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Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United dynasty went down like a lead balloon after the legendary manager called it a day back in 2013.

Nothing can take away the incredible, matchless success that the Scotsman forged down at the Theatre of Dreams over so many years, but United have never quite been the same since, still searching for their first Premier League and Champions League titles in this post-Fergie world.

A revolutionary, one of the greatest managers in the history of football, Sir Alex will have been among those to have smirked on Sunday evening, when that glorious final whistle rang across Anfield and it was confirmed: the Red Devils had beaten Liverpool in their own backyard.

Ruben Amorim’s had it tough since replacing Erik ten Hag in 2024, but this was a staggering achievement, with the summer signings coming together and producing strong showings on Merseyside.

This new batch of talent might just have the minerals to turn things around at Old Trafford, and if United wish to return to even the outer reaches of their former glory, they will need to start pulling off consistent transfer success in a similar vein to Ferguson in his heyday.

Ranking Fergie's greatest Man United signings

How could we start anywhere other than with Cristiano Ronaldo? One of football’s greatest players, CR7 arrived as a boy from Sporting Lisbon in 2004, for a £12m fee, before growing into a superstar and claiming the Ballon d’Or, before Real Madrid came calling and he left for a record fee.

With 145 goals from 346 appearances, three Premier League titles and a maiden success across an incredible career of triumph in the Champions League, the Portugual legend was fashioned by Ferguson, hailing the manager as his “football father”.

Ronaldo was hardly the extent of Ferguson’s transfer market success, though. Eric Cantona deserves a mention. Swiped from Leeds United for a shrewd £1.2m fee, the combative forward would prove one of the most influential additions in Premier League history, with such strength and style and flamboyance on the field.

And, perhaps the club’s greatest player of the Premier League era, Wayne Rooney, is a further example of Sir Alex and his coaching staff’s talent radar and insistence on securing their quarry, having poached him from Everton for about £26m when he was only 18 years old. The rest, of course, is history.

The list could go on and on, and likely makes for rueful reading if you are of a United persuasion, for such deals have truly been few and far between over the past decade.

There have been one or two, though. Bruno Fernandes is inarguably the best piece of business United have pulled off in a long time, and there would have been a place for the Portuguese Magnifico in many of Man United’s finest squads of the past.

But, while INEOS have faced their share of criticism since Sir Jim Ratcliffe first took his seat in the Old Trafford head office, they might just have pulled off a signing this summer that could be the best since those halcyon days of the past.

Man United's potential "all-timer"

Manchester United supporters have been treated to some of the finest players the Premier League has ever hosted, but there’s no denying that, in spite of the staggering spending over the past ten years, few have pulled their weight.

Well, perhaps that is now changing, with Amorim’s side putting in quite the performance to sink Liverpool in their own backyard, Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire bagging the goals.

And, though his wait for a first goal in a United shirt rages on, Matheus Cunha looks every bit the superstar signing he promised to be when joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £62.5m in July.

He worked like a dog, making six recoveries, winning five duels and completing both of his attempted dribbles, as per Sofascore.

Given that the 26-year-old Cunha’s work rate had been questioned at times during his career at Molineux, it’s fair to say he is looking to quash such claims now that he has arrived at the club of his dreams, showing few – if any – signs of such hesitance or reluctance this term.

Seven matches into his Premier League career with United, Cunha has yet to break his duck. This is something he will hope to rectify swiftly, but it’s perhaps a measure of Cunha’s quality that he has not faced the criticism of some other big-money signings in the Premier League this season.

The principal reason is that the Brazilian forward has played with gusto and clarity, and given that he ranks among the top 8% of positional peers across Europe for non-penalty goals scored per 90 over the past 12 months, it’s surely just a matter of time until he finds his form in front of goal.

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This has all been picked up by those of an Old Trafford persuasion, with writer Wayne Burton claiming he’s got the “potential to be an all-timer”, with such quality that he might even be “the best player we’ve had since Fergie retired”.

There is certainly something nostalgic about watching Cunha romp about the final third, and when he starts to add goals to his game – and he will – the silky striker might just find himself stepping up as Man United’s main man.

Their finest since Fergie retired? It’s too early to tell. But there’s no question that he has the talent and the desire to hit elusively high heights as Amorim’s project starts to get going.

Man Utd have sealed an "incredible signing" who's a new Tevez-type player

Has the new Carlos Tevez arrived at Manchester United?

ByMatt Dawson Oct 20, 2025

Opener puts difficult start to season firmly behind him

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 24-Jun-2025Opener Finlay Bean put a difficult start to the season firmly behind him, compiling a superb maiden double hundred spanning more than nine hours as Yorkshire fought back against Rothesay County Championship leaders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.Replying to the home side’s 487, Yorkshire – with only one win so far after earning promotion to Division One last season – closed on 414 for 6.Bean batted for 564 minutes for his 224, hitting 30 fours and one six before being caught at slip off spinner Farhan Ahmed, having shared partnerships of 130 with Matthew Revis (54 not out) and 101 with skipper Jonny Bairstow (41), left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White taking 3 for 129 from a marathon 52 overs.Unable to make Yorkshire follow on after having them 154 for 3 overnight, Nottinghamshire look likely to have to settle for a draw, which would see their lead over Surrey cut to six points after the champions won at Worcester earlier in the day.Bean, with five career first-class hundreds against Division Two opposition, had found runs much harder to come by against Division One attacks this season, averaging a paltry 13.66 over his first 12 innings of the current campaign, with a top score of just 31.Although he had a flat pitch and the less bowler-friendly Kookaburra ball in his favour here, he nonetheless had the Test-match quality and know-how of veteran Mohammad Abbas to contend with, not to mention the pace of Dillon Pennington and a couple of decent spinners in Liam Patterson-White and Farhan.Yet he came through each challenge impressively, giving away only one genuine chance before his dismissal when a shot travelling at speed was put down on 170, his return to form timely in that Yorkshire’s next fixture, against Essex starting on Sunday, is being hosted by his own club side, York.His innings here – made barely half a mile from the scene of his Second XI record 441 against Nottinghamshire’s second team in 2022 – was an essay in concentration and patience, one of the longest played by a Yorkshire batter in the county’s history.Having been 86 overnight, he was 50 minutes in the 90s before cutting Farhan to third for his 16th four to reach 102 from 236 balls in the morning session. After tea, he had to negotiate more than 40 minutes in the 190s before going to 200 from 450 deliveries, pushing a single into the leg side with 17-year-old Farhan by then in his 34th over.Yorkshire lost only one wicket before lunch as Dan Moriarty, sent in as nightwatcher after Dawid Malan had fallen in the last over of the second day, went to drive Patterson-White but could only edge to Freddie McCann at slip. Moriarty protected one end for almost an hour.The conditions demanded patience of Nottinghamshire, too, as Bairstow then bedded in with Bean on a pitch that was yielding some help for the spinners, but not as much as they had hoped for. Two bursts with the second new ball before and after lunch could not unseat either and it was an hour into the middle session before another breakthrough came.The introduction of the medium pace of Lyndon James almost yielded a dividend for Nottinghamshire as Bean chipped perilously close to short extra-cover on 152, moments before Patterson-White struck Bairstow on the front pad and had his lbw appeal upheld.Swapping James for Abbas at the Radcliffe Road end likewise almost paid off, Bean surviving a hard chance to McCann at midwicket on 170. Unperturbed, the left-hander drove Patterson-White through the off-side to overtake his previous best of 173 versus Glamorgan last year before he and Revis guided Yorkshire to 320 for 5 at tea.His marathon came to an end 15 minutes before the close as Farhan turned one to have him caught at slip trying to work to leg, almost every spectator in the ground then rising to applaud as he walked back to the dressing rooms.

Trent Boult moves to No. 3 on the Purple Cap table after his three-for in the match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-20251:59

Decoding Suryakumar’s art of hitting behind square

Here’s how things stand.Orange Cap tableWith his unbeaten 48 off 23 balls, MI’s Suryakumar Yadav took his tally for the season to 475 and leapfrogged Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Virat Kohli (443) and Gujarat Titans’ (GT) B Sai Sudharsan (456) to become the No. 1 batter on the Orange Cap list. But while Suryakumar has played 11 matches, Sudharsan has played nine and Kohli ten.RR’s Yashasvi Jaiswal scored only 11 and remains No. 4 with a tally of 439. GT’s Jos Buttler (406) and Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) Nicholas Pooran (404) are the others to have crossed the 400-run mark.Purple Cap tableJosh Hazlewood of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Prasidh Krishna of Gujarat Titans (GT), who have 18 and 17 respectively, continue at the top of the Purple Cap table.MI’s Trent Boult, who took three wickets on Thursday, is the new No. 3. He now has 16 wickets from 11 games. Just below him is Noor Ahmad of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with 15 wickets from ten games.Meanwhile, here’s what the ESPNcricinfo MVP table looks like at this stage.Here are some other IPL 2025 tables.Highest batting strike ratesBest bowling economy ratesMost sixesBest bowling figures in a match

William Saliba has signed new long term contract with Arsenal. The French defender’s previous deal at Emirates Stadium was due to expire in the summer of 2027. Talks regarding fresh terms dragged on for some time, leading to inevitable questions over Saliba’s long-term future in north London, but he has now re-affirmed his commitment to the club.

Getty Images SportReal Madrid transfer talk ignored

According to , Saliba's new deal will run until 2030. The 24-year-old stated over the summer that he was confident an extension would be thrashed out, with there no exit thoughts in his mind. The classy centre-half has been linked with La Liga giants Real Madrid on a regular basis since making a Premier League breakthrough, but is happy in English football for now. That is music to the ears of Gunners supporters and manager Mikel Arteta, who has always been convinced that Saliba would form part of his long-term plans.

AdvertisementSaliba 'proud' to commit to fresh terms

Saliba had to be patient while waiting on an opportunity to prove his worth with the Gunners, having joined from Saint-Etienne in 2019. He took in loan spells at Nice and Marseille in his native France before finally forcing his way into Arsenal’s starting XI. There has been no looking back for him from there.

He expressed his delight upon signing the new deal via Arsenal's official website: “I feel proud of myself because I first signed in 2019, and now in 2025, I'm still here to extend my contract. I'm so happy. I feel at home. We have a good team, we have a good squad, we have good staff. The coach is perfect for me, so it's the best place to be. I enjoy every day when I have the chance to wear this shirt. I try to give everything, and now I’ll give even more to this club and to the fans.”

Saliba added on Arteta's influence: “The boss is one of the best coaches in the world. He has helped me a lot, him and his staff, so I'm so happy to have them as a coach. I'm 24 now, and I think I haven’t reached my peak. I have a lot of things to improve, a lot of things to give to this team, and I know that the coach and the staff will help me to become the best, or one of the best, defenders in the world and win trophies.”

Getty Images SportArteta hails defender's strength of character

Arteta offered a glowing assessment of Saliba after the announcement, talking up his leadership skills and strength of character. "William is loved by all the players and staff, and that speaks volumes about his character, commitment and attitude every day," he said. "Since joining us, William has grown so much, embraced responsibility, and has created a strong connection with our supporters and everyone at the club. We know there is still so much to come from him and will continue to work together to keep improving with the clear ambition of winning major trophies."

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta added: “We’re so happy that William has committed his future to us to be part of what we’re building here. In the last three seasons, William has become an incredible defender whose composure, intelligence and physical presence make him one of the best in the world. He will continue his development with Arsenal to reach new heights. His consistency, maturity, and ability to influence matches will continue to be a big asset for us and we’re looking forward to many more great performances from him at the heart of our defence.”

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Who else has signed a new contract at Arsenal?

Saliba has made 140 appearances for Arsenal, becoming a mainstay in their side. He has also taken his tally of senior international caps to 28 and will already have one eye on next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The penning of fresh terms at the Emirates will help to eliminate one potential distraction, with full focus being given to on-field events. Committing to five more years with the Gunners will also give him plenty of time in which to fulfil his trophy dream. Arsenal’s last major honour was secured in 2020 when winning the FA Cup. They have won the Community Shield since then, but have finished as Premier League runners-up in three successive campaigns.

Saliba will have an important role to play in silverware quests across domestic and continental competition. He joins centre-half partner Gabriel – with that pair striking up quite the working relationship – in agreeing fresh terms. Experienced forward Leandro Trossard and academy graduate defender Myles Lewis-Skelly have also signed new contracts that will ensure they remain part of Arteta’s thinking for several years to come. Arsenal, who sit second again in the Premier League table at present, will be back in action on Wednesday when taking on Olympiacos in the Champions League.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin is under plenty of external pressure after a difficult start to his time in the dugout at Ibrox this season, with some noticeable booing and chanting at recent games.

The former Southampton boss has failed to win any of his four Scottish Premiership matches in charge of the Light Blues so far, and failed to qualify for the league phase of the Champions League, losing 9-1 to Club Brugge on aggregate.

There is still plenty of time left to see how things pan out, though, because he had 12 summer signings and it will take time to assess whether they were strong additions or not.

Summer transfer windows can make or break managers, as former Rangers head coach Michael Beale found out in the harshest way in 2023.

Michael Beale's worst Rangers deals

Beale signed eight players on permanent deals in the summer of 2023. Jack Butland is the only one of those eight players who started the club’s most recent game against Celtic.

Danilo was signed for £6m from Feyenoord and he has only scored nine goals in 39 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, missing 53 matches through injury in that time, per Transfermarkt.

Sam Lammers arrived from Atalanta for a fee of £3m in the same window. He scored two goals in 31 games for Rangers, per Transfermarkt, before being sold to FC Twente last year.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

As well as making poor signings, Beale also allowed several quality players to leave the club that summer, including electric forward Ryan Kent.

Michael Beale had a howler with Ryan Kent

Despite working with the English winger as Steven Gerrard’s assistant in the past, Beale was unable to get the best out of the former Liverpool man at Ibrox as the head coach.

Kent played 22 times for the English tactician in all competitions in his last season in Glasgow, but only found the back of the net twice in that time, per Transfermarkt.

The left winger was once described as the “Mbappe of Scottish football” by Specs Gonzalez, whilst speaking on Sky Sports, but he was anything but Mbappe-esque under Beale.

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As you can see in the table above, Kent was far more prolific and creative throughout his Rangers career without Beale as his head coach, his output with and without him makes that very clear.

IbroxNoise noted at the time that the English forward’s decline under the former assistant manager was because the system being deployed meant that he had to play as a number ten rather than as a winger.

If asked to picture a Ryan Kent goal or assist for Rangers, most supporters would likely picture him on the left flank, cutting in or getting to the byline. The former being what happened in the clip above.

Beale’s wingerless system did him no favours and that was why it was not a surprise when the forward decided to let his contract run down in the summer of 2023, rather than committing his future to the club with his former Liverpool academy coach in charge.

This meant that Rangers lost Kent, a player once compared to Mbappe, for nothing that summer because their manager did not play a system that got the best out of him.

Instead, Beale played a system that attempted to accomodate the three central players he signed, Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, and Lammers. Only one of those three players remains at Ibrox, Danilo, and he looks set to be a back-up to Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti this season.

Rangers must rue losing star who's worth millions more than Chermiti

Rangers must rue losing this “incredible” star who would now be their most valuable player.

ByDan Emery Sep 6, 2025

Therefore, Beale had a howler with Kent because he did not find a way to get the best out of a player who could have been a huge threat for his side down the left flank, given his return of goals and assists in his career at Rangers prior to the manager’s appointment.

On Thursday, Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal agreed an initial £46m deal with Liverpool for the transfer of Darwin Nunez, who has yet to complete his move but has said his goodbyes on Merseyside and jetted off to the Gulf for a medical.

What a ride. Entertaining at times, excruciating at others, Nunez leaves Liverpool as a Premier League campaign, but also having failed to ever live up to the promise that led Jurgen Klopp to champion his initial £64m signing from SL Benfica.

Arne Slot has worked wonders at Liverpool, but cracking this code proved beyond even his managerial capacity.

Nunez has been replaced by Hugo Ekitike, who left Eintracht Frankfurt and joined the Reds for £79m last month. Aged 23, the Frenchman arrived with similarly untapped potential, though confidence from the data analysts that they have hit the jackpot.

With Florian Wirtz having signed for a £100m fee too, which could rise to a British record £116m with add-ons, you’d think Liverpool are well equipped for the season ahead, but FSG still want another star to complete the set.

Especially since Luis Diaz has been sold to Bayern Munich for £65.5m, leaving space for the right player to join.

Alexander Isak, anyone?

The latest on Liverpool's search for forwards

Isak has achieved great things across his three years at Newcastle United, but his head has been turned by Slot and Liverpool and he has informed Eddie Howe of his wish to purchase a one-way ticket to Merseyside this summer.

Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, has already lodged a formal £110m offer for the Sweden striker, which was rejected, but efforts are ongoing, and those in the Anfield offices must be tacitly confident that they will secure the coveted signature.

The intensity with which Newcastle are fighting to sign a new centre-forward does make an interesting comment on Isak’s future, with his position at St. James’ Park surely untenable at this stage.

However, nothing is certain in the summer transfer window, the least of all Newcastle’s capacity to secure a suitable replacement for a striker as prolific as Isak.

Given that Diaz has departed and is now warming to life with Bayern Munich, Liverpool may not make their final offensive signing a number nine, should Isak slip through Hughes’ fingers.

Instead, Liverpool might choose to target a move for Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, with reports dated earlier this week revealing that the Merseysiders have started their bid for the France international.

Barcola, 22, played an instrumental role in PSG winning the quadruple with Luis Enrique last season, and he has been priced at €100m (about £87m) as the Parisians attempt to ward off suitors.

Why Liverpool should sign Bradley Barcola

Barcola might still be young, but he dazzled as PSG laid ruin to European football last year, posting 21 goals and supplying 21 assists across 64 matches in all competitions.

The France international is principally a left-sided forward, but his clinical nature also lends itself to a role at centre-forward, having played on the alternate flanks before too.

It’s interesting to consider how he likely has plenty of levels left to scale, and more curious still that Slot has the track record of bringing the best out of up-and-coming talents like Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch.

But Barcola’s artistry and obscene numbers across direct and creative berths suggest that he might even become Liverpool’s new version of Wirtz, who has yet to play a competitive fixture for the club but has demonstrated across recent years in his homeland that he is one of the most talented players of his generation.

Barcola’s fleet footwork and trophy-laden start to his career could see him emulate Wirtz and indeed become Slot’s latest version of the German superstar, who has actually been described as “probably the best midfielder in the world” by one-time Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes.

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But then Barcola, too, has catapulted himself into the elite sphere since swapping Lyon for PSG in 2023, with analyst Ben Mattinson even naming him as “one of the best left wingers in Europe.”

And it’s clear through the data that he has the same X-factor that Wirtz uses to produce such awe-inspiring performances with regularity.

Indeed, as per FBref, the 6 foot 2 star ranked among the top 7% of positional peers last season for direct goal involvements, the top 16% for pass completion, the top 9% for progressive carries and the top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90.

There’s no question that he’s got what it takes to thrive for Liverpool in the Premier League, having run roughshod over Premier League opposition – including Slot’s Liverpool – en route to the Champions League title last season.

Though Liverpool have authorised the sale of Nunez, they have a player in Ekitike who has the potential to become one of the deadliest goalscorers in the world.

But having lost Diaz to the Bundesliga champions, the very dynamism of Slot’s frontline has taken a hit, with the Colombian ace playing as a makeshift striker on numerous occasions throughout the 2024/25 season.

Barcola is versatile and balanced in his output, and would be the perfect addition to complete a remarkable summer of spending, should Hughes and the rest of the powers that be fail to seal the signature of Newcastle’s star man.

Another Ekitike: Liverpool in talks for "sensational" £50m Isak alternative

Liverpool are planning to sign a forward before the end of the transfer market.

ByAngus Sinclair Aug 8, 2025

Reeza Hendricks scored his first T20I century, in his tenth year of being an international cricketer, as South Africa won their first bilateral T20I series win since August 2022. They registered the third-highest successful chase at SuperSport Park to break a T20I trophy drought that has extended for eight series, since they beat Ireland more than two years ago. It is also Rob Walter’s first T20I series win since taking over the white-ball coaching job in March 2023.After being asked to field first, South Africa conceded the fifth-highest first-innings total at SuperSport Park and chased it down with three balls to spare. Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen, batting at No.4, shared a third-wicket partnership of 157 off 83 balls to form the spine of the chase. Van der Dussen scored his seventh T20I fifty and hit the winning runs with stand-in captain Heinrich Klaasen at the other end.Pakistan were guilty of an over-reliance on the slower ball, which they sent down liberally, but that may not be where they lost the game. Although they crossed 200, they could have had many more. They were 103 for 1 after 11 overs and 136 for 4 after 16.In that five-over period, South Africa took 3 for 33, thanks to debutant Dayyaan Galiem and left-arm spinner George Linde. Despite those strikes, Pakistan’s innings was built on two big partnerships: Babar Azam and Saim Ayub put on 87 off 45 balls for the second wicket before Ayub and Irfan Khan posted 73 of 32 balls for the fifth wicket to propel their score over 200.It was not enough thanks to Hendricks and van der Dussen, two older hands, who took South Africa home.Dayyaan’s dream (and nightmare) debut Galiem was planning to be at this match, but not playing in it. He had hospitality suite tickets and was due to be sitting with his domestic team-mates enjoying the start of the December holidays with some drinks but on his way home from the gym this week, he got a call he never expected. Anrich Nortje had broken his left big toe and Galiem was called up to the national squad. He was given a debut on his home ground and then handed the new ball.His first over cost just three runs. Exactly why he didn’t bowl another in the powerplay is for Klaasen to answer but in that period he dropped Ayub on 3, which proved costly. He was brought back on in the seventh over, and erred once in length with a short, wide ball but taken off again. In his third spell, Galiem got his first international wicket when Usman Khan top-edged him to Kwena Maphaka at deep third but his moment came in his final over. It was only the second he bowled in succession and Tayyab Tahir popped a leading edge back up to him and Galiem took a sharp catch. It would not have made up for his earlier miss but it gave him good figures of 2 for 21 in four overs, with 12 dot balls, in his first international outing. But that wasn’t the end of Galiem. He was at long-on when Ayub hit Donovan Ferreira just about straight to him. Galiem got himself into an awkward position and the ball burst out of his hands.Sensational Saim but he would have wanted two more Pakistan separated RizBar as they continue to experiment with their opening combination and Ayub has made the case to continue in the role. He scored three runs off the first eight balls he faced before swatting a Ferreira delivery to debutant Galiem at point, who could not hold on to the chance. The next ball Ayub faced, he muscled over deep midwicket for six at the start of a spectacular takedown of Maphaka. The next two balls brought back-to-back boundaries before three dot balls ended the most expensive over of the Powerplay. The slog sweep proved a favourite shot of Ayub’s as he perfectly complemented Babar.Ayub’s career-best, and also his first half-century in the format came off 33 balls in the 11th over, so he had the time and opportunity to double up. After Babar was dismissed, Ayub brought out more classical strokes like the square drive. He continued to take on Maphaka, and hit him for three sixes in his final over to stand on the edge of 90, with three overs left. In a cruel twist, Ayub only faced six balls in the last three overs, and none in the last over, and was left unbeaten on 98.Jahandad’s double strikeBrought into the side in place of wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem, Jahandad Khan almost immediately showed what he can do. His second delivery moved away from the left-handed Ryan Rickelton, who could not help but play at it with minimal foot movement and edged to Rizwan to end the opening partnership on 6. In his next over, Jahandad played with his lengths and speeds, delivered a slower ball and then and ended with a short ball which Matthew Breetzke attempted to pull but could only sky to mid-on. Shaheen Shah Afridi took a simple catch to leave South Africa 28 for 2 after four overs. A hundred for Hendricks A day after being dropped from the ODI side to play Pakistan next week and with questions swirling over his continued presence in national squads, Hendricks silenced his critics by showing he still has what it takes at this level. He operated at a run-a-ball off the first 14 balls he faced and then tucked into a short Haris Rauf delivery to top-edge him over fine leg for six before putting a slower ball into the stands over deep square for six more. A third six saw South Africa finish the powerplay on 52 for 2, seven runs ahead and a wicket more than Pakistan’s 45 for 1 at the same stage.He went on to smash two more sixes, including one off Abbas Afridi which brought up his fifty off 29 deliveries, by the halfway stage. South Africa were 94 for 2; at the same stage Pakistan were 90 for 1. Hendricks dealt in boundaries and leapt into the nineties with three more sixes and two fours before bringing up triple figures when he hit Rauf over midwicket. His hundred came off 54 balls, and he finished with 117 off 63 balls, including seven fours and 10 sixes and left South African on the brink of victory. When Hendricks was dismissed, they needed 21 runs off 14 balls, and got there off 11.

Off spinner says England’s Urdu-speaking spinners were fooled into bringing the field up during his 48 not out

Danyal Rasool25-Oct-2024

Pakistan offspinner Sajid Khan has found a number of ways of getting under England’s skin, from the moustache twirling to the thigh thumping that accompany borderline invasion of personal space. Much of it has involved bamboozling them with the angle of his spin or the flight of his deliveries, but on Friday, he found another avenue for English befuddlement: their spin bowlers’ bilingualism.After the fourth ball of the 86th over, once Saud Shakeel had flicked Shoaib Bashir away to turn the strike over to Sajid, the pair met to discuss how to manage the strike, and didn’t appear to bother if the stump mic picked them up. Sajid, presumably, was to see off the final two balls, but he danced down the wicket and launched Bashir over midwicket into the Javed Miandad stand.It could hardly have been the plan, but according to Sajid, the intended audience for the conversation wasn’t each other but Pakistani-origin spinners Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir.”We were only doing that [speaking loudly in Urdu] to deceive the bowlers. Rehan and Shoaib understand Urdu, so to fool them, we wanted them to hear we were only looking for the single. When we did that, they brought the field up and the bowlers flighted it. Saud told me once they do, no half measures: just go for the big shot as hard as you can.”And Sajid did. The next over Bashir bowled, Sajid plundered two sixes and a boundary in much the same way, swinging towards the midwicket boundary, finding the middle of the bat with regularity. 19 came off that over, and though Rehan kept him quieter, he was stung once when he spread the field out. Sajid took the men at long-off and long-on, comfortably clearing the rope. The wheels, by now, had begun to come off England’s bowling effort, and Pakistan’s lead had ballooned.Rehan acknowledged the quality of the innings, but was having none of Sajid’s claims. “He didn’t fool me at all, he just said it for the media,” he laughed “I didn’t even hear him. He said something like he’s going to run down this ball and I knew he was going to try and scoop me, and it didn’t really work. I think he batted well, and he hit some big blows, but he didn’t really fool me or Bash.”

Manchester United are making progress in their mission to strengthen under Ruben Amorim and could now be set to move forward in their pursuit of a high-pedigree defender, according to a report.

Manchester United urged to break the bank for quality additions

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha would fit the definition of breaking the bank for elite talent, but Premier League giants Manchester United are aware that more signings are needed to match the output of their domestic rivals on the market.

Reports suggest Manchester United would be willing to offer £22 million for Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra, which would be another signal of intent, though Rio Ferdinand believes the Red Devils should go all out for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba to bolster the spine of their team.

He stated: “Who would you go and get?”, and there’s only one name I’m thinking about, I’m going to be honest, guys, who I think fits the bill for what we need.

“He’s an Amorim-type player as well. Physically, he’s great. He can drive with the ball, he can take it in all areas, very good tactically, great energy, great legs, Premier League experience, central midfield… Baleba.”

Without putting too fine a point on it, Manchester United’s lack of solidity in the Premier League last term was evident for all to see, hence why Amorim is also targeting defensive reinforcements in the form of Lucas Beraldo.

Manchester United’s defensive frailties in 2024/25

Goals conceded

54

Defeats

18

Clean sheet percentage across 38 league matches

26%

Ultimately, a failure to secure the back door is a recipe for chaos, leading to a growing appetite for an overhaul within the Red Devils’ backline.

After months of searching, Manchester United could now have found one part of a solution to remedy the well-documented faults within their rearguard.

Manchester United make contact for Inter defender Benjamin Pavard

According to Transferfeed, Manchester United have made contact by enquiring about Inter Milan defender Benjamin Pavard, who may be allowed to leave San Siro this summer for a fee between £26.1 million and £30.5 million.

Despite the Nerazzurri not officially listing the France international for sale, they are looking into potential replacements for the ex-Bayern Munich star, including Genoa’s Koni De Winter.

Better than Sesko: Man Utd in talks to sign "one of the best STs in Europe"

Manchester United could be about to forget about Benjamin Sesko with another move elsewhere.

ByEthan Lamb Jul 25, 2025

Labelled “brilliant” by Les Blues boss Didier Deschamps, Pavard, who is outfitted by Adidas, registered one goal and a solitary assist in 37 appearances last campaign, operating almost entirely in central defence.

The 29-year-old also won 78 duels in Serie A, cementing himself as an important factor behind Inter’s ability to go deep both in domestic competitions and the Champions League.

Now, it appears he could be set for a new challenge in the prime of his career, which has piqued Manchester United’s interest as they look to seal a marquee deal to strengthen their backline.

Cricket South Africa [CSA] will host a three-day diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) Indaba (conference) from Friday, with the main aim of identifying a roadmap to ensure a demographically-reflective national men’s team by the 2027 ODI World Cup at home.They will also address issues of representation in the game overall but have changed the labelling of the event from Transformation to DEI to reflect an agenda that addresses the cricketing infrastructure in totality and is not entirely focused on a particular race group.”It is not only about black players but about building a diverse structure,” Mudutambi Ravele, CSA board member and DEI Chairperson told ESPNcricinfo. “For example, we have looked at the data from the Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) province and seen that the number of players of Indian heritage has got less and less. We want to address that. We have looked at Limpopo and there are no white players. We can’t have that. We want to address the issues holistically.”The cases explained above are important when contextualised against the backdrop of South Africa’s history, demographics, and national representation in cricket. While 84.8% of the population is black African, before readmission in 1992, South Africa fielded all-white national sides. Since then, efforts have been made to reflect the country’s other, and most significantly, majority race group, but there was only one black African player in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad – an issue that raised concerns and makes the timing of this conference important.Related

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While CSA has expressed concerns with the lack of black African international players, they also hope to develop the game holistically, especially in places where they can identify gaps in the talent pool such as in Ravele’s examples. The KZN province is the area in the country with the largest percentage of people of Indian descent – 9.3% compared to 2.7% countrywide – while Limpopo, the northernmost province of the country, has a 97.3% black African population but still around 2% of white citizens. Both those race groups have historically high participation in cricket and CSA will seek to understand why those numbers have dipped.However, even their more wide-reaching approach does not take away from the key problem which is the lack of black African representation, that could set CSA back on the agreed annual targets with the country’s sports ministry. In 2016, failure to meet targets saw CSA, and three other sporting federations, banned from hosting major events and with 2027 in mind, CSA is keen to demonstrate a strong commitment to change.When asked why Kagiso Rabada was the only black African in the T20 World Cup squad, South Africa’s white-ball coach Rob Walter pointed to the domestic system and asked it to “really up the ante”. Broadly, CSA agrees with him. At the time, they recognised that “various initiatives that have been pursued over the years have not yielded the desired results,” and now, Ravele said they continue to look at the domestic system to identify where it is lacking.”We want to look at the pool of players who are available and how we can support them to stay in the pool. There are a number of social issues that affect players from disadvantaged backgrounds.”CSA has also launched a specialised program for black African batters since this is an area of particular need.Walter will be present at the DEI , where he will be part of a panel of a discussion with black African batter Khaya Zondo, women’s international bowler Tumi Sekhukhune and former selector Patrick Moroney, who served on South Africa’s last panel under Victor Mpitsang.The selection committee was done away with when Walter and Test coach Shukri Conrad (who will not be in attendance as he readies the squad to leave for a two-match series in West Indies) were appointed last January. As head coaches, they were given sole decision-making powers over their squad selections. This is likely to change with some inside CSA pushing for the return of a panel, which Ravele supports. “A panel helps a lot because there are different views and people can think more broadly. There are more ideas,” she said.If the re-introduction of a selection panel emerges as one of the recommendations from the , it will still need to be ratified by CSA’s board but will ultimately take away Walter and Conrad’s independence.Kagiso Rabada was the only black African in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad•ICC/Getty Images

The squad Walter picked for the T20 World Cup 2024 was South Africa’s most successful and reached the final for the first time, but Ravela would not be drawn into conflating their success with the issue of representation. “The squad did really well, but did they do well because they didn’t have black players? I think we should view their performance as a matter of progress, as they have been to the semi-finals several times before.”She stressed that CSA will not revert to stipulating a quota for XIs, as they have done in the past, but remain set on average goals. “For the national teams, we don’t put a number of players per event. We want to develop a plan for the year and ask what combinations of players can be used to make sure we are fielding diverse teams.”As things stand, South Africa’s national teams are required to field, on average over the course of a season, at least six players of colour of which two must be black African. At the provincial level, the same target is expected to be met but at least three of the six players of colour must be black African.The SA20, in which CSA owns the majority share although teams are privately owned, has no transformation target or even expectation imposed on it and will remain untouched. Ravele hoped that the franchise owners would keep South Africa’s segregated history and attempts at redress “in the back of their minds,” but so far, the competition is the least representative domestic event. In 2024, there were 13 black African players listed across the six squads, with one – the Pretoria Capitals – having none at all. Of those, only Rabada (MI Cape Town), Junior Dala, Tony de Zorzi (both Durban’s Super Giants), Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo (both Paarl Royals) and Sibonelo Makhanya (Joburg Super Kings) played more than one match for their team.