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A summer that began with much gloom and doom has ended with South Africa on the brink of automatic World Cup qualification

Firdose Moonda02-Apr-2023It ended so much better than it began.On the heels of an embarrassing T20 World Cup exit and a chastening Test tour of Australia, without a national men’s head coach, South Africa tiptoed into the home summer wondering how much worse things could get. Now, as the sunshine starts to become diluted with autumn’s first air, and with three months of cricket that has been heart-stopping and heartwarming in equal measure, South Africans are struggling to remember a summer this good.A brass band played the 10,000 strong pink-clad Wanderers supporters home after South Africa did their bit to make automatic qualification for this year’s 50-over World Cup a reality. The rest is in Bangladesh’s hands. As long as they win a game in Ireland in May, South Africa will be on their way to India. But no one was thinking that far this evening.As the sun set in Johannesburg, it was about celebrating the first feel-good summer since 2017-18, when South Africa beat India and Australia in home Tests series, and forgetting about the seasons that have gone by since. The defeat to Sri Lanka in 2018-19. The administrative implosion of 2019-20, the effects of which were felt into this year. The pandemic, and the keeping apart of people who, at their core, are designed to congregate. Now, these are more of South Africa’s people than ever before.Have a glance at the crowds that packed out the SA20, showed up to support the women at the T20 World Cup and attended the series against West Indies and Netherlands and you’d have to agree that it’s the most diverse going group around. And then you have to feel it. South Africa is only place where Afrikaans pop-tracks and kwaito beats both get fans on their feet, it’s a place where a mix of races, genders and ages combine in what can very seldom be described accurately as unity, but this was one of those times and the team knows it.”We’ve spoken about how we’re in a privileged position to inspire our country and unite our country through sport. To see that happening on the banks has been awesome from someone who’s been out of the game in South Africa for seven years,” Rob Walter, South Africa’s white-ball coach who spent seven years coaching in New Zealand’s domestic system, said. “To see the difference in the people who are watching the game has been awesome as well.”Aiden Markram raises his fifty•AFP/Getty ImagesIn Walter’s time away, South African cricket has been through some uncomfortable things, most especially a raw reckoning with race. At the centre of the storm has been Temba Bavuma, the country’s first black African Test batter who was elevated to white-ball captain and struggled in T20Is. Bavuma suffered his worst scrutiny when he was snubbed at the SA20 auction in the lead up and at the World Cup, and under Walter, he has been relieved of that format. In return, he has scored three centuries in three months, two in ODI cricket, and has symbolised South Africa’s revival. “He’s a wonderful human being. He’s a great advocate for our country, So it’s wonderful just to be part of sharing a change room with him. And the fact that he can play the cricket that he’s played, which has been exceptional, is just a sort of cherry on top for a guy who is not given enough credit after what he has gone through,” Walter said.But Bavuma is not the only one. Aiden Markram started 2023 after he was dropped from the Test team, but picked to captain Sunrisers Eastern Cape. He then returned to score a century at SuperSport Park and was named T20I captain. In him, South Africans can see the aggressive, smart style of cricket they are trying to play. “We are on this new journey that everyone speaks about and that brand of cricket everyone wants to play is starting to take some shape,” Markam said. “It’s exciting to be a part of and exciting to watch.”And then there is Sisanda Magala. A player who could not make the squad for fitness reasons is now an integral part of the white-ball sides, has an IPL deal and took a first international five-for to win a series. The Wanderers is where he plays his domestic cricket and the crowd got behind him in a big way as he bowled at the death. Cries of ‘Sisanda, Sisanda,” reverberated around the Bullring and when he took the fifth wicket, the joy in the ground was palpable. Every player celebrated with him, even those in the dugout, where Wayne Parnell did his Cristiano Ronaldo celebration from his seat. Markram, who is Magala’s captain in the SA20, acknowledged that Magala’s success is shared by everyone.”With Sisi, if he’s got backing then he’s going to break his back for you,” Markram said. “Through a few performances, a player feels that now they belong at this level. And they can compete and win games at this level. It’s great for him to have these achievements that he’s getting. The guys love him. He has great value in the changeroom and when he does well, everyone is over the moon.”Sisanda Magala enjoyed success in the ODI series against England•Getty ImagesWhat the SA20 did for Markram and Magala and later even for Bavuma, who got a deal, is what it did for South African cricket in general: it showed it was still alive. When Walter was asked to track the revival, he traced it back to that tournament. “We can’t underestimate the impact of the SA20 on cricket in South Africa. There was some momentum coming out of that and we were able to jump on that,” he said. “We’ve played some nice cricket but by no means our best cricket and that’s the exciting part.”With so much promise, someone like Bavuma said it’s a “pity the summer has to end now” but it’s been far better than anyone expected. Ordinarily, series wins against West Indies and Netherlands – neither of them blockbuster opponents – would not be celebrated with such gusto. But this time it’s been about South Africa. They’ve played entertaining, engaging cricket to sign off a champagne summer with more fizz than anyone could have asked for.

The Australian allrounder and T20 specialist misses four-day cricket – for the food

Interview by Matt Roller12-May-2021What’s your favourite meal?
Steak and chips, with either a mushroom sauce or a red wine jus.What meal do you eat most often during the course of a week?
Eggs, in some capacity, for breakfast.Which cricket venue has the best food that you’ve played at?
Lord’s overseas, and then the MCG and the Adelaide Oval in Australia are both as good as each other. At Lord’s, it’s like you’re in a restaurant as opposed to just a cricket ground. At Adelaide Oval, the old plum chicken there used to be fantastic but they don’t do that anymore – I think the nutritionists decided that it wasn’t healthy enough. And then Jimmy down in the kitchen at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is brilliant: he does a steak, some lamb chops, prawns – all sorts.Related

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What’s your favourite city to eat out in overseas and in Australia?
In Australia, it’s a toss-up between Sydney and Melbourne, just because of the variety that you can get, and the quality of restaurants. Overseas it’s London, for similar reasons.Which cricketer you know is the best cook?

Everyone talks about Matthew Hayden who has his own cookbooks and whatever, but I’m going to go with Cameron White, who is brilliant with his fish. He’s a mad fisherman so he knows exactly what he’s doing with his fish.Does he have a signature dish?
He bakes a snapper, or he can do these really good white-fish tacos. He’s got all sorts of options.

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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke was hit with an injury blow ahead of the trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

It was revealed that summer signing Noah Okafor would be out of action for up to ten days with an adductor injury, which means that he is also a doubt for the club’s clash with West Ham United on Friday night.

The Switzerland international, who joined from AC Milan in the summer, was missed against Burnley in the 2-0 loss to the Clarets, as Leeds spurned all four of the ‘big chances’ that they created.

Okafor is the club’s top goalscorer in the Premier League this season, with two goals, and boasts the best conversion rate in the squad, at 33%, per Sofascore.

The 25-year-old star has shown a clinical edge in front of goal that could have helped the Whites to get more out of their trip to Turf Moor on Saturday.

Instead, Jack Harrison came into the team to replace him on the left flank, with Wilfried Gnonto also unavailable, and he was never likely to offer much of a threat as a goalscorer.

Why Leeds cannot rely on Jack Harrison

Farke cannot rely on the former Everton loanee to provide quality at the top end of the pitch because his form in the Premier League in recent seasons has simply not been good enough.

The left-footed dud, who returned to Elland Road in the summer, has failed to register a single goal or assist in eight appearances in all competitions for the club this season, per Sofascore, taking two shots and failing to hit the target once against Burnley.

Harrison had one presentable opportunity to test Martin Dubravka in the second half on the volley, unmarked inside the box, and steered his effort well off target, to cheers from the home support.

That was not a surprise, unfortunately, because his form during a two-year spell on loan with Everton showed that Leeds could not rely on him to offer a threat in front of goal on a consistent basis.

Appearances

29

34

Starts

25

24

xG

3.57

3.52

Goals

3

1

Minutes per goal

742

2,088

Conversion rate

9%

3%

As you can see in the table above, Harrison scored four goals from 7.09 xG for the Toffees, and only managed one goal in 34 matches in the 2024/25 campaign.

This means that the former Manchester City youngster has scored four goals in his last 70 games at Premier League level, and just one in his last 41 outings in the division, including seven games for the Whites this term.

Injuries to Gnonto and Okafor have left Leeds incredibly exposed out wide, because of their lack of quality and depth, and Farke may have to get creative to solve the problem.

Whilst the easy, if that is how you want to describe it, option would be to keep Harrison in the team and hope that something changes before the other two players are back, the German head coach could take a risk on a young player.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

You could argue, though, that it is not a risk to throw an academy player into the side if the first-team player, Harrison in this case, is consistently failing to deliver when he plays.

Therefore, Farke could finally bin the underperforming English winger from his starting line-up by boldly unleashing U21s winger Connor Douglas.

Why Leeds should unleash Connor Douglas

The 20-year-old talent is a versatile forward who can play on the right or the left wing, per Transfemarkt, which means that the manager could unleash him directly over Harrison on the left, or he could unleash him on the right and move Brenden Aaronson over to the left.

Douglas, who has also played in central midfield and at right-back, has scored one goal and provided two assists in five appearances in the Premier League 2 so far this season, per Transfermarkt.

This shows that he is making an impact and impressing at the top end of the pitch at U21 level, which suggests that he would be full of confidence when heading up to the first-team to make an impression.

Douglas was once hailed as a “joy to watch” by PureFootball writer Trent Gaffney. The same could not be said of Harrison right now, unfortunately, due to his dismal form in front of goal.

Leeds supporters may be more encouraged by the team’s efforts if they see a young and promising winger from the academy who wants to take players on and make things happen, as Douglas is, than seeing Harrison struggle once again.

There is no guarantee that Douglas will be able to translate his form for the U21s over to the first-team, so it is a risk in that sense, but the Whites do not have much to lose with the injury issues that they have been hit with.

Noah Okafor

2

0

Lukas Nmecha

1

0

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

1

0

Brenden Aaronson

0

0

Dan James

0

0

Wilfried Gnonto

0

0

Jack Harrison

0

0

Joel Piroe

0

0

As you can see in the table above, Okafor is the only winger in the squad who has delivered a goal or an assist in the Premier League for the Whites this season, after eight matchdays.

That should be a huge concern for Farke and is why it may be worth unleashing Douglas from the start against West Ham, if Okafor remains unavailable through injury.

The 20-year-old starlet has scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in 65 matches at U21 and U18 level combined, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has the potential to offer a threat in front of goal.

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With the situation that Leeds are in with their wide options, Douglas may offer an interesting solution for Farke in the next Premier League game against the Hammers.

Everton are now ready to pounce to sign an “insane” Premier League striker in the January transfer window, and his club are open to offers.

Toffees' January transfer window plans taking shape

The Toffees are flying high in the Premier League, moving up to seventh place after winning four of their last five matches, but one position in which they arguably need to strengthen next month is centre-forward, considering they have scored just 18 goals this season.

No side above 17th place has scored fewer goals than David Moyes’ side, although they were impressive going forward in the last match, breezing past Nottingham Forest with a 3-0 victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Thierno Barry scored the second goal in the rout, with the Frenchman finally managing to get off the mark, having failed to score in his previous 14 outings for the Merseyside club.

Beto hasn’t fared any better, however, with the 27-year-old also on just one Premier League goal, which will be a worry for Moyes, given that we are now approaching the half-way stage of the season.

Consequently, Everton are now looking at bringing in a new striker next month, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states they are ready to pounce to sign Joshua Zirkzee, should Manchester United be willing to lower their £35m asking price.

The Toffees are joined by three other Premier League clubs in the race for Zirkzee’s signature, but AS Roma are currently in pole position, and the Serie A side have recently opened direct negotiations over a January deal.

Man United are now open to offers for the Dutchman, who is the Red Devils’ second choice striker behind Benjamin Sesko, and he has struggled for game time, starting only three Premier League games this term.

"Insane" Zirkzee would be risky signing for Everton

Moyes will be hoping Barry scoring against Forest can be a turning point for the 23-year-old, but the early signs haven’t exactly been encouraging, so a new striker may be required if the Merseysiders are to make a serious push for Europe.

There are some indications Zirkzee could be a solid replacement, having been lauded for his “insane” quality by scout Ben Mattinson, while also scoring a very well-taken goal in United’s recent 2-1 triumph against Crystal Palace.

Much like Barry and Beto, however, the Netherlands international has struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis this season, having scored just one goal in the Premier League, following up a debut campaign in which he scored three.

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As such, with Everton in a strong position to make a real success out of this season, should they get their January recruitment right, they should look to bring in a striker who is much more prolific in front of goal.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Renowned author Charles Dickens might not have known it when he wrote that iconic opening line of , but he was actually perfectly summing up what happened to New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and his glove during Monday night's 3-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Alonso went through a whole range of emotions, on the field and in the dugout, with his glove, taking the Mets announcers and their fans along for the emotional roller coaster ride.

First, there was disappointment.

In the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs, Mets starter Kodai Senga, facing the Red Sox' Jarren Duran, induced a grounder to first. Alonso fielded the ball cleanly, but, knowing he had only a few seconds to get the speedy Duran, rushed and ended up flipping the ball over the head of Senga, who was racing to cover first base.

While the throwing error ultimately didn't cost the Mets a run, disappointment soon turned to anger for Alonso, who proceeded to take his frustrations out on his glove in between innings.

But, alas, a second chance was around the corner for Alonso. And with it came elation and relief.

In almost an identical play to the one where he made a throwing error in the fourth, Alonso cleanly fielded a sixth-inning grounder off the bat of Red Sox infielder David Hamilton and this time set his feet and softly threw the ball to Senga, who stepped on first base for the out.

Alonso immediately celebrated with Senga and smiled. You could almost hear a sigh of relief coming from the Polar Bear. Some frustration from Sunday night, when Alonso made a key throwing error in the eighth inning that ultimately led to the New York Yankees scoring the go-ahead runs en route to a victory, undoubtedly spilled over to Monday's game for the Mets star.

Perhaps also compounding the vexation is that Alonso, known for his power stroke, hasn't homered since May 5. But in watching the slugger in the field on Monday night, one is reminded of an inspirational phrase.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Veteran Brazilian defender Thiago Silva is wanted back at AC Milan, according to reports, with the Rossoneri looking to reunite the South American centre-half with his former Chelsea team-mate Christian Pulisic. Silva is now 41 years of age and back in his homeland with Fluminense, but he is not ready to retire just yet and could be lured back to European football.

Thiago Silva won Champions League with Pulisic at Chelsea

Silva headed home in the summer of 2024 when returning to his roots in Rio de Janeiro. He is now enjoying a third stint with Fluminense, having started out in their youth system and made over 140 appearances for the club between 2006 and 2008.

It was that stint which earned the classy defender his first move to Italy. Milan bought into his potential and saw him grace over 100 matches for them – becoming a Serie A title winner in 2010-11.

Silva was then lured away to France by the ambitious project at Paris Saint-Germain, spending eight years there before heading to Stamford Bridge in 2020. Champions League glory was savoured with Chelsea alongside USMNT star Pulisic.

The United States international left west London for Milan in 2023, with Silva saying at the time: “He is a good boy and a fantastic player. Last year he didn't have a great chance to play with us. I don't know if he will go to Milan one hundred per cent, but if he were to go he would certainly do well.”

AdvertisementGettyMilan want to sign an experienced defender in January

Pulisic has starred for the Rossoneri, becoming a talismanic presence while posting personal bests in the goal scoring department. He would likely welcome the presence of another familiar face at San Siro.

reports that Milan are looking into the possibility of bringing Silva back onto their books. They are said to be in the market for an experienced centre-half heading towards the January transfer window.

They already have Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter and youngster Jan-Carlo Odogu to call upon, but want another proven operator to form part of that group. Milan missed out on Manchester City star Manuel Akanji, as he moved to Galatasaray, and versatile Liverpool defender Joe Gomez over the summer.

Could Thiago Silva reunite with Allegri at San Siro?

Reports in Italy claim that “the possibility of bringing back Thiago Silva, 13 years after his last appearance for Milan, is gaining traction”. He is considered to be the perfect option to add “leadership, stability and an immediate upgrade to the defensive unit” in Massimiliano Allegri’s squad.

Silva worked with Allegri during his previous stint with the Rossoneri and has been showing no sign of slowing down in Brazil. He has made 41 appearances for Fluminense this season, scoring three goals, and impressed during a run to the semi-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

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GettyThiago Silva record: Appearances & trophy wins

His contract is only due to run until the summer of 2026, with a man that earned 113 caps for Brazil previously stating that he wants to bow out at the top. That could mean hanging up his boots next summer, or embracing one last challenge.

Silva has said: “This is the contract I have with Fluminense. In my mind, I was pretty certain about the decision to maybe stop. It’s not concrete yet, it’s just my thought. Because, as I said recently, recovery is very exhausting for me. Being away from my family for so long. I thought it would be easier. Honestly, I thought it would be easier and it’s not. It was our decision. Isabelle understood perfectly. My kids, a little less. We’re always together, but I mean physically. It’s very tiring for me.

“I think every player would like to stop at their peak, still feeling good and delivering positive results. I wouldn’t want to stop at a moment when, suddenly, someone like Kaio Jorge easily gets past me, scores a goal, and we become a laughing stock. I intend to stop at a good level, performing well. That’s my thinking.”

Whenever the day comes for Silva to bow out, he will do so having made over 860 appearances at club level while claiming Champions League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Club World Cup titles – along with bronze and silver medals at the Olympic Games.