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'Baby Lukaku'. That is the nickname, coined by Romelu Lukaku's former team-mate Kevin Mirallas, that Belgian journalists love to use when they write about Promise David. It's easy to see why, too, with the Union Saint-Gilloise striker one of European football's most unsung talents, a true Hidden Gem.

The striker is physically and mentally strong and is very fast. Weapons with which he can force something in every game. With his profile, it is not surprising that Premier League clubs such as West Ham United are closely following him. And yet David does not dispel all doubts.

David appears clumsy, wild, certainly no clinical finisher, and his lack of concentration is apparent. David is an enigma to scouts. He can't tread water, but he can swim easily from A to B. The black Michael Phelps, he calls himself in Similarly, David can play a terrible game, yet still manage to get his name on the score sheet. That may actually be his greatest quality. It drives his coach, David Hubert, crazy. But Hubert can't ignore him, because his striker can score anytime, anywhere. And his five-year plan? He's ticked that off in a year and a half. Promise David has found his way.

Lukaku-esque

If there is one goal that perfectly illustrates just why Mirallas, who now works as USG's attacking coach, compares David to Lukaku, it was his striker against Royal Antwerp in March 2025. In the opening game of the Jupiler League championship play-offs, David was played in behind the Antwerp defence as Rosen Bozhinov pulled out all the stops to fend the striker off.

"As I ran, I felt a claw at my neck," the striker told podcast about a goal that quickly went viral on the internet. "When I took a shower later, it hurt badly because he had literally torn the skin off my neck. I bled throughout the entire match and didn't even realise it."

"I headed straight for the goal, seeing nothing but green," David continued. "I didn't want to dive or fall. Then he grabbed me again. I thought, 'You f*cking dick!' I swung my arms back and my shirt ripped. I was happy about that, because every time he pulled on that shirt, it felt like I was choking."

With only half a shirt left, David finally broke free from Bozhinov, though the defender had slowed him down just enough for a team-mate to catch up. David, though, produced a simple body feint to leave the second defender in the dust before sliding the ball into the net, slapping his chest powerfully and screaming mightily in celebration.

"I was subbed and then took a look at my phone," he said. "The goal had already been posted on social media and it looked horrible. It was just assault!

"Our sporting director has that shirt hanging in our new training facility, alongside all kinds of other historic kits from Union's history. He said, 'This shirt symbolises Union: it's about resilience, strength and not giving up." It is precisely those three things that symbolise David's unusual career path, too.

AdvertisementWhere it all began

As a child, David always was an energetic boy – "My teachers thought I was a good kid, but also that I was a distraction to others," he recalls – as he grew up in Brampton, Ontario, a city that also has links to his fellow Canada internationals Cyle Larin, Atiba Hutchinson and Tajon Buchanan.

However, it was not in Canada, but rather in Lagos, Nigeria, where David discovered his love for football. As a toddler, he lived there with his grandparents, while his uncle was a huge Chelsea supporter.

"I'll never forget him picking me up at my grandmother's house," David told . "I sat on the back of his motorbike and we rode to the bar together to watch the matches."

Upon moving back to Canada, David looked for a hobby to pour his energy into. At first, it was the piano, but when it broke – "That really p*ssed me off!" – David went looking for something else, and soon found his new love: football.

'F*ck you moment'

David initially joined Toronto FC's academy, but at the age of 15 he was let go. He then spent three years with semi-professional outfit Vaughan Azzurri before, having turned 18 in 2019, he was offered a move to Europe to join Croatian third-division side NK Trnje. It proved, however, to be a painful moment in his young life.

"Things happened in Croatia that I didn't even dare tell my parents about," David recalls, before revealing the racist abuse he suffered from his coach in Zagreb. "He didn't want black people, Africans, on his team. He said bizarre things to me.On one occasion, my team-mates didn't translate what he had shouted during a training session until a month later because they found it too awful. Everyone froze the moment he said it. It was something like,God forbid I ever put a black player in my team.'"

David was sent back to the youth team, where he was able to rediscover his love of the game under a different coach, Rajko Vidovic. When Vidovic became the coach of the first team shortly afterwards, he provided the prolific striker an opportunity, one which David took immediately.

"It was the biggest f*ck you momentof my life," David says of the goal he scored moment after coming off the bench for his debut. "It felt like revenge on that one man."

David soon left Zagreb, however, and moved to the United States and USL outfit FC Tulsa. The switch did not prove to be a success, and he soon headed back to Europe, joining Maltese side Valletta.

"I lost a cup final there," David remembered. "That broke me. I've cried three times in my life when it came to football, that match was one of them. My niece Liz was in the stadium at the time and she took a photo of me on the big screen just as I was crying. Man, I'm ugly when I cry."

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The big break

By the time a spell with a different Maltese club, Sirens FC, had also ended in disappointment, David was 21 and his dream of a career as a professional footballer seemed very far away.

"My parents wanted me to come home," he said. "Until then, they had always supported me. But they had lost hope. I asked them for one more opportunity." That opportunity soon arose in Estonia with Kalju FC. At that point, David drew up an ambitious five-year plan that would end with him playing and scoring at a World Cup.

"The idea was to either play football really well, or be a loser," said David when summing up his thoughts at the time to podcast. "I really didn't want to go to school."

Things didn't start well for him in his new home, however. David was regarded as a 'project' and was initially integrated into Kalju's youth team. There, however, he scored a lot of goals and was eventually promoted to the first team. But any suggestion that David was finally on the right track were soon put to bed.

"I remember playing a match," he recalled. "We were 2-1 up at half-time and I was playing pretty well. They lured us in and then played long balls, so as an attacker I didn't put any pressure on them when we were leading. I walked into the changing room and the president grabbed me by the neck and dragged me out before saying, Is this how you want to play? Don't you know what your father does to keep you here? I'm 60 and I move more than you do!'

"In the second half, I scored again and we won 4-3. All my team-mates were celebrating in the dressing room but I was in the shower crying because the president had just called my father and agent and said it was a big mistake to bring me to the club.

"I didn't have an apartment, but was staying in a hostel. At the same time, all my friends from home were graduating. I had my father's credit card with me because I wasn't earning any money from football. That's when I really thought, 'What am I doing with my life?'"

Those emotions eventually subsided and David worked hard to secure a regular role in the first team. In the 2024 season, he scored 14 goals in 16 games, but despite interest in his services from leagues higher up the food chain, Kalju initially refused to let David leave under any circumstances: "It was insane. I begged them, 'Please release me'. Those times made me understand how people feel when they have to work a 9-to-5 job they hate."

David's plea worked and Kalju reached an agreement with USG in the summer of 2024 for David to move to Belgium.

They might have suffered their first defeat in months at the hands of Aston Villa on Saturday, but this season is still shaping up to be a memorable one for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side are top of the Premier League and Champions League tables and still haven’t reached their full potential.

Moreover, while injuries have taken their toll, the Gunners have a squad bursting at the seams with incredible players, and Bukayo Saka, arguably their most important player, has produced three goal involvements in his last four games.

So, fans should be excited about reports linking Arsenal to a player who has been compared not only to the Englishman but also to summer target Rodrygo.

Arsenal target Saka & Rodrygo hybrid

Uncharacteristically, Arsenal went on something of a spending spree in the summer, bringing in the likes of Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres and others.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Therefore, it would be understandable if the North Londoners held off on any major signings in the January window.

However, it would appear that the Gunners are determined to further improve their already impressive squad, and are now looking at a player who has been compared to both Saka and Rodrygo.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Arsenal are very interested in signing Yan Diamonde.

In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the Premier League leaders have now identified the winger as a priority target.

However, the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are also said to be keen on the youngster and that RB Leipzig would need a fee of up to €100m to sell their star asset, which is about £87m.

It would therefore almost certainly be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Diomande’s ability and potential, one Arsenal should fight for anyway, especially as he’s been compared to Saka and Rodrygo.

How Diomande compares to Saka & Rodrygo

So, starting with the obvious and somewhat surface-level similarities, like Saka and Rodrygo, Diomande is a seriously exciting winger plying his trade for a team in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Moreover, unlike some other wingers for top teams, the 19-year-old is someone who can back up his flashy ability with output.

For example, in 15 first-team appearances this season, totalling just 951 minutes, the Ivorian star has scored seven goals and provided four assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games, or every 86.45 minutes, which is a rate of return that really lends credence to journalist Bence Bocsák’s claim that he is a “generational talent.”

However, the comparisons to the two international wingers go deeper than just their positions and ability to produce goal involvements.

For example, FBref has ranked Rodrygo as the second-most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Leipzig star across Europe’s top five leagues, and ranked Saka as the ninth-most similar.

The best way to understand how these comparisons have been made is to take a look at the underlying numbers in which the players rank so closely.

Progressive Carries

6.74

6.74

Shots on Target

1.35

1.40

Key Passes

1.46

1.40

Blocks

1.35

1.16

Passing Accuracy

80.9%

83.5%

In the case of the Real Madrid star, these metrics include progressive carries, key passes, shots on target, and passing accuracy, all per 90.

In other words, the teen phenom is as capable as the two-time Champions League winner at getting the ball up the pitch, whether by carrying or passing.

Expected Goals

0.34

0.36

Shots

2.37

2.60

Shots on Target

1.35

1.21

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.57

1.48

Shot-Creating Actions

4.29

4.55

Tackles Won

0.56

0.65

Ball Recoveries

5.39

5.56

Now, when it comes to the Gunners’ mercurial number seven, similar metrics include shot-creating actions, ball recoveries, tackles won, shots on target, expected goals, and more, also per 90.

This suggests that the youngster is as willing to help out with the defensive side of the game as the 24-year-old is, while also still being a serious goal threat.

Ultimately, it would require a significant amount of money, but Arsenal should do what they can to sign Diomande, as, in addition to being a great prospect in his own right, he also has a lot in common with Saka and Rodrygo.

Arsenal star was playing like Saka, now he's being treated like Smith Rowe

The incredible Arsenal talent could end up following Smith Rowe’s trajectory instead of Saka’s.

3 ByJack Salveson Holmes 2 days ago

Manchester United are now in pole position to complete the signing of Ajax youngster Jorthy Mokio, as they look to find a long-term replacement for the ageing Casemiro and exiled Kobbie Mainoo.

The futures of both Casemiro and Mainoo are key talking points at Old Trafford currently, with the Brazilian’s current contract expiring at the end of this season, at which point he will be 34 years of age.

In fairness, the Real Madrid legend has shown improved form this season, but Fabrizio Romano has claimed that a new deal is unlikely, especially on his current £350,000 wages, which make him United’s highest-paid player.

“Casemiro is working hard and is becoming once again in his career a crucial player for the manager. So, in this moment, he is really important for Ruben Amorim, but there will be a conversation about his contract because at the moment, the numbers of his contract, salary is way too high for Manchester United to extend that.

“Or they find a solution on the contract, and this is Casemiro and for Harry Maguire, or the player could leave on a free.

It looks increasingly likely that a replacement for Casemiro will need to be found next summer, especially with Ruben Amorim seemingly not fancying Mainoo in the role.

Man Utd "leading the chase" for Mokio

According to Caught Offside‘s Mark Brus, Manchester United are the front-runners to sign Mokio from Ajax, with the 17-year-old considered a prodigious talent at the heart of midfield.

“Manchester United are leading the chase for Jorthy Mokio. They are already working on a project that could offer Mokio guaranteed minutes and a clear development path.”

Mokio is a huge talent with so much to offer in the coming years, proving to be the latest great youngster to emerge from Ajax’s famous academy recently, and he should be the type of profile United are looking for in a player.

The defensive midfielder has already made 29 appearances for the Eredivisie giants, highlighting his maturity at such a young age, while scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a “special” player.

Mokio has also now been capped once at senior level by Belgium, and will hope to see his star rise further at next summer’s World Cup, but United should be looking to seal a deal for him before them, before the competition increases further for his signature.

Antoine Semenyo chooses between Man Utd and Liverpool

What a signing this could be…

1

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 22, 2025

Wildcard Casemiro replacement: Man Utd star can "become a world class DM"

The ICC has finally decided to suspend USA Cricket (USAC), in the process hitting the reset button as it attempts to overhaul the leadership and governance structure of the sport in a key market. The decision was taken by the ICC Board after a virtual meeting on Tuesday. USAC’s suspension will not impact the national team’s participation in the T20 World Cup starting in February in India and Sri Lanka or the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.The suspension comes just over two months after the ICC, at its annual general meeting in July, had granted USAC three months to hold “free and fair elections” and carry out “comprehensive” governance reforms. At the time, the ICC reiterated that USAC would continue to remain “on notice”, as it has been since July 2024. The ICC Board also warned USAC that it reserved the right to take any action it deemed fit based on the progress of reforms.Eventually, on Tuesday evening, the ICC suspended USAC with “immediate effect” and temporarily took over “management and administration of USA national teams.”Related

• Boards set to discuss India-Pakistan fallout during ICC quarterly meeting

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• USA Cricket calls ICC suspension 'one of the most difficult moments' in its history

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• ACE takes USA Cricket to court as power struggle intensifies

“The decision, taken by the ICC Board during its meeting earlier, was based on USA Cricket’s repeated and continued breaches of its obligations as an ICC Member under the ICC’s Constitution,” an ICC press release said. “These include, but are not limited to, the failure to implement a functional governance structure, lack of progress toward achieving National Governing Body status with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), and significant actions that have caused reputational damage to cricket in the United States and around the world.”The suspension does not have an immediate impact on cricket being part of the LA 2028 Games. The ICC clarified that USA teams will still be able to participate in ICC events as well as make preparations for the Olympics. Calling it “unfortunate but necessary” the ICC said it was forced to take such extreme action to “protect the long-term interests of the game and the ICC’s top priority remains ensuring that the athletes and the sport itself are not impacted due to the suspension.”During the time USAC had been put on notice, the ICC had been working with it to draw a “roadmap” and facilitate its securing national governing body (NGB) status from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). This is mandatory for all sports that were added to LA28 Games. As hosts, USA are expected to be one of the six teams to contest for medals in both men’s and women’s categories.That roadmap, which comprises six steps, was drawn by the ICC’s Normalisation Committee, headed by chairman Jay Shah. Prior to that, the committee met USAC top brass Venu Pisike (chairman) and Johnathan Atkeison (CEO) twice – first in April virtually and then in person in June. The roadmap called for USAC to start an organisational revamp by bringing in three new independent directors to replace the incumbents on the Board. Following that the USAC Board would step down and prompt fresh elections. At this point USAC would apply for NGB status.Simultaneously, the ICC also said a comprehensive review and reform of the USA Cricket Constitution “shall be undertaken” in close consultation with the Independent Directors and relevant ICC stakeholders. With USAC unable to meet these terms, it was suspended.USAC was being considered for suspension at the ICC’s AGM in July and only managed its three-month reprieve by making “commitments” to the ICC Board to meet the criteria required for membership.”When USAC was notified of the AGM’s decision,” the ICC press release said, “it was specifically advised in writing that, along with fulfilling the commitments it made to the Board and taking immediate steps in that respect, it must (i) not do/omit to do anything that might jeopardise cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, and (ii) not do anything (by act or omission) that brings cricket or the ICC into disrepute or is contrary to the best interests of cricket or the ICC.”For USAC to lift its suspension, it will need to follow procedure that the Normalisation Committee, in coordination with the ICC management, will outline and which “will include demonstrable and specific changes to USA Cricket’s governance structure, operations and overall status in the Cricket ecosystem. The normalisation committee will also monitor USA Cricket’s progress and provide consultatory support.”The ICC remains committed to supporting the growth of cricket in the United States, protect the sporting ecosystem and its constituents, namely the athletes and bolstering its march towards a more significant role on the global stage.”

Inter Miami will be without Luis Suarez for Saturday’s decisive Game 3 against Nashville SC after MLS denied the striker’s suspension appeal. Head coach Javier Mascherano confirmed the decision on Friday, noting Suarez had sought to overturn the one-match ban ahead of the series finale, with a semifinal berth on the line.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'We were told the club couldn’t do it'

  The suspension MLS handed to Luis Suárez, a one-match ban, followed after he kicked Honduran player Andy Najar. Mascherano revealed the league was quick in denying the striker's appeal. 

  “The player appealed the sanction because in this case, we were told the club couldn’t do it," Mascherano said. "He appealed using the club’s resources, but within a few hours, the request was denied.”

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'There will be a war'

  Inter Miami will now aim to advance without their leading striker, and defender Maximiliano Falcón stated that tomorrow’s match will be more than just a game for the rest of the team. 

   “We know it’s going to be a heated game, where there will be a war," he said. "We’ll try to implement our style, but also fight and win every duel because games are also decided there.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Training updates

  In Friday’s session – the team’s last before facing Nashville SC – Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul trained alongside their teammates, so their availability for tomorrow is not in doubt. Suárez also trained with the group, despite being unavailable to play. David Ruiz continued working separately and is unlikely to feature tomorrow. Allen Obando is available and could be an option off the bench.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  What comes next?

  The winner between Inter Miami and Nashville will face the victor of Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Shakib said he wants to play a full series across formats in Bangladesh to say goodbye to the fans

Mohammad Isam07-Dec-2025

Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has reversed his retirement from Tests and T20Is, and has said that he wishes to play all three formats. Shakib has not played international cricket in over a year and had announced his retirement from Tests and T20Is last year.”I am officially not retired from all formats,” Shakib said on the podcast, which features Moeen Ali, on Sunday. “This is the first time I’ll be revealing that. My plan is to go back to Bangladesh, play one full series of ODI, Test, and T20, and retire.”I mean, [I can] retire from all formats in a series. So it can start from T20I, ODI and Test, or Test, ODI, T20I. Either way, I’m fine, but I want to play a whole series and retire. That’s what I want.”Related

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Shakib hasn’t returned to Bangladesh since May 2024, once the Awami League government was dethroned on August 5. Shakib was an MP for that party. He was named in an FIR in an alleged murder case, although he was not in the country at the time. He then went on to play Tests in Pakistan and India. The second Test against India in Kanpur was his last international game.When asked whether he will return to Bangladesh, Shakib said, “I am hopeful. That’s why I’m playing [T20 leagues]. I think it will happen.”Shakib further said that he will not be burdened by results and he wants to “give something back to the fans” for years of support in a home series.”I think when a player says something, they try to stick to their words,” he said. “They normally don’t change it all of a sudden. It doesn’t matter if I play well or not. I might play a bad series after that, if I want to play. But I don’t need to do that.”I think this is enough. It’s just a nicer way to say bye to the fans that they supported me always, give something back to them, playing a home series.”Shakib Al Hasan last played a Test in late 2024•AFP/Getty Images

Ahead of the Kanpur Test in September last year, Shakib announced he wasn’t going to play T20Is anymore, while expressing his desire to play his last Test in the home South Africa series that was scheduled for October.There were some protests and clashes around the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka ahead of the Test series, after which Shakib issued an apology for his silence during the students-led protest which led to hundreds of deaths in July and August.The BCB then dropped Shakib for the Tests against South Africa, mainly because Bangladesh’s interim government couldn’t guarantee his safe exit from the country.Earlier this year, a BCB official said that Shakib was welcome to return to the Bangladesh team. In September, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Mahmud declared that Shakib would not be allowed to play for the country after Shakib wished former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on her birthday.Shakib, who was elected as an MP from his hometown Magura in January 2024, also suggested that he wasn’t done with his political career when he was asked what legacy he wants to leave. “[I have] done my cricketing part. Maybe political side is left,” he said. “It’s something I want to do for the people of Bangladesh and people of Magura. That was my intention, and it is still my intention. Let’s see where Allah takes me.”

The magnitude of Tottenham Hotspur’s victory over Brentford in the Premier League last weekend cannot be understated. Had the Bees taken the spoils against their old boss, Thomas Frank, the atmosphere down N17 may have become poisonous.

But Spurs rallied after a tough run of results, secured three points, restored the faith that this new system, more pragmatic, better organised, will stop spinning its wheels and start showcasing actual progress.

The magnitude of Xavi Simons’ magnificent solo goal, breaking his duck, cannot be understated, but neither can the fact that some Lilywhites are still flattering to deceive after last season’s inconsistency, and that needs to change.

Spurs' most disappointing players in 25/26

Simons has probably been the most salient disappointment at Tottenham this season, but there is hope that the Dutch playmaker has turned a corner after a standout showing last time out.

However, Randal Kolo Muani’s struggles rage on, the French loanee yet to score in a white shirt. There’s a real player in there, but given Spurs’ attacking problems, Frank will expect more.

Analyst Raj Chohan clearly feels Tottenham need to make a change in the engine room, calling Rodrigo Bentancur a “candidate for worst centre-midfielder at a big six club”.

Bentancur is directly inhibiting Spurs’ central build-up play, but he’s not alone in flattering to deceive, with Pedro Porro’s creativity unable to detract from some really poor defensive displays, lacking awareness and physicality in the challenge.

1.

Mats Wieffer

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2.

Neco Williams

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3.

Pedro Porro

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Hugo Bueno

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Matty Cash

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Porro has been well below the standard this season, but he is not alone in struggling to adapt to Frank’s tactics. Indeed, there’s another defender who simply can’t bring it all together at the moment, and in this, he runs the risk of becoming the London club’s new version of Ryan Sessegnon.

Spurs' new version of Ryan Sessegnon

In 2019, Tottenham signed Sessegnon from Fulham for a whopping £25m fee. He had enjoyed a stunning start to senior life at Craven Cottage, but fell by the wayside after incessant hamstring injuries, five in five years down N17.

One half-season loan spell aside, in 2020/21 with Hoffenheim in Germany, the fact that the 25-year-old only made 57 appearances tells much of his problems, unable to reach the potential that was clear for all to see.

Sessegnon is now enjoying a measure of revival back at Fulham, but his door at Tottenham has been closed, and fans may be worried that lightning is striking twice with Destiny Udogie, who has struggled for form this season after a few injury-hit years in the capital.

Udogie, 23, also has a shoddy track record on the fitness front, with Frank confirming ahead of Tottenham’s Champions League tie against Slavia Prague this week that the Italy international is sidelined until the new year after tweaking his hamstring against Brentford.

For a player who was considered by Clinton Morrison on BBC Sport to be “the best left-back” in the country when he broke onto the scene in 2023/24, this is a real concern. Udogie appears somewhat stagnant, having yet to raise his level to the standard that he can surely reach.

There will be heightened fears that this season could become another write-off after this latest blow. Udogie needs stability and a landscape on which he can take forward strides, and having been ruled out for the remainder of the calendar year, Spurs’ left-sided balance has been knocked out of kilter and so have the defender’s chances of restoring full fluency.

Sofascore outline the player’s struggles, and it’s not pretty reading. Udogie has only won 46% of his duels in the Premier League this season, completing 27% of his dribbles and averaging only 0.6 key passes per match. One coach said that he “needs to wake up” from a defensive perspective this term.

So much has been left to be desired by a rising star who has ebbed and flowed and found himself lower on the chart than he would have envisaged a few years ago.

If injuries continue to weigh him down, we may be looking at Sessegnon 2.0 here.

Their new Son: Spurs have held advanced talks to sign a future £100m player

Tottenham are looking to add fresh quality to their attacking flanks in 2026.

1 ByAngus Sinclair 4 days ago

The duo shared an unbeaten 212-run stand at Adelaide Oval after the defending champions slumped to 58 for 3

AAP04-Oct-2025Centuries to Henry Hunt and Jake Lehmann have defending champions South Australia early control of their Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at Adelaide Oval.Victoria captain Peter Handscomb’s decision to bowl looked the right call when Mitchell Perry took his third wicket in the morning session, leaving the home side in trouble at 58 for 3.That brought together Hunt and Lehmann, who steadily took the game away from Victoria and at stumps SA were 270 for 3. Hunt carried his bat through the day and scored a grinding 121 from 300 balls, with 10 fours and one six. Lehmann’s 107 from 180 balls, featuring only seven fours on a slow outfield, was his fourth century in as many Shield games going back to last season.Victoria could have had South Australia in even bigger early trouble. Hunt had reached 33 and the score was 114 when he drove at a wide delivery from pacer David Moody and edged straight to Blake Macdonald at first slip. But the chance was grassed and it proved costly for Victoria.It was the slowest of Hunt’s 11 Shield centuries and he said Lehmann’s innings had been pivotal.”The momentum shifted when he came out – his presence at the crease, to put some pressure back on [Victoria],” Hunt said. “To be 270 for 3, that’s almost a perfect day for us.”Perry finished with 3 for 61 from 20 overs while Test quick Scott Boland went wicketless from 18 overs and Fergus O’Neill also failed to a scalp from his 21 overs.

How RCB silenced the crowd at a ground and against a team they’ve historically struggled

Alagappan Muthu29-Mar-20251:32

Rapid Fire Review: Is this RCB’s season?

For a little while on Friday, Josh Hazlewood held all the power and he had the good sense to use it indiscriminately. He produced two wickets and nine dots with his first 12 balls.For a little while, a little earlier, Rajat Patidar held all the power and he had the good sense to use it indiscriminately. He gave up all of his stumps to one of India’s best spin bowlers and did not care one bit. He had lined up Ravindra Jadeja. He felt in no danger whatsoever. That inside out cover drive went to the boundary like it was racing to meet an appointment.For a little while, a little later, Virat Kohli held all the power and he had the good sense to use it indiscriminately. He was walking over to his mark at long-on and a whole host of people – many of them wearing yellow – were going crazy for him. When he looked up, waved, touched his heart and raised his hand in a thumbs up, a crowd that is famously partisan started chanting his name.Related

• Patidar, bowlers lead RCB to first win over CSK in Chennai since 2008

• Stats – RCB end 17-year Chennai jinx against CSK

• Gaikwad: 'Happy we didn't lose by a big margin'

• Fleming: 'No home advantage at Chepauk'

• Hazlewood: 'This is probably the freshest I've been in a long time'

All of this happened at a ground and against a team that Royal Challengers Bengaluru have historically struggled. But by the end of the night, they conquered both the place and the opposition. They recorded the biggest win, in terms of runs, by a visiting team against Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram stadium.Fast bowlers have had to stomach all manner of evils as T20 cricket has progressed, to the point that they have been forced to admit that for their own survival they had to give up the very thing that makes them so special. Their speed. Their ego. Their gravitational pull.The new ball, though, reminds them that they matter. And Hazlewood is so good with it. Seven of his 16 wickets at the 2023 ODI World Cup were the result of his work within the first 10 overs, including a peak performance in the semi-final where his first spell – 6-1-12-2 – left South Africa – a side that scored over 400 earlier in the tournament – at 28 for 4. By then, he was pushing through on adrenaline. At the start of this IPL, he said he was feeling fresh. In Chennai, he was pure fire. His dismissal of Ruturaj Gaikwad left CSK at 8 for 2 chasing 198. The entire ground was drowning in silence. Kohli, and one billion people, slumped the last time an Australian fast bowler did that. Here he (literally), and eight million people (figuratively), leapt on top of Hazlewood and took a piggy back ride.Josh Hazlewood gave RCB a cracking start with the ball•Associated PressThe war cry that always goes up at the Chinnaswamy stadium had found its way across the border. “Arr-Cee-Bee! Arr-Cee-Bee.” The enemy had breached the gates. Chepauk had fallen. And the worse was to come. When DRS revealed the spike on Deepak Hooda’s edge, several pockets of RCB fans celebrated it with not screams or claps but with something deeply synonymous with the CSK fan base – whistles.RCB have waited for 17 years to win against this team in this place and they were very aware of it.”Yeah, it was actually at breakfast,” Phil Salt, their newest member, said at the post-match press conference. “Some sort of an article came up on my phone, and it was all the things that have happened since RCB beat CSK here. [We had] a pretty light-hearted conversation. There wasn’t too much in it. But yeah, it’s a good win.”To beat the champions in their home ground, and then come here, which is a very, very tough place to come and get a win, we’re really happy with the fact that we’re sitting two games, four points, obviously with a boost in the net run rate as well. But we’re very aware of how good a side CSK are, especially at home, so we’re pleased.”It is not easy to spot a captain’s influence on a T20 game. But it is possible to spot what it does to their own game. In Patidar’s case, the extra responsibility is bringing the best out of him. In three previous matches at Chepauk, he had made only nine runs. He made nearly six times as many from just tonight – though did have the benefit of being dropped on 17.Patidar’s presence through much of the RCB innings prevented R Ashwin and Jadeja from finishing their full quota of overs. They bowled just five, and were taken for 59 runs. The dressing room was in awe of their leader.”I think he’s brilliant in all areas, if I’m being honest with you,” Salt said, “I think the batting is right up there with the best around. I’ve not seen anybody hit spin the way that he can. Obviously, he rode his luck a little bit tonight, but that’s the game. You get that in patches.”And then you come to his captaincy, and he’s a cool head and very calm under pressure. He’s got very good cricket brain. He thinks about the game very deeply. As I’ve already said, the way that he spun the bowlers around tonight to make sure that we’re keeping the pressure on at all times. There’s not much more you can ask for. There’s a reason he’s got a [Player] of the Match trophy as well.”RCB had done such a number on CSK at Chepauk that when the living embodiment of both this place and this team finally made his way out at No. 9, he took strike with a slip and short leg crowding him. At the end of the match, his coach felt compelled to get up close and personal with the pitch, a member of the ground staff in tow. Stephen Fleming’s next stop was the press conference. He left it in a huff with echoes of “Arr-Cee-Bee! Arr-Cee-Bee!” still ringing in the air.

Dawid Malan, Zak Crawley set hosts on way to 193 for 5, the highest score of the men’s tournament since 2023

ECB Media15-Aug-2025Northern Superchargers 193 for 5 (Malan 58, Crawley 45) beat Birmingham Phoenix 157 for 9 (Bethell 48, Livingstone 46*, Potts 3-26, Lawes 2-23, Rashid 2-26, Duffy 2-31) by 36 runsAn absorbing game in front of a capacity Leeds crowd finally went the way of Harry Brook’s Superchargers, who claimed top spot outright in the men’s Hundred following another scintillating batting performance against Birmingham Phoenix.In pursuit of the Superchargers’ 193 for 5 – the highest score in the men’s tournament since the 2023 season – a magnificent partnership of 80 in just 42 balls between Phoenix’s Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell briefly threatened to upset the odds, but the brilliance of Adil Rashid, who removed Bethell caught-and-bowled with 87 still needed from 38 balls, ultimately swung the momentum back to the home team.Livingstone kept swinging after Bethell’s departure but Rashid’s guile was too much for the Phoenix hitters. In a game dominated by the bat, on a flat pitch with a lightning fast outfield, it was the great legspinner who once again proved to be the difference, outfoxing Livingstone with his 17th delivery to settle the contest.The Phoenix top order again failed to fire, with three wickets falling in the powerplay – two of them to the excellent Matthew Potts, who finished up with three. Phoenix now face an uphill task to qualify for the latter stages of the competition.With the bat, the Superchargers’ superb top four were yet again irrepressible. Zak Crawley and Dawid Malan continued their fruitful opening partnership, adding 67 in 31 balls – Crawley was particularly savage on anything wide, racking up six fours and two sixes in his 23-ball stay – before Michael Pepper and then Brook took centre stage.Brook opened his account with an outrageous scoop for six off his first ball, and finished with 31 from just 14 deliveries as the home side added 40 in the last 20 balls.With three wins in four, Andrew Flintoff’s team are emerging as one of the teams to beat in this year’s tournament.Rashid, named the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “I thought we played exceptionally well. We put a great score on the board, which allowed us bowlers to go out there and attack to take wickets. We’ve got world class players all the way through and great firepower in the middle order.”I know their batters are going to come hard at me, so I need to be unpredictable and mix it up. It’s useful for me because I’ve bowled to a lot of these boys in the nets, so I know their strengths and weaknesses as well, which all plays a part. You’re always learning every day, and hopefully I’ll keep learning until the day comes when I hang up the boots.”