Archive August 11, 2025

The Hundred men’s competition, Emirates Old Trafford

Manchester Originals 163-6 (100 balls): Buttler 46 (37); J Overton 2-26

London Spirit 153-6 (100 balls): Warner 71 (51); Tongue 3-29

Manchester Originals won by 10 runs

Captain Phil Salt compared 22-year-old fast bowler Sonny Baker to England great James Anderson after he shone in Manchester Originals’ 10-run win over London Spirit at Old Trafford.

Baker began Spirit’s chase of 164 with five dots and conceded only four runs when asked to bowl the first 10 deliveries.

He troubled two international greats in David Warner and Kane Williamson, who have a combined 38,000 international runs to their name, with swing and lively pace.

That helped limit the Spirit’s scoring and, despite Australian Warner hitting 71, the hosts, who left out Anderson after defeats in their opening two games, were always in control.

Warner was caught down the leg side off England seamer Josh Tongue with 38 needed from 15 and Baker returned to dismiss Australia international Ashton Turner for 13 – a deserved reward for a fine spell that cost only 22 runs.

“He was outstanding,” Salt told Sky Sports.

“Jimmy had a rest today but that is the closest to what he did, if not better. It will be hard to pick seamers for the next match.”

Anderson also praised the highly-rated Baker, who was awarded an England development contract earlier this year despite having never played a County Championship match at that stage.

“I have seen a lot of footage of Baker but not seen a lot of him live,” Anderson told Sky Sports. “I have been so impressed.

“Tonight he bowled outstandingly well. He has got pace, skill, swings the ball both ways. He has a lot going for him.”

Earlier another talented youngster, 20-year-old Durham batter Ben McKinney, crashed three sixes in a 12-ball 29 on debut to give the hosts a fast start.

Having missed last year’s competition through injury, Baker took 2-26 in the Originals’ opening match of the tournament.

His performance on Monday night again showed why he is so highly rated – and why he was retained by the Originals despite having only 10 T20 Blast matches to his name at the start of this season.

Though others have higher top-end pace, Baker has the second-highest average speed in this year’s Hundred at 85.6mph.

He was around and above that mark to Warner early on, while also finding significant movement to beat the left-hander with each of his opening three deliveries.

After conceding 10 from his first 15 balls, all that was missing from his spell was a wicket. That came when he bowled quickly into the pitch, Turner was hurried and the right-hander skewed a catch into the leg side.

While England international Tongue finished with 3-29, it was Baker who was awarded player of the match.

“In the first game, opening the bowling with Jimmy Anderson from the Jimmy Anderson end was surreal,” Baker said. “I loved every part of it.”

He described his plans with the new ball as “just trying to bowl fast and swing the new ball”.

“Especially against the left-handers, my preference is to go away from them,” he added.

“I was nervous to go too wide [to Warner]. He is a really tough competitor and has been one of the best in the world for a long time.

Baker was awarded his national development contract after a successful winter with the England Lions.

He took eight wickets in two red-ball matches in Australia where he impressed the England hierarchy, including Lions coach Andrew Flintoff.

That he was given an England contract so early – he had not played a County Championship match before this summer – shows how highly England rate him.

Having moved to Hampshire from Somerset at the end of last season, he then took his first County Championship five-wicket haul against champions Surrey in his second match in April.

While a call-up for the Ashes this winter appears fanciful, he will likely be part of the Lions group which will shadow the full side in Australia before Christmas. Should injuries hit, a call-up is not impossible.

Before then, England’s white-ball teams play South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ireland and New Zealand when the current Test bowlers’ workloads will be closely managed.

More success in The Hundred would put Baker in the mix for one of those squads.

Birmingham Phoenix, still searching for their first win in the men’s competition, host Oval Invincibles on Tuesday from 18:30 BST.

You will be able to watch both the women’s (15:00 BST) and the men’s games live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler says he does not fear losing key players to bigger clubs in the transfer window.

Carlos Baleba, 21, is the latest Seagulls player to be linked with a move away from the club, with Manchester United reportedly hoping to sign the Cameroon midfielder.

Brighton’s recruitment model has been to buy and nurture talented young players based on data analysis, and sell for a higher fee when the time is right for the club.

In recent seasons, the sales of players like Joao Pedro, Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo – whose move to Chelsea in 2023 was a then British record transfer of £115m – have all generated substantial profit.

“No chance. I don’t feel fear,” 32-year-old Hurzeler told the Monday Night Club when asked if he worries about having to sell key members of his squad.

“I’m not afraid of anything because the only thing we can do is be the best version we can be every day, like work as hard as we can.

“All the other things we can’t influence, so we really have to focus on us.

“For sure, we can’t spend the money like the big teams but one of our biggest values is togetherness. And if you stay together, if we try to push our limits and increase the boundaries, then I’m sure we can compete with the big teams.”

The Seagulls ended their pre-season unbeaten run with a 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg on Saturday, with Maxim de Cuyper, a 24-year-old Belgian defender signed for a reported £17.5m, scoring his first goal for the club.

Baleba was absent as he continues to recover from a knee injury sustained in June, but is expected to be back for the opener against Marco Silva’s Fulham.

Brighton chairman Paul Barber said during a fan forum he hopes Baleba, who has three years left on his contract at Amex Stadium, stays “for years to come” – but could not make any promises.

Hurzeler, meanwhile, did not speak about Baleba’s situation when appearing on the Monday Night Club.

“It’s not easy, but we proved last season that we are a very competitive team,” he said about whether he feels frustrated when players are linked with rival clubs.

“Without Joao Pedro, for sure, he was an unbelievable player. But we can’t replace him with one player, but we can replace him as a team. And that’s our focus.”

Brazil forward Joao Pedro joined Chelsea for £60m on an eight-year contract this summer.

Hurzeler continued: “We as a club always find solutions and I’m sure in the future we will find solutions. That’s our model, we have to accept it.

“I think that as a club we have proved we are not only selling big players. We have had offers for other players – big offers for [Kaoru] Mitoma and other players. We proved that we are not selling every player.

Britain’s Emma Raducanu fell agonisingly short of beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka and earning a statement win at the Cincinnati Open.

Raducanu, 22, lost 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) as defending champion Sabalenka edged a battle lasting more than three hours to reach the fourth round.

Having also pushed Sabalenka at Wimbledon, Raducanu’s performance was further evidence that she can severely test the world’s very best as her revival continues.

This season, with the British number one’s fitness issues largely behind her and the development of a new-found resilience, she has climbed back into the world’s top 40.

“Every time she is improving and I can see she is getting back to her best.

“I’m enjoying fighting against her – she is such an incredible player.”

Raducanu could be seeded among the leading 32 players at the upcoming US Open, providing a more favourable draw – in theory at least – at the hard-court Grand Slam which she won as a teenage qualifier in 2021.

On the basis of this display against Sabalenka, there are plenty of positives for Raducanu to take going into the final major of the season.

With her service game providing a strong foundation, backed by regularly playing with calmness and clarity from the baseline, a tense contest in a sweltering Cincinnati could easily have gone her way.

Sabalenka was well below her best level throughout, with the powerful baseline game which has delivered three major titles looking vulnerable and erratic.

Raducanu, who was guided vocally throughout by her new coach Francisco Roig, took full advantage.

In the past Raducanu has wilted in these intense battles and draining conditions.

The manner in which she survived four break points during a marathon eighth game in the decider – coming through 12 deuces to hold serve after 22 minutes – was a fine example of an improved mentality in recent months.

Sabalenka, though, has a formidable record in tie-breaks and showed why by holding her nerve in the match-defining moments.

Despite the clear positives, Raducanu’s defeat means she has still only won three of her 17 matches against top-10 players and never beaten an opponent ranked in the world’s top four.

Manchester City considering move for Rodrygo, Nottingham Forest close to agreeing deal for James McAtee, and Chelsea and RB Leipzig discuss Christopher Nkunku in talks for Xavi Simons.

Manchester City are considering a move for Real Madrid’s 24-year-old Brazil forward Rodrygo, who is valued at £87m. (Fabrizio Romano)

Nottingham Forest are close to agreeing a deal for Manchester City’s 22-year-old English midfielder James McAtee. (Athletic – subscription required)

Chelsea and RB Leipzig have discussed France forward Christopher Nkunku, 27, during talks about Netherlands attacker Xavi Simons, 22. (Talksport)

Monaco are interested in signing Newcastle’s 34-year-old former England defender Kieran Trippier. (Sky Sports)

West Ham are preparing a bid for Southampton’s 21-year-old Portugal Under-21s midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who is valued at £30m. (Guardian)

Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25, will only consider reintegrating at Newcastle or signing a new deal if Liverpool directly inform him a deal is impossible this summer. (Givemesport)

Inter Milan, Roma, Juventus and Napoli have joined AC Milan in expressing an interest in Rasmus Hojlund, with Manchester United ready to consider bids of £30m-£40m for the 22-year-old Denmark striker. (The i – subscription required)

England midfielder Jack Grealish’s loan move from Manchester City to Everton includes a £50m option to buy the 29-year-old next summer. (Athletic – subscription required)

Chelsea have lodged a £43m offer for 26-year-old Liverpool and France centre-back Ibrahima Konate. (Defensa Central – in Spanish)

Brentford and Newcastle are in talks to sign Stade Rennais’ French striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, with the Bees slightly more advanced in negotiations for the 23-year-old. (L’Equipe – in French)

Newcastle also have a strong interest in Leicester City and Morocco attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss, 21, but face competition from Leeds. (Telegraph)

Everton are interested in Leicester’s 21-year-old Ghana winger Abdul Fatawu after failing with multiple bids for Southampton’s 19-year-old England Under-21s winger Tyler Dibling. (Sky Sports)

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has sacked his agent as he attempts to find a new club. The 28-year-old England striker has held talks with Manchester United, Newcastle and Leeds. (Talksport)

Wolfsburg are interested in Sunderland’s 23-year-old Northern Ireland full-back Trai Hume. (Sky Sports)

Chelsea are considering a move for Bayer Leverkusen and Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie, 23, following 22-year-old England centre-back Levi Colwill’s serious knee injury. (Caughtoffside)