Bangladesh’s heartbreak or West Indies defeating Australia in a Test for the first time in 21 years? Which Test was better? Vote now!

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The AUS-WI 2024 Brisbane Test moves into the round of 16.

Defiance and heartbreak – Multan, 2003

This was supposed to be Bangladesh’s moment. Their first Test win after 22 defeats (and one draw). A chance to show the world they belonged.Only they couldn’t get past one man.Bangladesh batted first and scored 281, riding on Habibul Bashar’s 72. They then skittled Pakistan for 175 with Khaled Mahmud and Mohammad Rafique sharing nine wickets between them to secure a 106-run lead. Despite being bowled out for 154 in their second dig, the odds were stacked in Bangladesh’s favour with Pakistan chasing 261.On a fourth day Multan surface, Bangladesh had Pakistan in trouble at 81 for 4, which became 164 for 7 in no time. They breached the defences of every player, barring one: Inzamam-ul-Haq. But by the time he completed his fifty, Pakistan had already lost six wickets.When Inzamam brought up his century, Pakistan were still 44 runs adrift of the target with two wickets in hand. He found an able ally in Umar Gul, with the duo adding 52 runs for the ninth wicket, in which Gul’s contribution was just five off 50 balls. But when Gul was run out with the target only four runs away, Bangladesh saw some hope, again.Inzamam, however, kept his cool and flicked Mahmud away to the long-leg fence as Pakistan clinched a thriller. A teary-eyed Inzamam was showered with rose petals as he made his way to the change room, unbeaten on 138 and giving Pakistan a win to savour.

Shamar announces his arrival – Brisbane, 2024

Carl Hooper and Brian Lara broke down. The most patriotic Australian supporter cheered for the opposition. The Test world champions were knocked over. All because one bowler, with a broken toe, decided it was time for a siege on fortress Gabba.Australia had not lost a Test to West Indies since 2003, and not lost to them at home since 1997. They had also never lost a pink-ball Test. It was all going to change.They were coming into the second Test having decimated West Indies in Adelaide inside three days. At the Gabba, West Indies batted first and scored 311 with useful middle- and lower-order contributions. Australia declared behind on 289 for 9 to make use of the twilight session.West Indies showed fight but were bowled out for 193, giving Australia a 216-run target. But more importantly, Shamar Joseph had to retire hurt after a searing Mitchell Starc yorker struck him flush on the toe. This was late on the third evening. Australia lost Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne early in the chase, but Steven Smith and Cameron Green took them to stumps, requiring 156 runs to win. Shamar hadn’t bowled at all on the third evening.On the fourth afternoon, Smith and Green went merrily about their run-scoring ways. Then Shamar arrived. He conceded 19 runs off his first ten balls. Off his 11th and 12th, he knocked over Green and Travis Head.The odds were still stacked in Australia’s favour at this stage. There were just 103 runs away and Shamar had a broken toe. How long could he continue? He continued… straight for 11.5 overs. And Australia were blown away. Shamar removed Mitchell Marsh, then knocked over Alex Carey with 145kph thunderbolt. He then snapped up Starc before sending back Pat Cummins.All this while, Smith kept at it. But when Alzarri Joseph had Nathan Lyon with Australia still 25 adrift, the end was in sight. Fittingly, it was Shamar who claimed the final wicket, flattening Josh Hazlewood’s off pole and then wheeling away in celebration, finishing with stunning figures of 7 for 68. It was a performance that single-handedly elevated Shamar to stardom.

FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders traveling to matches in the United States will be able to receive prioritized U.S. visa interview appointments under a new initiative announced at the White House on Monday. The program – the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) – was introduced by the U.S. Department of State in coordination with the White House Task Force and FIFA.

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  White House event announces new FIFA PASS program

  FIFA PASS will allow fans who have purchased World Cup tickets through FIFA to request priority visa interview slots at U.S. embassies and consulates. The State Department said the system will launch in early 2026 and emphasized that all applicants must still complete the standard vetting and eligibility process required for a U.S. visa.

  “If you have a ticket for the World Cup, you can have prioritized appointments to get your visa,” Infantino said at the event. Rubio added that the government has deployed more than 400 additional consular officers worldwide to help meet expected demand ahead of the tournament.

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  Program gives ticket holders access to priority visa interviews

  More than six million tickets are expected to be made available for the 2026 World Cup, which will feature 104 matches across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Eleven U.S. cities will host a combined 78 matches, including group-stage games, knockout rounds and the final.

  Fans who need a visa and live in countries with available appointments are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, the State Department said. Travelers from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries may instead seek authorization through ESTA. 

  Infantino has repeatedly emphasized that “the world is welcome in America,” offering public reassurances that international fans will be safe and supported when traveling to the United States for both the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup. His comments follow meetings with the White House Task Force and come amid ongoing scrutiny over the U.S. government’s immigration policies, security concerns, and visa challenges. Human Rights Watch has urged FIFA to be prepared to reconsider hosting if traveler safety cannot be guaranteed, even as Infantino maintains that U.S. officials have assured him that all fans who come to “celebrate football” will be welcomed.

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  FIFA World Cup 2026's economic impact

  Earlier this year, a joint study from FIFA and the World Trade Organization projected that hosting the 2026 tournament could generate 185,000 full-time jobs in the United States and contribute USD 17.2 billion to the economy.

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  Looking ahead

  Additional guidance for ticket holders on how to access FIFA PASS will be provided in early 2026, and updated entry information for all three host nations is available on FIFA’s official website.

  "The kick-off is coming up, so now is the time to apply. We’re honored to host the greatest and safest World Cup in history," Rubio said.

Martin O’Neill’s future as Celtic’s interim manager remains unknown for the time being, but a new update has now emerged regarding the situation.

The 4-2-3-1-playing O’Neill has enjoyed a successful return to Parkhead, winning three of his four matches in temporary charge of the Hoops.

The 73-year-old remains as popular as ever among the Celtic supporters, while Ian Wright has recently heaped praise on the job he is doing at the Scottish Premiership champions, calling him “amazing”, and Paul Scholes has lauded the “unbelievable energy” that he has.

It has recently been claimed that O’Neill’s time in charge of the Hoops could come to an end during the current international break, however, with the Scottish giants seeing Wilfried Nancy and Kjetil Knutsen as the front-runners to come in.

There are some Celtic fans who would like the idea of him staying on, though, given his history with the club and the results he has masterminded since returning, and now a new update has emerged over his future.

Dermot Desmond set for Martin O'Neill talks this week

According to a new claim from Sky Sports, Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond is set to hold “discussions” with O’Neill this week, although it isn’t specified whether it is to do with staying on until the end of the season or bringing someone else in.

That said, the report states that the Hoops are “pleased with the way O’Neill has galvanised the squad and lifted the mood at Celtic Park”, which can only be a good thing for him.

As is always the case with a manager, opinion is sure to be split over O’Neill’s future, with some feeling that he is the right man for the job until next summer, and others perhaps thinking a younger and more long-term option is required right now.

The Northern Irishman has even admitted himself that the demands are tough on a 73-year-old, perhaps showing that he may not have it in him to take the Hoops job on a permanent basis.

“Do you know, that is a genuinely good point, so I’m going to be serious here. I really don’t know. It’s a young man’s game, and I’m almost talking myself out of this here, but it’s been tough, you know. All the things that I kind of thought I knew about it have come to sort of fruition.”

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It still feels more likely that O’Neill will be moved on, with a younger alternative coming in soon, but he has a good relationship with Desmond, which can’t be a bad thing, and there would be clear positives to him staying on if he is keen to.

Shock Celtic manager frontrunner receives backing from Parkhead higher-up

Salman made a 36-ball 53 not out before Rauf’s four-wicket haul, including a double-wicket maiden, sealed Afghanistan’s fate

Danyal Rasool29-Aug-2025An unbeaten half-century from captain Salman Agha and disciplined bowling from their quartet took Pakistan to a 39-run victory in the first game of the T20I tri-series against Afghanistan. After batting first on a surface curiously supportive of quick runs in Sharjah, Pakistan flew out of the blocks before Rashid Khan dragged them back after the powerplay.But their gameplan encourages attack right through the innings, and equipped with a deep batting line-up, Pakistan had the ammunition to keep going hard till the end. It was best summed up by their Nos. 6, 7 and 8 – Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris and Faheem Ashraf – who combined to score 50 runs in 29 balls.Afghanistan’s pursuit combined purpose with craft, tempering their strokeplay in favour of faithfully tailgating the required rate. Rahmanullah Gurbaz had the license to take advantage of the powerplay, but with Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal more cautious, it was clear Afghanistan were trusting their lower order to make up if they fell behind.It worked nicely until the 11th over, but that plan was blown to shreds with a double-wicket maiden from Haris Rauf in the 12th over, which triggered an Afghanistan capitulation. They lost five wickets for four runs in 16 balls, and though Rashid gave his side fleeting hope with a delightfully entertaining 16-ball 39, Afghanistan had drifted far out of the game by then to swim their way back into it.

Farhan’s start gives Pakistan early ground

Afghanistan had the better of all Pakistan batters in the powerplay bar one, and that was the one who counted. Sahibzada Farhan had made up his mind to take on Fazalhaq Farooqi straight from the outset, and intent crystallised into action when he drove him back over his head off the game’s fourth ball. A four followed that six, before Azmatullah Omarzai was greeted with another piledriver over midwicket.Azmatullah Omarzai cut a free-slowing Sahibzada Farhan’s innings short•Emirates Cricket Board

He was gone by the 15th ball of the game, though, when Omarzai strangled him down leg to short fine, but there had been time enough to smash his way to 21 off ten balls. Afghanistan’s spinners applied the squeeze effectively for the next eight overs as Pakistan kept losing wickets and scored just 51 in that period, but the buffer Farhan had provided his side meant they hadn’t lost too much ground before the picked up the pace again.

Captain takes on captain

Rashid is arguably the best T20I bowler in the world, while Salman is inarguably not the best T20I batter. However, in this battle of captains, it was the less fancied skipper who landed all the telling blows. Having dispatched a couple of boundaries off Fareed Ahmad in the previous over, he took on Afghanistan’s talisman, slapping a couple of on-side sixes in an over that leaked 17.Mohammad Nawaz, watching from the other end, joined the action when Omarzai returned, taking his captain’s lead and slapping a couple of sixes in that 15th over.Salman continued, and though that kind of explosiveness wasn’t ever-present, he still finished with an unbeaten 53 off 36; Pakistan scored 99 in the final nine overs, and it had all begun with Salman’s unlikely takedown of the Afghan superstar.Haris Rauf’s double-wicket maiden turned it in Pakistan’s favour•AFP/Getty Images

Rauf’s double-wicket maiden crushes Afghanistan

Well-managed chases are not Afghanistan’s renowned strength, but you could have been fooled for thinking otherwise halfway through their innings. Atal and Darwish Rasooli had struck up a menacing partnership, and Rashid’s side were nicely placed at 93 for 2 with nine overs in which to launch their onslaught.Until Rauf returned to the attack. A couple of furious hard -ength deliveries that flirted with the 150kph mark elicited no runs, and as the pressure built, Atal grew desperate. He lashed out at a slower ball only to find Shaheen Shah Afridi at deep third. Karim Janat failed to get bat on ball on the first two deliveries and then smeared one to deep square-leg, bringing down the curtain on a double-wicket maiden.Afghanistan imploded over the next few minutes. Sufiyan Muqeem removed Rasooli the following delivery, and Mohammad Nabi in his next over. Mohammad Nawaz accounted for Omarzai as he charged down the pitch leaving Haris with a straightforward stumping.From the 12th to the 16th over, Afghanistan scored a mere 6 runs in 24 balls and lost five wickets. It left Rashid’s ensuing onslaught as light entertainment in an already lost cause.

India dominated from start to finish to extend their dominance over Pakistan to 11-3 in T20Is

Sidharth Monga14-Sep-20251:13

Wahab: Kuldeep always one step ahead of batters

India extended their dominance over Pakistan to 11-3 in T20Is with a comfortable seven-wicket win in the first of three possible meetings at the Asia Cup. It was one-way traffic right from the time Hardik Pandya removed Saim Ayub with the first legal ball of the match.India’s superior bowling attack proved to be too much for Pakistan, who were frequently forced to play low-percentage shots to be able to score at a respectable pace. Still, 63 balls went unscored off, the scoring rate went past a run a ball only in the last over of the innings, and 128 was hardly a target for a power-packed India line-up.Related

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Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel two each, and Hardik and Varun Chakravarthy one apiece in a performance with no let-up.Hardik, Bumrah strike, but Farhan fightsTaking the new ball ahead of Bumrah, Hardik started with a loose delivery, but Ayub hit him straight to Bumrah at backward point. In the next over, Mohammad Haris tried to impose himself on Bumrah, and managed only to hole out to Hardik at long leg.Sahibzada Farhan, though, went on to do something no Pakistani had ever done: hit a six off Bumrah in an international match. He then hit another in the final over of the powerplay, making him only the sixth batter to have hit more than one six off Bumrah in all T20Is.However, 42 for 2 was still only a strictly fighting score for a powerplay. It was to be Pakistan’s last bit of joy in a long time.India’s spin strangleThe trio of Varun, Kuldeep and Axar immediately shut out all the scoring after the powerplay. It took Pakistan 31 balls to hit their first boundary after the powerplay. In the intervening period they scored just 12 runs for the loss of two wickets. Both were shots borne out of desperation, resulting in the wickets of Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha.2:20

How big is the gulf between India and Pakistan?

These two wickets came off slogs, but Kuldeep now began to go past defensive shots as well, his wrong’un to consign Mohammad Nawaz to a golden duck leaving him on a hat-trick.Pakistan’s struggles were summed up by their best-looking batter, Farhan, going into the death overs on 40 off 43, and getting out off the first ball of that phase. Shaheen Shah Afridi snatched that honour away from Farhan immediately with some clean striking for a personal T20I best of 33 not out off 16 to give Pakistan some hope.Abhishek, Gill end Pakistan’s hopesThat small ray of hope was snuffed out immediately by Abhishek Sharma, who charged at Afridi first ball and hit it back over his head for four. He then hit the second for a six over long-off. Shubman Gill then hit successive boundaries off Ayub. Even though Ayub got his own back with the wickets of both openers, India had raced away to 41 for 2 in 3.4 overs.India themselves struggled to score freely once their second-best powerplay against Pakistan ended, but the quality difference between the sides was still palpable. Pakistan’s bowling didn’t ask as many questions as India’s did, and India’s batting was able to keep finding runs.The seven overs immediately after the powerplay produced just 39 runs and Tilak Varma’s wicket, but India were still comfortably placed. All it took was a small final push from Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube to seal the win with 4.1 overs to spare.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is planning to hand an exciting young player his first team debut at the London Stadium this season, according to a new report.

This comes in the aftermath of their 3-2 comeback win over Burnley at the London Stadium last Saturday – a clash which gifted Nuno two straight wins and the perfect sign-off before this November international break.

The Hammers have now won consecutive Premier League games despite conceding the first goal each time, having also beaten Newcastle 3-1 the weekend prior. It also marks West Ham’s first back-to-back home wins since October 2024, suggesting the dark clouds could be starting to lift after a torrid opening to the campaign.

With six goals in their last two games – having scored just seven in their previous nine – West Ham’s attack is finally clicking into gear. Crucially, Nuno has settled on a midfield he can trust, naming an unchanged lineup in his last two after criticism for questionable tinkering during his opening four matches.

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West Ham 3-2 Burnley

Academy graduate Freddie Potts has become a fan favourite, if he wasn’t already, and could be working his way into becoming an undroppable after convincing performances alongside Lucas Paqueta in the engine room.

The partnership is providing much-needed stability, with striker Callum Wilson also repaying Nuno’s faith after two straight starts, despite credible reports the Englishman wasn’t fancied by Nuno at first (ExWHUemployee).

Nuno reserved special praise for Tomas Soucek as well, who scored West Ham’s third and ultimately decisive goal of the game on his 250th appearance for the east Londoners.

The 30-year-old won’t be around forever, though, and with his contract expiring in 2027, West Ham could already have an heir apparent in the form of youngster Mohamadou Kante.

Nuno plans senior debut for Mohamadou Kante at West Ham

West Ham agreed a deal to sign Kante from Paris FC last year and the 20-year-old gem spent the rest of 2024/2025 back out on loan in the French capital, with Kante since returning to Rush Green and plying his trade in the club’s academy for the Under-21s.

Kante is yet to make his first-team debut for West Ham, but according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, this is about to change.

The French ‘rising star’ is wanted by multiple sides in January, with numerous Championship clubs already enquiring about Kante and prepared to sign him either on loan or permanently.

Writing for Football Insider, O’Rourke states that Kante is “expected” to get minutes in the West Ham senior team soon and is “close to a first-team breakthrough” after impressing in the academy lately — so it remains to be seen whether the club will green-light a mid-season exit for him.

The midfielder, who’s notched three goals and two assists in 10 academy appearances this term, scored a cracker most recently against Liverpool’s Under-21s — rounding off a superb 3-0 win for West Ham as Kante looks to turn Nuno’s head.

West Ham could have yet another Potts situation on their hands with Kante, and he’s been given chances to impress in first-team training by Nuno lately.

What do the likes of Tamil Nadu, J&K and Chandigarh need to do to make the Ranji knockouts?

Shashank Kishore29-Jan-2025Group ATable toppers Jammu & Kashmir need just one point to qualify. They can achieve this with a drawn fixture against Baroda that will take them to 30 points.Baroda need at least a first-innings lead to go to 30 points, in which case Mumbai can’t catch them even if they beat Meghalaya with a bonus point.Related

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Mumbai need seven full points, and ideally hope Baroda vs J&K ends decisively either way. In such a scenario, they can pip one of Baroda or J&K and be the second team to qualify from the group. If Baroda vs J&K is drawn, Mumbai will have to hope J&K, whom they lost to last week, take the lead.Essentially, Mumbai’s qualification hinges on the Baroda vs J&K result even if they get the full seven points which they’re expected to.Watch out for: Baroda vs J&KGroup BThings are less complex in this group. With five wins in six games, Vidarbha are through. A virtual knockout between Gujarat and Himachal will determine the second qualifier. Gujarat are currently second on 26 points and will be through with a draw. Himachal have a simple equation: win and pip Gujarat to the quarterfinals.Watch out for: Gujarat vs HimachalGroup CTable-toppers Haryana need one point against a resurgent Karnataka.They can qualify even with an outright defeat, but it’s a route that they wouldn’t want to take. In any case, hoping for Bihar to beat Kerala in Kerala seems outlandish given Bihar have five losses in six games.Kerala face the simple task of winning and securing themselves a spot. Even a lead may do, if Karnataka vs Haryana ends in a draw.Karnataka need a bonus-point win•KSCAFor 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy champions Karnataka, buoyed by KL Rahul’s return, nothing but a bonus-point win will suffice. If they manage to achieve this, they will have knocked out Haryana despite being equal on 26, because they will have had one less bonus point.Watch out for: Karnataka vs HaryanaGroup DA superb win over Chandigarh last week has vaulted Tamil Nadu to the top spot with 25 points. A draw against Jharkhand will see them through. A loss will put them on a sticky wicket as Chandigarh and Saurashtra can leapfrog them on points.Chandigarh have stuttered lately. After losing outright in their season opener to Railways, they went on a bull run of three back-to-back wins, but two outright defeats to Saurashtra and TN leave them with having to do the heavy lifting in the final round. Only a win with a bonus point (which will take them to 26) will help them to steer clear of Saurashtra.Saurashtra needed two bonus-point wins to put themselves in the reckoning prior to the Ranji season resuming. They got one against Delhi last week on a rank turner at home with Ravindra Jadeja picking 12 wickets. Jadeja will likely have another massive say on what is believed to be another Rajkot turner against Assam, who will be boosted by the return of Riyan Parag from a shoulder injury.A bonus-point win will see them through. Only a lead will leave them tempting fate – they’ll need Chhattisgarh to beat Chandigarh. An outright win without a bonus point will leave them hoping Chandigarh v Chhattisgarh ends in a draw.Delhi and Railways – who will garner a lot of eyeballs courtesy Virat Kohli’s Ranji return after 12 years – are also in with an outside chance. They’ll need a bonus-point win and a host of other results to go their way.Watch out for: Saurashtra vs Assam and Delhi vs Railways

The ICC has taken exception to the PCB having recorded on video the meeting between match referee Andy Pycroft and the Pakistan team management ahead of their Asia Cup game against UAE on September 17 in Dubai.In a strongly-worded email sent on Thursday, according to PTI, ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta informed the PCB that the use of a mobile phone to film the conversation was a breach of protocol in the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA), where the meeting took place. Apart from Pycroft, the meeting was attended by Pakistan captain Salman Agha, head coach Mike Hesson, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema and media manager Naeem Gillani. The ICC general manager of cricket Wasim Khan was also present.When Gillani attempted to film the meeting, he was told that according to the anti-corruption code mobile phones were not allowed inside the PMOA. The PCB was insistent on filming the meeting, though, saying Pakistan would not play the match against UAE otherwise. A compromise was reached and Gillani was allowed to record the meeting without audio.Related

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In his email, Gupta called out such action as misconduct and said the PCB had committed “multiple violations” of the PMOA protocol. At the meeting, Pycroft told the Pakistan management that he was merely the messenger of the instruction that India captain Suryakumar Yadav would not shake hands with Agha, and not the issuer of the directive. While he expressed “regret over the miscommunication and misunderstanding” around the situation, shortly after the meeting the PCB issued a statement claiming Pycroft had “apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team”.The ICC disagreed with this version and Gupta reiterated in his email to the PCB that Pycroft had expressed regret for the miscommunication.The match between Pakistan and UAE on Wednesday eventually began after an hour’s delay, and only after the PCB agreed to a meeting between Pycroft and the team management ahead of the game to try and resolve issues around the handshake-gate incident that had occurred at the toss of the India-Pakistan game on Sunday. Until then, there had been a stalemate between the PCB, who wanted Pycroft removed from the remainder of the Asia Cup, and the ICC, who refused such a demand.The PCB’s claim was that Pycroft had violated the code of conduct and the MCC’s spirit of cricket in telling Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar, an instruction he only received from the venue manager in Dubai minutes before the toss. The ICC said it had conducted an inquiry into the incident and cleared Pycroft’s handling of the situation.The PCB even threatened to pull the Pakistan team out of the Asia Cup, and for some time it looked like that could turn into reality when, on the day of their clash against UAE, the board told the players team to stay at the hotel beyond their scheduled departure time after learning that Pycroft was going to officiate the match. During calls between the ICC and PCB at this time, the meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team management was suggested, which eventually paved the way for the match to proceed.

Frank Lampard has been told that the “sky is the limit” when it comes to his coaching career, with his reputation in management being rebuilt during a productive spell at Coventry City. The ex-England captain has previously worked with Chelsea and Everton in the Premier League and could soon find himself back in the top tier while being linked with other big jobs.

Struggles at Everton & Chelsea: Lampard has Coventry flying high

Questions were asked of whether Lampard was cut out for life at the top of the coaching ladder following his dismissal by Everton in January 2023 and subsequent interim spell at Stamford Bridge – where he won only one of his 11 games at the helm.

The former Three Lions midfielder does, however, have vast experience to pass on. He was a Premier League and Champions League title winner in his playing days, while earning 106 caps for his country. He is a student of the game and always wanted to put his tactical skills to the test.

They are now flourishing at Coventry, with the Sky Blues surging to the top of the Championship table. Lampard endured play-off heartache during his first season in the West Midlands, but now has collective sights locked on bringing a 25-year absence from the Premier League to a close.

AdvertisementGettyCareer path: Lampard rewarded for taking a step back

Lampard has taken a step backwards in order to move forwards again, having previously worked in the second tier with Derby, and former Coventry striker Clinton Morrison – speaking in association with Freebets.com, the home of best casino sites – told GOAL when asked about the 47-year-old’s career path: “I feel like this was Frank’s big opportunity when people were doubting him. Frank was a fantastic player and is now doing ever so well in management. It’s a big job because everyone at Coventry loved Mark Robins – the fans didn’t want Mark Robins to leave. Look at the job he is doing at Stoke City, he’s a top manager in the Championship. Frank went in and everyone asked what he could do. He got them to the play-offs, probably unfortunate that Sunderland beat them because Coventry were the better team over both legs and just missed out. This season they are flying, one defeat in the league. Fans aren’t foolish, they know it’s only November and there is a long way to go, but the form they are in at the minute is really good. It’s positive signs because they are flying.

“He’s a really good manager. You can see the players enjoying working with Frank Lampard – they have got smiles on their face, everyone knows their job and everyone is going into work happy. If you go into work with a smile on your face, you are going to enjoy it. That’s what they have got at Coventry.”

Will Lampard fill another prominent Premier League post?

Part of the problem now will be keeping Lampard in his current surroundings. Morrison is convinced that he will see an ambitious project through at Coventry, but concedes that wings may be spread again at some point in the future.

He added when asked if he can see Lampard filling another prominent Premier League post: “Maybe. First and foremost I think he would love to get Coventry City promoted. I think they have got a good chance, and then try to stay in the Premier League and do well at Coventry. I don’t think that is something for now with Frank Lampard. Maybe three or four years down the line, maybe he wants to go and get one of the big jobs. At the moment, Coventry City are very good for Frank Lampard.

“I don’t think Frank is the kind of person that will jump ship because Coventry gave him a good opportunity. If he gets them promoted and in the Premier League, I think he will stick with the club and do well there. I think he is a fantastic manager with really good ideas. The sky is the limit for him.”

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Getty Images SportCoventry fixtures: Next up for Championship leaders

Coventry, whose only Championship defeat this season came at the hands of Wrexham, have opened up a five-point lead at the top of the table. They will be back in action on Saturday when playing host to local rivals West Brom.

Newcastle United are now reportedly ready to launch their offer to sign Palmeiras midfielder Allan Elias, who has a release clause worth as much as £88m.

Newcastle are in desperate need of an attacking spark not named Nick Woltemade. The German simply cannot do it on his own and needs fellow big-money signing Anthony Elanga to finally find some form.

Despite being one of Newcastle’s most-expensive ever signings, the former Nottingham Forest star is yet to score in the 17 games that he’s played for the Magpies. As a result, he’s gradually lost his place to Jacob Murphy as Eddie Howe looks to find a solution to his side’s attacking problems.

Having his say on his recent struggles and subsequent place on Newcastle’s bench, Elanga chose to take an optimistic approach whilst on international duty with Sweden.

It would undoubtedly provide the Magpies with a major boost if Elanga found form after the international break. Only Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored fewer Premier League goals than Newcastle’s 11 so far this season and something must change.

With the January transfer window less than two months away, new sporting director Ross Wilson has already set his sights on much-needed reinforcements to get Howe’s side firing once more.

Newcastle ready to launch Allan Elias move

According to reports in Brazil, as relayed by Sport Witness, Newcastle are now ready to launch their move to sign Allan from Palmeiras. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has impressed the Magpies as well as Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion, and may now be on his way to the Premier League in 2026.

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By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 14, 2025

The deal may not come cheap, however. Palmeiras are in a strong negotiating position thanks to the Brazilian’s €100m (£88m) release clause and could demand that in full to sell their young talent.

That being said, it is believed that Newcastle are extremely keen and want to strike an ‘immediate’ deal.

Praised by South American expert Nathan Joyes for his “impressive” cameos at the Club World Cup last summer, Allan has since kicked on in Brazil. The attacking midfielder has scored twice and assisted another eight goals in the current campaign, with one of those assists coming at the Club World Cup against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami side.

Several clubs have benefited from investing in South American talents in the Premier League and now Newcastle could be next in line to welcome a rising star.

One of "Newcastle's best signings" under Howe is now on borrowed time