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From Centurion to Rawalpindi, the story remains the same — South Africa’s lower-order batters thrive while Pakistan’s strategy withers in the heat

Danyal Rasool22-Oct-2025″Shaheen bhai,” Shan Masood, Pakistan’s Test captain, hollered out from short midwicket to Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan’s newly appointed ODI captain, stationed at long-on. He motioned for him to come up, challenging the newly arrived Kagiso Rabada, to take Sajid Khan on. The offspinner tossed it up to Rabada, who sat himself down on one knee, smiting it over Shaheen’s head over mid-on, flying well over the vacant long-on position Shaheen had been summoned up from. It was a microcosm of a madcap two hours in which South Africa’s tail toyed with Pakistan’s bowlers, laying any fielding plans – pedestrian as they increasingly began to look – to waste.Masood must be sick of the sight of South Africa’s lower order, and it’s something that clearly occupies space in his head. Moments after wrapping up a comfortable win in Lahore last week, he spoke to the press, having memorised to the run the difference between Pakistan and South Africa’s contributions from lower down. Pakistan, he said, had lost 11-33 across their two innings, referencing their batting collapses, while South Africa had found ways of adding 8-79. It is in keeping with recent trends; South Africa have the highest average contribution for their last four since the start of that Test, numbers 8-11 averaging over 28.Related

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But while it was natural natural to reference where improvements needed to be made, that level of detail showed how much it worried Masood.

****

It felt that any such concern might be overblown this morning. Pakistan had laid their trap and set the template, one they followed to a tee in the first session, scything through South Africa after breaking the one stand that showed resistance overnight. Wickets may have all come to the old ball, with Shaheen, who Pakistan rate as their best exponent of reverse, among their ranks, but it was fine. Noman Ali, at 39 suddenly upstaged by the comparatively sprightly 38-year-old Asif Afridi, got rid of Marco Jansen anyway. Senuran Muthuswamy had just played a similar reverse sweep that went for four, but surely it could only mean his wicket was imminent.But Pakistan, and Masood in particular, know exactly the dangers that lie with this South African side. It’s the late October warmth of the dying days of summer in Rawalpindi, but for the way in which the afternoon unfolded, we might still have been at the height of the South African summer in December last year. At Supersport Park in the first Test last year, Pakistan had strung together an excellent morning session to rattle through South Africa’s middle. On that day, it was debutant Corbin Bosch alongside Rabada, and later Dane Paterson, who added 90 for the last two wickets to hand South Africa a 90-run lead.Kagiso Rabada and Senuran Muthusamy added 98 runs for the last wicket to frustrate Pakistan•AFP/Getty ImagesWhen Pakistan had South Africa eight down once more in the fourth innings, with South Africa still well adrift, the ever-present Rabada teamed up with Marco Jansen to breeze through an unbeaten 51-run partnership that sealed the win, as well as a berth in the World Test Championship final. Sound familiar?Yet, armed with that knowledge, Pakistan appeared to be spectators to their own disembowelment. Once Keshav Maharaj and Muthuswamy began to counterattack, Pakistan’s initial reaction was somewhat muted, as if South Africa might be throwing a temporary tantrum they would quell by default. Rizwan missed a fairly straightforward stumping and Asif missed a return catch, and all the while, the runs came thick and fast.Rizwan had the chance to make amends, knocking off the bails when Maharaj ventured out after lunch, but by now, South Africa had crossed 300, having bitten all but 27 out of Pakistan’s first innings. It was then that Pakistan appeared to have settled on Rabada as the weak link, bringing up the field for him, hoping to deprive Muthuswamy, by now past his half-century, of the strike. Until that Rabada six.It’s hard to say whether the next hour is best viewed in slow motion or on a time lapse camera. The field shifted in and out as the umpires meandered between ends. At one point, the only fielders not on the boundary to either batter were a solitary slip and one fielder either square either side. There was, even when the odd fielder came up, plenty of space for South Africa to rotate the strike, and yet, even with the field pushed back, little to hold them back from finding gaps or clearing the fence.That grand overview may be appropriately damning for an effectively passive Pakistan, but it didn’t do justice to the workshop Rabada was putting on. For all the easy grace his bowling has become associated with, it is perhaps with the blade that his glorious elegance is on full display. The gap between his Test average of 11 and the silkiness of his strokeplay is the strongest rebuttal to analysing games by numbers alone. At one point, he planted his back foot and lifted a Shaheen delivery off the bottom half of his bat straight over his head into the sightscreen. Slighted, Shaheen went inswinging yorker next, which Rabada carved through the covers with the flourish of a painter signing off his masterpiece. No camera is slow enough to appreciate that majesty.Muthuswamy, well set by then, had the best view of it from the other end. “He’s such a naturally free-flowing batter. KG was exemplary. It was an innings of the highest standard. The ball striking in those conditions was superb. I ended up playing a bit of a supporting role as the innings went on because he was just seeing it so nicely and hitting it so clean. It was a fantastic partnership and yeah, one that we’ll remember and hopefully can put us into a really strong position tomorrow to win the game.”Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam took Pakistan to stumps•Getty ImagesFor Pakistan, though, that Centurion Test offers an uncomfortable bookend to this one. Masood has consistently bemoaned lost opportunities from promising situations, with that Test a constant example to denote an experience his side has learned from. Yet today, when the momentum began to turn in those final two partnerships, the strategic stagnation from Pakistan was palpable; the only dismissal they sought was one which came off an error from a South African bat.Asif, Pakistan’s best bowler in the morning, unwittingly lay bare the tactics forlornness behind Pakistan’s approach that afternoon. Ever since the ninth wicket fell, he had not been called on to bowl for another 15 overs, by which time the partnership had added 86 more runs.”They were left-handed batters and I am a left-arm spinner, too,” Asif said. “So Shan said let’s go with offspin and it might give us a chance. They were playing in a way that it was probably easier for them to hit left-arm spin.”Three overs into Asif’s spell, Rabada finally slogged one to long-on, which had not come up against him since that six off his innings’ fifth ball. By then, his runs tally numbered 71, also exactly the amount South Africa led by. It had come 169 runs after Pakistan had left South Africa in the dust, eight wickets down and nearly 100 runs adrift. It is just 103 fewer than Pakistan’s numbers 8 to 11 have scored in six Tests since the start of that Centurion Test; they place rock bottom on that table, averaging 8.77, the only team with a single-digit average for their final four.Those runs had seemed to melt into South Africa’s total so easily, but 37 balls later, Pakistan found themselves three wickets down, the irrepressible Rabada and Harmer doing the damage. As the runs curdled, it was increasingly obvious scoring was never as easy as Rabada and Muthuswamy had made it look, and, indeed, been allowed to make it look.

Tottenham Hotspur were hammered 4-1 by their arch-rivals in the North London derby on Sunday in the Premier League, as they were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal at The Emirates.

Thomas Frank started with a back five and two holding midfielders in an attempt to shut the Gunners out, yet it was still far too easy for the hosts to slice through their defence.

Whilst their overly-cautious approach did not prevent Arsenal from creating chances, it did prevent Spurs from creating chances. They only had three shots in 90 minutes, and one of them was Richarlison’s long-range goal from around 45 yards out.

Creating chances and playing forward-thinking football has been a problem for the Lilywhites in the Premier League since Frank came through the door from Brentford in the summer, as shown in the statistics below.

xG

11.0

17th

Non-penalty xG

11.0

16th

Progressive passes

413

12th

Shots

110

19th

Shots on target

40

15th

Average shot distance

15.6 yards

17th

The defeat to Arsenal will be even harder to take because Tottenham were chasing a deal to sign Eberechi Eze in the summer before the Gunners swooped in and hijacked the move, and he was the star of the show on Sunday.

Meanwhile, it has been a struggle for a few of the players whom the Lilywhites were able to get in the building in an attempt to bolster Frank’s squad in the summer transfer window.

Ranking Tottenham's summer signings for Thomas Frank

Looking at the positive additions first, it is hard to look past Bayern Munich loanee Joao Palhinha as the best signing of the summer, as the Portugal international has delivered four goals and three assists whilst also averaging 5.6 tackles and interceptions per game, per Sofascore.

Mohammed Kudus, who was signed from West Ham for £55m, is deserving of second-place after a return of one goal and four assists in 11 Premier League appearances so far this season.

As you can see in the table below, Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso then rank in the middle of the pack, which is because they were brought in as squad additions and have filled that role without any major issues so far this term.

1

Joao Palhinha

2

Mohammed Kudus

3

Luka Vuskovic

4

Mathys Tel

5

Kevin Danso

6

Koto Takai

7

Randal Kolo Muani

8

Xavi Simons

Koto Takai has yet to play a game for Spurs, due to injury, since his move in the summer, which makes it hard to rank him any higher or lower, whilst Kolo Muani is in seventh place with no goals and one assist in nine appearances for the club, per Sofascore.

Ranking in last place, then, is £52m summer signing Xavi Simons. He arrived at Spurs after a return of 21 goals and 21 assists in the last two seasons with RB Leipzig in Germany, yet has failed to live up to the hype that his form in the Bundesliga created.

The Dutchman was brought in as Tottenham’s alternative to Eze, after they failed to sign the England international, and has only managed two assists and no goals in 15 appearances for the club.

Meanwhile, the former Crystal Palace attacking midfielder has delivered five goals and three assists in 16 outings for Arsenal, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has been far more influential for his side than Xavi has.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Spurs, though, may already be brewing their own homegrown version of Eze in their academy in the form of exciting teenage attacking midfielder Luca Williams-Barnett.

Why Luca Williams-Barnett could be Tottenham's own Eberechi Eze

The 17-year-old starlet’s form for club and country suggests that he is a player to watch for the future, as the Tottenham youngster has shown incredible promise as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

He has been with England’s U17s at the U17 World Cup in recent weeks, knocked out by Austria in the quarter-finals last week, and caught the eye with his performances at the tournament.

Appearances

5

Sofascore rating

7.38

Goals

2

Big chances missed

0

Key passes per game

1.4

Big chances created

3

Assists

1

Dribbles completed per game

3.4

As you can see in the table above, Williams-Barnett provided regular quality as a goalscorer, a creator, and a dribbler across his five appearances in the competition for his country.

One of his two goals, which came against Haiti’s U17 side, was also an incredible solo goal that showcased his composure, creativity, and quality, as shown in the clip below.

On top of his impressive form for England at youth level, the 17-year-old playmaker has also proven himself to be an incredibly prolific attacker for Tottenham’s academy.

Williams-Barnett, who U23 scout Antonio Mango described as an “underrated” player, has racked up 22 goals and 13 assists in 30 games for the club’s U18 side, per Transfermarkt, to go along with seven goals and five assists in eight U21 games.

These statistics show that the attacking midfielder has delivered goals and assists on a regular basis for both club and country, which is why he could be Tottenham’s own Eberechi Eze, who has scored five goals for Arsenal and two goals for England this season.

Como scout Ben Mattinson claimed that the Spurs youngster “scores bangers” and it is hard to disagree with that assessment, particularly when you see goals such as the ones in the clip above.

Like Eze, Williams-Barnett is a number ten with incredible footwork, finishing, creativity, and dribbling skills, but it is now down to him to make the step to senior level and prove that he can deliver consistent performances in the first-team.

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If he can handle that step up, Frank could have his own version of Eberechi Eze and a possible upgrade on Xavi in the number ten position moving forward.

Arsenal have been head and shoulders above the rest of ’em this season, but Mikel Arteta knows that the season is still young, and there are many gruelling months ahead before the Gunners might end their two-decade-long wait for the Premier League title.

Runners-up for three successive years, Arsenal have worked toward dynamising and strengthening across the park, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze all adding flavour to an outfit already refined and complete.

It’s just silverware that is missing. And while the Emirates side have all the tools to go the distance this term, they will need someone of Gabriel Magalhaes’ character and quality to have avoided a long-term injury while away on international duty with Brazil.

The latest on Gabriel's muscle injury

Gabriel has played every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign this season, but with a north London clash against Tottenham Hotspur looming on the horizon, a muscular injury sustained out with his nation could put a spanner in the works there.

Gabriel pulled up mid-sprint during Brazil’s recent win over Senegal. It has since been revealed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein that there is a worry that he faces an extended spell on the sidelines, more than a month and thus out of action until the new year.

It cannot be understated how integral Gabriel has become. As per FBref, the £150k-per-week talent ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for goal involvements and the top 15% for shot-creating actions per 90. That aside, he has incredibly won 78% of his ground duels, keeping clean sheets in seven separate matches.

In Gabriel and William Saliba, Arsenal have two defenders looking to take their place among the pantheon of great Premier League centre-back partnerships, and if Arteta does lift that elusive trophy at the end of the season, he and his wider squad will be indebted to the composed and flawlessly organised duo at the back.

The likes of Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera are able replacements, but this could be a big blow, and it’s got us thinking about the 27-year-old’s long-term successor in north London.

There is one Hale End star who might just have what it takes to complete that step up in the future.

The Hale Ender who could replace Gabriel

Under Arteta’s guidance, Arsenal have a feared outfit once again. This is a team capable of tackling and overcoming any opponent across the globe, as last season’s spectacular two-legged win over Real Madrid will tell you.

But this also needs to be a lasting project, and it’s clear that there is an emphasis on this, with Bukayo Saka the talisman and exciting prospects such as Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman filtering through to the first team.

And on the other side of the field, Callan Hamill could find himself succeeding Gabriel when the time comes, with the 16-year-old having made quite the impression at Hale End since joining from St. Johnstone in Scotland this summer.

The Scotland U19 international has swiftly established himself as the captain of Arsenal’s U18 squad, racking up 11 appearances and scoring one goal.

With such impressive performances, he has even been handed a string of outings with the U21s, and during his sole effort in the Premier League 2, Hamill kept a clean sheet across 90 minutes of action.

Analyst Ben Mattinson has remarked that the teenager has “all the tools to become a quality backline leader for club and country”, and while he’s not there yet, Arteta’s decision to throw the youngster into first-team training and guide him toward the fore suggests that it’s only a matter of time before this star emulates the better-known names in front of him and cements a place under Arteta’s wing.

Who knows, given his leadership skills, strong reading of the game and dynamism, Hamill might even have what it takes to succeed Gabriel, when the fateful day of the Brazilian’s departure comes.

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Cummins has dismissed Rohit in each of the last three IPL matches and also in the last five innings across formats

Omkar Mankame22-Apr-20255:24

Pujara: Surprised Cummins hasn’t bowled much with the new ball

Match 33, Wankhede, IPL 2025 – c: T Head b: Cummins 26 (16)Rohit was off to a promising start, hitting three sixes in his first 13 balls. The third of those was a pick-up shot off Cummins that sailed into the stands. However, two balls later, he hit a low full toss straight to cover, falling to Cummins for the fourth time in the IPL.4th Test, Melbourne, 2024 – c: Boland b: Cummins 3 (5) and c: Marsh b: Cummins 9 (40)Rohit’s move back to the top of the order in the Border Gavaskar Trophy did not change his fortunes. In the first innings, Cummins needed just three deliveries to dismiss the opposition captain, with Rohit failing to execute his favourite pull shot cleanly and mistiming a top edge. He showed greater patience in the second innings, but as the pressure mounted, his first aggressive stroke once again led to his downfall.Pat Cummins removed Rohit Sharma in both innings of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne•Getty Images3rd Test, Brisbane, 2024 – c: Carey+ b: Cummins 10 (44)Batting in the middle order, Rohit walked out in a perilous situation – India 44 for 4 in reply to Australia’s 445 all out in the first innings. After 16 deliveries, he found his first boundary with a cover drive off Cummins, but the bowler struck back soon after by forcing an outside edge. The duo didn’t come face-to-face in the second innings, with India’s innings cut short by rain.2nd Test, Adelaide, 2024 – b: Cummins 6 (15)After missing the first Test, Rohit, not wanting to disrupt the opening combination, slotted himself into the middle-order for the day-night Test. Scott Boland trapped him lbw in the first innings, and in the second, Cummins knocked over his off stump with the pink ball under lights.A hat-trick in the IPLWhen Cummins dismissed Rohit earlier this season, it was the third successive time he got the MI batter out in the IPL. Cummins had dismissed the former MI batter both times last season.Pat Cummins got rid of Rohit Sharma in both of SRH’s games against MI in IPL 2024•Associated PressMatch 55, Wankhede, IPL 2024 – c: Klaasen b: Cummins 4 (5)Last year in Mumbai, Cummins needed only two deliveries to send back the MI batter. Rohit closed the bat face early against a length ball, and the resulting leading edge went up high in the night sky before settling into the wicketkeeper’s gloves.Match 8, Hyderabad, IPL 2024 – c: Abhishek b: Cummins 26 (12)With a mammoth target of 278 in front, Rohit had no option but to go for boundaries. He picked Cummins’ first ball to hit him for a six over midwicket but failed to control the pull shot on the following delivery and was caught at deep fine leg.

After registering the 400th goal of his remarkable career, Kylian Mbappe is ready to aim for "the unreal". The Real Madrid superstar is among those watching on from afar as Portuguese GOAT Cristiano Ronaldo closes in on 1,000 career goals. That milestone feels a long way off for Mbappe, but the France international is prepared to set the most ambitious of targets.

Mbappe record: Games taken to reach 400 goals

World Cup winner Mbappe reached a quadruple century on the goal front when netting for his country in a 4-0 victory over Ukraine. He bagged a brace in that contest – with his first coming from the penalty spot – and has ensured that Les Bleus will be taking in another shot at global glory next summer.

Mbappe has hit 400 goals through just 537 appearances. He is Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer – having found the target on 235 occasions for the Ligue 1 heavyweights – and sits only two efforts adrift of France’s record marksman Olivier Giroud.

It is only a matter of time before he passes Giroud, with a bar of individual brilliance there set to be raised considerably higher. Mbappe also continues to star at club level, with 18 goals being recorded for Real this season through 16 appearances.

AdvertisementGetty1,000-goal target: Can Mbappe match Ronaldo?

Mbappe is only 26 years of age, so has many seasons with club and country ahead of him. With that in mind, he sees no reason why he should not be looking to emulate the achievements of five-time Ballon d’Or winner CR7.

He said: "400 doesn't impress people, if you want to be in that circle that shocks people, you have to score another 400. Cristiano Ronaldo's 1,000 goals? That's unreal. But let's try the unreal, we have to try, we only have one career."

Mbappe is arguably at his peak right now, with it on him to ensure that those standards are maintained when chasing down more major honours with Real and France. He added on silencing any doubters in his homeland: "I had to be the best version of myself so we could go to the World Cup. Last year was difficult for me with the national team, this season I had to show that the national team is important to me.

"On a mission? Everyone knows and can talk about football, but playing in a World Cup… only those who have played in it know that it's special, it's a privilege to represent your country in the eyes of the world."

World Cup trophy target: Mbappe proud of France's efforts

Mbappe captured the most prestigious of trophies with France back in 2018, before suffering final heartache against Lionel Messi and Argentina at Qatar 2022 – as he bagged a hat-trick before seeing Les Bleus lose on penalties.

He went on to say of heading back to FIFA’s flagship event, with Ukraine being swept aside with the minimum of fuss: "Pride. You should never take it for granted; today it's becoming normal, but it wasn't always the case in the history of the French national team. We had to be as sensible as possible and keep in mind that the most important thing was the win. On the pitch, we tried to do the job. We picked up the pace in the second half. After that, we played our game, we created chances, and I think people had a good evening."

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Getty2026 World Cup draw: When France will discover opponents

Mbappe added on his bid to become a two-time World Cup winner – an achievement that would see him join an exclusive club: "Of course we're going there to win, like all 48 other teams. It's a dream to be able to put the third star on the French national team jersey. We need to use this 2022 World Cup final to go to the World Cup with confidence. We'll wait for the draw and focus on the first group matches."

France will be among the favourites to go all the way when the World Cup heads to the United States, Canada and Mexico. They will discover their early opponents at that tournament when the group stage draw takes place on December 5.

Ex-Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur icon Gareth Bale has revealed the real reason why he announced his retirement from football at the age of 33. The former winger brought the curtains down on his illustrious professional career just months after Wales were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup group stage after finishing bottom with just a point from their three matches.

Bale took retirement at just 33

Bale started his professional journey at Southampton in 2006 after graduating from the Saints' youth system. After an impressive debut campaign at St Mary's Stadium, the wide man caught Tottenham's attention and the north London club snapped him up. He spent the next six seasons at White Hart Lane, before completing a dream move to Real Madrid for a then world-record transfer fee.

In Madrid, he won every major trophy on offer, including multiple La Liga and Champions League titles. In 2022, Bale joined MLS side LAFC where he spent a season before hanging up his boots in January 2023. His retirement announcement came in the aftermath of Wales crashing out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the group stage.

AdvertisementAFPWhy did Bale took an early retirement?

In a chat with , Bale revealed how his father's ill health prompted him to quit football at just 33. He said: "I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life. My dad got ill and that played a massive role in my decision. People don't know what anyone's going through at home but I soon realised there's more to life than just football. [My dad] sacrificed everything when I was younger. He took me everywhere. Without my dad and my parents, I wouldn't be where I am today."

He added: "I achieved so much in my career so playing in a World Cup was pretty much the last thing that I wanted to achieve. It didn’t go amazingly well for us, but it was the first time in 64 years. After that, I didn't feel like I had anything else left to achieve, goal-wise."

Is Bale really obsessed with Golf?

During his time in Madrid, Bale had once held aloft a now-infamous flag which read 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order' after his nation qualified for Euro 2020. The incident did draw some criticism in Spain and since the former Wales international has been closely associated with the sport, with many believing that he is obsessed with golf.

However, later in the interview, the Spurs icon cleared the air as he claimed he "never used to play golf that much" and would only pick up his clubs "once every two to three weeks" – and always "on a day off".

AFPDid Bale have a fallout with Ronaldo

Speaking about his relationship with former Madrid team-mate and Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo, the Welshman said: "I'm not really in touch with that many [old Madrid team-mates] – a few of the Wales boys – but I always got on with everybody. I never had any problems with anyone. I never had any big arguments. Sometimes the media might say about me and Ronaldo, we never had an issue, never had an argument, never had a fight, never had anything."

Manchester United and Liverpool have both been linked with signing Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, but it is Ruben Amorim’s side who are in pole position ahead of the January transfer window.

Semenyo is one of the most impressive wide players in the Premier League currently, scoring six goals and registering three assists in the competition leading into the international break.

The 25-year-old is wanted by a host of top clubs, with United among those thought to be right in the mix to snap him up, potentially even in the January transfer window.

Semenyo has a £65m release clause in his current Bournemouth contract for a certain time period, with David Ornstein reporting the Cherries will effectively be powerless to stop a departure in early January.

Liverpool look to be the most interested out of United’s Premier League adversaries, as they look for an injection of attacking quality midway through the season, with the Reds believing Semenyo can be their next Sadio Mane.

Man Utd leading Liverpool in Semenyo race with player keen on move

According to a report from Spain, Manchester United are the front-runners to acquire Semenyo’s signature from Bournemouth in January, with INEOS seeing him as a top target for the Red Devils.

The report claims it’s “hard to believe Manchester United won’t secure the signing” due to their willingness to pay the release fee and Semenyo being interested in a move to Old Trafford.

They are ahead of Liverpool in the race, which will no doubt delight the supporters, with Amorim possibly eyeing a long-term replacement for Marcus Rashford, should he leave Old Trafford for good at the end of this season.

Semenyo feels like an ideal signing for United in the mould of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, in terms of players who have proven themselves in the Premier League and are ready to make the step-up to a bigger club.

The Ghanaian provides strong end product on a consistent basis, and has scored twice in three Premier League appearances against the Red Devils, while Pep Guardiola recently hailed his ability, calling him an “extraordinary” player.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was asked earlier this week about the situation, saying he isn’t worried about losing his star player in January.

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Despite this, it is easy to envisage Semenyo’s head being turned by a move to United, especially if they continue their recent improved form under Amorim, and he would be a fabulous addition to the attack.

Man Utd have their own version of Semenyo & he's Amorim's "best player"

Crystal Palace are now in ‘direct talks’ about signing a Bayern Munich star ahead of the looming January transfer window, according to a new report.

Crystal Palace prepare for Man United after excellent start to the season

Palace welcome Man United to Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon with Oliver Glasner’s side sitting just outside the top four, while the Red Devils languish nearer mid-table following Monday’s shocking home defeat to ten-man Everton.

Glasner’s impressive Palace project continues gathering momentum despite recent bumps.

Positioned just three points behind second-placed Chelsea, the South London club have managed 20 points from their opening 12 Premier League games — their strongest start to a top flight campaign since 1991-92 — all while conceding just nine goals.

Amid the uncertainty surrounding Glasner’s long-term future, not to mention Marc Guehi’s, and the fact they lost star playmaker Eberechi Eze in the summer, Palace’s start comes as a shock to everyone.

They’ve also coped extremely well with the added Conference League fixtures, and responded in excellent fashion after being denied what many perceived as their rightful place in the Europa League.

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Following the departures of Eze and another quality forward, Michael Olise, in the last two years — Palace have relied on new stars like in-form striker Jean Philippe-Mateta to deliver the goods instead.

Palace’s unprecedented 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions, which was eventually ended by Everton in October, is also testament to the fine job Glasner has done with limited resources.

Palace 0-0 Bournemouth (Premier League)

Arsenal 2-2 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 3-0 Aston Villa (FA Cup)

Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)

Tottenham 0-2 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 1-0 Man City (FA Cup)

Palace 4-2 Wolves (Premier League)

Liverpool 1-1 Palace (Premier League)

Crystal Palace (3) 2-2 (2) Liverpool (Community Shield)

Chelsea 0-0 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 1-0 Fredrikstad (Conference League)

Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)

Fredrikstad 0-0 Palace (Conference League)

Aston Villa 0-3 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 0-0 Sunderland (Premier League)

Palace (4) 1-1 (2) Millwall (Carabao Cup)

West Ham 1-2 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 2-1 Liverpool (Premier League)

Dynamo Kyiv 0-2 Palace (Conference League)

However, if Palace are to convince the Austrian to remain at Selhust Park, chairman Steve Parish will need to showcase ambition.

According to reports, Palace could be active in the January transfer window, and it is believed that Bayern right-back Sacha Boey is a player of real interest.

Crystal Palace hold talks over signing Bayern Munich's Sacha Boey

The former Galatasaray star, who was once a rumoured target for Arsenal, hasn’t found life easy since swapping Turkey for Bavaria in 2024.

Boey has been in and out of Vincent Kompany’s starting elevens, and a January transfer for the 25-year-old is now growing increasingly possible.

That is according to Bayern Insider, who also report that Glasner is in ‘direct talks’ with sporting director Christoph Freund about a potential move for Boey.

Palace are also said to have made a ‘concrete offer’ for the Frenchman, who’s potentially looking to battle his way into Didier Deschamps plans for the 2026 World Cup next year amid stiff competition.

Even though the Bundesliga champions signed him for around £26 million, Bayern are now prepared to sell for half the price at around £13 million — opening the door for Palace to strike a bargain move.

Links to Boey will intensify reports that in-form Eagles right-back Daniel Munoz could leave in the near future, with Chelsea among those considering a swoop for the Colombian who’s arguably been one of Glasner’s top players this season.

And in conditions that didn’t offer the bowlers much, this exorcism was distinctly Australian: disciplined, clinical, perfect

Alex Malcolm30-Dec-2024Australia’s cricket team performed an exorcism at the MCG on Monday. They exorcised the ghosts of the Gabba.Modern Australia is one of the most secular societies in the world. Most wouldn’t know what an exorcism is, let alone ever need one performed.Cricket isn’t a religion like it supposedly is in India. But it is fundamental to the national psyche, even if at times Australians show a clear indifference.Related

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Regardless, this exorcism wasn’t sacramental. It was very Australian; disciplined, clinical, perfect. A bowling unit working as a collective. No dropped catches. No wasted reviews. Some Joel Wilson decisions got in their way, like at Headingley in 2019. Australia might have exorcised that ghost as well keeping all three reviews intact and overturning two key decisions that made victory possible.It was fitting too that Nathan Lyon claimed the winning wicket. Having been denied at Headingley and nullified at the Gabba, there was special feeling in the celebrations of both his wickets, snaring India’s first-innings hero Nitish Kumar Reddy before pinning Mohammed Siraj lbw for the win.That it all happened in front of a final-day crowd of 74,362, in a week where the Australia-Test-attendance record was smashed, added to the sweetness of the victory for Pat Cummins and his team.”When you take all that into account, it’s probably the best Test match I’ve been involved in,” Cummins said. “Eighty thousand [each] in the first three days, don’t know what the crowd was today but it was huge. It felt like [the Test] swung a lot as well, never felt like we were so far ahead of the game that it [a win] looked certain. So overall, just one of those great wins.”Sam Konstas and Pat Cummins celebrate Australia’s win•Getty ImagesIt was clear that the Gabba ghosts weighed heavily on Australia’s minds. This surface did not appear to suggest a similar chase was possible. Plenty of rational judges thought Australia were exceedingly conservative in not declaring last night, and even batting on again on the final day with 333 already in the bank. But three of the four key bowlers had been in Brisbane in 2021. They knew what Pant was capable of, what India was capable of. Only two days earlier they had India 221 for 7 and Nos. 8 and 9 combined for a 127-run stand to drag them back into the game.In the end Australia had around 13 overs up their sleeve and didn’t even need the second new ball to take all ten wickets.”I thought the wicket was pretty good,” Cummins said. “You saw our tail bat reasonably comfortably on it. So I felt like we needed at least 300-odd. It wasn’t playing too much tricks. You saw today, it didn’t really spin heaps, didn’t play too many tricks.”We had 90-odd overs that gave us 12 or so overs with potentially a second new ball today. So I felt like there was enough time. And also it felt like the way it had played out, [if] we had a good first session and kind of took the win out of the equation for them, then we could really go in for the attack with plenty of catchers, and didn’t have to worry about the runs as much.”

“Eighty thousand [each] in the first three days, don’t know what the crowd was today but it was huge. It felt like [the Test] swung a lot as well, never felt like we were so far ahead of the game that it [a win] looked certain. So overall, just one of those great wins.”Australia captain Pat Cummins

That is where this exorcism was distinctly Australian. Unlike the Gabba four years ago where India made an aggressive start reaching 132 for 1 to set up the chase, Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland sucked the life out of India’s chase with a suffocating spell of sustained fast bowling. For 26.1 overs before lunch the trio hammered away with pristine lines and lengths, and only four overs of support from Mitchell Marsh and Lyon. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma survived 16 overs without losing a wicket, but had progressed to just 25 for 0. Starc, bowling in pain with a sore back, beat the bat eight times, all past the edge of Jaiswal with 140kph outswingers. Boland beat the edge five times and Cummins once.Rohit was 9 off 39 and his patience eventually cracked, slicing a catch to gully trying an expansive whip wide of mid-on. Cummins breached the resolute defence of KL Rahul five balls later. Starc got his reward on the stroke of lunch as Kohli nicked another wide one. Usman Khawaja, who had dropped three critical catches early in the series, pouched two sharp ones at first slip. India were 33 for 3 and going nowhere.”I reckon that first session today was close to perfection from a bowling point of view,” Cummins said. “I thought we were excellent. All the guys didn’t really give any bad balls away. I don’t know what their plan was going to be but, honestly, I don’t think we really gave them a chance to fight back at us too much.Two hours later though the win looked improbable. India were still three-down at tea with Jaiswal and Pant cruising. Australia had one moment where they could have lost all hope. Starc thundered one into Jaiswal’s pad only to see Wilson shaking his head to a huge lbw shout. The review showed two reds and an orange. You could almost see Australia’s souls leave their bodies as the ball-tracking projection showed what looked like 49% of the ball smashing leg stump.Australia fans in the stands react to a close call•Associated PressThe pitch looked slow and flat. On the same surface yesterday Australia had been cruising at 85 for 3 and Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets in 11 balls to change the course of the match. Australia did not have Bumrah. They instead conjured some ethereal magic from an unlikely source: a Travis Head long hop, which Pant hoicked down Marsh’s throat at long-on.It opened the door and Cummins seized the moment. He pulled Head from the attack and brought back Boland. The MCG specialist extracted life from a lifeless surface to spit one at Ravindra Jadeja’s gloves on the way to Alex Carey.Lyon then roared as Steven Smith held a gem at slip to claim Reddy.Then Cummins dug deep as only he can. A brute of a bouncer off the pillow-like surface hurried Jaiswal hooking on 84. Wilson kept his finger down. Cummins, armed with three reviews had no hesitation. Jaiswal protested the third umpire’s finding but even Rohit admitted he had hit it after the match.

The pitch looked slow and flat. On the same surface yesterday Australia had been cruising at 85 for 3 and Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets in 11 balls to change the course of the match. Australia did not have Bumrah. They instead conjured some ethereal magic from an unlikely source: a Travis Head long hop

A similar sequence happened when Boland had Akash Deep caught at short leg. Smith then held another beauty at slip to remove Bumrah before Lyon roared again. It was shades of Old Trafford in 2019 when Australia got to celebrate twice, first with Michael Gough’s raised finger and then again when the DRS showed three reds.But just like 2019, Australia’s job is not done. They blew a 2-1 lead with an emotional let down in the final Test on a short turnaround. They face the same challenge here.”It’s a short turnaround,” Cummins said. “I think we’ll definitely savour this one. You work so hard over five days to win a Test match like this, and I’m sure there’ll be a lot of sitting around tonight and a couple of beers, a couple of boys might have a beer, some others might have water and some protein shakes and an early night. But we’ll savour this for a couple of hours at least, and then it’ll be recovery for the next few days. I’m sure the batters will have a hit. The bowlers, I dare say, will be very light on [training], and then you gear up again for the last Test of the [home] summer.”The ghosts of Gabba might have been exorcised, but the Border-Gavaskar series and a World Test Championship final is still up for grabs. A weight has been lifted off Australia’s shoulders for now, but they must put their shoulder to the wheel again in Sydney if they want to claim the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time in a decade.

CD Gopinath talks about facing Ray Lindwall and Sonny Ramadhin, and being part of India’s first Test win

Alagappan Muthu16-Oct-20243:25

CD Gopinath: “There was no strategy on how we were going to beat England”

As CD Gopinath starts talking about cricket, it becomes clear that India’s oldest living Test cricketer has a mischievous soul.”See, when a legspinner bowls, and the ball is spinning, you cut him, the ball will go like this,” he says, extending his right arm and performing a clockwise turn. “I love watching it. I’ve seen fielders thinking the ball will come straight to them, but it bounces and goes somewhere else and they couldn’t stop it. I loved playing that shot and I loved seeing that happen.”Just as he enjoyed watching flummoxed fielders during his career, which included eight Tests for India, Gopinath, now 94, enjoys making light of that time in history.”Some people from the UK came and interviewed me on the Test match that India won for the first time in 1952. I think they were going to write a book or make a video, and I said to them: How can you write a book on one Test match? One season or five Test matches, okay. Why only this Test match? What is there to write so much about? They said, ‘No, we regard that win as a turning point of the cricket history of India.’ In one way it is true. And I am very lucky. I had that for India and I had that for Madras. I asked them: Who else are you interviewing? They said, ‘Nobody else, because there’s nobody else alive. You are the only one from that team that is there.’ I said, ‘So I can say anything I want!”Unfortunately, the lore that surrounds that victory, by an innings and eight runs over England in Madras, is disappointingly strait-laced. And Gopinath did not go through with his scandalous idea of saying whatever he wanted. He did, however, escort that crew to Chepauk to show them exactly where he took the catch to dismiss Brian Statham, England’s eighth wicket in the second innings, which brought India to the brink of history.Related

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India were well worth the 1-1 scoreline. They parked memories of Wally Hammond bashing them around and Alec Bedser tying them up in knots in previous years to begin the five-match series with back-to-back 400-plus first-innings totals. Then, in Kanpur, they came undone on a spin-friendly pitch and were left with only one chance to level the series. The batting had class – having already contributed five hundreds to England’s two – and that number would rise further in Madras, where Polly Umrigar scored a crucial 130 not out from No. 7, which turned 216 for 5 to an eventually match-winning 457 for 9 declared. Gopinath was at the other end when Umrigar got his hundred. Shortly after Statham hit Vinoo Mankad up in the air, after 20 years of trying, India had pulled off something they never thought possible.”[The crew] asked me how I felt,” Gopinath said, “and I said, look, my job was, as a fielder, I had to take the catch. It’s not an achievement. If you can’t take a catch, why would you be in the team? Yes, we were very pleased that we won, because we didn’t expect to win. That too against England, we never thought we’d ever win. We were very happy, but beyond that, there was no… [at] that time nobody demonstrated. They didn’t make fists and things like that.”Today when a fellow takes a catch, the whole team runs there – carries him, kisses him, hugs him – not only in cricket, in every game. In football, when someone scores a goal, they almost smother him. Those days you were not meant to express yourself openly out to the world. The catch I held was a straightforward, simple catch, nothing to it. If you held a brilliant catch somewhere in the slips, someone may say: ‘Well held.’ That’s it. You didn’t go running around the whole ground or carrying people. It was considered vulgar to show your feelings to the outside world. So our celebration at the end of that game was: we went to the dressing room, we said to each other, ‘Well done’, we packed up and went home. That was the end of the matter.Gopinath on the tour of England in 1952•Edward G Malindine/Getty Images”Maybe it didn’t quite dawn on us, because we were the weak team. When we went into that Test match, we didn’t expect to win. We were not even trying to. If we draw, we were very happy. was like winning a match. So long as we didn’t lose. That was the first time that we realised, oh, it’s also possible to win. You realise, oh, it’s also possible to score hundreds or 200s.”Gopinath’s lack of excitement – apart from being typical of his era – might also stem from the fact that he never had any intention of becoming a cricketer. That was destiny’s doing, placing him in the same college house as the captain at Madras Christian College, creating a situation where they needed, first, a wicketkeeper – “They saw me playing tennis, so they called me and said your job is to not let the ball pass you” – and then an opener (“You mean face the new ball? No way I can do that”). Except he did, and began scoring a lot of runs.”I got a duck in both innings of my Ranji Trophy debut, so [team-mate] Balu Alagannan came to me and said, ‘Hey, watch out. Bad things come in threes.’ Next match, I was so scared. It was all I could think about. I don’t even know how I got to the crease but somehow I got there and I got off the mark.”Gopinath was an uncut gem. “When I was young, I didn’t know anything. I suppose what happened was, my reflexes were good, my footwork was good, my eye was good. I could hit the ball.”So the cricket association sent him to train with Bert Wensley, the former Sussex allrounder who played 400 first-class games, and Madras cricket legend AG Ram Singh.Their mentorship helped him move up the levels of the game. It was batting that interested Gopinath the most, to the extent that he named his home in Coonoor “The Cover Drive”.Gopinath (front row, third from right) at a felicitation for Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy winners from the 1954-55 and 1987-88 seasons•TNPL”There was a West Indian bowler called [Sonny] Ramadhin,” Gopinath said. “Those days, his early days, he was called the wonder bowler, and the previous season, West Indies toured England and they beat England because Ramadhin took so many wickets and the English batsmen could not spot what he was doing. He was a peculiar bowler. I don’t know how he did it. He would bowl the same way, one would go offbreak, one would go legbreak and you could never spot which way it was going.”I played against him in an unofficial Test for the Combined Universities against the Commonwealth Second Team in 1950. Again, because of destiny or luck or whatever, I happened to be at the non-striker’s end and I was watching him. I wanted to see if I could figure him out. Then some intuition told me that he normally bowled an offbreak, which was fairly quick, and when he tossed it a little bit, it was a legbreak. It was a blind kind of assessment. Just happened I was right and I hammered him all over. Every time he bowled a legbreak, he’d toss it up a little bit and I’d be ready for the square cut and I’d get four runs. I was top scorer that game. I made 93.”Gopinath had an instinct for batting and he was not shy about following it.”I was very thrilled when I faced Ray Lindwall for the first time. He was damn fast. By the time he played against me [in 1960], he must have been slower. But he was still really fast. One fast one on the leg side and I hooked him and I missed the six by five or ten feet. Immediately my captain said, ‘What are you doing? Don’t take chances!’ I said: what can you do with a short ball on the leg side!”Cricket allowed Gopinath to meet to new people.”I became friends with Lindwall that game, sitting and chatting. We became such good friends that we exchanged caps. I still have it somewhere.”Gopinath at home in Chennai•Alagappan Muthu/ESPNcricinfo LtdIt brought him recognition.Gopinath scored a hundred in the 1954-55 Ranji Trophy final when Madras won the tournament for the first time.It helped him win over his family, who once regarded him as an example of who not to be.”When my mother passed away and we were looking through her things, we found so many newspaper cuttings of me. She never told me, but all of it was there: I saved this match, I scored this century. And when my daughter saw that, she made a book of it.”The simple pleasure of picking up a bat and swinging it around changed Gopinath’s life and he never let the joy fade.”My coach Mr Wensley once advised me not to play the cut because I was getting out to it. ‘You play your drives and everything, you’re okay, but stop the square cut,’ he said. ‘That’s very difficult and you’re getting out.’ I tried to stop it and after a couple of matches, I went back to him and I told him, ‘I love that shot. I can’t do it.’ So he said, ‘Okay, if you’re that keen, don’t go opening. Move two-down, three-down.’ So I did and I never stopped the square cut.”Seeing me square-cut in that Combined Universities game, against Ramadhin, a foreign scribe, the Commonwealth team manager actually, wrote that I was the best exponent of the square cut in India. It was so funny!”I have never had any ambitions. I never wanted to get anywhere. Whatever happened to me happened because of my [destiny]. If I wanted to play for India and so on, I’d have been disappointed. But I never even thought about it. I never dreamt that I would play for India. It just came by. Same thing has happened to me in my life, in my work, and some of the things which at that time was, ‘Oh terrible, a terrible thing has happened’, now I realise I’m so glad that happened.”At some point, people grow up. They realise the perils of living for the moment, of chasing fleeting highs, like the feeling after playing a great shot, and weigh it against the downsides: its potential to get you out. It’s human nature. You want to do the best you can, so you strip the fun out of things.But take it from a 94-year-old who used to play tennis until four years ago, who was friends with Raman Subba Row, Frank Worrell and Denis Compton, who has seen the snowy peaks of Alaska and the breathtaking splendour of the Nile, who was chairman of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and who still serves on the board of several trusts: sometimes doing something just because it feels good is good.