Australian fast bowler back for third spell at Taunton to help title defence
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2025Somerset have confirmed the return of Riley Meredith as one of their overseas players for next year’s Vitality Blast.Meredith, 29, was the leading wicket-taker with 28 in the competition as Somerset won the Blast in 2025. He also played a key role in getting them to the final the year before. Overall, his record for Somerset is 42 wickets at 18.47, with an economy of 8.16.”Riley played an integral part in our success this summer and we’re delighted to be bringing a player of his quality back to the club,” Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said.”His genuine pace and aggression will always trouble batters and he brings something different to our attack. I know that our Members and supporters will be looking forward to seeing him take to field for us again in 2026.”Everyone connected with the club is looking forward to Riley bringing his trademark pace and energy back to the Cooper Associates County Ground. We can’t wait to see him charging in again as we look to defend our title in 2026.”Meredith has played one ODI and six T20Is for Australia, but not featured since 2024 (when he missed Finals Day after being called up for international duty).He is expected to be available for the duration of the Blast next summer, with the competition returning to a May-July window.”I’ve loved my time with Somerset, and it was great to be able to contribute to this year’s success,” Meredith said. “It’s a really good group of players and I can’t wait to be back in Taunton and playing in front of those fans.”
Fixtures trimmed because of a clash with the T20 World Cup
Firdose Moonda30-Sep-2025 • Updated on 01-Oct-2025South Africa’s only men’s home international series this summer, against West Indies, has been reduced from five T20Is to three because of a clash with the T20 World Cup.As reported by ESPNcricinfo last week, the matches, which were originally scheduled between January 27 and February 6, now have to end by January 31 when the T20 World Cup support period begins. As a result, two matches have been culled from the fixtures’ list.The biggest casualties of the change are Newlands in Cape Town and Buffalo Park in East London, who will no longer host matches. The three games will be played at Boland Park in Paarl, SuperSport Park in Centurion and the Wanderers in Johannesburg on January 27, 29 and 31 respectively. With no ODI cricket at home this season, the final T20I will become “Pink Day” – an annual occasion in which the South African men’s team wears pink and raises funds and awareness for breast cancer treatment.”While we are disappointed that Newlands Cricket Ground will no longer host a Proteas versus West Indies fixture as originally planned, we understand the need to accommodate the ICC’s updated tournament calendar and the associated support period for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026,” Western Province said in a statement on Wednesday*.”Newlands has a proud tradition of hosting world-class international cricket, and we remain committed to providing a premier venue experience for players, fans, and stakeholders. WPCA will continue to engage proactively with CSA to ensure future opportunities for international content in Cape Town.”South Africa have also added three Under-19 one-dayers against India, to be played between January 3 and 7 at Willowmoore Park in Benoni as preparation for the Under-19 World Cup. That tournament is being co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia from mid-January, with fixtures yet to be released.The current world Test champions have a curtailed home summer partly because they are playing abroad until December 19. They begin their WTC title defence in Pakistan next month, along with three ODIs and three T20Is. That will be followed by an all-format tour to India, which consists of two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.The other reason for the lack of home fixtures is that venues around the country are being prepared for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be held between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and drop-in surfaces are being developed around the country.The home season will be headlined by the SA20, which starts on Boxing Day and continues throughout the festive season.
As has been widely reported, Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy is now the overwhelming favourite to become the new Celtic manager.
The Frenchman has held talks with the Celtic board over the weekend, as the Scottish champions continue to search for a replacement for Brendan Rodgers, who surprisingly resigned last month.
Nancy has won MLS Cup and Leagues Cup in charge of the Crew, also leading the Black and Gold to a first-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup Final, and could be appointed Celtic manager sooner rather than later, after Columbus’ season came to an end in the first round of the MLS play-offs, ousted by cross-state rivals FC Cincinnati.
Across all 136 matches in charge of Columbus, as well as 79 as CF Montréal head coach beforehand, Nancy has always deployed a back three, usually a 3-4-2-1 shape, so it’ll be interesting to see if he sticks with that, in a Rúben Amorim-esque fashion, or is more adaptable, given the depleted squad at his disposal.
Currently seven points adrift Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, irrespective of who the new manager is, expect Celtic to be busy in the January transfer window, so here is the dream XI they could build should Nancy take over.
1 GK – Kasper Schmeichel
Kasper Schmeichel
Despite the fact he’s now 39 years old, Kasper Schmeichel remains a consistent performer in the Celtic goal.
To date, the Danish veteran has kept 33 clean sheets in 67 appearances for the Celts, conceding only 63 goals, seven of these shutouts coming in 11 Premiership outings so far this year.
On top of this, according to Squawka, he boasts a save percentage of 75.35% in the Premiership across this season and last, which does drop slightly to 69.57% when looking at the Europa League, albeit only Jari De Busser of Go Ahead Eagles and Ștefan Târnovanu of Steaua București have made more than his 16 saves in this season’s league phase.
Thus, with Schmeichel’s contract expiring next summer, following the World Cup, who knows what his future holds but, for now, Nancy can rely on the Great Dane.
2 RB – Alistair Johnston
Right now, Alistair Johnston is one of numerous key Celtic players sidelined due to injury, seeing just 26 minutes of action since suffering a serious hamstring tear against Kairat in mid-August, but, once fit again, will be a key figure in Nancy’s side, as he was in Québec three years ago.
3 CB – Cameron Carter-Vickers
Another major absentee right now is Cameron Carter-Vickers.
In the same match Johnston reaggravated his hamstring issue, the 2-1 Europa League victory over Sturm Graz, Carter-Vickers suffered a ruptured achilles tendon which will see him sidelined for around six months, all but ending his hopes of representing the United States on home soil next summer.
Since arriving under Ange Postecoglou in the summer of 2021, Carter-Vickers has been one of the first names on the team sheet at Parkhead, racking up 172 appearances in hoops, in the opinion of many, Celtic’s best centre-back since Virgil van Dijk, so Nancy will surely make him a central pillar, even if he’ll have to wait to do so.
4 CB – Axel Disasi: new signing
In the absence of Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Auston Trusty and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey are Celtic’s current central defensive options, hence why they’re expected to target a reinforcement or two in January.
Well, according to reports, Celtic have been offered the chance to sign a trio of Chelsea exiles this winter, namely Raheem Sterling, Deivid Washington and, the one likely to be of the most interest, Alex Disasi.
The France international signed for the Blues for £38.5m from Monaco in the summer of 2023, putting pen to paper on a six-year contract, but has been completely frozen out by Enzo Maresca.
After spending the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, Disasi did not find a new club before the summer transfer window slammed shut, thereby in the proverbial wilderness at Cobham, so could be available on loan in January, and the arrival of his compatriot Nancy could tempt him north of the border.
5 LB – Kieran Tierney
Back at the very start of the summer transfer window, when Celtic supporters were optimistic and loving life, Kieran Tierney’s return was celebrated like a title triumph.
Since rejoining, the left-back’s minutes have been carefully managed, albeit a long-term injury suffered by deputy Marcelo Saracchi means that won’t be quite so straightforward.
Nevertheless, regardless of whether Nancy wants to play a back three or a four, he’ll surely relish working with Tierney.
6 CDM – Callum McGregor
Celtic managers come and go but no matter who is in charge, Callum McGregor is an omnipresent figure.
The 32-year-old has now made 538 appearances in hoops, winning 24 major honours, looking to add to his haul in December when he will lead the side out in the League Cup Final against St Mirren, having scored this thunderbolt against Rangers in the semis.
McGregor’s in-possession quality, off-the-ball work-rate and leadership skills will be invaluable for any incoming manager, so his name will continue to be written in permanent marker on the team sheet.
7 CAM – Benjamin Nygren
While many of Celtic’s summer signings have been underwhelming, Benjamin Nygren has been very impressive.
Many believed the Swede had been signed to replace Nicolas Kühn on the right-wing, but instead he has established himself as a first-choice member of the midfield trio, scoring six times already, including this winner against Sturm Graz, securing the Celts’ sole Europa League victory to date.
The 24-year-old then increased his stock further this weekend, bagging his third goal for Sweden as they were beaten by Switzerland at Stade de Genève. Thus, Nancy, or any other manager, will surely be impressed by what he’s seen.
8 CAM – Reo Hatate
There are plenty of candidates to complete Celtic’s midfield trio, with Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan among those vying for this spot, but Reo Hatate is still the Celts’ best option.
Since arriving in January 2022, the Japanese midfield maestro has scored 29 goals and registered 29 assists for the club, including this thunderous strike at Pittodrie in August.
Hatate’s form has been a bit up and down in recent times, but his quality remains undeniable, so he’ll be hoping to get back to his best under Nancy.
9 RW – Jota
We’ve already mentioned Carter-Vickers and Johnston, but the other Celtic star on the sidelines long-term is Jota.
Similar to Tierney, Jota returned to Celtic to a huge amount of fanfare in January, but suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury at Tannadice in April, so is expected to return around Christmas time, which will be a timely mid-season boost.
The Portuguese winger remains the Celts’ joint-record sale, moving to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia for £25m two years ago, but back in Glasgow, he will look to further enhance his reputation among the fan base.
10 LW – Diego Rossi: new signing
According to a report by Give Me Sport, Daizen Maeda will push to leave Celtic in January, having been denied the opportunity to depart during the summer, looking to cement his spot in Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan squad ahead of the World Cup; numerous Premier League clubs are reportedly interested.
Maeda would leave a huge void, but could Nancy replace him with a player he knows rather well?
Having starred at LAFC before an unsuccessful stint at Fenerbahçe, Nancy brought forward Diego Rossi to Columbus Crew, worth every penny of the $6.63m transfer fee paid, considering the Uruguayan international scored 45 goals in 101 games for the Black and Gold, including 16 in MLS last season.
Now, according to the Daily Record, he is top of Nancy’s shopping list, should he move to Glasgow.
A diminutive, versatile forward, Rossi has a similar profile to Maeda and has just a year to go on his contract in Columbus, so everything suggests he would be a shrewd addition. That said, they may have to pay a pretty penny considering he is worth £7.5m, as per Transfermarkt.
West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has made an admission about his future at the club amid repeated suggestions he could leave in January.
Paqueta’s time at West Ham has been intriguing to say the least, and fresh speculation has emerged recently about a potential winter exit from the London Stadium.
West Ham paid £51 million to secure his services in a club-record deal from Lyon three years ago, with the Brazilian quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s most technically gifted playmakers in his debut season under David Moyes.
Paqueta helped the Hammers to a glorious Conference League triumph that year, their first major trophy since 1980 and first European trophy since 1965, but a spot-fixing scandal then began to overshadow his time at the London Stadium.
West Ham manager David Moyes
The 28-year-old was charged with four alleged breaches of FA rule E5.1 in May 2024, relating to matches involving West Ham, with allegations that he directly sought to influence matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for influence of the betting market.
The investigation, which began in August 2023, cast a dark cloud over his future, with the FA once seeking a lifetime ban for him. Throughout the ordeal, West Ham stood firmly by their star man, and in July this year, he was finally cleared.
With that uncertain point of his career finally over, Paqueta got back to focusing on the pitch, and clubs also started taking an interest in the £150,000-per-week star.
West Ham’s results in the Premier League so far
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham 0-2 Brentford
Leeds 2-1 West Ham
West Ham 3-1 Newcastle
West Ham 3-2 Burnley
Aston Villa tried to sign Paqueta in the summer, but he ultimately chose to stay put and show loyalty to a side who backed him off the field.
However, credible reports are indicating that his long-term future could be away from Rush Green. The Times recently reported that Paqueta is keen to leave West Ham as early as next month, with Fabrizio Romano also backing up that the ex-Ligue 1 star’s exit is a realistic possibility.
Lucas Paqueta makes West Ham transfer admission and expects move to happen
Now, the player himself has come out to make a revelation of his own.
Speaking to Brazilian outlet Globo, as translated by Standard Sport, Paqueta says that he had a desire to return to Flamengo in the most recent summer window, and he expects that transfer to happen eventually due to his close ties with the club.
Paqueta’s current deal expires in 2027, and while Nuno Espirito Santo won’t want to lose him in January, a summer transfer certainly appears on the cards next year.
Unfortunately for chairman David Sullivan, by that point, the Irons wouldn’t be in a position to demand big money for the player with just one year remaining on his contract.
Flamengo’s best opportunity to strike a reunion could be next year, if a more illustrious European or Premier League big-hitter don’t move to entice him first.