Premier League leaders Arsenal are ready to rival Real Madrid in the transfer race for Kenan Yildiz in the January window amid his contract hold-up at Juventus. The Bianconeri's contract talks with their star attacker have hit a standstill as Yildiz is demanding a significant pay rise in his new deal, which is far beyond the Italian club’s current offer.
SA20 expansion will happen only after the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup, which South Africa will co-host along with Zimbabwe and Namibia, Smith says
Vishal Dikshit14-Nov-2025
SA20 currently has six teams and is three seasons old•SA20
Former South Africa captain and current SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith believes there will be a “shift in how things work” in the cricket calendar after 2027, when the current men’s FTP (Future Tours Programme) comes to an end and a fresh cycle of ICC media rights will also be up for grabs. Smith also said most of the focus on South African cricket’s planning is the build-up to the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup, which they will co-host along with Zimbabwe and Namibia, and only after that tournament will they look to expand SA20, which currently has six teams and is three seasons old.Since its inception, SA20 has been played in January-February and has had calendar clashes with the Big Bash League (BBL) and the ILT20 in the UAE, which started in the same year as SA20 (2023). Even though the PSL has moved to the April-May window now, these three T20 leagues also face a calendar crunch with international cricket, often bilateral series, which creates an availability headache for the boards and international teams.”I’m not saying the other leagues will go away, but there’ll certainly be a tier-one of sort of franchise leagues in different windows, so maybe four to five, probably a club World Cup coming,” Smith said at an SA20 event in Mumbai on Wednesday. “I think bilateral cricket is hard. I think when top nations play each other, it gets a lot of interest. Even with the ICC, they have an event a year, but I think the interesting thing to watch is going to be post-2027 FTP cycle when the new cycle kicks in and all the new rights deals get done.Related
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“That’s going to be interesting to watch. I think bilateral cricket, if anything, outside of the top teams playing each other, is lacking a little bit of context at the moment with four games here, two games there. There’s no consistency to these things, but obviously it does come with national pride as well, so I think you’re going to probably see a shift in how things work post 2027.”The ODI World Cup that year will be played in October-November, which gives Cricket South Africa exactly two more years to ramp up preparations to host the global event. Smith said the SA20 expansion plans will begin only after the World Cup.”I think for us it’s also where South African cricket is,” he said. “With the 2027 World Cup now, there’s been big investment into stadium infrastructure, lights, the quality of pitches. So we’ve seen that really being developed over the last six months into the year. I think in all the stadiums now you’ll see new lights in the run-up to the 2027 World Cup. Post-season five [of SA20] is where we will look to grow. That has always been the case.Graeme Smith at an SA20 promotional event•SA20
“I think for us there’s a number of elements when you look to grow. Where do you grow? Do you grow in South Africa? Do you grow in Africa? And then also you want to build up your player base. I think one thing that SA20 has got right is that the six teams have been equally competitive. Probably the amount of South African local players has been at a good standard. And if you introduce a new team then you’ve got to look at another 20 to 26 South African players. And you need to make sure that that quality is there to be able to keep all six, seven, eight teams of a high standard.”The fourth season of SA20 will be the first time the tournament will not start in January, but on December 26, as there is no Boxing Day Test scheduled by Cricket South Africa in the FTP. SA20 will be preceded by five T20Is for South Africa in India and will be followed by another three T20Is against West Indies just before the T20 World Cup kicks off on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, making it a “big period” for South Africa in the coming months.”I think it’s an important few months for the South African team, obviously, with the big tour to India, if they can find a way to be successful here across the three formats. It really does set up SA20 beautifully as a kind of highly competitive tournament, playing in front of big crowds and getting players ready for the T20 World Cup which is going to be amazing to watch in India. So I think it’s a big period for the next three months for South African cricket to really build on the successes that they’ve had throughout the year. We’ve seen the World Test Championship final. We’ve seen our ladies do well. And the next three to four months can really be an amazing time for South African cricket.”
Some results have been good and some not so, but young C Andre Siddarth, now a part of South Zone for the Duleep Trophy final, has his priorities and roadmap in place
Deivarayan Muthu09-Sep-2025The last domestic season was one of highs for Tamil Nadu teenager C Andre Siddarth. In his maiden Ranji Trophy season, he played a vital role in Tamil Nadu’s run to the knockouts, scoring 612 runs in 12 innings at an average of 68. At 18, he was the second-youngest player, behind Vaibhav Suryavanshi, to be picked in the IPL 2025 auction, earning a deal with Chennai Super Kings (CSK).Before that, in late 2024, he had also made his maiden appearance for India Under-19s in Dubai. His strong form in the previous Ranji season has now earned him a maiden Duleep Trophy call-up. Siddarth, who turned 19 last month, isn’t satisfied, though, and is hungry for more.”I think I had a really good [2024-25] season,” Siddarth said at the CSK High Performance Academy ground on the sidelines of the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai. “My takeaway was that at my age I had scored 600 runs. I was happy about it and [also] kind of disappointed. I knew that I had scored five fifties, but if I had scored two-three hundreds, I would have been more satisfied. Still, I’m kind of disappointed from last season.”Related
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While Siddarth didn’t get a game for CSK at IPL 2025, a chat with his captain MS Dhoni during a training session rekindled the hunger to score big.”While we were at the Wankhede [Stadium in Mumbai] during our team practice, he [Dhoni] just told me one thing: ‘stay calm’,” Siddarth said. “I thought everyone says that. But he explained to me that while being calm, one thing that is important is trying to keep your mind blank. Keeping your mind blank is very tough and if you’re not in form or not on song, it’s really tough.”So, it’s about mental strength and you need to be hungry enough. I can’t be satisfied. For example, I got a 111 against Maharashtra [in the Buchi Babu tournament]. I was not satisfied. I wanted to make it a double-hundred that day.”With the experienced Vijay Shankar moving from Tamil Nadu to Tripura, Siddarth might be entrusted with more responsibility in the middle order this season. He has tuned up by working with former India players Robin Singh [consultant] and T Kumaran, the state side’s new bowling coach, at the TNCA academy.”Around a month back, we had a camp at the TNCA. I trained with Robin Singh and T Kumaran sir and it has improved my game,” Siddarth said. They have told me certain stuff that I have to improve and it has been reflecting in my game. It involved all three aspects – batting, fitness and fielding.”
“It [playing in the Duleep Trophy] is not on my mind right now, but it would be a good feeling for anyone. In my mind, it is about how I can improve and rectify my flaws. Because I know that more than the Duleep Trophy, representing my state is more important for me. And winning the Ranji Trophy is more important”
Siddarth is just eight first-class games old, but has displayed the gears and temperament to tailor his batting according to the situation in red-ball cricket.”I personally believe that the mental aspect of the game is more important than any skill,” he said. “I have been putting myself in difficult situations in practice and in my fitness or fielding. I think it has been reflecting in my matches recently. [At my club game], I played and batted 30 balls with [No. 11] Sandeep Warrier at AM Jain [college ground in Chennai].”I had to defend and save the game at the time. Against Maharashtra [at the Buchi Babu tournament], I knew that I had to attack. [Against Jammu and Kashmir], I had a situation where I had to just play for the team. Now I know that I have been equipped enough to take it to the Ranji Trophy.”After his IPL stint with CSK, Siddarth moved to his new TNPL team, Lyca Kovai Kings, but endured a difficult season, managing only 131 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 107.37. He has taken that in his stride and feels he has learnt to ride the lows along with the highs.C Andre Siddarth feels he has learnt to ride the lows along with the highs•ACC”Yes, I didn’t have a good TNPL,” he said. “But it was a matter of just time and I figured it out. I am really grateful for the experience. My fitness, fielding and even my batting has improved a lot since [the training sessions at CSK]. If I think too much about downs, I can’t grow as a cricketer and grow as a person. That’s what I think personally.”Two days after turning out for Tamil Nadu in the Buchi Babu final against Hyderabad in Chennai, Siddarth will join the South Zone side for the Duleep Trophy final in Bengaluru. While playing in the Duleep final will tick another box for Siddarth, his main goal is to help Tamil Nadu win the Ranji Trophy.”It [Playing in the Duleep Trophy] would be a good feeling for anyone,” Siddarth said. “In my mind, it is about how I can improve and rectify my flaws. Because I know that more than the Duleep Trophy, representing my state is more important for me and winning the Ranji Trophy is more important.”Tamil Nadu is still a powerhouse in domestic cricket. In the past two-three years, we have been qualifying [for the knockouts]. I think that this year, we can lift the cup. Winning trophies for Tamil Nadu – that’s the main thing I want to do.”
Only one of Australia’s Ashes squad won’t feature for their states this week ahead of the first Test
AAP09-Nov-20251:45
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In the next five days, Australia’s players will enjoy the first huge luxury of hosting a home Ashes series.Not because of the conditions or the fact record-breaking crowds are expected, but in terms of what the last full week of warm-ups look like.Every member of Australia’s squad, with the exception of Usman Khawaja, will play in Sheffield Shield games at the SCG, WACA and Bellerive Oval this week.Related
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At the same time, England will be playing a three-day intra-squad game at Perth’s Lilac Hill, a venue that has never hosted a men’s international.The tourists’ preparations were questioned by former England captain Michael Vaughan last week, pointing to the vast difference in conditions to Optus Stadium.Keen not to light an early fuse, Australia’s players have stayed away from questioning England’s tactics.”England can prepare however they want to prepare,” Nathan Lyon said this week. “I am not worried about how they’re preparing or anything to do with them until the morning of November 21.”England’s preparations are nothing new, with a cluttered calendar making meaningful tour games a thing of the past. When Australia went to England in 2023, they played no warm-up games before the Test Championship final but won that and their first two Ashes battles with England.But there are very obvious advantages to having a longer lead-in for Australia’s players, given the timing of the series. England are coming off a white-ball series against New Zealand and their players haven’t featured in a red-ball match since early August.Mitchell Starc will make a rare Sheffield Shield appearance•Getty ImagesIn comparison, Steven Smith has already hit one red-ball century this summer and Marnus Labuschagne two.Lyon will play his fourth Sheffield Shield game of the season and Scott Boland his third, while Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and back-up quick Sean Abbott join them at the SCG this week when New South Wales host Victoria.Meanwhile, Travis Head and Alex Carey will feature for South Australia against a Tasmania side including the Jake Weatherald and Beau Webster. In Perth, all eyes will be on how Cameron Green goes on his return to bowling.”A lot of the skills are transferable between formats,” Abbott said on Sunday. “But Josh Hazelwood has mentioned it a few times – your action gets into a little bit of a different position trying to hit yorkers constantly through white-ball cricket.”Then when you come back to red-ball cricket, you want to be a little bit up-and-over and get the kiss off the wicket and giving the ball every chance to move.”You can’t really match game intensity as much as we try to in the nets. It’s just something about being out there in the middle and the thick of the contest. So, pretty lucky – home conditions, home summer.”As for Abbott, he is insistent he will be well prepared if his chance comes for a Test debut this summer.”I feel like I could get the tap on the shoulder,” Abbott said. “It felt that way potentially in the West Indies a little bit and games before that. I’ve not been getting a heap of game time recently, but being around those sort of guys is invaluable, whether you’re playing or not.”New South Wales squad Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Ryan Hadley, Josh Hazlewood, Sam Konstas, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Will Salzmann, Mitchell StarcVictoria squad Will Sutherland (capt), Scott Boland, Harry Dixon, Sam Elliott, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Blake Macdonald, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver PeakeTasmania squad Jordan Silk (capt), Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Nikhil Chaudhary, Jake Doran, Kieran Elliott, Brad Hope, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Aidan O’Connor, Tim Ward, Jake Weatherald, Beau WebsterSouth Australia squad Nathan McSweeney (capt), Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Jake Lehmann, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton
Wilfried Nancy will manage his first match in charge of Celtic this afternoon as Hearts come to Parkhead in a top-of-the-table clash in the Scottish Premiership.
It will be interesting to see what tactical changes he has been able to implement after only a few days on the training pitch, as his usual system with his former club is different from the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 shape that the Hoops have played this season.
Per FBRef, Nancy played with a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-3 system in 31 of his 43 matches with Columbus Crew this year in all competitions, often playing with two second strikers or number tens behind a main centre-forward.
If the French boss goes with his favoured 3-4-2-1 system, he could ruthlessly drop Luke McCowan from the team that started against Dundee last time out.
Why Wilfried Nancy should drop Luke McCowan
The Scottish midfielder has started the last two league matches on the right wing in Martin O’Neill’s 4-2-3-1 system, but he has been ineffective in a new role, lacking the dynamism and pace required to be effective in that area of the pitch.
McCowan, who has not scored since the opening day of the season, did not score a goal or create a ‘big chance’ for the team against Hibernian or Dundee as a winger, per Sofascore.
He also completed just two of his five attempted dribbles, per Sofascore, struggling with the explosive turn of pace that is often needed to make things happen on the wing, whilst he also lost seven of his 11 duels in total across both matches.
These statistics suggest that McCowan should be dropped irrespective of a change in formation, but a change in shape to a 3-4-2-1 would allow Nancy to ditch the Scotsman by unleashing Johnny Kenny in a new role.
The new role that Johnny Kenny could play for Celtic
It has been a rollercoaster couple of months for the Ireland international, who went from rarely playing under Brendan Rodgers to scoring four goals in O’Neill’s first four games, to now being on the bench behind Daizen Maeda.
Kenny has been an unused substitute in the last three matches, which means that he has still scored four goals in his last five appearances for the club, per Sofascore, and Nancy could bring him back into the fold as an attacking midfielder or second striker.
The two roles behind the striker in a 3-4-2-1 system are unique because it can be a very fluid front three with a lot of movement, and that could suit both Kenny and Maeda, the former of whom has been praised for his “top-drawer” mentality by his former Sligo Rovers coach Conor O’Grady.
Celtic’s Irish striker has shown that he can score goals for the club, with his four-goal burst under O’Neill, but Nancy’s job is to find the best way to fit him into the system to get the best out of him.
Per Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old star has never played as a second striker or as an attacking midfielder in his career to date. It is a role that could suit him quite nicely, though.
GK
Kasper Schmeichel
CB
Dane Murray
CB
Auston Trusty
CB
Liam Scales
RWB
Colby Donovan
CM
Callum McGregor
CM
Reo Hatate
LWB
Kieran Tierney
AM
Hyun-jun Yang
AM
Johnny Kenny
ST
Daizen Maeda
As you can see in the XI above, Kenny could play as one of two players behind Maeda, who is a relentless pressing forward who can also play deeper or out wide, and could rotate across all three positions.
This fluidity could suit the Irishman because of his mobility and desire to run beyond the last line to create chances for himself, without being the focal point who has to bring physicality and hold up play, because it will be Maeda in that position.
Of course, it is hard to judge how the system will look until Nancy has had a few games to test things out and more time on the training pitch to coach the players, but Kenny seems like a player who could benefit from a 3-4-2-1 formation.
That change in shape, whilst helping the striker, would also allow the manager to drop an underperforming player, McCowan, from the starting line-up to provide the young forward with a chance to shine in a brand-new role in his career.
Better than Maeda: Celtic star is going to be undroppable under Nancy
This Celtic star who was even better than Daizen Maeda against Dundee should be Wilfried Nancy’s first undroppable star.
1 ByDan Emery Dec 4, 2025
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