Archive October 1, 2025

Melie Kerr, a top-five to ten-year-old New Zealand player, says they can continue to challenge at ICC tournaments and that we will “see the best of them” in the coming months and years.

After emerging as the surprise T20 World Cup winners in 2024, the White Ferns enter the 50-over World Cup chasing an unexpected double.

They won their first T20 title in men’s or women’s cricket after going 10-10 defeats in the previous competition before defeating South Africa in the final to claim their first ICC trophy since 2000.

New Zealand are not among the favorites to win the World Cup despite their triumph, which occurred two years after winning bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Kerr will be happy to accept that position if they fall back on their radar and win another trophy.

“Everyone that plays in a World Cup wants to win, but that T20 World Cup was fantastic,” Kerr said to BBC Sport.

“People overlook New Zealand, and we’re not referred to as favorites, so we can use that as inspiration for our work,” he said, “and we’re just working quietly behind the scenes and going out there and expressing ourselves when we have the chance.”

You’re going to see the best of this group in the next five to ten years, according to the statement from the group’s representative.

In the run-up to the World Cup, New Zealand’s ODI performance has been subpar.

They haven’t played an official ODI since March and have won 11 of their 29 matches since leaving the group stage in 2022. That includes losing seven of their previous ten complete outings.

However, head coach Ben Sawyer doesn’t care about New Zealand’s form or comparative inconsistency, even though he acknowledges that Australia, India, and England are the three teams in the ICC rankings and are deserved favorites.

According to Sawyer, who spoke on the BBC World Service podcast Stumped, “They’re the three standouts.”

“But the beauty of a World Cup is that you can only defeat each of those teams once, and occasionally only can you defeat them on the final day.

We believe we can win any situation.

Like Kerr, Sawyer doesn’t mind that his country’s expectations are unrealistic, stating that “that’s how the Kiwis like it,” but he is less enthusiastic about the “underdog” tag as a result of Matthew Mott’s profound message to former Australia women and England men head coach before the 2024 final.

He reminds Sawyer that he said, “don’t enter this final as underdogs, you want to attack from the front.”

We sat and watched every boundary, every wicket we’d taken, every catch we’d taken, and it seemed like we had done this, and we had just to do it again that morning.

With veteran Sophie Devine who will retire from the sport after the tournament, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu were chosen along with four players under the age of 23.

Kerr, who is only 24 years old, is anticipated to be one of their top performers. Only sister Jess has taken more than her 23 wickets in sub-continental conditions, and she’s proven herself in sub-continental conditions with outstanding contributions to Mumbai Indians’ two Women’s Premier League titles, making her New Zealand’s leading ODI run-scorer since the previous World Cup (927 runs).

However, Kerr chose to watch two of her younger team-mates: wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze and left-hander Georgia Plimmer, who had the highest run-scorer total at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Georgia Plimmer and I live together. She came out at that World Cup and did awesome, Kerr continued. She had a lot of difficult times right off the bat. She works hard and aspires to excel.

Izzy Gaze “has real leadership potentials.” She has put in a lot of effort with the gloves, and she plays 360-degrees with the bat.

Nearly every staff member will make a few visits to the one breakout area at FC Midtjylland’s training complex on a daily basis given that the Danes are among Europe’s most active coffee drinkers.

They will not only get their caffeine fix while they are there, but it will also serve as a reminder of the club’s most crucial table, which is directly above the machine that serves espresso after it is poured.

However, the graph below shows Midtjylland’s dead ball goal difference rather than the Superliga standings (which they have topped four times since 2015).

In the Europa League, they take on Nottingham Forest in England on Thursday, where corners and throw-ins are back in style.

Set-pieces are popular in the Premier League, with Nicolas Jover and Austin MacPhee of Aston Villa becoming instantly recognisable touchline prowlers whenever their team needs to restart.

Chelsea paid £750,000 to Brentford for set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva, who had left 5.9 million impressions from Fabrizio Romano’s three X posts while they were on the move in the summer of 2024.

Michele Aragona, who recently joined Ipswich from Midtjylland as a set-piece analyst, recalls anticipating the market’s reaction.

Every location can make millions of pounds worth of difference, according to Aragona, who said the Premier League. “Chelsea really understood that every location can make millions of pounds worth of difference,” Aragona said.

Midtjylland, however, were ten years more than the norm. Since Matthew Benham purchased a majority stake in 2014, set pieces have been a big part of the club’s strategy.

There is a good chance that a set-piece specialist has left Midtjylland’s pseudo-academy before taking on the role they are currently playing. However, if you have heard of one, it is now being replicated across Europe.

It is admired that their alumni are well-known and widely distributed.

“We put so much effort into it that I believe it’s only natural that some talented people leave,” said Midtjylland’s football director Jacob Larsen.

First, there are the coaches. MacPhee is a Villa player in the Premier League, while Martin Mark, who was previously at Newcastle, has joined in the same capacity this summer. Prior to that, Jones also formally spent some time at Midtjylland.

Under Julian Nagelsmann, Mads Buttgereit is Germany’s set-piece coach, while Lars Knudsen is currently in charge of Denmark’s Under-21 side. In 2022-2023, he spent a season coaching set-pieces at Leicester City.

The analysts are then there. Marc Orti Esteban was with Brentford up until February, while Carl Safont is with Manchester City’s first team. He is currently undergoing New England Revolution. This summer, Jose Rodriguez Calvo left Villa for Real Sociedad.

According to Aragona, the roles of a set-piece coach and set-piece analyst are frequently confused. Although where the line is drawn will vary from club to club, they are distinct and yet inextricably linked.

He said, “We work in a symbiotic way.” However, the coach is responsible for holding the meetings and training sessions on grass. Then, I’ll go to individual players to check whether everything is right or take care of the shadows of the opposition.

I’ll show them the clips, making sure everything is as accurate as possible. However, other analysts might claim that they remain in the office.

In Herning, a city in west Denmark with a population of 55, 000, Midtjylland plays football there and trains in Ikast, a town with about 20 000 people.

They are far from any bright lights and must have been “innovative,” according to Larsen. He told BBC Sport, “Talent development is the beginning, but there is ambition as well.” Additionally, we aim to win every year in Denmark.

Set pieces quickly grew to be Midtjylland’s specialty.

When I played, [set-pieces] were given the final ten minutes of the match’s training, according to Larsen. We tried two different variations, and that was it.

We now discuss how to make the players as engaged in set-pieces as they are with everything else in our training sessions and how to incorporate them.

However, Aragona claims that this is “a common misconception,” while the mind’s eye jumps to fancy-dan routines, with elaborate dummy runs, and extravagant movements.

People often assume that every game must have a different routine depending on the opponent’s weakness, but that’s not the case, he said. “Routines can win you games, but it has to be something you can replicate if you want to create something consistent and best over time.”

Club-wide, Midtjylland places a premium on set-pieces. Each age group has a coach whose responsibilities include set-pieces, and Run During is in charge of them at the youth level.

We examine each player and consider whether we can give him some unique advantages when it comes to set-pieces at the academy level. said Larsen.

We are a talent development club, but there are some specific scenarios. We want to have spoken with players and tried to give them the freedom to think on their own and formulate their own solutions and solutions during matches.

Naturally, the emphasis on defense and attack varies depending on the club.

Aragona described Midtjylland last season as having a balance of 90% attacking and 10% defending.

They lost to FC Copenhagen by a point in the 2024-25 title.

We literally never conceded chances, so we thought, “Why do we need to put a lot of emphasis on the defensive side if everything is going right?”

Set-pieces are frequently discussed in hiring discussions, according to Larsen. By Danish standards, Middtjylland spends a lot of money on players; the 36. 6 million euros they paid for players in 2023-2024 was a record.

Midtjylland, according to Larsen, plays an “individual form of football” in comparison to their Danish peers.

We use a lot of physical and psychological parameters. Other teams have more systems than other teams, and their approach is more team-based. Our family spirit brings us together, despite the fact that there is more individual focus here.

One of Midtjylland’s four pillars is that culture.

“From the outside, you see a very aggressive club that works very hard and advances the best,” added Larsen. However, you discover some very soft values when you enter.

Aragona eloquently praises the work-life balance achieved in Denmark, and they also have a youth soccer academy.

Everyone told me, “Your job is important, but your family is more important; if you need to do something with them, don’t come to work.” Perfect work-life balance is achieved. Everyone then heads home after having lunch together and a morning training session. When you call, their voicemail will be returned.

However, a ruthless streak is necessary for football success, and Mike Tullberg, who was appointed in late August following Thomas Thomasberg’s removal, will manage them at the City Ground on Thursday.

A 17-game unbeaten run that included a second-placed league finish and group stage qualification for the Europa League was the latter’s downfall.

After this weekend’s Wallabies’ Test against New Zealand, Australia prop James Slipper will step down from international duty.

The 36-year-old, who is Australia’s mostcapped player, became the first player to play 150 Test matches for the Wallabies following Saturday’s defeat by the All Blacks.

He captained Australia on 15 occasions and won four World Cups.

The single most impressive accomplishment of my rugby career has been playing for the Wallabies, said Slipper, adding that it is a privilege I have never taken for granted.

After Sam Whitelock in New Zealand and Alun Wyn Jones in Wales, Slipper is the only other player to surpass the 150-cap milestone.

Coach of Australia Joe Schmidt described him as “the ultimate team man” and “he’s incredibly popular in the group.”

“I am aware of how important Wallabies represent to him, and the accomplishments he has made at the highest level of the game speak for themselves,” he said.

In Perth in 2010, Slipper made his professional debut against England.

When Australia take on rivals New Zealand at 10:45 am BST on Saturday, he’ll make his final appearance for the Wallabies in the same city to defend their first Rugby Championship title in a decade.

In their highly anticipated rematch in Dubai on Friday, Paul Hughes faces PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in a potentially career-defining night.

In the co-main event of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, the rivals will compete for the PFL lightweight world title.

The lightweight’s professional record, which includes 14 wins and two losses, would gain even more if they won on Friday to become an MMA star.

Hughes started out in the professional ranks in 2017 before really beginning to gain popularity with the Cage Warriors.

After claiming the Cage Warriors interim featherweight title with a majority decision over Morgan Charriere in London in October 2021, his big break came in his ninth professional fight.

The second round was a thrilling battle between Charriere and Hughes, before the momentum eventually turned to Hughes.

In the later rounds, the Lavey resident was in charge, coming close to defeating his French foe, and landing a number of eye-catching strikes.

In November 2022, Hughes and Jordan Vecenic squared off in an intriguing rematch following their victory over Charriere.

Conor McGregor previously won the belt before the Dubliner forged for fame as a two-weight champion, so Hughes was aware of the value of a win in advancing his career.

The Derry native’s only other major accomplishment was his own one-time career defeat against Vucenic in 2020, which only boosted his desire for victory.

Hughes and his English opponent lost in a contentious split decision, and both fighters’ recovery was delayed by their injuries.

Given that it would pit the champion against the interim champion, the fight, which would take place over five rounds this time, was billed as the biggest in Cage Warriors history when it was made public.

Lavey man Hughes put on a strong performance to earn the win, deservedly, with a unanimous decision.

Vucenic fell to his feet in the second round, allowing Hughes to take control of the match for the majority of the game.

After receiving a body shot and a head injury, Hughes almost stopped Vucenic at the end of the third round.

In the fourth round, Hughes returned to where he left off, dropping Vucenic with a series of punches, and going into the fifth saw the contest come out on top.

In October of this year, it was announced that Hughes would fight AJ McKee in Dubai in his second fight since signing for PFL.

In the lead-up to the fight, which was the American representing the biggest fight of his career at the time, Hughes had described the encounter with McKee as “a life-changing opportunity.”

Prior to meeting Hughes, McKee, a former Bellator featherweight champion, had won 22 of his 23 professional fights. He was an expert and experienced player.

In terms of opponent skill and the ability to win, Hughes was undoubtedly the underdog, and it was obvious that he had taken a step up from Cage Warriors and won with a split decision victory.

In the first round, Hughes impressed with his dangerous striking, which included catching McKee with a right hook.

In the final five minutes, Hughes would regain control, catching McKee up against the cage and unleashing a number of strikes, including an eye-catching uppercut, while McKee fought back in the second round.

Unsurprisingly, this list includes Hughes and Nurmagomedov’s original fight for the then-Bellaby lightweight title in January, which is regarded as one of the 2025 fights.

Even though he gave a strong performance, Hughes was a huge underdog in the first round, and Nurmagomedov won with a thrilling majority decision.

In the second round, Hughes successfully defended Nurmagomedov’s numerous takedown attempts.

Nurmagomedov finished the third round well with a takedown, but momentum changed in the fourth round as he continued to dominate with several kicks to Hughes’ thigh.

After Hughes fled, the two fighters exchanged blows until the fight came to an abrupt halt, with both claiming to be confident in their own success.

After the judges scored the fight 47-47 48-46 48-46 in his favor, Nurmagomedov kept the belt and extended his unbeaten streak to 19 fights.

He acknowledged following the fight that he had “underestimated” Hughes and that he could not have prevented the latter in their second fight on Friday.

In his most recent fight from May in Belfast, Hughes recovered from that agonizing defeat to Nurmagomedov with an incredible 42-second knockout victory over Bruno Miranda.

For the first time since 2019, Hughes gave an electric performance that matched the atmosphere at SSE Arena.

Hughes seized on a laziness from Brazilian Miranda to capitalize on it and deliver his decisive blow in front of home crowd to stake his claim to a rematch against Nurmagomedov.

The referee intervened as Miranda fell and Hughes was unloaded, and a hushed Hughes soaked up the cheers from the raucous Belfast crowd.

Your day is approaching, Hughes said in the aftermath, “Usman Nurmagomedov, you can run and you can try to delay this rematch as long as you want.”