From his early days of playing tape-ball cricket, to hitting Dale Steyn for a six in ODIs, Mohammad Naveed has come a long way

Alagappan Muthu in Fatullah21-Feb-2016Mohammad Naveed eyes the middle stump hiding behind the batsman and not playing a fair fight. He targets it from the first ball he bowls, coming off a shortish run-up but gathering pace as he nears the top of his mark. His arm speed is impressive as well and he is able to skid through the defences of Kinchit Shah, Tanwir Afzal and Aizaz Khan with very little warning.At the end of a one-sided clash, Naveed finished with 3 for 14 from his four overs and Hong Kong’s 147 for 7 was overhauled with six wickets and nine balls to spare, leaving UAE in pole position to qualify for the main round of the Asia Cup.UAE are the only team that is unbeaten after three days of memorable cricket in the qualifiers, and their net run-rate may well be big enough to accommodate a loss in their final match tomorrow against Oman. The Fatullah crowd may not have done the math, but they are quite partial to physics, especially the set of laws which say small but heavy projectiles will have no trouble uprooting a pole dug into the earth it if had enough force behind it. Naveed has certainly put in enough force, for various reasons.”The crowd comes in to see who can be a hero, and if we put in a good show, they will always leave happy. And I am proud I can give them that. It’s an amazing country, Bangladesh. I like it. Feeling their excitement is the biggest happiness for me.” Perhaps, but there maybe a bit of selfishness in there as well. “[Not only the fans] If I perform well, I am happy too.”Naveed has grown accustomed to an audience well before becoming a professional cricketer. “There were crowds larger than this [in Fatullah] when I used to play tape-ball cricket.”In fact, he did not really have much hard-ball experience when he wound up at a fast-bowling trial for the national team in Dubai in 2011-12. Until then, he had been a simple, but popular, man working at a shipping company in Fujairah and playing street cricket with his friends.”After a lot of hard work, I was able to go to Sharjah and bowl to a touring Sri Lanka team. I got a three-four batsmen out and that was when [former UAE coach] Kabir Khan saw me and said ‘this boy is good, take him,'” Naveed says.Current coach Aaqib Javed is of a similar opinion, which had taken from the minute he had seen Naveed at that fast-bowling trial. “It takes a lot more effort than a cricket ball, especially bowling yorkers,” Aaqib had explained to the . “When you are playing tape-ball cricket, you have to be smart.”Naveed made his UAE debut not long after and has never looked back, except to thank his friends for convincing him to go and participate in the trial. Now, not only does he get to play for UAE, tour the world and break middle stumps, he has the security of a day job, too. Naveed was picked up by United Bank Limited and plays for them in the domestic circuit.Among the reasons Naveed has been such an attractive package is that he seems to replicate one vital tape-ball skill with the hard ball too: beating the batsman for pace. He has a steady approach to the crease, but summons a lot of power in his load-up and delivery. Often, he gets the ball to zip through after pitching and if the batsman had chosen to blindly slog one of them, he was a goner.The power for those kinds of shots come from a considerably large back-lift and so it might take that little bit longer for the bat to come down and meet the ball. That seems to be more than enough for Naveed to exploit. He has 50 wickets in List-A matches, putting him fifth among UAE players over the last decade. The man at the top is Amjad Javed with 61, but he has taken 60 innings to get there. Naveed is only on 36.In T20Is, Naveed’s tally is 13, and the 3 for 14 tonight is his best performance till date. The team may not have known that, but they were certainly appreciative of his efforts. Naveed had barely finished following through after completing his spell when three fielders from the offside made a beeline right to him for lengthy pats on the back. As he was wandering off to his fielding position, his captain Javed came up and gave him a triumphant high-five. Each of Naveed’s strikes had come at the perfect time for UAE – the first, 17th and 19th overs, and Hong Kong were thumped.It was only three months ago that the shoe was on the other foot. Hong Kong were on tour in the UAE and demolished the hosts in three out of three matches. Could that have been a goal for Naveed? He has a habit of doing the things he sets his mind to. At a meeting with coach Javed to discuss the 2015 World Cup, Naveed said he wanted to hit Dale Steyn for a six. It took him only two balls to do so.

South Australia, who went down by 177 runs, are not out of the race for the final yet

AAP22-Feb-2023

Mitchell Perry picked up five wickets to run through the second South Australia innings•Getty Images

Victoria claimed a thumping 177-run win over South Australia inside three days to move a step closer to a spot in next month’s Sheffield Shield final.South Australia had few answers with the bat in pursuit of an unlikely 368 to win, and were bowled out for 190 just after the scheduled tea break at Junction Oval on Wednesday. Mitchell Perry, the 22-year-old fast bowler, continued his consistent form with career-best figures of 5 for 64.Related

Taking the aggressive route key to Sutherland's breakout season

Fergus O’Neill (2 for 3) claimed two top-order wickets but it wasn’t all good news for him, with the rookie quick forced from the field after delivering just 3.3 overs.South Australia’s hopes were extinguished to a large extent inside an hour at the crease after slipping to 27 for 4. The only serious resistance came from Daniel Drew (38) and Benjamin Manenti (82), who combined for a defiant 96-run stand for the fifth wicket.Victoria captain Will Sutherland secured the key wicket of Drew, who had scored a double-century against leaders Western Australia last week, with a sharp catch taken at short mid-on by Campbell Kellaway.Manenti again stated his case to be considered an allrounder with a crunching 82 off just 96 balls – a second half century in as many matches – before Perry removed him for his third wicket of the innings.Matt Short was the only batter to do well on a tricky pitch•Getty Images

While the impact of other ongoing matches is yet to be determined, the win lifted Victoria into outright second with two rounds remaining. It was a second one-sided win for Victoria in a row under acting captain Sutherland.While Perry enjoyed the spoils on the final day, the victory was set up by Matthew Short’s batting in both innings. Short hit 70 in the first innings – the only half-century for either team in the first-innings exchanges – and followed that up with 119 in the second dig, his maiden Shield century.Short’s run-scoring was all the more meritorious on a challenging Junction Oval pitch, where 22 wickets fell during the first four sessions of the match.The match also marked the return of veteran international Glenn Maxwell after a three-month absence from the game with a broken leg. Maxwell, who only returned to the game on the weekend in grade cricket, scored just five runs in the first innings and then a second-ball duck in the second innings.Despite the heavy defeat, South Australia’s hopes are still intact; they are one win in arrears of Victoria ahead of concluding matches against Queensland and New South Wales.

Mooney, Lanning, Gardner, Brown, Jonassen put in crucial contributions as India fall just short

Firdose Moonda23-Feb-2023Australia have reached a seventh successive T20 World Cup final but not without an almighty fight from India, who came five runs short in a thrilling semi-final in Cape Town. The margin of defeat is four runs smaller than it was at the Commonwealth Games final last year, but that will be little consolation for India, who came agonisingly close while chasing 173.They were clumsy in the field, conceded at least 15 runs through overthrows and misfields and dropped two crucial catches – of Meg Lanning on 1 and Beth Mooney on 32 – and were equally nervy between the wickets. Two crucial run-outs dented their chase including that of Harmanpreet Kaur, which led to India’s slide.The India captain was ill on the eve of the match and briefly hospitalised with a fever but fronted up to lead her side and almost took them home. After a poor start which left India on 28 for 3 in the fourth over, Harmanpreet shared in a 69-run fourth-wicket stand with Jemimah Rodrigues and then brought up her first fifty of the tournament. She had barely celebrated it when her bat got stuck in the ground while sliding it for a second run and Alyssa Healy was quick to break the stumps, leaving India’s middle and lower order to get 40 runs off the last 32 balls.

Shafali Verma fumbles, then flounders, then finally holds on

Shafali Verma was responsible for the first misfield on a messy day for India, when she dived over the top of a Healy drive to allow what should have been a single turn into two in the first over. India let at least two more ones get doubled up on before they got their first wicket when Healy charged against Radha Yadav and was stumped to give them some joy.Radha should have had another in her next over when Mooney lofted a drive to Shafali at long-on. The ball came to her at waist height and should have been easily taken but she let it slip through her hands and bounce over the boundary. Mooney went on to hit three more fours before trying to cut a Shikha Pandey ball that was too close to her body and found Shafali again. She was stationed at point and made no mistake this time for the simple catch. She was clearly relieved and celebrated by banging the ball into the turf. Mooney was dismissed on 54, which meant Shafali’s miss cost India 22 runs.

Ashleigh Gardner’s late attack

After Healy and Mooney’s opening stand of 52, and Mooney and Lanning’s 36-run stand off 27 balls, Ashleigh Gardner arrived to put the finishing touches on an innings that was well set up. She found her first boundary with a clip off Sneh Rana in an over that cost 14 runs and then upped the ante for high-octane entry into the last five overs. Gardner slog swept Radha over midwicket, then lofted her between long-off and cover and then took back-to-back boundaries off Renuka Singh. She had plundered 28 runs off her first 14 balls and put Australia in a position to push for a total above 170. She was bowled by a Deepti Sharma yorker in the 18th over, and Australia still managed 30 runs in the last two overs to reach 172.Ashleigh Gardner’s cameo pushed Australia forward•ICC/Getty Images

Mayhem in the middle

India’s chase started in the worst possible way when Shafali was given out lbw as she missed a flick off Megan Schutt. She was hit above the knee roll and reviewed, with both height and the prospect of the ball missing leg stump on the cards, but was confirmed out on umpire’s call. Five balls later, a Gardner arm ball trapped Smriti Mandhana in her crease as she tried to defend and Australia reviewed on suspicion of pad first. They were right and India had lost their openers.But the worst came in the over after that when Yastika Bhatia, included in the side after last playing in India’s tournament opener, flicked Darcie Brown to Grace Harris at short midwicket and set off for a run even though Rodrigues didn’t move. By the time Bhatia turned to get back, Harris’ throw had already reached Healy, who had the time to run in and break the stumps. India were 28 for 3 in the fourth over.Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur took India close•AFP/Getty Images

Rodrigues rides the wave and Harmanpreet falls short

Rodrigues and Harmanpreet were not rattled by the early wickets and took charge of the innings for the next 6.4 overs. Harmanpreet showed few signs of being under the weather and Rodrigues displayed the confidence she showed against Pakistan. Harmanpreet struck India’s first six with a strong swing over long-on and Rodrigues turned it on with two gorgeous lofted off drives off Georgia Wareham. India were 93 for 3 after 10 overs, with the required run rate at eight an over and the pair were going smoothly.Rodrigues started the second half of the innings with another classic drive and then tried to get cute against a Brown short ball. She shaped up to ramp it over Healy’s head but got a thin edge and was caught behind to leave her captain to complete the chase. Harmanpreet got to her fifty off 32 balls and took India to within 40 runs of victory before she was run-out for the first time in nearly five years in T20Is, and India’s lower order couldn’t take them over the line.

The Saudi Pro League is renowned for the vast wages it pays footballers, but who are the highest-earning players in the competition?

European football may still dominate the modern game, but Saudi Arabia’s biggest league has become far more prominent in recent years.

While the Saudi Pro League’s standard is still a noticeable drop down from that of the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga, it has still attracted some of the biggest names in the game, seeing its reputation grow in the process.

Rank

Player

Club

Weekly wage

Cristiano Ronaldo

Al-Nassr

€3.8m

Riyad Mahrez

Al-Ahli

€1m

Karim Benzema

Al-Ittihad

€961k

Sadio Mane

Al-Nassr

€769k

Kalidou Koulibaly

Al-Hilal

€667k

Ivan Toney

Al-Ahli

€491k

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Al-Hilal

€491k

N’Golo Kante

Al-Ittihad

€481k

Marcelo Brozovic

Al-Nassr

€465k

Darwin Nunez

Al-Hilal

€431k

Theo Hernandez

Al-Hilal

€392k

Weekly wages: Chelsea FC 2025/26 highest-paid players

Football FanCast has gathered all the information on how much each player earns at Chelsea.

ByCharlie Smith Sep 23, 2025

Here are the 11 highest earners in the division, with the help of data from Capology.

11 Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal) €392k per week

A regular for France, it was perhaps a surprise when Theo Hernandez left AC Milan behind for a tiny fee of £21m. We say tiny as it is for the oil-rich Saudi Pro League.

Now at Al-Hilal, the left-back is one of the best-paid defenders in the world.

10 Darwin Nunez (Al-Hilal) €431k per week

At Liverpool, the Uruguayan striker became more commonly known for missing simple chances in front of goal and the Reds will have perhaps been glad to see the back of him in the summer of 2025 when he was purchased by Al-Hilal.

Remarkably, despite his record in front of goal at Anfield, he’s now one of football’s highest-paid players.

9 Marcelo Brozovic (Al-Nassr) €465k per week

Marcelo Brozovic enjoyed a strong career in Europe, spending his peak years at Inter and also reaching the 2018 World Cup final with Croatia.

Now 32, the midfielder is enjoying the autumn of his career with Al-Nassr, joining them from the San Siro in 2023.

8 N'Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad) €481k per week

One of the most likeable footballers of the modern era, N’Golo Kante’s move to the Saudi Pro League arguably came as a surprise.

The former Leicester City and Chelsea title-winning midfielder is now plying his trade at Al-Ittihad, winding down in his career but not yet hanging up his boots for France. Could he bow out for his country at the 2026 World Cup?

7 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al-Hilal) €491k per week

The exit of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from the European game came as one of the biggest surprises, considering he departed for Saudi Arabia while still at the peak of his powers.

The 29-year-old appears to be impressing at current club Al-Hilal where he already has a league title in Saudi Arabia under his belt, perhaps justifying his crazy wages for his team.

6 Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli) €491k per week

Ivan Toney moved to the Saudi Pro League from Brentford during the 2024 summer window, ending months of transfer speculation.

The fact that the striker is playing in Saudi Arabia could hinder his chances of playing for England moving forward, and it remains to be seen if he will return to the Premier League at some point in the future.

5 Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal) €667k per week

Who else had forgotten that Kalidou Koulibaly had a brief and disappointing spell at Chelsea?

The Senegalese never adjusted to life in England after being a world-class performer at Napoli, and he decided to trade Stamford Bridge for Al-Hilal last year. A staggering €667,000 (£551,000) per week was seemingly too good to turn down for the defender, who is now in his mid 30s.

4 Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr) €769k per week

Sadio Mane has been part of a Liverpool exodus to the Saudi Pro League in recent years, with former teammates Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino all heading there.

Now the highest-earning ex-Reds player in the competition, the 32-year-old has shone for Al-Nassr, bagging over 40 goals and over 30 assists since moving.

3 Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad) €961k per week

One of the leading strikers of his generation, only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have scored more Champions League goals than Karim Benzema.

Having won all there is to win during an incredible career at Real Madrid, the Frenchman opted to join Al-Ittihad at the end of the 2022/23 season.

The top Champions League goalscorers of all time

Who has been the best in front of goal in the famous club competition?

ByCharlie Smith May 14, 2025 2 Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli) €1m per week

What City would give to have a peak-level Riyad Mahrez playing for them right now. The winger enjoyed five memorable years at the Etihad, winning the Premier League and Champions League among many other trophies, but he was another who headed to Saudi Arabia for a huge payday.

Mahrez is a teammate of Toney’s at Al-Ahli, where he has showcased his attacking class with goals and assists aplenty.

Gary Lineker says he got "very emotional and teary" about his Match of the Day colleagues refusing to work out of solidarity during his BBC row.

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Lineker had row with the BBCColleagues boycotted MOTD in solidarity"I got very emotional and teary"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The BBC took Lineker off the air in 2023 for allegedly breaching their social media guidelines after saying the government's asylum policy was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s". Colleagues Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, and Ian Wright then refused to work on that weekend's Match of the Day show, forcing the corporation to broadcast a shortened highlights programme with no commentary or analysis. Their actions moved the ex-England international to tears.

AdvertisementWHAT GARY LINEKER SAID

He told FourFourTwo: “It was incredibly moving what people did: Ian first, then Alan and Micah, then the commentators and the reporters. I thought, ‘My God’. I got very emotional and teary about that, because you never really know what people around you think, the people you work with every day. That loyalty to me was moving.”

In regards to the reaction to his post on X (formerly Twitter), Lineker added: “I was all right, because I wasn’t concerned that I’d done anything wrong. I just stated a fact – it was only a reply to someone who was having a pop at me, and I wasn’t rude. I just thought (the reaction) was extraordinary – it was completely taken out of proportion. I think people have recognised now that they misread the situation a little bit.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This incident was one of the biggest news stories in the United Kingdom and went on for many days. The debate raged over whether Lineker had gone too far, if the BBC were curbing his free speech, or if he had simply breached his contract. Fast forward to the present and he is stepping down from hosting MOTD at the end of the season and will end his tenure with the BBC after the 2026 World Cup.

Getty Images EntertainmentWHAT NEXT?

Lineker will also lead the BBC's FA Cup coverage next season, while continuing with his popular Rest is Football podcast with Shearer and Richards.

Captain however credits his team for playing their “best cricket” after a “stressful week”

Danyal Rasool13-Nov-20223:33

Fleming: Pakistan made ‘massive mistake’ in last four overs

Babar Azam’s T20I side has always taken its fans on a ride, but the pain that lies at the end is beginning to feel familiar. Much like Pakistan’s agonising defeat in last year’s T20I World Cup semi-final and the Asia Cup final in September, Pakistan fell short of silverware in the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, succumbing to a five-wicket defeat against England.Babar denied that Pakistan felt the pressure of the occasion, but acknowledged the repeated failure to sign off T20 campaigns in style had soured the mood.”It hurts when you can’t finish it off in a final, of course,” he said. “We’re very proud to play for Pakistan and make the final. But it hurts when you can’t finish it off. We couldn’t finish it off in the Asia Cup either, and that does sting.Related

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“This was a stressful week because we didn’t know we were in or out. But the way we grabbed our opportunity and played our best cricket in four matches in a row, our team deserves credit.”After losing the toss and finding themselves inserted in to bat, Pakistan were already flying in the face of history: just one of the previous six T20 World Cup finals have seen a side successfully defend a score. But after a stodgy start with Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Haris dismissed cheaply, Pakistan had engineered themselves into a decent position by the 11th over. Shan Masood had just taken 16 runs off Liam Livingstone’s only over, and at that stage, Pakistan were 84 for 2, set up for a big finish.What transpired over the next eight balls, though, wrenched the game away from Pakistan, with England picking up two wickets for just one run. Babar pointed to that passage of play as a sliding doors moment for his side.”The ball was seaming early on,” he said. “We wanted to get 45-50 runs in the powerplay but we lost a few wickets. In 11 overs, we were around 85 [84], but the back-to-back wickets that fell in the middle order meant we lost momentum. Especially after Shadab and Shan’s partnership ending with both getting out soon after each other like they did.”Our middle-order dot-ball ratio was a bit too high because we were in a different situation, trying to build a partnership. We couldn’t do that, and whenever a wicket falls, it takes the new batter 2-3 balls to settle down. That put us on the back foot as a batting unit because we couldn’t finish as we wanted.”The idea of Babar’s presence at the press conference following the final seemed preposterous a week ago, when Pakistan needed to rely on the Netherlands beating South Africa and win their final three games to make the semifinals. That became necessary after Pakistan opened their campaign with defeats against India and Zimbabwe, and given how bleak the outlook appeared at the time, the Pakistan captain was keen to highlight the positives.”We didn’t expect to go through after our start. But the way the team came back and the way we grabbed our opportunity makes me proud. The way the middle order stepped up after Rizwan and I were struggling made me very happy. They won us matches, and put in individual performances like Iftikhar’s Shadab’s and Nawaz. The bowling dominated all tournament, too.”Babar – “The way we fought back and took the game to the final over, you’re left to wonder. Maybe if Shaheen had bowled, things might have been different”•AFP/Getty ImagesDefending a low total, Pakistan needed everything to go their way in the field. That, emphatically didn’t happen when, having put England under pressure with five overs to go, Shaheen Shah Afridi pulled up after bowling one ball of his third over. At that stage, England still needed 41 to win off 29, having scored just 20 in the last 31 balls.The picture seemed to change dramatically immediately afterwards. As if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Ben Stokes, who had struggled for fluency all innings, smashed a four and a six off the final two balls off the over. A total of 26 came off the eight balls from the first boundary onwards, and Pakistan’s challenge was swiftly extinguished.”The way we fought back and took the game to the final over, you’re left to wonder. Maybe if Shaheen had bowled, things might have been different,” Babar said. “But credit to England’s bowling. We were trying to build a partnership, but losing back to back wickets puts pressure on you. That pressure remains on you till the 20th over. We were 20 runs or so short with the bat, even though we came back with the ball. After Shaheen’s injury, the game shifted to England’s side.”I’m not disappointed with the middle order. It’s a team game. We win and lose as a team. We just couldn’t finish well after what we had in the first 11 overs. We should have posted around 150, and we made mistakes in not getting there.”In the end, however, gratitude was the overwhelming emotion for the Pakistani skipper after a campaign that caught fire just when it looked like it was petering out.”I’d like to thank the crowd, both in Australia and Pakistan. Wherever we’ve played, the venues have been packed, supporting us and enjoying the cricket.”

شارك الدولي المصري عمر مرموش، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي، في فوز فريقه على يوفنتوس، في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات كأس العالم للأندية 2025.

وتأهلت كتيبة بيب جوارديولا إلى دور الـ16 لبطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025، بعد الفوز على يوفنتوس بنتيجة 5/2، في المباراة التي جمعتهما مساء أمس الخميس، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات.

بتلك النتيجة، تأهل مانشستر سيتي متصدرًا بـ9 نقاط، بينما جاء يوفنتوس في الوصافة برصيد 6 نقاط، وودع الثنائي العربي البطولة بعدما أحرز العين المركز الثالث برصيد 3 نقاط، والوداد في المركز الأخير بدون نقاط.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | بمشاركة مرموش.. مانشستر سيتي يكتسح يوفنتوس بخماسية ويتأهل متصدرًا لدور الـ16 بكأس العالم للأندية

وشارك مرموش أساسيًا للمرة الثانية في البطولة حتى الشوط الأول، وحل النرويجي إيرلينج هالاند، بديلًا له في الشوط الثاني.

ونال نجم منتخب مصر تقييمًا قُدر بـ7.1 على مدار 45 دقيقة لعبها أمام الفريق الإيطالي، وتمكن من تسديد الكرة مرتين على المرمى، وحاول أن يراوغ مرة وحيدة، لكنه فشل فيها، بينما نجح في تمرير الكرة 12 مرة بنسبة نجاح 100%، وهذا وفقًا لتطبيق sofa score لتقييم اللاعبين. ملخص لمسات عمر مرموش أمام يوفنتوس في كأس العالم للأندية

Former South Africa rugby captain Francois Pienaar talks about his role on Cricket South Africa’s review panel

Interview by Firdose Moonda21-Apr-2016Why did you agree to be involved in the CSA review?
Passion. I love this country and I have been involved in cricket – I’ve played cricket at school, I played Nuffield Cricket, I was involved in the IPL marketing when it came here in 2009. As a panel, we all know things about high-performance and closing out games. I have been involved in a number of initiatives where we’ve put structures in place and they have borne fruit. This is just a privilege, to be honest.

“When you get to the final, it’s a 50-50 call and it’s the smart guys who work out the margins. It’s all about the margins”

How will you and your fellow panelists approach the review?
What we will try and learn is what the trends over the last ten years are. We will look at trends, selection, stats and come up with recommendations.What do you, specifically, hope to bring to the review?
A different thinking from not being in the sport, coming from outside the sport. I have been really privileged to get involved in high-performance teams that have won.Can you talk about some of the teams you were involved with and how they achieved what you call high-performance status? In 1993, the Lions won 100% of their games. In 1994, we won 90%. As captain and coach of the Springbok rugby team, Kitch Christie and myself, we never lost. There was a certain culture of that side and a way of doing things. Our management team fulfilled high-performing roles in getting us to get a shot at the title. Even then, there are no guarantees. When you get to the final, it’s a 50-50 call and it’s the smart guys who work out the margins. It’s all about the margins.Then I went over to England and rugby was really amateur. I was a player-coach at Saracens, I needed to put those processes in place and, luckily, took the team to win their first ever cup. Those sort of things I am really proud of.A brand to admire: the All Blacks have won the last two World Cups•Getty Images Have you seen anything similar to that in cricket?
I had a magnificent session with the Aussies before the Ashes in the early 2000s. They asked me to do a session on margins and big games and how to close out games. I was sort of embarrassed. The best cricket team in the world by a long shot was asking me, but I found it so interesting. My payment there was that I got an insight into how they run their team. Steve Waugh as a captain and a leader – wow! I got so much from that.What makes a high-performance team?
Culture trumps strategy for breakfast. If you don’t have the right culture in any organisation, it’s very hard to be a high-performance team. The brand must be stronger than anything else. CEOs and coaches and captains come and go but you have to understand the culture and the core of why teams are high-performance teams, and you can’t tinker with that. As soon as you start tinkering with that, then you stand the risk of not remaining a high-performance team.Look at the All Blacks brand [New Zealand rugby], and how they nurture and love and embrace that brand. One of the nicest things for me was at the last World Cup when Graham Henry, who coached them when they won the World Cup in 2011, was coaching Argentina and New Zealand were playing against Argentina in the opening match at Wembley. I was there. My question would be what would happen in South Africa if a team of ours – cricket, rugby, soccer – if the coach who had won the World Cup in the previous outing is now coaching the opposition in the opening match. Would we invite him to lunch with the team the day before the game? I think not. They did that. The All Blacks invited Henry because he loves the guys, he is part of that brand, part of that passion, so why should they not invite him? They knew, if we are not smarter than him, if we don’t train hard, then we don’t deserve to win. It’s about the culture.

“The transfer of knowledge is something I am quite interested in discussing. Do we do that, and what are the reasons for us not doing it?”

Then afterwards, Sonny Bill Williams gave away his medal. Was it him or part of the culture? I would think it’s part of the culture. Same with Richie McCaw. Why did he not retire in the World Cup? Because if he did, it would have been about him and not about the team, and he knew it needed to be about the team. That’s my take. How do you create a winning culture?
Let’s go back to rugby. Every World Cup that has been won since 1987, the core of that winning national team came from the club side that dominated. So that side knew how to win. Like in 1995, the core of our team was from the Lions. If you infuse that culture with incredible players, they will enhance the way you do things.”We will look at trends, selection, stats and come up with recommendations”•IDI/Getty Images Are there other elements that go into creating a winning team?
Form is very important and so are combinations – they have to work very well – and then there is leadership. How do the leaders close a game down, how do they make decisions, and how do you work with other leaders in the team to do that?Rugby is a fairly simple game: it’s about how easy you release pressure, your exit strategy, and how you stay unpredictable on attack. For that to happen, there are certain elements that need to fall into place. But the overarching thing is, do you have the right culture, have the right guys in form, have the right combinations and the leaders? Can they execute? And by leaders it’s not only the captain, it’s the coaches, the management staff. If you can do that right, you will be competitive a lot of the time, and if you can bottle that so that when the next guy comes, you pass the baton – you can’t change that. Bottle it, understand it, love it. You’ll be on the right track.Is one of South Africa’s problems that they have not found a way of gaining or transferring that knowledge?
The transfer of knowledge is something I am quite interested in discussing. Do we do that, and what are the reasons for us not doing it? In rugby, we’ve never had that culture. We don’t have ex-coaches, for example, involved. We have got universities, schools – how can we bottle that, how can we work together? The transfer of knowledge and the sharing of ideas, we need to rekindle that.Will transformation form part of the review?
Everything is open for discussion and it should be. If you want to do a proper job, you should have the opportunity to ask questions about all elements that enhance high-performance.

Manchester United reportedly retain their transfer interest in RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons but must be ready to shell out a hefty fee.

Article continues below

Article continues below

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• Man Utd looking for a midfielder
• Have set their sights on Simons
• Leipzig set to demand a massive fee

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Simons initially moved to RB Leipzig on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, impressing with his skill and versatility. His performances convinced the German side to make the move permanent earlier this year, completing a €50 million (£42m/$55m) transfer.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to , Leipzig will demand at least €80m (£67m/$87m) for Simons if he chooses to leave this summer. The Bundesliga club intends to secure a major profit after acquiring him from PSG and will not consider offers below their valuation. Simons is under contract with Leipzig until 2027, but there is a growing belief that the club may be open to negotiations.

  Although Simons has faced a brief spell on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, his importance to Marco Rose’s squad remains undeniable. In 25 appearances this season, he has contributed eight goals and five assists, underlining his value in Leipzig’s attacking setup. Given his consistent performances and rising stock, Leipzig are in a strong bargaining position and will not be rushed into making a decision.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  United have been monitoring Simons’ progress since last summer, with their previous manager Erik ten Hag showing a keen interest in bringing him to Old Trafford. Despite a managerial change, with Ruben Amorim coming in, reports suggest that United still consider him a priority target as they prepare for a crucial squad rebuild. However, finances could pose a major hurdle in any potential deal. With the club already facing financial constraints, spending upwards of €80m on a single player may not align with their current budget.

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  It has been earlier reported that Bayern Munich are also keeping a close eye on the situation, with reports suggesting they see him as a strong alternative to Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. Meanwhile, Leipzig have made their stance clear – any club looking to sign the Dutch midfielder will need to meet their price tag.

Traditionally, football rivalries are based on proximity.

For example, just four miles separates the respective homes of Manchester United and Manchester City, while the venues of the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton are just 0.8 miles apart across Stanley Park.

However, not all rivalries are built on local bragging rights. Whether due to a bizarre one-off incident, significant periods of shared domestic dominance, or even the demise of a club, these are the six biggest non-local rivalries in English football today.

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By
Ross Kilvington

Nov 8, 2024

6

Liverpool v Manchester City

The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool is a relatively new one, having only come to fruition in the mid-2010s as the two clubs, under the respective guidance of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp – who briefly held a rivalry in Germany with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – began to dominate English football.

Since 2017/18, one of the two teams has won every Premier League title, three out of seven FA Cups and six out of seven EFL Cups, while between them, they’ve also set six of the eight highest top-flight points totals since 1995.

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Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 2, 2024

There have been some feisty moments between them, including when Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez and Guardiola got into a war of words after a hard-fought 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium last year, but more than anything, this rivalry is known for its sheer quality.

“Liverpool versus Manchester City has become the greatest, most intense and highest-quality rivalry in English football history,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said back in 2022. “There is a uniqueness to it. This is the first time the two best teams in England are the two best teams in the world, led by the two greatest coaches of their generation.”

Ahead of Guardiola and Klopp’s final meeting in the Premier League last season, the Spanish coach said of his German counterpart: “Jurgen, as a manager, has been the biggest rival I’ve ever had in my career.

“I will remember my period here, when I’m retired watching and playing golf, I’ll remember my biggest rival was Liverpool, for sure.”

Liverpool v Man City stats
Liverpool wins	93
Draws	53
Man City wins	50
Last meeting	Liverpool 1-1 Man City, 10th Mar 2024
2024/25 meetings	Liverpool v Man City, 1st Dec 2024
	Man City v Liverpool, 22nd Feb 2025

5

Leeds United v Manchester United

The Red Devils’ rivalry with Leeds United predates even their rivalry with Liverpool. In fact, to get to its roots, you’d have to go back over 500 years to the War of the Roses – a series of conflicts in a long-lasting civil war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, which ended with the extinction of both and the birth of the Tudor dynasty.

Once that was done, the rivalry between the cities of Manchester and Leeds continued through the Industrial Revolution, as both competed for trade.

On the football pitch, however, things didn’t really start to get personal between United and Leeds until the 1965 FA Cup semi-final, which ended in a punch-up between United’s Denis Law and Leeds’ Jack Charlton. Though Leeds ended up winning the tie, United went on to clinch the First Division title by beating Leeds on goal average.

On the 78 occasions the two sides and their supporters have met since then, they’ve fought in a similarly bitter fashion.

Leeds v Man Utd stats
Leeds wins	26
Draws	37
Man Utd wins	50
Last meeting	Leeds 0-2 Man Utd, 12th Feb 2023
2024/25 meetings	None

4

Brighton v Crystal Palace

The London borough of Croydon, home to Crystal Palace, and the city of Brighton are some 41 miles apart, but that distance hasn’t stopped the two sides from disliking each other.

The rivalry began in the 1970s when Palace and Brighton began to play one another regularly, but reached a flashpoint in 1976 following a dramatic FA Cup tie, which was played at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, due to the first two games being drawn.

Palace won the game 1-0 after Brighton missed a penalty in the dying moments, and tensions boiled over at the final whistle when a Palace fan allegedly threw some tea at Brighton boss Alan Mullery. In response, Mullery infamously threw some coins at the ground in the direction of the fan and shouted: “That’s all Crystal Palace are worth!”

Since then, the two teams have met 46 more times – most recently in February 2024, when seven fans were arrested before the game, which Brighton won 4-1.

Brighton v Crystal Palace stats
Brighton wins	50
Draws	40
Crystal Palace wins	51
Last meeting	Brighton 4-1 Crystal Palace, 3rd Feb 2024
2024/25 meetings	Brighton v Crystal Palace, 15th Dec 2024
	Crystal Palace v Brighton, 5th Apr 2025

3

AFC Wimbledon v Milton Keynes Dons

The rivalry between AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons dates back to 2001, when Wimbledon’s board of directors made the controversial decision to relocate the club 56 miles away to Milton Keynes.

As a result, a number of disgruntled Dons fans formed a new club, AFC Wimbledon, in 2002. Wimbledon continued to play under the same name in Milton Keynes until 2003, when, shortly after going into administration, they were renamed MK Dons and given a new crest and kit.

The newly formed MK Dons initially claimed Wimbledon’s history, silverware and nickname, leading to further anger from AFC fans.

The silverware has since been returned to the London Borough of Merton, but the bitter rivalry between the two clubs, who both now play in League Two, remains.

Over the years, tempers have flared between both players and fans on numerous occasions, most recently in April of this year, when a mass brawl erupted at the final whistle. In the same game, Wimbledon midfielder Harry Pell kept also kicking balls at the MK Dons fans during the warm-up, which led to him being fined and banned by the FA.

AFC Wimbledon v MK Dons stats
AFC Wimbledon wins	5
Draws	4
MK Dons wins	8
Last meeting	MK Dons 0-2 AFC Wimbledon, 3rd Nov 2024
Other 2024/25 meetings	AFC Wimbledon 3-0 MK Dons, 14th Sept 2024
	MK Dons v AFC Wimbledon, 25th Jan 2025

2

Arsenal v Manchester United

Do Manchester United hate everyone? Or does everyone else hate Manchester United? Regardless, another of United’s non-local rivals are Arsenal, with whom they have endured (or enjoyed, depending on how you look at it) some fierce clashes over the years.

Between 1995/96 and 2003/04, United and Arsenal shared all nine Premier League titles on offer – United winning six, Arsenal three. They also finished behind one another in five of those years.

During that period, games between the two were often filled with heated exchanges, late challenges and plenty of drama, most notably in September 2003 at the “Battle of Old Trafford”, which saw the two sets of players involved in multiple mass melees, most notably at the final whistle when a posse of Arsenal players ran over to confront United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who earlier in the game was involved in the controversial sending-off of Patrick Vieira and had missed a last-minute penalty.

Arsenal and their players were later charged with improper conduct by the FA, who slapped the club with a record £175,000 fine.

The following meeting at Old Trafford wasn’t much smoother, with the Gunners’ unbeaten run coming to an end, controversial decisions made by referee Mike Riley and an infamous slice of pizza being thrown at Alex Ferguson in the tunnel post-match. This was – and is – a rivalry filled with genuine hatred.

Arsenal v Man Utd stats
Arsenal wins	89
Draws	53
Man Utd wins	99
Last meeting	Man Utd 0-1 Arsenal, 12th May 2024
2024/25 meetings	Arsenal v Man Utd, 4th Dec 2024
	Man Utd v Arsenal, 8th Mar 2025

1

Liverpool v Manchester United

Manchester City might be Manchester United’s closest rival, but Liverpool are no doubt their biggest.

The rivalry between United and Liverpool can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution and the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, which was built so that Manchester could avoid importing raw materials through the port of Liverpool and the hefty costs that came with it.

That initial commercial competition extended onto the football pitch that same year, with the two sides meeting 243 times since.

The rivalry between the two clubs really began to hot up in the 1960s when Bill Shankly and Sir Matt Busby’s sides traded league titles in four successive seasons, though it was Liverpool who went on to dominate the 70s and 80s, winning 11 league titles in 20 years as United faded.

However, come the era of the Premier League and the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, the tables turned, with United entering a golden age and Liverpool falling from grace. To date, United have 20 league titles to Liverpool’s 19. In terms of the weight of history, this match-up has to top the lot.

Liverpool v Man Utd stats
Liverpool wins	72
Draws	60
Man Utd wins	83
Last meeting	Man Utd 0-3 Liverpool, 1st Sept 2024
2024/25 meetings	Liverpool v Man Utd, 5th Jan 2025