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Neither team will read too much into how individuals have fared, but there are broad, team-level issues they may want to look into

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Nov-2024

It’s 1-1, and the series could be headed for a blockbuster finish•AFP/Getty Images

Big picture – both teams have issues to addressThis series is a bit of an oddity, with two sides at below full strength, with a number of big names rested for more pressing engagements, facing off in a format that’s taken a bit of a back seat in terms of wider relevance, with no immediate world event to build towards. It’s also an oddity in that it’s four matches long, rather than three or five.For all that, it’s been extremely competitive, and at 1-1 could be shaping up for a blockbuster second half. After sharing honours on the coast, South Africa and India now move to the pace, true bounce and high altitude of the Highveld with all to play for.Given that both sides are testing out young players and new combinations, neither team will read too much into how individuals have fared so far. But there are broad, team-level issues they may want to look into.Related

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South Africa have faced 16 overs from India’s two wristspinners, and scored 91 while losing 12 wickets. The format is different, but Ravi Bishnoi and, in particular, Varun Chakravarthy seem to be exerting the same sort of influence that Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal did on the ODI leg of India’s tour of this country in 2017-18, when they shared 35 wickets in five games.India’s issue is structural, and one that’s cropped up from time to time over recent years: their batting in the first two T20Is seemed to stop at No. 7. They only scored 40 runs in the last six overs of the first match, and failed to turn Sanju Samson’s storming century into a truly awe-inspiring total. In the second, they lost early wickets, and never recovered thanks in part to this lack of depth.How the two teams sort out or work around these issues could well determine how this series finishes.Form guideSouth Africa WLLWL
India LWWWWIn the spotlight – David Miller and Abhishek SharmaIn this series so far, David Miller has been out twice to Varun – the second off a peach that turned past his outside edge and bowled him for a golden duck – in 13 balls, while scoring 14 runs off them. Miller prides himself on his spin game, which he has transformed over the last three years, and will undoubtedly be working extra-hard on picking Varun’s variations and getting on top of him.He announced himself with an audacious 47-ball 100 against Zimbabwe in only his second appearance, but his eight other T20I innings have brought Abhishek Sharma only 70 runs, with only two of them going past the ten-ball mark. Abhishek’s no-holds-barred approach, which is exactly what earned him his international call-up, comes with the in-built risk of early failure, and getting the best out of him will require India’s team management to ensure they judge him on processes and not outcomes, helping him become a more rounded player while backing his attacking instincts.Lutho Sipamla has been brought in for the last two T20Is, and he has form behind him•Getty Images

Team newsLutho Sipamla has joined South Africa’s squad for the third and fourth T20Is, and the fast bowler comes into the series with form behind him. He picked up the Player-of-the-Match award for his four-wicket haul in the final of the CSA T20 Challenge in late October, and followed it up with another match-winning contribution for Lions against Titans, a first-innings four-wicket haul in the CSA 4-Day Series. If South Africa bring him into their XI, either Andile Simelane or the legspinner Nqaba Peter may have to make way.South Africa (possible): 1 Ryan Rickelton, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram (capt), 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Andile Simelane/Lutho Sipamla, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Nqabayomzi PeterThere is no quick-fix for India’s batting depth issue within their squad, but they could try and mix things up nonetheless. Three players in their squad are still awaiting their first T20I caps: fast bowlers Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yash Dayal and the explosive lower-middle-order hitter Ramandeep Singh.India (possible): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Arshdeep Singh, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Varun ChakravarthyPitch and conditionsCenturion hosted two incredibly high-scoring T20Is in the space of two days last year. First, South Africa clattered their way to 131 in a rain-shortened, 11-overs-a-side contest, only for West Indies to haul down their target with three balls to spare. Then the hosts exacted a spectacular revenge, with Quinton de Kock’s 44-ball 100 helping them haul down 259 in just 18.5 overs and set a new record for the highest T20I chase. Expect plenty of runs, then, though the steep bounce at the venue could also bring fast bowlers into play if there’s a little bit of help from the surface. A clear and pleasant day is expected.3:33

2nd T20I takeaways – Varun, Stubbs, Coetzee show how good they can be

Stats and trivia Of the six South African grounds that have hosted at least three T20Is since the start of the decade, Centurion has been the highest-scoring, with batting teams going at 10.90 per over and averaging 33.25 runs per wicket. Miller (81) has the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in all T20Is. Varun already has eight wickets in this series, and has a great chance, with two matches remaining, of going past the Indian record of most wickets in a bilateral T20I series of nine, held jointly by R Ashwin and Bishnoi. Since his debut in July 2022, no Full Member player has taken more wickets than Arshdeep’s 89 in T20Is. Arshdeep is well on course to take over as India’s highest wicket-taker in the format, needing just eight more to go past Chahal’s tally of 96.Quotes”Everyone on the team hates losing. In the first game, we didn’t play at our best, if we can call it as it is. And then the second game, the whole focus was just to try and give us the best chance to win. In the second game, we were a lot more focused on winning those small battles because in T20 two or three overs is actually [significant], there’s a lot that can happen. So for us, it was just a focus point in terms of just trying to win those small battles. And I think we won most of the small battles, even though it was a low-scoring game.”
“I’ve had a really good bowling partner in Jassi . He has helped me enormously in taking a lot of wickets by creating pressure from the other end. So a lot of credit goes to him as well. But the main thing is how well I can adapt to the conditions and the situations of the game, how I can attack the batsman early on and take some early wickets. And even at the death how I can outsmart them and bring the game back into our hands.

Newcastle United are almost back in action.

It is less than a fortnight until the Magpies commence their pre-season schedule, making the 139-mile journey north to face Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, with 10,000 Geordies forecast to be travelling to Glasgow to support them at Parkhead.

After that, Eddie Howe’s team will travel to Asia for games against Arsenal in Kallang, the K League All-Stars in Suwon and then Tottenham in Seoul, before Espanyol and Atlético Madrid will visit St James’ Park for a weekend double-header in early August.

So, before their visit to Scotland, will the Toon Army have any new signings to cast their eye over?

Newcastle looking to bolster their squad

Newcastle are yet to make a signing this summer, but that could change in the coming days.

James Trafford is set to arrive from Burnley for £30m, thereby becoming the most-expensive English goalkeeper of all time.

Meantime, the Magpies have also stepped up their interest in Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini, who is described as Howe’s top target, valued at £30m by la Dea.

A deal that could be finalised before either of those is, as reported by Dominic Scurr of the Shields Gazette, Anthony Elanga’s proposed £55m move from Nottingham Forest.

They state that the Magpies had a £45m bid rejected by Forest, told he was not for sale, but have since offered £10m more, which they describe as a ‘breakthrough’ in negotiations.

Thus, ‘confidence’ is growing that a deal will go through, making Elanga Newcastle’s second-most expensive signing of all time, behind only his compatriot Alexander Isak.

Claims followed from Craig Hope corroborating that report, with the journalist revealing on Sunday evening that an agreement is “close.”

Alexnader Isak

2022

Real Sociedad

£63m

Anthony Elanga

2025

Nottingham Forest

£55m*

Sandro Tonali

2023

AC Milan

£55m

Anthony Gordon

2023

Everton

£45m

Joelinton

2019

Hoffenheim

£40m

Harvey Barnes

2023

Leicester City

£38m

Sven Botman

2022

LOSC Lille

£35m

Bruno Guimarães

2022

Olympique Lyonnais

£33.5m

Tino Livramento

2023

Southampton

£32m

*subject to the deal being finalised.

As the table outlines, Joelinton is the only player Newcastle had ever signed for in excess of £30m prior to the PIF takeover and, for the longest time, Michael Owen’s ill-fated £16.8m from Real Madrid in 2005 remained their transfer record.

So, unlike Owen, why will Elanga be a success on Tyneside?

How Anthony Elanga improves Newcastle

Elanga’s performances for Forest last season earned widespread praise, with Statman Dave describing him as “electric”, while David Astill of Total Football Analysis outlined how the Sweden international has become masterful at utilising his pace, often dropping deep before bursting in behind.

Meantime, Ali Tweedale of Opta’s the Analyst is impressed by his two-footedness, labelling him ‘lightning-quick’, while documenting how he’s been able to find the end-product to match, considering only two players registered more assists than he did in the Premier League last season.

Elanga’s potential transfer to Newcastle is reminiscent of his namesake Anthony Gordon’s move from Everton in January 2023, arriving from a Premier League rival for big money.

So, let’s assess how Elanga at Forest compares to Gordon at Everton.

Appearances

74

65

Minutes

4,944

3,911

Goals

11

7

Assists

20

3

All statistics below are on a per-90 basis.

Shots

1.5

1.3

Shots on target

0.9

1

Chances created

1.5

1

Take-on success %

40%

37.87%

Touches

42.1

49.5

Touches in the box

4.6

3.4

As the table outlines, Elanga right now is vastly more experienced than Gordon was when he made the move to Newcastle, not to mention the Swede’s 39 Premier League appearances for Manchester United before joining Forest too.

Elanga has registered more goals and assists, as well as accumulated more shots and chances created, on top of completing a higher percentage of his take-ons. That said, the shared ability to take on a player and create something inside the area certainly makes them alike.

Across the last two seasons, Gordon scored 20 goals and registered 23 assists while the Toon’s latest target netted 11 and supplied 20 assists, certainly rubber-stamping their creative prowess.

Gordon has been largely outstanding since moving to St James’ Park and all available evidence suggests Elanga could have a similarly big impact, should he swap Nottingham for Newcastle.

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It’s safe to say that Liverpool fans will have very little care for the ongoing Club World Cup in the United States of America. In fact, not many football fans in general have tuned in for proceedings just yet.

Chelsea’s opening game with LAFC was played in front of a minuscule crowd considering how big the stadium actually was.

Despite that, there are some talking points on the pitch, none more so than Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Real Madrid got their campaign underway against Saudi side Al Hilal on Wednesday and could only manage a 1-1 draw. Perhaps the gap to Saudi’s top sides isn’t as big as we may think.

How the media world reacted to Trent’s debut

It doesn’t feel like long ago now that Alexander-Arnold announced to the fanbase that he’d be leaving his boyhood club behind in favour of the Spanish capital, Madrid.

After he let it be know that he’d be departing; the right-back was understandably greeted with a chorus of boos. For one of the club’s most infamous academy graduates, this was surprising.

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Yet, once all was said and done, the right-back didn’t actually end up leaving on a free transfer.

Before the aforementioned Club World Cup got underway, there was a frenzy in the transfer market as a plethora of teams tried to get early deals over the line.

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At Chelsea, it was striker Liam Delap arriving while Manchester City confirmed the additions of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki. Not bad at all.

As far as Madrid were concerned, they ended up parting ways with around £8m in order to bring Alexander-Arnold to the club in time for the beginning of this summer’s tournament in the USA.

Well, after his debut on Wednesday evening, Florentino Perez and Co may well be wishing he hadn’t officially signed yet.

This clearly wasn’t Madrid at full strength but it was a horrible afternoon for the Merseyside defender.

He was slapped with a 5/10 match rating from one Real-based outlet, who noted the full-back had ‘some problems’ in the first half and was rather ‘discreet’ throughout.

Another Spanish publication, Football Espana, weren’t too kind either, also giving Trent a rating of 5/10. They were also damning of his abilities, writing that it was an ‘underwhelming’ debut where he was ‘not at his best defensively’. Now, isn’t that a surprise?

Closer to home, 90min gave the new signing a 4/10 rating, making note of how he ‘sometimes forgot’ his marking duties.

How Trent compares to Huijsen on debut

Also making his debut for Madrid in the game with Al Hilal was Dean Huijsen.

The Spaniard was the subject of interest from a plethora of Premier League clubs before the window got underway with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in particular chasing their signature.

The Reds were reportedly one of the favourites to prise him away from Bournemouth but like Alexander-Arnold, Madrid was an offer he could not refuse.

As it happens, the centre-back enjoyed a far better maiden game in Real colours, handed a 7/10 rating by Football Espana.

They wrote that, ‘in contrast to Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen looked assured in his debut. He helped a lot in build-up, which would have pleased Alonso.’

Trent vs Huijsen – Real Madrid debuts
Trent	Stat	Huijsen
65	Mins played	90
2	Clearances	3
1	Interceptions	1
0	Tackles	3
57	Touches	80
89%	Accurate passes	87%
1	Key passes	1
1/4	Ground duels won	6/6
0/1	Aerial duels won	2/4
Stats via Sofascore.

Despite the setbacks of not signing Huijsen and losing Trent, Liverpool appear to be in a good place, having confirmed the arrival of Jeremie Frimpong and reportedly on the verge of signing Florian Wirtz in a British record deal and Milos Kerkez.

Therefore, it’s unlikely they’ll be losing too much sleep over the Alexander-Arnold situation now.

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By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 11, 2025

IShowSpeed is one of the biggest online superstars, boasting over 40 million YouTube subscribers, while also having more than 36 million Instagram followers.

Speed’s real name is Darren Watkins Jr, and he was born Cincinnati, Ohio in January 2005. Best known for his energetic content, visiting numerous countries and athletic challenges, Speed has admitted that he wants to represent the United States of America at the 2028 Olympic Games.

He showcased his pace and shocked many after challenging Noah Lyles to a race towards the end of 2024, and Speed has admitted previously he has run a 100m time of 10.5 seconds.

But how does that rank against some of the best footballers in the world such as Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and his idol Cristiano Ronaldo?

Well, AI tool ChatGPT has estimated the 100m times of some of the quickest players past and present, and it looks as if the internet star has the beating of many.

AI predicts 100m race between footballers and IShowSpeed

Predicted time

Alphonso Davies

10.3 seconds

Gareth Bale (prime)

10.3 seconds

Adama Traore (prime)

10.4 seconds

IShowSpeed

10.5 seconds

Cristiano Ronaldo (prime)

10.6 seconds

Kylian Mbappe

10.6 seconds

Erling Haaland

10.8 seconds

Theo Hernandez

10.8 seconds

Theo Hernandez 10.8 seconds

Noted for his ‘excellent recovery speed’ by ChatGPT, Theo Hernandez is regarded as one of the quickest defenders around and is a must use for any player on EA FC 25.

The Frenchman once reportedly hit 35.7km per hour in the Champions League, but over 100m has been predicted to finish in 10.8 seconds, meaning Speed is quicker.

Erling Haaland 10.8 seconds

A machine and clinical finisher, Erling Haaland doesn’t seem real at times, using his pace and power to bully some of the best defenders around.

The Manchester City superstar wouldn’t have the better of Speed in a 100m race, though, according to Chat GPT, who say despite Haaland being excellent over 60m, he would record a 100m time of 10.8 seconds.

Kylian Mbappe 10.6 seconds

Regarded as one of the fastest forwards on the planet today, Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe wouldn’t be quick enough to beat Speed.

The Frenchman has been backed to clock a time of 10.6 seconds over 100m, so it would be close between Mbappe and Speed with the latter running out as the winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo (prime) 10.6 seconds

A race that millions across the world would like to see is Speed vs Cristiano Ronaldo.

ChatGPT states that Ronaldo clocked 96m in 10 seconds during his time at Real Madrid, but even in his prime, Speed could beat his idol by a tenth in a 100m dash.

Adama Traore (prime) 10.4 seconds

When you think of Adama Traore, you immediately think of speed and power. Traore wouldn’t look out of place in a professional 100m race, and he would pip Speed across that distance according to AI.

The former Barcelona youngster has been predicted to record a time of 10.4 seconds, just pipping the internet star.

Gareth Bale (prime) 10.3 seconds

Citing his famous sprint against Barcelona in 2014 Copa del Rey final, Speed wouldn’t have the better of a prime Gareth Bale, according to ChatGPT.

The Welshman was known for his pace during his time at Tottenham and Real Madrid, and reaching a top speed of 36.9km per hour, would finish a 100m race in 10.3 seconds.

Alphonso Davies 10.3 seconds

A player with ‘explosive acceleration’ who is ‘built like a sprinter’, Alphonso Davies would also have the better of Speed, ChatGPT says.

The Canada international actually watched the Champions League final with Speed and a real race between the pair looks set to be on the cards once the Bayern Munich star is back from injury.

Chelsea officials have held face-to-face Stamford Bridge talks with the representatives of a “monster” player in the last few days, according to a report, with the target keen on a switch to the Blues and set to decide his future after Sunday.

Chelsea set sights on new forward after pivotal Premier League final day

Enzo Maresca’s side take on fellow top five contenders Nottingham Forest on the final day of the Premier League season this weekend, and quite a lot is riding on the line for Chelsea.

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A win against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men would guarantee Chelsea’s place in the Champions League draw next season, while seriously boosting the club’s summer recruitment drive both financially and in the sense of player-pull.

However, anything less than three points would result in Maresca relying on results elsewhere to go Chelsea’s way, with this airtight race for Europe coming as the most dramatic and enthralling we’ve witnessed in years.

Race for Champions League qualification with one game remaining

Points

3. Man City

68

4. Newcastle

66

5. Chelsea

66

6. Aston Villa

66

7. Nottingham Forest

65

The immediate goal for Maresca, following his appointment at Cobham last summer, was to guide Chelsea back into Europe’s most prestigious competition. He’s now just 90 minutes away from ticking that item off his Chelsea to-do list, with Maresca set for a nervy bit of final day drama over a mouth-watering encounter against Forest at the City Ground.

While Chelsea’s boss prepares his side for their most important match of the campaign, the club’s transfer chiefs have set their sights on a new striker signing this summer.

Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku have scored just two Premier League goals between them this calendar year, emphasizing Maresca’s need for a clinical centre-forward if they’re to truly reach the next level.

Eintracht Frankfurt starlet Hugo Ekitiké, RB Leipzig ace Benjamin Sesko and Napoli outcast Victor Osimhen are three strikers being considered by Chelsea after their prolific campaigns abroad, but another name who keeps being mentioned is Ipswich Town star Liam Delap.

The Englishman’s £30 million release clause after Ipswich’s relegation is well documented, and Man City’s ex-starlet has produced the goods for an otherwise underwhelming team – scoring 12 Premier League goals this season and counting.

Delap has been called a “monster” by teammates, and he’s stood out as Kieran McKenna’s shining light throughout 24/25.

Liam Delap keen on joining Chelsea and set for imminent decision

Chelsea have been laying groundwork to sign Delap for months, according to journalist Simon Phillips, with his next destination soon to be determined.

As per another update from the reporter, via his Substack, Delap is keen on joining Chelsea and is set to make a decision after this weekend. His agents also held some talks with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last Friday, alongside fellow suitors Man United, when the two clubs faced off.

“Chelsea laid down a lot of foundations to sign Delap in January, and he is very much open and interested in a move to Stamford Bridge,” wrote Phillips.

“Delap’s reps were at Stamford Bridge on Friday and held talks with United officials. These talks were not seen as positive via our sources. At the time we did not hear that Chelsea had anyone speaking to the reps of Delap. However, we have since heard from another source that Chelsea did actually get to speak with Delap’s reps early on in the evening before the game.

“Chelsea have scheduled more talks with Delap’s reps and the player will make his decision after the weekend.”

Monday could be the day. Leeds United can secure their promotion to the Premier League if results go their way in the Championship on Easter Monday.

The Whites host Stoke City at Elland Road and know that if they pick up all three points against the Potters, then they have the chance to officially claim their place in the top-flight.

However, they will need Burnley to do them a favour in their clash with Sheffield United. Anything other than a Blades win will mean that Leeds are promoted by beating Stoke.

Daniel Farke must ensure that there is no complacency in his squad ahead of this game, with all the talk about a possible promotion being secured, and the performance against Oxford United last time out suggests that will not be a problem, as they battled hard to secure that victory.

Despite the players and the coaching staff being laser-focused on getting results in the here and now, the board are reportedly already looking at potential signings ahead of the summer transfer window.

Leeds are looking ahead to how their squad could look for a Premier League campaign, and one player who has been linked with a move to Elland Road is Angus Gunn.

Why Leeds should not sign Angus Gunn

Football Insider recently reported that the West Yorkshire outfit are ‘readying’ a move to sign the Scotland international to bolster their goalkeeping ranks.

The outlet claimed that Gunn has not been offered a new contract by Norwich City and is set to become a free agent, which has seemingly alerted Leeds.

It stated that the Whites are set to be in the market to find a replacement for Illan Meslier, who has recently been dropped in favour of Karl Darlow, and that the Canaries shot-stopper is one target that they have identified.

Leeds, however, should avoid a move for Gunn if they are looking to find a new number one for a Premier League campaign, because his form has tailed off at Championship level.

The Norwich-born stopper prevented 4.55 goals (xG) in 40 appearances in the second tier in the 2023/24 campaign, showing that he significantly outperformed as a shot-stopper, but that has shot down to a staggeringly low -6.40 goals prevented this season under Johannes Hoff Thorup.

Least goals prevented in the 24/25 Championship
Player	Club	Goals prevented
Angus Gunn	Norwich City	-6.40
Ethan Horvath	Cardiff City	-6.21
Bradley Collins	Coventry City	-5.99
Seny Dieng	Middlesbrough	-4.49
James Beadle	Sheffield Wednesday	-3.94
George Long	Norwich City	-3.71
Thomas Kaminski	Luton Town	-3.51
Freddie Woodman	Preston North End	-3.48
George Evans	Millwall	-2.77
Illan Meslier	Leeds	-2.73
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, no goalkeeper has underperformed as a shot-stopper as badly as Gunn has, with Meslier also sneaking into the top ten worst players in the division in that particular statistic.

This is why Leeds should avoid the Norwich dud, whose form has not been good enough in the second tier, and they are now reportedly eyeing another goalkeeper who would be an even better signing.

Leeds plot bid for Premier League stopper

According to The Sun on Sunday’s print edition (20 April, page 57), as relayed by MOT Leeds News, the Whites are ‘plotting’ a bid to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers outcast Sam Johnstone.

The report claims that Leeds are eyeing up a £10m bid to sign the England international in the upcoming summer transfer window, as they continue to eye possible replacements for Meslier between the sticks.

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Johnstone has only played seven times in the Premier League for the Old Gold so far this season, but it remains to be seen whether or not Wolves would be willing to cash in on him for a fee of £10m.

He is currently behind Portuguese colossus Jose Sa in the pecking order under Vitor Pereira and Leeds could take advantage of that to bring him to Elland Road ahead of next season.

The Whites must, now, push to get a deal over the line for the English stopper because he could come in as a much better signing than Gunn would be this summer.

Why Leeds should sign Sam Johnstone

Getting in players with Premier League experience could be vital for Leeds because they are players who know the division, know what it takes to win matches, and will not be surprised by anything that comes their way throughout the season.

Johnstone has played 73 times in the top-flight for West Brom, Crystal Palace, and Wolves, whilst he was also on the books at Manchester United at the start of his career. Whereas, Gunn has only made 31 appearances in the Premier League for Southampton and Norwich combined.

The English titan has earned himself moves to three different Premier League sides, joining the Baggies, Palace, and Wolves, whilst Meslier has failed to earn a transfer back to the Premier League, and Gunn has been at Norwich since their relegation in the summer of 2022.

This suggests that top-flight teams value Johnstone’s quality and experience at that level. His statistics back up his status in comparison to Gunn and Meslier, as he has performed far more impressively in the division.

Premier League	Illan Meslier	Angus Gunn	Sam Johnstone
Appearances	107	31	73
Goals conceded	198	65	128
Goals conceded per game	1.85	2.09	1.75
Clean sheets	21	6	15
Post-shot xG minus goals conceded	-32.0	-18.1	-11.8
Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, Johnstone has not underperformed as badly as Gunn or Meslier in the Premier League as a shot-stopper, and has conceded fewer goals per game on average than both of them.

The England international, who was once hailed for an “unbelievable” save by Gary Lineker, also made his top-flight debut for Palace against Leeds and showcased his quality in that game, as shown in the highlights below.

Johnstone is an experienced and proven performer in the top division and could be a shrewd addition to the Leeds squad for a fee of £10m this summer, if they are promoted to the Premier League.

Gunn, on the other hand, has performed significantly worse in the top-flight during his career and is currently the worst-performing goalkeeper, as a shot-stopper, in the Championship.

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It is now down to the club to ensure that they can convince Wolves to part ways with the English colossus this summer in order to bolster their goalkeeping ranks.

One Queens Park Rangers player has received an offer from a big club to leave Loftus Road this summer.

Queens Park Rangers on course to stay up

The Hoops, under Marti Cifuentes, look set to remain a Championship club for the 2025/26 season. Sitting five points clear of safety after the weekend’s fixtures, QPR are looking towards the end of the season after going seven games without a win.

There are just six games remaining with Cifuentes preparing to take his side to fellow relegation contenders Oxford United on Wednesday evening.

Oxford United vs QPR

April 9

QPR vs Bristol City

April 12

Preston vs QPR

April 18

QPR vs Swansea

April 21

QPR vs Burnley

April 26

Sunderland vs QPR

May 3

Talking after the 0-0 draw with Cardiff City last time out, Cifuentes said: “I think in the first half we were perhaps slightly better than Cardiff. The feeling at half-time was that we needed – especially in a game like this with two teams not in the best moment of the season – to score the first goal of the game, but to not lose the game.

“In the second half Cardiff got a bit more energy off the bench… in the end it is a fair result. We are struggling with the options that we have in attacking positions, we need to give credit, because we have an honest group of players trying to do their best.”

In regards to struggling in an attacking sense, QPR have used Rayan Kolli on 15 occasions in the Championship this season, with the youngster scoring four goals.

However, he hasn’t been available in the last nine games due to a hamstring injury, and by the looks of things, Kolli could be on the way out this summer.

Big club make bid to sign Queens Park Rangers ace Rayan Kolli

According to reports in France, QPR forward Kolli is attracting serious interest from two Ligue 1 clubs in AS Monaco and Lille.

In fact, Lille, who made the last 16 of the Champions League this season, have submitted a contract offer to the Algeria U20 international.

Kolli is a product of the QPR academy and he has made 27 senior appearances for the R’s. He came in for praise from Cifuentes back in January following his winner against Plymouth Argyle.

Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season

Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025

“What a week for him. It’s important he keeps humble and keeps working, but it’s definitely well deserved. He had an amazing impact on the game and that’s a luxury problem for me to have – to be able to pick from Rayan, Michi [Frey] and Alfie [Lloyd].

“These are problems that you want to have. The important thing is that everyone is contributing.”

Now, after receiving an offer from Lille, Kolli’s QPR future will be one to keep an eye on heading into the summer.

With the ODI World Cup around the corner, a formidable batting line-up is taking shape

Srinidhi Ramanujam11-May-2025With the conclusion of the women’s tri-nation series in Colombo, it seems like India have reached a moment of clarity. It’s something that the captain Harmanpreet Kaur and the head coach, Amol Muzumdar, have been working towards for a while. A year ago, India weren’t entirely sure of the make-up of their batting line-up. Now, just as a home ODI World Cup is around the corner, their top seven is locked.Colombo has arguably been the most challenging venue for India in the last six months, where batters’ temperament and endurance were tested in the extreme heat. But they responded remarkably in this tri-series against Sri Lanka and South Africa. India posted at least 275 runs four out of five times, and that includes the 342 for 7 in the final. They are showing signs that they are no longer dependent on Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet for the bulk of their runs.”Definitely proud of the entire team, the way we played today,” Harmanpreet said. “Especially our batters, they played good cricket and that’s what we discussed in the beginning that if we won the toss, we will bat and we will look for a really good total on the board and really happy the way we batted today.””A lot of positives, especially the other batters the way they have batted, in the last game Jemimah [Rodrigues] had a knock of hundred, and Harleen [Deol] kept batting for the team and Pratika [Rawal] too and Deepti [Sharma]’s all-round performance and Sneh Rana’s bowling efforts.”Over the past two weeks, India have shown the ability to ride out tough periods with the bat and make their moments of supremacy matter.
The 3-0 loss to Australia in Mumbai last December might have been the wake-up call. Since then, India have played 11 ODIs and lost only one. This run has been built on a batting line-up that is pushing itself to new heights. In six out of the eight matches that they’ve had to set a total, they’ve made over 300.Pratika Rawal averages 63.80 after her first 11 ODIs•SLCIn the series opener against Sri Lanka, when India were asked to chase a target of 148, they did so with nine wickets and nearly 10 overs to spare. Rawal scored an unbeaten fifty, and would go on to score another, continuing her extraordinary run of form since making her debut last December. She is averaging 63.80 after 11 ODIs.Is this the way forward for India, without Shafali Verma? Maybe. Despite a strong showing at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) earlier this year, Shafali was left out of the tri-series. She has also churned out runs with remarkable consistency in domestic cricket since being dropped from the India squad last November. But, for now, India are happy to let Rawal have her run.There was a bond of trust when Rodrigues was handed a role in the middle order. It’s the sort of trust that has survived setbacks.She started her ODI career as a top-order batter, but two years ago, India needed something different from her. They knew Rodrigues, a player of talent and maturity, was capable of batting at any position. But she struggled to find her feet in this new position and had a forgettable 2024: she could muster only 329 runs in 12 innings, only one fifty-plus score.Jemimah Rodrigues on her success in 2025: It’s just the confidence I have and more than that, just me understanding my game•SLCThe new year brought a new Rodrigues. She notched up her maiden ODI hundred against Ireland in January and followed it up with 245 runs in this tri-series – India’s second-most productive batter behind Mandhana. Overall in 2025, she has 360 runs in seven innings. It is evident that she has worked on her strike rate (up to 115 this year from 91 last year) and fitness in the process.”I just want to keep going. The main target is the World Cup,” Rodrigues would say after her second ODI century, against South Africa, a few days ago. She went on to explain that “it’s just the confidence I have and more than that, just me understanding my game. Usually, I used to play 4-5 dot balls, get panicked and throw my wicket. But now, I think that sense of calmness is there and you know, I can make [it] up. And at the same time, a lot of T20 cricket has helped me play in different leagues, in different conditions. It has helped me and given me a belief and a trust in myself. I know that in any condition and any situation, I am well able to deliver what the team requires.”Rodrigues is becoming India’s rock in the middle order.As far as the finishers are concerned, the team has been banking on Richa Ghosh, but they will be more than pleased with Deepti’s 93 against South Africa earlier in this series. It was her first fifty-plus score in ODIs since her unbeaten 68 against England at Lord’s in 2022, and India would be hoping that the senior allrounder carries this form forward.Harleen Deol has helped India find stability•BCCIThe next big box that was ticked is India’s No.3. After trying out Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Priya Punia, and D Hemalatha, Deol was slotted in at one-down during the home series against Australia last December. Since her comeback, she has played 14 innings and has done fairly well – 511 runs at an average of 39.30 including a match-winning century against West Indies. In this tri-series, Deol’s top score of 47 came in Sunday’s final against Sri Lanka.Through all this, Mandhana kept doing Mandhana things, which doesn’t come as a surprise anymore. Perhaps it’s even underappreciated because of her mind-boggling consistency. Her 11th ODI century on Sunday propelled India to 342 for 7 in the title clash, which was too much for Sri Lanka as they eventually lost by a margin of 97 runs. She has accumulated 1260 ODI runs in 21 innings since the start of 2024, the most for a batter in this period. This includes six centuries and five fifties. The second best on this list is Hayley Matthews, with 851 runs.Five different India batters made a score of fifty or more over the course of the tri-series. It is a welcome development for a team facing some more big tests.India’s next assignment will be a long tour of England in June-July where they are scheduled to play five T20Is and three ODIs in vastly different conditions compared to Colombo. But for now, they will be content having ticked a lot of boxes in the batting.

ESPNcricinfo speaks to three of the world’s biggest cricket tour operators to find out how they’re coping with this unprecedented delay

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore26-Jun-2023On Tuesday, the ICC will announce the schedule for the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup. That is exactly 100 days from the start of the 10-team marquee event which will be played in India. It is an unprecedented delay in terms of the announcement of the schedule, which was prepared by the BCCI, the hosting board.With just about three months before the World Cup gets underway on October 5, how do fans look at this extreme delay in the schedule coming out? We posed that and other concerning questions to three of the biggest tour operators in the game from around the world.Chris Millard is the managing director of the Barmy Army. Rakesh Patel is the founder of the Bharat Army. Luke Gillian has been following the Australian men’s team all around the world since 1995 and runs Australian Cricket Tours.

What is the biggest challenge of the schedule being released so late?

Rakesh Patel: For a travelling fan, if you’re planning a holiday, you normally plan months in advance. Now, in this situation, it’s difficult to do that because you don’t know where the matches are and can’t book any flights or hotels; you don’t even know when your international flights to come into India will be.We’ve tried to advise our members to not pre-empt and book anything based on speculation because the scheduling has been fluid over the last few months. We know so many fans who have already lost money because they thought certain matches would be at certain locations and booked hotels and flights and are now very concerned that those matches won’t be played there. That has created a bit of a challenge for those fans because they’re trying to get the best deals. Some of them don’t buy refundable hotels because that’s how you get the cheapest rates.Our head office [in India] is in Ahmedabad, so we have quite a few hotels blocked in Ahmedabad through our travel program. We also know, recently, a lot of fans who had booked rooms at Hyatt and ITC [in Ahmedabad], their reservation has been cancelled. Because maybe the teams will be staying there, so they block out the entire hotel. Those are some of the other challenges, where the BCCI or ICC block them for the teams. The fans don’t know which are the team hotels.Chris Millard: The biggest challenge for us is to create packages that people want to go and visit the country. When you have to take into account the short time and logistics involved with the World Cup, it is very frustrating. England are the defending champions, and a lot of people are interested in going, but the more the time goes, ultimately less people will go because they will book different holidays. They may choose to go to visit the West Indies or come to India next year (2024) when England travel there to play the Test series.The big problem for tour operators is the planning involved. We are now trying to get flights and hotel rooms when a lot of them might have been already taken, but also what you are looking for may not be available and you might have to search for alternatives.Chris Millard of the Barmy Army suggests some England fans may give the World Cup a miss and travel to India next year when England tour for a Test series•Getty ImagesLuke Gillian: Cost of travel to India and getting the necessary time off work. That’s always been the crux of my issues over the last 25 years. We know that Australia will be playing India in 2027, but why do we need to wait four weeks before the tour to get a schedule? Why would people want to go because they wouldn’t get the time off work. It is not just BCCI, several other boards wait until the last minute to announce the schedule – it’s plain ignorance.With regards to ticketing, the challenge for me as a licensed tour operator is: if I request say 100 tickets from ICC, and, I get them, but with the schedule being announced this close to the tournament, fans might not get time off work, so I am hamstrung.As far as hotels go, the price can get out of control as soon as the schedule is released. I can give an example: recently (February-March) I was in India taking a tour group during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and secured a hotel in Indore for AUD 200 [per night]. Two days later that price had risen to AUD 400. The Test match had just been shifted at the last minute from Dharamsala to Indore. So from a price point, the closer the event, travelling becomes inaccessible for many.

In the past when you travelled for tournaments, how soon was the schedule out, and how did that help?

Millard: The 2022 T20 World Cup was a big success for England. The Barmy Army fans travelled in big numbers, but the schedule was in hand significantly earlier than three months. Australia, like India, is a big country and a lot of timing is involved.Gillian: I have never taken a group for world events, but personally I have attended World Cups – the last one was the 2019 World Cup in England. The schedule was announced a year in advance (in 2018), which allowed me to marry that up with the 2019 Ashes. India are playing Australia in white-ball [cricket] immediately after the World Cup (5 T20Is), so if the BCCI could have announced the schedule well in advance, many [Australian] fans could have thought about travelling.The biggest issue for a fan is time: if given more time to prepare, more people would travel to watch cricket around the world.

Who should take responsibility: BCCI, the host board, the ICC, or both?

Gillian: Ultimately the ICC. It’s their event.Patel: ICC can’t tell us anything [even though the Bharat Army is one of their partners] until they official announce the schedule. From a general allocation perspective, for every ICC tournament over the past 10 years, cricket boards have always recognised the Bharat Army as a fan club and given us allocation for tickets. For example, during the WTC final [in June at the Oval], Surrey Cricket gave us two big blocks of tickets to sell to our members on general capacity. We also sold travel packages for fans travelling from abroad. We have that for every ICC tournament. For this tournament, we have the official travel program license from the ICC, but right now we don’t have anything from BCCI. Which is a shame, right? Because we are an Indian fan group, you’d hope that in your home World Cup, you’d get an allocation of tickets.Millard: I don’t have the intricate details and who should be blamed. We have worked with ICC in the past for many tournaments and they know what the Barmy Army brings to the game. I am looking forward to a better relationship with BCCI moving forward because England are going to be in India a lot. The Barmy Army play a massive role in making all forms of cricket a spectacle for everyone to watch – whether you are at home or in the stands.Luke Gillian will be at the World Cup, but he doesn’t yet know if he’ll be leading a tour group to the tournament•Getty Images

Fans are the biggest stakeholders, or at least should be. Are they being taken for granted?

Patel: The general feeling is, ‘Why does this happen in India?’ In 2011, there were last-minute changes which spoilt the experience. Many people were booked to Kolkata for India vs England but it was changed to Bangalore last-minute. In 2016 [T20 World Cup], we’d nearly booked for 400-450 people to go to Dharamsala for India vs Pakistan but the game was moved to Kolkata. Now in 2023, we’re in a situation where we have issues around the tournament. The general feeling is: It doesn’t happen anywhere else, so why does it happen in our country?The tie-ups we have with travel companies, hotels etc don’t allow us to factor in late cancellations or changes. Having to manage 1000 people and making late changes – some people want to change, some won’t – that creates a lot of confusion.We have known this tournament was happening in India for many, many years, but why have we got to a point that three months out we’re still having to have a negotiation on where these matches are going to be taking place? Why hasn’t this been sorted out months ago? Ultimately the stakeholders who suffer the most are the fans. There’s a sense that the fans are the lowest common denominator in this situation, but we also know come tournament time the stadiums will be full [for the India games, certainly].Millard: Unfortunately, as fans, we normally fall towards the bottom of the pecking order. And what we saw during Covid was how important fans are to cricket. When you are looking at the volume of finance that comes with TV rights deals, it pales into insignificance whether or not stadiums are sold out and whether people are travelling or not. But ultimately TV rights holders do want full stadiums so it is within their best interest to try and make it possible.

How can fans ensure this doesn’t happen again?

Gillian: They can’t. It will happen again.

Will you still go … have some fans have already dropped out?

Millard: Fans are still excited to travel, but undoubtedly the delay has caused some bother to people travelling. People have not directly dropped out, but some are saying they might look to travel to India next year during the Test series. If they have been waiting this long for the tournament schedule, they will continue to wait because it is a World Cup, because it is in India, because England are the world champions. I do think they will wait. We would expect bonkers numbers for the World Cup.We have absolutely not started making any bookings. We have searched for accommodation with regards to planning to ensure making the trip as big and good as possible for our members. We have got ideas based on the rough schedule we have seen in the media.Gillian: Yes, I am booked to fly in to India for the World Cup. What I don’t know is if I am leading a tour group.

Which match are you most excited to watch?

Gillian Pakistan vs India. I want to be part of a world record 130,000 [crowd in Ahmedabad]Millard England will be in the final. England vs India will be a fabulous experience.

All you need to know about the Australian quick, who was signed by Punjab Kings for INR 14 crore at the IPL 2021 auction

Alex Malcolm18-Feb-2021Tearaway teenager
Richardson hails from Perth in Western Australia and despite his small frame he developed a reputation for producing express pace as a teenager when playing for Fremantle Cricket Club, the home of the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, and Ashton Turner. He made his List A and first-class debuts at 19 for Western Australia and played one game in the BBL in 2015-16 for the Perth Scorchers. But he announced himself the following season when he was Player of the Match in the BBL final as the Scorchers claimed their third BBL title under coach Justin Langer.International debut
Later that summer, in February 2017, Langer was seconded to stand in as coach for Australia’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka while full-time coach Darren Lehmann and the Test squad headed to India. With a number of first-choice players away there was an opportunity for some of the best performers in the BBL to get their international breaks and Richardson played in two of the three games, debuting in a nail-biter at Geelong.The following summer he consistently took wickets in all formats but bowled superbly in a Sheffield Shield fixture for Western Australia against a full-strength New South Wales side that featured the then Australia captain Steven Smith. Richardson took six wickets in the match, including David Warner in the second innings, and bowled a lot to Smith during his second-innings century.That performance led to his ODI debut, and he was later selected for his first Test squad, on Australia’s infamous Test tour of South Africa in 2018. He had played just five first-class games before going on that tour.Fresh face in a new era
When Langer took over as coach of Australia following the South Africa tour, Richardson was part of a new team of fresh faces for Langer’s first assignment, a five-match ODI tour of England. He was part of the attack that gave up a world-record ODI score at Trent Bridge.He went on Australia’s subsequent T20I tour of Zimbabwe and played in all five games but he was not selected for the Test or T20I tour of the UAE in October of 2018. Instead, he went back and dominated for Western Australia taking 27 wickets in the first five Sheffield Shield games including a career-best 8 for 47 against New South Wales.He returned to the ODI team in January 2019 and took 4 for 26 in game one against India including the prize scalp of Virat Kohli. Just two weeks later he made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in the absence of Josh Hazlewood. He took five wickets for the match and gave Australia’s much-vaunted Test attack some more variety. It looked, at the time, as though he may become a permanent fixture in all three formats for Australia heading into the Ashes and the World Cup.Jhye Richardson took five wickets in his debut Test against Sri Lanka at the Gabba•Getty ImagesInjury setback
Richardson dislocated his right shoulder while diving in the field during at ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah in the lead-up to the World Cup. The injury ruled him out of the World Cup and the subsequent Ashes series. He made a quiet return to domestic cricket later in 2019 but didn’t immediately reach the pace he previously had and also struggled to throw in the field.He had a solid BBL09 campaign and got better as the tournament progressed, which led to his selection for Australia’s limited-overs tour of South Africa in early 2020. He made his international return in the third ODI at Potchefstroom when Mitchell Starc flew home to watch his wife Alyssa Healy play in the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne.Second surgery
When the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to international cricket, Richardson elected to have further surgery to stabilise his troublesome shoulder.He missed the first part of the Sheffield Shield season later in the summer as he was still building up to a full return. That decision paid dividends for the Scorchers in the BBL where he starred as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, producing devastating spells in the Powerplay and Power Surge which caught the eye of IPL owners and Australia’s selectors. He also played some excellent cameos with the bat, proving to be an inventive strokemaker in the death overs coming in at No. 8.Such was Richardson’s form, he was talked about as a possible inclusion in Australia’s Test squad to South Africa but his lack of red-ball cricket over the previous 12 months meant that he was instead selected for Australia’s five-match T20I tour of New Zealand, which begins on Monday.Expert eye
“He’s been magnificent for us. He bowls all the tough overs. He bowls up front, he’s bowling in every power surge and he’s often got one at the death as well. Not only is he the leading wicket-taker, but I think he’s also got one of the better economy rates in the competition.”