Only Everton Weekes and Herbert Sutcliffe have scored 1000 Test runs in fewer innings
Sampath Bandarupalli27-Sep-20242 – Players to complete 1000 Test runs quicker than Kamindu Mendis, who got there in 13 innings. Both Everton Weekes and Herbert Sutcliffe needed 12 Test innings to reach 1000 runs, while Don Bradman got there in 13 innings.The Sri Lankan record was previously held by Roy Dias, Michael Vandort and Dhananjaya de Silva, all in 23 innings.1 – Kamindu became the first player with a fifty-plus score in each of his first eight Test matches. The previous longest streak of fifty-plus scores in consecutive Tests from debut was seven by Saud Shakeel.2 – Sri Lankans with fifty-plus scores in eight or more consecutive Test matches. Kumar Sangakkara is the other, with fifty-plus scores in nine successive Tests in 2014.13 – Innings needed for Kamindu to score his fifth hundred in Test cricket. Only three batters needed fewer innings – Weekes (ten), Sutcliffe (12) and Neil Harvey (12). Bradman and George Headley also scored their fifth in 13 innings.The Sri Lanka record – in 38 innings – was previously held by Aravinda de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal. The most number of hundreds any Sri Lankan had in their first 13 Test innings before Kamindu was three by Vandort.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 – Test hundreds for Kamindu, all while batting at No. 5 or lower, and all in 2024. Only two other batters have scored five or more centuries while batting at No. 5 or lower in a calendar year in Tests – six by Jonny Bairstow in 2022 and five by Michael Clarke in 2012.3 – Number of Sri Lanka batters with five or more Test hundreds in a calendar year before Kamindu. Tillakaratne Dilshan was the last one, with six in 2009. Aravinda had seven centuries in 1997, while Mahela Jayawardene also had five in 2009.91.27 – Kamindu’s batting average in Test cricket is the second-highest among players with 1000-plus runs, behind only Bradman’s 99.94.His average is also fourth-highest after 13 Test innings, behind Harvey (106.56), Bradman (99.67) and Sunil Gavaskar (91.80).6 – Number of century partnerships involving Kamindu in 2024 for the sixth (or lower) wicket. Only one batter was part of more century stands for the sixth (or lower) wicket in a calendar year in Tests – seven by Bairstow in 2016.
After Knight set up the game for England with a century, Smith closed it out with her clever left-arm spin
Valkerie Baynes19-Oct-20253:32
Knight: ‘Managed to steal the win at the back-end’
Heather Knight oozed calm, understated satisfaction as she celebrated a century which put England on course for victory against India and a place in the World Cup semi-finals.Her demeanour couldn’t have contrasted more with the nauseous pallor and jittery knees of her squad-mates on the bench or the frantic chewing of lips and biting of fingernails going on in the India dugout as Linsey Smith defended 13 runs off the final over to deliver England a four-run win in Indore on Sunday.As one of only two recognised England batters not in the spotlight for a lack of runs, Knight stole the show early by sweeping and reverse sweeping, powering and running her way to a 91-ball 109, pushing England to a total of 288 for 8 and asking India to pull of their highest successful run chase in women’s ODIs.Related
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That they couldn’t seemed inexplicable, even after Smith claimed the crucial wicket of Smriti Mandhana, who shared a third-wicket stand worth 125 off 122 balls with Harmanpreet Kaur and put on 67 off 66 with Deepti Sharma for the fourth.All three India batters reached fifty but when Deepti fell to Sophie Ecclestone with 27 needed off 19 balls, Nat Sciver-Brunt, the England captain, turned back to Smith.She conceded just four runs off the next over as Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana set about reeling in the target. Lauren Bell went for nine off the next over and then Smith, the most economical bowler for the match, took the ball for the last.Rana and Amanjot traded singles off the first three balls and then Knight threw her weary body in the way of a cracking shot to cover by Amanjot to leave India needing sixes off each of the last two to win. They could only manage two and four as Smith held her nerve.Sciver-Brunt said Smith was always going to bowl the last over, and Smith relished the chance.”I knew I had one left and I thought, ‘I’ve done alright,'” Smith said. “Earlier in the game she took me off and I was like, ‘can I just have one more? I think I can get Harman out.’Heather Knight’s century paved the way for England’s win•ICC/Getty Images”But my role’s been made pretty clear, a lot of powerplay, a lot of death and I’m just glad it came off today. For me it was not trying to over-complicate too much. I’m pretty happy with how I went tonight, especially coming over. I’ve been practising that death plan all week, just trying to really bowl a tight line into their heels and just try to block off that off side.”Sciver-Brunt was also delighted with Knight’s contribution. Given the year she has had, Knight was too.”I’ve had pretty rubbish year, I’m not going to lie, before this World Cup,” Knight said. “So I was really keen to try and make the most of it and try and enjoy just being here.”It was pretty tight to make it here so I’ve made a real conscious effort to try and enjoy the trip and try and enjoy what I do and try and get the best out of myself in my batting through that enjoyment and just being happy to be here.”Sometimes you take it for granted when you’re on the treadmill of international cricket and when you do get injured you have that bit of time to reflect and realise how fun it is and the opportunities that you do get. I’m really keen to try and make the most of the opportunities during this World Cup and contribute as much as I can.”Linsey Smith bowled a nerveless last over•ICC/Getty ImagesKnight’s 91-ball 109 was her third ODI century and came in her 300th international match across formats but her first since she lost the captaincy to Sciver-Brunt in the wake of a winless Ashes tour to Australia in January and was touch-and-go to make the World Cup squad after tearing her hamstring tendon from the bone while batting in the home series against West Indies in May.”That was a pretty awful day to be honest, I felt my hamstring rip off, that was not that fun,” Knight said. “So to be here now and to be over that injury and to be contributing to the team being successful and in the semi-finals now at the World Cup is a cool place to be.”Her 113-run stand for the third wicket with Sciver-Brunt, England’s other in-form batter, was pivotal, while Amy Jones arrested a lean run since scoring 40 not out in the meagre run chase against South Africa at the start of the tournament, with 56.That included an opening partnership worth 73 with Tammy Beaumont, who continued to struggle along with a misfiring middle order. Between them Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey have scored just 111 runs from four innings – none were required to bat against South Africa – and all have failed to pass 20 in a single knock.3:15
Review: How did India lose this game?
Sciver-Brunt, with her century against Sri Lanka, and Knight’s blushes-saving 79 not out against Bangladesh already put them ahead of their team-mates going into this match. With Australia looming next, it is incumbent on their team-mates to back them up.Knight’s running between the wickets at Holkar Stadium on Sunday belied her previous injury although it was coming back for a second run while chancing the dangerous arm of Amanjot that proved her downfall. Amanjot fired the ball in from deep midwicket and Richa Ghosh collected it on the bounce with plenty of time to remove the bails.The Indian team’s celebrations were far more animated than Knight had been moments earlier upon reaching her ton, illustrating the importance of the wicket and whipping the home crowd into a frenzy.It reached a crescendo when Dunkley holed out to Deepti at mid-off from the bowling of Shree Charani as Knight’s departure sparked a collapse of 5 for 39 in 5.1 overs and, not for the first time at this tournament, Charlie Dean added valuable runs from No. 8 with an unbeaten 19 of 13 balls.Deepti ended with her best World Cup figures of 4 for 51 but, even though she had only had 1 for 40 from 10 overs to show for it, Smith’s feats trumped Deepti’s when it mattered.
There is a lot to be delighted about for Arsenal fans at the moment.
In the Champions League, they have won all four of their games; in the League Cup, they’re through to the quarter-finals, and in the Premier League, they’re top of the table.
Moreover, they’re defensively out of this world, unstoppable at set-pieces and have once again introduced another world-class prospect to the squad in Max Dowman.
The 15-year-old looks destined for greatness, and now Hale End appears to be brewing another supreme talent for Arsenal, who could be Bukayo Saka 2.0.
Dowman's rapid rise
There is no getting away from the fact that, for Arsenal, this season is primarily about finally getting over the line in the Premier League.
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However, one of the secondary stories has been that of Dowman’s rapid rise from 15-year-old academy gem to semi-regular first-teamer.
The Chelmsford-born gem was first introduced to the fans during pre-season, where his eye-catching performances led respected analyst Ben Mattinson to claim he was “humiliating Premier League players.”
The youngster was then given his first taste of competitive football against Leeds United, where he once again ran senior defenders ragged and won his side a penalty.
The next step was his first start in the League Cup against Brighton, a game in which he completed the most dribbles of anyone on the pitch and officially became the youngest player to start for Arsenal.
Then this week, he broke another record, becoming the youngest player to ever make an appearance in the Champions League, coming on in the 72nd minute and once again looking right at home.
After the match, Arteta was full of praise for the youngster, saying: “What he’s done on the pitch – he comes in, the first ball he takes is he takes people on, he starts to dribble and gets a foul. That’s personality, that’s courage – and you cannot teach that.”
It wasn’t just the Gunners’ boss who was impressed, though, as Slavia Prague’s David Zima went so far as to call him “a miracle player.”
In all, Dowman appears to be on track to reach the very top with Arsenal, and now there is another young talent making waves in the academy who could be the next Saka.
Arsenal's new Saka
There are more than a handful of exciting talents coming through Hale End at the moment, with Brando Bailey-Joseph being one of them.
The 17-year-old only signed scholarship terms with the club a few months ago, but due to his impressive performances, he put pen to paper on a professional deal last month.
There is a chance he could be a future Saka-esque player for the club, as, like the talismanic number seven, he has shown an ability to play on both sides of the attack.
In fact, like the Hale End icon, he has also played deeper, on both the right and left of the midfield.
Moreover, while he’s not as prolific as Dowman, he’s shown an ability to score and assist goals.
Bailey-Joseph’s 25/26
Appearances
13
Minutes
901′
Goals
4
Assists
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.61
Minutes per Goal Involvement
112.62′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For example, in 13 appearances this season, totalling 901 minutes, he has put the ball in the back of the net four times and provided four assists for good measure.
In other words, the “explosive” attacker, as dubbed by Hale End expert Will Balsam, is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.62 games, or every 112.62 minutes, which is seriously impressive for a winger.
Moreover, what makes him such a “menace” for opposition defenders is, per Balsam, his “quickness & sharp cuts” with the ball at his feet.
Finally, according to Mattinson, what makes the youngster such an exciting prospect is his “good ball manipulation” and the fact that he “releases shots quickly in and around the box.”
Ultimately, he has a long way to go to become the next Saka, but as things stand, Bailey-Joseph appears to have all the raw materials necessary to succeed.
Forget Merino: Arsenal star who's "like Wilshere" can fix Gyokeres blow
The incredible talent could be the perfect solution to Arsenal’s Gyokeres problem.
While the defeat to Aston Villa has taken the wind out of their sails somewhat, Arsenal are still having an excellent season.
Mikel Arteta’s side are top of the Champions League table, having won five of five, and still sit two points clear atop the Premier League table.
However, while most of the team are playing at the level expected, a few stars aren’t quite where the manager would want them to be.
This latter camp includes one of Arteta’s most significant signings, who, if he doesn’t start improving, could become Arsenal’s new Nicolas Pepe.
What went wrong for Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal
In the summer of 2019, after Unai Emery’s first season in the dugout, Arsenal decided to go big in the transfer market, spending what was then a club record fee of around £72m to sign Pepe.
While the figure did raise a few eyebrows at the time, it wasn’t considered too outlandish as, in 41 appearances in the 17/18 season, the winger racked up a sensational haul of 23 goals and 12 assists.
Unfortunately, the Emirates faithful would never see the talented international reach that level during his time in North London.
In his first campaign in England, the former LOSC Lille star managed a reasonable, if a little underwhelming tally of eight goals and ten assists in 42 appearances.
However, as it was his first season in a new league, and he produced a goal involvement in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the FA Cup, fans gave him some leeway.
Unfortunately, he also failed to hit the heady height of his Lille numbers the following season, ending it with a tally of 16 goals and five assists in 47 games, with ten of those goal involvements coming in the Europa League.
The 21/22 campaign would prove to be his last in red and white as Bukayo Saka was now well and truly Arteta’s first-choice right winger.
The 30-year-old spent the next two years on loan, first with Nice in France, and then with Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.
Arsenal finally agreed to terminate Pepe’s contract in the summer of 2024, and the player who was supposed to be the club’s superstar attacker left with a middling tally of 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances.
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Since then, the Gunners have been a bit better at spending money, but there is one of Arteta’s signings who could end up following the Ivorian’s path, lest he improve, and quickly.
Arsenal's new Nicolas Pepe
Now, it’s still early in the season, so making any concrete predictions about Arsenal’s summer signings would be unwise.
However, as things stand, the attacker who has somewhat underwhelmed since his big-money move, and could go down a similar route to Pepe, is Viktor Gyokeres.
Like the Ivorian, the Swedish international joined the Gunners for a fairly sizable fee off the back of a truly sensational season in a weaker league.
For example, the “absolute steam train,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored 54 goals and provided 13 assists in just 52 appearances.
Moreover, while nobody expected him to recreate those numbers in England, fans would have expected more than what he has delivered thus far.
For example, even though he hasn’t been a total flop like some other striker signings this season, the 27-year-old’s return of just six goals in 17 appearances is underwhelming.
Furthermore, all four of his Premier League goals have come against relegation candidates, and in games against the big sides earlier in the season, he looked somewhat out of his depth. As Gary Neville said earlier this term, he’s a bit of a “misfit.”
Gyokeres’ recent form
Season
24/25
25/26
Appearances
52
17
Minutes
4248′
1130′
Goals
54
6
Assists
13
0
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Finally, with Mikel Merino contributing up top, Gabriel Jesus back in matchday squads and reports that Kai Havertz is set to come right back in as Arteta’s first choice before Christmas, it’s not difficult to see a world in which the Stockholm-born powerhouse becomes a rotation option.
That was evident against Aston Villa. Arteta relied on the Swede to make a difference, bring him on at half-time for Merino. Yet, in his 45 minutes on the field, the centre-forward only had 11 touches of the ball and completed just four passes. He didn’t even have a single shot.
With all that said, there is still plenty of time for the former Coventry City star to come good, especially if he starts the next two games against Club Brugge and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Ultimately, the next six months will be vital in determining whether Gyokeres becomes Arsenal’s next superstar striker or their next Nicolas Pepe.
Their new Ozil: Arsenal ramp up move to sign £88m "generational talent"
The incredible talent could be a real game-changer for Arsenal and become Arteta’s own Mesut Ozil.
With a 52-run lead and nine wickets in hand, the hosts ended day two at an enviable position
Mohammad Isam12-Nov-2025
Mahmudul Hasan Joy celebrates his hundred•BCB
Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s career-best 169* headlined Bangladesh’s dominance on the second day of the Sylhet Test. The home side went to stumps on 338 for 1, leading Ireland by 52 runs after the visitors were bowled out for 286 on the second morning.Mahmudul’s dominant display made Ireland bowlers look increasingly clueless as the day went on. Mahmudul shared a 168-run opening stand with Shadman Islam, who made 80 off 104 balls with nine fours and a six.Mahmudul followed it up with 170 runs for the unbroken second-wicket stand with Mominul Haque. Mominul was unbeaten on 80 runs, having struck five fours and two sixes in his 124-ball stay.Related
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But it was Mahmudul’s strokeplay that particularly caught the eye. He drove with glee, and scored most of his boundaries through the offside. He also struck a few fours and four sixes down the ground, lofting the ball either over the bowler’s head or over midwicket.His opening partner Shadman also batted with the same energy, nurdling the ball around while also finding boundaries, mainly through covers and midwicket. Shadman’s only six was struck down the ground, over mid-off. Shadman’s strike rotation seemed particularly beneficial for Mahmudul, who was returning to the Test side after having been dropped.Shadman Islam and Mahmudul Hasan Joy put on a big stand•BCB
After reaching his century, Mahmudul looked more comfortable, and he went after Campher and part-timer Tector with consecutive fours and sixes. He finished the day with 14 fours and four sixes.The second day began with Ireland losing their two remaining wickets in the first 13 minutes. Ireland’s 286 was built around fifties from Paul Stirling and debutant Cade Carmichael along with forties from Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker.Ireland batters couldn’t quite kick on from good starts, as the Bangladesh bowlers kept their accuracy on a good batting track. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took three wickets while Hasan Murad, Hasan Mahmud, and Taijul Islam picked up two wickets each. But Bangladesh’s fielding let them down, as they dropped five catches on the first day.
Any supporters of Glasgow Rangers and Scotland will have enjoyed their Tuesday night after former Gers academy prospect Kenny McLean scored in a 4-2 win over Denmark to qualify for the World Cup.
Whilst McLean scored from the half-way line, Scott McTominay stole the headlines with an outstanding overhead kick early on in the match, which put Scotland 1-0 up.
The attacking midfielder has now scored 14 goals for Scotland, with this strike against Denmark arguably the best of the lot, and his rise to prominence for his country is a story that the Gers could learn from.
What Rangers can learn from Scott McTominay's Scotland heroics
Per Transfermarkt, McTominay started more games as a defensive midfielder (134) than in any other position during his time with Manchester United, and scored 29 goals in 255 matches.
The Premier League giants sold him to Napoli for a fee of £25.7m in the summer of 2024, and a change in his role by the Italian side unearthed his true potential, as the majority of his starts with the Serie A champions, per Transfermarkt, have been as a central or attacking midfielder.
McTominay has not started a single game as a defensive midfielder for Napoli, per Transfermarkt, and has scored 17 goals in 50 matches for the club as a result of their decision to unleash him further up the pitch.
Rangers can learn from his rise to stardom in Naples because it is proof that a player can sometimes be hampered by the position they are playing in, and that may be the case for Mohamed Diomande.
Why Rangers need to change Mohamed Diomande's position
Football FanCast recently published an article suggesting that January may be the right time to cash in on the Ivorian midfielder, because of his regression on the pitch this season.
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McTominay’s resurgence for club and country, though, could play a role in changing that opinion, as Diomande could revive his Ibrox career by being unleashed further up the pitch.
Former Rangers boss Philippe Clement, who recently landed a new job with Norwich, criticised the midfielder and Cyriel Dessers because they were “not brave enough” in November last year, but that tough love led to Diomande ending the season with six goals and nine assists, per Transfermarkt.
Mo Diomande’s positional change at Rangers
Position
Starts in 24/25
Starts in 25/26
All positions
48
14
Central midfield
19 (40%)
7 (50%)
Attacking midfield
16 (33%)
1 (7%)
Defensive midfield
13 (27%)
6 (43%)
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old star has been asked to play in far more defensive positions than when he excelled last season under Clement and Barry Ferguson.
Diomande has no goals and no assists in 18 games, per Transfermarkt, after his 15 goal contributions in the 2024/25 campaign, which clearly shows that the change in his position has had a negative impact on his performances.
The left-footed star, who showed off his attacking quality at Parkhead in March, is capable of far more than he has shown this season, as evidenced by his form last season.
That is why Danny Rohl should look to unleash Diomande further up the pitch, in an attacking midfield role, because his attacking instincts could see him revive his Ibrox career in the same way that McTominay’s positional change sparked his career for club and country into life.
One of the SPFL's 'most influential players' now can't get a game at Rangers
Rangers have a star who was one of the most influential players in the league last season, now he can’t get a game.
It’s been a turbulent six months for Ademola Lookman, who didn’t get his summer move and has now been told to never speak to Ivan Juric again after a touchline spat with the Atalanta manager.
The Nigerian reportedly handed in a formal transfer request in the summer, but saw his exit blocked by Atalanta. Taking to social media to reveal the news, Lookman said: “I feel I have no choice but to speak out for what I believe is right and I feel that enough is enough. I can confirm I have now handed in a formal transfer request.”
That move never arrived, however, and the former Everton player was forced to stay put at Atalanta as the summer transfer window came to a close. Since then, Atalanta have struggled to get going in Serie A – falling to as low as 11th.
Lookman, himself, has also struggled to find form and has scored just once in nine appearances across the Champions League and Serie A. Compared to last season’s 20-goal total, it’s fair to say that his standards have dropped.
It’s worth noting, though, that his current form has not been enough to dissuade Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites have reportedly made Lookman their top target in 2026 as they look to sign the 28-year-old who is desperate to leave Atalanta.
This time around, the Italians may have no choice but to let the Nigeria international leave after his public spat with manager Juric. The former Southampton manager took hold of Lookman after he decided to substitute the winger in a 1-0 win over Marseille in the Champions League, before the pair exchanged heated words.
Fans flocked to social media in the aftermath to request a transfer on the winger’s behalf.
Lookman told to never speak to Juric again after touchline spat
Several pundits have had their say on the incident since the full-time whistle was blown in Italy, including former Premier League forward Troy Deeney.
The former Watford star went as far as to suggest that Lookman should never speak to Juric again, saying: “When you physically put your hands on somebody, at that point me and you are not going to have a conversation again. There’s nothing you can say today, tomorrow, next week, that makes me forget you did that to me in front of everyone.”
The one benefactor to the argument may well be Spurs. If those in North London were watching, then they’ll be well aware that things have reached boiling point in Italy – allowing them to take full advantage.
Ever since being denied a move in the summer, both Lookman and Atalanta have struggled to find top form. It begs the question as to whether they made the right decision to block the exit of an unhappy player.
USMNT star Haji Wright has been advised to shun any interest shown in him during the January transfer window, with Coventry looking for him to “be the man” that fires them back into the Premier League. Ex-Sky Blues striker Clinton Morrison has explained, during an exclusive interview with GOAL, why Wright is on course to hit his top-flight target in England.
Wright's record: Goals scored for Coventry
Los Angeles native Wright joined Coventry in the summer of 2023 for a club-record £7.7 million ($10m) fee. They would be able to get much more than that for the 27-year-old frontman were they to open themselves up to a sale.
That is because the versatile forward has netted 40 goals for the Sky Blues through 97 appearances. Said return is made all the more impressive when taking into account that he was regularly deployed on the left wing by former manager Mark Robins.
Wright has been moved down the middle by current club boss Frank Lampard, leading to him sitting third in the 2025-26 Championship Golden Boot race. His eye for goal, alongside notable physical qualities, have brought him to the attention of clubs across Europe.
AdvertisementGettyBit of everything: What makes Wright special?
Ex-Coventry star Morrison admits that Wright has got a bit of everything – telling GOAL while speaking in association with Freebets.com, the home of best casino sites: “He’s good. This is what I’m saying about Frank Lampard. Mark Robins was playing Haji Wright off the left, now Frank is playing him through the middle. That is where he looks better.
“He can cause problems – he can run in behind, score all kinds of goals. He’s a big target man, wins his headers, so I think he’s a problem. He wasn’t fit last year, they did miss him for a few months and that hindered Coventry. The way that he’s playing at the moment, he’s a handful. That’s credit to Frank Lampard. I do rate Haji Wright. He wants to have a good season because it’s a World Cup year and he wants to get into that America squad.”
January transfer: Wright urged to shun interest
A home World Cup in 2026 is providing added incentive for Wright. He will be determined to form part of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans at that tournament. Regular game time will be required in order to catch the eye.
With that in mind, as Coventry top the second-tier table in England, Wright has been urged to shun any advances that may be made in January. Instead, he has been told to stay put and fire the Sky Blues back into the big time after a 25-year absence.
Morrison added on Wright being destined to grace the Premier League at some point: “I think he can get there. There will be interest but I think he will stay at Coventry City. If he is going to play in the Premier League, it will be with Coventry.
“There will be interest from other clubs due to his record in the Championship, but at the moment it is a difficult one because if you go to the Premier League, he might not get the game time he wants. If he stays with Coventry City, he has got a good chance of getting promoted. If you get that on your CV and you are the man to get them to the Premier League, you will be playing at that level next season anyway.”
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Getty Images SportPromotion push: Coventry on course to reach the Premier League
Morrison is not the first to suggest that Wright’s career path will pass through the Premier League. Another ex-Coventry forward, Matt Jansen, told GOAL recently when asked if the United States international is ready to compete at that level: “He has eight [Championship] goals this season, USA international, good player. You can never say you are going to succeed in the Premier League until you get there.
“We will get a glimpse of that in the World Cup when he is up against world-class defenders, whether he can handle that. He is certainly doing a fantastic job for Coventry at the minute. Time will tell, if they go up, whether he can produce the same in the Premier League. If I was a betting man, I would bet that he would.”
Coventry sit five points clear at the top of the Championship table through 15 games this season. They have suffered just one defeat – to the Wrexham side backed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac – and will return to action on November 22 when playing host to West Midlands rivals West Brom.
Marizanne Kapp is heading into her fifth ODI World Cup. She and Annerie Dercksen, her young successor, talk role models, work ethic, and more
Firdose Moonda01-Oct-2025Nobody wants to be reminded of one of their worst moment but perhaps Marizanne Kapp won’t mind this one:”It was the 2017 World Cup semi-final and – I don’t know if I should say this – there was a picture of Marizanne crying on the floor. I still see that vividly in my head,” Annerie Dercksen says. “That’s probably the first women’s game I’ve ever watched. And after that, I realised there’s women’s cricket in South Africa and thought maybe I could also play.”Six years later Dercksen was in the same squad as Kapp and had to pinch herself when she was at breakfast and Kapp was there in the flesh. “In an interview, I said that I could now take water to her on the field and it was just the moment of my life. I’m still like that daily,” Dercksen says.The hero worship brings out Kapp’s sterner side. “Dercky is young. She makes me tired,” she says, only half-joking, on the same call. “She is a very playful, busy person. I have to warn her and the other young ones every second night not to have their tea parties or coffee parties close to my room. They must go to the [room of the] person that’s furthest away from my room. They like to walk up and down in the corridor at night and make a noise. I’m asleep by then.”Before the casual observation that Kapp, all of 35 years old, is starting to sound like a senior citizen can be made, Dercksen says she would like to jump in and defend herself.Related
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Marizanne Kapp: 'I try to keep it simple. If I stick to what I do best, usually it works out'
South Africa makes itself heard at loudest Cape Town party
“I’m a little socially awkward,” she says. “And obviously with Kappie being my hero, I’ve got to think when I have to ask her a question. I’ve got to prepare it, play it in my head first, and then I’ve got to go up to her. In the last couple of years, it’s been getting a bit easier to speak to her.”I really like her. She wants to pretend that she’s more serious than she actually is. There’s a little playful side of her that we’re going to get out of her. She started taking part in our soccer warm-ups now, which is cool. We’ve been told off quite a bit for being too loud, but if maybe she can go to bed a bit later, we can invite her to the tea parties.”Is it really tea that’s being drunk? “Yes, I had to bring 200 Rooibos bags from South Africa because we can’t find them anywhere else,” Dercksen says.Will Kapp consider joining? Probably not, because the badass image she gives off on the field is not a persona; it’s who she really is when she’s in work mode.”I get so annoyed with people when they judge me on how I am on the field,” she says. “This is my job. I’m not going to smile and laugh when people hit me for six or four. I want to do well. I want to win. So if you are judging me because I’m not smiling on the field, just know that this is competition.Kapp copes with the disappointment of losing the 2017 World Cup semi-final to England by two wickets•ICC”I’m just very focused, even at training. If we’re playing around, or it’s not structured, I immediately get so annoyed because I feel like I need to get something out of this training session. I’m not just here to spend time at the field. There has to be a purpose for me, otherwise I’d rather just leave it. I’m just that way in life as well. If I can’t do something, I’d rather just leave it. But if I am good at something and I can do something, then I give it 200%.”The tears Dercksen saw in that World Cup semi-final eight years ago serve to illustrate. They came when South Africa, playing on television screens for the first time, pushed hosts and eventual champions England so hard that they came within two balls of winning the match.They ought to have scored more than 218 for 6 in 50 overs but defended those runs with tenacity. Their last-over defeat left them devastated. Kapp sat alone in the outfield and then used her hands and her shirt to cover her face as she walked off. Though no one expected South Africa, then a relatively unknown force in the women’s game and only newly professionalised at international level, to get that far, the team had a quiet belief about them.”That was probably one of the best teams we ever had,” Kapp says. Dercksen could say that she and Kapp played in one of the others: the outfit that reached the T20 World Cup final last year.In six ODI innings in the subcontinent, Dercksen has scored 280 runs at 56, with one hundred and two fifties, but she’s now trying to focus more on her bowling with Kapp as her mentor•Matthew Lewis/ICC/Getty ImagesThat they were favourites to win that match is testament to their growth since Dercksen first watched them; that they didn’t win asks questions of both their ability to perform under pressure and their depth. In Dercksen, Kapp sees an opportunity for the side to start to address the latter, especially as her own career enters its twilight phase.”In South Africa, years ago we never had someone coming in to fill a spot,” she says. “If someone left, you almost had to start again, and then you ended up further behind Australia, India and England. Now it’s getting easier. Experience is something you can’t buy, but it’s such a good thing that we have youngsters coming in and they take the field with some of the seniors, and it just speeds up the learning for them. When we started back then, there was none of that.”Kapp has played in eight of Dercksen’s 13 ODIs and 16 of her 24 T20Is. She was rested from South Africa’s tri-series in Sri Lanka, where Dercksen scored two fifties and her first ODI hundred in six matches (but only bowled 14.5 overs and took two wickets). As someone who came up as a bowling allrounder, Kapp’s concern has been with Dercksen’s progress in that second department, and it was the focus of their pre-World Cup training camp.”Kappie gave me a good talking to – not a telling off, she was nice to me and she told me the truth, which is that I haven’t been working really hard on my bowling and I need to try and contribute a bit more there,” Dercksen says. “My stats probably show that my bowling has been going through a bit of a rough patch lately. Kappie’s been telling me that I cannot bowl a different ball every ball, which is probably what I’m trying to do. She said to just try to keep it simple and to understand that I should train in that way and be hard on myself, which I wasn’t being.”No Kapp: she ain’t comin’ to your tea parties, kids•Alex Davidson/ICC/Getty ImagesSince Shabnim Ismail’s retirement, South Africa have lacked a certain aggression with ball in hand, and a lot of pace. Dercksen, with her natural athleticism and height, could look to fill that gap but it will take work.”She’s so talented and I don’t want to see that go to waste,” Kapp says. “So I just told her what I do when I structure my overs when I’m at training: nail your top-of-off-stump ball first, and then move towards working slower balls, yorkers and death bowling. I gave her a bit of advice on how to structure overs in her training so she’s a bit more focused.”Whether the results of that will show at this year’s World Cup remains to be seen. Dercksen is one of six seam options in a squad that includes Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nadine de Klerk and Masabata Klaas, and she is the least experienced of them. She will also be needed to do a job with the bat in a middle order that can sometimes seem brittle.Let’s not forget that she is only 24 years old, made her debut a little over a year ago, and is playing in her first ODI World Cup. Despite having received recognition – she was the ICC’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year in 2024 – Dercksen is still learning her trade. If South Africa are to go far in this tournament, it will likely be because of those who have already travelled the distance, like Kapp.The 2025 tournament will be Kapp’s fifth ODI World Cup. Her first ODI, in 2009, was also her first World Cup match, and she has since seen South Africa go from no-hopers to two-time semi-finalists.One of Kapp’s best performances in the ODI World Cup came against England in 2022: she took 5 for 45 and then scored 32 off 42 balls in a three-wicket win, but England went on to beat South Africa in the semi-final yet again•Fiona Goodall/Getty Images”I am a bit sad that I’m this age now because these kids are so blessed with where women’s cricket is at the moment,” she says. “They can just get better and better and it’s just going to get bigger and bigger. The few of us that started way back in 2009 had nothing and played for the love of the sport. It’s been hard. I’m not going to lie, it’s been tough over the years but I’m extremely blessed to still be sitting here and still playing for South Africa.”Dercksen does not take that history for granted. “We’ve got it better than they have,” she says. “The amount of work they’ve put in from when they started, and there weren’t even contracts… They stayed in places we probably would never stay now. They flew economy. So they did the hard yards for us.”As a thank you, Dercksen and many of her younger tea-party team-mates like Sinalo Jafta would like to give their seniors what they couldn’t a year ago. “At the last World Cup, I was more sad for the senior players like Kappie and Chloe [Tryon] and Aya [Khaka] than I was for myself,” Dercksen says. “They thoroughly deserve to win a World Cup. If this is Kappie’s last one, I’m hoping we can give a little bit of an extra effort to sort of make it special for them. And for the whole of South Africa.”Will it be Kapp’s last World Cup? “I don’t know. At the next one I’ll be 39, so that’s a bit far away.”Dercksen, of course, has to have the last word. “I think Kappie still has one more left in her.”