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Even though he missed almost four months of action, it would be fair to say that Bukayo Saka was one of Arsenal’s best players this season.

It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise, though, as the Hale End superstar has been getting better seemingly year after year for some time now.

However, even so, his tally of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 appearances this year was nothing short of remarkable, and had he been fit for more of it, the Gunners might have run Liverpool a lot closer in the Premier League.

So, fans should be incredibly excited about recent reports linking Arsenal with a young wonderkid who’s been compared to the talismanic number seven.

Arsenal transfer news

Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at a couple of the other brilliant players linked with Arsenal in recent weeks and months, like Ademola Lookman and Karou Mitoma.

Transfer Focus

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

The former could be available for around £55m this summer and would be a great addition to the Gunners’ squad, as in 40 appearances for Atalanta this season, he has scored 20 goals and provided seven assists.

Mitoma, on the other hand, could end up costing as much as £80m, and with a tally of 11 goals and four assists in 41 games, he might be less appealing of a target, even though he’s tried and tested in the Premier League.

However, neither of these wingers can be classed as a young up-and-coming wonderkid like Kenan Yıldız.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are now interested in the tremendously exciting Juventus gem.

Interestingly, the report reveals that much of this interest stems from the soon-to-be-hired Matteo Tognozzi, who was a scout at the Old Lady and was the man who discovered the talented Turkish ace.

However, if the Gunners are to get their man, they’ll likely have to match the Italian giant’s asking price of up to €80m, which converts to about £68m.

It would be a lot to spend on someone so young, but given Yıldız’s immense ability and potential, this is a transfer worth fighting for, especially as he’s been compared to Saka before.

How Yıldız compares to Saka

So, before we get into some of the other reasons Arsenal should be signing Yıldız this summer, it’s important to examine this comparison to Saka and where it has come from.

Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which looked at players in similar positions in last summer’s European Championships, before creating a list of the ten most comparable players.

By doing this, it concluded that the Englishman was the third most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Turkish wonderkid in the entire competition.

Expected Assists

0.11

0.11

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.20

0.20

Passing Accuracy

83.65%

83.8%

Shot-Creating Actions

3.65

3.30

Goal-Creating actions

0.26

0.47

Tackles Won

0.53

0.57

Blocks

1.05

1.00

The best way to see how this is worked out is by taking a look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, expected assists, tackles won, blocks, passing accuracy and more, all per 90.

However, while a comparison to someone as brilliantly talented as the Englishman is certainly encouraging, it’s not the only reason the Gunners should be looking to sign the young Juve ace.

For example, the “special talent,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, can play almost anywhere in attack, from both wings to attacking midfield and even up top.

Moreover, despite being 19 for most of this season, the Regensburg-born prospect scored seven goals and provided five assists in 35 appearances, which comes out to a pretty decent average of a goal involvement every 2.91 games for someone so young.

Ultimately, while it would be a lot of money, Yıldız looks like he could be one of football’s next great stars, and for that reason, Arsenal should do what they can to sign him – the comparison to Saka is a nice bonus.

A hybrid between Gabriel & Saliba: Arsenal join the race to sign £68m star

Arsenal could sign a defender who’s like Gabriel and William Saliba.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 12, 2025

This isn’t the summer for sagas. Manchester United need to get things done quickly this time around, with far too many transfer windows having descended into chaos and deadline day desperation.

Thankfully, for Ruben Amorim’s sake, it would appear that the club are keen to get their business done early, with Premier League duo Liam Delap and Matheus Cunha having been identified as leading early targets.

In the case of Cunha, the Brazilian appears to be edging ever closer to agreeing on a move to Old Trafford, with the 25-year-old having enjoyed a fine campaign after netting 15 times in the league alone.

Formerly of RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid, among others, the £62.5m star has adapted nicely to English football in recent seasons, with 42 goals and assists to his name in just 80 Premier League appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Signing a ready-made, proven talent like Cunha could help to buck United’s recent trend of looking abroad – and in the Eredivisie especially – for new signings, with Amorim in desperate need of players who can make an immediate impact from the get-go.

Cunha would then be ideal in that regard, although that’s not to say every summer move has to be with a Premier League focus…

Man Utd's search for a forward

Aside from incomings, there will also be a keen eye on potential outgoings from Old Trafford, with a worst-case scenario likely to be the departure of influential skipper, Bruno Fernandes, amid interest from Saudi Arabia.

According to Football Transfers, if the Portuguese hero does opt to seal a shock move away from the club to join Al-Hilal, among other suitors, the Red Devils have lined up a potential replacement in the form of Athletic Club star, Oihan Sancet.

As per the report, while negotiations haven’t started regarding a move for the 25-year-old, it is claimed that internal talks have been held in Manchester, with Amorim a ‘huge admirer’.

Transfer Focus

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

The in-form Spaniard – who missed both legs of the recent Europa League semi-final meeting due to injury – does still have seven years left to run on his existing deal in Bilbao, ensuring it would not be easy to prise him away from the LaLiga outfit.

Indeed, the report adds that Sancet would cost in the region of €80m (£67m), amid the presence of a release clause in his contract, with it yet to be seen whether INEOS will firm up that interest, should Fernandes depart.

Even if the United captain does stay put, there is an argument that Sancet could represent a worthy alternative to Cunha if required, with the Athletic man just as big of a talent.

How Oihan Sancet compares to Cunha

As noted previously, it has been a fine season for Cunha to date, with the wantaway star netting 15 goals in the top-flight for the Old Gold, alongside a further two goals in the FA Cup.

Sancet, meanwhile, has also matched that tally of 17 goals in all competitions, having scored twice in the Europa League, while also netting 15 goals in Spain’s top-flight from his advanced midfield role.

As noted by analyst Ben Mattinson, he is a “box-crashing” talent in that almost second-striker role, showcasing “striker-like instincts” that could make him perfect for one of Amorim’s two number ten berths.

Something of a Scott McTominay in that regard, perhaps, Sancet has also been described by Mattinson as “one of the most underrated players in Europe” right now, further evidence of just what a talent he is.

As indicated in the table below too, while Cunha provides a greater creative spark, it is Sancet who is the bigger goal threat. Indeed, his 15 goals have come despite making only 18 LaLiga starts this season.

Cunha vs Sancet – 24/25 League stats
Stat (*per game)	Cunha	Sancet
Games (starts)	31 (28)	26 (18)
Goals	15	15
Goal frequency	166min	100min
Big chances missed	2	5
Big chances created	13	1
Assists	6	1
Key passes*	1.8	0.7
Pass accuracy*	79%	84%
Total duels won*	46%	40%
Aerial duels won*	26%	48%
Possession lost*	15.7	8.4
Stats via Sofascore

It could be argued that for a side who have now failed to score in 14 Premier League games in 2024/25, United are desperately in need of that type of clinical presence in front of goal, with Sancet’s goal return of one every 100 minutes certainly a reason for encouragement.

What also stands out is that the 6 foot 2 ace is also far less erratic on the ball, as indicated by his pass accuracy rate and possession lost count, with potentially a calm head needed to counterbalance the maverick talents of the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo.

Of course, it would appear that Sancet will only be considered if Fernandes departs, although there is an argument to be made that he might actually be a dream alternative to Cunha, should that deal hit the skids.

He'd be Bruno's new Rashford: Man Utd lead race for "unplayable" £60m star

Man Utd need to revive Ruben Amorim’s struggling squad this summer…

By
Robbie Walls

May 13, 2025

Crystal Palace have now emerged as dark horses to sign a “future Ballon d’Or winner” as a possible replacement for Eberechi Eze this summer, according to a report.

Eze's future at Selhurst Park in doubt

Eze has once again been very impressive in a Palace shirt this season, picking up four goals and eight assists in the Premier League, while he also played a major role in the 3-0 FA Cup semi-final victory over Aston Villa, scoring the opening goal in the rout.

As such, the England international is now starting to attract widespread attention from elsewhere, with Premier League rivals Liverpool recently being named as the frontrunners for his signature.

There could be fierce competition for the 26-year-old, however, with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur also in the race, and there is a feeling he could be “open” to a move to north London.

Would cost £0: Crystal Palace now open talks to sign versatile 6'4 colossus

The Eagles have made contact over a move for a defender, who is capable of playing in five positions.

ByDominic Lund Apr 24, 2025

With Eze contracted until 2027, it remains to be seen whether the Eagles are willing to sanction his departure this summer, particularly considering Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Adam Wharton are also attracting interest.

However, should Palace decide to cash-in, they will need to bring in a replacement, and a report from Caught Offside has now revealed they are now emerging as dark horses to sign Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki.

Cherki is being targeted by a number of Europe’s top clubs, with Lyon prepared to let him leave for a fee of €30m – €35m (£25m – £30m) this summer, which is viewed as a bargain sum by a number of the potential suitors.

With the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham also in the picture, it may be difficult for Oliver Glasner’s side win the race, but the Lyon star is keen on a move to the Premier League this summer.

"Genius" Cherki could be "future Ballon d'Or winner"

French journalist Julien Laurens is a big fan of the young Frenchman previously lauding him as a “genius” after performing a remarkable roulette during Lyon’s 3-1 victory against AS Monaco.

The 21-year-old broke into the Lyon team at a very young age, making a total of 27 appearances in the 2020-21 campaign, but this season has been by far his best to date, picking up 12 goals and 19 assists in all competitions.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Ligue 1

27

8

10

Europa League

12

4

8

Coupe de France

2

0

1

Having also been described as a potential “future Ballon d’Or winner”, there is every indication that Cherki could be a real coup for Palace, but it may be incredibly difficult to compete with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in the race for his signature.

Kusal Perera, with just four appearances, gets a mention

Danyal Rasool27-May-2025Sahibzada Farhan (Islamabad United)449 runs, 37.41 average, 152.20 strike rate, one hundred, three fifties
Coming off a prolific domestic season, Sahibzada Farhan carried his form into the PSL. A scintillating 52-ball 106 in the second game forewarned of his ascent into one of the league’s elite openers, and he continued that hot streak right through the competition. Three further half-centuries made him the highest run-scorer of the tournament, and gave United devastating power up top.Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars)439 runs, 33.76 average, 152.96 strike rate, four fifties
Injuries, age, discontent, talk of retirement plagued his arrival into the tournament. Vintage Fakhar Zaman came out the other end. Second-highest run-getter in the tournament, his fire-starting was absolutely essential to Qalandars’ triumph (and a reminder to Pakistan of his evergreen value).Related

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Kusal Perera (wk) (Lahore Qalandars)170 runs, 56.66 average, 173.46 strike rate, two fifties
That he makes this list after playing just four games is testament to the outsized impact Kusal Perera had on Qalandars’ title charge. Drafted in as a replacement when the league resumed after a brief suspension, the Sri Lankan played four must-win matches, contributing valuable high-impact runs in each of them. It culminated in a 35-ball 61 in the second qualifier, followed by an unbeaten 31-ball 62 in the final, where he was awarded the Player of the Match as Qalandars lifted the trophy.Hasan Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators)399 runs, 57.00 average, 162.19 strike rate, one hundred, three fifties
Hasan Nawaz was boom or bust in his debut international series against New Zealand, one century complemented by just one run in the other four innings. He found frightening consistency in the second half of the PSL with Gladiators, though, smashing 313 runs in his final five games for just two dismissals. It included an unbeaten 45-ball 100 against United, a last-ball six to ace a chase against Multan Sultans, and a 43-ball 76 in the final.Shadab Khan made an impact with bat and ball•PCBShadab Khan (Islamabad United)173 runs, 24.71 batting average, 155.85 strike rate, 14 wickets, 16.57 bowling average, 7.9 econ
It was an unspectacular, low-profile but high-performance season for the United captain. Shadab Khan will be disappointed with his team tailing off after an electric start but happy that he seems to be returning to more solid form with the ball.Sikandar Raza (Lahore Qalandars)254 runs, 42.33 batting average, 169.33 strike rate, 10 wickets, 17.2 bowling average, 7.75 econ
Another one of Qalandars’ MVPs, Sikandar Raza’s commitment to the campaign was illustrated best by his journey to the final. But he made an all-round impact through the season, in important wins against United, in games against Sultans and, of course, most memorably in the final.Jason Holder (Islamabad United)15 wickets, economy rate 9.36, two four-wicket hauls, 69 runs, batting average 34.50, strike rate 164.28
Perhaps things would have been different for United if Jason Holder had been available for the playoffs, because he was unstoppable for the first two-thirds of the tournament. His ability to take wickets, particularly through the middle and later stages of an innings, proved handy for the defending champions time and again, and he was far and away the leading wicket-taker until the league was suspended.Faheem Ashraf was a late pick in the draft, but showed his worth for Quetta Gladiators•PCBFaheem Ashraf (Quetta Gladiators)17 wickets, economy rate 11.19, one four-wicket haul, one five-wicket haul, 163 runs, strike rate 155.23
Faheem Ashraf’s star appeared to be fading before this tournament, but his late pick at the draft by Gladiators proved a masterstroke. While extremely expensive, his effect on the side was measured in moments, and his knack of taking wickets in clumps put him close to the top of the wickets charts; only Shaheen Shah Afridi took more. Towards the tail-end of the tournament, he’d found his hitting range too, a couple of blistering cameos helping propel Gladiators to the final, where another high-impact knock took them to within touching distance of glory.Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt, Lahore Qalandars)19 wickets, 16.42 average, 7.76 econ
Clutch much? Ten of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 19 season-topping wickets came in the last four games, including breathtaking opening spells back-to-back in the second qualifier and then the final. A third PSL triumph as captain and one knockout retort to the critics and sceptics.Abrar Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators)17 wickets, 19.23 average, 7.34 econ
The league’s best spinner by some distance and one of only two specialist spinners in the top ten wicket-takers. This was arguably the most assured version of Abrar Ahmed we’ve seen. Difficult to get away, never easily read, always a wicket-taking threat.Luke Wood (Peshawar Zalmi)11 wickets, average 18.90, economy rate 7.13
In a phenomenally high-scoring season, Zalmi’s Luke Wood found a way to keep batters on a leash. In all phases of the innings, his canny variations backed up by a truly quick stock delivery, made him devilishly hard to put away. No bowler in the league was more economical, and he often had little support from the other end. In a must-win game against Karachi Kings, Zalmi conceded 237; Wood’s figures read 4-0-19-2.

An extended scouting network, a new main allrounder, and pizza dinners are part of their roadmap as they look to get back to winning ways in 2023

Deivarayan Muthu12-Aug-2023With two titles in the past two years in the Caribbean – the 2021 CPL and the 2022 6IXTY – St Kitts & Nevis Patriots emerged as a force that could challenge serial CPL winners Trinbago Knight Riders. But with Dwayne Bravo, who had led them to that CPL title, now returning to his home franchise for this season – and Chris Gayle not in action – they are on a mission to rebuild the side with the same-old vision of winning titles.Ambati Rayudu, who recently retired from international cricket, has signed with Patriots as their marquee player, replacing South African allrounder Tristan Stubbs. Rayudu brings with him the experience of having played over 100 IPL games and won six IPL titles – the most, along with Rohit Sharma. He will join Malolan Rangarajan, the former assistant coach at Patriots who has now been promoted to head coach, replacing Simon Helmot. This is Malolan’s first stint as head coach in a T20 league but having already worked with the franchise for three years as a strategist and assistant coach, he has earned the trust of the Patriots players and the rest of the staff. He has also been part of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s support staff in the IPL.In the lead-up to the 2021 CPL, allrounder Dominic Drakes was injured and around the same time, he had to deal with the passing of someone close to him. But Malolan and Co sat down with Drakes and created a “family-like” team environment that enabled honest conversations. He ended up hitting the winning runs in the final to give Patriots their first title.Related

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Drakes, now Patriots’ main allrounder in the absence of Bravo, counts such a team environment as one of the franchise’s strengths as they prepare for the new season starting August 17.”Normally when you change a head coach, it can be a bit challenging, in terms of getting the players together,” Drakes tells ESPNcricinfo. “But Malo was here before as the assistant coach when we won, and it doesn’t feel like a big change. He was always there for the players and feels like family, so I don’t think it makes a big difference as players are used to working with him.”In all the teams, even up to date, I don’t think I’ve ever been in an environment that has been so relaxed like St Kitts. Everyone felt comfortable and that they were part of something bigger than themselves. We don’t have too many superstars in the dressing room, which is good. Anyone can have a chat with anyone at any time. It’s always good to have a situation where you feel welcome.”Having worked on his fitness and having played franchise cricket all around the world, including for Birmingham Bears last month in the T20 Blast in the UK, Drakes backs himself to bowl the tough overs, this time without Bravo.”The body is feeling good. It’s just old age (laughs), but the body feels very good at this point,” says Drakes, who missed last year’s CPL due to injury. “Bravo had a very strong influence on us and on me, for sure. He helped me a lot and passed on a lot of knowledge, so looking forward to using it on my own this year. I’m not putting pressure on myself. I think the last I played with Bravo was at the T10 and I haven’t played a lot of cricket [along with him] in the last 18 months.

“In a league where there are three IPL teams, for a non-IPL team to be the first to conduct a talent scouting camp and to have a development squad in the CPL, full marks to our owner and our management”TA Adhishwar, Patriots’ director of cricket

“Playing in the UK at the Blast was a massive help. It was a different world. When you’re playing in the CPL, you don’t have as much pressure as an overseas pro. They always look forward to the overseas pro to do well. It gives you the mentality to be there in the pressure situation, so you can take that calmness and experience going into international cricket and local franchise cricket.”Local fast bowler Oshane Thomas, who was traded in from Barbados Royals, and Afghanistan wristspinner Izharulhaq Naveed, who was signed at the draft, are among the new faces in the Patriots side for this season’s CPL. Thomas is fit again and is back to hitting speeds north of 145kph while Naveed has a deceptively quick wrong’un in his repertoire, a skill that had caught Malolan’s attention when Naveed was a net bowler at RCB in the IPL. Malolan said that the squad was constructed with a sharp focus on the batting-friendly conditions at Warner Park, where Patriots will play four of their ten league matches.”Warner Park is nothing like Chinnaswamy, if you ask me,” Malolan says. “The scores can be quite identical, higher altitude so on and so forth…But Warner Park under lights is a batting paradise and the wind plays a huge, huge factor. Day games feel like you’re playing at one venue and night games feel like you’re playing in a different venue.”Most of players we have retained and [those who have] come in like Oshane have some sort of experience playing at Warner Park. We have enough experience to understand what the conditions are there – how early you go into bowling death at Warner Park, which type of bowler to attack, how to hit into the wind and against it, small details like that. If you hit high into the air, you’re gone, you’re better off hitting flat into the wind.”Patriots had a forgettable CPL last year, when they finished second from last in the six-team league. After that season, the team management cast their scouting nets wider and set up a first-of-a kind player development camp in the CPL in April this year. Allrounder Kofi James, who had also impressed in a local Antigua T20 tournament, is among the products of Patriots’ extensive scouting.Patriots finished fifth in last year’s CPL•Ashley Allen/CPL T20/Getty Images”St Kitts is not a big island,” TA Adhishwar, the director of cricket at Patriots, says. “If you see the kind of diversity in the West Indies national team, there are a lot of players from Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica. These three are the bigger islands which have a clear cricketing structure in place whereas St Kitts doesn’t have as much.”In the second-third year of a cycle, it’s difficult to get quality talent through a common recruitment process – be it an IPL auction or a CPL draft. The only way we can identify new talent was to go through guys who are undrafted and paying attention from grassroots cricket upwards. So we did a lot of talent scouting right from the Under-16s in the Caribbean to going up to senior cricketers. In a league where there are three IPL teams, for a non-IPL team to be the first to conduct a talent scouting camp and to have a development squad in the CPL, full marks to our owner Mahesh [Ramani] and our management.”For both Adhishwar and Malolan, the off-field activities and team bonding are as important as the on-field action.”It’s not just about creating facilities on the field, it’s also about creating that environment off the field,” Malolan says. “Dominic was one of those cricketers with whom I was able to connect, funnily off the field regarding on-field activities. He wanted to talk more about his bowling, then we met over pizza. Me, him, and Joshua Da Silva have this pizza dinner usually during the CPL. Things like that are going to be very important and I don’t think it’s any different to someone who has a nine-to-six job, and someone who is not comfortable there will put in their papers.”With Sherfane Rutherford, fresh from winning the Global T20 Canada, and with Evin Lewis coming into the CPL on the back of making the knockouts of the Zimbabwe Afro T10 league, Drakes believes that Patriots can do the three-peat this CPL.”I think we still see ourselves as champions,” Drakes says. “Winning two out of three cups in the last two years, I think anyone would take that. We didn’t have a really good showing last year [in the CPL], but if anything, we always have the belief to bounce back. Evin is in good form, Rutherford is in good form, and I think overall we’re in a good space to challenge for the title once again.”Having drifted away from West Indies’ T20I radar, Drakes, Lewis and Rutherford all have a point to prove. Impactful performances in the CPL could potentially put the trio back in West Indies’ plans ahead of a home T20 World Cup next year. They have everything to play for in this CPL.

And where does Chris Cooke’s unbeaten 205 figure in the list of highest scores by a wicketkeeper-captain?

Steven Lynch28-Sep-2021Apparently Ollie Pope was averaging 100 at The Oval before he was out cheaply in the Test against India. What is his average there now? asked Richard Walker from England

Surrey and England’s Ollie Pope was averaging 100.71 on his home ground at The Oval before the recent Test against India, when he made 81 and 2, which reduced his average to 93.31. A subsequent Championship match there against Essex produced scores of 5 and 27 not out (the average was now 89.70), which meant Pope went into the last innings of the season – against Glamorgan last week – needing to make 275 (or 175 not out) to get his Oval average back into three figures. And he very nearly managed it: when he became part-timer Hamish Rutherford’s maiden first-class victim on the final day, he had scored 274 – one short of the magic number. It left him with the Bradmanesque average of 99.94 at The Oval.Only five men have managed a three-figure average on a single ground, given as many as Pope’s 18 completed innings. New Zealand’s Devon Conway currently averages 103.07 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, while that man Don Bradman averaged 103.17 in Melbourne. Vijay Merchant scored 5060 runs at 105.41 at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay, while George Headley averaged 105.42 at Melbourne Park in Kingston, Jamaica. But the overall leader is something of a surprise: India’s Ashok Mankad averaged 106.30 at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay, with 12 centuries (including two doubles) from 37 innings, 14 of them not out.What’s the highest score by someone in their first IPL match? asked Muammar Ahmed from India

The highest debut score came on the very first night of the IPL, back in April 2008, when Brendon McCullum smashed 158 not out, from 73 balls with 13 sixes, for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru. It remains the second-highest score in the IPL, behind Chris Gayle’s 175 not out (66 balls, 17 sixes) for RCB against Pune Warriors, also in Bengaluru, in April 2013.The only other debut century was by Michael Hussey, with 116 not out for Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali in April 2008. That was also in the inaugural season of the IPL, when obviously many players made their debuts: other notable scores came from Shaun Marsh (84), James Hopes and Graeme Smith (71), Swapnil Asnodkar (60) and Gautam Gambhir (58).If we leave aside that initial season, the highest first-up scores since have been Owais Shah’s 58 not out for KKR against Deccan Chargers in Mumbai in March 2010, Devdutt Padikkal’s 56 for RCB against Sunrisers in Dubai in September 2020, and Ambati Rayudu’s 55 for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai in March 2010, the day after Shah’s knock.The best bowling figures on debut are also the best in IPL history: the West Indian fast bowler Alzarri Joseph’s 6 for 12 for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers in Hyderabad in April 2019. Oddly, Joseph has so far played only two more IPL games – and failed to take a wicket in either of them. In the last, a week after his stunning debut, his three overs against Rajasthan Royals disappeared for 53.Where does Chris Cooke’s unbeaten 205 come in the list of highest scores by a wicketkeeper-captain? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England

Glamorgan’s captain – and wicketkeeper – Chris Cooke made a career-best undefeated 205 in a run fest against Surrey at The Oval last week, in the final round of 2021 County Championship matches. Meritorious as it was, Cooke’s innings is a little way down the list of the highest scores by keeper-captains, which is headed by the Australian Billy Murdoch, who made 321 for New South Wales against Victoria in Sydney in 1881-82. The only higher score than Cooke’s in the Championship is 266, by Dane Vilas for Lancashire against Glamorgan – captained, as it happened, by Cooke – in Colwyn Bay in 2019.The Test record is 224, by India’s MS Dhoni, against Australia in Chennai in 2012-13. The only other Test double-century by a keeper-captain came only a few days later, when Mushfiqur Rahim hit 200 for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in Galle. There have been only 14 other hundreds: for the list, click here.Ollie Pope’s current average at The Oval, after his last innings against Glamorgan, is 99.94•Getty Images for Surrey CCCHow many men have been run out for 99 in a Test? asked Raju Suresh from India

Sixteen men have now suffered this fate in a Test. The first was the Australian opener Bill Brown, against India in Melbourne in 1947-48 (this was not one of the occasions he was famously run out at the bowler’s end). And the most recent instance involved another Australian, Shaun Marsh, also against India in Melbourne, in 2014-15. It’s also happened five times in one-day internationals.Rikki Clarke, who has just retired, played his last Test match as long ago as 2003. Has anyone played on longer in first-class cricket after their final Test? asked Mick O’Brien from England

The long-serving Surrey allrounder Rikki Clarke, who has retired just short of his 40th birthday, played two Tests for England, against Bangladesh in 2003-04. He signed off with 55 in the second match, in Chittagong (now Chattogram).Clarke played on for almost 18 years after his final Test, which is especially notable as he was a county regular for all the remaining time. There are around 40 men with longer apres-Test careers, but few of them were regular players by the end. One such was Warwickshire’s Willie Quaife, who played his last Test in 1901-02, but carried on at county level until 1928, when he was 56 (he scored a century in his only match, after a full season in 1927). Two others have longer spans: Lord Harris captained England in his fourth and final Test, against Australia at The Oval in 1884, and turned out for Kent against the Indian tourists at Catford 27 years later in 1911, aged 60 – but he had not played regular county cricket since the mid-1880s.The overall leader is the legendary Indian CK Nayudu, whose last Test was at The Oval in August 1936: he played a first-class match well over 27 years later, in Nagpur in November 1963, not long after his 68th birthday; he had been a Ranji Trophy regular until 1956-57, when he was 61.Clarke’s last match was the run-soaked encounter mentioned above, against Glamorgan at The Oval. Showing a wry sense of humour, Clarke tweeted after the second day, having fielded through Glamorgan’s total of 672: “Didn’t have 177 overs in the dirt planned for my last game.”Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

José Caballero leads Major League Baseball with 41 stolen bases and after seeing how easy his latest theft was, you'll understand why.

Caballero was on first based after earning a two-out walk from Nationals reliever Clayton Beeter in the bottom of the seventh on Tuesday night. After watching Beeter throw three pitches to Trent Grisham he took off.

He got such an incredible jump that he actually made it all the way to second before Beeter even threw the pitch. Video of the play barely looks real. What must have been going through first baseman Josh Bell's mind as he pointed at Caballero running to second?

The only way we can tell for certain that the footage wasn't doctored is the combination of the box score and the laughter of the announcers as they watched it happen.

After the game, manager Aaron Boone called his jump on this play, "elite" and joked about his pace maker.

Caballero was aquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline. He has now appeared in 17 games for the team.

Former England seamer extends commitment to long-term club as he takes over four-day reins

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2025

James Anderson will captain Lancashire on a full-time basis•Getty Images

James Anderson will be taking on a new responsibility in his 44th year next summer, after being appointed as Lancashire’s full-time captain for their County Championship campaign.Anderson, 43, stepped in as an interim captain on two occasions during Lancashire’s 2025 campaign, but has now been named as their permanent four-day captain, following the resignation of Keaton Jennings in May last year.Despite retiring from Test cricket in July 2024 with an England record 704 Test wickets to his name, and subsequently being conferred a knighthood, Anderson has shown no sign of winding up a Lancashire career that began as a teenager in 2002. In last year’s Championship campaign, he claimed 17 first-class wickets at 25.94 in six appearances.Jennings will stay on as captain for the Vitality Blast – a format in which Anderson excelled in 2025, claiming 20 wickets at 16.10 in the club’s progression to Finals Day – while Josh Bohannon will remain as the club vice-captain following his appointment to the role in 2024.”Captaining Lancashire for the first time last season was a huge privilege, and I’m honoured to take on the role full-time heading into the new season,” Anderson said.”We’ve got a fantastic group of players, a great blend of youth and experience, and I’m excited about what we can achieve together with promotion back to Division One our number one priority.”Lancashire’s disappointing Championship season in 2025 created significant upheaval within the club, with head coach Dale Benkenstein also paying the price for their failure to push for a return to the top flight.Steven Croft, the Lancashire veteran who retired at the end of 2024, was subsequently appointed as head coach, and has invested his faith in his long-term former team-mate.”I’m grateful for the support from Crofty, and from my teammates,” Anderson added, “and I’m looking forward to leading the side into the new County Championship season in April.”Croft added: “Jimmy is an outstanding leader whose influence on the squad is immense. His experience in cricket is second to none, and the way he stepped into the captaincy during the second half of last season showed exactly why he’s the right person for the job.”He also leads the way with his performances on the field and his commitment and dedication to training and living the right lifestyle sets the perfect standard for the rest of the dressing room.”With Jimmy as captain and Josh continuing as vice-captain, we have a strong, stable leadership team that will drive our ambitions in the County Championship next season.”Lancashire open their Championship campaign away to Northamptonshire on Friday, April 3, before facing Derbyshire at Emirates Old Trafford the following week.

كشفت تقارير صحفية أن نجم ريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، مستعد لخطوة جريئة في إطار مستقبله مع بطل الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، بعد التصريحات النارية التي أدلى بها قبل أيام.

كان محمد صلاح قد صب غضبه على إدارة ليفربول والمدرب آرني سلوت، في تصريحات نارية يوم السبت الماضي، بعد تهميشه من جانب المدير الفني الهولندي في 3 مباريات متتالية.

وانتشرت التكهنات منذ ذلك الوقت حول مستقبل محمد صلاح، حيث يمتلك عقدًا ساريًا مع ليفربول حتى يونيو 2027، وأفادت تقارير صحفية بأن إدارة النادي لا تفكر في مسألة بيعه في يناير المقبل.

على العكس من ذلك، ذكرت شبكة “teamtalk” الإنجليزية أن ممثلي محمد صلاح مستعدون لطلب فسخ عقده بالتراضي مع ليفربول، ربما في يناير القادم، بينما من المتوقع وصول عرض مذهل قريبًا لصاحب الـ33 عامًا.

وأوضحت أنه رغم التوقيع على أكبر عقد في تاريخ ليفربول، في أبريل الماضي، مقابل 400 ألف جنيه إسترليني أسبوعيًا، يبدو الانفصال بين الطرفين، بعد أكثر من 6 أشهر، أمرًا واردًا بعد هجوم محمد صلاح المفاجئ مؤخرًا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كاراجر يقسو على محمد صلاح: لم تفز بأي بطولة مع مصر.. وليفربول جعل منك نجمًا

وأفادت بأنه بينما لا يغلق سلوت الباب أمام عودة محمد صلاح إلى الفريق، ويبدو أنه ترك الباب مفتوحًا لعودته قبل مباراة الدوري الإنجليزي ضد برايتون في أنفيلد، فإن ليفربول يتصارع داخليًا مع قضية صعبة للغاية خلف الأبواب المغلقة.

وحاول النادي في البداية التقليل من شأن التكهنات حول محمد صلاح، وأجرى محادثات مطولة مساء السبت والأحد قبل اتخاذ قرار باستبعاده من التشكيلة التي سافرت لمواجهة إنتر ميلان يوم الثلاثاء، لكن مصادر مقربة من معسكره أخبرت الشبكة نفسها أن الأسطورة المصري لا يشعر بمستقبله في الفريق.

وأشارت إلى أن المصادر أكدت أن محمد صلاح يصر على كون الأمر لا يتعلق بالمال، وأنه منفتح تمامًا على مغادرة ليفربول حال التوصل إلى اتفاق.

ويجب التأكيد على أنه لم يُذكر أي شيء يشير إلى أن ليفربول، سيكون مستعدًا بالفعل لقبول رحيله في يناير، ويظل ريتشارد هيوز، رئيس مجلس إدارة ليفربول التنفيذي والمدير الرياضي للنادي، مالكي النادي، على اطلاع دائم بالوضع.

كما يتواصل الطرفان باستمرار في إطار علاقتهما العملية، مع التأكيد على كون موضوع محمد صلاح هو بلا شك القضية المُلحة.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario did not enjoy his best evening in North London during the team’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.

It was his significant error when trying to clear the ball near the corner flag that ultimately lost the Lilywhites the match, as Harry Wilson’s long-range finish turned out to be the winning goal.

Per Sofascore, Vicario had 30 touches of the ball and conceded two goals from three shots whilst making one error that directly led to a goal for the Cottagers, which was the error in the clip above.

Whilst it was a disappointing display from the Italy international between the sticks, Thomas Frank’s goalkeeper was merely one of a number of poor performers on the night.

Ranking Tottenham's worst performers against Fulham

Vicario, because of the nature of his error and the fact that he only made one save, was the team’s worst performer on the night. It is hard to get away from that conclusion.

Destiny Udogie, though, rivalled him with a disappointing showing. The Italian full-back lost four of his five ground duels, per Sofascore, and deflected Fulham’s opener past his goalkeeper as he failed to block Kenny Tete’s shot from distance.

Ranking Tottenham’s worst performers vs Fulham

Rank

Player

1

Guglielmo Vicario

2

Destiny Udogie

3

Richarlison

4

Pedro Porro

5

Archie Gray

As you can see in the table above, Archie Gray, who won one of his four duels in 60 minutes on the pitch, and Pedro Porro, who was bailed out by Micky van de Ven after a Vicario-esque error, were also among the worst performers for Spurs.

Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall, who linked up for a brilliant goal in the second half, were the only players who did anything of note offensively for the Lilywhites as they looked to get back into the match.

That is why Richarlison was also among the worst performers on the night for Spurs, as the Brazil international is becoming the new Roberto Soldado in North London.

Why Thomas Frank must drop Richarlison

The Spurs boss must ruthlessly bin the former Everton centre-forward from the starting line-up for the trip to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United on Tuesday night, due to his dismal showing on Saturday.

Per Sofascore, the Brazilian forward failed to register a single shot on goal from his 21 touches of the ball, fewer touches than Vicario had in goal, and he did not create a single chance for his teammates.

Richarlison has scored six goals in 21 appearances in all competitions this season, including some stunning strikes like the ones against Burnley and Arsenal, but that is still an underwhelming return for the money that was once spent on him.

Tottenham paid a whopping £60m to sign the striker from Everton in 2022, which made him the club’s most expensive striker signing since they broke their transfer record to sign Roberto Soldado from Valencia for £26m in 2013.

The Spanish marksman scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists in 76 appearances, per Transfermarkt, which worked out as a goal contribution every 2.8 games on average. That was a solid return in front of goal on paper for the attacker, but it was not worth the club-record transfer fee.

Spurs career

Richarlison

Soldado

Games

111

76

Goals

26

16

Games per goal

4.3

4.8

Assists

12

11

Games per assist

9.3

6.9

Games per G/A

2.9

2.8

Stats via Transfermarkt

As shown in the statistics above, Richarlison currently has a worse goals per goal contribution rate in his Tottenham career than Soldado managed during his time in North London.

This speaks to how underwhelming the £60m signing has been on the whole for Spurs, even if he has had his moments of magic, which is why the Lilywhites should be looking for a long-term replacement in the number nine position.

With this in mind, Frank should give Randal Kolo Muani, who scored twice against PSG in the Champions League, a run of matches as a lone centre-forward to see how he fares in that role.

Related Tottenham looking to offload Spurs regular in January, Frank doesn't want him

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