ain’t like so”, Australia’s cricketers are the unrivalled world champions.In his tour diary entry on the incident, Gayle inferred that Clarke was the instigator of the confrontation, and while conceding that his protracted tirade against Clarke deserved some form of punishment, it was disappointing to see the man who triggered the whole thing – at least from the Gayle’s perspective – get off scot free.It also did not go unnoticed that the match officials made no report of the incident until the next day, by which time Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, had already passed his judgement in implying that the only way the credibility of the disciplinary process would be upheld was if Gayle was brought to book.Of course, from the moment the matter came within the purview of match referee Mike Procter for investigation, the issue was no longer if Gayle should be disciplined, but what would be the nature of the censure. It was not surprising either that Clarke was absolved.An outstanding allrounder that he was, Procter clearly lacks an even hand in arbitrating matters that involve Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. An outrageous charge you say? Well, what other conclusion is there after his response to journalists’ queries that the Aussies were getting away with an abundance of excessive over-appealing in last November’s series against West Indies, stating that players from those countries are more aggressive, and that had to be taken into consideration? In other words, there is one rule for those three and another for everyone else.It was heartening to hear Ramnaresh Sarwan – who led the side superbly in the field in the absence of the injured Brian Lara – in his post-match comments alluding to the Gayle-Clarke tete-a-tete and suggesting that players who like to dish out should be prepared to get some back.Sarwan knows only too well how to give back, his instant response to Glenn McGrath’s malicious remark on the fourth afternoon of the Antigua Test in 2003 causing McGrath to completely lose his cool. I wonder if John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister, would have been so eager in rallying to the defence of McGrath in the furore that followed the incident if he knew what his compatriot had said in the first place.Every team in every sport, at one time or another, engages in baiting the opposition, winding them up to try and trigger a loss of concentration. But it is more than a little annoying that, having legitimised and institutionalised an underhand practice as “mental disintegration” (the pretentious terminology of former captain Steve Waugh), the Australians recoil in self-righteous indignation when they find themselves on the receiving end.Which is why, in the sporting context, if you want to upset the best in the world, sometimes to have to fight fire with an inferno. The opponent strikes a match, you respond by burning down his house. It is an overreaction, but an overreaction with a purpose – to let him know in terms that he can best understand that you’re not taking any foolishness.Lara is a past master at being both an instigator and flame-throwing responder, especially against the Australians, which is why they fear him so. They will always speak in the most glowing terms about Sachin Tendulkar because they think they have his measure as far as beating them off his own bat. But they can’t handle Lara, what with the ability to dissect and destruct with his scything blade, while at the same time sallying forth with enough caustic lyrics to keep them on edge.In this context, I’m reminded of Javed Miandad’s attempt to test the sweet spot of his bat on Dennis Lillee’s head during Pakistan’s 1981-82 tour of Australia. Miandad was no doubt saying more than a thing or two to the fiery fast bowler, which was a bit of a reversal for Lillee, who was accustomed to having the last (very strong) word, especially against timid players from the Indian subcontinent.Put off his stride by Miandad, Lillee kicked him on the back of the legs on the way back to the top of his mark. As anyone with any sort of broughtupsy would know, to kick someone, even lightly, is just about the lowest form of degradation towards another human being.It necessitated a strident reaction, and as Miandad drew his blade back in a backlift higher than anything ever managed by Lara, the presiding umpire stepped in to save Lillee from the response he deserved. Do so really ain’t like so, and they need to be reminded of that occasionally, even if it costs 30 per cent of a day’s pay.

Mushtaq Ahmed: a good showing will boost his chances to play against England © Getty Images

Mushtaq Ahmed, the Pakistan and Sussex legspinner, has done his chances of being selected for the Test team to face England no harm by finding a place in the Rest of Pakistan side set to play a Pakistan XI beginning October 26.Mushtaq, 35, has not played a Test for Pakistan in over two years, but has been a prolific wicket-taker for Sussex over the past three seasons. He finished the current season with 80 first class wickets, and speculation is rife that Mushtaq may have a key role against England with their historic susceptibility to quality legspin. Just looking at Shane Warne’s 40 wickets in this summer’s Ashes highlights the fact that the English have been found wanting against legspin and it is with such statistics in mind that the Pakistan think tank surely ticked off Mushtaq’s name.However, with first-choice Danish Kaneria taking wickets on a regular basis at the international level, it is possible the Pakistan selectors will stick to him, with Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi being used as backup options.The Pakistan Cricket Board has arranged three practice matches, all four-day affairs and adjudged first-class, to prepare the national players for the England team’s forthcoming tour of Pakistan. Inzamam-ul-Haq, who has supported a Mushtaq recall, is set to captain the Pakistan XI side.

When the going got tough, Matt the Bat dug in© Getty Images

Every so often, it’s heartening to see batsmen really sweat and struggle for runs in a one-day international. Bat has come to dominate ball so comprehensively in the shorter game that we’ve almost forgotten the delights that a low-scoring drama can offer and the different questions – mental and physical – it asks of modern-day cricketers.All of a sudden, with so few runs at stake, not giving anything away – wickets or runs – assumes critical importance. Wickets must be preserved and runs must be stolen. Batsmen speak in singles, and boundaries become gold dust. When the pitch is as treacherous as the one we had in Amstelveen, cricket seems a different ballgame altogether, but the basics remain the same.For long, Australia have mastered doing the little things well; stealing singles, backing up on throws, and not bowling no-balls. Today, they did so again. In the process, not only did they win a tournament – laughably after one match – but they also provided Pakistan with a lesson in how to win games in any conditions.The best teams, like Australia, simply adjust to different requirements and conditions; part of their brilliance lies in their resilience and versatility. And given that they had barely played a decent day’s cricket in some time before today, it only adds to the aura of greatness that hovers over them.Matthew Hayden, so unforgivably bludgeoning in his treatment of bowlers generally, realised early on in the piece that run scoring would be an unpleasant task. So he dug in, grinding out a pedestrian but invaluable fifty. Darren Lehmann too played an unorthodox, yet necessary, hand. Brett Lee returned after a long injury lay-off and bowled with hostility and considerable menace, picking up a wicket in his first over and looking like he had never been away.Glenn McGrath, the subject of increasing criticism, bowled with all his old cunning and guile, and worryingly for batsmen around the world, with some renewed pace and vigour as well. And the fielding was an instrument to exert pressure, not just to save runs.Teams like Pakistan, who hope to emulate them, don’t adapt quite as smoothly, although there were signs today that they are learning. That they came close will be of little solace to Woolmer and his men; the size of the defeat won’t hurt as much as the nature of it.Twice in the run chase, Pakistan was in control, and twice they didn’t just give away the initiative, they gift-wrapped it and presented it to Australia on a platter. Two run-outs in two balls, both involving Yousuf Youhana – fast approaching an Inzi-like cult status for his running – spoke of the comically chaotic methods of self-destruction Pakistan can still conjure up.Even for the unflappable Woolmer, it must have come as a cruel shock. And Abdul Razzaq’s dismissal, an unnecessary slog after he and Youhana had partially undone the damage, spoke of another malaise – that of mental indiscipline – that Woolmer must attend to.What either team will take out of Holland and into England is difficult to ascertain and for that the almost farcical nature of this tournament is to blame. A single-league triangular always seemed lacking in substance, and its only purpose – and saving rationale – was to act as a warm-up for the ICC Trophy. After two completed matches – one heavily curtailed – even that was questionable and Inzamam’s comments at the post-match ceremony about the tournament being, essentially, a holiday were significant.Australia will be pleased that they at least got a whole game – and a tense one at that – under their belt. They will be pleased too at the form of men like Andrew Symonds, and the return of Brett Lee. And in the blonde, hustling figure of Michael Clarke, they can hope that the loss of the iceman, Michael Bevan, will not be felt as acutely as it should.Pakistan will also take heart, from the further development of Shoaib Malik, who impressed again with his temperament and thinking approach, as well as the resurgence of their bowling attack, distinguished by the discipline of Mohammad Sami and, in particular, Shabbir Ahmed. Above all, having played against the very best in the business, they will have some idea of what it takes to compete against them. At the end of the year, when they go to Australia, the confidence they take from today might come in handy. The hosts remain firm favourites for that series, as well as for the ICC Trophy.Osman Samiuddin is a freelance writer based in Karachi.