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Despite poor ODI record against opening opponents, success in T20 World Cups augurs well

Firdose Moonda01-Oct-2025Two wins from South Africa’s last eight ODIs against England does not make for pretty reading but allrounder Chloe Tryon isn’t bothered by that record.Ahead of her team’s Women’s World Cup opener in Guwahati on Friday, Tryon said those results don’t reflect the reality of a South African side that has reached two T20 World Cup finals since they last met England in the 50-over version, including a memorable semi-final victory at Newlands in 2023.”The team has changed a lot over the last couple of years,” Tryon told the media on Wednesday. “We’ve got some young players coming in and we’ve got a lot of experienced players, and everyone’s just taken up their role really beautifully. And the way that we’ve worked behind the scenes has been really good, so I’m not looking at too much of the stats.”South Africa’s World Cup squad is missing three of the players that lost 2-1 to England in their home ODI series last year. But they have five changes in personnel from the squad that beat England in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup before losing to them in the semi-final.Since then, South Africa have a new captain, a new wicket-keeper, a new pace spearhead, a new coach and most importantly, a new frame of reference, thanks to their progress in the shorter format. They’ve also got far more experience of their opposition than was the case three years ago. Tryon is one of three South Africans in this squad – Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp are the others – who are fresh off the Women’s Hundred.Though Tryon herself didn’t have a good tournament, making just 31 runs in nine matches, she benefitted from first-hand experience of her English opponents which she hopes she can use to South Africa’s advantage.”It’s a really good tournament to be part of and I obviously got to play with a couple of the England girls, which was pretty exciting,” she said. “Just watching them, how they go about their skill and how they go about their business is really good, so hopefully I can give a lot of insight to the team.”Tryon and Wolvaardt’s team-mates at Southern Brave included Lauren Bell and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, two of the “matchwinners” of which Tryon is wary, in an England side laden with superstars.”As a unit they’re just really that strong,” she said. “They’re led by one of the best all-rounders in the world (Nat Sciver-Brunt), and everyone just feeds off her. Every single one of them are matchwinners. We have to make sure that we show up with a lot of presence and we give 200%. We’ve shown that we can beat them in the past and we have, so we need to be really positive going into the first game.”Related

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South Africa have turned their 50-over fortunes around since losing eight out of 10 ODIs between June 2024 and May 2025, and have won four of their last six games. Admittedly, these came against West Indies (who are not at this tournament) and Pakistan (who had to qualify) so they need to be understood in context, but they also hinted at a succcessful adjustment to a new style under coach Mandla Mashimbyi.Mashimbyi has been in charge for nine months now, in which time the team has bought into his aggressive style of cricket. They have bulked up their middle order with Anneke Bosch, Annerie Dercksen, Sune Luus, Tryon, Nadine de Klerk and the option of Karabo Meso from No.3 to 7 or 8. “We bat really deep which is really important in a 50-over tournament like this,” Tryon said. “As a batting unit, we’ve come a lot of strides over the last couple of months, you can see that there’s a big difference in our batting and our approach in our batting department.”On flat pitches, this is expected to be a World Cup of high scores. However, South Africa’s early observations from the India-Sri Lanka match were that “it takes a little bit of turn,” as Tryon put it.Her allround abilities could be crucial to South Africa’s fortunes, but so too her experience. Tryon and Luus are both playing at their fourth World Cup, while Kapp is entering her fifth. Each has the knowledge that this could be their last, and they want to make a statement.”As a senior group we just want to lead the way for the team,” Tryon said. “We’ve got some girls that haven’t played a 50-over World Cup before, so for us, it’s making sure that we’re taking a lot of the responsibility in the middle and creating really good environments within the squad. It’s been really good so far. The way that everyone has gelled together has been so good. We’re really excited for the first game and we want to lead the way as a senior group by just making sure that we keep everyone as a tight unit.”

Manchester City might have closed the gap on Sunday, but this season feels different for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been almost faultless over the last couple of months, so much so that a point away to the high-flying Sunderland feels like a defeat.

Moreover, while the Gunners finally conceded against the Black Cats, they remain unbeaten in 14 games across all competitions and are still top of the Premier League.

One of the reasons why Arsenal have been so successful is how quickly their summer signings have adapted. However, there are now reports that they could be interested in someone who could be an upgrade on Martin Zubimendi.

Arsenal target world-class midfielder

Since arriving in North London for around £58m, Zubimendi has been an ever-present figure in Arsenal’s midfield.

Transfer Focus

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

The Spaniard has already made 14 competitive appearances for the side, in which he has scored two goals and provided one assist.

However, his place in the side might not be as secure as it seems, with the Gunners now interested in another world-class midfielder.

At least that is according to a report from Caught Offside, which claims that Arsenal are interested in Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha.

The report has revealed that, alongside Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus, the Gunners are monitoring the midfielder’s situation.

However, in addition to convincing him to leave the reigning European Champions, the North Londoners would have to stump up an enormous fee of around €130m, equivalent to approximately £114m.

With that said, if this is a deal that can be done, it’s one Arsenal should pursue, even if that’s bad news for Zubimendi.

How Vitinha compares to Zubimendi

The first thing to note is that Zubimendi is doing a brilliant job for Arsenal so far this season and could be a key reason why they finally win the Premier League.

However, just because a player is performing well for a side, it does not mean they cannot be upgraded upon, so would Vitinha be that upgrade?

Well, both midfielders are capable of playing in central and defensive areas, so neither one takes the lead when it comes to versatility.

However, when it comes to their output, it’s a different story entirely.

For example, while the Gunners’ ace has two goals and one assist to his name this year, the PSG star already has a staggering tally of two goals and eight assists in just 16 appearances, totalling 1237 minutes.

In other words, he’s averaging a goal involvement every 1.6 games, or every 123.7 minutes, which goes some way to justifying respected analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that he’s “the Xavi of this generation.”

Unfortunately for the former Real Sociedad star, he also comes out second best when it comes to major honours, as while he has a Copa del Rey and Euros to his name, the Portuguese star has won the Champions League, the Nations League, three Ligue 1 titles, two Portuguese League titles and a plethora of French Cups.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.24

0.13

Progressive Passes

14.7

6.25

Progressive Carries

4.02

1.06

Shots

2.29

0.86

Shots on Target

0.80

0.29

Passing Accuracy

93.6%

88.7%

Key Passes

1.84

0.87

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.84

0.87

Shot-Creating Actions

4.92

2.21

Goal-Creating Actions

0.91

0.29

Tackles Won

0.92

1.06

Shots Blocked

0.23

0.10

Clearances

0.80

1.83

Carries

103.8

42.9

Finally, it is once again the former Porto star who comes out on top when comparing their underlying numbers.

For example, “the best midfielder in the world,” as dubbed by Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, comes out way ahead in crucial metrics such as progressive passes and carries, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions and shots blocked, all per 90.

In fact, the only metrics in which the Spaniard does better are some of the defensive ones, and even then, it’s not by a significant amount.

Ultimately, Zubimendi has been unreal for Arsenal so far this year, but if Vitinha is attainable, the club should do everything possible to bring him in.

Arsenal star set to miss North London Derby and will be last to return from injury

The Gunners have a long list of unavailable attackers.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 11, 2025

Chelsea’s brilliant run of results, which saw them beat the likes of Benfica, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, came to a screeching halt on Saturday afternoon.

Instead of picking up another Premier League win against the recently promoted Sunderland, Enzo Maresca’s side managed to lose 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Chemsedine Talbi.

What is most frustrating about the game, though, is that while the West Londoners were not anywhere near their best, they still had chances to win, taking seven shots on target to the Black Cats’ four.

Unfortunately, they just didn’t have their shooting boots on, although with the striker situation at the club, that is hardly surprising.

So, there is an argument that Maresca should look to drop Marc Guiu and start one of Cobham’s most exciting prospects, a striker compared to the legendary Didier Drogba.

1

Goals

2

68%

Possession

32%

16

Total Shots

10

7

Shots on Target

4

629

Passes

293

10

Shots in the Box

7

8

Tackles

14

Chelsea's striker situation

In the summer, Chelsea decided to sell Christopher Nkunku to AC Milan and João Félix to Al-Nassr, while also loaning out David Datro Fofana to Karagümrük and Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Now, while these weren’t necessarily bad moves for the club, they did only sign Joao Pedro and Liam Delap to replace the leaving players, and when the latter went down with a hamstring injury earlier this season, they were forced to recall Marc Guiu from his loan with Sunderland.

Moreover, while nobody can question Pedro’s ability, it has become increasingly clear that his best position is just behind another striker, either as an advanced ten or a classic second striker.

In other words, due to their business and the injury to the former Ipswich Town star, Maresca has been forced to either use Pedro out of his best position, start the young Tyrique George up top when he’s a natural winger, or, as he has done recently, play Guiu.

To give the former Barcelona gem his credit, he did score against Ajax in the Champions League, but against the Black Cats on Saturday, he was poor.

In fact, the Spaniard was so underwhelming that the Standard’s Sam Tabuteau gave him just a 4/10 match rating, writing that he showed ‘plenty of energy but not a lot of finesse.’

In short, Chelsea really need another option up top this season, and while it would be a risk, it looks like Cobham might have the player for them – a player compared to Drogba.

Chelsea's future Drogba

Now, it should really go without saying that comparing a youngster to Drogba is not something that should be done lightly.

After all, the Ivorian icon was one of the best strikers to ever play in the Premier League and is most certainly a massive Chelsea legend.

With that said, there is plenty of excitement building around 18-year-old Shim Mheuka, so much so that one analyst has made the bold comparison, calling him “the new Didier Drogba.”

So then, what makes him such an exceptional talent, and one worthy of a proper run in the first team?

Well, simply put, he is starting to look like a real goal machine and potentially one of “Cobham’s finest” prospects, per talent scout Jacek Kulig.

For example, despite being just 16 at the start of last season, he ended the campaign with 11 goals and three assists to his name, 30 appearances across the U18S and U21S.

Moreover, he also got a few run-outs in the first team, making five appearances totalling 118 minutes across the Conference League and Premier League.

Appearances

59

Goals

31

Assists

8

Goal Involvements per Match

0.66

This season, he has taken another leap forward, and as things stand, he has already scored ten goals and provided two assists in just ten appearances, totalling 883 minutes for the U21S and Youth League sides.

That works out to an average of 1.2 goal involvements every game, or one every 73.58 minutes, and if that’s still not enough, he has also racked up a tally of ten goals and three assists in 18 appearances for England’s U19S.

Ultimately, while it is still so early in his career, it is becoming increasingly clear that he is a lethal goalscorer, and while he might not reach the level of a Drogba, he might be able to have a significant impact on the team this season.

Chelsea now looking to sign "outstanding" £168k-a-week CB who's won 11 trophies

The Blues want to bring in a new defender, having struggled defensively at times this season.

ByDominic Lund Oct 27, 2025

The PCB confirmed that renewal offers, as well as new franchise fees, were sent to “all compliant PSL franchises”

Danyal Rasool14-Nov-2025Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen has not received an offer from the PSL to renew his ownership of the franchise. The PCB confirmed that renewal offers, as well as new franchise fees, were sent to “all compliant PSL franchises”. A Sultans representative confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they were not one of the franchises to receive such an offer.ESPNcricinfo has spoken to some franchises who confirmed they were sent renewal offers following a meeting between the PSL management and the owners, including Tareen, on Thursday. It is believed each of the other five franchises has been given the chance to extend their ownership, with the renewal valid for a further ten years. The Sultans representatives were invited to attend meetings concerning the scheduling and operations of the upcoming PSL, though Sultans believe they were not invited to meetings concerning financial discussions.A PSL representative declined to comment when asked if Sultans’ ownership did not receive a renewal offer owing to potential non-compliance.Related

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The long-running dispute between the PSL and Tareen spilled over into the open when Tareen publicly criticised the league in the build-up to its 10th edition for what he alleged was a lack of transparency and communication from the management. The criticism ramped up in the months that followed, and earlier this year, the PSL threatened to blacklist him unless he made a public apology.Following that threat going public, Tareen issued a taunting video apology to the management, in which he sarcastically apologised for “wanting to make the PSL better”. He ended the video by ripping up a copy of the notice the PCB had sent him.It appears evident that public “apology” is not regarded as such by the PCB. With all franchise rights up for renewal before the next season of the PSL, each franchise had the right of first refusal on renewing ownership. But the PCB had made clear to Tareen this only applied to franchises who were “compliant”, a standard they felt Tareen had fallen short of with his public critiques.According to a couple of franchises, they now have 10 days to respond to the renewal offers. All of them will have to consider paying increased annual franchise fees, at a minimum 25% more than what they pay now. Likely, with increased valuations, it will be 25% of the new value (whichever, ultimately, is higher).This year will also see the addition of two teams to the PSL. The PCB’s statement released a list of cities potential owners could name their new teams after. Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad, Faisalabad, Gilgit, and Rawalpindi are the new potential cities, from which two will be chosen.The new, eight-team PSL is scheduled to take place in April and May next year.

But squaring the series is a must as the best route to a good time in Australia has always been simple: winning

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Nov-20252:51

Ehantharajah: This defeat will hurt for England

You do not just come to Australia for the Ashes, you come for the heat.No amount of factor 50 can prepare an English soul for what it is like to be a cricketer under the full, scorching might of a country and its peoples hellbent on making you regret daring to harbour ambition on the way in. As the current England squad have realised early in this tour, the sun might be the most forgiving bit.English cricketers always love coming here, until the actual cricket ruins it, as per two of the 24 days they have just spent in Perth. For the best part of a day, and certainly at lunch on day two of the first Test at the Optus Stadium, leading by 99 with nine second-innings wickets still intact, there was nowhere else they’d rather be.That remains the case. England are only 1-0 down, genuine positives to hold dear even if the noise around them feels more like this is a campaign on the verge of derailing. They arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday a little more wary of the world around them, and certainly under no illusions that “playing Australia” is not simply about squaring up to an Australian Test team set to be reinforced by talismanic captain Pat Cummins.By all accounts, confidence remains high, if a little dented. And while the scale of the country was known to most of them before they touched down at the start of November, even with only five of the squad carrying previous Ashes tour experience, the focus upon them could not be clearer.Related

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• How the Gabba Test pitch will perform under lights

The lessons learned from the last three weeks are not limited to the perils of driving on the up outside off stump. Though Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes and Joe Root have spent the last couple of months publicly and privately bringing newbies up to speed on the attention they will garner, this has been a crash course in how confronting sporting Australiana can be.The front pages of the smirked at them at every venture to a coffee shop. The throngs of reporters and cameras at media events in the lead-up to the opening Test was, all told, full-on but welcome. Granted, some of the questioning jarred – on “moral victories” and Jonny Bairstow’s run-out two years ago – but all it did was confirm what they knew. This really was the series that matters most. Hold onto your butts.What the management could not prepare the players for was the relentlessness of it all. Even before England were thrashed by eight wickets, those – including Stokes – who hit the Joondalup Resort Golf Course were surprised to see cameras (and drones) waiting for them on the ninth hole. Television crews, having caught wind of the team’s plans, set themselves up on an adjoining public park to skirt any infringement on private property.The tourists and cameras rented at the same course on Monday, two days after the “shellshock” of Travis Head’s match-clinching century. Elsewhere, Jofra Archer and Shoaib Bashir were shot leaving an aquarium, a vision opportunity almost certainly tipped off by the former’s innocent Instagram story post.Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Harry Brook look bewildered as they leave the field in Perth•Getty ImagesThe cultural differences between cricket on either side of the globe matter here. English cricket is a different world, and much of that is down to Australia’s media landscape.For two months of an Ashes cycle, the game over here is so much more important, and that much more entrenched in the national consciousness, to an enviable degree. Talkback radio and TV news culture thrive. A case in point – crosses back to the east coast had reporters up and outside the Optus working from 3am on matchdays.The spare three days meant plenty of gaps to be filled and, increasingly, more damning assessments of the England team. The extremes of this all have made for morose and – and, cards on the table – at times entertaining filler.The Ashes brings out the America in Australia; every spot on the sporting discourse spectrum at least three deep. There are still four matches and about six weeks to go and we’re already at the “Philadelphia rage” stage, where minutes separate the extremes of febrile gloating and fevered critiques.Right now, the discourse is clear. Travis Head is father. Usman Khawaja is for the glue factory. Golf is for whiny losers, except when Australia do it, of course. Apart from you, Uzzie. England, by the way – trash. Bazball? Kids, avert your ears.Unfortunately for England, Brisbane might be the most Philadelphia in this corner of the globe. The shot to the forefront of English minds during the 2013-14 tour in their crusade against a certain “27-year-old medium-pace bowler” (Stuart Broad). Who knows what they have cooking leading up to the second Test at the Gabba, which kicks off next Thursday.

“These Big Bad Wolves and Babadooks dishing out regular hot takes presents a new challenge for a generation of cricketer often doomscrolling on Instagram”

Another fascinating dynamic unique to all this is the rise in ex-pro podcasts. Australia’s scene has been thriving for some time, but this might be the first Ashes series where their prevalence cannot be overlooked or undersold.Matthew Hayden’s headline-grabbing promise to waltz nude across the MCG if Root went hundred-less this series came via this medium, on All Over Bar The Cricket, which he hosts with former Australia team-mate Greg Blewett and former Sheffield Shield cricketer-turned media personality James Brayshaw. That Brad Haddin is joining TNT’s coverage for the second Test is in no small part due to his presence on the engaging Willow Talk Cricket Podcast, as one of three co-hosts alongside Adam Peacock and Australia Women stalwart Alyssa Healy.That’s not to ignore Haddin’s place as a prime rabbler of the English. But Australia overflows with main characters involved in previous English Ashes nightmares. And the presence of these Big Bad Wolves and Babadooks dishing out regular hot takes presents a new challenge for a generation of cricketer often doomscrolling on Instagram. It’s not the spiders in the mailboxes you have to worry about, it’s the Australian legends in the reels.Jofra Archer is interviewed on arrival at Perth international airport•Getty ImagesAnd so, at a time when Ashes battles are being fought on more frontiers than ever before, England need to find their happy realities. It is worth noting there is plenty of mid-ground here, even if England feel like they don’t have a footing in that either.The situation over the Canberra match against the Prime Minister’s XI is a great example of this space. Former Australian cricketers Stuart Law and Peter Siddle are two who have come out in the last few days to offer reasons why shunning Manuka Oval – and valuable pink ball experience – is understandable, given the lack of bounce this weekend will not prepare them adequately for the Gabba.It is a stance at odds with the mountains of ire on this topic, most of it from the UK. And as ever, the result of the second Test will govern truly how big a misstep it is. Losing the first Test gives them less wiggle room and it surely cannot be a great stretch to suggest playing cricket helps you get better at playing cricket.At the same time, there is an argument to be made that had most of the squad headed to Canberra – thus changing plans that have been in place since the home summer – it would have been a sign of panic.That might be the takeaway from all this: England are not panicking. Yet.They feel they did a lot right in Perth in terms of preparation and even in the Test, for half of day one and the first session of day two at least. Players trained hard and did not spend their spare time worrying about the optics. Their spare time was just that; fishing trips, visits to Rottnest Island and Cottesloe Beach and, yes, golf.Even the Lions combined work and pleasure by putting miles into their legs with a running exercise combined with a treasure hunt across Perth. De-stressing with one eye on how others might judge is stressful.The program for Brisbane is not all that different. They will enjoy the courses and various waters before locking back in from Saturday, starting with a morning session at Allan Border Field. Then comes four training sessions at the Gabba ahead of the Test, with Monday’s and Wednesday’s taking place at night for some invaluable work under lights.Keeping level is paramount. Squaring the series next week a must. The best route to a good time in Australia has always been simple – and that’s by winning.