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“We want to make everyone proud” – to understand why winning the World Cup matters so much to South Africa, read the stories of the players

Firdose Moonda19-Oct-2024Over the last 20 months, you would have heard South African sportspeople speak about their desire to play for something greater than themselves, and you would probably have believed them. They come from a country where social wounds are fresh and open, and where sport has, from the earliest days of democracy, provided a balm.In 1995, the Springboks won the rugby World Cup at home with Nelson Mandela as an ambassador. They have since gone on to lift the trophy three more times, most recently when they beat New Zealand in the final last year. In 1996, the national men’s football team won the African Cup of Nations, and last year the women did the same. South Africa’s cricketers have yet to do something similar. Since February last year, they have had three chances, two of them thanks to the women, and this time they aim to deliver.”We want to unite the country,” Chloe Tryon said at the pre-final press conference. “We wish the whole country was here with us. It would mean a lot to us. And we just want to play for everyone – our family, our friends, everyone that’s just sitting at different places watching and coming together and just supporting. We’re a very diverse, colourful nation. We just want to make them proud. We want to make everyone proud. And we just want to bring them all together. We’re hoping to fly that South African flag high.”Related

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'We are breaking barriers every day' – Bates proud to fly the flag against ageism

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Relentless Nonkululeko Mlaba is determined to be No. 1

To understand why it matters, meet the team that represents the self-titled Rainbow Nation and read their stories:Laura Wolvaardt could have been a medical doctor or a musician. Instead, she is leading South Africa at a T20 World Cup and is already their most decorated white-ball batter. Wolvaardt is the leading run-scorer in ODIs and T20Is for her team and achieved both after accepting the job as full-time captain. At first, she was concerned the leadership would affect her batting and she was right. Since taking over, she has upped her T20I average to 46.10 from 36.20, her ODI average to 68.21 from 49.38 and has scored a century in every format.Tazmin Brits would have represented South Africa by throwing the javelin at the 2012 Olympic Games but she was in a car accident that fractured her pelvis, burst her bladder, and could have ended her life. After she cheated death, she worked in a grocery store packing vegetables, and played cricket socially until the chance came to take it more seriously. But Brits could not afford to quit her day job and CSA had to step in to provide a stipend to “give her an opportunity to focus on cricket”, as CSA head of pathways Eddie Khoza put it. “She celebrates every moment and her passion for the game is something else.”Anneke Bosch made her international debut in 2016 but after two low scores, she had to wait three years to be considered for the T20I side and five to return to ODI cricket. In the interim, she found herself at what she described as a “crossroads”, when she considered quitting the game to focus on her career as a biokineticist. “Cricket looked like it wasn’t going anywhere and it wasn’t going to work out. I had almost decided to let cricket go,” she told ESPNcricinfo. She stuck at it, got re-selected, and found herself given the No. 3 spot for this tournament where scores of 18, 11 and 25 and a strike rate of 72.97 meant there were questions over her going into the semi-final. But in the most high-pressure of all situations, Bosch stood up to Australia and sent South Africa to a second final with an unbeaten 74 off 48 balls.Despite so many things going against her, Marizanne Kapp has become the champion allrounder she was destined to be•ICC/Getty ImagesMarizanne Kapp wears her heart on her sleeve. She has battled health issues through an unknown condition, which sometimes floors her, and personal issues, through a relationship that is in the cricket public’s eye. She has still managed to become a champion allrounder. In the last two years, Kapp has had Covid four times, could not fulfil her dream of playing at the Commonwealth Games after her brother-in-law suffered an accident, as she returned home to be at his side in the Intensive Care Unit. Eight months later, her wife Dane van Niekerk’s plans to play at the home T20 World Cup were derailed after she failed a fitness test. As van Niekerk retired, Kapp had to play under the same administration that had shunned her other half. She did, and was part of a side that took South Africa to the final. The national anthem is her cue to cry and expect the tears to flow on Sunday in Dubai.Chloe Tryon became the first bowler to take a wicket with her first ball in a T20I, and she did it at the World Cup in 2010. She was just 17 at the time and considered the future of the South African game. But two years later, she had back surgery for the first time and has struggled with a recurring injury for a large part of her career. In 2020, she was told her career was done. Tryon chose not to believe that. She has made comeback after comeback, re-established herself as a power-hitter, a versatile bowler who can be used in the powerplay, and a senior member of this South African side.Sune Luus was made South Africa’s interim captain when van Niekerk broke her ankle in early 2022 and continued in that job for over a year. She has spoken about the challenges of trying to make the team her own, in the space where they waited to find out if their permanent skipper would return. Despite that uncertainty, Luus led the team to their first T20 World Cup final and then chose to step away from the job. After doing that, Luus found runs hard to come by. She did not score a T20I half-century for 14 innings this year and as she battled for runs, she also decided to change her bowling style. Luus went from bowling legspin to offspin in her search for consistency. She has re-found form and her love for the game at this World Cup, where she has operated as a foot soldier and done it with a smile.Flags and songs were part of South Africa’s celebration upon entering the final•Getty ImagesAnnerie Dercksen grew up on a farm which did not have access to the state electricity supply and her family had a small diesel-powered generator for essentials. Though that gave her a rugged, robust childhood, it also meant that if her parents wanted to boil water, they had to turn off the television. She was a 2000s kid, who read about cricket in the newspapers, and wasn’t ever sure she could play at a high level. Now, she is shaping up as South Africa’s finisher.Nadine de Klerk was being primed for big things as a seam-bowling allrounder until she lost both her national and her WBBL contracts in 2022. She told ESPNcricinfo that she felt as though her career was “about to crash” and had to work her way back into contention. A much bigger and more difficult loss was coming. On the eve of South Africa’s T20 World Cup semi-final last year, de Klerk’s grandmother died. She left the team camp and it was uncertain if she would return for the big match, but she did, and with Shabnim Ismail at her side, bowled South Africa to a history-making victory.Sinalo Jafta checked herself into rehab for alcohol abuse 126 days before the 2023 T20 World Cup, knowing that she would put her place in the squad at risk. But the social media abuse she faced had become too much and consoling herself with a bottle was costing her her sanity. Jafta did not dream she could come back to win a silver medal with South Africa at the T20 World Cup. She has since spoken about the dangers of doom scrolling and has become a lively, energetic presence behind the stumps, a mentor to some of South Africa’s younger players and a role model for the Gen-Zs.Nonkululeko Mlaba is the second-highest wicket-taker at the World Cup at the moment•ICC/Getty ImagesNonkululeko Mlaba comes from KwaMashu, a township in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, just 16 kilometres from Kingsmead but a socio-economic world away. She needed assistance to find accommodation closer to training facilities and CSA once again stepped in. It was not long ago that she was the No. 2 T20I bowler in the world but she then saw her ranking tumble. Mlaba berated herself for the dip and actively sought out ways to improve. She is up to No. 7, is the South African with the most wickets at the T20 World Cup currently, and at 24, has years in the game to come.Ayabonga Khaka was born in the town of Middledrift in the Eastern Cape in what has been described as “impoverished” circumstances by Khoza. She played in the streets with boys, dabbled in football, and was eventually offered a place at former international Mfuneko Ngam’s academy at the University of Fort Hare. She also took up a study post for a degree in human movement science. She honed her craft of discipline and accuracy to become one of the most difficult bowlers in the world to get away. With her quiet confidence, she is the unsung hero of the South African attack and knows she is playing for something far greater than herself. “It’s possible,” she said. “Anything you want, you can do it.”And that is just the playing XI. On the bench, South Africa have Tumi Sekhukhune, who may consider herself unlucky to have missed out on selection, Ayanda Hlubi and Seshnie Naidu, from the Under-19 World Cup squad, and Mieke de Ridder, who has played four internationals and has gained invaluable experience.There’s also the coaching staff. Interim head Dillon du Preez, who found himself thrust into the job, Paul Adams, who has been through the ringer as a player and then at the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings, and Abrahams, who is a seasoned men’s provincial coach now imparting his knowledge where it is having the most impact. They represent the full spectrum of South Africa, across every divide, and their goal on Sunday is to cross those and bring a nation together in the most cohesive and beautiful way: with victory.

Tottenham Hotspur have identified a “fantastic” forward as their top target ahead of the January transfer window, with Thomas Frank personally an admirer.

Spurs keen on strengthening attack in January

Tottenham brought their five-game winless run to an end on Saturday afternoon, with Frank getting one over his former club by securing a 2-0 win against Brentford, and the manager was happy with his side’s performance on the front foot.

The Dane said: “I think it was a very good performance overall. A quite complete performance. Offensively we looked a big threat going forward. We were much more dynamic and producing good chances and good moments. I really like that.”

That said, it is still too early to suggest Spurs have turned a corner, considering just how poor they have looked going forward at times this season, recording an xG of just 0.1 in the home defeat against Chelsea at the beginning of last month.

Some of Frank’s summer additions have also struggled, including Randal Kolo Muani, who received a SofaScore match rating of just 6.1 against Brentford, the lowest of any Tottenham player, and the Frenchman is still searching for his first Premier League goal.

As such, the north Londoners may look to bring in some more attacking firepower in the upcoming transfer window, and a report from TEAMtalk has now revealed that AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo has been identified as their top target.

Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause in his contract, is being targeted by a whole host of Premier League clubs, with Manchester United and Manchester City also keen, so Spurs may have to fend off interest from elsewhere to get a deal over the line.

At this point, it is unclear who the Ghanaian would prefer to sign for, but national team manager Otto Addo has suggested he needs to take the ‘next step’ in his career soon.

Tottenham readying January move for "amazing" £44m striker praised by Frank

Spurs are lining up a move for a new centre-forward.

1 ByDominic Lund 5 days ago "Fantastic" Semenyo lauded by Frank

The Bournemouth star has been catching the eye in the Premier League for quite some time now, with Frank saying last season: “Semenyo can play wherever he wants to play – he’s a fantastic player. I think he’s been the best individual player for Bournemouth this season.”

The 25-year-old then went on to make a flying start to the current campaign, although he hasn’t been at his best of late, having failed to register a goal or an assist in his last six outings in the Premier League.

That said, the former Bristol City man is still on course to record a better combined goal and assist tally than last season, having displayed year-on-year improvement since first becoming a key player in the 2023-24 campaign.

Season

Premier League appearances

Goal contributions

2023-24

33

11

2024-25

37

17

2025-26

14

9

Semenyo has proven that he is now ready to make the move to a bigger club, and Tottenham should trigger the £65m release clause when the January transfer window opens, in light of their attacking woes.

The incident occured during the third ODI against Sri Lanka, following Babar’s dismissal

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2025Pakistan batter Babar Azam has been fined 10% of his match fee for hitting the stumps with his bat before leaving the crease, following his dismissal in the third ODI against Sri Lanka. Babar was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”In addition, a demerit point has been added to his disciplinary record, making it a first offence for Babar in a 24-month period. The incident occurred in the 21st over of Pakistan’s innings, when Babar, batting on 34, was bowled by Jeffrey Vandersay.On-field umpires Alex Wharf and Rashid Riaz, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Faisal Afridi levelled the charge while Ali Naqvi of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees proposed the sanction.Since Babar admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction, there was no need for a formal hearing. Pakistan went on to clinch a 3-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka with Babar playing a lead role with the bat, scoring 165 runs – the most in the series – which included a 20th ODI ton.Babar’s next international assignment is the T20I tri-series at home, against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, starting Tuesday.

Manchester United’s fans have been hugely disappointed over the last 12 years, with the club unable to reach the heights that were set under the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

The Scotsman led the Red Devils to a staggering 13 Premier League titles, but since his retirement in 2013, the first-team have only been able to muster multiple second-place finishes.

Ruben Amorim will no doubt want to end such a drought, but the 2024/25 campaign was the polar opposite of what he would have had in mind after taking the reins in November.

The 15th-place finish was unacceptable, especially given the expectations of the fanbase, but the recent run of three wins in a row has highlighted glimpses of a turnaround in form.

However, the upcoming January transfer window will present a new opportunity for the manager to further invest in the squad and bolster the options at his disposal.

United’s hunt for added additions in January

Over the past couple of days, United have been named as one of the sides interested in a move for Borussia Dortmund star Jobe Bellingham in the January window.

The Englishman only moved to the Bundesliga during the summer, but after just two starts in 2025/26, he could be set for a quick exit to gain valuable minutes to aid his progression.

A £42m price tag has been mooted as a result, but other teams such as Crystal Palace and Sunderland are also in the race for his signature at present.

However, he’s not the only player in their sights, with AC Milan winger Rafael Leao another top-level star who’s reportedly being scouted by the Red Devils hierarchy.

According to TEAMtalk, the Portuguese international would be “very keen” on a Premier League switch, with Arsenal and Chelsea just two other sides in contention for his services.

Their report also states that the 26-year-old does have a €150m (£132m) release clause in his contract, but it remains unclear if the Italian side would be willing to negotiate a cut-price deal.

Why United’s £132m target is even better than Mbeumo

The summer gave Amorim and United the perfect chance to improve the first-team squad, with the hierarchy forking out a fee in the region of £71m for attacker Bryan Mbeumo.

The Cameroonian international was a key target for multiple sides in the division, but ultimately, it was the Red Devils who came out on top to win the race for his services.

Many people raised eyebrows at the mammoth fee, especially after one solid year in the top-flight with 20 goals, but it’s safe to say the money spent looks worthwhile just a handful of games into his spell.

The 26-year-old has already found the net on five occasions within his first ten outings for the club, already sitting as the club’s top goalscorer at present.

Mbeumo has nailed his starting role down in Amorim’s system, but that could be about to change beyond January – especially if a deal is agreed for Leao.

There’s no denying it would be a hefty investment given the recent spending at Old Trafford, yet it could be one that takes the current first-team squad to the next level.

When comparing the pair’s respective stats from the current season, the Portuguese star has managed to outperform the current United star in countless key areas.

Games played

5

9

Goals scored

3

5

Minutes per goal

91

193

Progressive carries

4.1

3.1

Progressive passes

3.3

2.3

Take-ons completed

2.3

0.8

Pass accuracy

75%

74%

Key passes completed

1.9

1.8

Passes into the 18-yard box

1.5

0.8

Leao may have scored slightly fewer goals in 2025/26, but he has posted a better minute per goal ratio – showcasing his clinical nature within the final third.

With the ball at his feet, the Milan star has dominated Mbeumo, posting a higher tally of take-ons per 90 and subsequently achieving a higher success rate.

Finding a teammate is also another strong point of his game, as seen by his higher tallies of key passes and passes into the opposition box per 90 in 2025/26.

Such numbers would allow the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha to also hit the ground running in Manchester after their own big-money transfers this summer.

To top off his dominance over the current Red Devils star, Leao has produced more progressive passes and progressive carries per 90 – highlighting his ability to get the ball into forward areas at any given opportunity.

£132m is an absurd amount of money, with United having to break the current English transfer record to secure his signature if the Serie A side are unwilling to negotiate.

However, it’s evidently clear that the 26-year-old is a phenomenal talent, levels above Mbeumo, with the hierarchy needing to jump at the chance of landing him in January.

Not Cunha or Mbeumo: Man Utd gem is becoming one of the "best in the world"

Manchester United have yet another world-class star on their hands under Ruben Amorim.

2 ByEthan Lamb Oct 30, 2025

The 17-year-old made his maiden first-class century playing his third game, against Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy

Vishal Dikshit18-Oct-2024The Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) isn’t like the rest of Mumbai. In a city where poverty and opulence co-exist without any tangible borders, the BKC is an upmarket commercial hub embellished with offices of multinational companies, high rises adorned by modern-day reflective glass, five-star hotels, upscale restaurants and lavish offices of some of the top banks of the country. Against the backdrop of a metro, its chaos and congestion, this place feels as if it was planted there like a drop-in pitch.And in the middle of this swanky complex stood a 17-year-old boy on Friday who was a bit different to everybody that was around him too. He had been toiling in the scorching sun for close to four hours, sweating to earn each and every run for his team, getting his whites dirty, and physically proving his worth surrounded by people much older – some twice his age.Ayush Mhatre’s face still has a boyish roundness to it. It was hard to miss when he took his helmet off after scoring his maiden century in only his third first-class game and held his arms aloft facing the Mumbai dressing room.Mhatre is the latest from Mumbai’s production line that rolls out promising youngsters ever ready to step up when the first-choice players are unavailable. Two years ago, when the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan were away for national duty for the last couple of seasons, a 17-year-old Musheer Khan made his Ranji Trophy debut. And now when Musheer is out injured after a car accident last month, another 17-year-old has stepped in in his place, almost like he was packed and ready in a warehouse in BKC.Mhatre embodies the struggle of the average Mumbaikar. To chase his cricket dreams, he has had to travel nearly 80 kilometers one way by train from Virar (outside Mumbai) to Churchgate (next to Wankhede Stadium) to access the famed and cricket coaches. He was always supported by his parents to pursue this dream, and it was his (maternal grandfather) and then his (father’s younger brother) who chaperoned him on his journey into the city so he could have it all.Mhatre took the game up when he was five, but it was at 15 that he really began to think that the runs he was piling up in school and club cricket could be done professionally. His personal highest score stands at 254 not out, in a private tournament, and he “gained a lot of confidence” in playing the Kalpesh Koli Under-16 tournament in Mumbai. By December 2023, he had made it to Mumbai’s Under-23 squad for the CK Nayudu Trophy and was also named in MCA’s Under-19 team of the year for 2023-24.Ayush Mhatre is unbeaten on 127 against Maharashtra•PTI At the start of this season, still in Class XII, Mhatre had an inkling that a Mumbai call-up was coming. He was asked to take part in the red-ball KSCA Thimmappiah Tournament, which several players use to tune up for the start of a new Ranji season. There, he smashed 173 against Gujarat and 52 in the next game opposite Andhra. He also started prepping for the challenges fast bowling could throw at him in first-class cricket by batting against plastic balls on tiles with Prashant Shetty, who has coached many Mumbai players including Prithvi Shaw and Jemimah Rodrigues. Eventually, when the call came for the Irani Cup clash against Rest of India, after Musheer had met with an accident, Mhatre was mentally ready.”I was surprised, but there was no pressure, I was excited,” he said on Friday.Mhatre scored 19 and 14 against the likes of Mukesh Kumar and Yash Dayal, and as soon as the Ranji Trophy season started, he took no time to register his maiden first-class half-century against Baroda, top-scoring with 52 on a spicy surface in Mumbai’s first innings when only one other team-mate crossed 30.On Friday, batting on his home turf, after Maharashtra had been bowled out for just 126, Mhatre saw off the new ball while Shaw and Hardik Tamore fell cheaply, and he stitched useful partnerships with his captain Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer to power the score past 200.He reveres his Mumbai senior Rohit Sharma – also from the suburbs – for his trademark pulls and timing, and almost as a tribute to him, Mhatre pulled a short ball so handsomely towards the Bank of America building towering over the ground that the Mumbai dressing room erupted in applause. He seems comfortable off both the front and the back foot – the straight bat drives and the confident cuts showed as much. There was rarely a lull when he was at the crease, his strike rate hovering around 75 as he brought up a half-century off 63 balls and his century off 133 balls. Eighty of his 127 runs came on the off side.”The first hundred is always special,” he said after the day’s play. “I was confident which kept building in this innings.”Mhatre said Rahane coached him through a 99-run stand for the third wicket by setting “small targets of five runs at a time,” before he batted “calmly” with Iyer in an unbroken partnership of 97 as the field spread out and the baking sun made the pitch more batting friendly. Even at this nascent stage of his career, he understands he can’t get carried away even if he loves to attack.”I have to play with control, play according to what the situation demands, that’s what the team expects from me.”Mhatre has started with a bang, he has lived up to the promise he had shown in age-group cricket, and now he will want to stay true to the character of a promising Mumbai batter and really make it big.

The Cubs franchise and fanbase was shaken on Monday when legendary player Ryne Sandberg died at the age of 65 from cancer.

The Cubs and MLB world alike have honored Sandberg in various ways this week. The Cubs are even introducing a No. 23 patch to their jerseys for the remainder of the 2025 season to memorialize "Ryno."

This isn't the only way the Cubs are honoring the late legend. On Saturday in their home game vs. the Orioles at Wrigley Field, all Cubs players will wear a Sandberg No. 23 jersey without their names on the back. The team will wear the iconic pullover blue jerseys that Sandberg used to wear during his time with the team in the 1980s.

Cubs executive Crane Kenney shared the news on 670 The Score on Thursday, also noting that the jerseys will be auctioned after the game and all the proceeds will be donated to cancer research. The organization plans to celebrate Sandberg's legacy and life all day on Saturday at Wrigley Field.

It will be an emotional day in Chicago on Saturday.