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Both are blinding individual talents, but only one of them has the strength of a team’s cohesion backing him

Alagappan Muthu21-May-20235:13

Runorder: Ravi Shastri wants Hardik to be India’s full-time T20I captain

Twenty-five seconds into stoppage time in extra time. Neymar has the ball.Thirty-five seconds into stoppage time in extra time. Brazil have the goal.Despite the best efforts of a ticking clock and a low block, he found a way through.A one-two with Rodrygo 30 yards out. Then another with Lucas Paquetá as he makes his run into Croatia’s box. He beats the last defender. He rounds the goalkeeper. And he scores.A place in the World Cup semi-final was his. And then it wasn’t.Lucknow Super Giants need 39 off 45 with nine wickets in hand.Hardik Pandya had top-scored in the first innings with 66 off 50. The highest score by a visiting batter on the toughest pitch in the IPL. And it looked like it wasn’t going to matter all that much.For the third time in four nights, he was going to lose. Until he didn’t.Mohammed Shami bowls a sublime 19th over. Mohit Sharma follows him and produces four wickets in four deliveries.From being unable to defend six runs a ball, Gujarat Titans had gone and defended less than six runs an over.”Maybe,” Hardik said at the presentation, “this was god is telling us that no it’s okay. I’m not always gonna take from you guys. I’m gonna give you something back as well.”Hardik Pandya: “A lot of people counted David Miller out but for us he was always a match-winner from the time we bought him at the auction”•BCCIDivine intervention aside, that World Cup game and this IPL game have another thing in common. They tell the story of how even blindingly talented individuals need a team backing them up.Neymar can’t do much to fix his situation. In football, players are brought in on the orders of a coach or at the whim of the owner. He is neither.In cricket, it’s different. Hardik has more power in his hands and, though it is still very early, he is starting to build something special. If he goes all the way again, like he did in 2022, he will become the first man in IPL history to win back-to-back titles with two different franchises.It feels remarkable that only four years ago, he was on a talk show where he was so impressed with himself he forgot he was being all kinds of wrong. Back then, Hardik possessed a rare gift. He could come in and hit the very first ball he faced for six. And that opened doors he would have only dreamed of growing up in a small town in Gujarat. This one led straight to infamy.People don’t follow a show-off, but that is a big part of who Hardik is. It actually enables him to be that most fabled of all things. A man for the big occasion. The first time he ever bowled a 20th over in defence of a total, he won India a World Cup game with impossible odds. But that’s the fun part. When you go hunting for glory, you will be confronted by failure. Repeatedly. You have to be strong enough – remain driven enough – to get up every time you are knocked down.Hardik is. Neymar, too. But only one of them has had the chance to build a team for himself.David Miller was an IPL outcast in 2022. In the previous five years, he had made 494 runs, with only two fifties, at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 117. Only two – of 10 – franchises showed any interest in him when his name came up for auction. He maintained that his stats – especially in the two seasons before joining Titans – were not so much a reflection of his ability but a consequence of uncertainty. He didn’t know where – or if – he even fit in.A few months after Rajasthan Royals passed him over when the price hit INR 3 crore, Miller was out there on the field, beating them to a pulp. At the end of it all, when he had 68 runs in 38 balls with three fours, five sixes and a place in the final, he was asked what had changed, and he said, “I think opportunity firstly. I have been given a good role and a good extensive run in the team. I felt extremely backed from the onset.”These are Hardik’s words from that night. “It kind of shows if you show love and importance to an individual player, he can flourish and how. A lot of people counted David Miller out but for us he was always a match-winner from the time we bought him at the auction. What he did today we always expected from him. But for us it was important to give him the importance, give him that love and give him the clarity as to what we expect from him. And if he fails, it’s okay; it’s just a game.”3:37

Why have Gujarat Titans been so successful so quickly?

Man management. Gut feel. And faith. All part of the dark art of captaincy.Hardik sought out players who were themselves seeking someone to believe in them. He gave them the chance they’d always wanted, the support that had been so hard to come by and that bound them to him; made them work miracles for him.Rahul Tewatia had to slog through seven IPL seasons to cobble the 48 matches he had to his name before Titans came for him. Now, even though he barely gets to bowl, and barely gets to bat, he walks in to work every day knowing he is an indispensable part of a champion side. “Every time we’d be in a tough situation,” he said, “Hardik would say, ‘Oh I know that Tewu will finish the job for us’. What more do you need when the captain shows such confidence in you?”Tewatia, Josh Little, Noor Ahmad, Vijay Shankar. They’ve been stuck in the margins, having to do their thing in relative obscurity. They were forged by the hunger to prove themselves on a bigger stage. They need this. They hunt this. They’re not great players by themselves, but Titans didn’t need greats. They already had that in Rashid Khan. They just needed people who could play off him. They needed parts to make a whole. Nobody believed they could win in 2022. Now here they are two (or maybe three) games away from going back-to-back.Hardik appears to understand that captaincy isn’t just about the ideas you take onto the field but the ideals you stand for. It isn’t a particularly difficult lesson to learn. All you have to do is spend some time watching your plans fall apart. And when they do, the only thing that stands between you and defeat are your team-mates and their willingness to put everything on the line.Hardik has that now. He is Neymar as Neymar could rarely be. A tattooed badass who does the sexiest thing in his sport (hitting sixes and dribbling respectively) with the strength of cohesion behind him.It won’t be long before India go all in.Hardik spent his formative years under MS Dhoni. He shaped the most successful franchise in IPL history alongside Rohit Sharma. Soon, he could walk the path of Kapil Dev. Maybe, one day, this fast-bowling allrounder will stand up there on the Lord’s balcony too, the world in his hands.

We take a look at how six players who were recently released by their franchises did in the T20 tournament

Shashank Kishore01-Feb-2021Karun Nair
Four years ago, he was India’s second triple centurion in Tests. Since then, his career has nosedived to the extent that there are murmurs over his place even in the Karnataka setup. At IPL 2020, he featured in just three games for the Kings XI Punjab, who had splurged good money for him in 2019. While Nair returned to lead Karnataka – for whom he last made a century in any format back in 2017-18 – six innings in various positions at SMA 2020-21 yielded just 93 runs. There is quality for sure, but the question is whether he can rejuvenate a career that is at a crossroads.Kedar Jadhav
Once considered the ultimate utility cricketer, Jadhav was let go by the Chennai Super Kings after a poor IPL 2020 in which he made only 62 runs in five innings, his struggles to up the pace in the middle overs all too evident. With MS Dhoni not using him as a go-to bowler anymore, Jadhav’s auction price of INR 7.8 crore may have gone against him. At SMA 2020-21, his team, Maharashtra, finished bottom of their group, managing just one win in five games. Jadhav, though, was among their brighter spots, making 193 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 132. His best, an unbeaten 45-ball 84 against Chhattisgarh in a chase of 192, took them to their only win of the competition.Shivam Dube
Not too long ago, Dube was Hardik Pandya’s like-for-like replacement, but impactful performances have been few and far between. He last played for India in February 2020. At the IPL, he was hardly used as a bowler and couldn’t quite deliver the finishing kick with the bat. Having been signed for INR 5 crore, he has now been released by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Among the senior players for Mumbai in a poor SMA 2020-21, where they lost all their five games, Dube top-scored with 161 runs in five innings, striking at 138.79; the numbers better than other established batsmen like Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan. With the ball, he conceded runs at an economy of 7.50 in the 14 overs he delivered.K Gowtham is in search of a fourth IPL franchise after being released by Kings XI Punjab•BCCIK Gowtham
At INR 6.2 crore, Gowtham was among the more expensive Indian picks at the previous auction but one poor season with the Kings XI later, he is in search of a fourth franchise. Between being released and being back in the auction pool, Gowtham was called in as a reserve bowler for the Indian Test team for the home series against England. Prior to that, he featured in four SMA games for Karnataka, picking up four wickets with his fastish offspinners. His handy hitting lower down the order could yet make him a viable option for several franchises.Piyush Chawla
Two-time IPL winner and the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament’s history, Chawla could be on the lookout for a fourth IPL team, unless the Super Kings buy him back for a portion of his INR 6.75 crore price tag. He had a poor first season with the Super Kings, going at an economy of 9.09 and picking up just six wickets in seven matches. While Chawla last played for India in 2012, he’s continued to be a regular in domestic cricket. A staple for Gujarat for the last three seasons, he picked up five wickets in as many matches with his legspin at an economy of 6.30 at SMA 2020-21.Mohit Sharma
One of Dhoni’s trump cards during India’s run to the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup, Sharma has been laid low by poor form and injuries since then. While he hasn’t been an IPL regular, his appearances for Haryana in domestic cricket have dwindled too. He last featured in a competitive game 18 months prior to his lone appearance in IPL 2020. That one game for the Delhi Capitals, who signed him for INR 50 lakh, turned out to be uneventful – he went for 45 in four overs. The emergence of a gun pace attack consigned him to the bench after that. His form at SMA 2020-21 wasn’t inspiring either, his two wickets in six games coming at an economy of 8.33 and average of 100.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber was on the doorstep of 40 home runs for just three innings.

He mashed his 39th long ball of the year in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles Monday night on a massive shot to the third deck at Citizens Bank Park. The homer gave him the National League lead, moving one past Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Then, as the Phillies batted around the order in the sixth, he hit another blast to right field—this time for a grand slam.

The 390-foot shot was Schwarber's 40th homer of the season, now two past Ohtani for the most in the NL. The next closest NL player is Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs with 27, although Eugenio Suárez and his 36 homers moved to the American League at last week's trade deadline.

Schwarber's career-best total is 47 home runs, which he notched in 2023. The season before, he had 46. Now, he has reached 40 with 50 games to go.

With the massive Monday, he moves into the MLB lead in RBIs with 94, surpassing Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh (88). Raleigh currently leads baseball with 42 home runs, but Schwarber is right on his heels with three homers in two games.

After 13 seasons in MLB, starting pitcher Kyle Gibson announced his retirement from baseball on Thursday on the podcast

The 2021 All-Star has the second-most starts for a pitcher since 2013 with 328, only one behind Max Scherzer's 329.

Gibson was drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2009 MLB draft, but he didn't make his major league debut until 2013 after he underwent Tommy John surgery as a Triple A prospect in '11. Gibson spent seven seasons in Minnesota as a starting pitcher, finishing his tenure there in 2019 with a 67–68 record and 4.52 ERA.

After his time with the Twins, Gibson played for four more teams: the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles (twice) and St. Louis Cardinals. His second stint in Baltimore this season is where Gibson's career officially came to an end. He went 0–3 in four starts for the Orioles, and was released by the team on May 20.

The pitcher did sign a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays and started in four games for the Triple A Durham Bulls, but he opted out of his contract last month.

Gibson's overall career record finishes at 112–111. He threw for a total of 1,878 innings to post 1,520 strikeouts while surrendering 1,937 hits and 1,021 runs.

Scores of 128 for 5 and 76 for 7. There was also the 190 all out against India just before the World Cup. Australia captain Alyssa Healy brushed those collapses aside with her trademark half-a-smile and stated those scores were not a concern, but something they would like to “rectify” against India and for the rest of the World Cup.Healy also pointed to how other teams have been struggling with poor starts and collapses. India have struggled up front in their three games, South Africa were bowled out for 69, England stuttered their way to the 179 target against Bangladesh, while Australia, on their part, had recovered well from their own collapses with centuries from Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney to top the table at the time.”I mean, we’re allowed to lose games of cricket and we’re allowed to be put under pressure at times, in particular in World Cups,” Healy said a day before their India game on Sunday. “I think you’re going to be put under the pump in unfamiliar conditions, against unfamiliar sides at times. I think that’s the nature of the game, and like I’ve said all along, I really back our depth in our side and also in our squad that the 11 that we put out on the park are going to be able to get the job done for us. And we’re fortunate that it’s been a different person every time that stuck their hand up and said, ‘yep, I’ve got this, I can get us to a total or I can take the wickets to restrict the team’. I wouldn’t say it’s a worry, it’s something we’d like to rectify and I think there’s a lot of teams that are probably wanting to rectify that as well.”The low scores in this World Cup – with 300 breached just once – are down to the nature of the pitches. Guwahati and Colombo, which have hosted four games each so far, have offered purchase for the slower bowlers, some turn and grip. The moisture, because of the rain, has also not made run-scoring straightforward. Indore was among the flatter venues where Australia put on 326 against New Zealand and in the other South Africa chased down 232 in the 41st over without much trouble. Visakhapatnam, where India and Australia play on Sunday in front of a sell-out crowd, also had runs on offer for both teams, but also some help for the bowlers.Related

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“I think the wickets have still been good,” Healy said. “I think probably maybe a little bit of pressure has come into play at times and teams have got themselves into a little bit of a pickle. Obviously, Colombo was slightly different conditions than what we faced over here. So having to adapt really quickly is going to be really important. And I still remain that – obviously we’re here at a new destination, a fresh wicket, fresh outfield, fresh everything against a really good side – so we’re just going to have to pick up on that really quickly. And yeah, on the sort of collapse sort of situation, I think it’s on our top order to make the bulk of the runs and I think we can speak on that from both sides.”The varying conditions and facing oppositions they often don’t “makes this World Cup so unique” and “really challenging to win,” which makes adapting to the conditions quickly the key. Their collapses and a new ground in Visakhapatnam, where Australia have never played before, will, however, not deter Australia from going hard at the top, when Healy and Litchfield open the innings on Sunday.Phoebe Litchfield fine-tunes her reverse-hit•ICC via Getty Images

“I actually still think the powerplay plays a crucial role in this World Cup,” Healy said. “I think if you can get off to a pretty decent start, it seems to be throughout the middle overs that some sides have been managing to squeeze oppositions, but I still think if you can get off to a good start and set a platform, that’s going to be really important to putting a good total out there or chasing something down. There’s a little bit of a fine balance in that regard, but I think both of us at the top of the order are quite aggressive players, so we’re not exactly going to curb that at any point. It’s just probably making a few better decisions and taking a few smarter options, knowing and feeling the conditions out there at that moment in time, and hopefully that’ll lay the platform for what is a really dominant middle order of ours to set a big total or, like I said, chase it down.”There have been memorable India-Australia games in the last few World Cups, both T20 and ODI. It’s also been one of the fiercest rivalries in the game. Australia took down India by six wickets in the last ODI World Cup, in 2022, but in the one before that Harmanpreet Kaur had played one of the most jaw-dropping knocks in World Cup history, an unbeaten 171 in a rain-shortened game.”Yeah, I think the rivalry continues to grow,” Healy said. “I think I’ve said it previously that I feel like they’ve been a really, almost a sleeping giant in the women’s game for a long period of time. It’s probably since the WPL has come into play that they’ve realised the depth they’ve got and they’ve figured out a style of play that they want to use, especially in this format, and they’re really sticking to that, which I think has been really impressive to see. So, in their home conditions they’re obviously going to play really well and be a real threat. But as we’ve seen throughout this World Cup so far, there’s lots of teams that are pushing everybody.”

India impressively defended what had initially seemed a slightly light total on the Gold Coast

Andrew McGlashan06-Nov-2025

Axar Patel used angles to take his wickets and then to celebrate them•Getty Images

Led by their spinners and a vital pair of inroads from Shivam Dube, India impressively defended what had initially seemed a slightly light total to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the T20I series on a Gold Coast surface that both sides agreed had shades of the subcontinent about it.From 121 for 2 after 14 overs, India were only able to post 167 largely due to the key breakthroughs provided by Adam Zampa, back in the side after the birth of his second child, and late-overs brilliance of Nathan Ellis.But Australia shed wickets at regular intervals in the first stage of their chase before collapsing in a heap to lose 7 for 28. Axar Patel conceded just 20 off his four overs, including 12 dot balls, while Dube claimed the key wicket of Tim David. Varun Chakravarthy’s final delivery of the evening all but sealed the contest when Glenn Maxwell, returning from his broken wrist, completely failed to pick a googly.The result left a large proportion of the 20,470 crowd delighted and meant that the best Australia could hope for is a share of the series in the final game at the Gabba on Saturday.Shivam Dube took over with his seemingly magical wicket-taking ability•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Axar ties up AustraliaAxar only had a limited role with the ball in the first three matches of the series; India didn’t bowl in Canberra, he wasn’t used at the MCG, then he returned 0 for 35 in Hobart. Here, however, he came to the fore, as his darting left-arm spin proved very difficult to combat.Matthew Short, back in his favoured opening role but one he has conceded is probably not realistic to have at the T20 World Cup, had dominated the early stages of the chase before falling lbw sweeping at Axar when India successfully reviewed the not out decision. Axar then defeated Josh Inglis, a player who looked rusty after a period on the sidelines, when he charged down the pitch.Dube at the doubleAs in the previous match, Mitchell Marsh had not had a huge amount of strike early in the chase but was starting to move through the gears. Dube dropped a slower delivery in short, it was very much in Marsh’s wheelhouse, and the pull went flat towards deep square leg where Arshdeep Singh took an excellent running catch around the boundary. However, Dube’s big moment was to come.David launched him for a huge six over long-on – it wasn’t far from striking the overhanging roof – but Dube’s revenge only took one delivery. Banging the ball in short, David was hurried into a pull and top edged into the covers.When Josh Philippe spliced to short midwicket two overs later it was another game that needed Maxwell to salvage it but having not batted in the middle since mid-September, that was always a tall order. The dominance of the visiting spinners was perhaps a little warning to Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka early next year where the types of surfaces on offer could vary.Josh Inglis claims a catch off Tilak Varma•Getty Images

Zampa back with a bangAbhishek Sharma had been dropped second ball of the match by Xavier Bartlett, a running chance at deep point where he may have been distracted by another fielder, and when Abhishek deposited Zampa’s second ball of the series straight down the ground for six India were a healthy 56 for 0 in the seventh over. However, two balls later Zampa evened the ledger when Abhishek tried to repeat the stroke against a googly and was safely held at long-on by David.Zampa was then held back until the second half of the innings and it threatened to be a rough night. In the 13th over Suryakumar took him for two sixes over deep midwicket as the India captain looked set to kick start a late surge for his team. However, Suryakumar picked out David in the deep – who held on his with fingertips – and when Zampa returned for his final over in the 17th of the innings he had an impact.Tilak Varma gloved a sweep which popped up for Inglis to gather, then three balls later Australia successfully reviewed for an lbw against Jitesh Sharma when he missed a sweep.Ellis shines againIt is nothing unusual for Ellis to impress in this format, but this was another outstanding display of his T20 skills. The final figures of 4-0-21-3 were made even more noteworthy by the fact his first four deliveries cost 10 as Shubman Gill took him on the powerplay. That meant his 21 deliveries cost just 11, and he bowled three of the last nine overs.His first wicket ended Dube’s experimental innings at No. 3 when he played across a slightly slower delivery. Then at the start of the 15th over he finished Gill’s rather laboured stay, although which grew in value as the night wore on, with a back-of-the-hand slower ball. He closed out with the 19th over, homing in outside off with wide yorkers and changes of pace. Occasionally he got a little too wide and was called, but none of the batters could get him away. In the end, however, as the pitch continued to slow up, India still had more than enough.

أثار فيليب ديالو، رئيس الاتحاد الفرنسي لكرة القدم، الجدل حول تدريب زين الدين زيدان لمنتخب فرنسا الأول لكرة القدم بعد اقتراب ديديه ديشامب من الرحيل عقب كأس العالم 2026 المقبل.

ولم يُدرب زين الدين زيدان أي فريق أو منتخب منذ رحيله عن تدريب فريق ريال مدريد في نهاية موسم 2020/2021.

وأصبح رحيل ديشامب مؤكدًا عن منتخب فرنسا بعد كأس العالم 2026 المقبل مهما كانت النتائج، بعد مسيرة استمرت 14 عامًا حقق فيها كأس العالم 2018 ودوري الأمم الأوروبية 2021 والوصول إلى نهائي نسخة قطر 2022.

كان زيدان قد أوضح أنه يرغب في العودة للتدريب مجددًا وقد كشف بأن هذا سوف يحدث قريبًا، ولذلك ربطت عدة تقارير أن وجهته المقبلة ستكون منتخب فرنسا،(للمزيد من التفاصيل اضغط هنا).

وفي مقابلة مع صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية، أكد ديالو: “الأمر ليس إثارة جدل أو حالة من التشويق، الأمر ببساطة يتعلق بالاحترام للطاقم الحالي، ديدييه وطاقمه التدريبي يتولون القيادة منذ 14 عامًا ولا أريد صُنع أشياء تعيق تجهيزات كأس العالم”.

وعما سيكون زيدان هو المدرب المقبل لمنتخب فرنسا أجاب: “سنرى في يوليو، الكثير من الأمور غير المتوقعة يمكن أن تحدث ومع ذلك، وقد علقت على ذلك بالفعل أشعر بإعجاب واحترام كبير لزيدان سواء لمساهمته في كرة القدم الفرنسية أو لمسيرته كمدرب لكن كل شيء يحدث في الوقت المناسب، في الوقت الحالي، دعونا نستعد لكأس العالم”.

وفيما يتعلق بإمكانية لقاء زيدان للتفاوض على اتفاق بين الطرفين، أتم قائلًا: “في الوقت الحال أنا متمسك بما قُلت، نحن نركز على التحضير لكأس العالم وكل شيء سيحدث في الوقت المناسب”.

Chelsea have now launched their first enquiry to sign Como star Nico Paz in 2026, but it is reportedly Real Madrid who hold the key in pursuit of one of the world’s best young talents.

The Blues have built quite the reputation for signing young stars in recent years, with some of those stars beginning to thrive at Stamford Bridge whilst others wonder what’s next. One of those on the more positive side is Estevao Willian. The young Brazilian has hit the ground running in West London and once again came from the bench to contribute on Saturday night.

This time it was Wolverhampton Wanderers who suffered as Estevao found room to hand Joao Pedro the chance to get his name on the scoresheet. From one Brazilian to another, the former Brighton & Hove Albion forward duly obliged.

The 18-year-old’s performance once again resulted in significant praise from the Sky Sports studio, with former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil saying: “The thing holding him back is that he’s got the best winger I’ve ever worked with in Pedro Neto in his position.

“But he’s a top talent. Estevao, I’m sure, will manage to find his way into the team, but I think it’s difficult on that right-hand-side. At his age, you can keep him happy giving him sub appearances. But at some point, he needs to be let off the leash.”

Chelsea launch move to re-sign Antonio Rudiger; he's made Real Madrid decision

He previously starred at Stamford Bridge.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 9, 2025

Whilst Estevao continues to enjoy an impressive rise, Chelsea will no doubt continue their search for the next generation of standout stars. And that, of course, includes Paz. The Como star has been excellent under former Stamford Bridge star Cesc Fabregas this season and the Blues have now made their first move for his signature.

Chelsea launch first Nico Paz enquiry

As reported by Caught Offside, Chelsea have now enquired about signing Paz from Como in 2026, but face competition from Inter Milan, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Reports have even claimed that Inter are preparing to submit an offer to sign the attacking midfielder worth €58m (£51m).

Unfortunately for the Italian giants and the rest of the interested parties, however, it is Real Madrid who hold the key to Paz’s future. The Spanish giants reportedly have a buy-back clause worth €9m (£8m) in 2026 and €10m (£9m) in 2027. In one move, they could sign a player who could reach the value of €100m for what would be the bargain of the summer.

Chelsea and others must simply hope that Madrid either opt out of signing the 21-year-old in the next two years or the player, himself, rejects the chance to make a return to the Bernabeu. If either of those scenarios take place, then things will certainly become interesting.

Described as “incredible” by Lionel Messi in the highest praise that an Argentinian can receive, Paz has already been involved in eight goals in 12 games this season and doesn’t look likely to slow down anytime soon.

Chelsea join Daniel Munoz race as Crystal Palace star reveals true "dream" move

Somerset pile on 312 for 6 in 49.2 overs before the match is washed out

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025Somerset’s bid for victory against strugglers Essex was thwarted by the rain at Chelmsford.Niamh Holland led the visitors’ run-fest with 76, including eight fours in 76 balls after they were put in while Jess Hazell hit 60 in 56 balls as they raised 312 for 6 off the 49.2 overs possible.The total was the sixth-highest in the competition this season, the top five scores having been made at Beckenham.It was a sobering day for Essex’s bowlers, who, with the exception of Sophia Smale (2 for 56), strayed in both line and length. However, the rain which drove the players off four balls before the end of the Somerset innings refused to abate, meaning the hosts had no opportunity to take on the huge chase.Holland, making a belated debut in the competition because of a back injury sustained playing in Australia over the winter, would prove the mainstay of the visitors’ effort, one four crunched back over the bowler’s head and a sweep among six boundaries as she moved to 50 in 54 balls.The 20-year-old right-hander celebrated with a powerful cut backward of square and there was another boundary over mid-wicket before her first mistake proved costly, skewing one from Kate Coppack to Jodie Grewcock behind point.Holland’s solidity allowed others to play around her. Odgers produced two delightful pick-up shots over mid-wicket, before being dropped in that region by Lissy Macleod on 29, but it wasn’t a costly miss, the opener skying one soon after to Amara Carr behind the stumps.Somerset’s leading scorer Sophie Luff dispatched a head-high full toss from Maddie Penna to the fence at long leg before creaming the resulting free-hit through the covers in a breezy 27 ended by Smale, stumped by Carr.Fran Wilson belted a full toss from Jo Gardner back over the bowler’s head in her cameo performance, though Gardner had the last laugh when Wilson bunted back a caught and bowled.Hazell and Alex Griffiths (29) ran hard to keep the scoreboard moving in their fifth-wicket stand of 57, Hazell reaching 50 from 52 balls with only three fours and Amanda-Jade Wellington and Chloe Skelton cashed in late on before the rain came.

Tottenham Hotspur splashed a fee of £30m to sign winger Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window after his loan spell in North London came to an end.

The France U21 international spent the second half of last season on loan with Ange Postecoglou’s side, scoring three goals and providing one assist in all competitions.

Spurs and former chairman Daniel Levy opted to make that loan deal permanent for £30m, despite the change in head coach, to provide him with a chance to impress under Thomas Frank.

Unfortunately, the ex-Brentford manager opted to leave the 20-year-old winger out of his squad for the league phase of the Champions League, which does not bode well for the young talent.

Tel did score two goals for France’s U21s during the international break earlier this month, which shows that he does still have potential to be a success at Spurs, but he needs to show it in domestic matches this season.

The French forward will be hoping that he does not join the list of expensive wingers who have failed to make a success of themselves in North London.

Ranking Tottenham's most expensive winger signings

Tel, who can play as a left-winger or as a centre-forward, ranks among the top five most expensive winger signings in the club’s history if Transfermarkt fees are taken into account.

As you can see in the table above, summer signing Mohammed Kudus tops the list, whilst club legend Heung-min Son also features at the bottom.

If pressed to rank those five signings, Son would have to be at the top of the list. He scored 173 goals and provided 101 assists in 451 matches, per Transfermarkt, along with captaining the side to a Europa League trophy.

Brennan Johnson, meanwhile, has to be ranked in second place in this moment of time, simply because he scored the winning goal in a European final for Spurs against Manchester United at the end of last season.

Irrespective of what the Wales international did before that or what he will go on to do, that moment alone makes his signing and the fee paid for him worthwhile.

It is too soon to judge Kudus, who only arrived this summer, whilst Lamela should be third on this list. The Argentine forward had longevity on his side, as he racked up 37 goals and 46 assists in 257 outings for Spurs, per Transfermarkt.

That leaves Steven Bergwijn, who joined from PSV in 2020, at the bottom of the pile. He only lasted two-and-a-half years at the club, and the forward only scored eight competitive goals in that time.

The Netherlands international scored eight goals and provided ten assists in 83 appearances for Tottenham, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he was not as effective or impactful as Johnson, Son, or Lamela.

Bergwijn was an expensive flop on the wing, one that Tel is looking to avoid being a repeat of, and there is a winger at the club who is in danger of being the next version of the Dutch forward.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Tottenham swooped to sign French winger Wilson Odobert from Burnley for a fee of £25m in the summer of 2024, and he has yet to prove his worth on the pitch.

Why Wilson Odobert may be the next Steven Bergwijn

The young forward was signed for a similar fee to Bergwijn and his performances on the field for the club have done little to dismiss a comparison between the two.

It is worth noting that Odobert struggled with hamstring injuries last season, which disrupted his progress, but his displays when fit and available offered little encouragement.

The 20-year-old winger, who is the same age as Tel, has scored one goal and created one ‘big chance’ in 21 appearances in the Premier League for Spurs to date, via Sofascore, with his latest showing coming against Brighton at the weekend.

Thomas Frank handed the youngster an opportunity to shine on the left flank, but the Frenchman ended the game with zero out of three dribbles completed, zero out of five duels won, and no key passes or shots on target in 72 minutes, per Sofascore.

Odobert, who was described as “incredibly raw” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, was an expensive signing for Spurs, at £25m, and just falls short of being one of the five most expensive wide signings in the club’s history, which is why it is not too harsh to expect more from the former Burnley man.

As you can see in the table above, Tel, who joined on loan in January, provided more quality at the top end of the pitch than his fellow France U21 international did in the Premier League last season.

These statistics suggest that Odobert offers even less than Tel does in the final third, as both a scorer and, certainly, as a creator from a wide or central berth.

The 20-year-old forward, of course, has plenty of time left to turn things around and prove to supporters and the club that the money spent to bring him in from Burnley was worthwhile, rather than becoming the next Bergwijn, who was an expensive flop on the wing.

However, the signs are not promising at this moment in time. We can only judge on what has happened so far, and Odobert has not done enough on the pitch to suggest that his fortunes are going to turn around any time soon.

Forget Kudus & Richarlison: Spurs' 7/10 gem is becoming Frank's best player

Tottenham Hotspur have uncovered a new talent under Thomas Frank over recent weeks.

By
Ethan Lamb

Sep 21, 2025

Therefore, the French winger is the one who is in danger of becoming the next Bergwijn, rather than Tel, who showed some glimpses of quality in the Premier League last term.