Reliable news outlet The Athletic is reporting that a 21-year-old is now actively looking to leave Chelsea when the January transfer window opens.

Players who could be sold or loaned out by Chelsea in January

Enzo Maresca has a few players who have been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, and there is a very high possibility that they will part company once we reach the turn of the year.

"Sensational" £70m player "extremely" keen to join Chelsea as they plot bid

The west Londoners are weighing up a move and have encouragement.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Nov 30, 2024

Maresca candidly admitted in a press conference earlier this season that left-back Ben Chilwell – who’s played just 45 minutes in all competitions this season – was meant to depart in the summer window.

“Hopefully we can give him some minutes tomorrow,” said Maresca on Chilwell before Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Barrow in the Carabao Cup.

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

Southampton (away)

December 4

Tottenham (home)

December 8

Brentford (home)

December 15

Everton (away)

December 22

“The idea for him was to leave. In the moment that he’s here, he’s one of the squad, he’s training. He will be in the squad tomorrow, and hopefully we can give him some minutes.”

According to respected Blues reporter Simon Phillips, Chelsea have spoken to numerous clubs over Chilwell’s transfer in the last few weeks, with sides in England, Italy and Spain all taking a keen interest in the £200,000-per-week defender.

Chelsea are also prepared to sell Carney Chukwuemeka in January, amid rumoured interest from the likes of Barcelona and Milan, but Maresca has confirmed that forward Christopher Nkunku won’t be going anywhere, following reports linking the France international with a mid-season exit.

Chelsea have an abundance of star wingers and attacking midfielders in their squad, leading to uncertainty surrounding the future of Mykhailo Mudryk, despite the Ukraine international’s excellent Conference League performances lately.

“I hear they’re keen to move him on in January,” said well-connected former Premier League scout Mick Brown to Football Insider this week.

“I think they’ve got the makings of a very good team at Chelsea, but he isn’t likely to be a part of that. There isn’t space for him in the team at the moment and I don’t think Maresca has been particularly impressed by him so far.

“But I don’t think they’re likely to make a profit on him or even get their money back, let’s put it that way.”

Harvey Vale looking to leave Chelsea in January

Now, The Athletic has provided another bit of exit news out of the club, as the outlet writes that 21-year-old attacking-midfielder Harvey Vale is looking to leave Chelsea in January.

The Cobham academy graduate, who spent last season on loan at Bristol Rovers, has captained Chelsea’s Under-21s this season and put in an array of top performances at that level – but this is the extent of his action at the club recently.

Making five total senior appearances, Vale’s contract expires next summer, and it is believed the Englishman is seeking new pastures as Vale looks to kickstart his professional career.

The wealth of talent ahead of him in Maresca’s pecking order means that the best next move for him is to find a new club, and this could apparently be as soon as the next transfer window, despite the fact he’s able to leave for free later in 2025.

Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has sparked controversy in Germany after an allegedly "disrespectful" gesture towards a fourth official.

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Sane criticised for clash with officialCriticised by Stefan EffenbergWinger in hot waterFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

During Bayern's defeat to Bochum at the weekend, Vincent Kompany shuffled his pack and substituted Sane just after the hour mark, introducing Michael Olise as his replacement. As the substitution was taking place, fourth official Tom Bauer raised his arm while standing in Sane's way, and the former Manchester City winger dismissively pushed it away, to Bauer's shock.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Now, Sane has been criticised for his behaviour, with former Germany international Stefan Effenberg claiming he was "very disrespectful". It is unclear if there will be any further sanctions against the winger, but he was not punished by the referee.

WHAT EFFENBERG SAID

Effenberg called Sane "very disrespectful" and told : "You can often tell from a player's body language whether they feel comfortable. And you can see that with Sane. This is not about the match itself but about his overall situation."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

Bayern face Bayer Leverkusen in an all-German Champions League tie on Tuesday evening. The Bavarians lead 3-0 from the first leg on home soil.

Mikel Arteta has been dealt another blow in his pursuit of the Premier League title, with a key Arsenal star set to miss the rest of this year through injury.

Arsenal injury list as concerns mount up for Arteta

The north Londoners currently have a plethora of first team players on the treatment table, and this has been a reoccurring theme of their early season.

"Really intelligent" Arsenal player could push to quit the club in January

These may be his final months in north London.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 13, 2024

So far, club captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Gabriel Jesus, Jurrien Timber, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney are just some of the names who’ve been injured at some point, dealing Arteta real selection headaches in what is a crucial campaign for the Spaniard.

Arsenal are chasing their first domestic crown in over two decades, but the Gunners have been forced to cope without a plethora of key options on a regular basis in these opening months.

Nottingham Forest (home)

November 23

West Ham United (away)

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December 4

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December 8

Everton (home)

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Right now, summer signing and Italy international Calafiori is sidelined with a knee injury, and has been since Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League last month.

Tomiyasu has been particularly unlucky, playing just six minutes all season due to a serious knee problem of his own, while Tierney is apparently close to returning from a hamstring injury which has kept him on the sidelines since Euro 2024.

Arteta’s arguable two biggest misses, Saka and Rice, were forced to withdraw from England’s squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

It is unclear right now whether they will be fit and available right after the international break, but Arteta is “praying” for the star duo to be fit and ready for their first game back at home to Nottingham Forest on November 26.

“What I’m praying for is that after the international break we have the team fully physically equipped,” said Arteta on Rice and Saka. “That they are available and that they are fit, because it’s been a nightmare for eight weeks.”

Amid this torrid run of luck, Arteta has now been dealt yet another major concern in the form of Ben White.

Ben White out for the rest of this year after Arsenal surgery

The £150,000-per-week right-back, according to the national press, has undergone surgery on his knee.

White was nursing a problem which had been affecting him for quite a while, so the club used this international break as an opportunity to rectify it, but his lay-off time really doesn’t spell good news.

The Mirror and reliable journalist John Cross report that White is expected to be sidelined for the rest of this year at Arsenal, meaning Arteta will be without the star defender for crucial games against Forest, West Ham, Man United, Sporting Lisbon and Monaco in the Champions League.

His absence will be a very sore one to take, as Arsenal also attempt to find their best form again and keep their title hopes alive.

Khawaja and Smith capitalised on favourable batting conditions to control the opening day of the second Test

Tristan Lavalette12-Mar-2022Stumps In-form Usman Khawaja scored a memorable first Test century in the country of his birth, as Australia capitalised on favourable batting conditions to control the opening day of the second Test against Pakistan.After skipper Pat Cummins won a crucial toss and elected to bat, Khawaja scored his 11th Test century to lead Australia to 251 for 3 at stumps. He finished 127 not out from 266 balls with nightwatchman Nathan Lyon yet to score.But Australia suffered a late blow almost out of nowhere when Steven Smith fell for 72 in the penultimate over before stumps after Faheem Ashraf took a stunning one-hand catch at second slip off Hasan Ali.The pair had compiled a 159-run partnership as they batted nearly two sessions to blunt an uninspiring Pakistan, which resorted to defensive tactics during a dull final session reminiscent of the dreary Rawalpindi Test.Khawaja became the first Australian to score a Test century in Pakistan since Mark Waugh’s 117 during the third Test in 1998. Having been dismissed on 97 in the first Test, the left-hander spent a considerable time in the 90s either side of tea before notching his milestone with a single to square leg off Sajid Khan. He jumped in the air and pumped his fist in a more muted celebration than after his comeback ton during the SCG Ashes Test. Mixing exquisite strokes with watchful defence, Khawaja notched his third century from six innings since his recall in January.With Khawaja and Smith untroubled, a hapless Pakistan sought a defensive ploy with spinners Sajid and Nauman Ali bowling a leg stump line but Australia’s batters remained patient with Smith constantly padding up during an excruciating period where no boundaries were struck for 23 overs. The only source of entertainment was Nauman’s rather ambitious lbw shout against Smith for a delivery pitching way out outside leg stump that left his team-mates chuckling.Mercifully, the second new ball was taken and the match came alive before stumps as Pakistan reverted back to trying to take wickets with Hasan eking out Smith, who fell for the second straight time in the 70s much to his disbelief.There had been much intrigue over conditions in Karachi after the historic series, the first between the teams in Pakistan since 1998, started with a stale draw due to a lifeless Rawalpindi pitch rated by the ICC as below average. But it has been more of the same with conditions skewed towards the batters although reverse swing was evident before tea and Nauman did conjure occasional turn and bounce before utilising the negative tactics.Steven Smith fell for the second straight time in the 70s•AFP/Getty ImagesIn a letdown after a moral victory in the first Test, Pakistan were mostly unimaginative and rarely threatened apart from quicks Faheem and Shaheen Shah Afridi conjuring reverse swing before tea but to no avail.Shaheen, who was the standout in the first Test, couldn’t quite hit top gear while Hasan, who returned from an abductor strain, struggled to consistently probe having replaced fiery quick Naseem Shah, who impressed in Rawalpindi with menacing short-pitched bowling.After being on the back foot for the entirety of the series-opener, their first Test in Pakistan in nearly 24 years, Australia dictated the opening day’s play apart from a chaotic period before lunch when they lost the key wickets of David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne. Warner fell on 36 to a gem of a delivery from returning pace allrounder Faheem, who squared up the veteran to entice an edge to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.Shortly after, Labuschagne, who made 90 in Rawalpindi and is the No.1 ranked batter in the world, was run out for a duck by a direct side-arm throw from Sajid after attempting a risky single. The wickets went against the run of play after Khawaja and Warner compiled a brisk 82-run opening stand, as they weathered challenging new ball bowling from Pakistan’s pacemen before putting the foot down against Sajid.For the second straight innings, Warner rued missing out after a strong start but Khawaja cashed in to ensure Australia built a platform as they eye a massive first innings total, which would be surely welcomed by their tweaked attack.In their only change, Australia handed legspinner Mitchell Swepson his long-awaited Test debut having been around the squad since 2017. The 28-year-old replaced quick Josh Hazlewood to become the first specialist legspinner capped by an Australian Test team since Bryce McGain in 2009.Before Swepson gets his chance, Australia will look to continue Pakistan’s toil under hot conditions in Karachi, where the temperature is again forecast to hit over 30 degrees on Sunday in a contrast to Rawalpindi’s mild conditions last week.

West Bromwich Albion will use this international break as time to regroup and refocus, after only picking up one win from nine in all competitions recently.

That rare victory did come about last match away at Hull City in the Championship, as a quickfire double from Karlan Grant and Josh Maja sealed a 2-1 win for Carlos Corberan’s visitors.

Whilst Maja and Grant obviously impressed, academy product Tom Fellows failed to ever get going against Tim Walter’s men, leading to an early second half subsitution that saw Lewis Dobbin replace the out-of-sorts winger.

Still, with five assists next to his name this season in league action, the Baggies won’t want to lose their homegrown gem anytime soon – with Everton previously interested – knowing all too well what it feels like when a former prodigy goes on to reach dizzy new heights away from the Hawthorns.

Morgan Rogers is one of the most notable examples…

What Morgan Rogers has done since leaving

Rogers briefly called West Brom his home as a promising prodigy, before going on to star for near neighbours Aston Villa.

West Brom were ultimately powerless to losing Rogers when he did exit in 2019 – as the allure of Manchester City proved to be understandably strong – with the 22-year-old now a top performer for Villa many years down the line.

Off the back of helping himself to an impressive three goals and three assists this season in all competitions for Unai Emery’s outfit, Rogers has even won himself a senior England call-up, as the young attacking midfielder continues to go from strength to strength at Villa Park.

West Brom will curse even more now that Man City swooped in and stole Rogers before he could come good at the Hawthorns, with this unbelievably not the only time a one-time Baggies academy player has gone on to make a name for himself in the senior game after waving goodbye to the club.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

Tim Iroegbunam's career since leaving West Brom

Tim Iroegbunam’s departure from the Championship club would have hurt equally as much as Rogers upping and leaving, with the central midfielder on the books of his boyhood employers for a substantial amount of time, having joined the academy structure after playing locally in Sutton Coldfield.

Like Rogers, however, Iroegbunam would fail to make a senior appearance at West Brom, leading to the 6-foot ace seeking out pastures new, with Villa once more laughing in the face of their near neighbours when snapping up the 21-year-old in 2022.

Iroegbunam’s career numbers after West Brom
Club played for	Games	Goals scored	Assists
Villa (first team)	19	0	0
Villa U21s	23	1	1
Queens Park Rangers	32	2	0
Everton	8	0	1
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Looking at the table above, the Birmingham-born midfielder did make somewhat of an impression on the Villa masses after this move, with Iroegbunam making 19 first-team appearances for the Villans during his time there.

He would truly come into his own in the men’s game when on loan away from the Premier League club, with a spell at Queens Park Rangers seeing him bag two goals in the Championship, leading to the Hoops boss at the time Gareth Ainsworth heralding the youngster as “top class.”

Everton clearly saw lots of potential in the 21-year-old’s performances, forking out £9m to win his services this summer, with Iroegbunam exciting in flashes at Goodison Park today.

Still worth £8m according to Transfermarkt, with the ex-Baggies prodigy helping himself to one assist from eight Toffees clashes, West Brom must wonder now if they could have done anything differently in attempting to keep the midfielder around for longer.

He could be of use to Corberan right now, considering the Baggies squad is somewhat threadbare and Iroegbunam showed he can handle the fast-paced division at QPR, but West Brom are just left with what could have been much like Rogers.

West Brom once let academy star leave for £0, now he’s outperforming Mowatt

West Bromwich Albion must now regret letting this youngster leave.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 10, 2024

West Bromwich Albion will be seeking out their first Championship win in three games when Sheffield United come to town this coming weekend.

The Baggies have fallen victim to far too many draws in the second tier so far, with a staggering ten already accumulated in league action, which has come at the cost of only six wins being notched up.

Still, only two defeats have come their way, with Carlos Corberan at least pleased with how defensively resolute his side can be, even when victories aren’t always collected.

West Brom's defenders this season

Amazingly, Watford – who occupy sixth spot in the Championship currently at the expense of the West Midlands outfit – have conceded double the amount the Baggies have leaked, with West Brom only shipping 12 next to the Hornets’ 24.

The latest draw away at Preston North End could have easily ended in a disappointing loss if it wasn’t for the likes of Kyle Bartley and Mason Holgate at the back, with the imposing centre-back duo winning 11 duels between them come full-time to keep the Lilywhites at bay.

Alongside Bartley and Holgate, both Darnell Furlong and Thorgen Heggem have also been reliable presences down the flanks for Corberan and Co this campaign to date, with both players everpresent members of the first team even when results haven’t always been rosy.

Of course, everyone at the club would want more wins to ensure a playoff spot is achieved, but the ex-Huddersfield Town boss will still be proud of his players for continuing to battle to stave off any unwanted losses.

Even though he will be content with the defensive numbers he has at his disposal, Corberan would be very unlikely to reject this former loan star’s presence if he returned in a theoretical world, with the centre-back in question going on to star at the very top after lining up at the Hawthorns briefly.

West Brom's loan star is now shining

It might well be forgotten about now that Tosin Adarabioyo was once a wide-eyed youngster on loan at the Baggies, with the towering 6 foot 5 gem attempting to make a name for himself away from then-parent club Manchester City in 2018.

Adarabioyo would impress in his new surroundings, going on to make 36 appearances for the club in total and picking up two assists along the way, as his loan employers entered into the Championship playoff picture.

Off the back of this formative stint away from the Etihad, the now 27-year-old would eventually go on to prove himself as a Premier League capable performer at Fulham, before a major move to near neighbours Chelsea then took shape.

Adarabioyo would go on to tally up 132 games at Craven Cottage before leaving for Stamford Bridge, which would lead to football journalist Zach Lowy labelling him as “incredible” and his transfer value would rise too far above the measly amount he was worth when once donning a West Brom kit.

Adarabioyo’s numbers vs Noah

Stat

Adarabioyo

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

1

Touches

105

Accurate passes

97/98 (99%)

Accurate long balls

8/8

Clearances

4

Stats by Sofascore

This summer, the brand new Chelsea number four was worth in the region of £16.5m – according to Transfermarkt – after once having a low £2.8m value next to his name as a youngster at the Hawthorns, which is a mammoth increase of £13.7m or 489%.

Chelsea wouldn’t even have to fork out a single dime to win their man in the end, having purchased him on a free transfer at the expense of the Cottagers, which looks to be a very wise investment when you consider his promising numbers in Europe for the Blues recently.

He would even score against Noah in mid-November, having also impressed with 97 accurate passes registered, as Chelsea fans long for more from their fresh recruit as 2025 comes into view.

Whilst Adarabioyo continues to knock on the door for more first-team minutes at Stamford Bridge, Corberan’s mind will be on steering his team to more wins in the division below, away from his side being stern at the back.

Related West Brom must axe Albion dud who Bruce thought would be "a massive asset"

West Bromwich Albion could soon be faced with a decision to get rid of this high earner.

Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson Dec 3, 2024

Italian top flight experiences unprecedented growth in American market, sees growing appetite for international soccer in U.S.

• 50 percent surge in live TV viewership for Serie A matches
• USMNT stars drive increased interest in the league
• Strategic broadcast partnerships have boosted accessibility

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Serie A says it has has experienced a 50 percent increase in live TV viewership in the United States during the 2024-25 season, marking an unprecedented surge in popularity for Italian soccer in the country. The growth has been attributed to strategic broadcast partnerships and the presence of high-profile American players in the league.

  The reason, the league said, was because every match was aired on CBS with three matches per gameweek also airing on FOX Deportes. The rise came as no shock to Serie A Ambassador Andrea Pirlo, who spent time in the MLS with New York City FC.

  “Having lived and played in New York, I’ve seen first-hand the passion for Italian football here. It’s incredible to see how much it’s grown, with broadcasts and events like this bringing fans even closer to the game," Pirlo said.

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• WHAT EZIO MARIA SIMONELLI SAID

  “This season marks a historic milestone for Serie A in the United States,” said Ezio Maria Simonelli, President of Lega Serie A. “Never before has Italian football been so widely accessible across the country. The upcoming CBS main network broadcast of Juventus vs. Genoa on March 29 is yet another key moment in our mission to bring Serie A to as many fans as possible.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The rise in Serie A's American viewership reflects a growing appetite for international soccer in the U.S. market. The likes of Christian Pulisic Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie, amongst others, doing well this season for AC Milan and Juventus respectively plays a part in that.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The Serie A is among Europe’s top leagues and with three teams currently competing for the league title. Going into Gameweek 28, Inter have only a one point lead over second place Napoli who sit only two points above third place Atalanta BC. Timothy Weah’s Juventus and Lazio are also in the running but are a distant fourth and fifth place respectively.

أعرب أيمن يونس، نجم الزمالك الأسبق، عن حزنه الشديد لما وصفه بـ”القصة المأساوية” في ملف رحيل أحمد سيد زيزو عن القلعة البيضاء، مؤكدًا أن الطريقة التي انتهت بها علاقة اللاعب بالنادي غير لائقة، سواء بالنسبة لجماهير الزمالك أو للاعب نفسه. 

وقال يونس خلال تصريحات إذاعية عبر أثير “ميجا إف إم”: “قصة زيزو مأساوية بالنسبة لجماهير الزمالك، سلمناه الراية من بعد شيكابالا، وكنا نجهزه ليكون بديله، فليس كل شيء في الحياة مال، إذا كنت تحلم بكأس العالم للأندية، فهناك أساطير في الزمالك لم يلعبوا في تلك البطولات، ومع ذلك أصبحوا رموزًا خالدة”.

وأضاف: “زيزو في الزمالك لم يكن فقيرًا، يحصل على مستحقاته وكان يعيش بصورة جيدة، قد يكون اختياره نافعًا لحسابه البنكي، لكنه سيخسر أشياء لا تُعوّض، مثل حب الجماهير ومكانته كرمز للنادي، أرى أن قراره خاطئ، وسيدفع ثمنه على المدى الطويل”.

والد زيزو: الإدارة سلّمته للجماهير.. ولا يخشى عدد نجوم الأهلي

وتابع: “خطأ كبير أن يجلس لاعب بحجم زيزو دون حسم التجديد حتى آخر شهرين فقط، وكان يجب أن تشرح الإدارة للجماهير كيف وصلنا إلى هذه النقطة، والأهلي لم يخطئ”.

وتابع: “اللوم كله على زيزو، جماهير الزمالك وضعتك في مكانة استثنائية، وهذه الأمور لها ثمن، جمهور الزمالك ونادي الزمالك هما من يصنعان النجوم، وسنصنع زيزو وشيكابالا وحازم إمام جدد، أنا ضد البكاء على الماضي”.

وأوضح أن نادي الزمالك لا يعاني من “فقر فني”، بل من ضغوط مادية بسبب الديون، واستأنف: “الزمالك غني بأبنائه والناشئين، والفريق الأول يضم أكثر من لاعب مميز، كنا نتمنى استمرار زيزو، لكن إذا قرر الرحيل، فليكن، شكراً له على عطائه، لكن نهاية الفيلم كانت سيئة”. 

واختتم: “لو كنت مكانه، كنت وقّعت على التجديد، وطلبت من الإدارة بيعي لنادٍ خارجي، كنوع من رد الجميل، رد الجميل فن، وزيزو الآن صفحة وانتهت، ولا داعي للبكاء على الأطلال، التعامل معه خلال الفترة المقبلة سيكشف الكثير من الأمور الغامضة”.

Amelia Kerr’s three-four and Sophie Devine’s 93 go in vain for New Zealand, who go down for the third time in the tournament

Firdose Moonda17-Mar-2022

Not for the first time, Marizanne Kapp played a leading role in a South Africa win at this World Cup•ICC via Getty Images

A heroic performance by Marizanne Kapp, not for the first time at this World Cup either, made all the difference as South Africa extended their winning streak to four matches. Kapp scored 34* in 35 balls as South Africa made hard work of what should have been a simpler chase and snuck home by two wickets, handing New Zealand their third loss in five matches.It was South Africa’s 13th win chasing in 15 matches (with one no-result and one tie) since the start of 2020, and their first victory over New Zealand in World Cups, and had them drawing level on points with Australia at the top. The result left South Africa one win away from securing a semi-final spot, but New Zealand are in a precarious position and at risk of missing out on the knockouts.Replying to New Zealand’s 228, South Africa were cruising at 161 for 2 in the 36th over. Laura Wolvaardt had racked up her third successive half-century, after being put down on 33; Sune Luus was on her way to a second fifty, and Amelia Kerr, whose first seven overs cost 46 runs, was brought on to bowl.Cue chaos.Laura Wolvaardt scored her third half-century on the bounce•ICC via Getty Images

South Africa lost three wickets for nine runs in 27 balls, including both Wolvaardt and Luus, to leave it to the lower order to finish the chase. South Africa needed 59 runs off 59 balls when Luus was dismissed. Kapp and Chloe Tryon, the same pair that got South Africa out of jail against England, came together to put on 28 runs off 30 balls, but Tryon couldn’t see it through, as she stepped out and hit Frances Mackay to Amelia Kerr at deep midwicket at the start of the 46th over. South Africa needed 31 off 29 balls then.When Trisha Chetty, who was with Kapp in the England game, arrived and swung big but got a leading edge for Mackay to collect a return catch, South Africa needed 18 off 17. And when Shabnim Ismail, who finished the England game with Chetty, was bowled by Sophie Devine in the penultimate over, it was 12 off ten.Ayabonga Khaka, who was not needed to bat in the previous two matches, missed the first ball she faced, and top-edged an attempted hoick the second ball, but it fell safely between mid-off and mid-on to put Kapp back on strike. Kapp smashed Devine over mid-off for four and then pushed her to long-on to ensure she would face in the final over. South Africa needed six runs from six balls then.Sophie Devine missed her second century of the World Cup by just seven runs•AFP via Getty Images

Mackay was tasked with the final over. Off the first ball, Kapp slog-swept her for four. Off the second, she ran a single to long-on, and then met Khaka mid-pitch for a lengthy conversation. With scores level, Khaka went on the back foot to punch Mackay to mid-off for a quick scramble to complete the win as the dressing room erupted in joy.Kapp sank to her haunches in relief. “I’m tired,” she told the television interviewee afterwards. So were New Zealand, after they came back well, but not well enough.In the end, New Zealand didn’t have enough runs to play with after they were kept to 228 on a good Seddon Park pitch. South Africa’s attack found swing early and then took pace off the ball to prompt a lower-order collapse. New Zealand lost six wickets for 30 runs in 46 balls, and failed to bat out their 50 overs.Devine fell seven runs short of a second century at this World Cup and put New Zealand in a position to push for a big score. She shared in an 81-run stand for the second wicket with Amelia Kerr and 80 for the fourth wicket with Maddy Green, but New Zealand could not get away from South Africa’s quicks. Ismail struck at the top and bottom of the innings, Khaka had two catches dropped but still finished with three wickets, while Kapp took two wickets in two balls at the death to cap off a dominant performance from the quicks.

The ECB is set to launch a high-performance review into English cricket with the ambition of making the England men’s team “the best in the world in all formats”, according to Interim managing director Andrew Strauss.Speaking in Barbados where the second Test is due to start on Wednesday, Strauss laid out the plans for the review, for which recommendations are due to be published in September with a view to potentially restructuring the English season from 2023. He also confirmed that England hope to have a new head coach in place for the first Test of the summer, against New Zealand at Lord’s in June.Addressing the Test team’s so-called “reset”, Strauss said: “The perception so far is that it’s all about red-ball cricket and that it’s all about the domestic game. But the way we’re approaching it, and I believe the only way you can approach these things is to start at the beginning, which is what is the scale of our ambition for the game in this country?”And I believe we’re looking very strongly at being the best in the world in all formats. I think the knock-on effects, right the way through the game if the shop window is functioning well, are enormous, so as a game we need to get alignment behind that ambition.Related

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“If you take a longer-term perspective on these things you have to say, ‘How can the two teams run concurrently alongside each other?’ and ‘How do we best support our white- and red-ball specialists to allow that to happen?'”The review will be led by an independent body that is yet to be chosen and who will undertake the first two stages of the review before their recommendations are presented to the ECB board and the county chairs.”We need to look at how the game is evolving,” Strauss said. “All of us know that the rise of white-ball and T20 cricket has been hugely dynamic and happened very quickly. So we need to understand how that affects our game and on the one hand how can we leverage that and on the other how do we protect the relevance and importance of the game in our country. And then we need to do a lot of independent analysis on getting information from the game on what’s working well and what’s not working well currently. So a very big consultation piece needs to be done.”We want recommendations to be signed off in time for the 2023 domestic season so that really means by the end of September this year ideally. You could stretch it a bit but these projects can get very broad and you can get stuck. So it’s important to focus on people’s minds. If we’re going to do it we’ve got to do it for 2023.”The review is just one of many significant developments expected at the ECB over the coming months, with a number of senior management positions only filled in an interim capacity. As well as the head coach vacancy, applications opened on Monday for the full-time men’s team managing director role (which Strauss is currently performing).It has also been reported that England will revert to having a full-time selector, separate from the head coach, as was the case before Chris Silverwood’s job specification was expanded last year.Asked whether he considered himself a candidate to return to the managing director position full time, having held a similar position between 2015 and 2018, Strauss was non-committal.”I haven’t considered that really,” he said. “I’ve got unique personal circumstances that makes doing that role difficult and quite frankly there’s always value in getting a new perspective and new views. Nothing ever stays the same or goes backwards. I’m certain there’s going to be some good candidates for this role.”The ambition is certainly to have the Test coach in place by that first Test of the summer. With recruitments there are all sorts of moving pieces, including notice periods. I don’t think we can categorically say that, but it’s the ambition.On the question of splitting the head coach role between red ball and white ball, he said: “Ultimately, that will be the new director of cricket’s decision to make. My perspective is that it’s time to go down that route. We have unique schedules in this country. It is very hard to plan, prepare, play and review for one coach doing all formats. There are opportunities for us to make some performance gains in that respect. But again, that’ll be up to the new director of cricket.”England produced a battling performance in Antigua•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

On the field, England came away from Antigua with a creditable draw. But the failure of their seamers to take a wicket with the new ball across the Test match, with Chris Woakes and Craig Overton proving particularly expensive in the first innings, led some observers to bemoan the decision to leave James Anderson and Stuart Broad at home – a decision that had already provoked severe backlash from England’s fans.”I think the reaction was entirely predictable,” Strauss said. “You don’t do these things worried about what the reaction is, you do it because you think it’s the right thing to do. I think it’s great to see [Matt] Fisher and [Saqib] Mahmood as part of the England set up.”I think we’re learning about them all the time and they’re getting more and more comfortable in this group. And as we said right at the start it’s forced some of our senior players to have slightly different roles.”It’s early days but the feedback I’m getting from the dressing room is that they’re accepting the challenge as a group of not having those senior players involved and I thought in terms of attitude, the willingness to do the hard graft, the spirit and togetherness were there to see. We didn’t get the result we wanted in Antigua but there were a lot of positives coming out of it.”