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Laxman and Kanitkar prioritise development of players at Under-19 level

Deivarayan Muthu29-Sep-2024Allrounder Samit Dravid, who had been sidelined from the three-match one-day series against Australia Under-19s in Puducherry, hasn’t recovered from a knee injury and will likely miss the upcoming four-dayers in Chennai as well, according to India Under-19s’ coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar.”As of now he’s at the NCA, recovering from his knee injury,” Kanitkar said of Dravid on the eve of India Under-19s first four-dayer against Australia Under-19s at Chepauk. “So, [I] don’t know yet. It looks unlikely.”Samit, the son of former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid, had earned his maiden call-up to the India Under-19s squad after featuring in the Maharaja T20 trophy, where he played for Mysuru Warriors, and the Cooch Behar Trophy, which Karnataka won.Related

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Samit, now 18, however, will not be eligible for the next Under-19 World Cup in 2026. As per the ICC’s regulations, any player who is eligible to feature in the Under-19 World Cup should be aged under 19 as of August 31, 2025. But Samit is set to turn 19 on October 11 and hence will not be able to meet the eligibility criteria for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup.VVS Laxman, the former India batter and NCA head, has said that they are prioritising giving the players exposure to grow over merely selecting a talent pool for the 2026 T20 World Cup.”So, now we are playing a series against Australia Under-19 and luckily a lot of the guys who may miss out on the next World Cup are part of this series,” Laxman said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new state-of-the-art National Cricket Academy which will be known as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Bengaluru.”So overall the exposure is there and they also are not only restricted or constrained only for the World Cup. We want them to evolve as cricketers and just because someone played India Under-19 or someone didn’t play India Under-19 doesn’t mean that they won’t progress in their career but if they play at the highest level, understand the pressures of a World Cup I think that will enhance their mental strength and also progress as cricketers.”VVS Laxman, the head of the National Cricket Academy of India, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the head coach of India Under-19, have a chat•ICC/Getty ImagesIndia Under-19 coach Kanitkar eager to test out his players in red-ball cricketThe first youth Test against Australia Under-19s, which will begin at Chepauk on Monday, will be India colts’ first four-dayer in more than five years. Kanitkar also talked up the exposure the Indian players would get, in red-ball cricket, against some Australian players who are on the fringes of Sheffield Shield selection.”I think it’s a great initiative to play Test games because red-ball [cricket] really tests you,” Kanitkar said. “There’s enough time for the bowlers to plan and [make] strategies. So, for both batters and bowlers and even fielders it’s the ideal challenge to see where you stand. I think to be able to play against a foreign side is a great thing. I know a lot of people, including myself who played Under-19 cricket against foreign teams and it really helped us a lot. So, I think it’s going to be magnificent for the players.”India Under-19s go into the four-dayers on the back of a 3-0 sweep in the one-dayers in Puducherry. Kanitkar was happy with the gains India Under-19s had made in those three games, but with Chennai receiving some spells of rain over the past week, to go with extremely high humidity, he was wary of the conditions at Chepauk.”They’re confident and we’ve had a good one-day series,” Kanitkar said. “Having said that, this is a different format altogether. Everything changes and the place is different. So, it’s better to take good things from that and leave the highs back and prepare again.”Pondicherry was hot as well. It’s very similar [in Chennai], so weather-wise, we’re fine. The pitch is obviously different and we will have a look again tomorrow morning. Let’s see if it rains overnight or not because it’s hot and humid.”

While it’s all gone quiet on the pitch for Chelsea, you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll continue to be busy in the transfer market.

It’s now almost a week since the Blues were crowned champions of the world, to the surprise of many, demolishing Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup Final last Sunday, with Cole Palmer scoring twice at MetLife Stadium.

Enzo Maresca’s side won’t be seen again until they welcome Bayer Leverkusen and then AC Milan to Stamford Bridge for pre-season friendlies on 8 and 10 August respectively, just a week before the start of the Premier League season, but how many new players will they have to unveil by then?

Chelsea's search for more attacking talent

As we’ve come to expect during the Todd Boehly era, Chelsea have made plenty of signings this summer already, as the table below documents.

Chelsea’s summer signings 2025

Players

Selling club

Position

Fee

Mike Penders

Genk

Goalkeeper

£17m

Liam Delap

Ipswich Town

Striker

£30m

Dário Essugo

Sporting CP

Defensive mid

£18.5m

Mamadou Sarr

Strasbourg

Centre-back

£12m

Kendry Páez

Independiente del Valle

Winger

£17.3m

João Pedro

Brighton & Hove Albion

Forward

£50m

Jamie Gittens

Borussia Dortmund

Winger

£48.5m

Estêvão Willian

Palmeiras

Winger

£29m

Total outlay:

£222.3m

All information courtesy of Transfermarkt

Following the arrivals of Estêvão Willian, Jamie Gittens, and Kendry Páez, to add to existing squad members Pedro Neto, Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Tyrique George, and João Félix, fair to say Maresca has plenty of wide attacking options.

Nevertheless, that has not stopped Chelsea continuing to recruit in the past, and, after Noni Madueke was sold to Arsenal for £52m this week, it would shock no one if they reinvested that money back into the squad.

Thus, according to reports in Spain, Chelsea are preparing to make a move for Morgan Rogers, making the Aston Villa midfielder, who is valued at around £78m, their number one priority.

They add that the Villans’ ‘reluctance to negotiate’ could prove a stumbling block although, speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, Dan Bardell stated that he expects Villa will need to sell a ‘big player’ this summer to comply with the Premier League’s Profitability & Sustainability Rules, so could this see Rogers move to Chelsea?

How Morgan Rogers would improve Chelsea

Rogers only joined Aston Villa from Middlesbrough for £15m as recently as January 2024, but has certainly burst onto the scene in the Midlands.

Last season, the 22-year-old scored 14 goals and registered 13 assists across all competitions, with former England manager Glenn Hoddle labelling him “wonderful” and “excellent” following his maiden international start against Latvia at Wembley in March.

Kurosh Moghtader of Total Football Analysis asserts that he is a ‘superb talent’ who operates best as an attacking midfielder.

Meantime, Ryan Benson of Opta’s the Analyst, believes he was amongst the ‘standout players’ in the Premier League last season, adding that his ‘ominous bursts and tidy footwork’ make him ‘a joy to watch’, describing him as robust yet graceful, like a raging bull on ice skates.

But how does he compare to the departing Madueke?

Let’s find out.

Morgan Rogers vs Noni Madueke 2024/25 comparison

Statistics

Rogers

Madueke

Appearances

54

46

Minutes

4,496

2,647

Goals

14

11

Assists

15

5

All statistics below are on a per 90 basis:

Shots

2

2.6

Chances created

1.5

1.4

Successful dribbles

2.2

1.4

Take-on success %

51.7%

49.5%

Touches

46

47

Average Sofascore rating

7.03

7.03

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, Squawka and SofaScore

As the table below outlines, it is Rogers who comes out on top for the vast majority of attacking statistics, which suggests that he would be a huge upgrade for Chelsea at the top end of the pitch.

The Aston Villa star racked up a staggering 4,753 minutes for club and country, featuring in all but one of the club’s Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup fixtures, which is testament to his durability.

Nevertheless, even on a per-90 basis, when compared to Madueke, Rogers boasted better numbers in terms of chances created and dribbles, so he would surely be an excellent addition for Chelsea, even if a very expensive one.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jul 19, 2025

Offspinner has been outbowled by Leach in first two Tests, but Australia remains the endgame

Matt Roller20-Oct-2024There were two near-identical balls on the third morning of England’s defeat in Multan that showcased the best of Shoaib Bashir. Bowling around the wicket to Pakistan’s left-handers, Bashir spun the ball sharply to take the outside edge of first Shan Masood, and then Saim Ayub’s bats, with both men caught at second slip by Ollie Pope.Brendon McCullum referred to Bashir’s “high ceiling” in the aftermath and these were proof of it, but at this early stage in his international career, he also has a lower floor than many. His main issue is a lack of control over his length, with a tendency to drop short at least once an over and as a result, rarely bowl maidens.As things stand, Bashir’s ability to bowl great balls doesn’t quite compensate for his ineffectiveness in the gaps between them. He looked short of ideas in Pakistan’s first innings, unsure whether to hold or attack. That is understandable for someone with so little experience to fall back on, and the result is that across the first two Tests of this tour he has six wickets at 51.16.He has been outbowled by Jack Leach, his Somerset team-mate, who has more than twice as many wickets in the series (14). Leach was particularly impressive in the first Test, taking 7 for 190 on a pitch that offered him nothing. Despite the fact he is now considered England’s second spinner, Leach was often the first that Ben Stokes turned to last week.Bashir turned 21 two days before the second Test, and is clearly still an incredibly raw talent. It was only two years ago that he signed his first professional contract with Somerset, and when he plays in Rawalpindi on Thursday his total Test caps (12) will outstrip his tally of other first-class appearances (11). International cricket is a steep learning curve.England first picked Bashir because they believed his attributes could make him a threat in India, and two five-wicket hauls in his maiden campaign offered proof that their hunch had merit. They have continued to invest heavily in the hope he can be one in Australia, too. At 6ft 4in tall, he generates bounce from a good length and can beat batters in the flight with his overspin, as Kamran Ghulam found out in the closing stages of the opening day last week.At this point in his career, he remains a much bigger threat when turning the ball away from the bat, like most fingerspinners. Bashir averages 32.23 against left-handers compared to 41.28 against right-handers; in Pakistan, four of the six batters he has dismissed have been left-handers. It is a trend that Stokes has recognised and one which has informed his plans.”I chopped and changed depending on who was on strike, because I felt the Pakistan batters seemed a little bit more vulnerable whenever the spin was away from them,” Stokes said. “He’s got an incredible amount of skill bowling to lefties, and I think to the right-handers, he’s just going to get better and better.”Bashir has fared better with Ben Stokes as his captain, after four Tests under Ollie Pope’s leadership•Getty ImagesBashir’s biggest challenge to right-handers has been his line, which has often been too straight. In his five-wicket haul against West Indies at Trent Bridge in July, Bashir bowled outside off stump and looked to spin the ball hard: his best ball, a sharp offbreak to Jason Holder, narrowly missed the top of middle stump. Since then, he has been more defensive and has regularly strayed onto the pads.Bashir has thrived off Stokes’ backing, as his animated celebration of Masood’s dismissal laid bare. He roared while punching the air, as Stokes ran towards him from slip with clenched fists then hugged him. It was no coincidence that Bashir’s returns dropped markedly under Pope’s leadership, with seven wickets at 64.57 in four Tests.Stokes speaks highly of Bashir’s “incredible desire” to improve: it was telling that he chose to spend his birthday at an optional training session last week, while most of the squad were on the golf course. “He’s very early on in the start of his international career,” Stokes said. “When you’ve got someone like that, who’s desperate to keep on improving, you’re onto a winner.”Bashir’s inconsistency owes to his inexperience. Sajid Khan, his opposite number in the second Test, has not played as much international cricket but has bowled nearly three times as many first-class overs. He was much quicker than Bashir to adapt his style to the demands of the surface, dropping his pace and looking to spin the ball hard out of the footmarks.Related

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England have acknowledged that and will take Bashir to Australia in January for the Lions’ red-ball tour, where he will work under Andrew Flintoff. “There’ll be consistency of message, and that’s something that we’ve got to look at,” McCullum said. “For Bash, the opportunity to be able to get some experience in those conditions could be really vital for us.”Graeme Swann was part of the Lions’ coaching staff when Bashir first impressed on a tour to the UAE a year ago, and could work with him again in Australia. Swann has described Bashir as “a generational talent” but also believes he would benefit from moving counties, after his struggle for game-time this summer saw him briefly join Worcestershire on loan.Swann himself benefitted hugely when he moved counties from Northamptonshire to Nottinghamshire. He told talkSPORT’spodcast: “Long-term, if the ECB can just say, ‘Look, this is bonkers. He’s the best spinner in England. If you’re not going to play him, then you have to let him go and play for someone else.'”In practice, Bashir is under contract with Somerset until the end of next season and will likely spend the bulk of next summer with England, who play one Test against Zimbabwe and five against India. It is that series which will evaluate his progress and inform his confidence ahead of the Ashes, which will be England’s subsequent assignment in November 2025, and which looms as the squad’s medium-term goal.The last three Ashes in Australia have seen England’s frontline spinner targeted and ultimately hit out of the series: Swann in 2013-14, Moeen Ali in 2017-18, and Leach three years ago. Bashir will likely have three left-handers to bowl to in Australia’s top seven – Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Alex Carey – but must also be prepared for the attacking onslaught he will face.”I’ve been really impressed by him,” McCullum said. “He’s one of those guys who, on his day, can be an absolute match-winner… That’s what we’ve just got to keep reinforcing. He’s such an exciting talent, and we said right at the start when he picked him, he’s not the finished product but his ceiling is so high, and we’ve already seen glimpses of that.”Like a futures trader anticipating a spike in the market, England’s long-term bet on Bashir relies on holding their nerve and backing their investment to pay dividends down the line. McCullum has made clear as England coach that he likes a punt: do not expect him to change his mind now.

Young quick is living up to the hype but there are concerns about his workload

Danyal Rasool10-Jan-2023Naseem Shah is not a normal teenager. When the alarm goes off, most hit the snooze button. Perhaps a big night out, maybe too much work, maybe just needing a bit more rest. Hit the snooze button, turn over. Teenagers needs a break.Naseem might be living out a lot of people’s dreams, but this teenager hasn’t had that luxury for quite some time now. Any fast-bowling slack that has needed picking up for Pakistan has simply been laden onto his slender – and historically vulnerable – back and shoulders. When Shaheen Afridi missed out on Tests due to injury, Naseem became the de facto attack leader. When Pakistan felt a bit light in their white-ball resources, he was thrust into both of those formats, too.In this age of continuous cricket, the very concept of an off-season feels anachronistic, but perhaps you could trace the start of this interminable Pakistan season to July 2022, when they toured Sri Lanka for a two-match series. Ever since, Naseem hasn’t had a rest. The only reasons he missed games were due to Covid-19, pneumonia and a shoulder injury respectively. When he returned from hospital after that bout of pneumonia, he flew to New Zealand to play three games as warm-up for the T20 World Cup. After he recovered from his shoulder injury during the home Test season, he was back for the final game, sending down more overs than any Pakistan fast bowler.ESPNcricinfo LtdAnd, of course, he was also named for the ODI series, starting in Karachi with a five-wicket haul and the Player of the Match Award. Since July 2022, only two fast bowlers – Tim Southee and Mitchell Starc – have sent down more deliveries in international cricket than Naseem’s 1301. But 34- and 32-year-old bodies are much better equipped to handle that sort of workload than 19-year-old ones, especially those that produce such extreme pace. No one else in the top 10 of that list is under 26 (No. 11 is Pakistan’s 21-year old seamer Mohammad Wasim, because of course he is). And Naseem is doing more than just handling his workload.

****

You can worry about the sustainability, but Naseem is nevertheless dazzling in the here and now. It’s easy to forget, when he was named in the squad for the Sri Lanka Tests, how raw his return to international cricket still was. He had played two Tests against Australia in March, which came after a 14-month period, much of which he spent on the treatment table nursing an increasingly worrisome list of fast bowling-related injuries. It’s easy to forget, when he turned up in Rotterdam in August, that he hadn’t ever bowled an international white-ball delivery, and that when he tormented KL Rahul and Virat Kohli in a famous opening spell in the Asia Cup, he had never played a T20I before.Related

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Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching Naseem through this period – and it has been a pleasure – won’t have been surprised by the clinic he put on against New Zealand on Monday. But it bears repeating that that faith was based on little more than the unshakeable belief that Naseem can do the business anywhere, against anyone, in any format; he hadn’t actually played a Full Member side in an ODI before.But you didn’t need much more data to know Naseem could take wickets up front with the new ball, or produce that irresistible combination of reverse swing, slower deliveries and just sheer pace to run riot at the death. Because consider what he has been doing this season.In Sri Lanka, on surfaces so conducive to spin the hosts took a paltry two wickets with their fast bowling, Naseem alone produced seven. Among seamers in the Asia Cup, only Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Haris Rauf took more wickets than him, and that wasn’t even his most iconic contribution to the tournament. At the World Cup, he conceded just 102 in 18 overs during the group stage, the fourth-best economy rate for a fast bowler (minimum five overs). In the semi-final his figures of 4-0-30-0 didn’t quite do him justice as Pakistan’s quicks stifled New Zealand. Those identical figures in the final felt like an outright miscarriage of justice for an extraordinary fast-bowling display against the most gifted white-ball team in a generation.ESPNcricinfo LtdBack to Tests, and against England in Rawalpindi, on a fast bowler’s graveyard, no quick took more wickets than his five, all while he nursed a shoulder injury that would rule him out of the next three Tests. The five-wicket haul against New Zealand took his ODI record to 15 at 11.20 from just four matches.You can see why Pakistan keep selecting him, with Shaheen’s absence only exacerbating that workload. But Naseem is picking him up a workload that wasn’t his, taking chances with a body he has yet to fully grow into. In the meantime, he has become one of Pakistan cricket’s most recognisable, marketable faces, his Superman image on field offset by a gentle Clark Kent persona off it. In stadiums across the country, you hear screams of “Naseem Shah!” where a year ago, you might only have heard Babar Azam or Shaheen Afridi’s name. The queue that forms awaiting an autograph or picture with him is among the longest; in a land where fast bowlers are never in short supply, he still stands out.In a press conference at the outset of the series against England, as Naseem fielded questions from the visiting press, there was a sparkling glimpse of his personality, and his commitment to remain true to himself. After a few questions, with a glint in his eye, he responded “Brother, I have just 30% English, my English is finished now”, to peels of laughter.One day, Pakistan might realise they have to ration his deliveries with just as much care. But in a country where long-term planning invariably gives way to short-term indulgence, Naseem feasts as he continues to be feasted on. These last seven months, Pakistan have burned his candle at both ends, and revelled in the glow. There is, after all, a reason why only three Pakistan fast bowlers have ever hung around long enough to take 200 Test wickets, because Pakistani fast bowling is a good time, not a long one. If they aren’t careful, these might end up being the golden days of Naseem’s career, rather than the outset of an era in which he is one of fast bowling’s leading lights.

The South Australia batsman had been told his performances weren’t consistent enough

Daniel Brettig05-Nov-2020In spite of a promising beginning that peaked with a polished early stint in Australia’s ODI team, Callum Ferguson’s career ultimately ended with a long, slow fade to retirement after the brief high of a Test debut in 2016.That Test, against South Africa in Hobart, saw Ferguson ignominiously run out on the way to the national team’s fifth consecutive long-form defeat. Ferguson and his fellow South Australian debutant Joe Mennie were summarily dropped after Rod Marsh resigned as chairman of selectors, signalling Cricket Australia’s intent to head into another, more youthful direction after choosing “Ferg” at the age of 31.As much as Ferguson would have liked to prove that selection decision wrong, and had even begun this season with fleeting thoughts of fighting his way back to the front rank of Test team aspirants, the panel’s judgment was born out by how he would slip in and out of the Redbacks’ XI in subsequent years, including his omission from the first game of this season.”It’s a really tough question that I asked myself, why not keep playing through the season,” Ferguson said in explaining his retirement. “I’ve been a bit frustrated at my own lack of consistency over the last few years, I feel like I haven’t been at a level I’ve been comfortable with. I feel like I’ve got punches to throw and I feel like I’m going to make runs every time I walk out to the crease. But more so I think at 35 my dream of playing for the country is probably gone, I was thinking that while I was making the decision. Now it is gone to wear the baggy green again.”I think I went into the season feeling like if I put a big 1000-run year on the board I’ll be a chance to get back there. The selectors have shown in the past they’re willing to go with guys who make big runs at an older age, but probably getting left out at the start of the summer took a bit of the wind out of my sails, and that was a tough one to take, but I’ve been around well and truly long enough to understand how the game works. There’s people put in roles to make tough decisions and tough decisions are what make great teams and great associations.”I would’ve loved to play in a couple of wins the last couple of games. That hasn’t eventuated and I think looking at the fact we’ve got one more game before the break, at the end of this game hopefully get a big win on the board, build some momentum, and I think it’s time for someone to get a crack at Nos. 5 or 3, make it their own and hopefully take us to a big second half of the season. Right now I don’t feel like I’m the right one to take us all the way through.”

I have gone into every innings thinking I’m going to make a 100 in the next one and unfortunately, I haven’t done that consistently enough to be able to say ‘no, that’s my spot’, particularly in the eyes of the selectorsCallum Ferguson

Quite simply, Ferguson was unable to make the spinal runs in the first innings of a Sheffield Shield game that generally define the arc of each contest. The brutal reality of life after that one Test was that Ferguson never made another first innings century in a first-class match, a sequence spanning 44 innings for just 694 runs at 15.77 with three 50s. This was no more frustrating for anyone than Ferguson himself, and it was not a pattern that could be allowed to continue if South Australia is to regenerate as a Shield force.”I was given the message that my performances in first innings over the last 12-18 months hadn’t been good enough, and they hadn’t been good enough in my eyes either, and I can’t argue that fact,” Ferguson said. “I was struggling with the idea that I wasn’t in our best top five, but I think when you get to the stage of my career I’m at, I’m always going to feel like I’m in the best five.”I have gone into every innings thinking I’m going to make a 100 in the next one and unfortunately, I haven’t done that consistently enough to be able to say ‘no, that’s my spot’, particularly in the eyes of the selectors. Obviously at the start of the season they didn’t think that was the case, and I’ve got to live with that.”It was a sad end, too, for one of cricket’s more likeable and at one time promising batting talents. Certainly, Ferguson showed enormous potential in his early years, never more than when he was called into Australia’s white-ball team in early 2009 and proceeded to look very much at home over 30 matches in which he compiled 663 runs at 41.43.How Ferguson might have fared if he had been able to spend more time surrounded by the best of Australian cricket at the top end of the game will never be known: a serious knee injury suffered while fielding during the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa in 2009 cost Ferguson a season, and he did not play a white-ball game for Australia after 2011.Callum Ferguson: ‘I’ve been a bit frustrated at my own lack of consistency over the last few years, I feel like I haven’t been at a level I’ve been comfortable with’•Getty ImagesThree of the key figures Ferguson was surrounded by in the earliest days of his career were there again at the end. The South Australia coach Jason Gillespie, the high performance chief Tim Nielsen were both on hand right at the beginning, as a starry-eyed junior watching them in a Shield game at Adelaide Oval, while the assistant coach Greg Blewett had also been there most steps of the way – as a younger man Ferguson had occasionally been referred to as “mini-Blewey”.”The SACA since I was 12 years old have given me every opportunity to make a success of a cricket career, turn it into a lifestyle and a way of life to an extent,” Ferguson said. “I couldn’t be more thankful, they’ve given me absolutely every opportunity all the way through to the point of making it to a baggy green, cap 445, which is the dream.”I was telling the guys just before I remember being up on the hill as a young lad drinking free coca cola on a Dollar Day, day three of a Shield game, I think it was a Sunday and Dizzy was charging in from one end and I think Vin [Nielsen] was taking the ball behind the stumps and that’s probably where the dream began, if not in the backyard pretending I was David Boon.”Retirement has arrived for Ferguson a few months in the wake of fatherhood, and he is now likely to juggle those duties with a continuing T20 career, most recently as a canny captain of the Sydney Thunder.

SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith “would love to have more Indian players” in their T20 league and it’s something they will continue to work on with the BCCI. So far, former India batter Dinesh Karthik is the only Indian to have played in the SA20, having turned out for Paarl Royals in the last season.The BCCI’s current policy is such that no player active in Indian cricket – international, domestic or the IPL – can participate in overseas T20 leagues, which is why Karthik participated in the SA20 only after his retirement from Indian cricket. The league has a strong Indian connect as well, with all six teams owned by IPL team owners.”Firstly, we would love to have more Indian players [in SA20],” Smith said in Mumbai on Wednesday. “I think whenever India play in South Africa, you can see the love for the Indian team. The talent is incredible. I think we will continue to work with the BCCI on these things. And I think if that ever changes with the six IPL franchises, I think we’re perfectly suited to be able to attract Indian players. Those type of contracts with Dinesh signing with Paarl Royals is always a direct deal between the franchise [and the player]. And I think, obviously, with retired players and more retired players coming, it’s a balance between attracting that retired Indian player but still keeping your league competitive. And our franchises really want to win, as you’ve experienced in IPL and in SA20. So they’re always looking for the best players who can perform consistently.”The fourth season of SA20 will go on for a month from December 26, 2025 to January 25, 2026 across six cities. Even though South Africa mostly play the traditional Boxing Day Test from December 26 in their home season, this time that day will mark the start of their marquee T20 league. Last year, they had hosted Pakistan at the time, which saw a thrilling game that South Africa clinched by two wickets to seal their WTC final spot. In 2023, India had played the Boxing Day Test – also in Centurion – which the hosts won a lot more convincingly, by an innings and 32 runs. Barring in 2022, 2012, 2008, 2005 and 2001, South Africa have played the Boxing Day Test at home regularly since the start of this century, and before that too.This time, South Africa will be in India for an all-format tour that begins with two Tests from November 14 and will culminate with the last of the five T20Is on December 19, with only a week’s gap for the SA20 to begin. As Smith pointed out, there was no Boxing Day Test agreed upon in the FTP for this year by Cricket South Africa.Dinesh Karthik became the first Indian player to appear in the SA20•SA20

“Yeah, it’s actually always been the case, though, in this cycle, that Cricket South Africa never had international cricket in this window,” Smith said. “The South African team is here [in India] until 20 December. And then SA20 is now taking place there. And then there’s the T20 World Cup here in India in February. So it was a very small window. And I don’t think South African cricket ever had a tour lined up, never mind being WTC champions. I think this goes back years in terms of the FTP cycle.”Such is the crunch in the cricket calendar that only two days after SA20 ends in Cape Town, South Africa will host West Indies for a T20I series starting from January 27 in Paarl. Soon after that the T20 World Cup is set to begin on February 7 in India.Smith also lauded the recent laurels in South African cricket, especially in ICC events over the last few years. The men’s team won their first WTC, in June at Lord’s this year, and recently the women’s team made their first ODI World Cup final, finishing as the runners-up to India earlier this month. In 2024 and 2023 as well, South Africa had made the finals of the women’s T20 World Cups.Does that mean a women’s SA20 is coming soon?”In terms of women’s cricket, we’ve spent a lot of time and effort investing in grassroots with Under-19 camps and schools programmes,” Smith said. “I think Cricket South Africa is working on a domestic programme now. I think the challenge that South African cricket has is that our national women’s team is very good, but the tier below needs to be developed. So we’ll look at it probably from next season, obviously with women’s IPL and national team schedules getting busier and busier. We’ll probably look to start exhibition matches like IPL did.”CSA could take a leaf out of the BCCI’s book, who started with a Women’s T20 Challenge – like a mini women’s IPL – in 2019 with three teams. That T20 tournament was played for two more years – in 2020 and 2022 – before the BCCI launched a five-team Women’s Premier League in 2023.

Directors from USAC called for “immediate and decisive intervention not to punish, but to rebuild what has been broken”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2025

ICC/Getty Images

Directors from an embattled USA Cricket (USAC) board have called for the ICC’s immediate intervention to remove a rival group of directors, including the chair Venu Pisike, as the fallout and divide from the board’s suspension continues to deepen. They have also asked the ICC to conduct an investigation into the organisation’s “collapse.”In a statement issued on Tuesday by two current directors, Arjun Rao Gona and Kuljit Singh Nijjar, and Patricia Whittaker, who was removed by USAC last year as an independent director (she is legally contesting the termination), have also asked the ICC to conduct a forensic audit of USAC dealings and make the findings public. Gona and Nijjar are elected directors.”We call for immediate and decisive intervention not to punish, but to rebuild what has been broken,” the trio said in the statement. “This is no longer a crisis of management; it is a test of integrity and courage.” The directors’ statement follows USAC’s media release last week, where the board complained it could not “comprehend” the ICC’s decision on September 23 to suspend it.Related

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Pisike chaired a USAC Board meeting on October 1, after which USAC said it was filing for bankruptcy as part of a financial restructure. That decision was taken by five directors, including Pisike, Srini Salver, David Haubert, Pintoo Shah and Anj Balusu (USAC currently has nine directors after Whittaker’s exit). Four directors at that meeting – Gona, Nijjar, Nadia Gruny and Atul Rai – exited in protest.In a statement of his own issued on Tuesday, Rai said USAC’s public statement to its members on Friday was “not authorised by the Board” while alleging it was “clearly an abuse of power and authority.”The ICC Board decided to suspend USAC, citing “repeated and continued breaches of its obligation” as a member. The ICC’s major concern will be if the cycle of events since then could affect USAC securing NGB (National Governing Body) status from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), necessary for all sports that are part of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.The ICC’s Normalisation Committee drew up a six-step roadmap for that, starting with an organisational revamp of USAC where three new independent directors replace the existing Board, which would step down and pave the way for fresh elections. The ICC would simultaneously carry out a comprehensive review of the USAC constitution to bring governance and structural reforms to a body enmeshed in controversies since 2019 when it was awarded Associate status.Gona, Nijjar and Whittaker want the Normalisation Committee to take control of USAC immediately and “go beyond administrative control and conduct a full, independent investigation into the root causes of USA Cricket’s collapse, identifying every act of constitutional breach, misuse of authority, and conflict of interest.”The three have also suggested appointing five new independent directors once the USAC constitution has been amended.”Conduct a full forensic audit of all financial transactions, contracts, appointments, and legal decisions taken under the current regime, and publish the findings to the public to restore trust, confidence and transparency.”Safeguard players, competitions, and development programs during this transition, ensuring that athletes and fans do not suffer for failures of leadership.”

استبعد الكرواتي كرونسلاف يورتشيتش المدير الفني لنادي بيراميدز، 3 لاعبين من المشاركة مباراة باور ديناموز الزامبي، التي تقام بين الفريقين، اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلعب بيراميدز ضد باور ديناموز، على ملعب الأخير في زامبيا، في إطار الجولة الثانية من عمر مواجهات دور المجموعات لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

طالع | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة بيراميدز وباور ديناموز اليوم في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وقرر يورتشيتش، استبعاد الدولي المغربي محمد الشيبي الظهير الأيمن، خوفا من تعرض اللاعب للإجهاد خاصة وأنه شارك في العديد من المباريات مؤخرا، وقرر إبعاده على أن يكون جاهزا لمباراتي الدوري أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية وبتروجيت في الدوري.

كما قرر الجهاز الفني استبعاد الدولي البوركيني بلاتي توريه بسبب عدم جاهزيته من آلام العضلة الخلفية، وكذلك أسامة جلال الذي يتم تأهيله من إصابة الخلفية.

بيراميدز يتواجد في المجموعة الأولي من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا بجانب أندية نهضة بركان المغربي وباور ديناموز الزامبي وريفرز النيجيري.

وكان بيراميدز فاز على فريق ريفرز النيجيري، بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت بالجولة الأولي من مباريات دور المجموعات على ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي.

Chelsea are making transfer plans ahead of the looming January transfer window that opens in just over one month’s time, with Enzo Maresca and co setting their sights on a Real Madrid player who wants out of the Bernabeu.

The Blues have made a respectable start to the 2025-26 season under Maresca, currently sitting third in the Premier League table with 20 points from 11 matches.

Their position represents a solid foundation for Champions League qualification, sitting just six points behind league leaders Arsenal and level on points with Tottenham and Aston Villa. However, the campaign has been significantly hampered by a mini-injury crisis that has tested the depth of Maresca’s squad to its limits.

The injury problems have been particularly concentrated in specific positions, most notably defence, and that has created selection headaches for Maresca whilst forcing him to constantly rotate his lineup.

Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto, Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and Josh Acheampong have all spent time on the sidelines at various points already this term, and some are still a way off recovering.

Roméo Lavia also returned to the treatment table yet again recently and will be out for at least a month after injuring his quadriceps (Fabrizio Romano).

The Belgian launched his water bottle in frustration after being hauled off inside eight minutes away to Qarabag in the Champions League last week, and it’s not hard to see why considering the sheer amount of games he’s already been forced to sit out.

Taking their plethora of absentees from this campaign into account, Maresca has done fairly well to steer them towards a top three place, but reports suggest that he’s still not satisfied with the overall Chelsea squad despite being backed with a near-£300 million warchest last summer.

Rank

Club

Gross Spend

Sales

Net Spend

20.

Bournemouth

£136.7m

£202.5m

+£65.8m

19.

Brighton

£67.7m

£127.5m

+£59.8m

18.

Brentford

£92.8m

£152m

+£59.2m

17.

Wolves

£105.6m

£126.5m

+£20.9m

16.

Chelsea

£296.5m

£314.4m

+£17.9m

According to TEAMtalk, Maresca wanted Chelsea to sign Real Madrid’s Rodrygo during the last window, and he could now have another chance to bring the Brazilian to Stamford Bridge.

Rodrygo 'on the brink' of Real Madrid exit as Chelsea 'push' for January deal

According to their information, after growing ‘frustrated’ under Xabi Alonso, Rodrygo is now ‘on the brink’ of leaving Real in the winter.

The 24-year-old has started just two La Liga matches so far this term, and with the 2026 World Cup looming, he’s growing increasingly tempted by a move to the Premier League as Chelsea and other top English sides circle.

As per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are making a ‘late push’ for Rodrygo despite Man City being the overwhelming favourites for his signature, and Real have slashed his asking price by £35 million.

Once valued at around £88 million by Alonso’s side, Real president Florentino Perez is now prepared to negotiate a fee just above £53 million — which suddenly opens the door for Chelsea and other interested sides to make a move for the ex-Santos sensation.

Rodrygo, who has won La Liga three times and the Champions League twice during his time there, initially seemed out of reach, but a deal could be genuinely possible now given the player’s own frustration and dramatic drop in asking price.

The South American would bring versatility, proven quality and top pedigree to Chelsea’s youthful side.

Rodrygo bagged 14 goals and 11 assists in 50 appearances for Real just last season, including five strikes in the Champions League, but his £283,000-per-week wages could be a sticking point amid Chelsea’s carefully curated wage structure.

Leeds United have started the 2025/26 season better than people may have expected, given the hoodoo surrounding newly promoted sides in recent years.

Their first season back in the top flight, it was predicted that Leeds would go straight back down. ESPN’s Bill Connelly was one of those who predicted them to come 18th, despite explaining that they are “well-suited” to survive the drop.

There is still a lot of football to be played, with 31 games to go this season but Leeds find themselves on eight points, four clear of the drop. It has been a positive start to the campaign for Daniel Farke’s side.

One area they would surely want to improve is how clinical they are in front of goal.

Why Leeds are struggling in the final third

To win football matches, you need to be able to put the ball in the back of the net. That is something that Leeds were good at under Farke last season, bagging 95 times, more than any other Championship team.

It was always going to be tough to replicate in the top flight, but the West Yorkshire outfit have perhaps left a little to be desired in front of goal.

As per Understat, they have found the back of the net seven times this season, but have underachieved on their expected goals tally.

Farke’s side have notched up a total of 8.03 xG so far, and whilst it is not a huge difference, they will be hoping that doesn’t increase as the season goes on. Indeed, he will want more from his strikers, in particular Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Leeds’ summer signing has scored once for his new club. The 28-year-old bagged against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 3-1 win at Molineux, but has failed to bag in any of his other four appearances.

After their last game against Tottenham Hotspur, Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth said his “finishing was missing again.”

So, it might be the case that Farke decides to shake things up ahead of their next game against Burnley on Saturday.

Leeds' Calvert-Lewin alternative

Of course, former Everton number nine Calvert-Lewin was not the only centre-forward who moved to Elland Road this summer. They also added Lukas Nmecha to their squad on a free, with the two strikers joining existing forward Joel Piroe in the ranks.

However, Farke might choose to shuffle the pack around and start Noah Okafor up front. The “versatile” forward, as football scout Jacek Kulig called him, has played as a left-winger to great success this term, but is a more than capable striker.

Despite being just six games into his Leeds career, the Switzerland international has already bagged twice, at an average of a goal every 154 Premier League minutes.

Just like Calvert-Lewin, he netted at Molineux and also got Leeds’ goal in their 2-1 home loss to Spurs last time out.

Playing as a number nine would not be a strange concept to the former AC Milan star. Okafor has played that role a great deal in his career, with Transfermarkt showcasing that he’s featured as a centre-forward on 79 different occasions, scoring 26 goals and assisting 16.

It is interesting to compare Okafor and Calvert-Lewin’s key underlying numbers from this season. The Swiss star comes out on top in several metrics, including the average number of goals per shot on target.

The Leeds number 19 averages one per 90 minutes, with the former Everton striker just 0.14, showing far better efficiency in Okafor’s favour.

Goals

0.59

0.25

Goals per shot on target

1

0.14

Expected goals

0.35xG

0.35xG

Goals minus expected goals

0.24

-0.10

Goal-creating actions

0.3

0.25

There is a strong case to be made for Okafor starting at Leeds’ number nine during their next game. He’s got a good goal record and strong underlying numbers from the left wing this season, so Farke might well decide to test him out up front.

It would be a bold call, but one that could really pay dividends for the Whites as they look to become more efficient in front of goal.

Not just Meslier: Leeds star who was "so important" is now on borrowed time

This Leeds United ace could now find he’s on borrowed time under Daniel Farke.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 12, 2025