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Arsenal are big admirers of a man who could finally fill the gap in Mikel Arteta’s squad that he intended Mohammed Kudus to occupy, it has been claimed.

Arsenal missed out on Kudus

In 2023, West Ham announced the signing of Kudus from Ajax, but it could have been very different. Arsenal and Chelsea were both interested in signing the Ghanaian, Kudus later confirmed, as they looked to bolster their attacking ranks ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League season.

“It’s true they were in contact”, Kudus explained. “But when West Ham came it moved fast and I made my decision based on speaking to people around the club, their project and how they see me as a player.

“I made the decision based on my gut feeling. That’s how I make my decisions. Whatever the ramifications are, I take it upon myself.”

One of the major draws for Mikel Arteta was Kudus’s versatility, with the 24-year-old able to play in central midfield, on the wing or even as a lone striker, all of which he did to good effect at Ajax and which attracted the attention on Mikel Arteta as well as David Moyes.

He has enjoyed a strong start to his Premier League career too, grabbing ten goals and six assists in 41 outings for the Hammers and attracting attention from clubs across Europe.

However, he will not come cheap, with a release clause believed to be around £85m in his contract at the Hammers, suggesting that perhaps for Arsenal that particular ship has sailed. Now, they could have found a younger alternative.

Arsenal big admirers of "difference maker"

That comes as Caught Offside claim that Arsenal are one of two sides chasing impressive Juventus talent Kenan Yildiz.

Arteta must axe 5/10 Arsenal man who lost 100% duels vs Liverpool

Arsenal have been suspect defensively in recent weeks.

ByMatt Dawson Oct 28, 2024

The Turkish international penned a new £59,000 a week deal in Turin in August, and has enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign under Thiago Motta.

He came off the bench to score twice and rescue a draw in their most recent outing against Inter Milan, a cameo that led Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig to hail the 19-year-old a “difference maker” on X.

His form has caught the attention of both Liverpool and Arsenal, and the report claims the Gunners are “big admirers of Yildiz and would be keen to sign someone of his profile to take the burden off Bukayo Saka”.

Still just 19-years-old, the Turkish international would be an expensive addition but would offer a decade of potentially top level football to whoever managed to lure him away from Juventus. He would also likely be cheaper than Kudus, and, listed among “similar players” to the Ghanaian on stat-site FBref, it is easy to see why.

Also capable of playing in midfield or on the left-wing, both have started the season in similar fashion.

Mohammed Kudus vs Kenan Yildiz 24/25

Mohammed Kudus

Kenan Yildiz

Appearances

8

9

Pass Accuracy

81.9%

82.5%

Shots on target per 90

1.36

0.71

Progressive carries per 90

5

5.29

Carries into the penalty area per 90

2.3

2.29

Shot creating actions per 90

3.4

3

Successful take on %

50%

48%

Having missed out on Kudus, would Yildiz be the perfect piece for Mikel Arteta’s side in the seasons to come?

“We weren’t good enough to make the semi-finals [playoffs],” head coach Stephen Fleming says

Deivarayan Muthu20-May-2022Despite Chennai Super Kings suffering an early exit and being on the brink of finishing at the bottom in IPL 2022, their captain MS Dhoni drew confidence from the performances of youngsters who are finding their feet in the set-up.After Super Kings fell out of the race for the playoffs, they tinkered with their line-up in the last two games, roping in 19-year-old Sri Lankan quick Matheesha Pathirana, whose slingy action resembles that of Lasith Malinga, and uncapped Indians Prashant Solanki and N Jagadeesan.After returning 2 for 24 against Gujarat Titans on his IPL debut, Pathirana fronted up to bowl the middle and death overs against Rajasthan Royals. He went wicketless but Dhoni sees him and left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary playing bigger roles for Super Kings in the future.”I think whatever games that they’ve got, they’ve learnt a lot out of it,” Dhoni, speaking to Star Sports at the post-match presentation, said of the youngsters. “One of the biggest examples is Mukesh, he has played all [13] games, but what is impressive is to see how he has improved from the first game to the last game and how he can bowl at the death. Still, he will go back and learn out of the outings that he has got and that’s what we really want from players.”Once they’ve got that experience, what is important is next year once they turn up for the IPL, they shouldn’t start from scratch again. So, it is important to remember in their mind what has really happened in the IPL, what strengths they develop and thinking under pressure. I feel that’s what is needed from youngsters. Most of them have made the most of whatever chances they have got.”Pathirana, in particular, had been on Super Kings’ radar for a while. Ahead of IPL 2021, both Pathirana and fellow Sri Lankan Maheesh Theekshana were invited by Super Kings to bowl at their nets. However, it is understood that Sri Lanka Cricket didn’t release them then as the IPL gig clashed with their domestic tournament and a Bangladesh tour. Once Adam Milne was sidelined from IPL 2022, Pathirana was called into the main squad, joining hands with Theekshana, who was picked at the auction for INR 70 lakh (approx. USD 93,000).”Malinga! Our Malinga is really good,” Dhoni said. “It’s difficult to pick him and I feel he will definitely contribute next [year] for us in a big way.”I think we have done well in patches and what is important is to keep doing well as a team. One of the ways is one of the individuals keeps doing well in every game and others contribute, but I feel the crucial thing whenever you get an opportunity, once you’re in, make sure you make the most out of it, whether you’re a batter or a bowler. Keep learning because it’s not a one-year tournament – you keep coming back year after year. Once you keep learning and once you’ve matured, that’s when you want to capitalise and be a big IPL player for the next ten years or 12 years. That’s what is really needed from the youngsters.”Super Kings’ head coach Stephen Fleming also delivered a glowing appraisal of Choudhary, who is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker in the powerplay this season, with 11 strikes. Delhi seamer Simarjeet Singh also bowled some eye-catching spells with the new ball in the injury-enforced absence of Deepak Chahar.”He [Choudhary] was excellent,” Fleming said at the post-match press conference. “He had a nervous start, but we stuck with him and reaped the rewards towards the end. He just got better and better. Simarjeet as well. Halfway through he only had a handful of games and he has responded [well] to the pressure also. So those two boys were definitely a positive.”Fleming conceded that veering away from Super Kings’ original template, that values experience, and blooding youngsters has been a challenge for the team management.”It’s a balance, isn’t it? It certainly didn’t go our way, but the reality of it is when you start a new cycle and when you have a number of new players and a new dynamic in the team, it can be testing. We suffered from catastrophic success, so just trying to play the same way and continue on from our last four years, which was very successful, is a real challenge. So, dropping back and understanding what new players can do takes a little bit of time.”Fleming rued the mishmash of an effort from the senior players this season, but said it would drive them to step up next season.”What we didn’t have is a couple of form players that got us through the early days. You get a couple of wins and a little bit of evidence that the team is on the right track, and then young players get confidence from the senior players doing well. So, that’s the cycle. We had a slow start and we weren’t able to string enough games together. We had opportunities – there’s no doubt we had opportunities – to do better than what we did, but the reality is we weren’t good enough to make the semi-finals [playoffs] this year. And that’s always a catalyst for next year.”

Lionesses star Chloe Kelly made her second Arsenal debut on Sunday against Tottenham – with the span between her two spells almost record-breaking.

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Kelly made deadline day loan switch to ArsenalEarned second debut for the club on SundayTime between Gunners appearances nearly historicFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kelly got a raucous reception at the Emirates Stadium when she was introduced as a substitute in the 61st minute of the north London derby, with the Gunners 4-0 up in the Women's Super League clash thanks to goals from Mariona Caldentey, Frida Maanum and Alessia Russo, plus an own goal by Clare Hunt.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Kelly came through the Arsenal academy and made 16 appearances in all competitions before joining Everton for a loan spell that would eventually become permanent. She's carved out most of her club career in the north west of England, moving to Manchester City after five years with the Toffees, but is now back in London for the time being after struggling for game time with the Cityzens, on loan at Arsenal until the end of the season.

DID YOU KNOW?

Sunday's second debut was almost historic, then, as it marked 2,815 days since she last played in the WSL for Arsenal. However, that is actually only the second-longest gap between appearances for the same club in the competition. Toni Duggan, who played 79 times for England, holds that record after a gap of 2,897 days between appearances for Everton. Duggan came through at the club, left in 2013 for spells with Man City, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, then returned in 2021 for the final chapter of a career she called time on in September 2024.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KELLY?

Kelly will hope to make plenty more appearances in Arsenal colours before the season is out, having been left out of the England squad by Sarina Wiegman earlier this week due to her lack of minutes. With less than five months until the European Championships get underway in Switzerland, the winger will be desperate to get back into the Lionesses picture.

Plays of the day from the Group A match between Sri Lanka and Scotland

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Hobart11-Mar-2015The wheelbarrow circle
Kumar Sangakkara had hit the first five legitimate balls of the 36th over for a six and four fours, so when he shaped to scoop Alasdair Evans again off the last delivery, short fine leg Rob Taylor could be forgiven for expecting that one to go to the fence as well. As soon as Sangakkara made contact, Taylor turned and began running to the fine leg fence, almost as if he was expecting to retrieve the ball from beyond the rope. Only, Sangakkara had mishit this one, and instead of hitting the ball over Taylor, he’d sent it to the vicinity of Taylor’s original position. Once the fielder noticed the ball wasn’t going to the fence, he circled back around to collect the ball, his overconfidence in Sangakkara’s abilities having cost his team a single.The unloved 12th man
Being on the cusp of the playing XI is never fun but Sri Lanka took 12th man Upul Tharanga’s misery to new levels when they refused to partake of the drinks he was running on to the field. There was moisture in the air in the first phase of Scotland’s innings and, in their quest to rush through 20 overs and ensure a full game was played, Sri Lanka had spinners operating at either end. When the umpires called for drinks after the 17th over, Tharanga dutifully jogged his tray on to the field. But Sri Lanka didn’t want to slow the game down. None of the fielders moved from their positions. Unneeded twice over in this match, Tharanga was left to wander off dolefully, occasionally glancing back to see if anyone had had a change of heart.The sole separation
Richie Berrington was bowling another handy spell at the death when his own apparel would conspire against him. Berrington landed his front foot on the crease only to find his foot continued to slide forward, instead of gripping the pitch and stopping. The result was a painful tumble and what appeared to be an ankle sprain. The side-on replay, though, showed that his sole had completely torn from the rest of the boot as he landed his foot. The injury meant Berrington was unable to continue the over, with Kyle Coetzer called on to finish it off.The double-strike
When Tillakaratne Dilshan was sweeping Josh Davey’s medium pace for two fours and a six in the 25th over it seemed as if Sri Lanka had planned to go after him. After the batting Powerplay, Davey might reflect that the strategy played into his hands. He picked up the wicket of Dilshan in the 35th over, then in the next over, removed two legends back-to-back. First he had Mahela Jayawardene miscuing one to mid off, then Sangakkara, who had been flaying almost every other bowler, nicked Davey behind next ball.The surprise review
Sri Lanka have been perhaps the worst users of DRS this tournament, often wasting their reviews on hopeless cases but, in this match, conjured a wicket seemingly out of nowhere through the review system. Michael Leask had swiped at a Nuwan Kulasekara bouncer, but though neither the bowler nor the wicketkeeper felt the batsman had hit it, fielder Seekkuge Prasanna was so adamant he had, he convinced his team-mates to ask for a review. Sure enough, Snicko showed Leask had given a feather edge to the ball as it passed over his head, and Sri Lanka’s referral record improved a little.

An incident involving a tackle on a Wolverhampton Wanderers player in the build up to Manchester City’s goal has emerged, putting a bigger shadow over referee Chris Kavanagh after Sunday’s controversy.

Gary O’Neil and his Wolves side are still without a win in the Premier League, but they will be pleased with their performance against the Blues, with their anger directed at the performance of Kavanagh rather than any of the players.

91% passing, 6/10 rating: The Wolves star who was even better than Larsen

Wolves star performed even better than Larsen despite the goal.

ByConnor Holden Oct 20, 2024 Wolves’ wait for a Premier League win continues

Wolves came into the game against Pep Guardiola’s side sitting at the bottom of the table, and an easy win for the away side was expected. However, Wolves made sure that wasn’t the case, as they took an early lead and put in a very impressive display. Josko Gvardiol levelled the away side, and then a dramatic and questionable goal from John Stones in the last minute sealed the win for City.

The incident at the end of the game has been the talking point, with O’Neil believing there “could be an unconscious bias” towards the bigger teams in the league when it comes to refereeing decisions: “I can categorically tell you they don’t mean to.

“They are 100 per cent honest. I just know from a human point of view it’s tough. I feel different playing Manchester City than someone else in the Carabao Cup first round. I’m sure they feel it; they are human. I don’t know if I’m miles off; it just feels there could be.”

He added: “If I had to upset someone in the street and there’s a big and little guy in the street, I’m upsetting the little guy. There is something in there, and they don’t do it on purpose and are doing the best job they can. Maybe there’s something which just edges it in that direction when it’s really tight.”

Possession

22.4%

77.6%

Shots

3

22

Shots on target

2

7

Shots off target

1

7

Total touches in the box

0

8

Goalkeeper saves

5

1

Aerial duels won

14

13

Fouls

8

5

Corners

1

18

Meanwhile, on the positive front for Wolves, former Premier League player Nigel Re-Coker hopes the Midlands side take the same “desire” shown against Man City into their other games this season. But while Wolves may be just about calming down from Sunday’s match, a new incident has emerged in the lead up to City’s goal.

Chris Kavanagh missed a clear foul before Man City's goal

As stated, Man City claimed all three points away at Wolves on Sunday in a fashion that has been labelled controversial. Now, footage has emerged of a tackle on a Wolves player before that goal that could have been blown up for a foul and therefore seen the game end all square.

Goncalo Guedes was carrying the ball towards the City goal when, it appears, he was pushed to the ground before losing the ball. City had a couple of corners between this and the goal, so it wasn’t an incident that led directly to the goal, but it all happened within the space of a couple of minutes.

This is footage that will annoy Wolves fans even more and raise even more questions after O’Neil’s comments about unconscious bias towards the bigger Premier League teams.

Charlotte FC have reportedly rebuffed repeated interest from English Championship clubs for their star striker

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Charlotte FC denied Agyemang interest'Multiple' English clubs reached outAgyemang scored twice for USMNT in January campFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Charlotte FC have reportedly turned down multiple bids for star striker Patrick Agyemang, with English championship clubs showing interest in the MLS player. Charlotte insists that he is not for sale at any price with just two weeks to go before MLS's season kicks off.

Agyemang is coming off of a breakout USMNT January camp, where he scored goals in consecutive matches, and a strong second season in MLS where he had 10 goals and five assists.

Tom Bogert of was first to report the transfer interest in Agyemang.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Agyemang burst onto the scene in January after standing out for the USMNT during the January camp. He now enters his third season in MLS with heightened expectations and a chance to potentially appear in the U.S.'s Nations League squad due to the injuries to several forwards in the depth chart.

DID YOU KNOW?

Agyemang is a bit of a late bloomer, having risen from D3 college action to his current role in MLS.

WHAT NEXT FOR AGYEMANG

The striker will continue with Charlotte FC this preseason. He is set to lead the line as they start the season with a clash against Seattle Sounders on Feb. 22.

Previous Sri Lanka sides might have been beset by anxiety following a big overseas loss, but this one has tasted enough recent success to remain confident about its ability to roar back

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Wellington01-Jan-2015Wellington woke bleary-eyed from a year-end party that had stretched late into the night, but the Basin Reserve was tense with purpose and energy early on New Year’s day.Sri Lanka had been relaxed following their eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Christchurch. The post-match football game – a tradition in overseas Tests, win or lose – was played in typically high spirits, before the team set out on a farm excursion in Canterbury the day after.Previous Sri Lanka sides might have been beset by anxiety following a big overseas loss, but this is a team for whom the successes of 2014 are fresh in the mind. Their captain is, as ever, a wellspring of zen. “One loss doesn’t suddenly make us a bad team,” is Angelo Mathews’ go-to refrain at these times, and on that count, his team has proved him correct on several occasions over the past six months.Back in the nets after two days of rest and travel, though, Sri Lanka were refreshed and focused. Kumar Sangakkara’s desperation to overcome an awful first Test manifested in a long batting session. Unsurprisingly, he was among the last to emerge from the nets, tired coaches in tow. Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva had some extra attention too, and there was a marked collective spring to the fielding session. Had Sri Lanka not spilled four catches on the first day in Christchurch, that Test might have played out a little differently.They were perhaps goaded on by a pitch that appeared greener than even the strip they had encountered at the Hagley Oval in the approach to Boxing Day. Players who looked closely at the pitch reported close to an inch of grass – enough to make the square almost indistinguishable from the rest of the field. But while that could have been a cause for worry, there were no grumbles from the Sri Lanka camp, only acceptance of poor performance, and determination to preserve a reputation as a decent team outside Asia.”We know we didn’t bat well in the first innings,” Lahiru Thirimanne said. “It wasn’t actually that hard to bat on that wicket, but we played some rash shots. So we need to concentrate a little bit more about leaving the ball and playing close to the body. We practiced really hard today, so hopefully we can do those things in the match as well.”Sri Lanka were bolstered between Tests by the arrival of Rangana Herath, who was sufficiently recovered from the hamstring tear he suffered in mid-December to go through an extra fielding session with coach Trevor Penney. Though Brendon McCullum had laid waste to the Sri Lanka attack in the first innings in Christchurch, a quiet confidence has built in the bowling group after their spirited defence of 105 on the fourth day.”In the first Test we saw some green on the surface, but this looks even greener I think,” Thirimanne said. “Our fast bowlers might like it as well because they will look forward to getting some early breakthroughs. Our bowling in the second innings was quite good. We bowled good areas and they couldn’t get runs easily, so we just want to bowl those same areas and make it hard for them to score runs.”Herath’s return is particularly significant, because of New Zealand’s struggles against him in the past. In four matches, Herath averages 19.58 against them – his best against any nation. That figure stretches to 40 in the only Test he played in New Zealand, but he is now a vastly improved bowler since that game in Napier in 2005. In the last three years, he has picked up five-wicket hauls in Australia and South Africa, and made significant contributions in early-summer English conditions in 2014.”I think Herath will play the second Test,” Thirimanne said. “He took wickets in similar conditions in England, so we’re confident about his ability to take wickets here.”Thirimanne’s return to the Test team and move to no.4 in the order has not been immediately successful, as he collected a match aggregate of 49 in Christchurch. Thirimanne said he took plenty of confidence in his long stay at the crease in the second innings, however, when he played out 124 deliveries in over three hours in the middle.”Batting at No. 4 is a big challenge for me, because that was Mahela Jayawardene’s spot. I need to work very hard to live up to that. It’s a position that’s very valuable for the team and we’re used to some top performances from our No. 4 batsman. That’s not an easy loss to fill. But I’m taking it game by game, and I’ve filled my head with thoughts about how the next match should be approached.”In the second innings, what we needed most was for someone to build a partnership with Dimuth Karunaratne. The way I batted in that innings is perhaps not my natural style, but it was good in the sense that I hit a lot of balls in the middle of the bat. I’m happy with that.”

A significant behind-the-scenes update regarding Erik ten Hag has emerged at Manchester United, regarding his treatment of two Red Devils players.

Ten Hag fighting to save Man Utd job

This season has been a largely dire one at Old Trafford to date, with Ten Hag failing to kick on from last season’s FA Cup success, which included beating Manchester City in the final. Many felt the Dutchman may have been sacked if he had lost that game at Wembley, but INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe instead retained him and gave the manager a new deal.

It hasn’t been close to good enough from United this time around, however, with 3-0 defeats at home to both Liverpool and Tottenham summing up their struggles, not to mention failing to win either of their opening couple of Europa League group stage matches.

Ten Hag has still been bullish about keeping his job, but replacements have been constantly linked in recent weeks, including Thomas Tuchel, who was most recently in charge at Bayern Munich.

Former Juventus boss Max Allegri has also been mentioned as a potential appointment, having enjoyed so much success during his stint with the Turin giants, winning five Serie A titles and Italian Cups apiece, as well as picking up one league crown in charge of AC Milan.

Concern from Man Utd on Ten Hag and £155,000-a-week duo

According to a new report from Caught Offside, INEOS are concerned and surprised about Ten Hag’s treatment of Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho respectively.

It is claimed that “while results and performances have clearly not been good enough, there is also real concern behind the scenes” about the Dutchman’s inability to get the best of the £155,000-a-week-combined pair.

That especially applies to Zirkzee, whereas the biggest issue surrounding Garnacho is why he isn’t being played more, given the likes of Marcus Rashford and Antony aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders.

This is just the latest concern about Ten Hag and the job he is doing at United, and it surely raises huge question marks over whether he is the right man for the job in the long run.

Zirkzee has struggled since arriving at United in the summer, failing to justify the fee that the Red Devils paid Bologna for his services, with the 23-year-old only scoring once in his first six appearances in the Premier League, coming on the opening night of the season against Fulham at Old Trafford.

As for Garnacho, he still looks like one of his side’s biggest attacking threats when he plays, bagging two goals and assists apiece in the 7-0 win over Barnsley in the EFL Cup, and it seems strange that he isn’t being used more.

Man Utd now preparing £46m bid to sign "incredible" Champions League winner

The Red Devils are not messing about…

ByTom Cunningham Oct 6, 2024

The manager is arguably the one to blame for such failings, and it is one of many reasons why a lot of United supporters want to see a change in the dugout.

Australia allrounder says “we’ll probably need to make a decision in the next day or two”

Annesha Ghosh28-Mar-2022Ellyse Perry’s availability for Australia’s World Cup semi-final against West Indies on March 30 remains uncertain two days out from the fixture, she confirmed before heading into her first training session in nearly a week.Perry, who had suffered back spasms and had to go off the field during Australia’s win in the league-stage fixture against South Africa last Tuesday, said she hadn’t trained or “done anything cricket-wise” since.”My back’s going pretty well,” she said. “Obviously, a couple of days still before the match, so I think we’ll still just keep playing that by ear, but [by] bearing in mind that we’ll probably need to make a decision in the next day or so.”At this stage, it’s going really well. But obviously just need to make sure that I’m in the best possible spot to be able to contribute if I was to play, so I think we’ll do a couple more things at training in the next few days. If I get there, I do. Fingers crossed.”During the South Africa match, she appeared to be hurt when tumbling over a boundary rope in a fielding attempt. She didn’t bat as Australia romped to a sixth consecutive win in the tournament.Perry said on Monday she had never had back spasms before in her career, but she made clear the injury was “not hugely serious” and that it “definitely has been improving.” She added “there’s a pretty high percentage that I’ll be able to play at some point” and Australia’s practice session on Monday was likely to offer more insights on her recovery.Before being sidelined from title favourites Australia’s last league game – against Bangladesh on Friday – Perry contributed with both bat and ball in her side’s undefeated campaign. Having shouldered new-ball responsibilities regularly, she took five wickets in six innings, and also scored 146 runs in five innings while being the Player of the Match in back-to-back matches against New Zealand and West Indies.

“They pose a great challenge because they’ve got a really good history of finals cricket in World Cup events”Perry knows West Indies will be up to try and grab a spot in the final

Asked if she would consider missing the semi-final if that makes her a definite inclusion for the final, Perry said such an approach doesn’t sit well with the unpredictability of knockout matches.”I think that is largely up to what’s best for the team and what our team management want to do,” Perry said. “But no, I don’t think you can have that approach to World Cup games, and semi-finals and finals. You just got to play each game, and that’s the most important thing at the time rather than casting your mind ahead to the next match and the final.”West Indies would dearly love to be in that final on Sunday and they will do everything they can to beat us to get there. So it’s the most important match for us this Wednesday at the moment.”Australia had routed West Indies when the two teams met in the league stage at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, the same venue as their semi-final.But despite that result, and their unbeaten run so far, Perry said Australia would not let their guard down against a side they had defeated in the 2013 ODI World Cup final but lost to in the 2016 T20 World Cup equivalent.”They’re a great side. They’re somewhat mercurial in the way that they play,” she said of West Indies. “But they’ve got some incredible weapons – particularly with the bat, [and] with the ball as well. Looking at the way that a lot of teams have played against us and bowled a lot of spin, I think Hayley Matthews has been particularly successful for the Windies with that in this tournament. We will sort of probably face a bit of that.”Deandra Dottin is unbelievably potent with the bat up at the top, especially if she gets going… They pose a great challenge because they’ve got a really good history of finals cricket in World Cup events. They’ll be right up for it, and I kind of hope it’s really cold here in Wellington because that’s a lot different to the Bahamas. Whereas we get a bit cooler weather in Australia sometimes. That’ll be interesting.”A hamstring injury during Australia’s last league fixture in the 2020 T20 World Cup on home soil had ruled Perry out of the semi-finals and the final. So regaining fitness to play this World Cup’s semi-final, she said, would mean a “tremendous amount” to her.”But I think that [feeling] is not new unique to me; the whole team’s really excited about it,” she said. “This tournament’s been coming for a little while too, with the delay last year not being able to stage it. So it’s really exciting that we’re finally at this stage of the tournament, like we’ve been here for a long time as well if you include the quarantine that we had to do before starting out the campaign.”It’s kind of the reason why you play I suppose at this level is to compete in big events and in big moments. So certainly the girls are really excited for that. It’s certainly great to be here. I’m really looking forward to it and seeing what we’re capable of.”

A little more conversation – between players, the board and the WIPA – could have averted the sorry end to the West Indies tour of India

Swaroop Mamidipudi27-Oct-2014People in the Caribbean have said, time and again, that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is corrupt. Others have suggested nepotism. And some more talk of abuse of power. While these remain, to this day, unproven rumours, there is no question that the WICB, especially in its dealing with its players, is inefficient and short-sighted.Disputes have flared up, time and again, over payments, over sponsorships, over contracts. A few years back, the entire first team sat out and watched a second-string team get butchered at home by Bangladesh. Somehow, under the hardworking and honest Darren Sammy, the team seemed to bridge some of that gap with the administration. The West Indies Players Association (WIPA) played a positive role in fire-fighting and making sure the players did not feel shortchanged. Yes, its star batsman, Gayle, sat out for almost a year and a half, murdering only T20 club bowlers around the world. But that was an exception; not the rule.In this context, the events surrounding the curtailed tour of India are bizarre. The players claim that a certain payment issue was not discussed with WIPA office-bearers, although the WIPA claims it was. The players have lost trust in their own association, and the board, cunning as ever, has said it will only negotiate with the WIPA. This is like school kids arguing about who lost the ball.In the mid-90s, when the West Indian team began its free-fall, the board should have realized that the only way to keep promising cricketers — their most valuable asset — in the game was to treat them well. On many occasions, the board failed on this front. It promised too little and didn’t deliver on even those promises. The players felt deceived, their performance suffered. Worse, the board operated mysteriously and opaquely. Jerome Taylor is a classic case in point. For years, he had been claiming that he was fit. The board never picked him, claiming, dubiously, that he wasn’t.The issue that rankled players the most, though, was the low salaries. The stars of the earlier generation made their money mostly playing abroad — many of them made England their second home. However, by the mid-90s, there weren’t so many of those contracts anymore. Playing domestic cricket in the West Indies was never a profitable plan. This, cyclically, led to a decline in the quality of cricket in the Caribbean.In the last five years or so, there’s been money flowing into the coffers of the West Indian cricketers again through T20 leagues all over the world. Coincidentally (or consequently), the West Indies team seems to be stronger than it has been in the last fifteen years. Shouldn’t the players complain less about pay now? Shouldn’t they play as much top-flight cricket as they can and not pull out of tours?The present issue deals with a reduction in player salaries to the senior team in favour of contracts for an additional 90 first-class cricketers. It is, at least on the surface, a noble move. The issue, however, is not on the merits of this move. The players claim this was never discussed with them by the WIPA. Shouldn’t the WIPA, a players association, inspire confidence in the players? Shouldn’t it keep them informed of every decision it takes?From the days of George Headley, the West Indies brand of cricket revolved around individual brilliance. Of course, in the 70s and the 80s, Clive Lloyd and his immediate successors managed to unearth, nurture and feature a galaxy of stars in one line-up. Each one could turn the match in a matter of a session or two. The present side has at least seven such players — Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, the Bravos, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and Sunil Narine. This is a side that could give any team a run for its money at the World Cup.The least the WIPA can do is actually be a association and represent the cricketers. The least the board can do is listen to the players and not ride on technicalities. The least the players could do is be open for discussion. An air of mistrust and off-field distractions will only ruin the cricket, and boy, when on song, don’t these guys play some cracking cricket?If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line