Archive July 21, 2025

Nitish Kumar Reddy, an all-rounder for India, will have a knee injury that prevents them from playing in their Test series against England.

The 22-year-old will now fly home to begin his rehabilitation, according to a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Arshdeep Singh, a seamer, will miss this week’s fourth Test against India because he was sidelined with a thumb injury.

The BBCI reported that Arshdeep’s left thumb was injured while playing bowling in a training session in Beckenham.

His progress is being monitored by the BCCI medical team.

Anshul Kamboj, an uncapped all-rounder, will be playing for India’s fourth Test at Old Trafford, which will begin on Wednesday.

Reddy went a wicketless and gave up one run in each of his innings in India’s euphoric victory over England at Edgbaston.

In their 2-1 victory at Lord’s last week, England went 2-1 up in the five-match series, he took three wickets for 82 and added 43 runs in both innings.

Left-arm quick Arshdeep hasn’t yet appeared in any of the three Tests.

In order to handle his workload, India will also need to consider whether fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will play in Manchester.

Bumrah will participate in the first and third Tests, and he will play three matches in the series.

If Rishabh Pant’s finger injury, which he sustained at Lord’s, does not heal, he could play as a specialist batter. Dhruv Jurel could step up if necessary.

Four teams are within touching distance of winning Euro 2025, including holders England, but who will make it to the final at St Jakob-Park in Basel on 27 July?

The Lionesses take on Italy on Tuesday, while the other semi-final sees world champions Spain face Germany on Wednesday.

BBC Sport football expert Rachel Brown-Finnis is predicting the outcome of all 31 games in Switzerland.

She picked all four winners of the quarter-finals, meaning she has been right about 20 of the 28 (71%) matches so far.

You were wrong about two of the last-eight ties, Italy’s victory over Norway and Germany getting the better of France. Only 26% of you saw that last one coming, meaning your overall total is 18/28 (64%).

There are only three games to go, so can you catch Rachel in the semi-finals? You can make your own predictions below.

Live commentary on Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

The quarter-finals served up an absolute whirlwind of drama and I am expecting both semi-finals to be just as exciting.

Whoever gets through each tie, it will not just come down to who is the best team – so many other factors will help decide the winner and all four of the remaining sides have already shown their different qualities and characteristics.

One of England’s is resilience and another is courage. I said during my commentary that when Lucy Bronze stuck away the winning penalty against Sweden, it was like Stuart Pearce’s spot-kick in the shoot-out against Spain at Euro 96.

I’d love to say this game will be much more straightforward for England and that they will sail through but I think we’ve already learned that it won’t be that easy.

If you had offered England a semi-final against Italy before these Euros started, they would have taken it. Also, if I was predicting a game between the two teams back then, I would have been very confident and said I could only see a Lionesses win.

Now, however, it is a very different scenario. We have seen Italy grow as this tournament has gone on, including their self-belief. They will think they can beat England and they are going to be very dangerous opponents.

They deserved to beat Norway in the quarter-finals and their one defeat so far came against Spain in their final group game, after they went toe to toe with them at first.

They took their foot off the gas against the world champions in the second half but I think that was only because of the circumstances in the Portugal-Belgium game and Italy knowing they were still going through as long as they did not lose too heavily.

I don’t expect them to hold back at all here. They will probably come absolutely flying out of the blocks after seeing how Sweden’s fast start opened up Sarina Wiegman’s side. I do think England will be better defensively than they were against Sweden, but they will have to be.

Wiegman will have a different gameplan for this tie anyhow, in terms of how she sets her side up, but what she really needs is a performance for 90 minutes at the level we know England can produce rather than them just getting going in the second half, the way they did against Sweden.

So, how they start this game is hugely important. England have to play no-risk football in the opening few minutes so they can feel their way into the game and get through the first 10 or 15 minutes unscathed.

They can’t leave the door open the way they did early on against Sweden or give Italy’s attack any encouragement whatsoever. By that, I mean they must avoid playing themselves into trouble if they are under pressure when they play out from the back.

This is Italy’s first semi-final at a major finals since 1997 but they will feel they belong on this stage as much as England do and they certainly won’t care that they are facing the holders. Going ahead would only boost their confidence further and I want to see England start on the front foot this time.

Ultimately, Italy would probably be happy if this goes into extra-time, knowing England have more minutes in their legs, but I don’t think this tie will get that far.

It is going to be a very tough 90 minutes for all Lionesses fans as well as the players on the pitch but I am backing England to get the job done in normal time.

Watch live on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website; live commentary on Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

I had a feeling Germany would get the better of France somehow, and I was right, but what an amazing battle that quarter-final was.

As a goalkeeper, I particularly enjoyed Ann-Katrin Berger’s performance to help Germany get through. Her save to keep out team-mate Janina Minge’s backward header was absolutely outstanding.

All the aspects of it are so hard to execute – Berger was at full stretch, moving backwards and trying to push off. She was able to use her athleticism and long frame but also drew on her determination to just about keep the ball out of the net.

Overall, it was the kind of team performance that epitomised Germany’s progress in Switzerland, where they have packed a lot into their four games so far – good and bad. Very little has gone exactly to plan but against France they still found a way of winning.

The way they responded after Kathrin Hendrich was sent off, you would not have known France had an extra player. That’s credit to their manager Christian Wuck for instantly reorganising his team and also the resolve of their players.

Just like England, Germany have shown they know how to get through games and they definitely know it is not always about winning pretty.

Spain are the world champions and the only team to have won all their games to get this far. They have also scored 16 goals in four matches and dominated possession each time but I still think they look vulnerable on the transition.

Switzerland used their pace to get behind Spain’s high line early in their quarter-final and Germany will feel they can get at them too.

It will be interesting to see who starts up top for Germany and whether it is Giovanna Hoffman who leads their line again or if they come up with a different plan. They definitely won’t have more of the ball than Spain but they are pretty clinical when they do get a sight of goal so they know they can still hurt them.

Germany’s intensity and resolve will help them here too and I would not be surprised if Berger produces another similar performance to keep them in this game – one way or another they are going to push Spain all the way.

I am co-commentating on this game and I am already thinking it could go to penalties but when it comes to making a prediction, then I have to back Spain to do something special again to win the game beforehand. We know they are capable of it.

Four teams are within touching distance of winning Euro 2025, including holders England, but who will make it to the final at St Jakob-Park in Basel on 27 July?

The Lionesses take on Italy on Tuesday, while the other semi-final sees world champions Spain face Germany on Wednesday.

BBC Sport football expert Rachel Brown-Finnis is predicting the outcome of all 31 games in Switzerland.

She picked all four winners of the quarter-finals, meaning she has been right about 20 of the 28 (71%) matches so far.

You were wrong about two of the last-eight ties, Italy’s victory over Norway and Germany getting the better of France. Only 26% of you saw that last one coming, meaning your overall total is 18/28 (64%).

There are only three games to go, so can you catch Rachel in the semi-finals? You can make your own predictions below.

Live commentary on Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

The quarter-finals served up an absolute whirlwind of drama and I am expecting both semi-finals to be just as exciting.

Whoever gets through each tie, it will not just come down to who is the best team – so many other factors will help decide the winner and all four of the remaining sides have already shown their different qualities and characteristics.

One of England’s is resilience and another is courage. I said during my commentary that when Lucy Bronze stuck away the winning penalty against Sweden, it was like Stuart Pearce’s spot-kick in the shoot-out against Spain at Euro 96.

I’d love to say this game will be much more straightforward for England and that they will sail through but I think we’ve already learned that it won’t be that easy.

If you had offered England a semi-final against Italy before these Euros started, they would have taken it. Also, if I was predicting a game between the two teams back then, I would have been very confident and said I could only see a Lionesses win.

Now, however, it is a very different scenario. We have seen Italy grow as this tournament has gone on, including their self-belief. They will think they can beat England and they are going to be very dangerous opponents.

They deserved to beat Norway in the quarter-finals and their one defeat so far came against Spain in their final group game, after they went toe to toe with them at first.

They took their foot off the gas against the world champions in the second half but I think that was only because of the circumstances in the Portugal-Belgium game and Italy knowing they were still going through as long as they did not lose too heavily.

I don’t expect them to hold back at all here. They will probably come absolutely flying out of the blocks after seeing how Sweden’s fast start opened up Sarina Wiegman’s side. I do think England will be better defensively than they were against Sweden, but they will have to be.

Wiegman will have a different gameplan for this tie anyhow, in terms of how she sets her side up, but what she really needs is a performance for 90 minutes at the level we know England can produce rather than them just getting going in the second half, the way they did against Sweden.

So, how they start this game is hugely important. England have to play no-risk football in the opening few minutes so they can feel their way into the game and get through the first 10 or 15 minutes unscathed.

They can’t leave the door open the way they did early on against Sweden or give Italy’s attack any encouragement whatsoever. By that, I mean they must avoid playing themselves into trouble if they are under pressure when they play out from the back.

This is Italy’s first semi-final at a major finals since 1997 but they will feel they belong on this stage as much as England do and they certainly won’t care that they are facing the holders. Going ahead would only boost their confidence further and I want to see England start on the front foot this time.

Ultimately, Italy would probably be happy if this goes into extra-time, knowing England have more minutes in their legs, but I don’t think this tie will get that far.

It is going to be a very tough 90 minutes for all Lionesses fans as well as the players on the pitch but I am backing England to get the job done in normal time.

Watch live on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website; live commentary on Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

I had a feeling Germany would get the better of France somehow, and I was right, but what an amazing battle that quarter-final was.

As a goalkeeper, I particularly enjoyed Ann-Katrin Berger’s performance to help Germany get through. Her save to keep out team-mate Janina Minge’s backward header was absolutely outstanding.

All the aspects of it are so hard to execute – Berger was at full stretch, moving backwards and trying to push off. She was able to use her athleticism and long frame but also drew on her determination to just about keep the ball out of the net.

Overall, it was the kind of team performance that epitomised Germany’s progress in Switzerland, where they have packed a lot into their four games so far – good and bad. Very little has gone exactly to plan but against France they still found a way of winning.

The way they responded after Kathrin Hendrich was sent off, you would not have known France had an extra player. That’s credit to their manager Christian Wuck for instantly reorganising his team and also the resolve of their players.

Just like England, Germany have shown they know how to get through games and they definitely know it is not always about winning pretty.

Spain are the world champions and the only team to have won all their games to get this far. They have also scored 16 goals in four matches and dominated possession each time but I still think they look vulnerable on the transition.

Switzerland used their pace to get behind Spain’s high line early in their quarter-final and Germany will feel they can get at them too.

It will be interesting to see who starts up top for Germany and whether it is Giovanna Hoffman who leads their line again or if they come up with a different plan. They definitely won’t have more of the ball than Spain but they are pretty clinical when they do get a sight of goal so they know they can still hurt them.

Germany’s intensity and resolve will help them here too and I would not be surprised if Berger produces another similar performance to keep them in this game – one way or another they are going to push Spain all the way.

I am co-commentating on this game and I am already thinking it could go to penalties but when it comes to making a prediction, then I have to back Spain to do something special again to win the game beforehand. We know they are capable of it.

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was the subject of multiple rape counts against him, according to manager Mikel Arteta, who claims he is “100%” certain the club followed the right procedures when handling the situation.

The 32-year-old Ghana midfielder left Arsenal on June 30th, and was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault a day later.

According to a statement released on July 4th, the Metropolitan Police said the crimes were reported to have occurred in 2021 and 2022.

The accusations relate to three different women, with one rape count involving a single woman, the other three rape counts involving a second woman, and one sexual assault count involving a third woman.

After receiving a report of rape for the first time in February of this year, detectives launched an investigation.

Arsenal’s pre-season tour stops in Singapore. Before moving to Hong Kong to play Tottenham, they play AC Milan and Newcastle.

Before their Wednesday game against Milan, Arteta was asked about the situation with Partey during a press conference.

Arteta stated that the club’s statement was “very clear.” I am unable to comment on any of the legal matters that are particularly complicated.

The club’s handling of the situation was questioned by him before he was questioned: “Many fans have questions about how it was handled. Do you have confidence and confidence that the club “went through all the necessary steps”?

Arteta answered: “100%, yes”.

On August 5, Partey is scheduled to appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

In October 2020, he left Atletico Madrid for £45 million.

He made 35 Premier League starts for Arsenal, finishing second overall.

Only the Open Championship could make a small, seaside town in Northern Ireland feel like the centre of the sporting universe.

While an overwhelming majority of the huge crowds were willing home favourite Rory McIlroy to victory, that it was the world number one who denied the story its fairytale ending still felt wholly fitting.

Other events of this size are played out in cities of similar stature, but the sight of superstar Scottie Scheffler hoisting the Claret Jug on the 18th green of a brilliant, yet remote, course tucked away on the north coast of the island of Ireland summed up what is unique about this championship.

There have been plenty of similarly seemingly incongruous scenes over the past seven days.

Whether it be multi-millionaires getting their morning coffee in establishments where an Ulster fry would set you back less than £7, a former Open winner becoming a repeat customer at a small pie shop on the main street or the defending champion sinking a stout round the corner, The Open did not just come to town, it became a part of it for the duration of its stay.

Australian Cameron Smith, who won his Claret Jug at St Andrews in 2022, could hardly have paid Portrush a bigger compliment than comparing it to the home of golf.

“It seems like there’s a lot of Opens where the course is great but the town doesn’t really get involved, whereas this one kind of seems like everyone in town is happy to have you here and gets around the whole tournament,” he said.

In a week that began with the eventual winner questioning the meaning of it all, there was great purpose in the way the first arriving fans flooded through the gates and on to the course after word spread that McIlroy had snuck out for a practice round at the earliest available opportunity.

Those first holes on Monday, and his stints watching chunks of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer between rounds, must have felt like the briefest slices of quiet for the most recent member of golf’s Grand Slam club.

At all other points around Royal Portrush, galleries thronged around the Holywood star, the roars that greeted each of his made putts reverberating across the links.

While his walk off the 18th green was without the Claret Jug, the love for the returning hero – playing at home for the first time since his Masters victory – was a far more fitting conclusion to his week than the tearful missed cut back in 2019.

But it was not just McIlroy who sparked adoration. Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth, as well as England’s Tommy Fleetwood, were among other huge draws obliging as many requests for selfies and autographs as time allowed.

The thump of children’s feet along grandstands as players neared with golf balls sounded like the promised thunder.

So keen were others to take home a souvenir of their week by more conventional means, queues for the merchandise tent snaked round multiple sets of barriers with one visitor reportedly spending £13,000 in one transaction.

Others were content with more transitory pleasures. On Padraig Harrington’s insistence that Royal Portrush had the best ice creams on The Open rota, there seemed general agreement after what was surely a record number of 99s consumed up and down the links.

A more uniquely Northern Irish staple – the ‘fifteen’ traybake – proved more divisive in the media centre.

The coconut-based treat was not all that failed to gain universal popularity. Jason Day was left confounded by local weather forecasts as the week proved true the old cliche about Northern Ireland featuring all four seasons in one day, while marathon rounds on Thursday left a few players grumbling about bottlenecks on the course.

Those that took the time to look around as they waited, though, were rewarded with the spectacular views that make Portrush such a memorable course for the hacker and world’s best player alike.

“It’s one of the coolest views that I’ve seen in the game of golf, to be honest with you,” said Scheffler of the course’s signature hole Calamity Corner.

Even Shane Lowry, who had the best golf day of his life here six years ago when winning the 148th Open Championship, cut a wholly frustrated figure at points during a weekend when he was handed a two-shot penalty on Friday and struggled with illness in his third round.

Still, after a brilliant closing 66 on Sunday, Royal Portrush had clearly redeemed itself in the Offaly man’s eyes when all was said and done.

Asked by BBC Sport NI when would he like to see The Open be back here for its fourth staging, he replied: “How about next year?”