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Pakistan women eased to a six-wicket victory over West Indies in a warm-up game at Basseterre. In a fourteen-member-a-side match, the home side posted 117 after choosing to bat, with in-form opener Stafanie Taylor top scoring with a brisk 41. Medium-pacer Sania Khan and legspinner Urooj Mumtaz combined for five wickets to derail the West Indies middle order after Taylor provided a solid start. Pakistan had little trouble chasing down the target, after each of their top three made substantial contributions. Opener Nain Abidi shepherded the chase with a patient 48, and was only dismissed in the 19th over with victory two runs away.New Zealand maintained their Twenty20 dominance of Australia with an 18-run win in Molyneaux. Opener Suzie Bates made a half-century to guide New Zealand to a competitive 136, a total boosted by the 20 wides bowled by Australia. Sarah McGlashan also chipped in with 29 and was involved in a 56-run stand with Bates for the second wicket. Australia’s reply got off to a poor start as they slipped to 24 for 2. Shelley Nitschke (31) and Alex Blackwell (44*) tried to revive the chase, but the scoring wasn’t at quick enough a pace to force a win.World champions England had an easy outing against India, winning by 25 runs at Basseterre. England’s openers, Sarah Taylor and Charlotte Edwards, put on 46 at nearly a run-a-ball after they chose to bat. The dangerous Claire Taylor was bowled by Amita Sharma for a duck, but Edwards’ 41 took England to 133. India looked in with a chance only during the 48-run third wicket stand between perennial top scorer Mithali Raj (44) and Harmanpreet Kaur (28). With none of the other batsmen making it to double digits, India’s hopes faded and they finished well short.In a low-scoring match at Molyneaux, Sri Lanka pulled off a four-wicket victory over South Africa. After being sent in, Trisha Chetty and Susan Benade were the only South African batsmen to cross 10, which meant they could only set a small target of 94. Medium-pacer Eshani Kaushalya did the damage for Sri Lanka, taking four wickets in two overs to limit South Africa to only 13 runs in the final four overs after they had been 80 for 4. She then helped put Sri Lanka on course for victory with a patient 18 after coming in at 13 for 2. Suwini de Alvis made 31 to guide Sri Lanka before Deepika Rasnagika’s eight-ball 16 sealed the win.

Manchester United are now racing to sign a “superb” midfielder alongside several Premier League rivals, according to reports.

Man Utd targeting key midfield upgrade

In the summer, INEOS rightly focused on Man United’s frontline. In came Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha as the Red Devils splashed out around £200m. Now, with that problem solved, the minority owners must address Ruben Amorim’s midfield when 2026 arrives.

The Man United boss has been forced to play Lisandro Martinez at the base of his midfield in recent weeks amid Bruno Fernandes’ injury and Bryan Mbeumo’s participation in AFCON which has forced a reshuffle.

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He’s a wanted man…

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Outside of the central defender, Amorim only has an ageing Casemiro, an out-of-favour Kobbie Mainoo and an untrusted Manuel Ugarte to turn towards unless he picks from the academy. In pursuit of Champions League football, that’s simply not strong enough.

It’s, therefore, no surprise that Man United have made Adam Wharton one of their top targets in 2026. Alongside Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, the Crystal Palace man is top of their list of options to revive Amorim’s midfield.

Other options that have been mentioned in recent weeks includes Ruben Neves. The Al-Hilal midfielder has opted against renewing his contract in Saudi Arabia and is reportedly eyeing a return to the Premier League amid interest from Old Trafford.

If the Portugal international lowers his wage demands then Man United could be perfectly placed to secure his signature as early as next month.

What’s more, according to TeamTalk, Man United are also racing to sign Kees Smit from AZ Alkmaar in a deal that would hand them an alternative to Wharton.

Man Utd racing to sign "superb" Smit

The 19-year-old is one of the brightest prospects in Europe and has attracted interest from Man United, Liverpool, Manchester City and several others as a result. As upgrades go, he would instantly take Ugarte and Casemiro’s place at the heart of United’s midfield whilst also potentially ending Mainoo’s Old Trafford career.

One scout told TeamTalk that the Dutchman is a player that “everyone is watching” ahead of 2026 as one of the most hectic transfer battles begins to form.

Worth around £65m, all signs are pointing towards a top talent and one that INEOS should go all out to sign if they miss out on Wharton next summer.