Arsenal have a busy summer transfer window ahead of them as the Gunners and Mikel Arteta look to win the Premier League after three successive second-place finishes.

New sporting director Andrea Berta is the man tasked with leading Arsenal’s transfer business, with midfielder Martin Zubimendi set to be the first through the door at the Emirates.

Signing from Real Sociedad in a transfer worth over £50m, Zubimendi should be followed by some attacking additions ahead of Arsenal’s 2025/26 opener at Old Trafford against Man Utd.

Man Utd vs Arsenal

August 17

Arsenal vs Leeds

August 23

Liverpool vs Arsenal

August 30

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest

September 13

Arsenal vs Man City

September 20

AI have actually predicted Arsenal’s 25/26 line-up in a 4-3-3 formation, and if they are correct, the Gunners will have an exciting transfer window.

Berta spends £250m: AI predicts who Arsenal will sign in summer transfer window

It could be an eventful few months at the Emirates.

1 ByCharlie Smith Jun 14, 2025 AI predicts Arsenal’s 2025/26 starting line-up 1 GK: David Raya

There may not be much change in defence at the Emirates, with Arsenal having the best defensive record in the Premier League over the past two seasons.

Games

96

Clean sheets

39

Goals conceded

81

David Raya has been a regular during that time and has been backed to keep his spot in the side despite Kepa Arrizabalaga’s likely arrival.

2 RB: Jurrien Timber

Getting the nod at right-back is Jurrien Timber after the Dutchman played all across the backline in 24/25, making 48 appearances in all competitions.

They say Timber’s ‘versatility and recovery from injury make him a strong candidate to start at right-back’ as his ‘attacking flair fits Arteta’s system’.

3 CB: William Saliba

William Saliba has been a rock at the back for the Gunners in recent years, which has resulted in rumours of a move to Real Madrid.

Described as ‘a cornerstone of Arsenal’s defence’, Saliba still has two years left on his Emirates deal and looks set to play a key role once more.

4 CB: Gabriel

No shocks at centre-back from AI, with Gabriel expected to partner Saliba at the back after signing a new four-year deal this summer.

The Brazilian’s new deal reflects his status under Arteta, and his ‘aggressive defending and leadership underline his importance’.

5 LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly

Still just 18 years of age, Myles Lewis-Skelly is already an Arsenal regular at left-back and is also on course to agree a new Gunners contract.

AI have the Englishman ahead of Riccardo Calafiori and think he’ll start ahead of the Italian in 25/26.

6 CM: Martin Zubimendi

After spending more than £50m on new signing Martin Zubimendi, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that AI believe he’ll be straight in Arteta’s starting XI.

Games

236

Goals

10

Assists

9

Yellow cards

47

They say the Spaniard ‘will anchor the midfield, allowing others to push forward’.

7 CM: Declan Rice

With Zubimendi in the No. 6 role, Declan Rice has been backed to ‘thrive as a No. 8’ at the Emirates, occupying a box-to-box role with the new signing in a deeper position.

AI states that Rice’s ‘leadership, stamina, and goal-scoring ability from midfield make him a guaranteed starter’ under Arteta, and it’s hard to argue against that.

8 CM: Martin Odegaard (c)

Completing the midfield is captain Martin Odegaard, who is actually approaching 200 appearances in a Gunners shirt.

Games

30

Goals

3

Assists

8

AI says that despite a dip in form which saw Odegaard score just three Premier League goals in 30 appearances last season, the Norway star’s ‘chance creation and work rate ensure his spot in the side’.

9 RW: Bukayo Saka

Arsenal missed Bukayo Saka’s goals and assists last season, with the winger out for large parts of the season through injury.

Now back fit, though, Saka’s ‘role on the right is undisputed’ and Ethan Nwaneri is named as a promising backup to Arsenal’s No. 7.

10 CF: Benjamin Sesko

A new striker is at the top of Arsenal’s to-do list before September 1, and one attacker who has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates is Benjamin Sesko.

AI says the towering centre-forward will be in the starting line up next season at a cost of £70m. Sesko will ‘offer the physicality and clinical edge Arteta seeks, edging out Viktor Gyokeres as the primary target’.

The range of viable investors in the Hundred teams is “way broader and bigger” than anticipated ahead of Friday’s first-round deadline for bids. That is according to the ECB’s senior leadership team, who defended the Hundred’s projected valuations of overseas broadcast rights on Wednesday by insisting: “We are confident in our product”.The ECB sent investment prospectuses to around 100 interested parties last month, who were set a deadline of October 18 to register their initial interest in buying a stake in one of the eight Hundred teams. The teams are currently owned by the ECB but will become franchises run as joint-ventures with host counties (or the MCC) once the sale process is complete.The Hundred’s overseas broadcast rights are currently valued at around £2 million per year. Financial projections in the prospectuses distributed by Deloitte and the Raine Group – who are running the sales process – involve a jump to £33 million by 2030, with a year-on-year growth rate of 42%.One prospective investor, who has since withdrawn from the sales process, told ESPNcricinfo that those figures “make no sense” and had not been fully explained. “It seems like they first thought of a valuation then made up the numbers to justify it – things like the sudden and exponential growth in broadcast revenue from India and North America,” they said.Richard Gould and Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chief executive and chair respectively, are in Multan this week during England’s second Test against Pakistan, ahead of the first-round deadline. They said the board has fielded interest from a “full gamut” of potential investors and defended the projected increase in revenue from Indian broadcast rights.Related

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• ECB plans huge wage hikes, increase in overseas player limit in the Hundred

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• Equity sale in the Hundred could be delayed beyond 2025 – Vikram Banerjee

“We are not making an assumption that India’s men’s players will be released, because that has not been what has happened,” Gould said. “We are confident in our product, in terms of the window we occupy and the players we’ve got available. There are loads of T20 and short-format franchise competitions out there at the moment, and I don’t think they are all going to last, in truth.”Gould said that “about 100 or so” interested parties had requested access to the ECB’s “data room”, including “a lot of Indian interest” with the majority of owners of IPL and WPL franchises understood to be involved in the process. He said there has also been interest “from America, from other sports and investment houses”.He said: “We’re getting towards the end of stage one this week… at the moment, they can express an interest in all eight clubs. We’ll have a better indication over the next week or two. Thereafter, we’ll spend a month or so going through those. At the end of that process, they will be able to go and meet the county clubs and see where their relationships work best.”During that period they can have an interest in up to four teams. When we get to the crunch time, which is the next phase, they can only put their name in for two teams, and they can only win one. Clearly, we want to maximise the value, because the value the ECB holds is on behalf of the game.”Gould said there were “a few tyre-kickers” among the parties to initially register their interest, but Thompson insisted that the ECB had outstripped expectations overall. “Raine originally said they thought there’d be three to four bidders per team,” he said. “The investment base is way broader and bigger than they expected.”Vikram Banerjee, the ECB’s director of business operations, said last month that the sale process could be delayed beyond next year if the right bids do not come in. Thompson suggested that the 2025 season could be a “hybrid” model, with some teams still owned by ECB and others by private investors.”What we don’t want is to just feel bounced into selling all of them and thinking, ‘We could have got a lot more if we’d held back because that particular team wasn’t ready to go,'” he said. “The worst thing we could do would be to undersell the game and look back thinking, ‘We let some of these franchises go at prices that weren’t full market value.'”

Quick didn’t give up hope of a recall but had “stopped thinking about it” after years out of the side

Matt Roller24-Oct-2021Tymal Mills announced himself as a fast bowler on the rise in 2016 when he rearranged Chris Gayle’s stumps with a 150kph yorker in a T20 Blast match at Hove. Five years later, his dismissal of the same man confirmed his return to the big stage after a long struggle with injuries.Mills earned an England recall thanks to a series of standout performances in the Blast and the Hundred this summer, and was picked for his first T20 international since 2017 on Saturday night in Dubai. Entrusted with the sixth over, he dismissed Gayle with the final ball of the Powerplay, rushing him with an 140kph short ball and inducing a spliced pull which saw Dawid Malan take a superbly-judged catch backpedalling from the edge of the ring at midwicket.It was a moment of symmetry for Mills, and reward for his dedication to getting himself in good enough physical condition to play a major role in this tournament. He has suffered badly with injuries since his breakthrough five years ago, spending three months in a back brace last winter following a stress fracture, but was fit enough to play 19 games between the Blast and the Hundred this summer and bowled with good pace on his return.”A lot of hard work has gone in to get myself into a position to put my hat in the ring,” Mills told Sky Sports. “I had a really good summer back home and to get out here, back among the lads, really enjoy training and get selected for the first game, I was really pleased. I didn’t give up hope [of an England recall] but I probably stopped thinking about it, to be honest.”He [Gayle] is one of the biggest names around. Their batting line-up is fierce, isn’t it, Polly [Kieron Pollard] and [Andre] Russell coming in at No. 7 and 8. We knew that we had to stay on it. I want to play every game. I don’t want to be sitting out. I’ve been backing up training sessions back home in the summer and since I’ve been out here I’ve been recovering well. The schedule isn’t too brutal in this competition, so I’m good to go.”

“I didn’t give up hope [of an England recall] but I probably stopped thinking about it, to be honest.”Tymal Mills

“You can see once the pace cranks up people do strange things,” Chris Silverwood, England’s coach, said. “Pace does that to people, and to have someone with that ability, and from a left-arm angle as well, in the squad is a real asset to us. He’s a great asset to have in our bowling attack.”It was a year ago that Eoin Morgan was asked by Mills over dinner whether his name came up in selection meetings – coincidentally in Dubai, where they were filming for the ‘Ultimate Kricket Challenge’. Morgan said that it did, and gave enough encouragement for Mills to hatch a route back into the side for himself.”I’m delighted for Big T,” Morgan said. “He’s had an incredibly unfortunate journey throughout his career right from the start up until now. He’s as good as I’ve seen him – both fit and bowling fit – and his fielding has also drastically improved which is a huge contribution. I’m absolutely delighted that not only was he back on the field for us but also contributing in the manner that we’ve seen in the past in a Sussex shirt.”England’s use of Mills and his method were both notable. In what could be a theme throughout the tournament, Mills and England’s other seamers, Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan, aimed to hit ‘hard’ or ‘heavy’ lengths rather than looking for early swing and exploited West Indies’ relative weakness against back-of-a-length bowling. Mills was also used as an enforcer through the middle of the innings, removing Nicholas Pooran with a rare full, pace-on ball which he edged behind – though he expects to be saved until the death for most of the World Cup.Tymal Mills’ pace and left-arm angle are both attractive assets•Getty Images”If this game had gone traditionally – to the full 20 – my overs would have been left to the death,” he said. “It was a luxury of taking wickets and Morgs then used me earlier, otherwise, I would have been saved until the death. Our next game is in Abu Dhabi and we play in Sharjah as well so we’re going to have to be adaptable, but smashing away, back of a length is going to be key.”You don’t want to be too full and you don’t want to be too floaty. We played against New Zealand a couple of days ago and we spoke about: ‘if you’re going to miss [your length], miss shorter’ on these wickets. As long as you’re banging it in with some conviction, you want to be missing on the shorter side, we think.”England were without Mark Wood, the one bowler in their squad quicker than Mills, on Saturday night due to a niggle to his left ankle which he picked up in the warm-up win against New Zealand. He has had an injection but is expected to be fit for Wednesday’s game against Bangladesh, with Silverwood admitting that the attack’s success created a selection headache.”It’s nothing drastic, nothing that we’re overly worried about, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing him soon,” Silverwood said. “[Mills and Wood playing together] is an exciting prospect, isn’t it? You’ve got two people who can hit that sort of pace at a regular interval, but again it will come down to what we feel will best suit the conditions that we’re playing under, and where the best match-ups lie for the team we’re playing against.”

This will be the only international match – men’s or women’s – played in South Africa this summer to not have DRS

Firdose Moonda14-Dec-2024

There will be no DRS for the one-off Test between South Africa and England in Bloemfontein, the first women’s Test in South Africa in 22 years. The match will be the only one out of the 21 internationals played by both men and women in South Africa this home summer without DRS.This was the first season where DRS – a technology that costs millions of dollars – was used for women’s bilateral internationals in South Africa. CSA said it has opted to prioritise DRS in white-ball women’s internationals for now.”The inclusion of the DRS for the ongoing inbound tour against England was agreed upon at the planning stage of the tour, noting that it will be the first time it was used for women’s bilateral tours in South Africa in recent history,” Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s director of national teams and high performance, said in response to a query about the absence of DRS for the Test.”The white-ball formats were prioritised with regards to DRS for this tour as it directly impacted the Proteas Women’s rankings in T20I cricket and the Women’s Championship as well as the overall CSA strategy for the senior women’s national team.”While the development of the red-ball format is important, it is worth noting that resources are currently being directed at the white-ball formats due to the significance of ODI and T20I cricket in the current women’s international cricket landscape.”South Africa had already qualified for the ODI World Cup before the series against England but aimed to finish as high on the Women’s Championship points table. In the ICC rankings, they are currently ranked fourth in ODIs and fifth in T20Is. There was one instance during the ongoing England tour when DRS malfunctioned. In the third over of South Africa’s chase in the first ODI in Kimberley, Tazmin Brits was pinged on the pad by Lauren Bell and was given out lbw. She wanted to review the decision but could not because the technology was down.ESPNcricinfo understands that, in a home summer where India men’s T20I series was the only profit-making visit, the expense of using the technology was deemed too much for this match. This, despite CSA announcing a profit of US$45.6 million from the last financial year and benefiting from two successive years of India visits.The Test match will be produced on a budget with only seven manned cameras (some matches are broadcast with as many as 30) and two run-out cameras on one side of the field (as opposed to the usual four, two on each side). That means that if there is a fielder in the way of a run-out decision on one side, the TV umpire may not be able to make a decision.The two on-field umpires for the match – Kerrin Klaaste and Lauren Agenbag – will be officiating a Test for the first time.DRS has become the norm in international cricket but there are still matches played without it. At this year’s men’s ODI World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe, DRS was only in place from the Super Six stage. There was no DRS at this year’s women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE, or in the recently completed Ireland Women’s tour of Bangladesh.

Arsenal are displaying serious ambition this summer and show absolutely no sign of easing up any time soon, with sporting director Andrea Berta having worked extensively on a potential marquee signing.

Arsenal trying to convince £55m ace to join, Arteta is speaking to him

The Gunners boss is getting involved.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 4, 2025

Much has been made of the club’s pursuit of new attacking options, after they recently agreed deals for goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Premier League stalwart Christian Norgaard.

Arsenal confirmed Kepa’s signing earlier this week and Zubimendi is expected to follow him imminently, with Fabrizio Romano and other reliable media sources sharing that Norgaard will also join Mikel Arteta’s side very soon.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

25/26 – summer

£5m

Berta is in ongoing talks for Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera as well, and the versatile 21-year-old could well replace Takehiro Tomiyasu, who’s now officially terminated his Arsenal contract.

However, critics are eager to see the Gunners strengthen further forward as well.

Arsenal hold a serious interest in signing Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace as Berta seeks two new wingers, with Chelsea’s Noni Madueke also on their radar in a separate move to the England international (Fabrizio Romano).

Interestingly, Madueke isn’t their top target for the right-hand side.

That man is instead Real Madrid star Rodrygo, who is believed to be a “dream” signing for Arsenal.

Reports suggest that Arsenal could move to sign Rodrygo with Eze, if they’re given encouragement that the Brazil international will be up for leaving the Bernabeu (GiveMeSport), and journalist Graeme Bailey has shared quite a promising update on this situation.

Arsenal prepared to pay £75m for Rodrygo amid "constant" Berta contact

As per the reporter, speaking to TBR Football, Berta has personally been in “constant contact” with Rodrygo’s camp after identifying the 24-year-old as a key target.

TBR state that a deal for him would cost around £70-75 million, and this is deemed an “acceptable” price by Arsenal, who are seemingly prepared to pay those figures.

Berta has also been made aware of Rodrygo’s plan to inform Real of his desire to leave, which he’ll confirm to Xabi Alonso’s side once they return from their Club World Cup campaign.

“I am told Andrea Berta made Rodrygo one of his top targets months ago, he recognised very early the situation that was emerging around him,” said Bailey.

“Rodrygo’s team have engaged with him throughout. This isn’t a blind chase by Berta and Arsenal, they have done a lot of work on him. He is not their only target, but the chances of landing him have been increasing every month since Berta first had contact.”

Rodrygo would be a statement signing for Berta after his excellent 2024/2025 campaign. The “superstar” has netted 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, including his numbers at the CWC, and he’s apparently keen to play on the left-hand side as opposed to on the right at Madrid (ESPN).

Given Leandro Trossard has entered the final year of his deal, not to mention Gabriel Martinelli’s uncertain long-term future, this is a move that could seriously suit all parties.

Tom Brady has been told that he has two golden boys at Birmingham, with Jay Stansfield and Kyogo Furuhashi being tipped for a top scorer battle.

Blues have continued to spend bigImpressive firepower at St Andrew'sTaking aim at another promotionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Blues have completed more notable transfer business during the summer of 2025. They smashed recruitment records in League One 12 months ago, with £15 million ($20m) being invested in England Under-21 striker Stansfield.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ex-Celtic frontman Kyogo has been returned to British football in a £10m ($13m) deal, with the 30-year-old Japan international expected to take the Championship by storm. Birmingham could take some stopping if their frontline clicks and fires early.

DID YOU KNOW?

Plenty of second tier rivals also boast impressive firepower – with Wrexham another of those to be spending big – but Stansfield and Kyogo are considered to be leading contenders for Golden Boot honours.

Amazon Prime VideoWHAT BOYD SAID

Former EFL striker Kris Boyd shares that opinion, with the ex-Scotland international telling : "I think there are a few candidates to top score next season, and Kyogo is definitely one of them. His partner at Birmingham, Jay Stansfield, is another one with a chance. There are always some obvious tips to be the top scorer in this league at the start of the season, but there’s always a challenger who comes from left field too.

"If Birmingham can create chances for either of their players, they will smash them in. But there are obviously other strikers in the league who you can say the same thing about. I think with a strong squad and good attacking players, Southampton will be feeling the same, as will Leicester if they get players in.

"Sheffield United have still got players who can score freely, so it’s a difficult pick, but you know from Kyogo’s time in Scotland that he converts chances if he’s given them."

Despite scoring 586, Zimbabwe dropped double-centurions Rahmat and Shahidi multiple times to concede a lead

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2024Craig Ervine lamented Zimbabwe’s poor fielding after Zimbabwe drew the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Rahmat Shah (234) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (246) were the biggest beneficiaries of the dropped chances as they handed the visitors a 113-run first-innings lead despite conceding 586. Afsar Zazai made 113 as well.”The one little area where we’ll probably look back and think, ‘the outcome could have been different if we’d taken our chances in the field’,” Ervine said. “I think a lot of credit also has to go to Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah, they way the batted was exceptional, patient, determined, and they showed great application for long periods of time.”Bursts of rain in the last three days and the fact that only 13 wickets were taken till the start of the final day meant that forcing a result was tough for either team.Related

• Stats – Zimbabwe (586), Afghanistan (699) reach record highs in Bulawayo run-fest

• Zimbabwe secure draw in high-scoring Test on rain-hit day

“We knew that pitch would come to the fifth day, down to maybe the last two sessions,” Ervine said. “I think it was going to be tough to take 20 wickets on that surface, but at the same time, you don’t know where the game would have gone.”Ervine confirmed pacer Richard Ngarava, who missed the first Test, will be back for the second. He added that Blessing Muzarabani and Newman Nyamhuri, who took three wickets in the game, were unwell at times but pulled through and will try and be ‘fresh and replenished’ for the second Test, starting on January 2, at the same venue.”Bless was suffering from a bit of flu and a bit of dizziness,” he said. “So we didn’t really wanna push him too much, especially when you know we’ve got only two days between this and the next Test. Newman was struggling with his stomach for a few days. So, bowling will draw a lot more energy from you if you’re not 100 percent. So, we thought those guys may as well rest up and make sure when they come for the second Test, they are fresh and replenished.”Brian Bennett getting a hundred in his second Test, the way he batted was really good. Guys weren’t really looking for sweeps, they were playing straight and keeping things nice and simple.”

أكد أوريلين تشواميني لاعب ريال مدريد، سعادته بما حدث مع لامين يامال لاعب برشلونة عقب مباراة الكلاسيكو بين الفريقين مساء اليوم الأحد.

وتغلب ريال مدريد على برشلونة بهدفين لهدف، ليحافظ على مكانه في صدارة الدوري الإسباني ويوسع الفارق مع غريمه إلى 5 نقاط.

وقال تشواميني في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية: “سعيد جدًا، لقد لعبنا أمام برشلونة، وهي مباراة مختلفة تمامًا، قمنا بما كان علينا فعله، ونستحق الفوز”.

وأضاف: “أمام أتلتيكو لم نقدم الأداء الذي أردناه، لكن اليوم أظهرنا ما نحن قادرون عليه، إنها ثلاث نقاط مهمة، وعلينا أن نواصل على هذا المنوال”.

ووقعت مشادة في نهاية المباراة، بين لاعبي الفريقين، وظهر داني كارفاخال قائد ريال مدريد وهو يشير إلى لامين يامال لاعب برشلونة قائلاً له: “تتحدث كثيرًا”، في إشارة لتصريحات اللاعب قبل المباراة بشأن فوز البلوجرانا.

كما وقع الأمر نفسه من البرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور مهاجم ريال مدريد تجاه لامين يامال، وقد بدر منه تصرف مشابه لما فعله كارفاخال.

وأضاف تشواميني عن الموقف مع لامين يامال: “أنا أحب هذا النوع من الأجواء، في نهاية المباراة حدثت بعض الأمور بين اللاعبين، لكني عندما كنت صغيرًا كنت أرى مثل هذه المواقف أيضًا”.

وأكد: “أحب ذلك، فهي مجرد كلمات، لا توجد نية سيئة، في الواقع، حفزتنا قليلًا، إذا أراد لامين الحديث، لا مشكلة، فالمباراة تُحسم في الملعب، نحن سعداء جدًا بأدائنا اليوم، كل اللاعبين يريدون اللعب لـ90 دقيقة، وبالتأكيد فينيسيوس سعيد”.

WA were 133 for 3 chasing 167 but lost 7 for 31 with McAndrew taking a career-best 5 for 40. Earlier, Bryce Jackson took the best-ever 50-over figures for WA of 6 for 31

AAP24-Sep-2024Western Australia have suffered an almighty collapse of 7 for 31 against South Australia, sparked by Nathan McAndrew’s five-wicket haul, to eventually lose by two runs and remain winless in the One-Day Cup after two games.Two days after being upset by New South Wales, Western Australia looked set for victory at 133 for 3 in pursuit of South Australia’s 166 at Sydney’s Cricket Central.But the three-time defending champions fell apart miserably, with McAndrew claiming career-best List A figures of 5 for 40 as Western Australia were all out for 164 in the 38th over.The loss leaves Western Australia with their worst start to a season since 2015, and the first time they have suffered back-to-back 50-over defeats in nine years.The defeat came despite the best efforts of quick Bryce Jackson, who claimed 6 for 31 and the best figures for Western Australia in the competition’s history.Jackson has long been touted as a potential talent in Western Australia, but a series of major back injuries denied him a debut until age 24 last summer.In just his second List A match, Bryce Jackson walked back with figures of 6 for 31•Getty ImagesThe right-arm quick took 3 for 67 in his maiden match against Tasmania in February, before taking his chance on Tuesday with Jhye Richardson rested.He had Henry Hunt caught behind with a ball that swung away in his first over, before getting Mackenzie Harvey and Daniel Drew in his next over.And after Liam Scott (46) and Daniel Drew (49) steadied the ship for South Australia, Jackson returned to get rid of both of them before beating McAndrew for pace on the hook shot.While Western Australia wobbled early in their chase, the competition heavyweights appeared to have the match under their control.With Ashton Turner going after Henry Thornton by cutting him for six and taking 16 off another over, a bonus-point win looked the most likely scenario.But the match swung viciously after Sam Whiteman pulled Wes Agar down the throat of Thomas Kelly at deep square leg on 48.Ashton Agar and Baxter Holt followed in similar fashion to McAndrew as the West Australians lost all control of the match.And when McAndrew had Matthew Kelly caught behind and clean bowled AJ Tye for a duck in his next over, Western Australia still required 10 for victory.Ben Manenti then landed the killer blow when he nicked off Turner on 53, leaving Lance Morris and Jackson six runs to get for the final wicket.Jackson was ultimately stumped trying to drive Manenti, denying him a dream day and handing South Australia their first win over Western Australia since 2017.

Having also received a pep talk from SA’s Bavuma, they are eager to shake off a poor start and make a splash in the World Cup

Sreshth Shah in Bloemfontein25-Jan-2020On March 24 2019, it seemed like Nigeria’s hard work at the Africa Division One tournament would amount to nothing. They had beaten the three teams ranked higher than them already – Namibia, Uganda and Kenya – and needed to only defeat Sierra Leone to qualify for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. But Sierra Leone, having scored 138, reduced Nigeria to 91 for 7. Nigeria captain Sylvester Okpe couldn’t watch the game any longer.”I was in the dressing room, praying for a miracle,” Okpe, who idolises MS Dhoni and Daren Sammy for their calmness, said. “I was chewing on the bottle cap so hard that nothing was left of it.”However, their No. 8 Peter Aho came to the rescue. Before the match, Aho’s highest score in the tournament was 3. But he struck 21 off 32 balls on the day, including the winning runs, to seal Nigeria’s two-wicket win, and their spot in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. It remains Aho’s highest score for Nigeria.ALSO READ: U-19 adventure only the tip of Japan’s cricket icebergThe scenes, as expected, were one that the team had never experienced before. As the players ran onto the ground to celebrate, bottles were thrown in the air, coaches performed silent prayers near the boundary, and some cried their hearts out.”When the game was going against us, the supporters at the pavilion were supporting Sierra Leone, because [the hosts] Namibia were second, and if we lost, then they would qualify on net run-rate,” Okpe told ESPNcricinfo. “Everyone was against us. If you watch the clip you won’t see me running onto the pitch, because I was crying – tears of joy – near the boundary.”It was a very emotional moment for us. To be the first team qualifying for a major ICC event. To make it for the first time in over 115 years of cricket in Nigeria, we were really excited and we couldn’t help but express it.”Cricket was introduced to Nigeria by the British Empire in the 18th century. The first time a Nigerian team played another country was in 1904, when they faced off against the “Gold Coast” (now Ghana). A power struggle between the expatriates and the locals then followed as both groups formed their own cricket associations in 1932 and 1933 respectively, and it took as long as 1957 for both associations to integrate and become one.Although cricket in West Africa was never popular, Nigeria led the charge in the 1960s to change that culture. They formed the West Africa Cricket Conference – together with Gambia, Ghana and Sierra Leone – to expand the sport in the region by 1976 and started the WACC quadrangular tournament, a bi-yearly event between the four teams. Such was Nigeria’s dominance that they won the first 10 editions between 1976 and 1997. But as football, boxing and athletics began to grow through the country, cricket took the backseat again.Nigeria captain Sylvester Okpe addresses the media•Getty ImagesWith Nigeria’s qualification into the U-19 World Cup, there’s hope that the interest around cricket would rise again. “Most support was coming from individuals and ICC previously,” board president Yahaya Adam Ukwenya told ESPNcricinfo. “Now, with the qualification, we have the government putting their hand up. More private sectors are coming through too.”The ICC has worked closely with us in setting up of tournaments. One of the reasons we’ve started doing well is the coaching clinics the ICC have conducted across the country, improve the standard of our practice sessions.”The side had also received a pep talk from the South Africa cricket team ahead of the tournament.”When we came to the World Cup, we were lucky to be in the same hotel as the Proteas too, who were there to play the first Test against England in Pretoria.”Temba Bavuma came to speak with us. We saw Faf du Plessis and Vernon Philander too – it’s really helped us, very encouraging. Bavuma spoke about believing in ourselves and being true to our processes. Told us to believe in our talent.”Another source of inspiration for them has been the Nigerian football team. Football is, by far, the most popular sport in the country, and the team believes they can learn a fair bit from the Super Eagles.”In soccer, the game never ends till the final whistle,” Okpe said. “Most of the Nigerian teams that succeeded, they don’t give up easily. In schools, we’ve played football like that also. The bond that comes with team spirit, it’s really helped us.Before the 2020 U-19 World Cup got underway, Okpe had said: “we are like the Leicester City of cricket… we can shock the world”, referencing how the English club defied odds of 5000/1 to win the 2015-16 Premier League season. While Nigeria haven’t had the best tournament so far, losing by ten wickets to Australia and by 246 runs against West Indies, they’ll hope to do well to remember how Leicester City eventually won that title.