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Over the years, Chelsea Football Club has been the home to countless centre-forwards who have captured the hearts of the fanbase with their impressive displays on the pitch.

Eidur Gudjohnsen featured for the Blues over a six-year period, amassing over 250 appearances, but catching the eye with his finishing ability in the final third.

The former Iceland international netted 78 times during his time at Stamford Bridge, helping the club win multiple Premier League titles along the way.

He wasn’t the only talisman to impress during his time as a player, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scoring 87 times in 177 games in West London, cementing his own place in the club’s history books.

However, fast-forward to 2025, the club have lacked that focal point under Enzo Maresca, with the Italian yet to make his own stamp on the forward line since his summer appointment.

Christopher Nkunku’s stats for Chelsea in 2024/25

With Nicolas Jackson currently on the treatment table, Maresca has relied upon Frenchman Christopher Nkunku to lead the line for Chelsea over the past couple of weeks.

The 27-year-old has struggled for regular minutes after his £52m move from RB Leipzig in 2023, with an ACL injury halting his progress for the majority of last season.

However, he’s been handed multiple starts over the last couple of weeks, looking to fill the void left by the Senegalese international after his recent injury setback.

Nkunku has started each of the last four outings across all competitions, registering one goal and one assist, with both of his contributions coming in the recent 4-0 thrashing of Southampton.

He’s offered a temporary solution to the forward position, which the manager has desperately tried to bolster during his two transfer windows since his appointment.

However, the club may have been better off keeping hold of one player who certainly would’ve offered the focal point the Italian has craved in recent months.

The Nkunku upgrade that Chelsea sold back in 2021

Off the back of winning the Champions League back in 2020/21, Chelsea made some big-money investments, which saw numerous players depart from the Bridge.

Romelu Lukaku arrived in a £97.5m deal from Inter Milan, which resulted in Tammy Abraham leaving in a £34m deal to join Serie A side Roma, ending his long-standing affiliation with his boyhood club.

Whilst it was a superb fee to receive for an academy graduate, they parted ways with an impressive talent who has continued his goal-scoring form away from West London.

Abraham, who’s currently spending the season on loan at AC Milan, has registered 45 goals since his big-money departure, with eight of which coming during the ongoing campaign.

When comparing his underlying stats to those of Nkunku, the Englishman has outperformed the current first-team star, highlighting the mistake the Blues made in allowing him to leave the club.

Games played

21

23

Goals & assists

4

5

Shot-on-target accuracy

47%

45%

Aerials won

2.4

1.4

Aerial success rate

48%

41%

Tackles won

1

0.5

Expected goals

0.6

0.5

Abraham, who’s previously been labelled “sensational” by commentator Matteo Bonetti, has achieved a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate this season whilst also winning more of the aerials he’s entered.

He’s also registered a higher xG to date, finding himself in better opportunities to score than the Frenchman, offering that out and out presence they’ve desired over the past couple of months.

Given his form in Italy, the club certainly may have offloaded the 27-year-old too prematurely, having the tools to offer the needed focal point Maresca craves in West London.

However, unfortunately for the Blues, he will remain a case of what could’ve been had they kept hold of him, with Abraham thriving away from his boyhood with the added minutes he’s received after departing in 2021.

Not just Nkunku: Another "top talent" saved their Chelsea career this week

Another “top talent” has saved their Chelsea career this week after performance against Southampton

ByConnor Holden Feb 27, 2025

It’s been a dozen years since his debut, but the Australia captain admits he’s still coming to grips with the format

Firdose Moonda11-Oct-20231:39

Cummins: ‘It’s a clash of two very similar teams’

The strategies involved in structuring a spell in ODIs still present Pat Cummins with a conundrum he is keen to conquer, 12 years after making his debut in the format. That may seem a strange takeaway from an engagement with an Australian captain under some pressure after his team’s defeat to India and their struggles against spin, but it’s a small example of a bigger picture that we will be talking about all tournament: the future of this format.We don’t even need to go through the proposals to scrap bilateral ODIs and confine the format to World Cups only, because in Cummins, we have a ready example. He had only played 19 matches between the last World Cup and this one; and including Australia’s defeat to India in their World Cup opener this time, he has played only three this year, and just 78 across a dozen years. The consequence is that it has taken him longer than it may otherwise have to feel confident in his tactical approach to ODIs.”Early in my career, I found it a hard balance between Test cricket and T20, and I was getting too funky,” Cummins said at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, the day before Australia prepared to play South Africa. “With one-day cricket, your roles can be very different – from being an opening bowler with a ball that swings, to coming on first change and maybe bowling cross-seamers where you are trying to defend and get your wickets through pressure. It’s a different kind of challenge to the other formats.”Related

• De Kock's relationship with ODIs is complicated, but it's clear he cares

• Storied World Cup rivals joust again but it is Australia under pressure

• Maxwell: Australia ready for 'unknown' from relaid Lucknow surface

• Defensive Australia burnt by India's spin trio in Chepauk furnace

It is also what Cummins called “the most physically taxing” of the three formats, because as we know from the ICC slogan – it really, truly takes one day. One. Whole. Day. Although the duration of a Test and the intensity of an T20 can’t be matched in an ODI, the amount of time spent on the feet and the kilometres run in the legs will be more than both the other versions of the game.”The biggest challenge is that you’ve got ten overs [to bowl]. It’s quite a physical format,” Cummins said of ODIs. “I find it the most physically taxing if you are doing two or three games in a week. We are doing 15k (kilometres) in a 50-over match.”And then there’s the trade-off between consistency and creativity that must come into play in one-day cricket, where some level of patience is required alongside a touch of all-out attack.”In T20, if you bowl one really good over that can be match-winning. But in one-day cricket, it’s not normally the case,” Cummins said. “And it’s rare that conditions are in the bowlers’ favour, which is fine. It’s just a challenge you’ve got to try and deal with. It’s tough but I do enjoy it.”Cummins expects at least one of those things will get easier on Thursday, when he thinks there will be pace and bounce on offer on a surface that remains something of a mystery. Only four ODIs have been played at the Ekana Stadium so far, with the highest score batting first being 249 in a full 50-over innings. Three of those ODIs were played in 2019, with one held last October, but the pitches have since been dug up and relaid.On Thursday, Australia play South Africa in Lucknow, where the pitches have been dug up and relaid•Getty Images

Cummins also feels his own form is “in as good a place as it’s ever been”, and backs himself to be “almost be prepared for anything”, including maybe “death bowling”. Against a South Africa line-up that is in good form, he also expects that he may have to try “to create a wicket out of nothing”, even as unorthodoxy is also something he has been working on.All that does not take away from his inexperience as ODI captain – since being named ODI captain in October last year, he has played only five out of Australia’s 15 ODIs – and the problems Australia have to solve in the middle overs. That’s where they lost the game against India, after they slipped from 110 for 2 in the 28th over to 199 all out.It’s something the batting group, under the guidance of Andy Flower, who has also been Lucknow Super Giants’ coach – the IPL team whose home ground is the Ekana Stadium – have been discussing, and much like Cummins’ own conclusions about bowling, it’s a balance between formats they’re seeking.”It’s no secret that the [middle-overs] period of the game seems to be the most important in one-day cricket,” Cummins said. “How do we create partnerships? If they’re bowling well, how do we shift the pressure back on to their bowlers, and try and force their hand to make some changes? It’s a real delicate balance in one-day cricket of not taking huge risks, but it’s not like Test cricket where you can wait it out. You have to keep the run rate ticking over.”The middle overs are also thought to be the hill on which ODI cricket may die, unless the narrative that unfolds in that passage is captivating even if nuanced. As Cummins hinted, those overs are the Goldilocks of the game where players are required to not do too much of one thing or too little of another, and for Australia, it’s about finding out how much is just right.

England make 273 for 8 in 31 overs after rain delay, then close out series in style

Valkerie Baynes14-Sep-2023Ever ask yourself: “What am I doing here?” Cricket fans – at least those who take our privileged position of being able to watch the game regularly for granted – surely do. Especially sitting through interminable rain delays, mopping-up, pitch inspections… repeat. Then you witness another fairytale and realise, this is what I’m doing here.This time, it was Nat Sciver-Brunt’s turn. Playing her 100th ODI and captaining the side after Heather Knight was forced to return to the team hotel feeling unwell, she plundered 120 off 74 balls, including a 66-ball century – which was the fastest by an England Women’s player in ODIs – to lead her side to a thumping 161-run victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final match in Leicester for a 2-0 series win.Maia Bouchier was far more than just a bit-part character with her blistering 95 from 65 balls as the pair rescued their side from 18 for 2 with a 193-run partnership for the third wicket. Between them they set Sri Lanka a daunting target of 274 in a match reduced to 31 overs a side, after rain delayed the start by more than three hours (along with mopping-up efforts and pitch inspections). Then Charlie Dean appeared, taking a maiden international five-wicket haul to put the ending beyond doubt.This entire tour by Sri Lanka has produced some gripping narratives. The visitors’ 2-1 upset in the T20I series, including their first victories in the format against England – ranked six places higher – was built on captain Chamari Athapaththu’s stellar year with the bat and exposed the hosts’ weakness against spin. Then followed the dream ODI debuts of young seamers Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer in the opening match as the hosts turned things around before taking a stranglehold of the second fixture which was ultimately washed out.Yes, this victory also came against a side ranked considerably lower than England in the 50-over format but that takes nothing away from the performance of Sciver-Brunt.It was less than a week ago that Sciver-Brunt returned to the England side, having been rested for the T20I series after being England’s Player of the Women’s Ashes, although she helped Blaze to victory over Central Sparks with an unbeaten 66 in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy during that time. Her comeback match came in a seven-wicket win in Durham, a year after she left an England training camp in the same city to take an extended mental health break.Just as Ben Stokes did with England Men, Sciver-Brunt has led by example in terms of enabling players to speak up when they need to care for their mental wellbeing. And, just as Stokes did with his 182 in the third ODI against New Zealand the previous day, Sciver-Brunt again highlighted her indispensability to any side she is part of, taking charge of the storyline after a fraught start when the visitors won the toss and opted to bowl under heavy skies.Maia Bouchier made her maiden ODI fifty•PA Photos/Getty Images

Tammy Beaumont survived on 1 when she struck Udeshika Prabodhani hard but straight to Harshitha Smarawickrama, who fumbled the chance at deep midwicket. Achini Kulasuriya then beat Beaumont’s outside edge with an excellent ball which also just missed off stump, then tempted Beaumont to advance on the next ball, only to be caught by Hasini Perera at slip.Bouchier, opening alongside Beaumont with Emma Lamb out with a back spasm, despatched Prabodhani over deep midwicket for six next over. Prabodhani responded by castling Alice Capsey, who managed just 6 batting in Knight’s place at No. 3, and England were struggling inside the six-over Powerplay which they ended at 28 for 2.But by the 10-over mark that had become 72 for 2, thanks in no small part to Sciver-Brunt, who helped herself to 15 of the 16 runs conceded by Inoka Ranaweera in her first over, her back-foot drive through cover followed by a thunderous pull to the rope at deep midwicket and a monstrous six into the stands beyond long-off.Bouchier, who made her ODI debut in Durham having played 22 T20Is, kept pace beautifully, launching a free hit of Hansima Karunaratne following a no-ball for height, over the fence with disdain at cow corner for her second maximum. She brought up her maiden 50-over fifty with the second of three fours in a row as she peppered the leg side off Oshadi Ranasinghe.Sciver brought up her half-century in just 32 balls with four off Ranaweera and she raised England’s 150 with a nonchalant scoop to the fine leg boundary off Kavisha Dilhari, one of three fours conceded by the young off-spinner in her first over as the England batters continued picking them off at will.Prabodhani did her best to end their union just before they reached the 200-mark in the 23rd over with one that beat Sciver-Brunt’s back-foot swipe and somehow evaded off stump. Sciver-Brunt brought up her century moments later with a single off Kulasuriya, but then Dilhari pinned Bouchier lbw to end a brilliant innings.Sciver-Brunt didn’t flinch, peeling off three fours from the same Dilhari over and another off Ranaweera through extra cover, but she perished next ball, picking out long-off.That brought debutant Bess Heath to the crease and she managed 21 off 14 balls, including a six over deep midwicket off Kulasuriya and a reverse-sweep for four off Dilhari, who then ended Heath’s cameo as she holed out to Karunaratne.Gaur and Filer again combined to make inroads on the Sri Lanka line-up and when off-spinner Dean trapped Athapaththu lbw for just 12 in the ninth over, Sri Lanka were in deep trouble at 46 for 4.Dean, called upon to lead the spin-bowling attack alongside Sarah Glenn with Sophie Ecclestone sidelined initially through workload management but now because of a shoulder injury, then produced the epilogue, snaring three wickets in five balls to all but close the book on the match. Her return catch to remove Karuanaratne was followed by Perera, Sri Lanka’s top-scorer with 32, caught behind and then an excellent delivery that turned between bat and pad and crashed into Dilhari’s off stump. Her fifth wicket came as Prabodhani dragged on and Filer sealed victory with her third, rearranging Kulasuriya’s stumps to end her breakout season on a high.So ended England Women’s international summer, with progress made, talent unearthed, lessons learned and work still to do, all the while leaving that empty feeling that you get at the end of a real page-turner, because we won’t see the results for months to come. That’s what we’re doing here.

Thilak Naidu, the former Karnataka wicketkeeper and Ranji Trophy winner, has been named the chairperson of BCCI’s junior selection committee (men). He fills the position left vacant by S Sharath, who was elevated to the senior men’s selection panel in January this year.The rest of the panel, comprising Ranadeb Bose (East Zone), Harvinder Singh Sodhi (North), Pathik Patel (West) and Krishen Mohan (Central) remains the same. The first task for Naidu’s panel will be to identify a pool of players and prepare them in the run-up to the Under-19 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka early next year.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sulakhana Naik, Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape, formerly a national selector himself, lent weightage to Naidu’s candidature owing to his experience and body of work since his retirement in 2012.Naidu’s first-class career saw 93 matches in which he took 220 catches and effected 18 stumpings. He was also an aggressive lower-order batter, making 4386 run at 34.80, including eight centuries. Naidu chaired Karnataka’s junior selection panel from 2013-16 and was also part of the senior selection committee in 2015-16.The CAC also named Shyama Shaw as part of the women’s senior selection committee. The former allrounder represented India in three Tests and five ODIs in the mid-1990s and has since served in various administrative capacities, most notably as a Bengal selector for two terms. She replaces Mithu Mukherjee in the panel.Shaw joins the panel chaired by former India left-arm spinner Neetu David. Also in the committee are Arati Vaidya, Kalpana Venkatachar and Renu Margarate. Their immediate task will be to pick the India ODI and T20I squads for the limited-overs tour of Bangladesh in July, the team’s first international assignment since the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February.The announcement of the selection panel is likely to be followed by the appointment of a full-time head coach, for which the BCCI had invited applications in May.ESPNcricinfo has learnt the board was keen on appointing Gary Kirsten for the top job. However, Kirsten* confirmed he hadn’t been approached. Among those in contention are Amol Muzumdar, the former Mumbai captain, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the former India allrounder and current interim head coach. The search for a “big international name” is believed to be one of the reasons for the delay in appointment.It’s understood Charlotte Edwards hadn’t thrown her hat into the ring until recently; it couldn’t be confirmed if that stand has changed. The World Cup-winning former England captain is currently head coach of Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League.The new coach is likely to be given a two-year term to begin with, especially because there are two ICC events – the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2024 and the 50-over World Cup in India in 2025 – within this period.0900GMT The story has been updated with Gary Kirsten’s response.

Brendon McCullum, England men’s Test head coach, will face no action from his employers at the ECB after questions were raised about his advertising arrangements with a bookmaker.The board said last week that it was “exploring” McCullum’s relationship with Cyprus-based betting company 22Bet India after appearances in YouTube adverts and posts on social media came under scrutiny in his home country, New Zealand.New Zealand’s Problem Gambling Foundation had filed an official complaint to the country’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), with the DIA confirming that 22Bet’s adverts are misleading because “they are not a registered New Zealand sports bookmaker, nor are they licensed or regulated in New Zealand by the DIA”.The ECB said it had looked at the matter from a “regulatory and employer perspective” and concluded that McCullum had done nothing wrong. It is understood that the anti-corruption code signed up to by players and coaches does not prohibit such brand ambassador roles.However, McCullum is reportedly set to end his association with the bookmaker.An ECB spokesperson said: “Discussions have been ongoing with Brendon over the last few days, and the matter has been considered from an employer and regulator perspective. We can confirm that no further action will be taken.”

It wouldn’t be over the top to suggest that next season is Mikel Arteta’s most important since taking charge of Arsenal in 2019.

The Spaniard has helped to utterly transform the club since he was appointed, but after three second-placed Premier League finishes in a row, the expectation from many is that he will finally lead the team to glory next year.

Fortunately, the board and sporting director Andrea Berta seem intent on giving him the tools to do so this summer, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard already through the door, and a deal for Viktor Gyokeres in the works.

Furthermore, the links to Eberechi Eze continue to heat up, and now it looks like the Gunners are looking at someone who’d be the midfielder’s dream forward.

Arsenal target Eze's perfect forward

Eze has long been a player on Arsenal’s radar, as stories linking him with a return to the club that released him as a child started to pop up as far back as last summer.

Transfer Focus

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However, it’s really been in the last couple of weeks that the reports have become far more serious.

It now looks like the 27-year-old, who has a £68m release clause in his contract, has agreed personal terms with the Gunners and that talks between the two clubs are ongoing.

The Englishman would be an expensive but exciting addition to Arteta’s side, and now it looks like Berta and co are interested in adding another attacker who’d be his perfect forward: Ademola Lookman.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in the Atalanta star this summer.

Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Napoli are all keen on the Nigerian international.

On top of having to deal with the competition, the Premier League runners-up will have to stump up a fee of around £50m for the former Everton ace.

It’s a lot of money to spend on another attacking player, but Lookman has been incredible for several years now, and would be a dream forward signing for Eze.

Why Lookman would be a dream forward for Eze

There are several reasons why Lookman could end up being a dream teammate for Eze at Arsenal, but the first and most crucial is unsurprisingly related to his output.

While the former Everton and Fulham ace struggled to show how good he really was during his time in England, he has had no such trouble since making his way to Italy.

Across his 118 games for the Bergamo outfit, totalling 7538 minutes, the “world-class” attacker has scored 52 goals and provided 25 assists.

Appearances

33

45

40

Minutes

1858′

2809′

2871′

Goals

15

17

20

Assists

8

10

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.69

0.60

0.67

Minutes per Goal Involvement

80.78′

104.03′

106.33

In other words, the 29-capped international has averaged a goal involvement every 1.53 games or every 97.89 minutes since joining the Serie A side.

Just imagine the numbers the Palace ace could produce playing behind or alongside someone as dangerous as the Wandsworth-born star.

That brings us to the second reason the former RB Leipzig ace would be a great teammate: his positional versatility.

Due to the 27-year-old’s ability to play across the entire frontline, there will be plenty of minutes available to him at the Emirates next season, and as such, he’d have plenty of time to form a real connection with Eze and learn his game.

Moreover, he’s also able to play in attacking midfield and could therefore offer cover for the Englishman and make sure he is not overplayed.

Finally, Lookman has also proven to be a big game player, someone who can get his team over the line all by himself and is totally unfazed by the big occasion.

You only need to look at the 2024 Europa League final to see this, as he scored a hat-trick and won the final for Atlanta despite them being the clear underdogs.

With one of Eze’s motivations for joining the Gunners likely being the chance to win the biggest competitions, this is especially important.

Ultimately, Arteta and Co need to improve Arsenal’s attacking options ahead of next season, and signing both the Palace and Atalanta stars would be an excellent way to do that.

Saka's dream CAM: Arsenal submit bid for £45m superstar & it's not Madueke

The experienced international could be a game-changer for Arsenal and Bukayo Saka.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 10, 2025

Tom Brady has been “so impressed” with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as Birmingham spend in a bid to “keep up” with Wrexham in the transfer market.

• NFL legend on the Blues' board
• A-list co-owners in North Wales
• Friendly rivalry has been forged

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Blues will believe that they are in a stronger position at present than ‘Hollywood derby’ rivals from North Wales. It was they who captured the League One title in record-breaking style last season, accumulating 111 points in the process.

Advertisement

• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  They smashed recruitment records in 2024 and have continued to splash the cash 12 months on, with notable additions at St Andrew’s placing them among the favourites for promotion out of the Championship and into the Premier League.

• WHAT BRADY SAID

  Wrexham are also hoping to be in that mix, as A-list co-owners Reynolds and McElhenney smash transfer records of their own, and Brady admits that the Blues are looking to stay one step ahead of the Red Dragons on and off the field.

  NFL legend Brady told : “We've got to [keep spending]. We've got to keep up with one another. Wrexham have, I'd say, done an incredible job. I mean, you can't be anything but excited about what they've done for that club … I'm so impressed by Wrexham. What they do on the pitch, off the pitch, and again, they're in a great position to succeed as well.”

• Amazon Prime Video
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ is about to be rivalled in the documentary stakes by ‘Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues’, with “fun theatre” being generated. Brady added on light-hearted banter between A-list ownership groups: "We're going to talk a lot of smack in the meantime between all of us [Birmingham and Wrexham], because it's pretty fun theatre, and I think there's some little friendly side bets going on. But make no mistake, the people who are going to decide the fate of those games are the players wearing those jerseys."

Harry Kane has “no reason to bow out” of the England fold after gracing the 2026 World Cup, says Three Lions legend Stuart Pearce.

• The Three Lions' all-time leading scorer
• Closing in on appearance record
• Expected to play on for some time yet

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Prolific striker Kane is currently captain of his country and continues to rewrite the history books. He is the all-time leading goalscorer for England’s men’s national team, with the target being found on 73 occasions through 107 appearances.

Advertisement

• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The expectation is that Kane will go on to break Peter Shilton’s cap record, which currently stands at 125. He should get close to that by the time that another major tournament rolls around next summer.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kane, who has suffered defeat in back-to-back European Championship finals, has broken his trophy curse at club level – as a Bundesliga title winner with Bayern Munich – and is determined to end the Three Lions’ long wait for tangible success.

• Getty
  

  WHAT PEARCE SAID

  Pearce – speaking in association with Freebets.com, home of best casino sites – believes a talismanic performer will continue for some time yet, telling GOAL when asked how much international football the 32-year-old frontman has left in him: “He’s got another World Cup in him next summer, then you are looking two years beyond that. He’ll be a 35-year-old.

  “He is incredibly professional. His game is not based on blistering speed. I see no reason at all to bow out. I saw Teddy Sheringham wheeling it out late on in his career. Teddy played with his head and I think Harry Kane does as well. I see no problem going forward. The big question mark will be, who’s coming along to dislodge him? At the moment, I’m not seeing anyone that is consistent enough.”

South Africa’s batter embraces the pressure of series-decider at The Oval

Firdose Moonda05-Sep-2022Batting in England, according to Sarel Erwee, can feel like being at the top of a slide you’ve been down many times before. You know your head will spin when you survey the journey below, your stomach will turn as it begins, your ears will pop somewhere en route and you will scream, probably all the way. Even though intellectually you know to expect all these things, when they’re actually happening they will surprise you. Then you will steel yourself and want to go through it all again.”In these conditions, the ball moves and swings and nips and you know it’s going to do that,” Erwee told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s almost like going to India where the ball turns and you know it’s going to turn. When you see a lot of movement, sometimes that plays on your mind a little bit. The challenge is to stay in the moment and not let the one or two balls that swing a lot play on your mind.”Erwee talks from some experience. Although this is his first tour to England as an international, he has spent several seasons at Weybridge Cricket Club, playing in the Surrey Premier League, where he faced the moving ball. It may have caused him some difficulty then but it’s definitely asking much more of him now. “The English attack – just two of them [James Anderson and Stuart Broad] – have got over 1,000 wickets between them and it’s quite nice to face experienced bowlers in bowler-friendly conditions,” Erwee said.For the record Anderson and Broad together have 1,223 Test wickets and while Erwee is in awe, he is not intimidated. “It’s tricky but you wouldn’t want it any other way as an opening batter,” he added. “This is where you learn your Test cricket and what you’re about. To face these guys in their conditions is tricky but a nice experience. It’s something we will take with us into many more series to come, or even just to franchise cricket when we go back home. It’s all a learning curve really.”The issue is that South Africa’s batters have been in the knowledge-seeking phase for what seems like too long. In the last three years, only West Indies and Bangladesh have a top six that averages lower than their figure of 30.84, and they have only scored seven centuries between them, more than only Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.Erwee is one of those century-makers, and one of only two South African batters to have scored a Test hundred this year – Kyle Verreynne is the other – but he doesn’t see the individual numbers as the most important statistic right now. “The key thing for us is partnerships,” he said. “Everyone wants to score runs and hundreds but when you face tricky conditions it’s all about fighting for the next ball and fighting for your partner. That’s a focus.”Erwee’s partnership with Dean Elgar has been one of the highlights of South Africa’s recent batting•AFPOn that metric, Erwee has had done everything right so far. His partnership with Dean Elgar, though still in its infancy, is South Africa’s most successful in average terms since Graeme Smith and Neil Mckenzie in 2008-09.Smith and McKenzie shared in five hundred and eight fifty stands in 27 innings together; Erwee and Elgar have had two hundred and three fifty stands in 11 innings. They average 47.09, which suggests they are giving the middle-order something to build on. The real dilemma stems from them not always being able to, but Erwee has faith in players he has spent more than a decade playing alongside and against in domestic competitions.”They are excellent,” he said. “Watching them in domestic cricket and watching them train here, facing our bowlers – we’re talking about our four seamers who are world-class – for us to be facing them and watching these guys train against them, they are definitely the future of this batting line-up. I’m sure these guys are close to getting onto a good run and I look forward to watching that in years to come. Once I am done playing, I am sure they’ll still be playing. They are class players.”For someone only six matches into a Test career, and 32 years old, talking about no longer playing seems too soon but it’s part of Erwee’s ideology of not looking too far ahead. “I haven’t really thought of [my] long-term prospects. I just try and play my best game so that I have a good foot to stand on in the following game,” he said. “If I score the runs, I’ll stay.”

You don’t want to run away from pressure. You want to go towards it. If you run towards it, when pressure does hit, it becomes easier to face

So far, so good. Erwee is currently the only South African batter with more than 100 runs in the ongoing series and the only one with a half-century. But the expectation on him in an inexperienced line up – which will only get more inexperienced now that Rassie van der Dussen has been ruled out with a broken finger and one of Ryan Rickelton (two Test caps) or Khaya Zondo (one) will replace him – is immense. Asked how he copes with the scrutiny, Erwee offered a philosophical answer: “It’s Michael Jordan who said something about he has failed so many times but he has still become successful,” he said.The exact Jordan quote is: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games, 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed,” and the message holds: success is not only measured in numbers but in the someone responds in tough times.”You don’t want to run away from pressure. You want to go towards it. If you run towards it, when pressure does hit, it becomes easier to face,” Erwee said. “I don’t really feel I am under pressure every game. I’ve just got to enjoy and make the most of each game that I have, I try to embrace it as much as possible.”The attitude of in-the-moment living comes from the work Erwee has done on his mental health, which hit a low that almost led him to quit cricket, and has now seen him to commit to having as much fun as he can, while he can.And it shows. When he dropped Ollie Pope at slip in England’s first innings at Lord’s, juggling and then falling as he tried to take what should have been a routine catch, he brushed it off as ‘one of those things’ and then saw the lighter side of juggling and taking the catch that ended Joe Root’s innings in the second Test. “When I dropped the first one, I heard the crowd play up a bit. I was like, ‘oh my word, this is crazy’,” Erwee remembered, with a laugh. “But luckily I held on to the second one because that could have been another interesting reaction from the crowd.”Related

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In all seriousness, fielding in the slips is not as straightforward as it may seem in these conditions, for exactly the same reason batting is challenging. “It’s quite tricky with the ball that wobbles a bit once it’s past the bat. It’s not something I’ve experienced before,” Erwee said. “We train our slip catching quite intensely. You’ve just got to train it over and over again to get used to the wobble of the ball once it comes past the bat. It’s just about keeping your body as relaxed as possible and your head nice and still so that if something happens you can move quickly.”South Africa routinely do their fielding sessions last in training, when the players are already quite fatigued, to challenge their concentration levels in the same way a Test match might. It’s about forcing them to be as present as possible. “You’ve always got to be switched on. I have really enjoyed the challenge of that,” Erwee said.And that means that, even if he knows exactly what to expect on the field, he is also always ready for a few surprises.

Fonseka adds half-century as Rossouw takes five to keep South Africa in contention

ECB Reporters Network04-Feb-2025England U19s 251 for 8 (Sawant 83*, Fonseka 52, Roussouw 5-62) lead South Africa U19s 224 (James 84, Hansen 63, Jack 3-42) by 27 runsAaryan Sawant guided England Men U19s into a first-innings lead with a patient unbeaten 83 on day two of the second Youth Test against South Africa Men U19s in Cape Town.The Middlesex right-hander batted for over five hours, with the support of a Kesh Fonseka half-century, as the Young Lions reached 251 for eight at stumps.Left-arm finger spinner Nathan Rossouw impressed with five for 62 on a spin-friendly surface, but Sawant remained to usher his side into a 27-run lead.Sawant joined Foneska at 52 for two after Rossouw, who sent down 36 overs today after opening the bowling last night, removed openers Archie Vaughan (24) and Ben Dawkins (22). The pair added 70 for the third wicket with Fonseka crunching leg-spinner Chad Mason for six over cover before bringing up his fifty with a straight four from the spin of Jason Rowles.Fonseka was run out by a Bandile Mbatha direct hit as he went back for a second – the only wicket of the day not to fall to spin. The Young Lions then lost four for 16 as Rossouw reached his five-wicket haul which threatened to give the hosts a first-innings lead.Sawant steadied matters and reached the close having hit five fours and a six in his 228-ball stay, while Yorkshire debutant Alexander Wade was also unbeaten on seven from 58 balls.