Category Uncategorized

South-Africa born batter will head back to England after she was hurt during training

Valkerie Baynes20-Nov-20241:46

Paige Scholfield is out to prove age is just a number

Paige Scholfield will leave England’s tour of South Africa before it’s begun after she was injured in training.Scholfield hurt her ankle during training on Tuesday and, following further assessment on Wednesday morning, withdrew from the T20I squad to return to the UK and begin her rehabilitation.”We’re obviously really gutted for Paige,” Her team-mate, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, said. “She’s a good mate of mine as well, so I was really sad to see her down on the floor yesterday. But she’s a tough cookie. She’s been really unlucky with her injuries over the last few years. But she’s putting a smile on her face, and staying positive, and actually said to me that she can’t wait to get stuck in on the rehab and get back fit again.”Scholfield was one of two changes made to England’s T20I squad which exited last month’s World Cup in the group stages, brought in to add firepower to England’s middle order with batter Alice Capsey overlooked amid a form slump and allrounder Dani Gibson ruled out after undergoing knee surgery. Fast bowler Lauren Filer was also included after missing the World Cup.Related

Georgia Voll caps remarkable week with Birmingham Phoenix deal in Women's Hundred draft

Alice Capsey omitted from T20Is as England name South Africa tour squads

Kapp, Khaka rested for England T20Is; Naidu to skip for school exams

England seek World Cup redemption in South Africa

England Women appoint Courtney Winfield-Hill as assistant coach

Capsey had already been a late call-up to the South Africa touring party as cover for what England described as some minor niggles within the T20 squad, leaving her WBBL stint with Melbourne Renegades, before Scholfield was injured.Shortly before she left the UK for South Africa, Scholfield spoke of her joy at being selected for the trip to her birthplace, having made her England debut at the age of 28 during the tour of Ireland in September.”I thought it was my England A coach calling me, so I’ve got the wrong coach,” Scholfield told ESPNcricinfo of her call-up for the Ireland trip.”It was so out of blue and I was so excited and I just couldn’t believe it was happening. If I’m honest, I am still now trying to regulate my feelings around it.”Speaking to my mum and dad when I told them about this tour to South Africa, they were over the moon, being diehard South Africans, they just couldn’t believe it. My mum started crying. It’s just so exciting and I just hope it continues to happen.”Paige Scholfield made her England debut on the tour of Ireland in September•ECB via Getty ImagesScholfield was the fifth-highest run-scorer in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition this year with 259 runs at an average of 43.16 and strike rate of 140.00 with a top score of 73 not out. She also scored 190 runs in the Women’s Hundred, striking at 137.68 with a highest score of 71 off 40 balls playing for Oval Invincibles.”She really deserved a chance to be in the squad for this series,” Wyatt-Hodge added. “She’s done outstanding over the last couple of years for South East Stars and in the Hundred as well for Invincibles. So, obviously we’re gutted for her, but I’m sure there’ll be a lot more chances for her to show off what she can do in England colours.”Scholfield credited the ongoing professionalisation of the domestic women’s structure in England and Wales, which started in 2020, with helping her reach her goal of representing the country she has called home since the age of 12.”I’m 28, I had very little hope that I’d be representing my country with these youngsters coming through who are just unbelievably talented,” Scholfield said. “But this county setup now allows players like myself to still be able to have that ambition to represent their country and to show the rest of the world what we can do, and that age is just the number and I can still throw myself about and hit a couple of balls.”It’s an exciting time and I’m really enjoying where the game’s going and I hope it continues to grow to the point where we can get to where the men are at and make a career and travel the world doing it.”The multi-format series between South Africa and England starts on Sunday with the first of three T20Is in East London, followed by three ODIs and a Test.

Sri Lanka’s spinners claimed six wickets between them to skittle New Zealand for 135

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Nov-2024

Dunith Wellalage starred with three wickets•AFP/Getty Images

On a turning Dambulla track, Sri Lanka’s spinners claimed six wickets between them, kept a leash on the scoring rate, and restricted New Zealand to 135 all out. It should have been a straightforward chase, even despite the conditions. But it needed a cool head, which is what captain Charith Asalanka provided with his 35 not out off 28.Sri Lanka got home with six balls to spare, and four wickets in hand, although the result was never super tense. New Zealand, remember, are trying out some young players at the very tail end of their long South-Asian spring.New Zealand slide in the powerplayThe first six overs kind of set the tone for the whole thing. The ball was almost immediately turning square, as even Maheesh Theekshana – a modest turner of the ball usually – ripped it big in the first over of the innings.Theekshana would only strike off the last ball of the innings, getting Will Young lbw for a run-a-ball 19. But before that, Dunith Wellalage nailed Tim Robinson in front with an arm ball, and Nuwan Thushara had Mark Chapman flick a slower ball to deep square leg.All up, it was outstanding slow-pitch bowling from Sri Lanka. New Zealand were down at 31 for 3 when the fielding restrictions eased. They’d go on to control the middle overs too – New Zealand only made 66 off the next ten overs, and lost five further wickets.Kamindu and Kusal Perera set the chase upKusal Perera helped propel Sri Lanka through the powerplay, hitting 22 off 15 while the fielding restrictions were on, though his team lost Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis through this period.And because this is is a Sri Lanka victory of this age, Kamindu Mendis has to have a hand in it too. He made 23 off 16, mostly after the powerplay ended.Charith Asalanka’s knock helped Sri Lanka chase down 136•AFP/Getty Images

Asalanka guides the chase homeAfter seeing what New Zealand did in the Tests in India, you can never be too sure they don’t have something special up their sleeves. Asalanka made sure that although Sri Lanka kept losing wickets, he was on hand to see the victory through, hitting two sixes off his first 11 balls to start, before toning it down and knocking it around as Sri Lanka knocked off the remaining runs.Foulkes rocks Sri LankaIn only his third international, bowling allrounder Zakary Foulkes brought all his skills to bear. First he cracked 27 not out off 16 to raise New Zealand from an embarrassing total to merely a modest one. With the ball, he bowled Nissanka with a fullish delivery, bounced Bhanuka Rajapaksa, then, had Wanindu Hasaranga holing out to collect figures of 3 for 20.

It’s a rivalry that has dominated football for almost two decades now, with the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo story looking likely to come to a close at next year’s World Cup.

Now well into veteran, yet not necessarily diminished, status, the two men defined a generation during their pomp at Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, with the beautiful game arguably having never seen – and might never again – the two best players in the world going head to head on a weekly basis.

While Messi’s contract situation at Inter Miami had sparked speculation regarding a potential switch to Saudi Arabian side, Al Ahli – throwing up the prospect of a renewed battle with Al Nassr’s number seven – it looks unlikely that their paths will cross again on the club scene.

With previous reports of Ronaldo moving to Miami to partner the Argentine having also been shut down by his recent bumper extension in the Middle East, the greatest ‘what if’ question of the modern era is likely to go unanswered.

Just what would have happened if the two men had ever played together in the same side?

Well, with the help of AI tool ChatGPT, we may well have the answers, having taken a deep dive into what Messi’s career, in particular, would have looked like had he ended up partnering the Portuguese sensation:

Messi & Ronaldo together – Hypothetical stats (2009-2018)
Season	Messi (G/A)	Ronaldo (G/A
2017/18	33 G, 22 A	44 G, 8 A
2016/17	37 G, 25 A	42 G, 10 A
2015/16	32 G, 27 A	49 G, 11 A
2014/15	35 G, 30 A	52 G, 9 A
2013/14	34 G, 21 A	51 G, 12 A
2012/13	42 G, 24 A	47 G, 11 A
2011/12	50 G, 29 A	48 G, 9 A
2010/11	40 G, 25 A	45 G, 10 A
2009/10	38 G, 21 A	42 G, 10 A
Total	341 Goals, 224 Assists	420 Goals, 90 Assists

1

A change in role

The sight of the 38-year-old strolling round the park has become a familiar one for both club and country these days, with Messi, as to be expected considering his age, no longer the balletic, lightning forward who tore defences to shreds in his pomp.

Who can forget the left-footer’s majestic 2012, in which he scored 91 goals in total during a simply staggering calendar year, having made a sublime transition from life on the flanks to a false nine berth. In all for Barcelona, the 5 foot 7 star registered 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games, as per Transfermarkt.

In the view of ChatGPT, a link up with Ronaldo at the Bernabeu might well have led to a different positional path, with it predicted that Messi would have dropped into a deeper role sooner, described as “more orchestrator than finisher”.

That tweak to operate more as a number ten – in a similar vein to Mesut Ozil’s role behind ‘CR7’ for Los Blancos – would perhaps have seen Messi emerge as more of a provider than a clinical goalscorer.

Lionel Messi named his 'best' player in football history – not Cristiano Ronaldo

Who is the Argentine’s GOAT?

By
Charlie Smith

Jun 13, 2025

Indeed, ChatGPT thinks that he would have more likely chipped in with 35-45 goals per season, in contrast to his 50+ average at his pomp, albeit with that counterbalanced by an increase in assists. As the AI tool states, a “season with 30+ assists wouldn’t be impossible.”

2

Increased success at club level

As was seen during Messi’s time at Paris Saint-Germain, alongside both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, putting the world’s best together doesn’t always prove particularly fruitful, with the Ligue 1 side unable to even get close to securing Champions League glory with that trio onboard.

Would the same have happened with a forward line containing Messi and Ronaldo? Well, ChatGPT doesn’t think so, having predicted that Madrid – with that duo in tow – could have won “seven or eight La Liga titles in a decade”.

In the real world, Messi already boasts ten LaLiga titles, although he could have eclipsed his record on the European stage, having won four Champions League titles during his time in Catalonia.

According to ChatGPT, that return could be enhanced with a haul of six to eight Champions League triumphs, alongside Ronaldo, mirroring the club’s success during the golden period in the 1950s.

Such glittering success both in Spain and on the continent would, in the view of ChatGPT, have led that Madrid side to become recognised as “the greatest in club football history”.

3

The GOAT debate

Everyone has their favoured pick, although it is hard to argue against Messi being the greatest of his generation – if not of all-time – having claimed eight Ballon d’Or awards to date, eclipsing Ronaldo’s return of five.

Would that domination over his long-time foe have continued with the two playing together? Well, ChatGPT thinks not, suggesting that the pair might have claimed six apiece.

They add that their “votes would cannibalise each other’s dominance”, thus potentially opening the door for a player like Neymar or Robert Lewandowski to claim the award themselves.

Equally, a seemingly prosperous joint Ballon d’Or is even floated for the great duo, with the debate predicted to shift away from Messi vs Ronaldo, and instead focus on the pair “versus everyone else”.

The next 10 Ballon d'Or winners predicted by AI

Who could win the Ballon d’Or across the next ten years?

By
Matt Dawson

May 31, 2025

There is the claim that there would be far less of a debate over who is the better of the two, with there a more wider acceptance of just how great they are together.

That said, even in a parallel universe, tribalism exists, with ChatGPT noting that contention would remain over who is the one “carrying the team”.

4

A different legacy?

As a man who has won everything in the game – including the World Cup – the diminutive wizard could hardly have built a greater legacy, with even his recent mixed adventures in Paris and Miami unable to tarnish a truly staggering individual career.

Sharing the limelight with Ronaldo may well have impacted his standing somewhat, however, with ChatGPT suggesting that Messi would have been more widely admired as the “ultimate team player”, rather than simply an individual genius.

With his role as a supplier or a provider, ChatGPT claims that the Argentine would be “seen as the creative force behind an unbeatable duo”, leading to him being “even more respected by coaches and purists” but “less by stat-driven fans”.

Is that a world we would have liked to see? Two figures working in tandem to terrorise the rest of Europe, rather than going head to head with each other?

Much of what has made the 21st Century great in a footballing context has centred on that Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, but were we denied something even more intriguing by not seeing them play together?

Alas, it was not to be. But if ChatGPT is anything to go by, both men would have achieved greatness either way.

AI predicts when every Premier League manager could be sacked

AI tool ChatGPT has predicted when every 2025/26 top-flight manager is at risk of being sacked

By
Robbie Walls

Jul 5, 2025

أبدى رافا بينيتيز مدرب ليفربول الأسبق، رأيه في النجم المصري محمد صلاح حين تم وضعه في مقارنة مع عدة لاعبين آخرين وأبرزهم النجمين كريستيانو رونالدو وليونيل ميسي.

وأجرى بينيتيز مقابلة مع “Shoot for love” عبر منصة “يوتيوب”، وتم توجيه عدة أسئلة له حول هيئة المهاجم الأفضل بالنسبة له.

وسُئل في البداية عن محمد صلاح وسون هيونج مين، ووقع اختياره على نجم ليفربول، كما فضله على روبرت ليفاندوفسكي مهاجم برشلونة، وأيضًا على ستيفن جيرارد، وأشار: “تتحدث عن المهاجمين، محمد صلاح يتميز بثبات مستواه لسنوات طويلة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | الحاسوب العملاق يتنبأ بالفائز بـ لقب دوري أبطال أوروبا 2025-2026.. موقف ليفربول

وحين سُئل عن محمد صلاح وكريستيانو رونالدو، علّق: “هذا صعب جدًا، رونالدو ربما يكون الأفضل في إنهاء الهجمات، لكن صلاح أكثر تكاملاً، في النهاية، سأفضل أن أدرب محمد صلاح”، وفي الختام سُئل بينتيز عن محمد صلاح وليونيل ميسي، واختار النجم الأرجنتيني.

محمد صلاح رسّخ نفسه كأحد أبرز نجوم كرة القدم على مستوى العالم، على مدار السنوات الثماني الماضية مع ليفربول، حيث سجل صلاح 323 هدفًا وصنع 162 هدفًا في 657 مباراة خلال مسيرته مع الأندية في مختلف البطولات، وهو ثالث الهدافين التاريخيين لليفربول برصيد 246 هدفًا.

Hosts West Indies will be looking to continue their winning run at the first ever T20 World Cup game in Trinidad

Hemant Brar12-Jun-2024Match detailsWest Indies vs New Zealand
Tarouba, 8.30pm localBig picture – WI eye Super Eight spotSince 2015, New Zealand have been the most consistent side in World Cups, making it to the semi-final in all six editions – in 2015, 2019 and 2023 in the ODI World Cup, and in 2016, 2021 and 2022 in the T20 versions. They reached the final on three of those occasions even though they never lifted the trophy.But at the 2024 T20 World Cup, they are in danger of elimination after just one match. An 84-run thrashing at the hands of Afghanistan means the game against West Indies is almost a virtual knockout for them.The loss against Afghanistan, during which they looked rusty with bat as well as in the field, also put under scrutiny their refusal to play any warm-up games.West Indies, too, started their campaign in a stuttering manner, taking 19 overs to chase down 137 against Papua New Guinea. But they roared back to bundle out Uganda for 39 to register a 134-run win. If they beat New Zealand, they will become the first team from Group C to qualify for the Super Eight.West Indies know this is their toughest challenge yet but, as their captain Rovman Powell said, “if there is a good time to play New Zealand, it is now”.This is the first men’s T20 World Cup game in Trinidad; they did not get any in 2010. That could be one reason the ICC is expecting a strong crowd, probably a sell-out.Form guideWest Indies WWWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
New Zealand LLWWLIn the spotlight – Roston Chase and Kane WilliamsonWith just 15 T20I caps, Roston Chase is one of the least experienced players in the West Indies squad. But given the low-scoring pitches in the World Cup so far, he has emerged as one of their most important players, thanks to his ability to play the anchor’s role and bowl economical offspin. In five T20Is this year, Chase has scored 178 runs at a strike rate of 154.78 and picked up four wickets at an economy of 5.92.In the Afghanistan game, nothing symbolised New Zealand’s rustiness more than Kane Williamson’s dismissal: steering the ball into the hands of first slip off Rashid Khan. Between the last T20 World Cup and this one, Williamson played just eight T20s. Even though he was with Gujarat Titans for IPL 2024, he featured in only two games. The reason being Williamson is not your modern, power-hitting T20 batter, but he could hold the key to his team’s chances on these pitches.James Neesham is in contention to be back in the XI against West Indies•ICC/Getty ImagesTeam news – Sodhi in for a seamer?West Indies are likely to field the same XI for the third successive game.West Indies (probable XI): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Gudakesh MotieNew Zealand could make a couple of changes. James Neesham might come in for Mark Chapman and Ish Sodhi for Matt Henry.New Zealand (probable XI): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 James Neesham, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent BoultStats and trivia – Pooran set to overtake Gayle Among those who have scored at least 500 runs across all T20s since the start of 2024, Andre Russell (205.15) is the only one to have a strike rate in excess of 200. Mitchell Santner’s T20 economy rate in the West Indies is 5.55. Nicholas Pooran needs three runs to take over Chris Gayle’s tally of 1899 to become the leading run-getter for West Indies in T20Is. Pooran has hit the most sixes (82) in T20s this year. Pitch and conditions – Another low-scoring game?There was lots of rain on Wednesday due to which West Indies had to cancel their training. New Zealand cut short theirs because of “unacceptable” practice pitches. There is no forecast for rain on the match day, though. Since the start of 2021, the average first-innings total in Tarouba has been 167 and it could once again be a low-scoring game.Quotes”Not just playing at RR, cricket is a global sport now with a lot of technology around. So everything you do in every single game is available to everyone around the world. Thankfully for us, we have a very good analyst who has figured out some of the strengths and weaknesses of Trent Boult. So hopefully tomorrow we can mitigate his strengths and try to capitalise.”
“From talking with a few of the West Indies boys and getting some understanding of what it plays like, they said sometimes it could be a sort of scrappy wicket around that 140-150 [mark]. And then there have been some games where it has been high-scoring. I look forward to the challenge tomorrow and try to adapt as quickly as possible.”

Sporting CP star and top Arsenal transfer target, Viktor Gyokeres, has made an intriguing admission to teammates, amid reports that the clubs are advancing in talks over his move to north London.

Portuguese media claim Arsenal have agreed fee to sign Viktor Gyokeres

Over the last seven days, reports in the Portuguese media have boldly claimed that Arsenal are making serious progress in their bid to tempt the 26-year-old back to England.

Saliba, Saka and Gabriel deals "agreed" but Arsenal risk losing £200k-p/w star

There’s been a very significant update on the futures of Mikel Arteta’s key men.

2 ByEmilio Galantini May 21, 2025

Following his quite ridiculous haul of 53 goals across 51 appearances in all competitions this season, Gyokeres has emerged as a prime striker target for Arsenal, with sporting director Andrea Berta said to be personally pushing for him.

“Andrea Berta is pushing to sign Viktor Gyökeres for Arsenal,” said Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg a fortnight ago.

Sporting CP

101

96

28

Coventry City

116

43

17

Brommapojkarna

67

25

9

FC St. Pauli

28

7

4

Swansea City

12

1

0

Brighton

8

1

1

via Transfermarkt

“Several talks have already taken place. Alexander Isak remains high on the Gunners’ list, as previously revealed — but he’s very expensive. Manchester United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid are all in the race. No commitments yet. Everything is still open. Bayern are currently out — too expensive. As exclusively revealed in October, Gyökeres can leave Sporting this summer for €60–70 million, due to a verbal agreement between the player and the club.”

Since then, the likes of newspaper O Jogo, sharing information in the last few days, have reported that Gyokeres is “on his way to Arsenal”, with the Gunners and Sporting shaking hands on a £59 million fee.

Last week, fellow Portuguese source A Bola made claims of an Arsenal offer to Gyokeres over personal terms worth £135,000-per-week as well, though reports closer to home have since stated that Berta is actually prepared to hand out a £10 million-per-year salary package (CaughtOffside).

£59 million would be considered one of the bargains of the summer for one of Europe’s most lethal goalscorers in his prime, so it will be intriguing to see if this does in fact come to fruition.

Viktor Gyokeres makes admission amid Arsenal agreement claims

However, according to Sporting midfielder and teammate Pedro Goncalves, the Swede is remaining coy over his future.

Confirming what the striker has told him, Goncalves states that Gyokeres said he’s ‘not a fortune-teller’ when asked if he could stay at Sporting – appearing to commit his future.

“I asked [Gyokeres], and we all asked him. He says he’s not a fortune-teller,” said Goncalves.

“We still have the Portuguese Cup against Benfica to play. I have a very good relationship with him, but I don’t talk about it with him. What I know is because of Fabrizio Romano… I’m sticking with him. I don’t know if he’s going to leave.

“I feel like he’s evolved a lot since he arrived. There are training sessions where it seems like he’s holding back.”

The Scandinavian superstar is making waves abroad, and it appears inevitable that he’s set to leave Sporting. The only question is, who can win the race for him?

Judging by recent reports, Arsenal appear to be firmly in pole position as things stand.

Arsenal may not have won the Premier League this season, but Mikel Arteta’s squad still have it all to play for in the Champions League.

Though Paris Saint-Germain left the Emirates Stadium with a slender one-goal advantage in midweek, the Gunners have the quality and confidence to create something special at the Parc des Princes.

Some questionable officiating aside, Arsenal know the crux of their issues this season lies with the failure to provide Arteta with an elite-level striker.

Injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz in the new year sapped the Londoners’ strength at number nine, calling for an unconventional but curiously effective stopgap in Mikel Merino.

However, Arsenal need a permanent solution, one which could ease the talismanic burden Bukayo Saka wears around his neck.

Bukayo Saka's season in numbers

To be fair, Saka wears the weight of responsibility rather well, having maintained a confident stream of goals and assists through the campaign while producing influential and energetic performances.

But this only draws to attention the yawning hole at number nine, with a prolific centre-forward certain to take the England international’s game to the next level.

Saka, 23, has scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists for Arsenal this season. The three-month hamstring injury picked up in December has proved the biggest blow to his side’s campaign; Saka’s back now, but he’s still not at his sharpest.

Nonetheless, the winger’s return has restored a deeper degree of balance and fluency that must be allowed to bloom into something truly world-class next season, and a more clinical attacking partner than one of Havertz or Jesus will ensure that happens.

As per FBref, Arsenal’s starboy ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 1% for goal-creating actions and the top 5% for crosses made per 90.

This man is a striker’s dream, and new sporting director Andrea Berta is ready to reward him with one of the finest centre-forwards out there.

Arsenal in talks to sign top striker

We all know Alexander Isak’s the dream. But Isak is going to cost more than £150m to convince Newcastle United to sell, and this would likely prove beyond any interested party’s means.

Instead, Berta is pushing to seal the signing of Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres. According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, several talks have already taken place, with the Liga Portugal champions looking for no more than €70m (about £60m) to get a deal done.

Arsenal are confident they can get a deal done, but with Real Madrid, Chelsea and Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United also keen, they will need to act swiftly.

What Viktor Gyokeres would bring to Arsenal

Isak has been described as “the best striker in the Premier League” this season by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, but he’s not the only deadly goalscorer on the market.

In fact, Gyokeres has the complete take on the centre-forward role and could make it his own at the front of Arteta’s system.

The 6 foot two star’s technical quality, physicality and hunger for success have been hallmarks of his journey in Portugal, scoring 95 goals from 98 matches and winning last season’s Liga Portugal title before being crowned the division’s Player of the Year.

This level of surety in the final third is something that Arsenal have lacked across the campaign, and by instating Gyokeres in the focal role, Saka would finally have the reliable outlet from which he could direct his peerless playmaking ability.

Viktor Gyokeres – Past Five Seasons (all comps)

Club

Apps (starts)

Goals

Assists

24/25 – Sporting

48 (40)

52

12

23/24 – Sporting

50 (47)

43

15

22/23 – Coventry

50 (47)

22

12

21/22 – Coventry

47 (42)

18

5

20/21 – Coventry

19 (7)

3

0

20/21 – Swansea

12 (2)

1

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

Talk about year-on-year growth. Gyokeres, 26, has yet to make his mark in one of Europe’s recognised top-five leagues but his numbers leave little to the imagination in the best way, especially since he’s only missed 43 big chances across his past three league terms, as per Sofascore, scoring 88 times.

Havertz has his strengths, but he’s not clinical. In the Premier League this season, the German has missed 15 big chances, converting nine strikes. The 28-year-old Jesus, meanwhile, has not been available often enough to warrant Arteta’s trust as his first-choice option.

There’s no doubt Saka is among the finest players in world football, but his game is being impeded by the absence of a partner like Gyokeres. With 20 big chances created in the Premier League this season, only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has more – and having played plenty more minutes at that.

Injury pulled from Saka the chance to immortalise his name in the Premier League’s playmaking record books, but the Three Lions sensation’s electric start to the 2024/25 season remains a welcome reminder of the level of player Arsenal have on their hands.

Moreover, it’s an arresting lever Arteta wields in convincing a player of Gyokeres’ ilk that the Emirates project is the best place for him to go from strength to strength and hit the next level in his incredible journey.

Of course, any natural goalscorer would find their game enhanced alongside Arsenal’s main man, but the Sweden star is “the hottest striker in Europe,” according to ESPN’s Mark Ogden, and the partnership might just be something that fixes the issues that have plagued the north London side’s season.

Having come agonisingly close in recent years, this would be a signing to complete the craft and finally establish Arsenal as the continent’s team to beat.

It’s not over yet; Arsenal may yet find themselves fighting for the Champions League trophy after turning it around against PSG, but in any case, Gyokeres would turn a great team into an unstoppable force.

Related Their own Bruno Fernandes: Arsenal holding talks over "exciting" £66.5m ace

The creative maverick could be Arsenal’s missing piece.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes May 2, 2025

The T20I series ended with a lengthy list of bowlers ruled out and Australia’s selectors will hope it doesn’t extend to their Test resources

Andrew McGlashan15-Sep-2024Australia’s pace-bowling depth is often talked about, and for good reason, but right now it is being tested. The list of injuries and absentees around the limited-overs tour of the UK has become a lengthy one.Xavier Bartlett was the latest to be ruled out after suffering a side strain in the first T20I against England. Nathan Ellis was scrubbed from the trip early in the Scotland leg after aggravating an injury sustained in the Hundred. Spencer Johnson (side) was ruled out before the tour began. Riley Meredith did not feature after first T20I in Scotland, also due to a side issue.Related

• Shane Bond: 'If you ask any injured player if they're okay to play, they'll say yes'

• Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson set for domestic returns with WA

• England remain cautious over Jofra Archer's workload for Australia ODIs

• Cummins: Having allrounders in the top six 'huge'

• Ellis out of last two Scotland T20Is and England tour with hamstring injury

Josh Hazlewood had a delayed arrival because of a minor calf strain but bowled superbly in Southampton before being rested in Cardiff. As one of the big three, he is central to Australia’s plans for the five Tests against India in the home summer. All the cricket before that, especially for the fast bowlers, is played through the lens of making sure Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc make that series and can sustain throughout it.”A lot of our priorities will be geared around that,” Andrew McDonald, Australia’s coach, told last week. “You’ll see that unfold with the management of our players. We’ll be very pointed around who does what in terms of [Sheffield] Shield cricket coming into the summer to make sure that they are ready for that first Test match.”While those who have picked up injuries in England would not be the next in line for Test spots, there are also question marks over the red-ball reserves. Lance Morris will be given a careful reintroduction to the Sheffield Shield after another off-season beset by back problems while his Western Australia team-mate Jhye Richardson remains a longer-term project in terms of red-ball cricket.Scott Boland and Michael Neser have also nursed injuries in pre-season, with the former likely to be managed through the early rounds of the Sheffield Shield, although neither are considered major worries. Sean Abbott, whose first over in Cardiff on Friday would not have looked out of place in Test match as he nipped the ball around sharply, could come into the planning depending on the progress of others.Starc will be part of the ODI series in England but will be carefully managed through the matches. Cummins has remained at home to work on strength and conditioning. It would be a surprise if Hazlewood played more than three of the one-dayers with the series taking place across just 11 days, although the washed out game in Manchester allowed for some extra downtime.”There aren’t many breaks in the calendar unless you manufacture one,” Cummins said last month about missing the England tour. “The medical staff and coaches and everyone thought this is a good opportunity to have a month or so off bowling for my body, and then build up and hopefully be in as good a position as possible for the five Tests.”Mitchell Starc has arrived for the ODIs but also faces a big Test summer back home•Getty ImagesAustralia are far from alone in how they manage their valuable multi-format fast bowlers. India are careful with how much Jasprit Bumrah plays while Mohammed Shami’s recovery from an ankle injury is slightly behind schedule and may require careful management ahead of the Australia tour. For England, a major theme over the next year will be how they ensure Mark Wood reaches the 2025-26 Ashes after he recently suffered another elbow problem to rule him out of the upcoming Pakistan and New Zealand tours.The lengthy list of injuries around Australia’s pace bowlers is a reminder both of the incredible resilience of Cummins, Starc and more recently Hazlewood but also that it would not take much for best-laid plans to unravel. Aided by none of the Tests going five days last season, they played throughout against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand having also featured throughout the ODI World Cup, barring the one game Starc was rested for.Cummins has missed just one Test through injury since 2018; the others have been due to Covid and compassionate leave. Starc missed three in a row against South Africa and India in early 2023 due to a finger injury and was left out of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, but has been almost as durable, often bowling through the pain of various injuries. Hazlewood, meanwhile, has emerged from a two-year period between 2021-2023 where he played just three Tests to keep himself on the park throughout except for being rested at Headingley in last year’s Ashes.Cummins has already flagged things might be different against India, referencing the importance of Australia’s allrounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh, the latter who hasn’t bowled since the IPL. “The last couple of summers have been pretty light [with] quick Test matches,” he said. “I suspect this summer might be a bit different at time.”Even the first reserve, Boland, who boasts a home Test average of 12.21, had expected an opening to emerge somewhere last season. “I was expecting to play at some stage,” he told . “The coaches and selectors were saying, ‘You’ll probably get a go at some stage, so be ready’.”It’s hard, especially when my mindset is ‘It’s seven Tests, I’ll get a crack at some stage’. But [the big three] are just so resilient and they kept bowling teams out quickly, that they just don’t need that much of a break.”At the moment, the injuries have been a disappointment for those involved in the England tour, and a juggling action for the selectors to fill the gaps, rather than an imminent concern for the India series. But that much-vaunted depth in Australia’s bowling stocks may yet be face a defining summer.

England’s attacking approach secures a foothold, where former sides might have crumbled

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Dec-2022It was almost like Pakistan knew what was coming when their official account framed debutant Abrar Ahmed as a “mystery spinner”.If Australian fast bowlers stop English batters from leaving the house, then unconventional twirlers from the subcontinent have tended to get them checking under their beds before they go to sleep. And with seven wickets on his first meeting with England, all before lunch on day one, we can add the 24-year-old to the list of Boogeymen.On the face of it, he joins the likes of Abdul Qadir, Saqlain Mushtaq, Saeed Ajmal, and Abdur Rehman, all of whom have inflicted psychological damage on these opponents. There are many others, of course, but those four names happened to finish with career-bests against England. It will be some going if Abrar betters what he managed at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday, though he does potentially have three more goes at this team before the year is out.This England side, however, are not like the others. While respect was given to Abrar’s skill, the approach spoke of a lack of it. Instead of opting to go into their shell against their latest wrist-spinning and/or front-of-the-hand-ring-finger-flicker incarnation of Michael Myers, they decided to confront him head on, with hatchets of their own.Did it work? Well, it’s probably too early to say. But Abrar was taken for 114 in his 22 overs (an economy rate of 5.18) as England still managed 281 from 51.4 overs. And to judge by Duckett’s punchy assessment of their day at the close, there’ll be no psychological hangover to concern them. They certainly didn’t die cowering.Their weapon of retaliation? The sweep. For so long it has been seen as the last resort of the western batter against the turning ball (Pakistan haven’t played the shot once in their reply so far), and on previous calamitous tours of Asia, it has seemed one step removed from the white flag. But it came to England’s aid here. The positive option for the most enthusiastic stroke-makers in the game.”Going harder” has been the McCullum-Stokes decree in the face of any kind of adversity. Up against an unfamiliar foe seeking to inflict some very familiar scars on the kind of pitch where they’ve been buried before, England were cavalier and calculated. Ollie Pope came out and smoked a reverse-sweep off Abrar through backward point for four, the very ball after Zak Crawley had been bowled through the gate with a googly. It was a shot usually premeditated when the bowler begins his run-up. Pope had decided his shot as soon as he got up from his seat in the dressing room, and started to make his way out in the middle.Abrar Ahmed celebrates with Babar Azam as he works his way through England’s batting•Matthew Lewis/Getty ImagesAs for its success rate, again, we might only really know when the game moves on and the pitch deteriorates further. But all in all, a form of sweep – conventional, reverse, switch hit, lap or paddle – was played 50 times, with 74 runs scored and six wickets lost. No doubt the worst of that last figure was Jack Leach switching hands and getting bowled on the move by Zahid Mahmood for a golden duck. Even the No.10, out of his comfort zone, was buying in wholeheartedly.Since 2018-19, England’s percentage of runs through sweeps off spinners is 25.6. Day one’s mark of 33.2 was a notable uptick. It wasn’t, however, as sweep-dominant as the Sri Lanka series at the start of 2021, when Joe Root almost single-handedly boosted the team to about 40 percent. Even those were mostly conventional. And it was in a winning cause, too.However, the four matches in India that followed that tour perhaps offer the best comparison for the surface here, which spun almost immediately. All in all, 205 sweeps were played on that tour, 275 runs scored for 17 dismissals. Only Root (107 from 63) and Ben Stokes (65 from 42) played the stroke with any real conviction. For the rest, it was akin to clasping at air during free-fall.Here, Stokes swept just once and Root not at all. And perhaps the deliveries from Abrar that dismissed them – a googly from outside leg that left Stokes open-faced in appreciation, and a sharp-spinning legbreak that pinned Root on the back foot – could have been swept. But the pair of batters who used the shot the most were also the most successful, England’s top-scorers Ben Duckett (63) and Pope (60).Both are interesting case studies when it comes to the sweep. Duckett has been a proponent of the conventional and reverse since he was old enough to wield a bat, and now has the kind of confidence that means he can strike 29 off 17 with it, as he did today. Pope, on the other hand, has tinkered to such an extent that, while facing Rashid Khan in a T20 Blast match, he happened upon a wrong-footed sweep – with the right-hander’s back foot (right) coming forward rather than the front (left). He nailed that once here.Naturally, in keeping with the theme of the day, both men eventually fell on their brooms to be dismissed, and against the man of the moment, of course. But, as is the way under Stokes and McCullum, there were no regrets.Related

The Abrar Ahmed school of wizardry: come for the mystery, stay for the legspin

Searching for the real Pakistan – from behind a security cordon

Abrar Ahmed takes seven in debut innings as Pakistan cramp England's new style

Stats – Abrar's record-breaking debut, and a rare all-ten for Pakistan spinners

“For me, generally a sweep is kind of a forward defence, especially when the ball is spinning into me,” Duckett said afterwards. “I’m gutted I missed two in the last two games, but I’m going to be playing plenty more out here.”Two years ago, maybe I’d have played differently to that. But with the backing from the captain and the coach, I’m pretty sure they’d be quite annoyed with me if I got out knocking it to short leg.”I just tried to sweep every ball [Abrar] bowled, really. Try and stick to my game and not really worry about what he was trying to do.”There were brains behind the belligerence. Duckett said he felt comfortable to go “every ball” because of how Abrar operated: primarily as a legspinner with a fine googly who would rarely pull his length short.”I actually think the control he had throughout his spell was very good,” Duckett said. “Generally, someone like that will give you bad balls. He tended to miss [his length] on the fuller side, which is what you want from someone who spins it both ways. That’s kind of why I swept: because it doesn’t matter which way it’s spinning when you’re sweeping.”It was insightful that Duckett likened the “high-risk” nature of sweeping spinners to driving against the new ball. Without the shot, England would have finished well short of the 281 that they eventually made, on a pitch that would have put the frighteners up previous iterations of this team.”I’d much rather get out playing a sweep shot than playing a forward defence,” he added. “It got me runs today and made me score quick. We were really focussed on being positive. If we didn’t score at that rate it could have easily been 150, 200 all out.”He’s got a point and it’s worth remembering Duckett has been burned by such negativity before. In his second Test appearance, back in 2016 on a raging bunsen in Mirpur, he had wristily flayed Bangladesh’s spinners to all parts.By tea on day three, England were 100 for no loss, Duckett 56 – the first of now three scores above fifty – to Alastair Cook’s 39, chasing a target of 273. They then lost 10 wickets in the next 22.3 overs after the break with one of the meekest displays against the turning ball. As it happens, only Stokes – 25 from 36 – tried to give anything back.Having taken two Pakistan wickets by stumps, and still leading by 174, you could just about argue the opening day in Multan was tilted slightly in England’s favour. Sure, they could have improved on their score of 281, but probably only through doing what they did with more gusto.

His all-round ability with the ball, bat and on the field has proven invaluable throughout the series

Sidharth Monga08-Jan-2021Ravindra Jadeja replaced Virat Kohli in this Indian XI. When it was done, it seemed – and still does – a move from a side that knew its attack was thin and was picking players to cover too many bases. India were hedging their bets a bit by replacing a specialist batsman and a pure wicketkeeper with a bowler who could bat and a wicketkeeper in Rishabh Pant who could bat too.While it can be called hedging the bets, there probably wasn’t an option available to India at that time. They had lost Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, and would not want in their attack a debutant seamer and Umesh Yadav, who is not renowned for his control. They needed some bowling cover so they showed they had the courage to not reinforce the batting in a traditional way after the 36 all out in Adelaide.Ravindra Jadeja bagged 4 for 62 before also running out Steven Smith•Getty ImagesIt looked a little like England on tours of Asia, where their frontline spinners aren’t incrementally that good over the bits-and-pieces spinners to forego their batting. This was a different case, though. This was more like England playing Chris Woakes in place of a specialist batsman in Asia, which they rarely do.Related

• He has barely warmed up, and Ravindra Jadeja is already changing games – in 3D

• It's not lack of intent, it's Cheteshwar Pujara's method and it works for him

• Australia's batting ills continue despite Smith ton

Six days of Test cricket later, Jadeja has scored a crucial half-century at the MCG, taken seven wickets including a four-for at the SCG at an average of 15, taken an exceptional catch to start an Australia collapse in Melbourne and also run Steven Smith out when he finally got back in the runs. Even though Jadeja has not bowled as much as the first-choice spinner R Ashwin, he has been in the game almost all the time. The impact that Jadeja has had almost makes you want to reassess the “hedge” category initially assigned to his selection.The big difference between someone like Woakes and Jadeja, though, is the vast improvement in Jadeja’s batting. He is likelier to score runs against fast bowlers than Woakes is against spinners. Jadeja is not quite a No. 5 batsman, but has begun to push from the Woakes category towards the Ben Stokes one.Since the start of 2016, only Quinton de Kock averages more than Jadeja’s 43.92 batting at No. 7 or lower. In the six Tests he has played outside Asia and the West Indies, he has averaged 45.16. Granted that Cheteshwar Pujara bats in tough periods, but since the start of 2018 Jadeja has more runs per innings than even Pujara. The big difference now is that he trusts his game and doesn’t back away and hit as he used to at the start of his career.At the press conference after day two in Sydney, Jadeja was asked if this change in approach to batting over the last 18 months or so meant he had started to think of himself as a genuine allrounder. “Not just the last 12-18 months,” Jadeja said. “Long before that – and in all three formats – I have to perform both in batting and bowling department. Since the day I have started playing, that has been my role. But it is all about getting the opportunity; whenever I have got the opportunity to score runs or take wickets, I have done that. Especially when I score runs outside India, it gets talked about more. But, according to me, I have always considered myself an allrounder.”The team management has recognised it and started to give him more responsibility. “The higher I bat, the more responsibility I take,” Jadeja said. “Batting with a batsman, you talk to them, [and] get the confidence. And most importantly, I have time to play a proper innings. If I can initially get that start with a batsman, I can play in my flow. The more I bat higher up, the better it is.”So far on the Australia tour, Ravindra Jadeja has a half-century, a four-wicket haul and some brilliant fielding to his name•Getty ImagesStill, he was batting at No. 7, which meant India were replacing a batsman with someone who was a bowler first, someone who wouldn’t ideally be playing, especially with another spinner in the XI, in Melbourne of all places. The last time two spinners played in a Test XI in Melbourne was when India went in with both Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in 2007-08. The idea behind that selection was for India to choose their four best bowlers no matter the conditions.Ashwin averages 25.20 and Jadeja 24.50, but so good have India’s three quicks been that it has rarely been the case where they consider both of them to be along the four best bowlers for conditions outside Asia and the West Indies. Even when they have played two spinners in Tests outside Asia and the West Indies under this team management, the second spinner has been Kuldeep Yadav, who brings in the wristspin variety.The real merit in this selection of Jadeja has been that not playing both Ashwin and Jadeja together has been a perfectly reasonable thought process. To go against that is a bold move, one that the conditions demanded. Now it was up to Jadeja to vindicate that trust.Jadeja is a bowler who is slightly unfortunate to have operated in the times of Ashwin. With the more apparent guile of Ashwin, Jadeja’s bowing can tend to go unnoticed. His numbers are not too far behind either; in fact, his average is better. Jadeja has only one fewer Player-of-the-Match award than Ashwin, although the senior spinner has more series awards. Only ten Indians have won more Player-of-the-Match awards than Jadeja’s six. No one has a better rate than his: one every six Tests or so.It was perhaps fair that he enjoyed some luck on the crucial second day of the Sydney Test, which Australia started at 166 for 2 with the threat of batting India out of the game. There will be days when Jadeja will bowl much better than he did on this day and not end up with a wicket. Here he got four despite being cut away for four often and conceding an un-Jadeja-like 3.44 an over. This is perhaps a reward for someone who always stays in the game and keeps bowling at the wickets all the time.And in the game Jadeja well and truly was when he ran in about 25 yards for a one-handed pick-up and direct hit from about 35 yards to hit the only stump visible to him to run Smith out. He rated that higher than the wickets he took. Thanks to the extra dimension Jadeja’s inclusion has added, India too are in the game and the series.