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He was given a reprimand and a demerit point after an argument over a dead ball not being called

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2024Matthew Wade has escaped a fine from the ICC following a heated on-field argument with umpire Nitin Menon during Australia’s 36-run win over England in Barbados in the T20 World Cup 2024, though he has been handed an “official reprimand” and one demerit point.Facing Adil Rashid in the 18th over of Australia’s innings, Wade backed away to the leg side as the bowler was in his action, and dead-batted the ball back down the pitch. The ICC said in a press release: “[Wade] expected it to be called a ‘dead ball’ by the umpire. When it wasn’t, Wade then argued with the umpires over the decision.”Wade exchanged words with Jos Buttler, England’s wicketkeeper, and continued to argue with Menon after taking a single off the following delivery. He accepted a Level 1 breach of the ICC’s code of conduct but avoided the maximum penalty of a 50% match fee fine, instead having a demerit point added to his record for the next two years.Related

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Buttler suggested he could have intervened, but said that Wade had backed away “very late”. He said: “[I’m not sure] whether I should have said, ‘I don’t know if he pulled away and let’s just carry on’. But the umpire seemed to be like, ‘well, because he played it, it’s a dot ball’… he seemed ready, and then pulled out very late.”Adam Zampa, who took 2 for 28 in Australia’s win, said that Wade had been fired up by the incident. “Wadey is a fiery guy, super competitive, and something ticked him over a little bit. That’s what we love about Wadey… having him behind the stumps, so competitive, you can hear his voice and that makes a huge difference.”If you’ve got a wicketkeeper who’s quiet, whose body language is the opposite to someone like Wadey, you can feel that as well. I love playing with Wadey. He’s so competitive… He backed away and he played that shot, and I think he felt like it was basically the same as letting it hit him in the leg, kind of a dead ball. But yeah, it doesn’t take much to fire Wadey up.”Zampa was also critical of England’s body language in the field, suggesting that they let their frustrations get the better of them – particularly when bowling to Travis Head and David Warner. “They were under the pump and it showed,” he said. “It’s so hard to bowl to those two in the powerplay.”If your bowlers aren’t summing up the conditions quickly, I guess it can be frustrating, and Heady and Davey took advantage of it. We try not to be like that. We speak about it a bit. Our leadership isn’t like that. They are very calm, and I think that helps us as bowlers as well.”

With rumours continuing to arrive regarding Jobe Bellingham’s future, Sunderland have reportedly set their sights on signing a Manchester City gem who could replace their midfield star this summer.

Borussia Dortmund reach Bellingham agreement

Despite earning promotion to the Premier League, it looks as though Bellingham is set to follow the same path as his older brother Jude by swapping English football for Borussia Dortmund this summer.

Chasing their second Bellingham after their first proved to be a great success, the German giants have reportedly agreed personal terms on a five-year contract with the Sunderland star.

Whilst personal terms are agreed, Dortmund must still match Sunderland’s valuation if they are to sign Bellingham this summer. The Black Cats are reportedly set to demand that Bellingham’s €40m (£34m) release clause is matched this summer if they are to bid farewell to one of their best young players.

Losing such a talent at just 19 years old would be an undeniable blow for all involved at the Stadium of Light, but with £34m to spend, they could build Regis Le Bris a squad capable of securing Premier League survival at the first time of asking.

To that end, rumours have suggested that the Black Cats could also be in for a busy summer. With a permanent deal to sign Enzo Le Fee already sealed, Sunderland may reportedly welcome Chris Mepham back to the club in a similar deal.

Meanwhile, if forced to find a replacement for Bellingham in the coming months, those in Wearside could yet reportedly turn towards a young Manchester City talent.

Sunderland eyeing Charlie Gray

According to Alan Nixon on his Patreon, Sunderland are now eyeing a summer swoop to sign Charlie Gray from Manchester City if Bellingham completes a move to Borussia Dortmund.

The 19-year-old midfielder is yet to receive a first-team opportunity from Pep Guardiola, but has certainly left many impressed at youth level.

Although the Manchester City gem is an unproven talent, this Sunderland side has had young players who are vying to prove themselves at the foundation of their success for a couple of years now and Gray could become the latest to do exactly that.

Replacing Bellingham won’t be easy for whoever is tasked with doing so, but there’s every reason why Gray has been at the heart of Manchester City’s impressive academy in recent years.

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The Citizens have birthed players such as Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens and Jadon Sancho over the last decade and the list could go on.

European football is littered with their graduates and one could now be on his way to Sunderland. At 19 years old, Gray could be one to watch.

Everton are “confident” of signing a rapid new player who is said to play with “a lot of dynamism and speed” in a cut-price deal this summer, according to a new report.

Everton remain on the up despite Chelsea loss

Everton suffered a 1-0 Premier League defeat at the hands of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over the weekend, with Nicolas Jackson scoring his first goal of 2025 to gift the home side all three points.

Despite the loss, however, Everton remain very much a team on the rise. After a desperately poor start to the season under Sean Dyche, the Toffees have gone from strength to strength since the reappointment of David Moyes as manager in January.

Under the Scotsman, Everton lost just one of their first 10 Premier League games — a remarkable run of form that essentially secured their top-flight status for another year, something that had looked extremely unlikely around Christmas.

Results have dipped slightly since, but with Premier League football now guaranteed for next season, attention inside the club has already begun to turn towards a fresh start.

“[Moyes] only wants the club to go one way, which we all do, and that is up. But there is still a lot of work that we all need to do to get to that point,” winger Dwight McNeil said after the defeat to Chelsea.

Everton confident of signing Ligue Akpa

Everton’s fresh start next season will come in two parts — the first being a brand-new home: Everton Stadium, a 52,888-seater set to replace Goodison Park after more than a century as the club’s base.

The second will be a revamped squad, with the club’s new owners, the Friedkin Group, expected to back Moyes with funds in the summer to strengthen his team.

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One of the players Moyes could be bringing in is Auxerre defender Clement Akpa, with Football Insider reporting that Everton could secure his signing in the coming months.

The outlet claims that Everton have been alerted to Akpa’s availability — and that they are now “pretty confident” of landing the 23-year-old in what could be a cut-price deal due to Auxerre’s financial difficulties.

Akpa has made 28 appearances for Auxerre this season, mostly at centre-back, though he is also capable of playing at left-back.

Speaking about the Ivory Coast international earlier this season, Auxerre head coach Christophe Pélissier said: “He’s a player who works a lot, having made very good and quick progress. At the beginning of this season, I did not think he would be one of the most used players.

“His qualities — playing with a lot of dynamism and speed — have allowed him to develop fully in this system. He asks a lot of questions about the game and what he needs to do to move forward. Being a very young father has given him a great sense of responsibility.”

Chelsea has been the home to countless attacking stars over the years, but not many have managed to match the levels produced by Ivorian striker Didier Drogba.

The forward joined the Blues back in the summer of 2004 from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille, with José Mourinho working tirelessly to complete a deal to take him to Stamford Bridge.

Such a deal would prove to be a masterstroke, with the now 47-year-old starring over two separate spells in West London, claiming a total of 12 major trophies with the Blues.

Drogba notched a total of 164 goals during his time at the club, arguably scoring the most important goal in their history during the Champions League final back in 2012.

However, in the present day, Enzo Maresca doesn’t have the focal point he desires to have his own version of the talisman, leading to huge rumours over a deal for a new number nine this summer.

The latest on Chelsea’s pursuit of a new striker this summer

Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap has been hugely touted with a move to join Chelsea this summer, with the 22-year-old starring in the Premier League throughout 2024/25.

He’s managed to notch a total of 12 goals in 31 appearances for the Tractor Boys, leading to links to move to Stamford Bridge given his £30m release clause.

However, it appears as though Maresca’s side have been handed a boost in their pursuit for his signature, with Delap not interested in a move to Manchester United after their own willingness to land him.

Players such as Jonathan David and Victor Osimhen have also been thrown into the mix lately, but Borussia Dortmund talisman Serhou Guirassy is the latest player to emerge as a target.

According to journalist Maurizio Russo, the Blues are currently leading the race for the 29-year-old, who has managed to net 28 goals in his 40 appearances across all competitions this term.

Chelsea’s best striker since Drogba

Over the years, Chelsea have spent big to try and fill the centre-forward role, but so far to no avail, given their huge hunt for a new number nine.

The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Álvaro Morata and Christopher Nkunku have all tried to cement their place at the top end of the pitch, but none of them have successfully managed to do so.

The hierarchy have splashed over £200m on the aforementioned trio alone, highlighting the need to land the right star to end their hunt over the next few months.

Guinean forward Guirassy could manage to do just that should he complete a switch to the Bridge this summer, but he won’t come cheap, currently having a £70m release clause in his contract.

However, when comparing him to the current options at the manager’s disposal, he’s massively outperformed them both – showcasing what a sensational signing he could be in their quest for Premier League glory.

Guirassy, who’s been labelled “sensational” by one analyst, has outscored Nicolas Jackson and Nkunku in 2024/25, whilst also registering a higher goal-per-shot-on-target rate – demonstrating his clinical nature in the final third.

How Guirassy compares to Jackson & Nkunku in 2024/25

Statistics (per 90)

Guirassy

Jackson

Nkunku

Games played

25

26

27

Goals scored

15

9

3

Goals per shot-on-target

0.5

0.2

0.2

Shots taken

3.4

3.3

2.4

Fouls won

2

1.2

1.1

Aerials won

3.9

0.8

1.5

Aerial success rate

54%

34%

42%

Stats via FBref

He’s also won more fouls per 90, whilst also registering more shots per game – offering an all-round presence that the Blues have greatly missed in recent months.

However, the 29-year-old has dominated aerially, winning more of the duels he’s entered in the air, finally allowing Maresca to have that target man that he’s craved since joining last summer.

Whilst £70m may appear to be a mammoth sum of money for a player entering the back end of his career, the Dortmund attacker has the star quality to make an immediate impact in West London.

With the majority of the side being full of youngsters, the balance between them and Guirassy could be a successful one, massively aiding the club in their title ambitions throughout 2025/26.

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India’s unlikely batting hero on the third morning helped add a century stand and put the visitors on track for what could be a famous win

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Aug-2025

Akash Deep went for a big one early in the day•Getty Images

Akash Deep had been asking for lots of love at The Oval.On Friday, he put an arm around the departing Ben Duckett, who was caught behind playing a reverse-scoop. Until then, the England left-hander had inflicted a lot of pain on Akash Deep, spanking him for 25 runs from 24 deliveries with five boundaries, including a reverse-scooped six. While Duckett was responsible for his own wicket, Akash Deep opted to give him a polite farewell. Bodily contact is not permissible under the ICC rules and umpire Ahsan Raza did have a word with him, probably reminding him of the dos and don’ts.The duo would soon exchange more pleasantries, as Akash Deep walked in as a nightwatcher in the last over of the second day. Akash Deep flicked a leg-side delivery from Gus Atkinson for four and took a leg-bye before the over ended. Duckett would later whisper a few things to Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep after the pair pointed out to the umpires that the light was not good to face the seamers. Stumps were called 15 minutes before the scheduled close time. So Akash Deep was well aware that England would want his wicket as soon play resumed on Saturday.Related

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But he was least bothered. He walked onto the ground about an hour before start in his blue singlet and tracksuit bottoms and among the first things he did was hug the tender giant, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel, tightly. We wouldn’t know the context, but Akash Deep certainly had a good night’s sleep and was ready to have a good time. Perhaps he was telling Morkel to show him some love after recovering from a wayward first spell on Friday and helping Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna hasten England’s downfall on a cloudy and overcast afternoon.Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep added 107 together•Getty ImagesAkash Deep’s self-confidence was on display from the first over of Saturday morning. He swept the third ball from part-time left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell for four and repeated the stroke by going down on his left knee to pick another two. India had opted for the heavy roller on Saturday to flatten the early moisture on a pitch that has been highly favourable to the seamers. You were not the only one to think that it would be Jaiswal, and not Akash Deep, who would cash in on the early advantage.Nightwatchers like Akash Deep are meant to enjoy their luck as long as it lasts and depart. So far in this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India’s tail had been limp: between Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh and Anshul Kamboj, they had scored 49 runs in nine innings before Saturday, with Siraj’s 8 being the highest. The only time it wagged a bit was towards the end of the Lord’s Test match when India fell short by 22 runs.Akash Deep would not forget that Test. He had walked in as a nightwatcher on the fourth evening at Lord’s and survived 11 deliveries but failed to defend a ball from England captain Ben Stokes that broke his stumps. He had just made one run.On day three at The Oval, Akash Deep decided to be bolder. Atkinson, who conducts himself as if part of the Prime Minister’s security detail – cold stare, upright, no emotion, clipped words – had been ruthless in his return to playing Test since May, picking up a five-for in the first innings. When he replaced Bethell from the Pavilion End in the third over of the morning, Shubman Gill would’ve been ready to walk out any minute. But Akash Deep had the India fan as well as some of the England ones erupt in excitement as he hacked a four through midwicket against a fuller ball from Atkinson. He would open the bat face to guide the ball past gully for another four in the next over, as Josh Tongue banged it back-of-length well outside of off stump.Akash Deep celebrates his maiden Test fifty•Getty ImagesWhile he was beating the outside edge frequently, Tongue was struggling to construct a string of consecutive deliveries to test the tailender. In his next over, he slipped in a nip-backer that had Akash Deep, on 21, caught on the back foot straight in front of the stumps. But umpire Raza remained unconvinced. Akash Deep survived as the DRS showed it was only clipping the leg stump. Next ball, Tongue’s frustration grew deeper as Zak Crawley spilled the outside edge.Thereafter, Akash Deep remained unruffled as he defended with a straight bat, judged the length quickly and reacted on the merit of the ball. Atkinson suffered for his mistakes as Akash Deep pulled him off the front foot, cut him in front of square and even played the uppercut for fours to bring up the fifty-run partnership with Jaiswal. An inside-edge would sneak behind square leg for a four and bring a loud shriek of excitement from Akash Deep as he celebrated his maiden Test fifty. It was the first time everyone in the Indian dressing room stood up to applaud an innings that was hurting England dearly.In the process, Akash Deep became only the second nightwatcher for India in this century to score a half-century after Amit Mishra, who achieved the feat twice.By the time he was eventually out, getting a leading edge off an attempted checked pull to Atkinson at point, Akash Deep had exacerbated the England seamers’ agony. They had barely got a break to relax after bowling India out in the first innings and now stared at a hard, long day’s work with India’s main batters to follow. Akash Deep had faced 92 of the 146 deliveries till his wicket. Importantly, his 107-run partnership with Jaiswal would gain weight as the day grew older and England attempted a mini-comeback in the middle session.This has already been a cathartic series for Akash Deep, who revealed during the Edgbaston Test that his sister had been diagnosed with cancer. He missed the fourth Test in Manchester with a groin niggle and was holding his bowling shoulder frequently throughout the first innings here. But Akash Deep has not allowed emotion to overwhelm him or stunt his job.As he walked back and climbed up the stairs to the dressing room on Saturday, Akash Deep got a standing ovation from his team-mates and coaches as well as the full-house crowd at The Oval. Akash Deep had asked for love and got it. In return, he did something which could be a catalyst if India go on to win.

Win or lose, the team’s culture of warmth, gratitude and camaraderie has been infectious

Shashank Kishore08-Oct-2023Bas de Leede can’t remember when the Netherlands cricket team was last seen on free-to-air TV back home prior to the 2023 World Cup. Negotiations are on, and the hope is they will be on it at some stage this World Cup.On Friday, those who had the opportunity to watch may have dared to dream. Pakistan were in trouble at various stages, first at 38 for 3, then at 188 for 6 and finally, when Netherlands were cruising at 120 for 2 in their chase of 287. Then it all came crashing down.Haris Rauf, the thunderbolts specialist, spelt doom in a telling spell that brought him two massive wickets the space of three balls. Training camps or intra-squad games alone can’t prepare you for that kind of pace and hostility.Did Netherlands really have a chance? It was their first official ODI since the World Cup Qualifiers in June and just being in the contest for 70 overs seemed like a win. The end result wasn’t entirely unexpected, and their collapse underlined a lack of exposure.Related

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On Monday, they’ll play New Zealand, an opponent so familiar that a set of ODIs against them over 14 months ago seems a significant bank of experience. On the familiarity front, they also have a few players on whom they will rely on for significant intel.Like Logan van Beek. The Wellington-born Dutch allrounder lives in New Zealand and plays for the Firebirds, where he’s teammates with Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. Van Beek was house mates with Tom Latham and Matt Henry as youngsters coming through. From training together, they will now be plotting against each other.Max O’Dowd, son of a Dutch mother and New Zealand father, played his early cricket in Auckland, dreaming of doing “epic things” like he witnessed at Eden Park in 2015. He lives in New Zealand for much of the year, playing club cricket on decks that aid pace and bounce, against opponents he’ll be facing up to.Then there’s Teja Nidamanuru, whose journey from Vijayawada to Amsterdam via Auckland has been well documented. Or de Leede, who is coming off a sensational maiden stint with Durham as a professional. While their inputs could be massive, there’s a sense of acknowledgment that they’re all learning on the job. It’s not ideal; if things were, head coach Ryan Cook wouldn’t have to plead teams to come forward to play them.”This is a call-out to anyone who wants to play us,” he had said at a press conference in July, soon after qualifying for the World Cup. “We’d love to have a fixture or two. Our guys have not been to the subcontinent many times before, so it would be good to have some fixtures somewhere in the subcontinent as well.”This can be deflating to the small cricket community of 6500 that yearn for game time. Sure, there’s no bigger incentive than playing in a World Cup, but what about the four years in-between where there’s hardly anything to look forward to? Of course you can argue the 2020-2023 Super League cycle served that purpose of giving them game time, but with that set to be scrapped – or is it? – there’s no surety.All said, the Dutch aren’t using this as an excuse. In fact, they’ve tried to pack a punch; much of it centered around developing good vibes and culture within the group. They begin every training session with a huddle where one member of the group hands over a SOUL hat – Selflessness, Ownership, Unity, Learning – to another member whose work ethic and attitude on the previous day was worthy of the honor.It isn’t necessarily just restricted to the playing XI; it includes coaches, reserve players, other non-playing staff – essentially anyone who imbibed those team values the previous day.Wellington-born Logan van Beek was house mates with Tom Latham and Matt Henry as youngsters coming through•Getty ImagesAt the World Cup Qualifiers, every player had a miniature oar, an instrument used to row boats, that they placed at the centre of their meeting room when they had a declaration to make. Like de Leede did ahead of that game against Scotland, where he declared, “I am going to do something special today.” Eight hours later, he had sealed Netherlands’ World Cup spot with a five-for and a blistering hundred in a mammoth chase.This culture and camaraderie building exercise is massively important because most players don’t play together for much of the year. The absence of professional full-time contracts has forced players to look for opportunities elsewhere, like in the county circuit.Or in some cases, like Nidamanuru or Sybrand Engelbrecht, who retired from the game in 2016 to pursue an MBA, in the corporate sphere. Engelbrecht played in an Under-19 World Cup final 15 years ago, against Virat Kohli. All these years later, the itch to realise a dream he couldn’t fulfil with South Africa has brought him back.

“For now, any game time is good game time. Every game the biggest they’ll ever play. Every ‘W’ next to their name as big a moment as they’d ever experience”

At the end of their camp in Bengaluru late September, the four net bowlers they’d hired through a talent hunt programme that involved scouring through more than 10,000 applicants, were cheered in unison by the entire group as they ran in to bowl their last ball. Videos were shared for posterity, souvenirs signed for memory, the genuine warmth and gratitude palpable. The culture that flows from the top was also flows back from the bottom.In a long tournament, the importance of this can’t be understated. Saturday was an optional session, but for the four players who didn’t make the XI against Pakistan, it was an opportunity as big as any other. To not just develop their game, but contribute in whatever capacity they can. Like even picking up all the balls and putting them back into the ball boxes after training (every ball costs a lot of money, which is at a premium for a board like KNCB that rely heavily on ICC funding).This in a nutshell is the Associate life. But they do it willingly, in the hope of being loved back by the very fraternity that can make them feel like outsiders. For now, any game time is good game time. Every game the biggest they’ll ever play. Every ‘W’ next to their name as big a moment as they’d ever experience.

A World Cup front-loaded with predictable games redeemed itself by saving the best for last

Mark Nicholas16-Nov-2021Australia, huh? A team that finds a way.You have to hand it to them; maybe the hammering at the hands of Jos Buttler and Co really did spark a fuse. Come the semi, come the explosion; come the final, come the annihilation. Did we really give them much chance against Pakistan? Don’t think we did. Or was that just a romantic ideal: the Pakistan Dream?And New Zealand? Surely, Kane Williamson would get one over Aaron Finch…surely, yes? No. It still feels surreal today.The sight of Mitchell Marsh in his ecstasy was something to behold. The road has not been easy. Geoff’s son and Shaun’s younger brother had for too long been the nearly man, a cricketer gifted enough to play for Australia here and there in all formats but never quite to conquer one.Related

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On a warm Sunday night, in the unlikely setting of Dubai, Marsh junior laid the ghost of father and brother past and took the Player-of-the-Match trophy in the game that mattered most. He struck the ball with utter clarity, applied demonic eyes to the business of giving the opposition nothing, and made sure he was in there at the end. Job done.Overcome with emotion his pals charged from dressing room and dugout to throw their arms around him and squeeze tight, just like they had won the T20 World Cup final, which they had. It was all rather charming. Australia under Finch have been a together team, and when Marcus Stoinis was interviewed in the immediate aftermath, he said there was a lot of love going down. Quite so.In summary, Australia went for it in a way that New Zealand could not. After a sluggish start, Williamson played a sparkler of an innings, as good as you can imagine in this format, and became the third man to make a fifty in the final, from a record 32 balls. The other two are Kumar Sangakkara and Joe Root, a sure sign that the old ways are not ready for the knacker’s yard yet. But Williamson was a lone Kiwi ranger. Marsh was to beat him to 50 by a ball; David Warner hit the afterburners and Glenn Maxwell hit anything and everything every which way. In a flash Australia had stolen the game – the batting more powerful, the bowling more steadfast.The World Cup shone a light on journeyman pros like David Wiese of Namibia•ICC via GettyIf Williamson can be enjoyed as artistic, Marsh might be judged as brutalist. Their contrasting innings perfectly summarised a game that offers many little pieces of cricket’s big picture, while reminding us there are myriad ways to thrill its audience.Not that the tournament was always such a buzz. In fact, there were times during the last month when one wondered whether the ICC T20 World Cup even much liked itself. Mainly predictable games were the order of an event played by 12 teams of vastly different funding, capacity and ability. The good teams were very good; the rest, well, let’s just say not so good. The chance of an upset was minimal, and even from afar, the disengaged noted that a tournament in which all the best teams played each other once and the top four cracked on to the denouement would be a better spectacle.Having said that, who is to argue that exposure doesn’t beat a tight finish? Not the Scots, for sure, who found themselves mixing it with both India and Pakistan in the final week of the round-robin stage; or the Namibians, whose pony-tailed David Wiese, gave hints of a fright to all he set embattled eyes upon. The value of the major ICC tournaments to countries eager to grow their cricket is incalculable. One wanted to shine small, positive lights on these part-time professionals, who gamely played up and played the game, attracting applause for their enterprise and admiration for their humility.Only when the top four finally met in a couple of semi-finals that surprised the bookmakers were the punters gripped till the very last. Seven-eighths of the way through each of those semi-finals, the form horses, England and Pakistan, appeared to have done all that was required of them until two left-handers, each of different build and style, fairly wrenched the prize of a place in the final from the favourites’ grasp.While Matthew Wade was taking guard at the sharp end of the run chase in the Dubai semi, the chap next to me – an eminent television producer from a faraway corner of the world – suggested that Australia must have better wicketkeeper-batters in their midst.Two scoops, please: Matthew Wade finessed Pakistan out of the final•ICC via Getty ImagesCue Wade’s astonishing burst of activity that climaxed with three consecutive shots of imagination and power that flew high and long into the night air. “Come see the white ball fly!” exclaimed the advertising campaign for World Series Cricket in 1978, and never can it have flown with more impact and inspired more amazement than it did on Thursday night – well, not since Carlos Brathwaite at Eden Gardens anyway. First, Wade scoop-ramped a full-length ball from Shaheen Shah Afridi way over fine leg, then he smashed a length ball into the middle tier of the not inconsiderable Dubai International Stadium, before providing the coup de grace by repeating the scoop/ramp of two balls earlier and immediately lifting his arms to the sky like a boxer whose knockout blow had ended the thing once and for all. Which it had. And guess who was commentating. Ian Bishop didn’t say it, but he might have done.The night before, in Abu Dhabi, Jimmy Neesham had found a willing partner in Darryl Mitchell to nick the game off England. And how. It will be a match long remembered by English supporters for overs number 16 and 17. Sixteen was bowled by Liam Livingstone – a revelation incidentally, with his mixed bag of spin. It claimed a wicket, cost three runs and won the game for his team. Except, it didn’t.The 17th was bowled by Chris Jordan and cost 23, which all but won New Zealand the match. It included Jonny Bairstow’s now viral boundary attempt to save a six and orchestrate a miracle catch but this time the script was written in favour of Black Caps, not red or blue, and Neesham simply plundered the hapless Jordan. Rider here: Jordan is a man for the trenches, one you want among your number any day, and not once in any of the post-match interviews did Eoin Morgan or Chris Silverwood refer to the 17th over or mention Jordan’s name, a sign of solidarity if ever there was one.These were among the most thrilling moments of the month, perhaps the most memorable of which was Scotland’s win over Bangladesh right at the start of the preliminary round, in Oman. You’ve got to love the Scots for their utter commitment and ongoing sense of perspective. They play good cricket, neither getting ahead of themselves nor lagging behind. Bangladesh, on the other hand, never recovered. Sure, there were some near misses but to finish without a win in the Super 12s belied their recent form at home and suggested little in the way of progression.If he had pulled it off, Jonny Bairstow’s boundary catch nearly maybe possibly would have put England in the final•Getty ImagesSri Lanka suggested they had advanced on most occasions when they stepped into the breach. Good bowling, sharper fielding, improved batting – the only way looked to be up. Few countries are better rewarded by investment in youth; after a lull in international achievement, the trick will be to sort out a more competitive domestic structure and to suitably reward the players on performance not potential.Cricket teams are shifting, protean creatures – or should be – and those that fail to perform have tended to pay the price of hanging on to their past. After a glorious run that stretched back to the dynamic win in Sri Lanka in 2012 and reached its crescendo with Ian Bishop’s memorably joyous scream: “Carlos Brathwaite… remember the name!” in Kolkata five years ago, the West Indies selectors had hung on a tad too long. Their team’s final match in the tournament was more a fly-by for the retiring Dwayne Bravo and soon-to-be-retiring Chris Gayle than the summary of a realistic attempt at the title.A word on Gayle, whose contribution to all formats of cricket has been extraordinary. Of course he is a T20 superhero, a player who can fill a ground with mighty deeds and the cut of his jib. But his record across the board bears scrutiny – 7214 Test match runs at 42.18 with 15 hundreds. Add 25 ODI hundreds and two more in T20Is and you get the picture.Here is a revealing quote from the man himself: “It is instinct… We premeditate at times, but most of those things are instinct. When a fast bowler runs in to me, my breathing is controlled. So you keep a still head, slow down your breathing. Sometimes I actually hold my breath, so I can be as still and well balanced as possible. If you get too excited, you overreact more, and with the adrenalin, you lose focus quickly.” In summary, the Universe Boss has thought this through. It will be a wrench when he really does put away that railway sleeper of a bat: the game is better for such singular style.No country is more subject to a shifting, protean landscape than South Africa, and to lose just one game – to the eventual champions – and be out of the tournament on net run rate was a wretched thing. In beating England in Sharjah, Temba Bavuma’s men once again proved the heart of the matter: if you truly care about the land of your birth, you will play unconditionally for its place in the world order of things. Those at the helm need to start doing the math, however. A racier pursuit of Bangladesh’s meagre 84 in Abu Dhabi might have turned the whole event on its head.Sri Lanka did better than many expected them to•ICC/Getty ImagesMuch has been written and said about India’s early exit. From this distance, it looked like the team had played too much cricket in the many months previous and therefore failed to click into the gear that had brought them so much success in that time. With this game, you think you are on automatic pilot until you aren’t. Then, when consciously piloting yourself, you are dependent on luck, or the lack of it, and the opposition’s performance. Which is where the phrase “control the controllables” sort of comes from. Sometimes this game just doesn’t go your way.England thought they had that old cliché covered by the analytics but cricket said, “Uh huh, there is a bit more to me than that.” The Jason Roy injury was nothing short of cruel but sport is cruel. Ask South Africa. Or New Zealand. Or Pakistan, who so gloriously beat India at the beginning but fell to Australia at the end. Would their supporters have taken those two results if offered them? Maybe.There is no one quite like Babar Azam at the wicket and no one quite like Afridi running in to it. Buttler can do the pyrotechnics and Jofra Archer – when fit – the sprint to the crease; as can, say, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, if with a different step, but none of them were there in the game that mattered, which is all that matters. Warner was there and was voted Player of the Tournament – a vote for class over form if ever there was one. But with respect for form and for Warner, my vote would have gone to Adam Zampa, who has sometimes said that he plays on being underrated. Clever fellow; it clearly works.Wristspin was very much the thing in the UAE. The pitches were a little slow and in Sharjah, low on bounce as well. The vogue is to bowl the ball “into” the pitch and hope it stays there awhile, stopping the free flow of the batter’s strokes. Of the top six spinners among the wicket-takers, five were wristspinners, and the six-hitting fest that was predicted never quite materialised – though Williamson, Warner and Marsh had a crack at it in the final.Chris Gayle: still on screens near you, but not for very much longer•ICC via GettyThe yorker became harder than ever to bowl as batters set themselves low and ready to scoop, ramp and reverse pretty much anything that took their eye. Witness Wade in that semi-final. Afridi was not far out with either ball that was scooped: a tad short of yorker length with the first; a tad full with the second. Both disappeared over Wade’s shoulder from the middle of the bat. Thus, the bowler is forced to try something different, and bingo, the batter wins.The pitch for the final was a really good one, prepared by an Aussie for the Aussies, a cynic might say. I’d just say that Toby Lumsden is a damn good curator of cricket pitches, and given the number of matches played at the Dubai International Stadium these past two months, he might have won a Player-of-the-Match award or two himself. Yes, the pitch is easier to bat on in the second innings, when moisture from the evening air settles on the wicket and allows the ball to slide onto the bat. More than two-thirds of the matches were won by the side batting second, which tells you these are very good tosses to win.But to chase is to win in T20 – unless the ball is moving dramatically sideways and/or the bounce is unreasonably low. Indeed, the shorter the game, the lower the common denominator, the easier the chase. Let’s face it, if you know what you need and you adopt the philosophy that you will not be bowled out in the overs available, the mindset is pretty straightforward.Arguably this edition of the T20 World Cup was a little too formulaic, probably because the ball didn’t move sideways. Players tend to work out the game quickly and did so here to good effect. They have also had an edition and a half of the IPL to watch and learn about cricket in the UAE.One concern that came from the many matches played daily over the past month is that the gap between good and not so good is increasing. In a year’s time, Australian conditions will tell us more about this. It needs watching, because cricket cannot do without a broad canvas of teams, players and approaches. You can have all the formats in all the world but you need the quality and the width.

Mikel Arteta might have a squad full to bursting with outrageous talent at Arsenal, but it’s still clear who his most important player is: Bukayo Saka.

The Hale End icon has become the club’s talisman in recent years, and when fit, has more often than not been their best attacking outlet.

For example, in 277 appearances, the incredible game-changer has scored 76 goals and provided 71 assists, which is a return made all the more impressive by the fact he started out at left-back.

In short, Saka is an irreplaceable player for Arsenal, so fans should be excited about reports linking the club to someone comparable.

Arsenal target a Saka-type star

Arsenal finally added to their attacking options in the summer, bringing in Viktor Gyokeres to rival Kai Havertz, and Noni Madueke to cover for Saka.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

However, in the minds of most fans, they didn’t properly reinforce the left-hand side, as while Eberechi Eze can play there, he spent almost all of last season playing in midfield, which is also where he has been playing this year.

Moreover, even though Lenadro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli are playing better this year, it wouldn’t be wise to rely on them to keep up the good form, considering how poor they both were last year.

So, with all this in mind, it’s not all that surprising to see the Gunners want to sign a new exciting left-wing option, someone who could be compared to Saka.

At least that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Arsenal are interested in Kenan Yıldız.

The report has revealed that the young attacker’s representatives are ‘demanding’ a wage of around €6m, which Juventus consider to be too much, and this stand-off has opened the door to potential suitors.

According to the story, the Gunners are one of them, with Arteta said to be ‘a huge admirer’ of the Turkish talent and his ability to play outwide or down the middle, who has a price tag of around €100m, which is about £88m.

It would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Yıldız’s immense talent and potential, it’s one worth pursuing, especially as he could be another Saka.

Why Yıldız is like Saka

So, as things stand, it’s not controversial to say that Yıldız isn’t close to being the player Saka is.

After all, the Hale End monster is four years older than the Turkish gem, and as a result has had far more time to develop into the world-class international he is today.

However, even though the Englishman is unquestionably the better player at the moment, that does not mean that the 20-year-old is not similar to him, nor does it mean he can’t reach the same level in four years.

Moreover, he already shares a lot in common with the Ealing-born ace.

For example, like the Arsenal star, he has come through at one of the biggest clubs in world football and established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet at such a young age.

More than that, though, he has practically become Juventus’ talisman over the last year, someone the fans can imagine leading the storied Turin outfit back to glory.

After all, he has already amassed 98 appearances for the Old Lady, in which he’s scored 19 goals and provided 15 assists.

Yıldız’s Juve Record
Appearances	98
Starts	64
Minutes	5761′
Goals	19
Assists	15
Goal Involvements per Match	0.34
Minutes per Goal Involvement	169.44
All Stats via Transfermarkt

What’s even more impressive is that 21 of those goal involvements came in 52 appearances last season.

It’s not just at club level where the positionally versatile Regensburg-born gem has been making waves, either, as he’s already won 26 senior caps for Turkey, scoring five goals and providing four assists.

When you take all of that into account, it’s not hard to see the similarities between the 20-year-old’s rapid rise and Saka’s, nor does it sound all that outrageous when one analyst describes him as “one of the best wingers in the world.”

Ultimately, while it won’t be cheap, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Yıldız, as he’s clearly a superstar in the making and someone who is undeniably Saka-like.

Arsenal can forget Eze by unleashing the "biggest talent in England"

The sensational gem could be a huge star for England and Arsenal as he replaces Eze.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 18, 2025

Overall, the tournament recorded a reach of 446 million on digital in India, greater than the combined total of the last three editions

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2025The 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup final in Navi Mumbai, where hosts India beat South Africa to lift their maiden title, attracted a record 185 million users on JioHotstar, the official streaming platform in India. It equalled the viewership of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup final and exceeded the average daily reach of the 2025 IPL.Apart from that, 92 million tuned in on Connected TV (CTV), equalling the CTV viewership of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final and the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 final, which also involved India as one of the teams. Overall, the World Cup recorded a reach of 446 million on digital in India, the highest ever for a women’s tournament, greater than the combined total of the last three editions.Earlier, the India-Pakistan group-stage match on October 5 had set a record for the most viewers tuning in for a women’s international match: 28.4 million. That pales in comparison to the number of viewers the final drew.The DY Patil Stadium, the venue for the final, was also packed to capacity, with 39,555 watching India make history.

The 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) will have its final on a weekday (Thursday, February 5), and not over the weekend, for the first time, and feature two double-headers, both on Saturdays, after kicking off on January 9.The 28-day-long tournament will be played across two venues: Navi Mumbai, where India won the ODI World Cup in early November beating South Africa in the final, and Vadodara. The first 11 matches, including the two double-headers, will be played at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, and the remaining 11 matches, including the eliminator on February 3 and the final will be played at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium.The dates and venues were confirmed by the WPL’s chairman, Jayesh George, on Thursday, the day of the WPL auction. All games bar the earlier fixture on the double-header days will be evening affairs.The week of the final is a busy one for multi-team competitions, with the men’s Under-19 World Cup finishing the day after the WPL final, on February 6, and the men’s T20 World Cup starting the following day, on February 7.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Apart from having a weekday final, this is the first time the WPL will be played in the January-February window. The first three seasons were played in February-March just before the start of the IPL. This will also be the first time the WPL will not clash with major international fixtures.Mumbai Indians (MI) are the defending champions of the WPL and have won two titles in three editions so far, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) the other past winners. Delhi Capitals (DC) have been runners-up in all three seasons. The other two teams, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz, have never made the title round.Ten days after the WPL ends, India will start an all-format tour of Australia, playing three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test from February 15 to March 9.

WPL 2026 schedule

Jan 9: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 10: UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 10: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 11: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs UP Warriorz
Jan 13: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 14: UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 15: Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz
Jan 16: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 17: UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 17: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Jan 19: Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 20: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 22: Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz
Jan 24: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 26: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 27: Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 29: UP Warriorz vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 30: Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians
Feb 1: Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz
Feb 3: Eliminator
Feb 5: Final