Lionel Messi was asked for a selfie by his own team-mate during Argentina's latest camp, while he swapped shirts with a rival that he nutmegged on two occasions while helping to deliver a 2-0 victory over Angola. The eight-time Ballon d’Or showed once again before and after that contest why he remains a star attraction, with everybody wanting a piece of him.

Will Messi play at the 2026 World Cup? No decision made as yet

Messi, much like eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo, is aware that he cannot go on forever. He has signed a new three-year contract at MLS side Inter Miami, taking him through 2028, but has hinted at international retirement being close.

He has earned 196 caps, scoring 115 goals, but is yet to decide whether he will form part of a World Cup title defence next summer when FIFA’s flagship event heads to the United States, Canada and Mexico. The expectation is that he will grace that tournament.

AdvertisementGettyStarstruck! Panichelli asks for selfie with Messi

Coaches and colleagues are, however, looking to make the most of every opportunity that they get to work with the all-time great. For Argentina new boy Joaquin Panichelli – who made his senior debut against Angola – that means getting a picture with the GOAT when the chance presents itself.

He has told of working with Messi: “I grew up watching him, for so long. To be here, to see him in person. Not only him but all the superstars here, it's really great. It's still a football team, it's football, and I tried to be prepared and do my best. I asked him for a photo; it was really nice to be able to share these moments with him.”

Panichelli added on making his bow against Angola, with the nine goals that he has scored in France for Strasbourg this season earning the 23-year-old his big break: “It's a dream come true to be here, and today I got to play some minutes. It's an incredible joy to be here and get some playing time. I consider myself more of a centre-forward. I feel I have the qualities and I can do it well. I'm tenacious; I like to fight and tackle.”

GettyShirt swap: Which Angole star landed Messi's jersey?

Panichelli was one of several debutants in a friendly clash with Angola, as Kevin Mac Allister – the brother of World Cup-winning Liverpool star Alexis – Maximo Perrone and Gianluca Prestianni also earned their first caps.

They got the opportunity to rub shoulders with Messi prior to seeing the Inter Miami superstar replaced as Lionel Scaloni rang the changes. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was on the pitch long enough for one lucky opponent to claim a notable memento.

Angola captain Fredy Ribeiro made sure to land Messi’s fabled No.10 jersey, with a shirt swap taking place after they had exchanged nutmegs during the opening 45 minutes of a contest that took place at the Novembro Stadium.

Ribeiro told : “I swapped jerseys with him at half-time. I'll keep it for my kids. It's something they'll cherish. They asked for a photo, and I brought them a jersey! He nutmegged me twice, but then I nutmegged him. Two against one.”

He went on to say of the game itself, which saw Messi and Lautaro Martinez find the target: “Very difficult. They have a lot of quality, you can see it in their starting eleven . We tried to do good things and I think we had some positives. I believe we showed a good image to the world, but Argentina's quality is very different.”

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International retirement: When will Messi bow out with Argentina?

Argentina have wrapped up qualification for the 2026 World Cup, with the defending champions expected to go well again regardless of whether Messi is involved or not. They would prefer to have their talismanic captain on board, with one last dance against Ronaldo being mooted.

Messi will likely bow out of international football after that competition, with more historic achievements having been achieved when representing his country. He has already taken in a final outing on home soil, with his wife and children in attendance, and is assured of a place among the sporting immortals.

Exciting finish with Lancashire could be in prospect after rain wipes out much of day three

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025An exciting finish could be in prospect on the final day of the Rothesay County Championship between Kent and Lancashire at Canterbury, after the hosts reached 206 for 5 at stumps, a lead of 215.Although rain wiped out much of day three, with only 38.3 overs bowled, Jaydn Denly hit 74 as Kent built their lead, before Mitch Stanley helped rein them in with 2 for 56.With Ben Compton not expected to bat Kent are effectively six down and the game looks fascinatingly poised going into day four.Kent resumed with a lead of 105, on 96 for 0, with Denly on 55 and Ben Dawkins on 35.Dawkins had added just a single when he edged Will Williams to Keaton Jennings at first slip, but the players went off for rain at 10.56 am and six overs were lost.When play resumed Tom Bailey sent Denly’s off stump flying, but a further downpour resulted in an early lunch, with the score 131 for 2.After a two-and-a-half-hour delay, play resumed and George Balderson, switching to the Pavilion End, had Joey Evison caught behind for 26.Joe Denly, in as a concussion sub for Tawanda Muyeye, cracked Stanley for six over midwicket to take Kent to 170 for 3 at tea, but he rarely looked comfortable and was caught behind for 19 after flashing at the same bowler.Stanley then had Harry Finch lbw for 4 before the rain returned at 5.12 pm. With no prospect of a resumption, play was abandoned for the day, with Ekansh Singh unbeaten on 30 and Mo Rizvi, who’s on a pair, on nought not out.

يستعد فريق ليفربول، بقيادة المدرب آرني سلوت، لخوض عدة مباريات في شهر ديسمبر الحالي لعام 2025، وذلك في العديد من البطولات، في محاولة لاستعادة توازنهم.

ويحتل ليفربول حاليًا المركز الثامن في جدول الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز برصيد 21 نقطة، في حين يمتلك 9 نقاط ويحتل المركز الثالث عشر في جدول دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري.

اقرأ أيضًا.. شيرر بعد فوز ليفربول على وست هام: محمد صلاح لا يمكنه الشكوى من سلوت

ومر ليفربول بفترة كارثية مؤخرًا حيث خسر في 9 من أصل آخر 12 مباراة في مختلف المسابقات، قبل أن يستعيد توازنه قليلًا عقب فوزه أمس على وست هام بهدفين دون رد في الجولة الثالثة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي.

ولن يتمكن النجم المصري محمد صلاح من المشاركة في كافة مباريات ليفربول ذلك الشهر حيث يستعد لخوض بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا رفقة منتخب مصر، حيث ستكون أولى مبارياتهم يوم 22 ديسمبر الجاري. مواعيد مباريات ليفربول في شهر ديسمبر 2025

ليفربول وسندرلاند، الجولة الرابعة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، الأربعاء 3 ديسمبر 2025، 10:15 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11:15 بتوقيت السعودية.

ليدز يونايتد وليفربول، الجولة الخامسة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، السبت 6 ديسمبر 2025، 7:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

إنتر ميلان وليفربول، الجولة السادسة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، الثلاثاء 9 ديسمبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية.

ليفربول وبرايتون، الجولة السادسة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، السبت 13 ديسمبر 2025، 5 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية.

توتنهام وليفربول، الجولة السابعة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، السبت 20 ديسمبر 2025، 7:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

ليفربول وولفرهامبتون، الجولة الثامنة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، السبت 27 يسمبر 2025، 5 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية.

If you click through Major League Baseball's single-season record-holders for triples, chances are you'll be spending a lot of time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Heavy balls and an emphasis on baserunning made that era the golden age of taking three bases. Pirates outfielder Owen Wilson's 36 triples in 1912 remain a record. The only other two 30-triple seasons—by New York Metropolitans first baseman Dave Orr and Orioles infielder Henry Reitz—came in the 1890s.

Fast forward to 2025, where Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll seems to be on a one-man crusade to bring the triple back. Against the Guardians Tuesday, Carroll clubbed a pair of three-baggers—his 15th and 16th of the season.

Each represented a milestone. The first triple, Carroll's 15th, broke Arizona's franchise record—jointly held by Carroll in 2024 and shortstop Tony Womack in 2000. It also made Carroll the first player with 15 triples in a season since Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario in 2015.

The second triple, Carroll's 16th, made him just the third player to hit that number since 2010; Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino both had 16 in 2011. Nine players reached that mark in the 2000s, led by Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson's astounding 23-triple 2007.

Wilson's record appears likely to stand forever, but if anyone in the 2020s is to make his ghost shudder, Carroll seems to be the man.

MatériaMais Notícias

Contratado para ser o novo técnico do São Paulo, Luis Zubeldía é um nome conhecido entre os tricolores. O técnico argentino foi cotato para assumir o clube após a saída de Dorival Júnior, que está na Seleção Brasileira.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSão PauloSão Paulo fecha contratação do técnico argentino Luis ZubeldíaSão Paulo19/04/2024Fora de CampoEx-São Paulo critica demissão de Carpini e aponta culpados: ‘Cultura do Brasil não vai mudar’Fora de Campo18/04/2024Fora de CampoDenílson sugere estratégia para o São Paulo em busca de novo técnico e cita nomesFora de Campo18/04/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! São Paulo no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Tricolor

➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

Zubeldía está sem clube desde que deixou a LDU, do Equador, no fim de 2023. No comando da equipe equatoriana, o técnico argentino fez alguns times brasileiros como vítima. Foram os casos do próprio São Paulo e do Fortaleza.

Além da primeira tentativa do São Paulo em contratar Luis Zubeldía, os caminhos entre o clube e o treinador se cruzaram nas quartas de final da Sul-Americana. Na ocasião, o técnico comanndava a LDU, do Equador, e eliminou o Tricolor nos pênlatis.

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Em seguida, a LDU eliminou o Defensa y Justicia semifinal da Sul-Americana. Na final, Zubeldía enfrentou o Fortaleza e fez com a que a equipe equatoriana conquistasse do título da competição.

Antes da LDU, Luis Zubeldía comandou o Lanús-ARG, clube que também foi jogador, Barcelona de Quayaquil-EQU, Racing-ARG, Cerro Porteño-PAR e Alavés-ESP.

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Luis ZubeldíaSão Paulo

It may have taken six years, but Tarik Skubal has finally found his money pitch. And the Guardians were feeling it in Game 1 of the divisional round on Tuesday.

These Guardians know Skubal well. In addition to facing him three other times this season, they faced him just days ago in a crucial Tigers loss, one that helped cement Cleveland’s huge comeback to secure the AL Central title that, at one point, Detroit had a 15.5-game lead on Cleveland. 

So, it was reasonable to wonder whether Skubal’s pitching would be effective Game 1, or whether the Guardians would have him figured out. 

"It means a lot to take the ball in Game 1," Skubal said to a scrum after the game. "To have the trust of our whole organization, teammates, coaching staff, it means a lot."

Ultimately, he rose to the challenge of that honor, helping secure Detroit's 2–1 win. Skubal held Cleveland to a single earned run in 7.2 innings of work with a career-high 14 strikeouts. Propelled by his pitch, Skubal brought a strong body of work.

Skubal’s changeup to thank for huge Game 1 victory

Skubal’s changeup has emerged gradually year over year as a proportion of his pitching profile, with it finally overtaking his four-seam fastball as the most-used pitch he threw in a season in 2025 (31.4% frequency). 

Here's a look at just how long this pitch has taken to emerge as his most used and most dominant:

Tarik Skubal changeup usage, run value

So it was only right that on Tuesday, in an important Game 1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, the majority of his 14 strikeouts came on the changeup, now his best pitch, dialed in over a number of years. 

Tarik Skubal's strikeout pitches in Game 1 vs. Guardians

Seven—of half of his total strikeouts—came on the changeup. Twelve out of the 23 times he threw the pitch resulted in a swinging strike, with it being hit in play just three times. 

"I was just kind of worried about executing each pitch and trying to do my best to live pitch-by-pitch… getting ahead and getting guys into leverage," Skubal said of his performance after the game.

The changeup went for a hit twice in the game: One was a soft ground ball by Angel Martinez, the other a line drive hit 105.5 MPH off the bat by Kyle Manzardo. Overall, the Guardians managed a single quality hit on the pitch all afternoon. 

Tarik Skubal's slider was important, too

The changeup is, of course, a pitch that seldom gets the job done on its own. As a slower pitch, it’s one that catches hitters off guard after the pitcher has shown them something faster in the repertoire. 

Skubal most frequently used the slider as his immediate setup pitch (the pitch right before the strikeout pitch) in Game 1. The slider was his strikeout pitch, but it served a clear purpose, forcing Guardians batters into seven foul tips and overtraining them to the ever-so-slight speed difference from the changeup.

Tarik Skubal pitch counts, ALWC Game 1

Skubal strikeout on Tuesday was a swinging strikeout, proving just how well his deception worked as a result of the sequencing, for which catcher Dillon Dingler deserves credit for as well. Neither of the two hits off the changeup came with the slider as the setup pitch.

Asked about the slider usage after the game, Skubal laughed and said, "Is Dingler coming in here? Yeah, I don't know, he calls it and I throw it. That's kind of it. That's kind of how all of it goes. There's like two shakes a game and the rest are him calling it, and I just try to throw it."

Notably, his curveball, thrown just four times, was set up by a slider the lone time it baited a Cleveland batter to swing at it, and miss, on Tuesday.

It was a strong afternoon at the office for Skubal, putting the Tigers just a game away from advancing and finally putting the 2025 Guardians in their rearview.

There wasn’t much turn or bounce in the game where India toiled over 200 overs straight, following their decision to enforce the follow-on

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Oct-20253:50

Washington Sundar: ‘Important to not chase the result’

If the Chennai defeat to England in 2021 made India switch from flat home pitches that took turn in the second innings to square turners, the shock 3-0 reverse to New Zealand last year made them rethink the latter strategy.During the ongoing two-Test series against West Indies, India have stated their desire to play on balanced pitches that give batters the chance of scoring big runs, particularly in the first innings.The plan worked out perfectly in the first Test against West Indies in Ahmedabad, where India rushed to an innings win in three days, but it may have hit a bit of a snag in Delhi, where India are poised to take the series 2-0 going into day five, but only after their bowlers slogged for nearly 200 overs — all in one go following their decision to enforce the follow-on — to bowl West Indies out twice.Related

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Centuries and time at the crease ease West Indies' crisis

Could this prompt another rethink? India allrounder Washington Sundar isn’t thinking about all that; for now he’s happy to experience the variety of challenges that different venues throw up.”It’s quite different in different venues, isn’t it?” he said in his press conference at the end of day four. “This I would say is a typical Delhi wicket, where there’s not much bounce, and obviously there wasn’t a lot of turn on offer in this game. But yeah, different venues play quite differently, and that’s the beauty of this format in particular.India were on the field for over 200 overs in Delhi after enforcing the follow-on against West Indies•Associated Press”We play in a lot of different conditions, be it home or away, and obviously all those conditions and the opposition challenge our skillsets, and that’s the beauty of this format. We keep going. We try and assess what’s really required in those conditions and really be on top of a game and do something special for the team.”India’s spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington bowled 143.5 overs across the two West Indies innings, and picked up 13 wickets between them.”On this kind of a wicket you just need to be patient and try and hit those [good] areas more consistently, and that’s the only challenge,” Washington said. “It’s good to be bowling long spells, and it’s very heartening to have actually taken 20 wickets on a wicket like this. All of the bowlers bowled really well, even the fast bowlers bowled their heart out every single spell, so it’s very heartening.”John Campbell and Shai Hope led West Indies’ fight in their follow-on innings, scoring centuries and putting on 177 for the third wicket. Washington praised them for settling into their partnership by taking calculated risks to spread the field.

“On this kind of a wicket you just need to be patient and try and hit those [good] areas more consistently, and that’s the only challenge. It’s good to be bowling long spells, and it’s very heartening to have actually taken 20 wickets on a wicket like this.”Washington Sundar

“Honestly, Campbell and Hope played really well,” Washington said. “They took their chances, and once the field was spread out they were really sensible with their game as well.”India, Washington felt, were well-prepared for spending long hours on the field, having played their last Test series in England, where all five Tests went into the fifth day. “The England series definitely made us understand what it actually feels like to be on the field for five days, because even in England we fielded for about 180-200 overs every game, so this definitely isn’t something very new to us.”2:43

Chopra: Credit to West Indies for pushing India into day five

Since his return to the Test team during the New Zealand series last year, Washington has often played as one of three allrounders in India’s line-up. This has meant he’s ended up playing more of a batting-heavy role in some games and a bowling-heavy role in others; in this series, he’s only got to bat once so far in three innings, with India declaring after he had faced 13 balls in that one innings.”It’s just been a blessing, honestly,” Washington said. “To be an allrounder is really heartening, because you’re always in the game, either with the ball or bat, and you have a great opportunity with both skillsets to make an impact for the team and eventually win the game for the team. I’ve got to thank god for all the skills he’s blessed me with.”In Test cricket it’s better to have as many allrounders [as possible], because if you go back and see, most of the teams who have dominated Test cricket for many years, I think they’ve had good-quality allrounders in their line-up, and I’d say we’ve got some really quality allrounders in our team as well.”While this is not necessarily true of the West Indies teams that dominated world cricket in the 1970s and 80s or the Australia team of the 2000s, it is certainly true of the India sides that won every home series they played from 2013 until the loss to New Zealand last year, with spin-bowling allrounders Jadeja, R Ashwin and later Axar Patel and Washington himself adding depth and heft to both the bowling and batting.Starting their fourth-innings pursuit of 121 late on Monday evening, India began as if they were looking to end the game on day four itself, with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting two fours in the first over before falling in the second while attempting a big hit down the ground. They knuckled down thereafter to ensure no other wicket fell, with KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan putting on an unbroken 54 to take India into day five needing a further 58 runs to win.”A lot of you all also would have liked it if the game got over today,” Washington joked to the assembled mediapersons. “Jaiswal did his best — on another day he would have definitely finished [it] today.”

Graeme Smith and Vernon Philander look back to 2012, when South Africa became the No. 1 Test side, and what the team needs to do to get there again in the WTC final

Firdose Moonda06-Jun-2025South Africa have done it before: become world Test champions (though it was not called the World Test Championship then) at Lord’s. Though much has changed in the 13 years since, two of the architects of their success in 2012 believe the class of 2025 can do it again. Former captain Graeme Smith and player of the match in the Lord’s Test, Vernon Philander, spoke about their experiences of handling pressure, playing the mental game and what it meant to become No. 1.When we was fab
By the time South Africa got to England, they had been hovering near the top of the Test rankings for years, had a reputation as a formidable outfit, and won consistently away from home. Back then they were unbeaten for six years and eight series on the road and believed they had earned the right to be called the best.”It started for us in ’07, when we started to build a style of play, the right type of personnel, and a batting unit that could perform consistently as a top six,” Smith says. “We also had a really well-rounded attack that offered me enough options. We had wicket takers, we had bounce, we had solid spin options, and having allrounders like [Jacques] Kallis and [AB] de Villiers gives you options as well.”Related

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• Rabada heads six-man pace attack in SA's WTC final squad

• Smith's South Africa come of age

After Hashim Amla’s triple-hundred at The Oval and a weather-affected draw at Headingley, South Africa went to Lord’s 1-0 up.No one reached three figures in a first-innings total of 309, and things were kept even when they bowled England out for 315. Amla scored another century in the second innings and South Africa set England a target of 346. England were 16 for 2 heading into the final day, 120 for 4 at lunch, and 208 for 6 in the third session. It was tense until the end.”That was a great test,’ Smith says. “Once we got to our second-innings total, I thought we’d be in with a chance because of our bowlers. As a captain, it was about holding your nerve, planning for the moment and trying to keep the game together, so you can then attack again. These are skills that I think you only get when playing and winning and through tough times.”Philander’s match haul of 7 for 78, and specifically his second-innings five-for, was instrumental in South Africa’s win at Lord’s•PA PhotosUltimately, Philander’s 5 for 30 won the match and the mace. “For me, it was always about picking those big moments and wanting to be the guy that gets the team across the line,” he says. “And Lord’s is a special place – the history that goes with playing at Lord’s, the aura of playing [there], there’s so much to take in and to soak up. Once you walk through that members’ lounge, I don’t think you need much more motivation as a player. You look at the honours board and the names on the honours board and you want to have your name engraved there too.”In that game, it was not like the bat dominated or the ball dominated but for bowlers, there was always something in it because of the slope. We used that to our advantage.”Here we are, tough road or not
That 2012 South Africa side travelled to explorer Mike Horn’s home in the Swiss Alps for a few days before playing two practice matches in England. It was seen as unnecessary and outlandish but had its merits. “We got a lot of flack in terms of our preparation,” Philander says. “We went to Switzerland instead of playing an extra warm-up game, so the English media were all over us, but if you look at the team’s record up until then, we had a hell of an away record. For us, we needed to get mentally sharp before heading into that series. A lot of English media wrote us up as underprepared, but we knew what we were about, we knew our identity as a team, and that really came to the fore.”This time around, South Africa are playing a warm-up match against Zimbabwe at Arundel, which has been weather-affected, but half the squad has just come off game time at IPL and others were playing on the county circuit. There are fewer worries about match-readiness than there are about the quality of the opposition they’ve played – in the lead-up and throughout the cycle.South Africa played neither England nor Australia in the 2023-2025 WTC period, and their only visit to the subcontinent was to play Bangladesh. Some of the pre-final talk has questioned whether South Africa deserved to be there. But Smith has bullishly batted that back and urged the current team to embrace the underdogs’ tag.Bavuma has led South Africa in nine Tests since 2023, and hasn’t lost one yet•ICC via Getty Images”Everyone knew what South Africa’s run to the WTC final was [like] and it just so happened that they went and nailed it. No one complained at the beginning [of the cycle]. It’s just ultimately their teams aren’t there and that’s frustrating to them,” he says. “The mental preparation for Shuks [Shukri Conrad, South Africa head coach] and Temba [Bavuma] is gonna be so important, because it doesn’t matter what other people say, you have a chance to go and play a wonderful game. In your career, you don’t know how many times these types of opportunities are going to come around for you, and it’s about them recognising that.”Philander is certain South Africa have had a tough enough path. “You have to give a lot of credit to this team and the way they’ve gone about their work, especially the last 12 months,” he said. “It’s not easy to win in Bangladesh, let alone being a team that doesn’t have any superstar names and with a lack of experience in those kinds of conditions. They’ve had to fight and overcome a lot of battles along the way. And in every series they just became better and better. The self-belief came to the fore. They’re not dependent on a particular player. It’s a matter of the guys really backing each other and believing in themselves.”Bavuma, Conrad and Co
Smith’s captaincy was well established by 2012 – he had had 100 Tests in charge – and he was also among their best batters. Bavuma has had just two years of experience in the role, but in that time he has been South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer. Smith says Bavuma and Conrad will have to manage the environment leading up to the final.”Gary [Kirsten, South Africa’s coach in 2012] and I had a very great working relationship. He knew when I needed to step in and vice-versa,” Smith said. “When you get into that game, then Temba’s got to control it. He’s going to have to lead. In the build-up Shuks might do a little bit more. Then when you get into the Test match those roles kind of shift. Your captain’s going to have to be a key performer in the Test match.Philander sees Dane Paterson (centre) as a key part of South Africa’s bowling attack in the WTC final•Gallo Images”It’s obviously an exciting time for Temba, but it’s also a big game. It will be about playing the moments, and handling the pressure as the game goes on. The thing about tense Test matches, in every session, as a captain, you say it’s an important session, because it starts to feel like that. You can’t have a soft session. They’re [the team] gonna have to make sure that every session they’re up for it and that they don’t give away an inch.”A career-ending injury to Mark Boucher in 2012 meant South Africa had to make a last-minute tactical change to their team, which allowed them to lengthen the batting line-up. With AB de Villiers behind the stumps, they played with seven frontline batters, three seamers and a spinner. Now, they line up similarly, but the presence of three seam-bowling allrounders – Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch – means they have an additional quick at their disposal.Heading into Lord’s, they have two main selection questions: who will bat No. 3, and who will be the third specialist seamer joining Kagiso Rabada and Jansen? All indications are that Mulder could be promoted to No. 3, with Tristan Stubbs (who was initially given the role last year) at No. 5. That leaves no room for Tony de Zorzi. One of Bosch, Lungi Ngidi or Dane Paterson will be in the pace pack.For Philander, the choice is obvious. “Patto is going to be key for me,” he says. “Lord’s has a slope, so there will be natural variation in the surface, and for a bowler of his kind of pace [around 130kph], batters always feel that they need to play them and [they] very often get dragged into playing at balls that they don’t have to.”An attack of Rabada, Jansen, Paterson and Mulder excites Philander, and though it doesn’t have the star power of Australia’s Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood, he believes they’ll match up. “There’s a beautiful mixture of skills. You’ve got Marco Jansen, he’s tall and he can swing the ball. [Paterson] will be consistent and he can move the ball both ways, and KG [Rabada] is going to do what KG does best: hit the surface hard and extract movement out of the surface. And Keshav Maharaj is such an important bowler. He’s going to hold things tight and he’s going to allow those guys to operate, and hopefully strike,” he says. “If you look at the Australian set-up, many would argue that they perhaps have the more senior of the two attacks, but it’s a wonderful opportunity for these guys to go over and just do what they’ve been doing.”Rabada has had a fractious rivalry with Australia, and now there’s fuel for more•Associated PressDoes Rabada have a target on his back?
Experience, both in number of caps and winning ICC trophies, is not the only thing about Australia that may worry South Africa. There’s also the love-to-hate history between the two sides, whose most acrimonious meetings included the 2018 Sandpapergate series. South Africa will be wary of the war of words that might be coming their way.The first spat could involve comments to or about Rabada, who has previously been engaged in battle with Australia (when he shoulder-brushed Steven Smith in 2018) and has served a month-long ban for cocaine use. Rabada has already said he is prepared for whatever Australia bring, and even looking forward to it, but Graeme Smith hopes the topic will not be too much of a fire starter.”The best way to approach these things is to just hit it on the head and be honest and say sorry. It’s not like the Aussies have had a perfect record of not making mistakes. KG has been through the process. He served his punishment so the only thing to do is just to own it, and say sorry and get on with it,” Smith says. “Playing in Australia, one of the things that really worked for us at the end of each day’s play was to chill in the changing room and talk about all the stuff that we had heard in the day because that took away the sting of it. It became humorous for us. But then you’ve got to match it with performance.”The import of the mace
Having had more than their share of heartbreak, South Africans are too scared and scarred to dare dream of what winning may mean for them, but Smith and Philander, who have experienced it, can speak to what it does. When they became No. 1, they stayed there and kept winning for much of the next three years. When they were dethroned in 2015, it precipitated a slide down the rankings, and it has taken them a decade to rebuild. Smith now sees them as being on the brink of being the finished article.Mace me: dare South Africa dream of stealing the Test Championship from Australia again?•ICC/Getty Images”They’re at that point now where they’re putting those pieces together,” he says. “For Test cricket to remain strong, you absolutely need South Africa. You need a South Africa that’s competing and strong. We’ve seen when the team does well people are still engaged in Test cricket and want to support it. In a T20, one person can come off and upset the apple cart, but in a Test match, over a number of days, it’s attrition, it’s a test of your mental ability, and your skills can be tested dramatically. They’ve got talent and ability and match-winners, especially with the ball. In a one-off Test match, they definitely stand a chance. If it was over three to five, maybe it would be a little bit tougher, but in a one-off , I absolutely think they’ve got enough fire power to compete with Australia.”And if they do get there?It will be the start of a whole new story of success in South African sport, which Philander believes will set a new high-water mark. “When you’re at the top, you almost need to be training harder, you’re more hungry and more determined to want to stay there. There’s a new set of expectations,” he says. “If this team wins the mace, there will be a new energy in South African cricket overall because it sends a clear message to the rest of the guys coming through.”And I remember in 2012, for a couple of the younger guys coming through at the time, Faf [du Plessis] and later KG – the standard at the time was set. We lost that standard a little bit, but right now I can see that it is being upheld again and there’s a real sense of pride in the way the guys go about their business, the way the guys train, the language being spoken in and around the group. I feel they’ve done a phenomenal job in building this team culture. Now it’s just, go and do it.”

Jemimah Rodrigues revealed the mental battle she faced in the weeks leading up to her match-winning unbeaten 127 against Australia in the World Cup semi-final, describing a period of anxiety that left her feeling “numb” and brought her to tears. Rodrigues broke down during the post-match press conference, saying she hoped sharing her experience could help others facing similar struggles.”I will be very vulnerable here because I know if someone is watching, this might be going through the same thing and that’s my whole purpose of saying it. Nobody likes to talk about their weakness. I was going through a lot of anxiety at the starting of the tournament,” she said, pausing to hold back tears.”It was a lot, you know, before few games also, I used to call my mom and cry the entire time, let it all out. Because when you are going through anxiety, you just feel numb. You don’t know what to do. You are trying to be yourself. And also in this time, my mum, my dad, they supported me a lot. And also there was Arundhati [Reddy], who I think almost every day I have cried in front of her.Related

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“Later I was joking, saying ‘you don’t come in front of me, I will start crying.’ But she checked on me every single day. There was Smriti [Mandhana], who helped me. She also knew what I was going through. Few of the net sessions, she was just standing there. Even yesterday she came, she just stood there, just because he just knows that her presence is important for me.”There has been Radha [Yadav], who has, always been there, taking care of me. I am so blessed to have friends, I can call family, that I didn’t have to go through it alone. And it’s okay to ask for help.”Rodrigues had entered the semi-final on the back of a 76 not out against New Zealand, but her tournament began with a few low scores, including two ducks. She had also been dropped for the match against England as India opted for an extra bowler, a bold call given Rodrigues’ status as one of India’s top batters. She said it was difficult to stay patient, but she chose to hang in and trust that her moment would come.”My family went through a lot, but everyone stood by me, and believed in me when I didn’t, when I couldn’t,” she said. “And it started with the anxiety thing. Then I was dropped from the team [for the match against England]. That really hit me.”When you are dropped, you have a lot of doubts because I always want to contribute to the team. But that day, I couldn’t do much sitting out. And then, when you come back in, it’s a lot more pressure, than everything that was happening in the past month.’I am very grateful for the people who believed in me when I couldn’t, and were there for me and understood me because I couldn’t do this on my own’•ICC/Getty Images

“But sometimes all you need to do is, just hang in there and, things fall into place. So, I am very grateful for the people who believed in me when I couldn’t, and were there for me and understood me because I couldn’t do this on my own.”During India’s chase of 339, Rodrigues was at the crease for nearly the entirety of the innings after entering at No. 3 in the second over. She remained unbeaten on 127 off 134 balls, guiding India to victory with five wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. Her innings, however, included a reprieve when she was dropped by Alyssa Healy on 82. Asked how she would rate her innings, Rodrigues reflected on her mindset.”I mean, how do I rate this innings? Actually, I have not let it sink in,” she said. “All I would say was I didn’t play for my 100. I didn’t play to prove a point at No. 3. I didn’t play for my 50. I just played to make sure India win. I wanted to see India win at the end and that was my only motivation.”I think when you have that thought process, I think God also favours you. You do it for the team, you don’t do it for yourself. And I think I have always played my cricket that way. I’m short of words actually.”Rodrigues also revealed that during a team discussion on the eve of the match, she had expressed a clear goal for the game.”We were just saying what all we could do better in this World Cup and all I said was that I want to be there till the end and finish the game. Whether we are batting first, I know if I am there, I can make a partnership. And get those 20-30 runs extra because I run well, pick gaps, unusual gaps.”And the second thing was if we are chasing, then I want to make sure I take the team through. And this just feels like a dream actually. It just felt like everything was such a set up. Because the last month wasn’t the easiest, but it just felt like a set up for this moment.”

In the almost six years since he took the job, Mikel Arteta has helped to utterly reshape Arsenal.

He’s pulled a team out of midtable mediocrity and turned them into serious contenders for the Champions League and Premier League.

Now, part of this transformation is down to his philosophy and tactics, but also to the sensational players he has promoted and signed.

In fact, one of his signings is now undoubtedly one of the world’s best players and arguably Arsenal’s best since the likes of Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry.

Vieira and Henry's Arsenal legacies

Arsenal signed Vieira from AC Milan in the summer of 1996, after a season in which he sat on the bench watching the Italian giants win the Scudetto.

Chalkboard

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

However, he certainly wasn’t a bit-part player in North London; he ended his first campaign having made 31 Premier League appearances, and as the years went by, he only became more and more important to the Gunners.

For example, following Tony Adams’ retirement in May 2002, Arsène Wenger made the all-action midfielder the club’s new captain, and in the eyes of many, he is one of the best to ever wear the armband.

By the time the Dakar-born monster left the club for Inter Milan in 2006, he had made 405 appearances, in which he scored 32 goals, provided 47 assists, won three titles, four FA Cups and led the North Londoners on their legendary invincible campaign.

Now, for most clubs, the iconic midfielder would probably be considered their greatest ever player, but for the Gunners, there is only one man who can hold that title: Henry.

The legendary forward joined the North Londoners from Juventus in the summer of 1999, and while it sounds absurd today, he didn’t have the best of starts.

He failed to score a single goal across his first eight appearances for the club and later revealed in an interview that he had to “be re-taught everything about the art of striking” during that period.

Whatever Wenger taught him in those few months must have been pretty special, as he’d end his first season in red and white with a tally of 26 goals and 12 assists in 48 appearances.

By the time the Les Ulis-born superstar left the club for Barcelona in 2007, he had chalked up a frankly astounding tally of 226 goals and 104 assists in 370 appearances and won two Premier Leagues and three FA Cups.

He returned for a brief spell in the 11/12 season, scoring twice in seven appearances.

Overall, when it comes to Arsenal legends, few players can match up with Henry and Vieira, but one of Arteta’s best signings is undoubtedly on his way.

Arsenal's future legend

The good news for Arsenal fans is that the squad is full of players who could go on to become club legends, but when it comes to someone performing at a world-class level, it’s hard to ignore Declan Rice.

The £105m man has been incredible for the club since his move in 2023, but towards the end of last season, and especially this year, it feels like he has taken another step forward.

Whether it’s hunting opposition players to steal the ball from them, marauding up the pitch with it at his feet or creating chance after chance with his outrageous set-piece delivery, the Englishman is operating at a truly unbelievable level.

In fact, he’s playing so well and has become so important in everything the Gunners do that it’s become increasingly hard to disagree with Thomas Frank’s assertion that he is among “the best in the world.”

That might sound hyperbolic to some, but it really, truly is not, and for those still unconvinced, you only need to look at his underlying numbers.

Goals + Assists

0.49

Top 3%

Corner Kicks

3.15

Top 4%

Assists

0.27

Top 5%

Progressive Carries

2.75

Top 5%

Crosses

4.92

Top 5%

xAG: Exp. Assisted Goals

0.22

Top 6%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.22

Top 7%

Shots from Free Kicks

0.18

Top 7%

Key Passes

1.92

Top 8%

Switches

0.69

Top 9%

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 3% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for goals plus assists, the top 5% for progressive carries and crosses, the top 8% for key passes and more, all per 90.

Moreover, something else that will help him reach the levels of Henry and Vieira is his mentality.

The England international is clearly someone who gives everything in every performance, and while he hasn’t got the armband, he is also undeniably a leader and will be a big reason for the Gunners winning anything this season.

Ultimately, while he needs those medals to get the respect he deserves, Rice is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world and will become an Arsenal legend.

He's becoming a Saka & Eze hybrid: Arsenal have signed an "agent of chaos"

The increible international has the ability to be as important as Saka and Eze for Arsenal this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 28, 2025