Browsing: expects

Ahead of the Ashes 2025-26, former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons Ben Stokes and England “need a trophy†to cement their legacy as one of Englandâ€s greatest units.

Vaughan further opined that a 2-2 draw result in the upcoming series down under would be good, given Englandâ€s terrible record in Australia on their last three tours. However, he added, Stokes, with his “mentality,†will be looking to win the series, something England have not done for the last dozen years on Australian soil.

Australia have been holding the Ashes urn since their 4-0 series win at home in 2017/18. Since then, both of the Ashes series in England, in 2019 and 2023, were drawn 2-2, while Australia won the 2021/22 Ashes at home again by 4-0.

Englandâ€s last Ashes series win in Australia came in 2011/12, when Andrew Strauss led the Three Lions to a 3-1 victory. Since then, England were blanked 5-0 in 2013/14 and 4-0 each on their next two tours.

Now, though, Ben Stokes†team are believed to be strong contenders—especially now with Pat Cummins injured—to repeat the feat of Strauss†history-making side that also won a Test series in India.

“I Think They Need a Trophyâ€: Michael Vaughan on Ben Stokes and England

Under Stokesâ€s captaincy, with Brendon McCullum by his side as the coach, England have won 22 out of 36 Tests, a massively positive result from the one win in the last 17 Tests of Joe Rootâ€s captaincy. However, they have failed to beat either India or Australia in a series: England lost 4-1 in India in 2024 and drew 2-2 against Australia in 2023 and India in 2025 at home.

“I think they need a trophy,â€Vaughan said while speaking at a Viagogo event.

The 2005 Ashes-winning skipper added, “If you could get a two-all series, youâ€d obviously take that. But I think Ben and his mentality, and the way that he plays his cricket, this is his moment. He has to deliver and he has to get that urn in his hand. And itâ€s not putting him under pressure. Theyâ€ll be speaking in this kind of language in the dressing room. They will expect to win this series and nowâ€s the time to deliver.â€

Vaughan warns Stokes to be wary of bowlers†plans

England are bringing a cartel of tall, hit-the-deck pacers with different skill sets comprising Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Gus Atkinson.

However, Michael Vaughan wants England to be wary of getting carried over by their express pacers, while he believes wickets on Australian pitches will come through bowlers who can hit the top of the stumps consistently. Indeed, amid the pool of fast bowlers England have picked, Vaughan feels Ben Stokes is best equipped to bowl the perfect lengths.

“I guess Benâ€s the one bowler that you can just go, okay, you go back to top of off. Itâ€s the one concern I have about the England attack that Iâ€m thinking, whoâ€s going to continuously hit the top of off if the ballâ€s wobbling around? Pace, yes, but it might be a series where the top of off stump is the area to go for,â€the former captain asserted.

When will the Ashes 2025-26 start?

This yearâ€s Ashes will kick off on November 21 in Perth.

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Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg doesn’t anticipate his shoulder injury will be a problem going forward.

Speaking to reporters after Monday’s 101-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Flagg said his shoulder is “a little sore” and he will have some scans done, but expects to be “good to go.”

Flagg appeared to injure his left shoulder on the first possession of the game while boxing out for a rebound. He was able to stay in and play 31 minutes, but head coach Jason Kidd pulled him with 8:14 remaining when they were trailing by 19.

Dallas cut the deficit to 95-91 with 1:25 remaining and Flagg was subbed back in twice for defensive purposes. He finished the game with just two points on 1-of-9 shooting, two rebounds, two steals and no assists.

On the heels of a disastrous three-month stretch at the end of last season that started with trading Luka DonÄić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, the Mavs got the ultimate bail out in the lottery when they won the No. 1 pick in a year with a superstar prospect at the top of the class.

Flagg will be counted on to be the new face of the franchise, but the early returns from his rookie season show there’s a lot of room for growth with him and the team around him.

Monday’s loss dropped the Mavericks to 1-3. They rank last in the NBA in offense by rating and points per game. Things will improve as the season goes on, especially when they get Kyrie Irving back from a torn ACL.

Ultimately, though, the most important thing for Dallas this season is Flagg’s development. He has NBA-ready tools despite being just 18 years old, but there’s going to be a transition period before he is completely able to dominate at this level.

Losing any reps early in his career is a setback for Flagg, but the Mavs also have to be careful to ensure they aren’t risking him doing any long-term damage to his body.

The Mavericks are off on Tuesday before hosting the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

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TORONTO — A great night in Toronto just got even better.

Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays†star shortstop who has been out for six weeks with a left knee injury, says that he is ready to return to the roster for the World Series after the Blue Jays clinched the American League Championship Series with a dramatic Game 7 win over the Mariners on Monday night at Rogers Centre.

“Iâ€ll be ready,†Bichette said in the clubhouse following the 4-3 win. “I donâ€t know how theyâ€re using me, but Iâ€ll be ready.â€

If Bichette says it, believe it. For weeks now, the Blue Jays have used this as some added motivation, desperately trying to keep this dream season rolling long enough for Bichette to return. Besides, it wouldnâ€t feel right without him. Not only is Bichette a key piece of the 2025 team, batting .311 with an .840 OPS, he has been one of this organizationâ€s pillars for close to a decade.

That couldnâ€t end without Bichette having a say in this. Heâ€s a free agent at the end of the season, and while itâ€s always possible that he and the Blue Jays reach an extension like they did with his longtime friend and co-pilot Vladimir Guerrero Jr., this could be the end of the road for Bichette in Toronto. Game 7 could have been the end, but that wouldnâ€t have felt right. Bichette, the stubborn and obsessive competitor who has never had an off switch, deserves a piece of this.

Watching these past few weeks couldnâ€t have been fun for Bichette, even with all of the big moments and big wins. Heâ€s used to being right in the middle of it all.

But you could sense relief in Bichette as he spoke after Game 7. He knows that heâ€ll get his shot now, and he knows that this is the team he has been waiting to do it with.

“Everybody knew how good we are, but Iâ€ve never been part of a run like this as a player,†Bichette said. “The amount of ups and downs, the mentality. You lose a couple, youâ€re a little down, then to get the momentum back. All of that is pretty exhausting. The ability these guys showed to bounce back as quick as they did was fun for me to watch.â€

How it all looks, thatâ€s still up for debate. Could Bichette play shortstop right away?

Andrés Giménez has handled the position admirably, and he may do so for years to come in Toronto if this is it for Bichette, but thatâ€s a conversation for after the World Series. It could be challenging for Bichette to immediately play shortstop daily after six weeks without game action, but having Bichette at DH would require George Springer to play a corner outfield spot, which he has rarely done down the stretch.

Call it a good problem, though, and one manager John Schneider will be overjoyed to have. The Blue Jays arenâ€t complete without Bichette, and this season isnâ€t complete without a World Series championship.

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Over the past few years, Jey Uso has become a major part of the men’s singles division in WWE, with both World Heavyweight and Intercontinental title runs under his belt. Things have quieted down for Uso somewhat, but speaking on “Kliq This,” Kevin Nash shared his belief that there are two potential directions Uso’s story could be headed in, and both seem significant.

“I think Jey’s still gonna turn,” Nash said. “Or do they go and get the tag belts? The brothers. And have a f***ing year and a half run with the belts.”

Nash’s podcast was recorded ahead of Monday’s “WWE Raw,” which featured Jimmy and Jey Uso getting their win back over Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed of The Vision. That could lend credence to the theory that they’re headed for a tag title reign. On “Raw,” the World Tag Team Championship is currently held by Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, though they haven’t defended the belts since July.

A heel turn for Jey is another very real possibility, however. The former world champion has been wearing his frustration on his sleeve in recent weeks, and though Roman Reigns making his return on Monday’s “Raw” seemed to help alleviate some of those emotions, there are still many different ways this story could play out.

It seems likely that the Usos are headed for a shot at the World Tag Team Championship, but the tension between the brothers could prevent them from re-capturing the title. Jimmy and Jey last held tag gold together in 2023; they then went their separate ways before reuniting this year.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Kliq This” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Sep 30, 2025, 05:02 PM ET

HOUSTON — Instead of getting ready for a playoff game Tuesday, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and general manager Dana Brown were fielding questions about their job security and what went wrong this season.

“I am the GM of the Astros,” Brown said in response to a question about his contract status. “And that’s what I would expect to be tomorrow and the next day and the next day.”

Brown was then asked about the future of Espada, who just completed his second season as manager.

“Look, I’ve made it very clear that Joe is the manager,” Brown said. “Joe is under contract.”

Out of the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Astros already are looking for ways to ensure that their postseason absence is a one-year aberration. Missing out this season ends a remarkable run in which they made seven straight trips to the AL Championship Series from 2017-23, before losing in the AL Wild Card Series last year. During that stretch, they won four pennants and the World Series in 2017 and 2022.

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This season was marred by injuries, most notably to star slugger Yordan Alvarez, who was limited to 48 games because of a broken hand and an ankle injury. Houston’s other significant injury in the lineup was to third baseman Isaac Paredes, who missed about two months with a hamstring problem.

Those injuries were a significant blow to a team that lost two of its top players this offseason when third baseman Alex Bregman signed in free agency with the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

“Make no mistake, when you take pillars out of your lineup, it’s gonna affect your team, it’s going to affect some of their at-bats,” Brown said. “When Yordan Alvarez is in the lineup, you have to pitch guys around him differently. So, I think the absence of Yordan really affected us big-time.”

Along with missing Alvarez and Paredes, the Astros dealt with injuries to their pitching staff, with Ronel Blanco having Tommy John surgery in May and Spencer Arrighetti missing four months after breaking his thumb in a freak accident. The bullpen was dealt a major blow when six-time All-Star closer Josh Hader sustained a shoulder injury that kept him out the last two months of the season.

Despite this, the Astros were still in position to win the AL West for a fifth straight season and were tied with Seattle for the lead late in the year. A sweep by the Mariners at home from Sept. 19-21 all but ended that chance, but they remained in contention for a wild-card spot. Then they lost three of their next four games to the Athletics and Angels and were eliminated on the second-to-last day of the season.

“This is going to put a chip on our shoulders,” Espada said. “We are a postseason team. We are built to play in October and it was disappointing that we’re not playing today. I’m not happy about it, but also we are learning from things that we could have done better, how can we improve our club and our players are hungry to get back to spring training and playing.”

Espada said he’s in the process of evaluating everything right now, including his staff moving forward. He said that evaluation extends to himself as he looks for ways to do more next season.

“I would not be helping this organization if I’m not holding myself accountable,” he said. “Because at the end of the day I’m the manager of this team and I’m responsible for what goes on in that clubhouse. So, I care about that deeply. I care about the organization and I care about putting the best product on the field, because our fans expect us to win, and I take that very seriously.”

The Astros will look to upgrade their rotation this offseason after focusing on bolstering their offense at the trade deadline by bringing Carlos Correa back and adding Jesus Sanchez and Ramon Urias. Brown said they’ll have talks with right-hander Framber Valdez, who is a free agent after spending his entire eight-year career with the Astros. But regardless of what happens with him, Brown said they plan to be in the market to add guys to their rotation.

Though Brown said he would look at all avenues to try to improve the team, he feels pretty good about the guys who already are here.

“Right now, our roster is put together very well,” he said. “I think we have a really good team. If we stay healthy, we will for sure be back in the dance in October.”

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Sep 20, 2025, 05:44 PM ETPITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington expects to return in 2026 despite the Pirates…

Wicketkeeper Ben Calitz has been called up to the senior Ireland squad for the first time for the three matches with England.

“From our point of view, we look at people who are playing in domestic competition and are eligible to play for Ireland, have they got the attributes and performances, can they impact the game in how we want to go about our game from a T20 perspective,” explained Ireland coach Malan.

“It’s a nice opportunity for Ben to showcase some of the attributes that we’ve seen from him in the domestic game as a left-hander.

“With us potentially facing a lot of spin, he has got a nice power game and hopefully he can contribute from a strike rate perspective and be in a position to build on the platform that the top-order batsmen put in place for us.”

Ireland are without bowling trio Mark Adair, Fionn Hand and Josh Little, but Malan believes this offers up a chance for others in the squad to impress.

“It’s never ideal when you’re missing some of your quality players, but it certainly opens up an opportunity to build a bit of squad depth and ensure that the players who come in get a feel for the experience of international cricket.

“If things don’t work out hopefully they pick up a couple of areas that they can go back and work on and if things do work out, we’ve got some nice competitiveness within our squad.

“Healthy competition for places is one of the key areas we have been working on. We see it as a benefit, not necessarily as a challenge.”

Ireland opener Ross Adair is set to face England for the first time and the hosts will hope he can deliver again after contributing a quickfire century against South Africa in T20 format and 48 against the West Indies earlier this summer.

“He plays that aggressive role for us at the top and tries to get us off to some really fast starts. He’s definitely got that licence from us to go out there and express himself,” Malan added.

“He’s managed to do that in those two innings against quality sides and hopefully that’s the foundation he can build on as his career goes on.”

Malan says the Irish squad is looking forward to playing at the County Dublin venue.

“We haven’t played at Malahide for a little period but when we played India there, when we played New Zealand there in the last couple of years, it’s always buzzing, there’s always a nice atmosphere,” he said.

“Hopefully the weather plays ball and we can have three good games of cricket.”

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