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Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers hoped to seize control of the World Series in Game 4 but they weren't able to get it done at home, losing 6-2 to the Blue Jays. The series is now tied up at 2-2 and suddenly it looks like Los Angeles could be in trouble, partly because while Ohtani has done virtually everything he can thus far, some of his star teammates are not having the same kind of success.

The biggest name that hasn't stepped up enough in the World Series is Mookie Betts. The 2018 AL MVP is an eight-time All-Star but he hasn't been himself at the plate against the Blue Jays. He has just three hits in 19 at-bats and has yet to knock in a run.

Moments after Game 4, in which Betts went 1-for-4 with his only hit being a single in the eighth inning, Alex Rodriguez seemed to call out the Dodgers' star shortstop, saying his struggles could hurt Ohtani the rest of the series.

"When I look at that lineup, the one guy that you have to circle is the great, great Mookie Betts because if Mookie doesn’t get going that means that Shohei may not get one more at-bat for the rest of series and that’s something to watch," Rodriguez said.

David Ortiz then chimed in with what he thinks has gone wrong for the Dodgers and what the team's other stars need to do to pick up Ohtani.

"Shohei has a hard job to do because he has to pitch and he has to hit but he’s more critical because if he doesn’t hit [the Dodgers] don’t hit," Ortiz said. "It seems like every night when they get going it’s because of [Ohtani]. Now you have a lot of superstars on the ball club, you have a lot of professional hitters that until this point they haven’t been able to come through collectively."

Here's that complete conversation from Fox's postgame show.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted there could be some lineup changes for Game 5, saying in his postgame press conference: “I’m going to think long and hard, and it might look a little bit different tomorrow.”

The Dodgers need their other stars to pick it up, and fast. The Blue Jays were resilient in Game 4 and if they can win Game 5 they will head home with a 3-2 lead and will only need to win one game at Rogers Centre to claim their first World Series title since 1993.

Game 5 is a crucial game for both teams. We'll have to wait and see what changes the Dodgers make, if any, and if Betts can finally get going at the plate.

Minus Zian Flemming’s late penalty for Burnley at St James’ Park, Newcastle United’s 2-1 win over the relegation-threatened Clarets on Saturday was rather straightforward.

Scott Parker’s men never gave in, but after Anthony Gordon stroked home his fourth penalty of the season, there was a sense of inevitability that the Magpies were going to secure a sixth Premier League victory of the campaign, especially as the away side had to play all of the second half with just ten men.

It was far from vintage, but Newcastle will be pleased that they now enter into the upcoming Tyne-Wear Derby with a confidence-boosting win under their belt.

Then, it’s a tough encounter with Chelsea in league action, before more and more clashes come their way across the bumper Christmas period.

Before you know it, Eddie Howe’s men will be concerning themselves with matters in the January transfer window, as plenty of new signings are tipped to move to Tyneside.

Newcastle's transfer latest

Away from any new arrivals, though, Yoane Wissa lining up for Howe and Co against Burnley would have felt like a fresh signing in itself, as the injury-plagued striker finally pulled on Toon black and white, after exiting Brentford in the summer.

Still, even with Wissa’s return, Newcastle have been credited as being interested in the services of Bees goal machine Igor Thiago, as Keith Andrews fears another Magpies swoop could be forthcoming.

Of course, there is also constant talk bubbling away that Elliot Anderson might well seal a Tyneside return from Nottingham Forest.

Yet, with a ludicrous £100m price tag above the England international’s head, Newcastle might well be better placed to seek out cheaper alternatives, as Hungarian sensation Alex Tóth is allegedly catching the Premier League side’s eye.

Already garnering a lot of hype in his native country for Robbie Keane’s Ferencváros TC, Football Insider has now revealed that a £13m bid could be accepted down the line for the 20-year-old’s services, with Newcastle and Bundesliga clubs eyeing up the emerging talent.

Newcastle could be tempted to land such a promising midfield gem if he is available at such a cut-price fee, with the lingering disappointment of letting Anderson go prematurely, softened somewhat by the Budapest-born star’s arrival.

How Toth could be Anderson 2.0

Newcastle must still have restless nights about the decision to sell Anderson to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2024, after the homegrown Toon prodigy had made 55 promising appearances in the first team ranks.

He was only just getting started at St James’ Park, though, with hindsight on side, as the 23-year-old is now a regular in Thomas Tuchel’s England set-up, and for good reason.

He’s made a mind-blowing 8.4 ball recoveries per game this season in Premier League action, and won 7.8 duels per match, gifting him the label of being an “elite” performer at the very top by analyst and social media personality Statman Dave.

Likewise, journalist Bence Bocsak has tipped the Ferencváros number 64 to go to “the top” too, with a new Anderson-style project potentially on Newcastle’s hands if they land Tóth this January.

Winning four duels per fixture his season in Fizz Liga action, Tóth isn’t a million miles off the high-octane approach Anderson is known for. He even regularly lines up for Hungary, alongside Liverpool faces Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai, off the back of these well-drilled showings, with three ground duels successfully won against the Republic of Ireland, just last month.

But, as per analyst page Football Wonderkids, it’s also his well-rounded ability to chip in with goals and assists and tidily play the ball about the pitch that makes him a “special talent” worthy of a Premier League switch, with a standout 11 goal contributions tallied up across his last two league seasons. Like Anderson, therefore, he’s got a goal involvement from the middle of the park in him too.

This has further led to the aforementioned Bocsak hailing the £13m asset as a “modern day midfielder” who is capable of everything, much like Anderson, who has three goals and seven assists for the Tricky Trees in total, yet is also known as a “warrior” for his defensive grit by Como scout Ben Mattinson.

Of course, if Tóth were to make the move to England, he wouldn’t become an Anderson-like talent overnight in his new, intimidating surroundings.

But, for just £13m, it’s surely worth the gamble that he could morph into Newcastle’s second coming of their departed midfielder in time.

He once cost £38.5m: Newcastle plot concrete move to sign "brilliant" PL star

He desperately needs a move.

By
Tom Cunningham

5 days ago

This week has been a strangely newsy one for the Montreal Expos, a Major League Baseball team that has not taken the field since 2004.

The release of a Netflix documentary examining the team's demise—entitled —was long planned. However, the filmmakers probably didn't count on Canada's younger MLB team—the Blue Jays—reaching the World Series and throwing an even bigger spotlight on baseball in the Great White North.

Like many of baseball's more famous relocations—the Dodgers', the Giants', or (more recently) the Athletics'—the Expos' defection to Washington to become the Nationals marked the culmination of a long and arduous process. It was also unique in that it involved a quasi-ownership "trade" that influenced the fate of a franchise thousands of miles away from Quebec.

Here's a look at how Canada's second-largest city lost its team.

How did Jeffrey Loria buy the Expos?

Liquor magnate Charles Bronfman and five partners founded the Expos in 1969—a time when Montreal was still widely known as Canada's cultural capital (Toronto wouldn't jump it in population until Canada's 2001 census). The Expos found sledding tough in their early years, making just one playoff appearance (1981) despite numerous winning seasons. Bronfman sold the team to Claude Brochu in 1991, and after a tumultuous decade, Brochu sold a controlling stake to art dealer Jeffrey Loria in 2001.

How did Jeffrey Loria get out of his deal with the Expos?

For much of Montreal's existence, the team faced one overarching question: how would the team replace Olympic Stadium? The oft-derided building long overstayed its welcome for the 1976 Summer Olympics, and Loria quickly sought public funding for a new park. As attempts to replace Olympic Stadium dragged, MLB attempted to fold the Twins and Expos—a move only stopped by a successful court challenge. Amid this turmoil in Montreal, Loria sold the team to MLB and used the money to buy the Marlins—taking the Expos' resources with him.

How did the Expos get to Washington?

MLB's purchase of the team was effectively the ballgame for Montreal, but the years leading up to the team's relocation produced a slew of interesting what-ifs. First, in 2003 and 2004, the Expos split their home games between Montreal and San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium—routinely drawing better in Puerto Rico than in Canada. Along with San Juan, several non-Washington cities circled the Expos, with Charlotte and Portland discussed as contenders. Ultimately, the American capital won the Expos sweepstakes, and the team took on the name of several early Washington teams—the Nationals.

What is the legacy of the Expos' final years?

For many years, the legacy of the Expos' messy relocation seemed to be MLB's eagerness to avoid a repeat—but the Athletics' widely reviled, slow-motion departure from Oakland appears to have scuttled that. Montreal retains an appetite for baseball, as the Expos live on as a nostalgia item—"The DNA is still here even though they’re gone," documentary director Jean-François Poisson told 's Matthew Roberson Thursday. If expansion one day brings baseball back to Quebec, the Expos—as ever—will likely need to do something about Olympic Stadium, which somehow still stands on the eve of its 50th anniversary.

Cole Campbell has formally requested to leave Borussia Dortmund during the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports Deutschland journalist Florian Plettenberg. The 19-year-old American winger is seeking a move in order to find regular first-team playing time and continue his development. Campbell featured for the U.S's U20 side and has made five senior appearances for BVB.

• Desire for more playing time.

  Plettenberg reported that Campbell has officially submitted his transfer request to Borussia Dortmund's management, citing concerns about his pathway to meaningful minutes with the senior squad. The U.S. youth international has struggled to break into Niko Kovac's plans this season despite showing promise in limited appearances last campaign.

  Campbell's representatives have communicated that a winter move would best serve his development.

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  Multiple European clubs express interest

  According to Plettenberg’s report, several European clubs have expressed interest in Campbell. Belgian sides Club Brugge and Anderlecht are among the potential destinations. Danish club FC Midtjylland is also reported to be monitoring the situation, while German second-division team SV Elversberg has been identified as another option.

• Transfer saga follows summer standoff

  Campbell's transfer request comes just months after Borussia Dortmund rejected a $4.6 million (€4 million) offer from VfB Stuttgart for the American winger. Reports from German outlet Bild indicated that Dortmund was holding out for approximately $9.3 million (€8 million) for Campbell during the summer window, despite the player having already agreed to personal terms with Stuttgart. This standoff ultimately prevented Campbell from securing a move.

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  What's next for Dortmund?

  Dortmund have a rematch with Leverkusen, the side they beat 2-1 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, in the German Cup on Dec. 2. 

And who is the oldest player to play the tournament?

Steven Lynch10-Jun-2025Virat Kohli has played in every season of the IPL. How many others have done this? And did any of them play for just one team, as he has? asked Himanshu Patel from India

You’re right that Virat Kohli has appeared in every edition of the Indian Premier League since the first one back in 2008. Three others have done this, but none of them have played for the same team throughout.The long-serving trio are MS Dhoni, who usually played for Chennai Super Kings but represented Rising Pune Supergiants when CSK were suspended (2016-17), Rohit Sharma (Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians) and Manish Pandey, who has actually turned out for seven different teams.At The Oval last week Gudakesh Motie faced a hat-trick ball and hit it for six. How often has this happened? asked Katherine Miller from England

In the one-day international at The Oval last week, Adil Rashid dismissed the West Indian pair of Justin Greaves and Roston Chase with successive balls in the 22nd over – but the hat-trick ball was a short one and the new batter Gudakesh Motie smashed it over midwicket for six.We don’t have ball-by-ball data for a lot of matches, so it’s quite hard to work out how often this has happened. I’m pretty sure there have been no instances in Test matches, but there is at least one more in an ODI, and another in a T20I. At Edgbaston in 2015, Grant Elliott of New Zealand dismissed England’s Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid with successive balls in the 50th over, whereupon Liam Plunkett came in and hit the next delivery for six (he added another six from the next legal ball, after a wide).New Zealand were also involved when, in a match in Kolkata during the 2016 T20 World Cup, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh took two wickets in two balls, again in the final over. The last delivery of the innings was the hat-trick ball – and Mitchell McClenaghan clouted it over the long-on boundary for six.Who’s the oldest player to appear in the IPL? And which IPL cricketer has the earliest date of birth? asked Abhik Ghoshal from Canada

The oldest man to appear in the IPL is the Australian left-arm wristspinner Brad Hogg, who was 45 years 92 days old when he played his final game, for Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Lions at Eden Gardens in 2016. Next comes legspinner Pravin Tambe, who was 44 years 219 days old in May 2016, while up to third this year went MS Dhoni, at 43 years 322 days. Muthiah Muralidaran and Imran Tahir both played in the IPL when they were 42.Just two men who were born in the 1960s played in the IPL: Sanath Jayasuriya, who was born on June 30, 1969, and Shane Warne (September 13, 1969). Then come two other distinguished Australians in Darren Lehmann (born February 5, 1970) and Glenn McGrath (February 9, 1970), before the Indian allrounder Sunil Joshi (June 6, 1970).Brad Hogg was 45 and 92 days old when he played his final IPL game•BCCIEngland won in Cardiff last week after both openers were out for ducks. How often has this happened, and was 312 the record score afterwards ? asked Keith Durbridge from England

England made 312 for 7 to beat West Indies in Cardiff last week despite both openers – Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett – falling for 0. This was the 51st instance of both openers making ducks in an ODI, but the recovery from such a disastrous start has been bettered only by New Zealand, who made 339 for 5 to beat England in Dunedin in 2018 after Martin Guptill and Colin Munro fell for 0: Ross Taylor hammered 181 not out.Next comes Nepal’s 310 for 8 against Oman in Kirtipur in April 2023, and New Zealand’s 291 for 8 against West Indies at Old Trafford during the 2019 World Cup. In that one, both Guptill and Munro were out first ball, but New Zealand ended up winning by five runs.Where does Joe Root’s 166 last week stand on England’s ODI list? And has anyone made their highest score in ODIs later than their 179th match, as Root did? asked Chris Goddard from England

That superb innings of 166 not out by Joe Root against West Indies in Cardiff last week was England’s fifth-highest individual score in ODIs, a list headed by Ben Stokes’ 182 against New Zealand at The Oval in 2023.You’re right that Root’s 166 came in his 179th ODI, but a surprising number have made their highest score at a later stage – 34 men in all. They include Sachin Tendulkar, who made his career-best 200 not out (the first ODI double-century) in his 442nd match, against South Africa in Gwalior in February 2010. A quartet of distinguished Sri Lankans come next: Kumar Sangakkara made his highest ODI score of 169 in his 350th match, Mahela Jayawardene 144 in his 343rd, Muthiah Muralidaran 33 not out in his 321st, and Tillakaratne Dilshan 161 not out in his 310th. Virender Sehwag (219 in his 240th ODI) and Chris Gayle (215 in his 266th) are the other double-centurions on this list.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Since the third season in 2025, the MLC has opted for a window in June-July that ensures no clash with other competitions

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2025The fourth season of Major League Cricket (MLC) will be held from June 18 to July 18, 2026. Like the previous edition, the six-team competition will feature 34 games in all.But even with the Season 4 dates now out, there is no public confirmation from USA Cricket (USAC) on whether it has revoked the termination of its contract with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the owners of the league.The confusion has left USA players concerned, as recently stated by Corey Anderson, who is the operational director of USA Cricketers’ Association, which is not recognised by USAC.Since the third season in 2025, MLC has opted for a window in June-July that ensures no clash with other global franchise competitions, allowing for a bigger pool of talent to tap into. Originally a 19-match tournament in 2023 that expanded to 25 matches in 2024, the competition has been a 34-match event since 2025. MLC is set to avoid a clash with the Hundred for the second successive year. The Hundred’s dates have not been publicly confirmed but ESPNcricinfo understands it will run from July 21 until August 16.”Season 3 showed that demand for top-tier cricket in the USA is real and accelerating,” Johnny Grave, MLC chief executive, said in a statement. “MLC is winning new fans, followers and viewers throughout the USA and around the world. We’re delivering on our promise to grow the game across the USA and build relations with new and existing commercial partners.”According to MLC, ACE is now targeting ten international standard venues by 2030 with investments upwards of US$ 150 million committed.The six teams participating in the event are Los Angeles Knight Riders (owned by Knight Riders Group), MI New York (Indiawin Sports), San Francisco Unicorns (Anand Rajaraman, Venky Harinarayan), Seattle Orcas (GMR Group, Satya Nadella, S Somasegar), Texas Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings, Anurag Jain, Ross Perot Jr) and Washington Freedom (Sanjay Govil). The MLC is also planning to add two more teams by the 2027 season, with a move to Canada also being explored.The 2025 edition was won by MI New York, their second title in three seasons, defeating Washington Freedom by five runs in the final.

The England batter had the stellar ability to make games change course, and that made him worth more than his numbers

Jarrod Kimber18-May-2025In December 2013, when covering a Test at the WACA, journalists started putting their laptops in the fridge as they overheated. It was hot every day of this Test, with 37°C the maximum temperature. The sort of heat that melts your soul after a day or two.Some batters say that it gets harder to think in hot conditions. They resort to trying to get as many runs as they can before fatigue gets them out. This was one of those days. England were well behind in the Test, needing to score 504 to win. At the crease was Kevin Pietersen.The chances of winning were low. The heat had split the WACA pitch like a fault line, with cracks everywhere. Australia had Mitchell Johnson in peak form, and burly chested fast bowler Ryan Harris, who was almost as good. They were both too fast, too much. With a big total to chase, the wicket and the heat, nothing was on England’s side. But they did still have Pietersen, the player who changed things with his strokeplay. His strike rate at the end of his career was 62, which was nowhere near some of the quickest players. But when he went hard, it was violent. “Kevin Pietersen, he’s the best player I’ve ever seen play for England,” says David “Bumble” Lloyd.At The Oval in 2005, Pietersen was yet to make a Test hundred. He was facing Brett Lee and Shaun Tait – two of the fastest bowlers, then and now. As well as Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne – two of the best bowlers, then and now.Pietersen slog-swept Warne like he was a part-timer in a village team. The champion legspinner took 40 wickets in that series. Pietersen brought his hundred up from 124 balls, though for a period Warne bowled defensively around the wicket into the footmarks just to slow him down.But it was the attack on Brett Lee that was the most exhilarating. After 60 balls, Pietersen was on 35, and most of those were boundaries from attacking Warne. Lee decided to bounce Pietersen.It started with a bruise, clocked at 93.7mph. All Pietersen could do was glove it and almost fall over into his stumps. Straight after that, Lee went all in on the short ball. Pietersen went on the hook.The second ball of this plan was hooked for six. Lee’s speed was 91mph. It cleared fine leg by some distance. Pietersen was not a great hooker; like many other tall batters, he didn’t face as many short balls growing up as others. He often made the decision late, and it was more of a panicked swipe. He also often tried to play it off the front foot, which he was even worse at. He averaged far less on the pull and hook than the top six batters of his era.After a watchful start against Brett Lee at The Oval in 2005, Pietersen laid into him, hitting three sixes and five fours•Hamish Blair/Getty ImagesPietersen used this shot differently compared to other players. He was daring quicks to keep bowling it to him. Lee did. Looking back, it felt like this contest went on forever. Lee kept getting faster and shorter, and Pietersen swung more and more frantically. Lee was forced to give up the plan.No one who saw that innings live has ever forgotten it.Pietersen was no one’s idea of a perfect batter. His technique involved hitting balls on the up, dragging deliveries from outside off to leg, and hitting the ball in the air. Playing across the line might have been why he struggled in the second innings of matches, averaging only 38, as the ball kept lower. Overall, the risks he took stopped him from averaging 50 in what was a great era to bat.He is not an automatic selection for the top 50 Test batters of all time, but his ability to turn a match in an innings was like few others in history. It means his average of 47 is more significant than others.About eight years after 2005, Pietersen is facing fast bowling from Australians again – this time on a faster wicket, at the WACA. But he is also going up against a new Australian spinner, Nathan Lyon, bowling with the breeze.Australia have attacking fielders and boundary riders, an in-out field. Many batters would simply rotate the strike, punish any bad deliveries and keep their wicket intact. Lyon is the bowler to milk, to stay in against, to save your real energy for Johnson’s thunderbolts or Harris’ Mack Truck-like force. However, it is hot, and the Australian quicks are all rotating through their second spells. To give them more time to rest, Lyon’s offspin is floating on the breeze.Pietersen starts to attack him almost immediately, smashing one back, which is stopped. Next, he comes down the wicket and drop-kicks a shot over mid- on. He gets three. The next over, there are two more boundaries: one from a fine sweep and another from a cover drive against the spin. Lyon stays on, and Pietersen wants to emphasise that he should not. So he runs down and smashes the ball over the long-on fielder into the crowd. It is audacious, wild, and exactly how Pietersen thinks.He was averaging more than 50 against Lyon then. He has the match-up, has put him in the crowd, and scores off him with ease. One more blow will change Australia’s rest strategy.BloomsburyPietersen runs down the wicket at Lyon one more time and goes for glory. But something doesn’t work; his head isn’t perfect, the ball doesn’t come from the middle, it hangs in the famous Fremantle Doctor and the catch is taken by Harris, one of the quick bowlers he is trying to tire, at long-on.Though we were almost a decade into Pietersen’s career at this point, and he’d taken that sort of risk so many times, he was still taken to task for it.People saw it as arrogance, a lack of patience, or just plain stupidity. But there was solid thinking to how he played. If he did knock Lyon out of the attack, Johnson would probably have to come back too early. Getting him tired was the key to making runs against Australia if you’d managed to survive Harris and the new ball.Johnson and Harris were the threats. You could try handling them for hours and do that over time, or you could speed up the process by making the player who rests them unbowlable.Pietersen often chose the faster, more dramatic option. And when it worked, England won the 2005 Ashes due to his 158 at the Oval. When it didn’t, Australia won the 2013-14 Ashes at the WACA. In terms of game theory, Pietersen was risk and reward. He was hailed as a hero when it worked and abused as a pariah when it didn’t.The Art of Batting: the Craft of Cricket’s Greatest Run Scorers

Manchester United are now ready to push harder and complete the signing of Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson.

The Red Devils drew 2-2 away to Forest in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with Ruben Amorim assessing a solid day at the office, if not a perfect one.

“We lost control of the game for five minutes and we paid the price. I felt that the level of energy was not the same compared to the last game. Sometimes, when you play away, you can feel that. [My players] gave everything, and you could see it in the game but, in the small details, the energy was not the same.

“We have to work on that. Like I was saying, we were in control of the game. In the Premier League, if you disconnect for five minutes, you can change the result.

“Comparing [to] the recent past we had, some games [in] these big bad moments we struggle so much more than today, we managed to control the emotions, to put the ball on the ground and try to push the opponent to the final third. We managed to score, we had a big opportunity in the end. But we lost two points and that is the feeling, but we have the next week to work and to try and get these points in another stadium.”

United didn’t always look wholly convincing as a unit against Forest, and with Casemiro out of contract next summer, the need for a new signing in the middle of the park will be great.

Man Utd ready to push ahead with "perfect" Elliot Anderson pursuit

According to a new update from Caught Offside‘s Mark Brus, Manchester United could now “accelerate their efforts” to sign Anderson from Forest in the January transfer window, with Amorim a fan and Old Trafford chiefs seeing him as “perfect”.

“United see Anderson as a perfect option and a long-term investment, though they could also accelerate their efforts for him this January. There is a unanimous feeling among the directors, Ruben Amorim, and his coaching staff that Anderson would be a great addition in that position.”

Anderson’s rise has been meteoric of late, going from a relative unknown to a key starter for England over the past 12 months, playing a big role in Forest getting into Europe last season.

Still only 22, he has so much time ahead of him to improve and Amorim spoke glowingly about him before Saturday’s game, which may only increase the speculation.

“They have Hudson-Odoi, they have Anderson, a very, very good player. So they have solutions. They have top players, they have a very good coach, we need to play a different game but we will be prepared.”

Fewer passes than Lammens: 3/10 Man Utd flop has now got to be dropped

Man Utd drew 2-2 away to Forest, and this star struggled

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 2, 2025

Anderson ticks so many boxes for United, from quality on the ball to being a homegrown player, and while his rumoured £70m price tag is huge, he has the potential to make it worth their while.

Casemiro isn't the only Man Utd star who has saved his career under Amorim

India lost both their overnight batters, Rahul and Gill, and still trail by 88

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2025

Shubman Gill celebrates his fourth century of the series•AFP/Getty Images

Lunch England took a huge step towards a series-clinching win just before lunch on the fifth day in Manchester when Jofra Archer finally dislodged Shubman Gill after 87 overs of resistance.When Gill walked out to face a hat-trick ball in the first over of India’s second innings, his team trailed by 311 runs and looked certain to lose within four days. But a doughty, defiant century – the fourth in his first series as India captain – kept the match and the series alive, trimming the deficit to under 100 and slowly wearing England’s bowlers down.Gill was given a life early on the fifth day when Ollie Pope failed to hold onto a stinging chance at short cover, and was hit on the glove and helmet as Ben Stokes broke through the pain barrier to bowl an eight-over spell from the James Anderson End. Stokes did not bowl on the fourth day due to cramp and grimaced after every ball due to a shoulder niggle.But he was the man that gave England their first breakthrough, pinning KL Rahul on the back pad to trap him lbw and break a partnership worth 188 with Gill. Stokes exploited the variable bounce on offer throughout his spell, with some balls shooting through low and others – like the brute that struck Gill – leaping unexpectedly.Chris Woakes took the new ball alongside Archer and occasionally beat the bat, with Gill surviving an incredibly tight leave soon after a celebratory yelp on reaching three figures. But he played away from his body to a back-of-a-length ball from Archer shortly before lunch, and edged through to Jamie Smith to make England clear favourites.

Lionel Messi and Argentina have been told that they were “lucky” to savour World Cup glory at Qatar 2022. All-time great Messi completed his medal collection at that event, as he inspired the Albiceleste to a global title. Wesley Sneijder has suggested that the South Americans were fortunate to claim that crown, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal considered to have a better chance of landing the same prize in 2026.

• Will Messi & Ronaldo grace the 2026 World Cup?

  The countdown is on to another meeting of the best players on the planet. FIFA’s flagship event is preparing to head to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer – with 48 teams taking part in an expanded format.

  The expectation is that Messi and Ronaldo will form part of that gathering. CR7 has stated that he expects his sixth World Cup to be his last, as he will be 41 by the time that the tournament gets underway, but has been showing no sign of slowing down with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

  Messi is yet to confirm that he will form part of Argentina’s title defence, with the 38-year-old now plying his club trade in MLS for Inter Miami. Many are tipping him to make Lionel Scaloni’s squad, with a 200th international cap in the process of being chased down.

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  Got lucky: Why Sneijder is backing Ronaldo over Messi

  Messi has already reached the pinnacle of world football, having got his hands on the trophy that he coveted most in 2022, with the all-time great caring little what the likes of Sneijder think about his glorious achievement.

  The ex-Netherlands and Real Madrid playmaker has, however, told when turning the clock backwards and forwards: “Portugal have a very strong team. For me, they are one of the favourites so then I would say Cristiano Ronaldo has the stronger chance of winning the next World Cup compared to Lionel Messi. It was a great World Cup for Argentina in Qatar but they were a bit lucky as well. I think overall Portugal is a better team.”

• Should Messi have eight Ballons d'Or? Sneijder thinks not

  This is not the first time that Sneijder has questioned Messi’s claims to the most prestigious of honours. The Dutchman helped Jose Mourinho’s legendary Inter side to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble in 2010 and believes those exploits should have earned him a Golden Ball.

  Sneijder has previously said: “It was a little unfair that I was not crowned with the 2010 Ballon d'Or and Messi won it. Although I'm not the guy who cries about that: the Ballon d'Or is an individual award, and what I prefer is to win collective trophies. If I had to choose between the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or, I would choose the Champions League that I won. I am very happy with that title.”

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  GOAT targets: Messi & Ronaldo tipped to reach 1,000 goals

  Sneijder has seen Messi move on to eight Ballons d’Or, while Ronaldo has five in his collection. They are both still going strong, with there individual targets for them to chase down.

  Ronaldo has made no secret of the fact that he wants to reach 1,000 career goals, with Messi also being backed to hit four figures in that department before history-making boots are hung up for the final time.

  Sneijder has said: “I think that's the next goal for both of them, 100%. Cristiano won’t stop before reaching the thousand goals. Messi has signed another two year deal. He will definitely reach one thousand goals as well.

  “It's nice that we are still talking about this rivalry with one in MLS and the other in Saudi. They are two big stars and now they’re chasing a different goal of reaching 1,000 goals. Amazing. Maybe we see about counting their assists to find out who can get to 2,000 first.”

  Ronaldo has committed to a contact at Al-Nassr that is set to keep him into the Middle East until the summer of 2027. Messi, meanwhile, has agreed fresh terms with Inter Miami through the 2028 MLS season.