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The first half of 2025 has been a whirlwind for England’s women.

It started with a demolishing at the hands of Australia, which resulted in an upheaval in leadership, before the new era under Charlotte Edwards and Nat Sciver-Brunt inflicted a similarly dominant thrashing on West Indies.

But that win came with the warning not to get carried away, considering the weak opposition, and to expect a much tougher examination once India arrived for five T20s and three one-day internationals.

That warning has been delivered immediately as the tourists have taken a 2-0 lead, with the opportunity to seal the T20 series at The Oval on Friday.

Of course, adjusting to new leadership will always take some time to bed in, and this could be seen as a good thing for England to be tested by high-quality opposition before the autumn’s World Cup in India – something they did not have before the fateful series against Australia.

However, these two defeats felt all too familiar – and England have barely competed in either.

Under pressure, catches have gone down, bowling plans have become muddled and the batting has not fired, particularly struggling against spin.

England are without former captain Heather Knight, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, and she will almost certainly slot straight back into the middle order because they are crying out for her stability and calmness when things are not going to plan.

There is a particular concern around the opening partnership. Danni Wyatt-Hodge has scored one run in her past four T20 innings, and 87 runs in her past eight – with 52 coming from one knock in Australia.

The opening stand has passed 50 just once in eight matches, averaging less than 15, and England have been 9-2 chasing 211 at Trent Bridge and 2-2 chasing 182 at Bristol before slumping to 113 all out and 157-7.

There have been fine knocks from Sciver-Brunt and Tammy Beaumont, making a half-century each, with the latter an option to move up the order if Edwards wants to go in a different direction at the top.

“She’ll certainly be vulnerable. I’d probably assess where Danni’s at – sometimes if a player’s going really badly, they need to be taken away from the spotlight and given that break to reset,” said Knight on Sky Sports after the second defeat.

“Tammy’s done brilliantly today, one nice spark in the England innings and her natural spot is opening the batting, so that is an option there.

Sciver-Brunt understandably did not comment on whether there would be any changes in the immediate aftermath of the Bristol defeat, saying she had “full confidence” in all the players.

She also highlighted England’s significant improvement in the powerplay, where they restricted India to 35-3, but India’s counter-attack appeared to catch the bowlers off guard and they deviated from their plans.

In the powerplay 33% of their deliveries were on a good line and length at a run-rate of 4. 2, but that dipped to 15% in the middle overs as India added 103-1 and 11% in the final four overs as Amanjot Kaur and Richa Ghosh took the game away from England.

Lauren Bell was one of few England players to come away from the Ashes with credit and has continued that form this summer, taking 2-17 at Bristol as she now leads the attack with much-improved maturity and consistency.

She executed her slower-ball plan effectively, setting the field accordingly and forcing India’s batters to adjust to her.

But India have been smart, and England have not responded quickly enough. Linsey Smith, who starred against West Indies with her left-arm spin, has been clearly targeted with 0-41 from three overs at Trent Bridge and 0-37 off three at Bristol.

It is unfamiliar territory for England, who are so dominant at home – prior to the Windies series, they had won 79. 3% of their completed white-ball games at home since 2020.

They should not be written off after just two matches against a side that are turning into genuine World Cup contenders, particularly on home turf, and it is not yet crunch time for England or Edwards in terms of whether they can turn this around.

But the new coach is said by those around her to be ruthless, and unafraid to make tough decisions if best for the team.

Wimbledon 2025

Venue: All England Club Dates: 30 June-13 July

Conditions have been tough for the players at Wimbledon, but for some it is not just the high temperatures making things difficult – it is also the grass they are playing on.

Several of those competing at the Grand Slam this week have said the balls are bouncing differently, while one player said it is like playing on clay – traditionally a much slower surface.

It has been an especially hot start to the tournament, with Monday setting a record for the warmest opening day when the temperature reached 32. 3C, while the mercury rose to 33. 4C on Tuesday.

Defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova voiced her thoughts on the surface after battling back to win her opening match against Alexandra Eala.

“There’s not enough water, and it gets really, really yellow, very, very fast,” she said.

Canadian Denis Shapovalov, the number 27 seed at Wimbledon, was knocked out by Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the first round.

He was broken six times by his opponent as he suffered his earliest exit at the tournament since 2019.

“The balls are the worst, the grass tour has turned into a joke,” he said after his defeat.

“This isn’t grass anymore, the court is slower than a clay one. It’s not even grass. “

Two-time champion Petra Kvitova said things had changed over the years.

“I’m not sure if it’s only grass,” she said after her final appearance at the All England Club ended in a defeat by 10th seed Emma Navarro.

“Maybe it’s the balls, as well. Overall it’s getting slower. “

Eight top-10 seeded players have exited in the first round – the highest tally at a single Grand Slam event in the Open era.

Among those to be knocked out was American third seed Jessica Pegula, who said the courts at Wimbledon “felt different” but added: “That’s grass – they’re all kind of different. It’s a living surface, they’re not going to play the same. “

Poland’s former world number one Iga Swiatek, who beat Russian Polina Kudermetova 7-5 6-1 in her first-round match, feels the Wimbledon courts are playing slower but expects things to change in the coming days.

“It [Wimbledon] was slower, and kind of more slippery with the movement,” she said.

“But also with the heat and everything the ball bounced differently than how it will in the coming days, so I’m not really focusing on that.

Slower courts lead to longer rallies as players have more time on the ball.

It can therefore also lead to longer matches, which can be more physically draining for players.

Former doubles player Dom Inglot told BBC Sport that courts had been getting slower since 2001. Before that, you would see players hitting serve and volley predominantly rather than the long baseline rallies you more often see now.

He believes part of the change is down to Wimbledon wanting to make the courts more aesthetically appealing after years where the courts looked very worn by the second week, while also wanting to deliver a better spectacle for fans.

“The idea was Wimbledon had to compete with the great rallies you were seeing at the Australian Open, US Open, French Open,” he said.

“Serve and volley all the time was getting a bit mundane so they wanted more rallies and so there was discussion of do you change balls, do you change the court and I think they went with both. “

Inglot has been playing with this year’s Wimbledon ball on hard courts and has found it is playing differently to last year’s, and therefore expects that to be the case on grass.

He also said the surfaces at different grass tournaments would play differently – including at the Wimbledon qualifying event at Roehampton and Queen’s – and so doing well on those surfaces may not translate to doing well at the All England Club.

A slower surface means players need to adapt their tactics.

“It was ridiculous to think you could hit a kick serve that would jump off the surface like a kick works on clay or hard courts – that was not imaginable 10 years ago, now kick is working,” he said.

Wimbledon has not commented on whether this year’s courts are slower than in previous years.

Since 2001 the Wimbledon grass is comprised of perennial pyegrass, which is said to have the durability and strength to withstand the wear of the modern game.

Wimbledon’s official website says that during the tournament the height of grass is eight millimetres and is cut every day, while a “little bit of water” is put on the courts overnight.

A number of factors affect the speed of a court which include the compacting of the soil over time, as well as the weather before and during the event.

Warm and dry days should make a ball lighter and faster, while cold and damp days would make it seem heavier and slower.

The soil, it says, largely determines the bounce of ball, not the grass.

There have been no changes to the specification of the ball since 1995, when there was a very minimal alteration in compression.

Being Emma Raducanu, particularly at Wimbledon, is never easy.

And it certainly will not be easy when she plays 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in a tough second-round match on Wednesday.

Before her triumph two years ago, Vondrousova had barely played on grass but is now one of the best WTA players on this surface.

Since bringing Mark Petchey into her team, Raducanu has done some technical work with him on the forehand and serve.

I think the technical expertise is what he brings to the table. Emma is a clever girl and she likes to know ‘why? ‘ when she is told to do something and wants to understand the reasons behind it.

Mark, who used to coach Andy Murray when he was coming through, is very technical and is able to provide these answers.

She has made a few small tweaks on the forehand, and done the same with the serve, and it is a mindset shift of being more aggressive.

In a match like she had against Mimi Xu in the first round – someone younger, someone from the same country, on the big occasion of Wimbledon – the forehand is really put to the test.

The fact it stood up in that tricky situation, and she could be brave behind it, was important.

Typically, if you’re going to be more aggressive you’re going to be hitting closer to the sidelines and playing with smaller margin.

You’re hitting the ball much harder and with that you take more risk. So when you take more risk you have to be prepared to accept you may miss more on occasions.

Rather than just being consistent, keeping the ball back in play and risking the opponent being able to attack you, it is about Emma taking control of the baseline.

She is naturally an aggressive baseliner and stands further in on the return.

She does that so well and it is important for her to keep the court position which she has gained throughout the rally.

Against Vondrousova, she will need to get the first strike in the rally.

Vondrousova likes to control the point by being awkward with her leftiness – using the spin, opening up the court and, of course, putting the ball in from the opposite angle to which it usually does.

When an unseeded Vondrousova won the title two years ago, she was described as one of the unlikeliest Wimbledon champions ever.

That was because she had previously won only four grass-court matches in her career and was ranked 42nd in the world after missing the previous six months with a wrist injury.

Over the past year Marketa has struggled with a shoulder injury, playing only 17 matches this season and dropping to 73rd and dropping outside the top 150 as a result.

But she reminded us all of her ability by winning the grass-court Berlin title last week – beating Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 2023 Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur and world number one Aryna Sabalenka on the way.

That’s an incredible list. But what she does naturally fits so well on to this surface.

Using the lefty serve and forehand, she really hits on the outside of the ball so she cuts through the sidelines before the ball reaches the baseline and hits with a lot more angle than a lot of the other players do.

She’s happy to come forward, plays a lot of doubles, and is very comfortable coming up to the net.

That is again something you would develop on an indoor hard court and transitions well on to the grass.

With the serve it is all about the angles and opening up the court, but she can also disguise and flatten it out as and when she needs to and keep her opponent guessing.

There were plenty of eyebrows raised when Real Madrid paid Liverpool around £8. 4m for Trent Alexander-Arnold when they could have got him for free just a month later.

Xabi Alonso’s side were determined to sign the right-back in time for the start of their Club World Cup campaign, and they opted to pay the fee to release the 26-year-old from his contract early.

It was certainly a bonus for Liverpool, who looked like losing their prized asset for nothing.

But – on the day Alexander-Arnold would otherwise have been able to sign for the Spanish club – his first month with them has more than paid for their calculated gamble.

Having started every game in Real’s Club World Cup campaign, Alexander-Arnold provided his first assist as 21-year-old striker Gonzalo Garcia further enhanced his growing reputation by heading home his cross to send them past Juventus and into the quarter-finals.

That goal alone was worth an extra £10m for Madrid, with the club having already received about £43m for just reaching the last 16.

Madrid will meet either Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey in the quarter-finals, and could earn up to £125m if they go on to win the tournament.

“Of course it was worth paying the extra money,” former France centre-back Gael Clichy told Dazn. “You don’t have time in football, but this competition has given Real Madrid and Trent extra time.

This was the second time Alonso has deployed his preferred 5-3-2/3-5-2 formation since he replaced Carlo Ancelotti as Madrid coach, and his new charges – including Alexander-Arnold – certainly appear to be adjusting to the new system.

Alexander-Arnold, who impressed his new employers with his Spanish abilities at his unveiling, has played the full 90 minutes in his past two appearances, growing in confidence with each game.

He endured a mixed start on his debut against Al-Hilal, who caught him out of possession on several occasions and almost scored after the former Liverpool man lost possession near the halfway line. He also won only one of his five duels in that match.

He looked vulnerable at times in his second game of the tournament against Pachuca, but in the 3-0 win over Salzburg – his first in the wing-back position – he was involved in Madrid’s third goal late in the second half and has now repaid Alonso’s faith with his first assist for the club.

“It was a fantastic delivery from Trent,” former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel told Dazn. “We know he can do that – even though there are still questions defensively. It’s good to see him settle. We knew it would take him time. “

Ex-Netherlands midfielder Edgar Davids echoed those sentiments, saying: “I think he is a good fit for Real Madrid and he will get better.

“If you want to have attacking full-backs, he is one of the key figures in that position in the world. If you want that and you have the speed in front of you, it is ideal. “

Alexander-Arnold endured a quiet first half against Juventus, spending much of it playing short or backwards passes – rather than the raking balls Liverpool fans grew accustomed to.

He carried more of an attacking threat as the game progressed, however, finishing the match on eight crosses – more than any other Madrid player.

He flashed a delivery across the six-yard box in the first half, which somehow evaded everyone in the area, but his cross for Garcia eight minutes into the second period allowed the 21-year-old to thump a powerful header beyond Juventus goalkeeper Michele de Gregorio.

“He could have had many more assists already,” said Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois. “In training, he is horrible to play against. His corner kicks are another level.

“I don’t think I have seen a guy like this with such quality. As a goalkeeper it is a nightmare, but it will help make me better. “

Former Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown, however, says it is unreasonable to expect too much, too soon from the England international.

“He has to adapt into a system that is totally different,” Brown told Dazn. “He doesn’t have Mo Salah right in front of him and needs to be patient, not just cross the ball if no-one is there. It will take time to get used to it. “

But what does the man himself make of his new role under Alonso?

“I enjoyed it [playing as wing-back],” Alexander-Arnold said after the Salzburg game. “Adapting to a new role in a new team is always going to be a challenge, but I enjoy challenges. It gets the best out of me personally.

If you hadn’t heard of Garcia prior to the Club World Cup, you will have now.

The young Madrid forward has led the line in the absence of Kylian Mbappe – who made his comeback from gastroentiritis against Juventus – and has taken his chance with both hands.

With three goals in four games, Garcia is Los Blancos’ top scorer at the tournament and is behind only Benfica’s Angel di Maria in the overall standings.

Aside from a one-year spell away from the Spanish capital with Mallorca in 2018-19, the 21-year-old has been part of the Madrid set-up since the age of 10.

He rose through the ranks and made his first appearance with Madrid’s B team, Castilla, in March 2022.

The Spanish forward made his first-team debut in the November of that year but was still predominantly playing with Castilla, eventually scoring his first senior goal in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals against Leganes in February 2025.

After Real’s 3-0 victory over Salzburg, in which Garcia scored his second goal at the tournament, Alonso likened his attributes to that of the legendary Raul Gonzalez.

“What he’s doing isn’t a surprise. He’s done it many times at Castilla,” he said.

“He’s the typical number nine, who knows how to wait for his opportunity, who moves well.

“He has Raul qualities in his movements. There are no decisions regarding the start of next season. “

Mikel believes Garcia has earned his chance to start, even with Mbappe’s return to fitness.

“Who needs Mbappe when you have Garcia? ” Mikel told Dazn.

“I’m pushing for the young lad, he has been on fire. This is what we love to see – young players getting opportunities. “

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, added: “In December 2024, Rahul – then manager of Real Madrid B – said Garcia should be in the first team. He was part of the youth team that won the treble in 2022/23. He was playing as a nine but also can play as a left winger.

“Real have been looking for a forward, someone who accepts his role behind Mbappe. Now they have got that nine through the ranks, Alonso has got a lot of confidence in him.