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Eden Park is not South Africa’s turf but on two days in another area, in another generation, in a different sporting code, it was. And that may be all they need to remember

Firdose Moonda23-Mar-2015New Zealand. South Africa. Eden Park. Big matches. Now the biggest. And the irony? It’s not even rugby.South Africa’s cricketers face the biggest challenge of their ODI careers when they take on New Zealand at the place their 1921 rugby side christened by playing the venue’s first rugby Test and their 1937 side won at to earn the title of the best team to leave New Zealand. The Springboks have not won at Eden Park since, and the cricketers have a superior record at the ground (three wins from seven completed matches compared to two from ten), but AB de Villiers will still want to take inspiration from the double World Cup winning rugby side as his men go in search of a first one.The Springboks built tournament success around their biggest names and brute force. Likewise, this is the occasion for the Proteas’ most potent players to step up.Hashim Amla, de Villiers and Dale Steyn have owned moments of games so far but have not needed to take it on themselves to single-handedly win a match. De Villiers’ record-breaking 162 was eye-catching but only served to rub salt in an openly wounded West Indies’ side. Amla’s century against Ireland could be regarded in much the same light.Both performances served to confirm the quality of the men producing them, they did not come in South Africa’s hour of real need. Steyn got closer to that when he played a role in opening up Sri Lanka but it was Imran Tahir’s wily weaving that did the rest. All three of these players are what Francois Pienaar, Victor Matfield and Bryan Habana are to the Springboks: the heart, the brain, the veins. They will have to decide which direction the blood should flow.But that does not mean individual brilliance cannot come from outside that circle. Jannie de Beer scored five drop goals in a quarter-final in 1999 to knock England out. South Africa will need a few wildcards and on that score they have everyone prepped. Five of the top six have scored centuries so far and the one who hasn’t, Quinton de Kock, is fresh of a redeeming half-century which justified the decision to stick with him even as he battled to find form.South Africa’s leading bowler is not Steyn. Tahir leads the charts, Morne Morkel is next. Between them, they are proving difficult for batsmen to get away and South Africa are holding out hope Vernon Philander will join that club. Philander has been battling a hamstring injury but has performances in New Zealand which surpass what he has done anywhere else where he has played at least five ODIs.Philander has an average of 16.12 in New Zealand and with that record in mind, South Africa will have to make their biggest call ahead of the crunch game: whether to go back to Philander or stick with Kyle Abbott. De Villiers called it a “difficult” selection so do not be surprised if South Africa do as the Springboks would have done when things get tricky and go back to what they know they can depend on.Trust has been the basis for a lot of Springbok success. The players have always backed each other to come good and the country has backed them because of it. The cricket team is trying to evoke that same sentiment.Already, they have shown an immense faith in their own abilities, so much so that a day before both their quarter-final and semi-final clashes, they have skipped training to concentrate on some of the other areas of preparation. The mental areas. The areas that can only be addressed away from the field. The areas that prompt hot heads to stay cool when all calm has dissipated.South Africa will need that. Their lids have been known to pop off when the pressure cooker gets too hot, but in the quarter-final they showed that is not always the case. Then, they were the ones controlling the temperature when they took early wickets and gave themselves an easier job than was anticipated. They may not be able to have as much of a say at Eden Park.It is not their turf even if they claim to have a solid understanding of its “unusual corners and angles,” as de Villiers put it. It is not their turf even if they know the short straight boundary was made for de Villiers and David Miller to clear. It is not their turf even though the dimensions even invite bowlers to hold back their lengths and the bouncer is one of South Africa’s weapons of choice. It is not their turf but on two days in another area, in another generation, in a different sporting code, it was. And that may be all they need to remember.New Zealand. South Africa. Eden Park. Big matches. The biggest and it’s cricket. You’d better believe it.

It would be wrong to presume England suffered too bad a day, they bowled well for much of it as they came up against a batting line-up less obliging and feeble

George Dobell at Old Trafford01-Aug-2013There will be those who look at the scoreboard from the first day of this game and presume it was the moment the Investec Ashes series turned.It is true that Australia, batting with a skill and resilience that has been absent from much of this series to date, took full advantage of winning the toss on a fine pitch and an increasingly clear blue sky. It is true that, on a surface which is expected to provide more assistance for spin bowlers as the game progresses, they have established a fine platform that could define the game.And it true, too, that there was a time, with the sun beating down, Stuart Broad off the pitch for treatment on his calf and Graeme Swann taking painkillers for a sore throat, when the flaws in England’s strategy were apparent and they appeared devoid of ideas in the field. A four-man attack has served England well, but it is an approach that will always leave them just a little vulnerable in case of injury, illness or on the flattest of pitches.But it would be wrong to read too much into this scoreline and it would be wrong to presume England endured too bad a day. On an excellent batting surface, Australia’s best batsman complied an impressive century and won good support from two colleagues. It was, by some distance, Australia’s best day of the series to date but, as Tim Bresnan put it: “I’m sure we would be in a similar position if we’d won the toss and batted. They’ve won the toss on a nice wicket with the sun out.”England actually bowled pretty well for much of the day. Swann, gaining surprising turn on a first day wicket, probably bowled better than at any time in the series, while Bresnan beat the outside edge on several occasions and Broad again bowled well without fortune. England might claim, with more than a little justification, some misfortune with at least three umpiring decisions, though they would have to admit an enormous slice of fortune with the wicket of Usman Khawaja.Most of all, England came up against a highly motivated Michael Clarke who provided a master-class in the art of batting against spin bowling. It is no disgrace to come second best in such circumstances.But this was not, by any means, a perfect performance from England. In searching for swing, the seamers were guilty of overpitching to Chris Rogers, in particular, while James Anderson, by his own high standards, was not at his best and conceded an uncharacteristic 13 fours in his 21 overs. In all England conceded 40 boundaries in the day’s 90 overs, more than would leave them comfortable.It wasn’t that they bowled worse than they had at Lord’s or Old Trafford. It was more that they came up against a batting line-up less obliging and feeble. As a consequence, there were times they looked a little flat and a little toothless.But that has happened before. Usually, in such circumstances, England “bowl dry” – their expression for cutting off the batsmen’s run-scoring options – and wear their opposition down with persistence and pressure. It was just that on this occasion they lacked the consistency to limit the run-scoring or build any pressure in quite the way they would have liked.Might a second spinner or extra seamer have helped? Of course. The extra bounce of Chris Tremlett or the variety of Monty Panesar might well have provided an edge the attack lacked through much of the day.But England’s policy of playing six specialist batsmen and Matt Prior at No. 7 has served them well and may yet prove vital in this game. Until they are able to select a Test quality allrounder – in due course, perhaps, Ben Stokes – they will have days when the tactic is slightly exposed.Both sides suffered with poor umpiring decisions during the day. While some may claim that the errors evened themselves out, such a laissez-faire attitude does not sit comfortably in the modern, professional game. Not only can individual’s careers be defined by such moments – Khawaja was the victim of a particularly feeble piece of work from a TV umpire whose reputation has been ruined by this series – but it brings too strong an element of chaos and chance into a meritocratic contest. A strong argument could be made to suggest the ICC should not be appointing neutral umpires, but simply the best.But England would be wise not hide behind such issues. While they may well have a point in claiming that Steve Smith, who could have been out half-a-dozen times before he reached 30, should have been given out caught behind off Anderson when on 18 and the subsequent loss of a review saw them denied the chance to overrule a clear leg before decision that went against them off the bowling of Broad when Smith had 24, they might also reflect that they have had the best of such decisions in the series to date. The truth is that both sides have suffered through poor umpiring.They would also be wise not to hide behind some problems with the footholds. Broad and Anderson, in particular, were inconvenienced by the crater created on the popping crease by their front feet. While the pitch is hard, the landing area is surprisingly soft and has crumbled under impact, leaving the ground uneven and uncomfortableBut these things happen. Coping with them is part of the lot of professional bowlers and, as Bresnan suggested, “you’ve just got to adjust. You’ve got to come in front of it or wide of it or whatever. It plays around with your rhythm a bit, but you have to use your experience and try not to land in that massive hole that someone else has created. It doesn’t affect you that much.”The best players don’t search for excuses, they search for answers. And, as was the case at times in India, there were times when Broad seemed a little more preoccupied with the former than the latter.Bresnan was content with England’s bowling performance and credited Clarke, in particular, for Australia’s success. “He played well,” Bresnan said. “He’s left the ball well. He’s identified that it’s a batting day – it’s not done a lot out there – and he’s got stuck in. The conditions were pretty good for batting.”But we’re quite pleased with the way we stuck in there. It’s not like we didn’t create chances. We passed the outside edge frequently and, on another day, those might have been nicks. Had the luck been with us, the plays and misses that we did get could have taken the outside edge and they could be six down.”We were expecting a fight. Every time you play against Australia you expect them to fight hard. Their backs are against the wall so why wouldn’t they push even harder back.”

Rajasthan’s bowlers were struggling in the early stages of the Ranji Trophy. Then Meyrick Pringle took over as the bowling coach and turned their fortunes around

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Dec-2011It was the final day of their penultimate league match and Rajasthan had just 72 overs to bowl Saurashtra out and claim the outright victory they needed to keep their dream of defending the Ranji Trophy title alive. The task before them was not easy one, with the likes of India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and Shitanshu Kotak in the opposition batting line-up.It was then that Meyrick Pringle, Rajasthan’s short-term bowling coach, called a fast bowlers’ meeting. It was a first for Rajasthan’s fast men. Never before had such a meeting been called at such short notice.”He asked us to focus on the beginning,” Sumit Mathur, Rajasthan’s senior most fast bowler, recollects. “If we get a good start, we walk in with a positive mind, then we can win. If we could get two to three wickets in the first ten overs then we can dominate.”Pringle, a former South Africa fast bowler, put the responsibility for the opening breakthrough on Pankaj Singh, Rajasthan’s leading wicket-taker this season. Mathur, along with Rituraj Singh, who was making his debut at 21, were told to build pressure in the middle overs. The strategy worked beautifully.”Before the lunch break they had lost three wickets,” Mathur said. “Pringle asked us to play it by ear: if they attacked us, then we need to go slightly on the defensive. But they were on the defensive, then he stressed we had to attack the opposition more. The plan worked and Saurashtra came under pressure and collapsed.”Saurashtra were bundled out for 143 in 56.5 overs as Mathur picked up 6 for 33, the second-best figures of his career.In the final league game, Rajasthan demolished Orissa inside three days. Mathur took a five-for in the first innings while Rituraj picked up 6 for 75 to wrap up the match. The bonus point for an innings victory proved crucial, enabling Rajasthan to pip Saurashtra for the final spot in the quarter-finals.You can draw a distinct line between before Pringle joined Rajasthan and after. The defending champions had only four points from their first four games. In three of those matches, opponents had piled up 500-plus scores. Twice, against Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan had been forced to follow-on, indicating that the pitches had something in them for the bowlers. Somewhere, Rajasthan’s quicks were missing a trick.Pringle had arrived in Jaipur in February to coach at a private coaching academy. The offer from the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) came unexpectedly, just days before the game against Punjab in the first week of December. In the preceding months, Pringle had learned how things were done in India. That made it easier for him to fit in with the Rajasthan dressing room. In addition, he had watched a few of Rajasthan’s home matches earlier in the season, so he had some knowledge of their fast bowlers.”My inputs were mostly on the technical and mental side of fast bowling,” Pringle said, hours before leaving for South Africa to celebrate Christmas with his family. “I just showed them and gave them inputs based on my experience at the first-class and international level.”In his first match as bowling coach, there was no evidence that Pringle had brought in a change of any sort. Playing in Jaipur, Punjab made 597 against a Rajasthan bowling attack comprising three fast bowlers: Pankaj, Mathur and Deepak Chahar. Between them they shared four wickets. Pankaj took a further two in Punjab’s second innings but Rajasthan gained just one point. Their ambitions of clinging to a place in the Elite group, which they had earned after much hard work the previous year, was now in danger.Pringle, though, had been focused on building camaraderie. “He built a good atmosphere. As a person he is very cool, calm and (very nice),” Mathur said. “He never made us realise there was a gap between us and him, a former international fast bowler. He treated as like a friend.”The first sign that the relationship was working came in the match against Saurashtra, who also needed a good result to bolster their chances of making the knock-outs. The visitors’ fast-bowling attack, comprising Jaydev Undakat, Siddharth Trivedi and Sandeep Maniar took all 10 wickets as Rajasthan made 396. It was clear that the pitch was conducive for seam movement. Pankaj lead Rajasthan’s response with a five-wicket haul and received good support from Mathur and Rituraj, who took two wickets each. Rajasthan eventually set their opponents a target of 373. Mathur then finished the job.

“It was bundled up in their mind that they had to perform and people are watching them, the defending champions. It was a mental block.”

According to Pringle, who shot to fame with a spectacular performance in the group match against West Indies in the 1992 World Cup, he wanted to focus on the simple things given his limited time with the team. “There were some useful things they needed to take into the game and learn which they did not have and now they do and that added quite a lot of value to their bowling.”However, he first had to get them to forget their start to the season. “Because of the season Rajasthan had in the beginning, the fast bowlers thought they had not performed,” Pringle said. “It was bundled up in their mind that they had to perform and people are watching them, the defending champions. It was a mental block.”Pringle, who has coached like the Netherlands and Namibia in the past, also noticed that the fast bowlers were training hard. “They train a lot more here in India than in South Africa. They tend to put too much pressure on themselves.” So he told the bowlers to relax and enjoy themselves. “They were very tense in the early part of the season. They thought they had to take wickets and win games quickly because other people were knocking on the doors to take their place. So I worked on their psychology.”As for the technical stuff, it was mostly minor fixes. “Mathur was not following through properly at times,” Pringle said. “At time he used to bowl at 80% and not 100%. It just needs someone to stand up or clap a hand or give a signal that ball was not 100% and mentally recharge him.”As for Rituraj, Pringle said he has problems with his front foot but they are being addressed. Aniket Chaudhary, a left-arm fast bowler out of the Jaipur Cricket Academy, is working hard with Rituraj. “I tend to push him a lot but he has a good future if he continues in the same vein.”Pankaj’s problems, on the other hand, were medical. Pringle has told him to sit out the domestic 50-over tournament that starts in February to let his knees heal. “He can only get better from where he is now,” Pringle said. “He has to follow the programmes, the eating habits and he will definitely get better. Once he follows the programme and takes a break to sort his knees I am confident Pankaj can easily add another 20-25 kph to his speed.”All three bowlers said Pringle had made a difference. “Many times you forget the basics,” Mathur said. “You then need someone like Pringle to point out the minor things, essential in those moments, to get back on the track.”Having played for some time we have the idea where to pitch the ball and such. But there are small, minor things that need to be pointed out from time to time, which is what Pringle did. For example when you take two or three quick wickets you tend to get over excited at times. He has stressed that on such occasions you have to stay calm and continue bowling [the same way]. And he taught us how to use the angles and how best to use the crease to create good angles.” Pringle is pleased with the “vast” improvement he has seen in Rajasthan’s fast bowlers and would be keen to come back if the RCA offers him for a long-term contract.For the moment, though, the man who turned around Rajasthan’s fortunes is happily enjoying a family holiday in Port Elizabeth.

The nature of pitches in the Champions Trophy meant that batsmen, fast bowlers and spinners all had a chance to shine

S Rajesh06-Oct-2009The 2009 Champions Trophy was billed as a tournament which could decide the future of one-day cricket. Going by what most captains had to say, the event was a resounding success: the short duration of the tournament helped, as did the type of pitches, which gave the bowlers more of a chance than conditions in most parts of the world for one-day cricket. The overall numbers for the competition reflect the same: 214 wickets fell in 15 matches – an average of 14 per game – at an average of 30.36. The average runs per over was 5.05, which means the average 50-over score in the tournament was 253 for 8 (rounded off to the nearest whole number). That score suggests both batsmen and bowlers had opportunities to make a mark.There were five scores of more than 300 – England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa all managed to pass that mark – while three times teams were bundled out for less than 150 (West Indies (twice) and England).

While the overall numbers were impressive, the tournament still failed to provide the kind of thrillers one would have expected from a competition in which several teams seemed so evenly matched. Looking at the margins of wins in the 15 games, it’s obvious that most of them weren’t close. Three matches were won by a margin of 50 or more runs, with Sri Lanka’s 55-run victory against South Africa being the highest. The next was Pakistan’s 54-run win against India, while Australia beat West Indies by 50.Overall, though, teams batting second had the advantage, winning nine out of 14 games which produced results, including both semi-finals and the final. Of those nine wins, most were pretty comfortable ones, both in terms of wickets in hand and balls remaining. Seven games were won by five or more wickets, of which only one, New Zealand’s semi-final win against Pakistan, came with less than three overs to spare. The only really close game of the tournament was Australia’s two-wicket, last-ball win against Pakistan in Centurion.

Australia were involved in the most tense game of the competition, but they also ensured the semis and final ended up being quite one-sided. Their batting average of 47.16 was by far the highest of all teams, while the bowling average was bettered by only one team. The two leading run-scorers in the tournament were both Australians, but the bowlers were slightly hampered by the fact that they bowled in one less innings than the other teams, as their match against India was washed out.What’s also striking about the table below, though, is how closely the teams are bunched. Apart from West Indies and Australia, all teams had batting averages between 28 and 34, and run rates between 4.84 and 5.61. (The highest run-rate, ironically, belonged to South Africa.)Among the bowling sides, Sri Lanka struggled the most, with only 18 wickets in three games. Muttiah Muralitharan had one of his worst tournaments, taking one wicket at an average of 106 and an economy rate of 5.88, and that hit the team badly. West Indies were awful with the bat but did themselves no dishonour with the ball, with an average that was better than two other teams. Three of their bowlers – Nikita Miller, Gavin Tonge and Darren Sammy finished with sub-four economy rates.

The batting PowerplaysOne of the aspects of team strategies that was analysed closely throughout the tournament – and which will undoubtedly be scrutinised further over the coming weeks – was the use of batting Powerplays. Experts went hoarse trying to urge teams to take them relatively early, when a strong partnership was in progress, but most times teams preferred to wait till they were closer to the final overs.In the 15 matches, the batting Powerplay was taken 26 times (three times it wasn’t taken by the team chasing – England against Sri Lanka, and Pakistan and India against West Indies – while India didn’t get to bat at all against Australia). Of these 26, on nine occasions the batting team took it after 44 or 45 overs. Only three times did teams take it before the 30th, and on two of those instances the batting team was forced into taking it – West Indies collapsed so quickly against Pakistan and India that they had no option but to take them. The only other instance was by New Zealand against England, when they smartly opted for it in the 11th over to take advantage of a blazing start after Andrew Strauss had declined to take the fielding Powerplay. That was the only instance of the batting Powerplay being taken before the fielding one.

Overall, the Powerplays yielded an average of 7.71 runs per over, and slightly less than 21 runs per wicket.

Among the eight teams, Australia used the batting Powerplays the best, averaging more than ten per over and losing only two wickets during this period. They scored 69 in those five overs against West Indies, the most by any team. (The only other side to get more than 60 was New Zealand, who blasted 61 against Sri Lanka.) Fittingly, Australia ended their semi-final and final with a flurry of big hits in the batting Powerplays, scoring 28 from 11 balls against England and 12 from two against New Zealand.New Zealand and Sri Lanka didn’t do badly either, but Pakistan were disappointing, averaging only slightly more than seven per over and losing nine wickets during this period. India only used the Powerplays once, losing four for 16 against Pakistan.Australia were also excellent with the ball when their opponents took the batting Powerplay – they took nine wickets during this period, the joint-highest with South Africa, and conceded only 6.40 runs per over. New Zealand, on the other hand, struggled to take wickets, managing only one in 105 deliveries they bowled, for a bowling average of 137. Sri Lanka conceded nearly ten per over, while West Indies leaked 69 against Australia on the only occasion they were forced to bowl during the batting Powerplay.

Pace and spinThe nature of pitches can be further gauged from the fact that both fast bowlers and spinners did reasonably well. Spinners were slightly more economical, while fast bowlers had a slightly better average.

Former England youth team roommates Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala have been unveiled as the cover stars of EA FC 26.

• Bayern and Real stars to grace cover
• Ibrahimovic confirmed as Icon Edition cover star
• EA FC 26 out later this year

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Musiala and Bellingham, who roomed together in the England youth ranks before Musiala switched allegiance to Germany, have been unveiled as the joint-cover stars of EA FC 26 ahead of the release of the game later this year. While the release date has not yet been confirmed, the cover athletes now have; Zlatan Ibrahimovic graces the Icon edition. The inclusion of Musiala means that Bayern Munich have returned to EA's licencing stable, having previously been on the books with Konami and eFootball.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As a result of Bayern's return, fans will once again be able to play matches in the iconic Allianz Arena. The image released shows Bellingham and Musiala emerging from a tunnel, flanked by cheering fans on both sides, although the Bayern star is currently out with a broken leg sustained in the Club World Cup, and faces a lengthy lay-off. Nevertheless, he has explained his delight at being trusted to front one of the most successful video games on the market.

• WHAT MUSIALA SAID

  Musiala told The Athletic: “Growing up, I’d see my idols on the cover. It seemed impossible to think that one day I’d be in their position.

  “I’d play the game with my friends, my dad and my sister. These players — Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo — were untouchable in my eyes. I’d watch their skills, then go out to the garden or the park, dribbling through cones, seeing what I could learn from them. So this is a big moment for me, a dream come true.”

  Bellingham added to : “From those early days playing together, to now being on the biggest stage, it’s been an incredible journey. Being on the FC cover last year was a massive achievement, and to be alongside Jamal this year — that’s something I’ll never take for granted.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Julien Lanfrey, athlete marketing director at EA SPORTS, has wished Musiala well in his recovery from injury, with the Bayern star expected to be out for at least a few months. “Jamal is an incredibly talented player and has a huge future ahead of him, which is just one of the many reasons he was chosen to feature on our cover,” Lanfrey told . “We’re excited to see him back on the pitch as soon as possible and wish him a full and speedy recovery.”

Everything you need to know about the gifted, 17-year-old forward who recently signed his first professional contract in the French capital

Whether or not Paris Saint-Germain finally realise their Champions League dream in Munich at the end of the month, it's already clear that coach Luis Enrique is in possession of a squad stacked with talent – particularly in attack.

Indeed, it's hard to think of another team blessed with so many wonderful wingers. With his rolled-down socks and devastating dribbling skills, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a glorious throwback to a bygone age, Ballon d'Or contender Ousmane Dembele is finally realising his full potential at Parc des Princes after his abysmal spell with Barcelona, while Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue have shown this season why they've long been regarded as potential superstars within French footballing circles.

It, thus, feels borderline unfair that PSG have another incredibly exciting prospect on their hands in Ibrahim Mbaye, a record-breaking teenager so gifted that he actually has a real shot of becoming a regular in Luis Enrique's stellar starting line-up in the next couple of seasons…

• Where it began

  Mbaye was born in the Parisian suburb of Trappes – coincidentally, the hometown of former PSG striker Nicolas Anelka – and, as a kid, he was more interested in basketball than football. However, his father got him interested in 'The Beautiful Game' with YouTube videos and Mbaye started playing organised football at the age of five, with Guyancourt, before later joining FC Versailles.

  It wasn't long, though, before PSG took notice of Mbaye's obvious potential and they snapped him up when he was still only 10. From there he progressed rapidly through the PSG youth sector and broke into the Under-19s squad at just 16 before going on to help them win last season's Championnat National with a goal in the play-off semi-final victory over Marseille and an assist in the tournament-decider against Auxerre.

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  The big break

  Unsurprisingly, Luis Enrique took notice of PSG's child prodigy and included Mbaye in his pre-season squad. The youngster immediately made his mark, scoring the opener in the 2-2 draw with Sturm Graz on August 7.

  Mbaye impressed again against RB Leipzig three days later, so much so, in fact, that Luis Enrique picked him to play in PSG's Ligue 1 opener against Le Havre.

  "I'm entering into the history of the club," Mbaye told his team's media channel after becoming the youngest player ever to start a competitive game for PSG, at 16 years and 205 days old. "It's incredible. You have to work hard to get to this level. It's certainly a change to what I'm used to. There's a huge intensity, it's really something else."

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  How it's going

  In total, Mbaye featured in five of PSG's first eight Ligue 1 fixtures, before shining for the U19s in the latter stages of their UEFA Youth League campaign. He was then brought back into the senior squad set-up in March and scored his first goal in the professional ranks during the 6-1 rout of Saint-Etienne at the end of the month.

  "I'm very happy," he said after becoming PSG's third-youngest goal-scorer, behind only Warren Zaire-Emery and Bartholomew Ogbeche. "I hope it continues for a long time and that I score more in other matches. It's a reward for all the hard work I've put in so far, and I'm going to keep on working and hope to score even more goals."

  Mbaye has also played all 90 minutes of the PSG's last two league games, against Strasbourg and Montpellier, meaning it's highly likely that he'll be on the bench for the Champions League final against Inter on May 31.

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• Biggest strengths

  Mbaye is a thrillingly direct winger who is always looking to take on players and beat them with his quick feet and blistering turn of pace. He's also extremely versatile; although he prefers playing on the left wing, as it allows him to cut inside onto his favoured right foot, he's actually spent a lot of time playing on the opposite flank.

  At Parc des Princes, there's also a feeling that Mbaye might develop into a very mobile centre-forward, in much the same way Dembele has over the past year or so. Luis Enrique has not yet commented on the teenager's best role, but he has been fulsome in his praise of not only Mbaye's game – but also his attitude.

  "He plays with very good rhythm with and without the ball, has a lot of qualities and is very intelligent," the former Barcelona boss told reporters. "I love it when he trains with us and he's always ready to help us."

Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena's future hangs in the balance as the club's ongoing registration issues create a logjam in the transfer market.

Pena's future is uncertain due to a transfer logjamHis departure depends on SzczesnyPena may be forced to wait until the end of the transfer windowFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Pena is in a state of uncertainty as he awaits a decision on his future ahead of the transfer deadline. According to a report from Football Espana, the Spaniard's potential departure is contingent on the club's ability to officially register Wojciech Szczesny as a La Liga player, with missing paperwork causing a final blockage. The situation is complicated by the recent arrival of Joan Garcia as the new first-choice goalkeeper.

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Pena's desire to leave Barcelona stems from his demotion in the pecking order. He was dropped by Hansi Flick in favour of Szczesny earlier in 2025, and the subsequent signing of Joan Garcia has further reduced his chances of playing time. While Marc-Andre ter Stegen has resolved his issue with the club over releasing his medical reports, which allowed Garcia to be registered, he remains ahead of Pena in the long-term plans once he returns from injury. Pena has received two offers from Turkish clubs, and Italian side Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas, have also shown interest. However, delays from Barcelona have reportedly led Como to consider other options.

DID YOU KNOW?

Pena had a brief loan spell at Galatasaray in 2022, where he famously impressed in a Europa League last-16 tie against his parent club, Barcelona.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR INAKI PENA?

Pena's immediate future hinges on the finalising of Szczesny's registration. If the Polish goalkeeper is registered, Pena will likely be granted permission to leave before the transfer window closes on September 1. He may need to wait until the final days to secure a move away from the club. Until then, he will remain with the squad and could feature on the bench, as he did in Barcelona's opening-day victory at Mallorca.

Robert Lewandowski has explained why he never ended up at Manchester United despite saying “yes” to a Premier League transfer.

• Move to Old Trafford mooted in 2012
• Pole wanted to work with Ferguson
• No regrets at never playing in England

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Blackburn Rovers famously missed out on the Polish striker’s signature due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud that grounded flights in 2010. It has now been revealed that Lewandowski came close to heading for England again two years after that.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In 2012, after enjoying the first 30-goal season of his career at Borussia Dortmund, Lewandowski registered on Sir Alex Ferguson’s recruitment radar at Old Trafford. A verbal agreement was reached, but no deal was ever done.

• WHAT LEWANDOWSKI SAID

  Lewandowski told of a saga that could have altered history for himself and the Red Devils: “To Manchester United I decided and said yes. I wanted to join Manchester United, to see Alex Ferguson.

  “They [Dortmund] could not sell me. Because they knew if I stayed they could earn more money, and that I could wait maybe one or two more years. But it is true that I said yes to Manchester United.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Lewandowski spent another two seasons with BVB before joining Bayern Munich. He would go on to register 344 goals for them across eight years that delivered Bundesliga and Champions League titles.

  The 36-year-old is now at Barcelona, where he remains a prolific presence, and said of never getting the chance to test himself in the Premier League: “Maybe it could be a regret [not playing in England].

  “But when I am looking back [having] played for Bayern Munich, Dortmund and now Barcelona I have to say I am very happy with my career. I don't have this kind of feeling that I missed something, because every move or decision… I made because I wanted it.”

The former USMNT and MLS defender called out fellow retired national team players for harsh criticism of current squad

Balboa says some former players crossed the lineColorado Rapids legend blames social media cultureSees difference between criticism and attention-seekingGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED

Former USMNT defender Marcel Balboa acknowledged that – while criticism is inevitable – several ex-players "cross the line" with their vitriol over the current men's national team. He suggested those critics ultimately want American soccer to grow and the national team to succeed, and thus questioned the upside of harsh comments.

“We cross the line because of social media, we cross the line because we want clicks and likes and we want people to banter back and forth,” Balboa said on CBS Sports Golazo America. “I will always be a U.S national team supporter… Tell me what good it does as a dude beating up Christian Pulisic every day or Tyler Adams or Weston McKennie? It makes no sense, man, it makes no sense to me. But I get it, that's part of our business. This is something we've always wanted. We wanted this kind of pressure as athletes. 

"We've never had it in soccer and now we have it. So, I understand it. But I think there's a fine line of being negative and being an idiot and then being, you know, critical on certain people. But listen, win or lose, I've got I've got their back and I always will… Negativity is easy, but positive comments are always very difficult to come across. So I'd rather stay to the positive side, and back Christian Pulisic and those guys knowing how they think. Because we all played on the national team."

AdvertisementWHAT BALBOA SAID

The Colorado Rapids legend said, despite some struggles over the past two  years, that he's optimistic about the USMNT ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

“I think we labelled it too quick and too early as media, myself included, that we said this is a golden generation,” Balboa said. “That's a lot of pressure on a team that has these kind of players. But you know what, congratulations, that you’re an athlete, you're representing your country and we're going to put you on the stage and we're going to call you, because no one's ever played at AC Milan, or at Juventus, or in England, like they're doing.

“So, you know what? I think this group is very talented. I think this group is probably – I wouldn't say the best team we've ever had, but I would say this is one of the top ones we've had… they know what they've already lived their first World Cup, just like we did in '90. So again, for me it's, you know, what ‘Do your thing man.' I mean, listen, all the, all the negative stuff all he does is fuel to fire.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

With the USMNT facing unprecedented expectations ahead of the 2026 World Cup on home soil, the discourse surrounding the team has intensified. The squad lost four straight matches before reeling off five straight wins to reach the Gold Cup final. 

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Getty ImagesWHAT’S NEXT?

Following their Gold Cup final loss to Mexico, the USMNT will regroup for the September international break where they’ll face South Korea and Japan.

Both series will also include three ODIs and three T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2024

Afghanistan will be topping up their Test-match experience in double quick time by facing Sri Lanka and Ireland in February 2024.With most of the focus on the two limited-overs formats, Afghanistan ended up playing just one Test match over a better part of the last three years. Now, however, they’ve found space in the calendar and have announced two separate all-format series taking place between February 2 and March 18.The busy period begins with their first-ever Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, which will then be followed by three ODIs and three T20Is. Seven days after the end of their tour of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will be in the UAE hosting Ireland for a one-off Test match between February 28 and March 3. This series also includes a limited-overs leg as Afghanistan build towards the next T20 World Cup due to take place in the West Indies and the USA in June.Afghanistan’s tour of Sri Lanka was always going to feature a Test match and three T20Is. “The addition of these three ODIs,” ACB chief Mirwais Ashraf said, “is a significant move to ensure a complete and comprehensive tour which not only provides good exposure to Afghanistan Cricket but will also foster stronger relations between the two nations. Playing Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is always tricky but is a challenge that Afghan Atalan can easily embrace.”Prior to all this, Afghanistan will play their first-ever bilateral series against India this month and their chief executive Naseeb Khan was hopeful that all these games would set the team up for the challenges ahead. “The upcoming tours of India, Sri Lanka, and then the home series against Ireland will help us to prepare the team for the much-important T20 World Cup. Eagerly looking for the multiple series upfront.”Along with announcing schedules for these tours, the ACB also modified the sanctions that they placed on Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi for wanting to forego their national contracts. All three players were initially barred from playing in any T20 leagues for the next two years but now the board has had a change of heart.Afghanistan tour of Sri LankaFebruary 2-6, 2024 One-Off Test, Colombo
February 9, 2024, 1st ODI, Colombo
February 11, 2024, 2nd ODI, Colombo
February 14, 2024, 3rd ODI, Colombo
February 17, 2024, 1st T20I, Dambulla
February 19, 2024, 2nd T20I, Dambulla
February 21, 2024, 3rd T20I, DambullaAfghanistan vs Ireland in the UAEFebruary 28-March 3, 2024 One-Off Test, Abu Dhabi
March 7, 2024, 1st ODI, Sharjah
March 9, 2024, 2nd ODI, Sharjah
March 12, 2024, 3rd ODI, Sharjah
March 15, 2024, 1st T20I, Sharjah
March 17, 2024 2nd T20I, Sharjah
March 18, 2024, 3rd T20I Sharjah