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David Moyes didn’t return to Everton to make up the numbers.

With the club in need of smart squad-building, his second spell promises a more ambitious approach. That outlook has already shaped Everton’s summer.

The permanent signings of Carlos Alcaraz from Flamengo and Thierno Barry from Villarreal, along with Adam Aznou from Bayern Munich, suggest a clear shift towards technical, mobile players who can play through pressure.

But Moyes still wants one more key addition – a player with the composure to dictate rhythm in attack, and the tactical awareness to protect the defence.

Someone who can carry the creative burden left behind by the likes of Abdoulaye Doucouré, who departed the club alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ashley Young this summer.

That figure could soon arrive. And while he’s not yet an established name in Italy, he’s no stranger to the Premier League.

Everton's priority midfield target emerges

According to GIVEMESPORT, Douglas Luiz, who once thrived at Aston Villa, is firmly on Everton’s radar as Juventus prepare for a late-window departure.

Transfer Focus

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

The Old Lady, for their part, are holding out for a £39m fee but are open to loan arrangements if no permanent buyers emerge before deadline day.

Everton are monitoring developments closely and the club is prepared to move in the final weeks of the window – particularly if Luiz remains on the market – having already made a loan enquiry.

A deal would likely be structured around an initial loan with an option to buy, given the financial limits imposed by Everton’s ongoing compliance with FFP regulations.

Such interest has been corroborated by Fabrizio Romano, who stated that three Premier League clubs are in direct contact with Luiz’s camp – Everton and Nottingham Forest among them.

Luiz’s time in Italy has been underwhelming.

Since making a £42m move from Aston Villa, he has struggled to impose himself under either Thiago Motta or Igor Tudor, making just six starts in Serie A last season and featuring for only 45 minutes at the Club World Cup.

Still, his technical quality remains undisputed – It’s no surprise that Luiz continues to attract admirers. In 2024, ESPN Brazil’s Leonardo Bertozzi described him as world-class.

“On the national team level, he will be one of the leading names for the 2026 World Cup.”

For Everton, the prospect of acquiring Luiz on loan, with a view to a permanent move, would represent an astute piece of business.

He wants to return to England, and Goodison Park could give him the platform to rediscover his best form.

Why Luiz could be Moyes' new Arteta

If Everton do get their man, comparisons to a certain former blue won’t be far behind. In his pomp under Moyes, Mikel Arteta was the heartbeat of Everton’s midfield.

A graceful and intelligent operator, he could switch tempo, pick out a pass, and arrive late in the box to score.

His 2006/07 campaign, marked by nine goals and nine assists in 35 games, remains a benchmark for midfielders in blue. Douglas Luiz offers similar potential.

Despite limited minutes, according to data from FBref, Luiz ranked fifth last season in the Juventus squad for both passing accuracy (89.5%) and successful dribbles (72.2%), while also contributing three big chances created and a solid 0.69 key passes per game.

Those numbers, while not elite, reflect a player capable of impacting games even when on the fringes.

Like Arteta, he came through under Guardiola’s influence, albeit at Manchester City rather than Barcelona, and shares a similar mix of technique and tactical intelligence.

During his peak at Aston Villa, Luiz was an all-action midfielder.

He pressed high, recycled possession with ease, and regularly contributed in the final third, with nine goals and five assists in the 2023/24 Premier League season.

Statistically, Luiz offers a slightly different skillset to Arteta, with a greater emphasis on carrying and dribbling through midfield rather than serving purely as a distributor.

But his ability to dictate games from deep, maintain high pass accuracy, and play through pressure makes him an ideal fit for Moyes’ system.

He may not tackle with the frequency of Idrissa Gueye, but his intelligent positioning and ability to escape tight spaces provide a more rounded midfield profile.

Perhaps more importantly, Luiz is a player with something to prove. At 27, he’s entering his prime years and eager to re-establish himself as a key figure for Brazil ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Everton, with a stable role and clearly defined structure under Moyes, could provide the perfect stage.

While the financials may be tight – Luiz still has four years left on a contract worth over £150k per week – a well-structured loan move could make the deal viable.

Juventus want to offload him, Luiz wants to play, and Everton need a man in midfield.

Back in 2005, Moyes signed a young Spanish midfielder who would go on to define his Everton side for the next five years. In 2025, history may be about to repeat itself.

He's better than Fofana: Everton make contact for £51m "offensive menace"

Everton are pushing to sign a new right-sided forward this summer.

1

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 31, 2025

Fast bowler adds to Durham’s growing squad ahead of maiden season as Tier 1 county

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2024

Lauren Filer has played 17 times for England across formats•ECB via Getty Images

Lauren Filer, the England fast bowler, has joined Durham on a three-year deal, ahead of the club’s maiden season as a Tier 1 women’s county in 2025.Filer, the fastest bowler in England’s current ranks, follows her international team-mate Mady Villiers as another significant signing for Durham, who have taken over from Headingley-based Northern Diamonds as the northern-most representative in the new women’s domestic set-up.Now aged 23, Filer made her mark on the international game during last summer’s Ashes, including a memorablly hostile debut in the one-off Test at Trent Bridge. To date, she has played 17 matches across formats for England, but was overlooked for this month’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.She heads to Durham after coming through Somerset’s pathway, having made 41 appearances for Western Storm since signing her first professional contract in 2020, with her best figures of 3 for 8 coming in this season’s Charlotte Edwards Cup.She has also appeared for Welsh Fire, London Spirit and Manchester Originals in the Women’s Hundred, and claimed an England-best haul of 3 for 10 during the recent ODI series against Ireland in Belfast.Related

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“I’m super excited to make the move up north,” Filer said. “Durham is a great place where I share some very happy cricketing memories.”The values the club holds as a whole were extremely important to my move up to the North East and they hold everything I think is necessary for a successful and healthy environment.”After the change to the women’s structure, it’s important to keep the women’s game moving in the right direction, and I believe Durham has the support and infrastructure to do that. With this vision and the extremely talented group of girls we have, it’s very exciting to see what we can do.”Marcus North, Durham’s Director of Cricket, added: “We are delighted to have signed one of the most exciting young fast bowlers in England.”Lauren is already regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the women’s game since bursting onto the international scene during the Women’s Ashes last year and we cannot wait to welcome her to Durham.”Our squad is coming together nicely and with the addition of Lauren she adds a huge point of difference with her pace and quality.”We look forward to supporting Lauren’s ambitions on the field for England and in playing an integral part in establishing a successful Women’s Team at Durham.”

Centurion Ryan Higgins became this summer’s second batter to reach 1,000 runs in the Vitality County Championship as Middlesex batted themselves to an almost certain draw against Yorkshire on day three at Headingley.Unbeaten all-rounder Higgins, who followed Glamorgan batter Colin Ingram’s lead after he achieved the feat on day two, top-scored with 117 off 210 balls in Middlesex’s 441 for five as they replied to Yorkshire’s first-innings 601 for six declared.Higgins posted his fifth hundred of the ongoing Division Two campaign, in his 10th appearance, and was joined in posting a century by opener Sam Robson with 108 off 219 balls.Higgins was slightly more aggressive against an accurate spin-led Yorkshire attack, as reaching his hundred with a six suggests, while Robson’s innings came on the ground where he scored his only Test century for England 10 years ago.Another ex-England player, Dom Bess, claimed four for 168 in 64 overs of off-spin.Robson started day three 65 not out, with Middlesex 141 for one, and he went on to record the 35th first-class century of an impressive career including seven Test appearances in 2014.Having been trapped lbw defending against Bess, before lunch, Robson then watched Higgins build on his good work and see his side to the verge of the 452 follow-on target late in the day.Robson’s England century – 127 – came in the first innings at Headingley against Sri Lanka, a Test the visitors won in June 2014. It was the now 35-year-old’s second of seven home appearances before being discarded.Jonathan Trott acted as a locum opener alongside Sir Alastair Cook for a West Indies tour in early 2015 before Adam Lyth took over for that summer’s home series against New Zealand and then Australia.Ironically, Lyth is playing in this game for Yorkshire and bowled at Robson late on day one.Lyth also played seven home summer Tests before discarded, and his only century came at Headingley.Robson was expertly watchful against the rare bursts of seam but mainly spin in the form of Bess, Lyth and Dan Moriarty, and he worked well off his legs.Having shared 61 for the first wicket with Mark Stoneman either side of tea on day two, he completed a second-wicket 121 with Max Holden this morning.Left-handed Holden made 51 before feathering behind off Bess, leaving Middlesex at 182 for two in the 64th over.Robson was trapped lbw playing forwards at Bess with the score on 207 in the 76th, a key time with the new ball around the corner.Leus du Plooy and Higgins negated that threat, utilised by the spinners, as they added a fourth-wicket 57 either side of lunch, where Middlesex reached at 248 for three.Du Plooy was ousted early in the afternoon for 33, caught at short cover off a low full toss from new ball seamer Ben Coad, who was bowling only his seventh over of the innings – 263 for four in the 93rd.While determined Middlesex will be delighted to achieve their mid-match goal of avoiding defeat, this wasn’t a day they dominated.They weren’t able to break free and achieve a sizeable haul of batting bonus points as Bess and Moriarty have bowled 116 overs between them in the innings.Upon reaching 321 for four after 110 overs, they claimed two batting points to Yorkshire’s one for bowling. In the match overall, Yorkshire have edged that battle five to three.Should this contest finish in a draw, as expected, second-placed Middlesex would be one point clear of Yorkshire in third with three matches remaining in the promotion race.Fifth wicket pair Higgins and wicketkeeper-batter Jack Davies shared 128 either side of tea, the latter adding 61 before edging a low catch to slip off Bess – 391 for five in the 133rd.Excellent Higgins, who swept and reverse swept well, reached 1,000 Championship runs for the season upon getting to 92 and brought up his latest century with a six over long-on against Moriarty’s left-arm spin.He got there off 185 balls amidst an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 50 with Luke Hollman, 21 not out.

The 2025/26 campaign represents a new era for Everton football club, making the move to Hill Dickinson Stadium, after saying goodbye to Goodison Park a few weeks ago.

David Moyes will be the man to lead the Toffees into their new home, hopefully making it one to remember, building on the excellent work conducted since he returned to the club.

His side finished 13th in the Premier League table, a superb finish considering the side were just a couple of points above the drop zone after Sean Dyche was given his marching orders.

However, if the club are to reach the next level and push for a place in the top half of England’s top-flight, additions are needed, allowing for more quality and depth in numerous key areas.

With the transfer window now open, the 62-year-old has the opportunity to work with the Friedkin Group over the summer to land targets who could improve the options at the Scotsman’s disposal.

The latest on Everton’s hunt for new additions this summer

Over the last couple of days, Everton have been touted with a shock double swoop for two players currently on the books of bitter Merseyside rivals Liverpool.

Winger Ben Doak and centre-back Joe Gomez have been the two names mentioned over a short move across the city, but it’s unclear whether either are keen on the move or if the Reds would allow them to leave this summer.

However, another name has been mentioned in recent days, with Burnley defender Maxime Esteve on their radar, according to The Athletic’s latest report.

They claim that the Toffees have been monitoring his progress over the last couple of months, even sending scouts to watch him and could consider a move this summer.

However, Crystal Palace are also said to be keen on landing the 23-year-old French star, with Scott Parker’s side demanding a fee in the region of £30m to part ways with him this window.

Why Everton’s £30m target could be the perfect Branthwaite replacement

Centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite has once again been a shining light for Everton, going from strength to strength within their backline in recent seasons.

The 22-year-old featured in 30 league outings this campaign, often partnering James Tarkowski at the heart of the defence, helping the Toffees pull clear of any looming relegation threat.

His excellent form hasn’t gone unnoticed, being named the club’s Young Player of the Year, with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur plotting moves for the youngster this summer.

Given the financial situation behind the scenes in recent years, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him sold for a huge profit this window, with such a decision leaving a huge hole in Moyes’ backline.

However, they appear to be targeting a readymade replacement in Esteve, with the Burnley star able to fill the gap should Branthwaite leave the club during the off-season.

When comparing their respective stats from this season, the French star has matched or bettered the current Toffees star in numerous key areas – having the potential to improve further given his tender age.

The Burnley star, who’s been labelled “unbelievable” by current boss Parker, has managed more progressive passes and a higher take-on success rate – highlighting his ability to play out from the back.

Games played

46

30

Goals scored

1

0

Progressive passes

3.1

2.3

Pass accuracy

90%

82%

Tackles won

1.1

1

Blocks made

1.3

1.1

Take-on success

78%

80%

Aerials won

62%

50%

Esteve has also won more tackles per 90 and made more blocks, showcasing his ability to impress without the ball, fitting into Moyes’ defensive philosophy.

He’s also won more aerials and scored more goals, subsequently allowing him to have an impact at both ends of the pitch if needed, potentially being an excellent pickup for the Toffees.

Whilst no supporter would want to lose Branthwaite this summer, the interest from the so-called ‘big six’ could see the club receive some serious cash for his signature – allowing for investments elsewhere.

A deal for the Frenchman would certainly soften the blow, having the qualities to replace the Englishman should he move on to pastures new in the coming months.

Everton want to sign "phenomenal" Denmark international who’s won 4 league titles

He could be a brilliant addition for the Blues.

ByHenry Jackson Jun 3, 2025

Everton are now in a race with Manchester City to sign a “crazy” homegrown talent, according to a recent report.

Everton in Bayern Munich tussle to sign Woltemade

The Toffees are looking to take advantage of the fact that the transfer window has opened early and are interested in adding to their attacking options next season. The situation around Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s future is still very unclear, and with that, Everton appear to be keeping their options open.

According to SportBild, relayed by Sport Witness, Everton have joined the race to sign striker Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart. The 23-year-old made his international debut for Germany in Wednesday night’s defeat to Portugal after his performances this season left Julian Nagelsmann impressed.

But the German manager is not the only one impressed, as Brighton & Hove Albion, Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid are all interested in signing Woltemade, as well as the Toffees.

Perfect Branthwaite replacement: Everton considering bid to sign £30m star

Everton could lose Jarrad Branthwaite this summer, but appear to have the perfect replacement lined up.

ByEthan Lamb Jun 5, 2025

The forward doesn’t have a release clause in his contract, though it has been claimed he could leave for around £16 million. But given he has now made the international stage and he is under contract until 2028, Stuttgart may be looking for a bit more than that, which could be bad news for Everton.

Everton looking to beat Man City in race to sign Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri

As well as looking at a more senior striker, the Toffees also have their eye on a more up-and-coming forward. According to The Star, Everton have now submitted an offer to sign Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri from Sheffield Wednesday.

The Toffees have submitted a bid which is in the region of £1.5 million plus add-ons, but Everton are not the only team to submit an offer, as Man City and Chelsea have also done the same. This report states that Wednesday’s chairman, Dejphon Chansiri, is now in discussions with the clubs about the specific terms of the deal, as the Owls want a substantial fee handed over up front, despite agreeing to the £1.5m valuation.

City are the team leading the race to sign the 15-year-old, but as of now, the young forward has yet to give any indication of which team he would prefer to join.

Apps

Sheffield Wednesday Under-18

1

England Under-16

2

Cadamarteri, who has been dubbed “crazy” for his rapid pace, came through the academy at Wednesday, and while he has yet to appear in the first team, he has impressed in youth football.

The Toffees have obviously seen enough from Cadamarteri that they want him to join their academy, with the view of him making the step-up into their first team in the next few years, and that is likely what the player is going to make the decision on – which club will give him the best pathway to make the jump into the first team.

Everton have not been afraid of giving young players a chance in the first team, and they will hope that helps them when it comes to getting this deal over the line.

Aston Villa remain in the fight to secure a place in the Champions League for the 2025/26 campaign after their 1-0 win over Fulham last time out.

Youri Tielemans scored the only goal of the game to propel the Villans up to seventh in the Premier League, only three points behind Chelsea in fifth place.

Despite not yet knowing which European competition they will be competing in next season, Unai Emery and Monchi are already reportedly looking at players to bolster the squad, including one star from Scottish football.

Aston Villa eyeing raid on Scottish giants

According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are one of the clubs lining up a move to sign Rangers central midfielder Nicolas Raskin in the summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

The report claims that the Villans and Leeds United are both interested in a swoop for the Belgium international, and it reveals that Emery views him as a player who would fit in well as part of his high-pressing midfield set-up.

TEAMtalk, who previously claimed that the Gers value him at £20m, adds that Rangers do not want to cash in on the former Standard Liege star, though, and it could be a fight for Villa to land a deal for him.

Monchi must, now, stump up the £20m required to acquire Raskin’s services ahead of the 2025/26 campaign because he could come in as an upgrade on Boubacar Kamara in the middle of the park.

What Nicolas Raskin would bring to Aston Villa

As the TEAMtalk report outlines, the Belgian star would fit the high-pressing system put in place by Emery because he is an energetic midfield player who likes to get around the park in and out of possession.

Raskin is an all-action star who can contribute with goals and assists at the top end of the pitch, whilst also making tackles and interceptions on a regular basis to cut out opposition attacks.

The 24-year-old star, once dubbed “unbelievable” by Kris Boyd, has delivered consistently brilliant performances for Rangers in the Premiership this season, and could arrive at Villa as an even better option than Kamara.

Appearances

23

30

Goals

0

2

Assists

0

7

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.8

3.6

Dribbled past per game

1.1x

0.8x

Ground duel success rate

54%

58%

Aerial duel success rate

43%

57%

As you can see in the table above, Raskin has offered more to his team both in and out of possession than the Frenchman has for the Villans in the Premier League, albeit at a different level in Scotland.

The Belgian star did, however, average a staggering 5.0 tackles and interceptions and 7.4 ball recoveries per match across 12 appearances in the Europa League. This shows that he has the tenacity, the energy, and the defensive awareness to suit a high-pressing game.

Whereas, Kamara only averaged 2.5 tackles and interceptions and 4.0 ball recoveries per match in four Conference League games last season, and 3.0 tackles and interceptions and 4.6 ball recoveries per game in ten Champions League outings this term.

This shows that Raskin has outperformed him, certainly from a defensive perspective, on the European stage, which suggests that he does have the quality to translate his form from Scottish football over to the Premier League.

Aston Villa can forget Asensio by unleashing their very own homegrown Nypan

Aston Villa could decide to move on from both Marco Asensio and Sverre Nypan by unleashing this homegrown gem.

ByKelan Sarson May 8, 2025

Therefore, Monchi could land an even better midfielder than Kamara by splashing £20m on the Rangers star for Emery, because of his ability to make an impact in the final third whilst also being more effective out of possession to thwart opposition attacks.

Leeds United are back in action once again this evening as they prepare to travel to Oxford United in the Championship for the first of their two Easter matches.

The Whites play after Sheffield United face Cardiff City earlier in the day and this means that they could go eight points clear of third place with a win, if results go their way.

Daniel Farke has already shown that he is willing to make bold selection decisions ahead of big games, having already played a blinder by dropping Illan Meslier recently.

Why Illan Meslier was dropped by Leeds

The French dud was dropped by the German head coach after making two crucial mistakes in the 2-2 draw with Swansea at Elland Road at the end of last month, dropping a cross onto Harry Darling for the first goal and being beaten too easily for the second strike.

Meslier conceded 2.73 more goals than expected and made three errors that directly led to goals in the Championship before finally being taken out of the team in favour of Karl Darlow.

The English shot-stopper has prevented 0.56 xG in his three appearances since he came into the XI, without making a single error, and provided a solid presence between the sticks.

His ability to claim crosses and take danger out of situations has been appreciated by the fan base, as shown by the post from reporter Beren Cross above.

Farke could, now, repeat the trick he played by dropping Meslier by dropping another regular starter in Joel Piroe, whose performances have dipped of late.

Why Joel Piroe should be dropped

The Dutch centre-forward started the 2-1 win over Preston North End and came off the pitch without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts for the eighth game running.

Chalkboard

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

Piroe started all eight of those matches, returning zero goals and zero assists, and has only scored one goal in his last ten starts in the Championship for Leeds.

The left-footed forward was described as “anonymous” by reporter James Marshment in February, and that is one of the issues with his performances for the Whites because the striker does not offer enough in his general play without goals to go with it.

Appearances

42

xG

15.06

Goals

15

Key passes per game

0.8

Pass accuracy

77%

Ground duel success rate

33%

Aerial duel success rate

18%

Dribble success rate

31%

As you can see in the table above, Piroe is regularly dominated by Championship defenders in duels on the ground and in the air, whilst he does not excel as a passer, creator, or dribbler in possession.

This means that the former Swansea City attacker has been a lightweight in the Whites starting XI in the past eight matches as a starter, because of his poor all-round displays as well as his lack of impact in the final third.

Therefore, Farke could repeat his Meslier trick by ruthlessly ditching Piroe from the team to unleash Patrick Bamford, who recently came off the bench to win six of his nine duels against Middlesbrough.

The English number nine could provide more physicality at the top end of the pitch, as the Dutchman has been too easy for defenders to play against, as Leeds look to get their Premier League promotion over the line in the coming days.

Farke already his next Rutter in Leeds "weapon" who's shining out on loan

Daniel Farke may have his next Georginio Rutter in this Leeds star who is out on loan.

ByDan Emery Apr 16, 2025

The South Africa and MI Cape Town batter talks about his start in the game, his successful 2024, and about being mentored by Hashim Amla

Firdose Moonda08-Feb-20256:28

Ryan Rickelton: “With T20s, there’s a lot more pressure on every delivery”

Players often remind us that Test cricket is thus named because of the challenges it poses, but for Ryan Rickelton there was something more difficult: T20s.South Africa’s first Test double-centurion since 2016 found scoring those runs easier than the 303 he compiled in seven innings for finalists MI Cape Town in this season of the SA20.”I grew up wanting to be a Test player and thought that in T20, you can just whack a few, but T20 cricket is flipping hard. It’s different, but it is harder,” Rickelton says.Related

Invincible Rickelton gives his international cred a shot in the arm

Rickelton's marathon 259, Verreynne century thump hapless Pakistan

Ryan Rickelton, the new showstopper at Newlands

“Test cricket is very hard, but with T20s, there’s a lot more pressure on every delivery. In Test cricket, you can bide your time and work your way through it at a lower intensity. In T20s, you’ve got to score [off] every ball. There’s always pressure on you, internally, externally, there’s more detailed analysis on you as a player, and against your opposition. They’re always trying to hit your weaknesses. There’s a lot more to it than it seems.”And it took some time for Rickelton to work that out. While he has largely consistently averaged high in first-class cricket, he had a pronounced blip in T20s a little over three years into his career, after which his average came back up to 25 and his strike rate to over 130 last year. He finished as the top scorer at the 2023-24 SA20, which was around the time that he began to think about how to change techniques for different formats after talking to Hashim Amla, his batting coach at Lions and MI Cape Town.Related

Invincible Rickelton gives his international cred a shot in the arm

Rickelton's marathon 259, Verreynne century thump hapless Pakistan

Ryan Rickelton, the new showstopper at Newlands

Amla was once regarded as a red-ball specialist but he broke the record for being the fastest player to 5000 ODI runs and ended his career with the most hundreds in the format for South Africa.”I spend a lot of time with Hash,” Rickelton says. “He was a phenomenal player and a calm guy in the way he dealt with his success and his failure, so that’s awesome. It’s just hard to obviously deal with both sides of the spectrum, but he was an incredible player and he’s a very good coach.”Batting is very relationship-based, and having spent three years with him, I can trust his eyes and his perspective as a coach. It’s also nice to have someone that’s around frequently. Even when I move up into the Proteas space, he’s still the guy I call back. He’ll watch [me play] and I’ll toss some thoughts to him. It doesn’t mean that I disregard anyone else’s [views], but the guys that can see little intricacies coming into your game or what you’re thinking behind the scenes are the kind that can relate to you a little bit more.”Under Amla’s guidance, Rickelton had the best year of his career in 2024, bookended by topping the SA20 run charts and scoring his first Test hundred, against Sri Lanka in December. Suddenly, high-level cricket in any format seemed fairly easy for a batter who wasn’t even sure South Africa was where he wanted to carve out his career.Growing up as the son of the director of sports at one of the country’s most prestigious schools, St Stithians, Rickelton finished school with no idea what to do next, so he moved to New Zealand to try and play for New Zealand, he says.”My dad’s best mate worked for Wellington Blaze. He called my dad and said, ‘Why don’t you just send Ryan over?’ I was young, so I went.”Rickelton’s 259 against Pakistan is the joint seventh-highest Test score for South Africa•Rodger Bosch /AFP/Getty ImagesHe describes his New Zealand stint as something of a gap year, where he discovered how little he actually knew.”I still don’t understand why I went. I think it was just that I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I wanted to go to Stellenbosch [university] because all my mates were going there, but I think that could have derailed a few things. It was one of those things where I thought: let me just go have a look. We chatted to Grant Elliott [former Wellington and New Zealand allrounder] as well, and he said [it’s] a great set-up at Wellington – and it was. Maybe if I went two-three years later, I would have probably stayed there. But I was just a kid. All my mates were on this side, having a good time, my whole family was on this side, and I’m 12 hours ahead in Wellington, not really sure who to talk to or what to do. It really forced me to grow up quite quickly.”Though Wellington offered Rickelton the opportunity to come back for another season, he decided to stay at home and started studying at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2016. The coach of the university cricket team, Richard das Neves, the current Titans interim head coach, knew Rickelton from the Johannesburg club cricket scene and took him under his wing.”I did a finance degree through UJ for three years, played my Varsity Cup, and I always kind of said to myself at the end of this degree, I’ll know if I’m good enough or not. I’ll give it these three years, I’ll be in and around the Gauteng system. I got an amateur contract and gave myself three years to have a full crack at it. And if it worked, cool. If not, I didn’t want to be just plodding about. It was either going to work or it wasn’t.”It worked. By the time Rickelton graduated, he was upgraded to a professional contract. And so began the journey to try to earn national honours.He was third on the One-Day Cup batting charts in 2019-20 and fifth in the 2021-22 first-class competition. In March 2022, he got his first call-up to South Africa’s Test squad, for a series against Bangladesh. Several first-choice batters were unavailable since the series clashed with the IPL, so Rickelton played both games and went on the 2022 tour to England, where he played one match.Rickelton (seated, first from right) was part of the South African side that reached the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup final•Matthew Lewis/ICC/Getty ImagesHe scored 224 runs at 22.4 from his first seven Tests and did not look convincing.”I was just trying to make it work and I had played a little bit of county cricket, but the conditions where I played [Northamptonshire] compared to that Test match [at The Oval] was chalk and cheese,” he says. “I was facing Stuart Broad and Jimmy [Anderson] at a packed house in The Oval on a green one, and that was always going to test me. Obviously, we got hammered in that Test and it wasn’t pretty. But you look back and say, well, at least I got the opportunity. I could physically learn and see for myself.”Rickelton was ruled out of South Africa’s Test tour to Australia in December 2022 as the board’s medical team was concerned about a bone spur in his ankle. He says he chose not to have surgery for it at the time under the advice of his own physiotherapist, who said he could go two years without having surgery and could keep playing for the summer, one Rickelton said he “was not willing to miss.”The physio’s advice seemed justified when Rickelton scored four hundreds across formats in five weeks while South Africa crashed and burned in Australia. “It looked like a tough tour,” he says.He eventually had the surgery in April 2023, which ruled him out of county cricket that summer but also gave him the best chance of playing for South Africa. However, he had to bide his time. Rickelton has mostly been seen as the reserve batter and only got a regular run this summer after Wiaan Mulder broke a finger in the Durban Test against Sri Lanka.Fortuitously, in Gqeberha, Rickelton was also given the chance to play higher up the order, which is what he prefers, so he knew it was his time to shine. The pressure he always feels in T20 was on him.In three SA20 seasons so far, Rickelton has scored nearly 1000 runs at a strike rate of 161.28•SA20″I’d only played seven games at the time and there was that question mark over me from you guys [media] and from myself as well: ‘Can he do it?’ So when I walked in there, I locked in. I was chatting to Hash about just trying to watch players and how guys aren’t sticking to their strengths, and trying to emphasise what I do and do it well for the whole day, if not the next day as well. It was very against how people think I play, but I can do that as well and spend lots of time out the crease and score slowly if it’s needed.”In the end, he described the knock as one of relief, not celebration, and it was followed by three low scores. Then came 2025 and the 259 at Newlands against Pakistan and Rickelton is starting to realise his life has changed.”To get 250 is definitely not something I would have thought of, but as I walked off, KG [Rabada] gave me a hug and he said, ‘This is so massive. This is huge.’ And I told him I actually [didn’t] understand it. Maybe you don’t know what it really means until late in your career,” Rickelton says. “It has maybe increased my profile and it was incredible to be part of history. I can’t remember too much, but I can remember the roar for both the hundred and the double. It was spectacular.”The accolades have kept coming. At Newlands, Rickelton has established himself as one of MI Cape Town’s darlings and his opening partnership with Rassie van der Dussen is the most reliable in the competition. His three half-centuries in this SA20 have been scored with freedom and confidence, the signs of a player who is comfortable in his own game, and it’s a feeling he hopes to take into his first IPL later this year.”I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve chatted to lots of guys about the IPL and you hear all these things and you think, ‘This is big boy stuff.’ I’m probably a little bit nervous of how the whole two or three months are going to play out. But you never know if you have a good two months here anything can happen.”That is how Rickelton is approaching things from now on: being open to the possibility of achieving things he didn’t dream of. “I’ve got a big six months ahead. If I can get a bit of the rub of the green, work hard and things can go my way, a lot can change quite quickly. I know I’m going to fail along the way. It’s normal, but just try and balance it out and say, you know what, in the bigger picture, if I have a good six months now, anything can happen. A year ago, I wasn’t sitting near here. Today, after one tournament, everyone says: this guy knows what he’s doing.”However difficult or easy it is.

T20 bowlers will always have fluctuating fortunes, and Mohit reminded us that being stoic at results is perhaps the best way to operate

Sidharth Monga27-May-20231:29

Moody lauds Titans’ relentless bowling attack

Mohit Sharma two matches ago: 4-0-54-0.

Akash Madhwal last match: 3.3-0-5-5.

Mohit on Friday: 2.2-0-10-5.

Madhwal on Friday: 4-0-52-1.Welcome to the world of bowlers in T20 cricket. The sooner they learn to be stoic, the better it is for their mental health.Or be like The Dude, to whom “The Stranger” said on a particularly bad day in : “A wiser fellow than me once said, ‘Sometimes you eat the b’ar, sometimes the b’ar, why, he eats you.”Related

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The b’ar here is “bear”, spoken in a thick southern American accent. It is a saying apparently prevalent among hunters. One day you get the bear, another day the bear gets you. And it depends on the bear more, and more often, than it depends on you. It is something that unbeknownst to The Dude at that time sums up his life’s unwitting philosophy: to be equanimous with his emotions, or as they say, “take it easy”.The bowler’s fate in T20s, too, depends less on their quality and more on the batters: are they taking risks, are the risks coming off? If you get caught up in the results, you might end up like The Dude’s angry friend, Walter Sobchak.Mohit was more like The Dude after his five-for. Asked by the broadcast how he managed to make wicket-taking look so easy – one every three balls – Mohit said he got lucky with the wickets. That is stoicism right there: being indifferent to 5 for 10 and 0 for 54.It is not to say you don’t plan and practise. As Mohit said, they had decided on a new plan for Suryakumar Yadav: don’t try too much against him, bowl length on pace.”When we analysed him in the team meeting, we concluded that if you try too much against him, it makes it easier for him because he has three-four shots in his mind already. We thought let him try his shots because his shots are slightly difficult to execute against the length ball. If we had gone for six sixes to length balls, we would have been okay with that.”Get fazed by a bad over? That’s, just like, your opinion, man•AFP/Getty ImagesMohit did get hit once for a six off a short-of-a-length ball, but he stuck to it, and Suryakumar tried his wristy ramp next ball and got bowled. On another day, that goes for a six over fine leg, and Mohit is actually questioning what they had decided: is it okay to get hit for six sixes to length balls? Yes Mohit planned, yes Mohit executed, but still a lot of it depended on what the batter decided to do with the ball. This time he ate the b’ar, but he knows it is just as likely the b’ar eats him next time.In longer formats, the batter is reacting to the quality of the ball; here he is obligated to hit out. In longer formats there are fewer restrictions on how much a bowler can bowl. So pulling one risk off is not enough. Just the length of the contest, and thus the increased value of the wicket, forces batters to react to the quality of the ball.There are some old-school hitters such as MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, who still rely on being ruthless on balls in their area and doffing their hat to ones that are not. However, the game is moving on from that. There are batters who play different shots to the same ball for no apparent rhyme or reason. They are just as likely to turn a slot ball into a wicket ball through premeditation as they are to turn a ‘good’ ball into a six.You might look at Ashish Nehra so animated, in the ear of the bowlers on the boundary line, sending instructions through David Miller if the bowlers are not close to him, not hiding emotion, and you might want to ask a version of what The Stranger asked The Dude: “Do you to use so many cuss words?” In the heat of the moment, Nehra might respond with his version of: “The f*** are you talking about?”However, under Nehra and Hardik Pandya, the Gujarat Titans bowlers – good as they might be as a unit – have developed a tendency to not get caught up in the results. It helps that they have so much experience in their bowling attack. We might even draw comfort from knowing they are out there, “taking ‘er easy for all us sinners”.

Smart Stats puts Archer well ahead of others, while Trent Boult was the true leader in terms of wickets

ESPNcricinfo stats team13-Nov-2020Jofra Archer is the clear and undisputed MVP of IPL 2020, according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats. Archer’s conventional numbers speak for themselves: 20 wickets at 18.25, conceding 6.55 runs per over. The economy rate was the best among the 40 seamers who bowled at least 15 overs in the tournament. Archer’s powerplay economy rate of 4.34 was among the best by any bowler in any T20 tournament. As if that wasn’t enough, he also exceeded expectations with the bat, scoring at a strike rate of 179 and hitting ten sixes – fourth-highest for the Rajasthan Royals – off the 63 balls he faced.ESPNcricinfo LtdHowever, even these incredible numbers don’t do full justice to his performances this season. For that, we need to look at Smart Stats, which looks at every batting and bowling performance through the prism of match context, and the pressure on the batsman and bowler at each delivery when they batted or bowled.Archer’s 20 wickets included ten in the powerplay, and among the batsmen he dismissed were Faf du Plessis and David Warner (twice each), Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock, Shikhar Dhawan and Chris Gayle. Fifteen of his 20 wickets were of batsmen in the top three batting positions; eight times he dismissed batsmen for single-digit scores, and 14 times before they reached 20.Because Smart Wickets takes into account the quality of the batsman and the score at which they were dismissed – getting a good batsman out early before he can inflict any damage fetches higher points – Archer’s 20 wickets were worth nearly 27 Smart Wickets.ESPNcricinfo LtdAlso, Archer was incredibly consistent with his economy as well: only four times in 14 innings did he concede more than seven runs per over. While the overall powerplay economy rate in the tournament was 7.46, Archer went at 4.34. All this with hardly any support at the other end.These factors ensured that Archer’s impact per game was 76.2 points, an incredible 47% higher than the second-placed Rashid Khan, who also took as many wickets as Archer and had a fantastic tournament. His economy rate of 5.37 was the best among all bowlers – without any qualifications – while his Smart Wickets tally was 22.5.There is little to separate the rest of the top five, with Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Tewatia and Sam Curran taking up those positions. The first specialist batsman in the list is Mayank Agarwal at No. 7, with an impact rating of 42.3. Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami, Jason Holder and Pat Cummins are the others in the top ten.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile bowlers and allrounders took the top positions in terms of overall impact, the match-wise top impact position went to a batsman: KL Rahul’s outstanding unbeaten 132 off 69 balls against the Royal Challengers Bangalore took pole position, followed by the all-round contribution of Ben Stokes against the Kings XI Punjab, when he scored 50 off 26 deliveries and also took 2 for 32. The highest bowling performance is Lockie Ferguson’s 3 for 15 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad: his three victims were Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg and Manish Pandey – two of them for single-digit scores – and he went at 3.75 per over when the other bowlers in the game had a collective economy rate of 8.39.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe list of bowlers with the highest Smart Wickets deviates from the list of top wicket-takers, because Smart Wickets takes into account the quality of batsman dismissed, his score at the time of dismissal and the match context at that point.Taking all those factors into account, Trent Boult, who is third on the wicket-takers’ list with 25, tops the Smart Wickets tally with an aggregate of 31. He is well clear of the others because of his powerplay haul of 16 wickets, which is six more than the next-best in that phase. Powerplay wickets often tend to impact the course of the game significantly, because most of those wickets are of top-order batsmen dismissed cheaply. Of Boult’s 25 wickets, 14 were of openers – and 18 of batsmen in the top four – while 19 of his dismissals were before the batsmen reached double digits.On the other hand, only seven of Kagiso Rabada’s 30 wickets were of batsmen in the top three positions, while 14 were of batsmen batting at No. 6 or lower. While late wickets can sometimes be crucial when the match is in the balance, often they come about when the result is a formality.In Rabada’s case, a couple of examples illustrate this. Against the Royal Challengers, he took 4 for 24, but three of those wickets – of Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube and Isuru Udana – came in the last 25 balls after the asking rate had touched 20 runs per over, and the Delhi Capitals had already pocketed the match. Four days later, against the Rajasthan Royals, he took 3 for 35 in a match that the Capitals won comfortably by 46 runs. Two of those wickets came in the last over, and all three were taken when the Capitals were already well on top. These wickets add to the conventional wickets tally, but don’t add much to the Smart Wickets count.Among those who bowled at least 25 overs, R Ashwin had the highest ratio of Smart Wickets to conventional wickets: his 13 wickets counted for 20.6 Smart Wickets, a ratio of 1.58. That is because the batsmen he dismissed included de Kock (twice), Kieron Pollard, Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli, Nicholas Pooran and Gayle. Seven of his 13 dismissals happened before the batmen reached double digits.ESPNcricinfo LtdSimilar to Smart Wickets, the Smart Runs leaderboard also varies from the list of top run-getters. Rahul got the Orange Cap, but Shikhar Dhawan is the leader in terms of Smart Runs despite scoring 52 fewer runs. That is because Rahul often played the anchor’s role for the Kings XI Punjab; in several innings, he scored at a conservative pace, with others scoring faster than him in matches that the Kings XI lost. Dhawan’s runs came at a faster rate, and in his big innings, he scored a higher share of the team’s runs. Rahul’s opening partner Agarwal is in the top ten in terms of Smart Runs despite being 14th in terms of his aggregate runs, because of his key contributions – both in terms of runs and strike rate – under high pressure.