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Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has held talks with the agents of a “dream” target for manager Mikel Arteta, and the Gunners know exactly what is required to convince the player to make a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Andrea Berta set for "big" first summer at Arsenal

The Italian was officially announced as Arsenal’s new director in late March, with Arteta since tipping Berta to have a “big” first summer transfer window at N5.

£200k-per-week Arsenal star "looking" to quit despite Real Madrid "masterclass"

He produced a truly excellent display against Los Blancos.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 9, 2025

Arteta candidly expressed his excitement over Berta’s appointment, and the 53-year-old could even orchestrate a summer spend of up to £300 million on seven key signings, according to GiveMeSport.

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April 12th

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April 20th

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April 23rd

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May 3rd

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May 11th

The north Londoners are plotting serious changes to Arteta’s squad across the board, defensively, in midfield and further forward, with Berta expected to target a new back-up keeper, full-back, midfielders, a left-winger, an alternative to Bukayo Saka and, of course, a goalscoring number nine (GMS).

The wide positions will be a key area of improvement, with uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Leandro Trossard as the Belgian begins to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Saka was a dear miss when the England star was sidelined through injury, which undoubtedly played a role in Arsenal falling miles behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race, and Arsenal could move to bring in a proven back-up.

According to credible recent reports, that man could be Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams, who’s capable of playing both on the right and on the left. Arsenal have also held very recent talks with Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane over signing as a free agent, but as things stand, the German favours remaining under Vincent Kompany.

With a move for Sane looking less likely, and Williams expected to push for a Bilbao exit, it is believed that Berta reached out for talks with the 22-year-old’s representatives last week.

The Spain international’s contract contains a tempting £48 million release clause, but the real issue will lie in his wages.

Nico Williams makes £250k-per-week demand to join Arsenal

Following talks with Berta last week, it has now been revealed by GiveMeSport that Williams will demand a salary of around £250,000-per-week to join Arsenal or any other interested club, which would make him the club’s third-highest earner behind just Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

Arsenal’s wage bill is currently massive, and Berta will be eager to avoid skyrocketing it even further amid PSR and FFP regulations.

That being said, Williams is definitely worth the effort to prise away from Bilbao, if Arsenal can reach a compromise on his pay packet expectations. He bagged 19 assists in all competitions last term and played a starring role in Spain’s triumph at Euro 2024, leaving little surprise that GMS have also reported the winger is a “dream” target for Arteta.

“Nico is unique, wonderful,” said José Mourinho recently.

“During the European Championship, people were focused on Lamine Yamal, who is obviously another wonderful kid, but personally, I prefer Nico. He’s a fantastic player, and you can’t think that a Turkish club could sign him. I hope he ends up with Real Madrid.”

Bowlers like Tharindu could redefine their craft, while batters like Shanto could carve new Test legacies. But how many opportunities will they get?

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Jun-2025It was just as the freshest cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 was approaching its fourth hour that the freshest Test cricketer on the planet pivoted at the top of his mark, and did something a little bit special.In his first 95 deliveries in Test cricket, Tharindu Rathnayake had been a right-arm offspinner. But like a magician who plunges himself into the hat and pulls out a different version of his own self, Tharindu chose this moment to pretty much instantaneously yank out his slow left-arm avatar. The field barely had to move. Tharindu bowled a tidy enough first ball of left-arm spin. It got cut away behind square for a single.In that first fascinating moment of Tharindu’s ambidexterity, this team felt emphatically and inescapably Sri Lankan. It felt like Tharindu was the latest entry into a proud tradition of bowling rebellion. This is a tradition that brought cricket delights such as wrist-spin offbreaks (Muthiah Muralidaran), down-swinging round-arm yorkers (Lasith Malinga), and the carrom ball (Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath).Related

• Shanto, Mushfiqur hundreds headline Bangladesh's day of dominance

• 'These are not easy runs' – Mushfiqur reflects on 'special' century

In fact, so steeped is Sri Lanka in bowling weirdness that Tharindu is only the second ambidextrous spinner in this team, Kamindu Mendis also having bowled in Test cricket with both arms. Which means that the XI has as many dual-arm spinners as it does spinners that bowl with only the boring single arm.If Tharindu – for whom bowling is the primary suit – and Kamindu have long careers together, there is the chance that between them, they can open up entirely new sections of bowling analysis. We may suddenly find ourselves asking questions never seriously asked in cricket.Which arm does he get more wickets with? Which arm does he bowl quicker with, and does this correlate to him being more economical? If it’s established that he is a better offspinner, does he get more right-hander wickets with that style, or is the ball turning away always going to be more threatening to right-handers? If he bowls nine offbreak overs consecutively, does he tend to gain a competitive advantage in switching to his less-tired left arm? And on pitches that have footmarks to work with, this guy will probably be unstoppable, right? The lines of attack available… wow!Test cricket’s great strength is that it offers the broadest canvas of maybe any sport in existence. What shapes will come out of Tharindu’s unusually broad brush?And while Sri Lanka are still attempting to regenerate their spin-bowling, Bangladesh were attempting something similar, but on the batting front. There is an ongoing exodus. Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mahmudullah are out already. Only Mushfiqur Rahim remains of the first generation of Bangladesh greats. Where are the consistent big runs going to come from?Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto carved a stand to remember•Getty ImagesOn day one of the first Test in Galle, Bangladesh seemed to have done the better job of replacing their greats, with Najmul Hossain Shanto joining Mushfiqur on a trip to triple-figures, at the same venue Mushfiqur hit Bangladesh’s first ever double-hundred in 2013.But while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh’s Test cricketers are trying to expand the game in their little ways, the environment in which they operate is rapidly shrinking. After this series ends, Sri Lanka have no Test scheduled until May 2026, which is partly why both Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne quit this year.Bangladesh also have only 12 Tests (the minimum amount) in their two-year WTC cycle, though they also have non-WTC Tests scheduled against Ireland and Zimbabwe. South Africa, the champion Test side as of Saturday,have only 14 Tests on the ledger, while West Indies have 14 too. It increasingly feels like a coup for these teams to average merely seven Tests per year.The argument is not that Test cricket is dying. In some places, it is in more spectacular health than it has ever been. In both Australia and England in this decade, the Ashes series have smashed viewership records. Just in the last week, the ECB CEO said that ” in terms of commercial importance”, Test series against India were worth as much as The Ashes.After winning the IPL with his beloved Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Virat Kohli insisted that although that victory was sweet, it ranked “five levels below Test cricket”. But then what qualifies as real Test cricket is also in contention. Kohli, for example, played 47% of his Tests against either Australia or England, but never faced Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, or Ireland.Sri Lanka have no Test scheduled until May 2026, which is partly why Angelo Mathews chose to retire•AFP/Getty ImagesEssentially, Test cricket has chosen to build high, rather than wide. There is sufficient money in cricket that it could choose to divert to Tests in nations outside the Big Three, but there is less will. The WTC could require every team to play 16 Tests in the cycle to qualify. The ICC could finally put that ‘Test cricket fund’ into place, whereby the Big Three pay to support Tests elsewhere in the Full Member world. Instead, cricket has arrived at a situation in which England play 60% more Tests than most other nations.While some suggest that playing more Tests is a WTC disadvantage, players from teams who play fewer Tests point out that their opportunities to develop Test skills are scarcer. Even if teams that played fewer Tests had an advantage – and there is no serious evidence they do – they gain so little from winning. South Africa’s men do not have a home Test scheduled for the next 15 months.Increasingly, it has begun to feel as if places such as Galle are Test cricket’s hinterlands. Does what happens here matter, especially when no Big Three team is on the field? If commercial value is to increasingly become cricket’s supreme good, where does that leave Tests like this one? And is the size of your home cricketing economy the greatest predictor of opportunities available to you?Bowlers such as Tharindu could potentially redefine their craft, while batters such as Shanto could carve new Bangladesh Test legacies. But they may never get the chance to. To what extent does cricket really care? As the sport continues to centralise power, these are the margins at risk of being trimmed.

Also, where can you follow the games live, and whom are the big new international signings?

Sreshth Shah15-Aug-2023The biggest party in cricket is back?

Yes, there’s more for fans of West Indies cricket to look forward to on the back of their T20I series win against India. The CPL starts on Wednesday, August 16, with defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs taking on hosts St Lucia Kings in Gros Islet.After 30 league games, the top four – out of six teams – will qualify for the playoffs and the final is scheduled for September 24 in Providence, Guyana.How many countries will the CPL visit this time?

The CPL 2023 season will be played in five countries: St Lucia, St Kitts, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. Each country will get six league games across four match days. Guyana will additionally host the playoff leg.That sounds… tiring.

Well, yes and no.Games are spaced out – with only four match days every week. At each location, there will be two weekday games, followed by a break, and then four double-header games on Saturday and Sunday.After that, there’s a break again before cricket resumes the following week in a new country following the same pattern. In all, there are only 24 match days even though the tournament lasts 39 days.Related

• There's life after Bravo for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

• In a first, CPL to use 'red card' in bid to combat slow over-rates

• Five West Indian rookies who could become big names in the CPL

But… Tallawahs don’t have a home game.

Yes, the CPL is not going to Jamaica, but neither did it last season, and Tallawahs won the title anyway. So home advantage has never mattered too much in the CPL.Tallawahs are a strong side with Brandon King, Imad Wasim, Fabian Allen and Alex Hales in their squad. What they seemingly lack is a high-quality wristspinner.Who are the other strong sides?

Guyana Amazon Warriors have been historically strong. They have five runner-up trophies and have reached the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. That side – with Shimron Hetmyer, Azam Khan, Romario Shepherd and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, among others – is consistently dangerous.With Dwayne Bravo joining forces once again with good friend Kieron Pollard, four-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders will also be quite keen on making strong return after finishing last in 2022.Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard will reunite at Trinbago Knight Riders•WICB Media/Brooks LaTouche Photography LtdAny funky rules in CPL 2023?

Nothing too out-of-the-box, just a simple red card! According to new playing conditions, if the fielding side is operating too slowly, there might be a situation where the umpire asks one fielder to exit the field in the 20th over.This could be a big gamechanger for batting sides, but it’s the most extreme step in a series of new rules written up to combat a slow pace of play. Even batting sides can be hit with a five-run penalty if they are wasting time.Who are the overseas players to watch out for?

Among new entrants into the CPL, Ambati Rayudu, the recently retired India international, has signed up with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams joins St Lucia Kings while Pakistan’s Mohammad Haris will represent Amazon Warriors.The spin duo of Qais Ahmad and Maheesh Theekshana give Barbados Royals an edge in that department. The star South African batter Dewald Brevis is with the Patriots, while Faf du Plessis and Sikandar Raza bring experience to Kings. Head over to oursquads page for the full line-ups.How can fans outside the Caribbean catch the action?

Every match of CPL 2023 will have live ball-by-ball commentary on ESPNcricinfo. Fans in India can watch on FanCode. USA and UK viewers can watch on Willow TV and BT Sport respectively. Fox Sports is broadcasting in Australia, Sky Sports NZ in New Zealand and SportsMax TV across the Caribbean. Fans in Pakistan can watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.Exciting… can’t wait for it to all kick off!

If you’re from Asia, you might have to rethink that unless you plan to be up on the wee hours. Most games are scheduled for 7pm local which is 4.30am in India and 4am in Pakistan. You’ll have better chances catching games live on double-header days, when the first game is at 10am local time – that is, 7.30pm in India and 7pm in Pakistan.

The spinner has been a factor in each of England’s six consecutive victories in Asia

Matt Roller09-Feb-2021Cheteshwar Pujara is not prone to lapses in concentration. He doesn’t leave the oven on after he’s finished cooking, he doesn’t leave the back door unlocked, and he certainly doesn’t get out to left-arm orthodox spinners.At 9.50am on Tuesday, it had been nearly four years since a left-arm fingerspinner had dismissed him in a Test match. In that time, he had soaked up more than 140 overs against them, scoring 375 runs in the process. And then Jack Leach found some drift into him, some turn and bounce away from him, and drew an outside edge which flew to Ben Stokes at slip.If James Anderson’s epic over to Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane set the wheels of England’s final-day win in motion then Leach’s dismissal of Pujara had revved the engine, put it in gear and found the biting point. Last month, Pujara had soaked up 416 balls across the fourth innings of India’s draw in Sydney and their dramatic win in Brisbane, wearing multiple blows from the seamers and negotiating more than 20 overs of Nathan Lyon’s offspin in a pair of epic rearguards; in Chennai, he lasted less than 25 minutes on the final morning.Pujara’s wicket – and that of Rohit Sharma on the fourth evening – provided Leach with his hard-earned rewards after a chastening experience on the third afternoon that would not only have thrown many bowlers off for the rest of the Test, but left scars that affected their confidence for weeks and months to come.Leach had been given a specific role by England in that session: to toss the ball up into the footmarks outside Rishabh Pant’s off stump, and keep doing so regardless of how he responded. Pant blazed five sixes in 21 balls, taking Leach for 48 runs and leaving him with figures of 8-0-77-0 – eye-wateringly expensive in a 50-over game, let alone a Test match in helpful spinning conditions.But Jeetan Patel, England’s spin-bowling consultant, insisted that Leach’s pitchmaps from the third day showed how well he had stuck to his task. “We’re always going to look at outcomes, aren’t we?” he asked rhetorically. “Statistically, he was really good, and the balls that he bowled were in the right areas. Rishabh Pant is a very good player who struck the ball nicely, and he got away with a couple. [Leach] had done a lot of good things, but it just hadn’t gone his way.”

Leach has stuck to his plan to Pant pretty well – toss it up into the footholes outside his off stump – but Pant's execution has been perfect. And as a result, he's lost sight of his plan to Pujara and varied his lengths more than he'd have liked:

(Pitchmaps from BCCI site) pic.twitter.com/nSoerwhaQ9

— Matt Roller (@mroller98) February 7, 2021

“I thought I was playing in the IPL,” Leach joked after the fifth day. “It was a challenge, definitely. As a spinner, you’ve got to expect that at times, but I’m never going to enjoy eight overs for 80 [77]. It’s just about trying to stay strong and the boys really helped me out. It was a tough evening that evening, but I just wanted to come back strong on the last two days.”And so he did. Crucially, having lost sight of his plan to Pujara while Pant was taking him down, Leach regained his control and composure, landing the ball on a length outside the off stump and letting natural variation from the pitch do the rest of the work. His last 16 overs in India’s first innings cost 28 runs, including the wickets of R Ashwin and Shahbaz Nadeem on the fourth morning.It was his performance in the Test’s final innings that proved crucial. While his partner Dom Bess seemed to lose his rhythm and consistency as the game wore on, Leach’s picked up as it so often does. Bowling in the third and fourth innings, Leach has taken 36 Test wickets at 20.08; no other spinner’s record since his debut can match his when the pressure is on to bowl sides out.In particular, he was superb when landing the ball on a good length. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, 78 of the 156 balls Leach bowled – exactly half – pitched on a length, from which he took three of his four wickets and conceded only 10 runs off the bat. He may be something of a throwback – Leach has never played a professional T20 game – but he does the basics of red-ball spin bowling extremely well. He returned after lunch to dismiss Ashwin and Nadeem, the latter his 50th Test scalp in just his 13th appearance.Related

• James Anderson and Jack Leach consign India to rare home defeat

• James Anderson's magic spell conjures up memories of Andrew Flintoff in 2005

• Pujara: 'You can punch me as long as you can. Then I'll punch back'

• Leach feared for his life after bout of sepsis on NZ tour

It should be noted that Leach benefited in the first Test from bowling to a line-up featuring nine right-handed batsmen, and an exclusively right-handed top five. Against right-handers, Leach has taken 40 Test wickets at 24.45 while conceding 2.63 runs per over, numbers which outstrip every spinner’s other than Ravindra Jadeja (39 wickets at 21.48) since his debut. Against lefties, he has leaked 4.01 runs per over, and taken 10 wickets at 54.50.But he has shown signs of adaptability that suggest he will improve on that record, and he has made use of his experiences in domestic cricket throughout his fledgling international career. On the fourth evening, for example, he was tasked with opening the bowling, as he had done twice on England’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2018 and seven times for Somerset on turning pitches in the County Championship. He responded with the early wicket of Rohit, kissing his off stump with the best ball he has bowled in an England shirt.”There are moments when I feel like I can use what I’ve done in the past on those kinds of wickets to maybe realise times that I want to stick in and bowl consistently and not go for too many, and then other times when I’m prepared to take a few more risks, change my pace or whatever it is,” Leach said. “I’m just glad we got the win: it was a real team effort so I’m very happy.”Leach has become something of a cult figure among England fans, and it is easy to see why: he looks slender and unassuming, he wiped his glasses throughout his famous 1 not out in the Ashes win at Headingley, made 92 as a nightwatchman against Ireland earlier that summer, and has an inspiring story of off-field resilience including re-modelling his bowling action and living with Crohn’s disease.But perhaps the focus on Leach the man has distracted from the abilities of Leach the bowler. He’s the only member of their attack to have featured in each of England’s record run of six consecutive wins in Asia, and with 34 wickets at 27.08, he’s been fundamental to their fortunes too. If he can help turn England’s 1-0 lead into a series win in India, he will go a long way towards redressing that balance.

Rangers aren’t doing too much to keep the supporters happy right now, and an official club announcement has not gone down too well at all.

Rangers boardroom receiving endless criticism

Thursday’s 3-0 defeat away to Brann in the Europa League was the latest dire result for the Gers, bursting Danny Rohl’s bubble in his opening game in charge, on a night when it was hoped they would turn a corner.

Rangers legend Ally McCoist was one of many not remotely amused by the performance of the players, not holding back in his criticism of the team, on Friday morning: “Last night is probably as depressed as I have been during this whole debacle, because I actually feel for the manager. I don’t know what he is going to do.

“He might improve them in terms of a little bit of organisation – set plays, you can do all that, bits and pieces, but I do not think there is anywhere near the level of improvement in that team that will even be required to get them up the league domestically, to tell you the gospel truth. There are just absolutely miles off it. They are getting outfought, outrun, outmuscled – I mean, it’s actually very sad to watch.”

It isn’t a happy time at Rangers, so it is important that those within the club cause further unrest, but they aren’t helping themselves at the moment.

Rangers kit announcement slammed

On Saturday, Four Lads Had A Dream reacted angrily to Rangers announcing their 2025/26 fourth kit, saying the timing was bad after such a poor run of form: “Great launch. Smashing kit. Timing & awareness of wider feeling, completely ignorant.”

It certainly isn’t the best timing from the Gers, who need to be aware of how frustrated the fans are at what has gone on so far this season, making this a bizarre time to market a chance for fans to invest more of their hard earned money into the club.

While supporters often like new kits, many fans feel that the players aren’t even worthy of wearing it this season, given the nature of the results and performances on show. Hopefully, things change for the better for Rangers from this weekend onwards, with Rohl’s side facing a must-win home clash against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

Keith Jackson shares what he’s "heard" from Rangers on Thelwell’s Ibrox position

Does the sporting director have a future at Ibrox?

ByHenry Jackson Oct 24, 2025

Yet more dropped points would only further see momentum dropped, and their new boss will be praying that he can mastermind a positive result.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been dealt another blow with an injured star now facing several weeks on the sidelines.

Arsenal navigate plethora of injuries to top Premier League table

Considering the sheer number of key first team players who’ve been sidelined at various points already this season, Arsenal’s position at the top of the Premier League table is all the more impressive.

The Gunners have endured a torrid season with injuries, much like last campaign, which has severely tested Arteta’s squad depth.

While Arsenal have still begun the campaign very strongly, and are unbeaten in their last 18 matches across all competitions, their relentless succession of fitness problems has affected big-name personnel across multiple positions.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

August proved particularly damaging, with Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Ben White and William Saliba all sustaining injuries.

Odegaard’s MCL knee injury against West Ham in early October proved especially problematic, keeping the captain out for nearly two months and robbing Arsenal of their creative heartbeat during crucial fixtures.

Gabriel Magalhaes remains absent for weeks following a thigh injury sustained during Brazil’s November friendly against Senegal. His regular partner Saliba has battled recurring problems, missing recent matches against Chelsea and Brentford due to an unspecified knock.

Arsenal handed Declan Rice injury twist after pre-Aston Villa update

The England international has been their arguable player of the season.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 5, 2025

Summer signing Cristhian Mosquera compounds Arteta’s concerns after suffering a ‘complicated’ ankle injury that will require further testing to determine his recovery timeline.

Declan Rice provided fresh worries after limping off late against Brentford with a calf problem, and while the England midfielder insisted he felt “fine” ready to play against Aston Villa this afternoon, Arteta suggests he’s subject to a late fitness test.

Leandro Trossard has missed matches with muscular issues but should return within ‘days’ according to Arteta’s latest briefing, with the same going for Saliba.

Havertz suffered a setback in his knee rehabilitation and won’t return until possibly late December, while Gabriel Jesus finally returned to contention recently after missing nearly a year recovering from an ACL tear.

Summer signing Noni Madueke was out for two months after knee damage against Man City in September, though scans cleared him of cruciate ligament damage. The winger has since returned to action, providing Arteta with a renewed attacking threat.

That is a staggering 10 first-team stars who’ve been sidelined at various points, or still are, with a pretty concerning update now coming to light on Mosquera’s condition.

Cristhian Mosquera facing eight weeks out after Arsenal injury blow

The Spaniard was forced off early doors during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Brentford in midweek, and according to BBC journalist Sami Mokbel, Mosquera now faces ‘at least’ six weeks out through injury in ‘another blow’ to Arsenal.

The key phrase there is ‘at least’, and it could be as long as two months, with Saliba’s fitness now becoming more crucial than ever.

If the Frenchman is still unable to start, then Arteta will have little choice but to play Jurrien Timber alongside Piero Hincapie for this afternoon’s crunch clash against Villa in the Midlands.

White would then likely be handed his second consecutive league start at right-back for the first time since May, with Arsenal’s strength in depth now set to play an even more pivotal role in their quest to win a first league title in 22 years.

It is important to note that the timeframe for Mosquera’s injury lay-off are initial concerns from within Arsenal, with the ex-Valencia starlet set for further testing to determine his exact recovery timeline.

It is a blow for the centre-back personally after his fine start to life at N5, despite having to contend with being a back-up to Arteta’s first-choice centre-back pairing.

Arsenal believe Mosquera could become one of the best centre-backs in world football in a few years, according to some reports, and nothing we’ve seen so far disproves that theory.

Namibia have qualified for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup and will be one of the three hosts of the 2027 edition as well

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2025Gary Kirsten has been appointed consultant for the men’s national teams of Namibia and will work with Craig Williams, the former Namibian cricketer who is the head coach of the men’s national team in the build-up to the next T20 World Cup, to be played in India and Sri Lanka in February-March 2026.”It is indeed a privilege to work with Cricket Namibia. I have been thoroughly impressed with the dedication and determination to create a high-performance cricket environment,” Kirsten said in a Cricket Namibia statement. “Their new state-of-the-art cricket stadium is a testament to their commitment to making sure their national teams are competing with the best cricket countries in the world. Their senior men’s national team is performing well, and I look forward to adding value to their preparation for the T20 World Cup in February next year.”Namibia, a team on the rise in men’s T20 cricket, qualified for each of the last three T20 World Cups, in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and are in the mix for the upcoming one too, and will also be one of the three hosts for the 2027 edition, with South Africa and Zimbabwe.”Kirsten’s appointment as consultant reflects Cricket Namibia’s commitment to strengthening its high-performance environment and supporting the existing coaching structure,” a statement from the board said. “His blend of international playing experience, coaching success, and passion for player development brings valuable insight and added depth to the Eagles [men’s national team] setup.”Kirsten, one of South Africa’s best batters from 1993 to 2004, turned to coaching after retiring. He was first part of the team that founded a cricket academy in Cape Town and took up roles at various levels in South Africa before becoming India’s head coach in 2007. Under him, India won the 2011 ODI World Cup. He was subsequently appointed head coach of the South Africa national team and has also held positions with a number of teams across the world in T20 franchise leagues. Most recently, he served in an aborted stint as head coach of the Pakistan men’s team in 2024.

Manchester United’s defeat against Everton on Monday night once again highlighted the issues of Ruben Amorim’s reluctance to move away from his 3-4-2-1 system.

The Red Devils spent 77 minutes playing against just 10 men, but he refused to budge from his philosophy, which no doubt cost the side a chance of claiming all three points.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s first-half strike was enough to secure all three points for the Toffees, with the hosts’ impressive five-game unbeaten run coming to an abrupt end.

Since the final whistle, the manager has come under fire for his stubbornness in implementing a more attacking system, especially after the visitors’ early dismissal.

During the loss to David Moyes’ men, one first-team member massively failed to take advantage of the rare starting opportunity that was handed his way in the Premier League.

Joshua Zirkzee’s stats against Everton for United

After Benjamin Sesko’s knee injury against Tottenham Hotspur, Joshua Zirkzee was handed his first Premier League start of the campaign against Everton yesterday.

The Dutchman had previously had to settle for minutes off the substitutes bench, but the clash at Old Trafford was his maiden start of the 2025/26 league season.

However, he was unable to take advantage of the opportunity that was handed his way, with the 24-year-old struggling to match the demands of the manager’s system.

He featured for the entirety of the contest, but was only able to post a measly tally of 35 touches, with only five of his total touches coming within the opposition’s penalty area.

Zirkzee also completed just 15 passes at a success rate of just 60%, which resulted in the forward gifting the ball back to the opposition on 12 separate occasions.

His lack of quality was further outlined in his tally of one big chance missed and just four duels won, with James Tarkowski often pocketing the stand in centre forward.

Not just Zirkzee: United star must not start again under Amorim

In the 12 months since Amorim’s arrival, many United players have often struggled to match the expectations placed upon them – ultimately leading to their lowly Premier League finish last season.

Their performances, as seen by Zirkzee yesterday, will have led to the £200m spending spree during the summer window, but it should only be the start of the overhaul.

The midfield department should be next on the hierarchy’s agenda, with the manager no doubt wanting added reinforcements in such an area of the pitch.

Casemiro is getting towards the end of his current deal at Old Trafford, with Kobbie Mainoo seemingly not fancied by the manager after failing to start a single league game in 2025/26.

However, the defensive unit should also be one that the board are targeting, especially given the failures in that area over the past couple of seasons at Old Trafford.

Luke Shaw is one player who remains in such an area, but like Zirkzee, he’s often failed to deliver when called upon by Amorim over the last 12 months.

The Englishman has now spent over a decade on the books of the Red Devils, but ultimately, he’s entering the latter stages of his career – something which is starting to show.

He’s started every league game to date in 2025/26, but that’s not without question, with his performance against Everton one that failed to catch the eye for the right reasons.

The 30-year-old featured for the entire contest, but was only able to win 50% of the aerial duels he entered and was even dribbled past on two separate occasions.

Minutes played

90

Touches

110

Passes completed

83

Aerials lost

50%

Dribbled past

2x

Interceptions

1

Clearances

1

Crosses completed

0

He also only made one interception and one clearance, subsequently being unable to keep the side’s second clean sheet of the Premier League campaign.

Shaw’s tally of zero completed crosses out of his attempted four showcases his inability to find a teammate in attacking areas, which led to criticism from Gary Neville.

The former United star, now turned pundit, stated that the player is becoming a “waste of time” at United and that his performances at Old Trafford aren’t fooling anyone.

His latest showing under Amorim is further evidence that he’s unable to match the levels he did during the early years of his career – with Amorim needing to exclude him from his starting eleven.

Shaw and Zirkzee are certainly nowhere near the levels the club need if they are to be successful in the Premier League, with the hierarchy needing to offload them to free up funds in January.

Not just Zirkzee: Man Utd man who was among the 'world's best' must be axed

Manchester United’s flaws were brutally exposed in Monday’s dismal defeat to Everton.

ByRobbie Walls Nov 25, 2025

The New York Yankees amended one of their long-standing team policies last week, as managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner announced on Friday that they'll now allow both players and uniformed personnel to "grow well-groomed" beards moving forward.

While some current Yankees will likely be thrilled by the amended policy, there were plenty of past greats who were forced to abide by it. One in particular is former center fielder Johnny Damon, who despite having to cut his long-flowing hair and filled-in beard before signing with New York in 2005, is not a fan of the rule change.

"I just heard that the Yankees are not requiring people to cut their hair and trim their beards…" the two-time All-Star said in a video he posted to Instagram. "I think we need to keep it how it was, with respect to Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter and Mariano [Rivera]…"

"The Yankees are a tradition," Damon continued. "Let's keep it. I cut these lovely locks off many years ago because George Steinbrenner is such a great human being, such a great boss, that I wasn't even going to question it. Let's keep the policies the same. Listen to your bosses, always bring your A-game, and let's go!"

Damon was a fan favorite during his time with the Boston Red Sox, becoming one of the faces of the team dubbed "The Idiots" while playing an integral part in their 2004 World Series win. He broke those same fans' hearts just over a year later when he signed a four-year, $52 million with their rival Yankees—shaving his famous hair and beard in the process.

He's since regrown both, as you can see in the above video.

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O  Botafogo  conta com mais um motivo para fortalecer sua confiança na conquista do Campeonato Brasileiro. A vitória por 2 a 0 sobre o Fluminense, aliada à combinação de resultados, aumentou para nove pontos a distância sobre o segundo colocado. Com este panorama, ao fim da 26ª rodada, os comandados de Lúcio Flávio só estão abaixo de um líder na história do Brasileirão disputado por pontos corridos.

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Na mesma rodada, o Cruzeiro, na edição de 2013, estava com 59 pontos, 11 pontos a mais que o Grêmio, vice-líder com 48. A Raposa sagrou-se campeã.

+ A sua carreira no futebol pode começar hoje. Garanta a sua vaga no curso Gestor de Futebol e capacite-se!

Em outras três edições, o líder do Brasileiro abriu uma distância de nove pontos no Brasileirão: o São Paulo em 2007, o Cruzeiro em 2014 e o Atlético-MG em 2021. Todas as equipes foram campeãs.

O Botafogo volta a campo no dia 18, uma quarta-feira, quando encara o América-MG, no Independência, às 20h.