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South Africa’s new T20I captain begins his long-awaited tenure with a three-match series against West Indies

Firdose Moonda24-Mar-2023It has been more than nine years since Aiden Markram captained South Africa’s Under-19 side to victory at the World Cup, and more than five since he led the senior side in five of the six ODIs they played in a marathon series against India. Those were tasters of what seemed to be Markram’s birthright as skipper of South Africa’s men’s national team, and they gave him opposite experiences of what the role would ultimately entail.His U-19 experience was successful and fun. “Everyone just wanted to play and you just had to make sure the team was getting on and guys understood their roles and that was pretty much as simple as it was,” Markram said at a press conference on the eve of the first T20I against West Indies.The ODI experience was chastening, for both the team and for him. South Africa lost the series 5-1. Markram’s top-score was 32. He was dropped from the side shortly after and was bitterly disappointed with how things had gone because he expected much more from himself. “I was quite fresh back at that young age, I was quite hard on myself,” he said. “I always wanted to do well and we know that in sport, it doesn’t always work out that way.”Related

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In between that, Markram was led by Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma and Dean Elgar at national level; by Sam Northeast at Hampshire and by Kane Williamson and KL Rahul at the IPL. Of those, du Plessis made the biggest impression. “How Faf managed to marshal his troops was something I really looked up to and something I strive to become. I’ve learnt a lot from him – probably without him knowing – just observing from the side,” Markram said. “The years of being in this environment has helped. We’ve had some great leaders around, so to sponge information off them and see how they operate has also shaped the way I am starting to think as well.”Now, after cutting the last of his teeth at Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the team he led to the inaugural SA20 title, Markram is finally, really ready to fulfil what many thought was his destiny. He has been named South Africa’s new, permanent T20I captain and begins his tenure with a three-match series against West Indies this weekend.As far as challenges go, although playing the former world champions always asks questions of a team, there is not much in the way of consequence for Markram’s inaugural outing. It’s not a T20 World Cup year, so the squad does not need to stack up a string of good results for anything other than pride and putting in place a few foundation stones for his tenure. Still there is excitement in the air. “West Indies are a great team to be able to test our skills against, see where we are with regards to our T20 side,” Markram said.

“You have to try to take performances and outcomes out of things and focus on the things that give you the best chance to succeed on the day, whether it works or not”Aiden Markram

South Africa have already had their high this year. Their franchise T20 tournament was played to mostly sold-out crowds, and even better than that, their women’s team made it to the T20 World Cup final. “We are almost seeing it as them setting the standard, and it’s something for us to chase,” Markram said. “They’ve inspired us to try and get there as well.”But there’s no expectation on the men’s team to reach those heights anytime soon. South Africa aren’t yet sure of a place in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Their set up, led by white-ball coach Rob Walter, are focused on 2027. By then, Markram will be 32 and there is a strong chance he will be captaining his team in a home World Cup.Before getting there, he will first need to accumulate a wealth of knowledge and maybe take some of his own advice as well. “You have to learn to take things in your stride,” Markram said. “You have to try to take performances and outcomes out of things and focus on the things that give you the best chance to succeed on the day, whether it works or not. Those things have helped me so far.”

New Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has made an instant impact since taking the helm at the City Ground, where one of his first moves was to ban a once very popular item of clothing favoured by players during the winter months. Dyche has become the club’s third manager despite the season just being a couple of months old, and the former Forest youth player is already laying down the law with his players.

• High drama at the City Ground

  It has been a dramatic few months for Forest, who have burned into their third manager of the season already, seemingly in disarray, despite qualifying for European football in May. Nuno Espirito Santo began the campaign after a successful seventh-place finish last season but was sacked in September following a public falling out with the owner Angelos Marinakis and his successor, Ange Postecoglou, was appointed in September but lasted only 39 days. The club's third and current manager, Sean Dyche is tasked with stabilising a squad and one of the first changes he has made is to draw the line on the wearing of a certain accessory, which used to be hugely popular with many Premier League players. 

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  Why it’s rude to wear a snood

  Dyche has banned the snood, which became a short-lived but memorable trend during the 2010-2011 season. Players, notably Manchester City's Carlos Tevez and Arsenal's Samir Nasri, popularised the neck-warmers to combat the cold. The trend sparked a significant debate, pitting the "old school" mentality against modern player comfort. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson famously banned his players from wearing snoods, while Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger defended their use on medical advice. The controversy ended swiftly. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) banned snoods from competitive matches in March 2011, citing safety concerns that an opponent could grab it around a player's neck. And so the snood went the way of goalkeepers wearing jogging bottoms, baggy shorts and long sleeve shirts, consigned to the football history bin.

• No-nonsense Dyche bans snood

  Dyche said: "It’s early yet but I’d like to think they do their homework, I’d like to think they know enough people in the game and ring around. I’ve even let them wear white socks, for goodness sake, I’ve never let anyone do that. That’s fair isn’t it? But they’re not allowed to wear snoods or hats, I had to do a deal somewhere."

  And speaking about club owner Marinakis, Dyche added: "You can question the owner currently, which a few have. But look at the changes from day one to now – they’ve been huge at this football club. At the end of the day, the bigger picture is a lot of goodwill and a lot of good feeling around the area. There’s a bigger picture to this. Look at where the club was before."

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  Dyche’s overflowing in-tray

  The new Forest boss’ problems are numerous, include a defensively ragged team, a squad with low confidence after a difficult start to the season, and a chaotic club culture under a trigger-happy owner. He must also unify a fractured fanbase after the departure of the popular Espirito Santo. To overcome these issues, Dyche must restore basics , a strategy the club's ambitious owner is aware of but may not tolerate long-term as he chases a dynamic playing style. And he made a flying start with a confident 2-0 victory over Porto in the Europa League, next up is an away trip to Bournemouth and there’s the eye-catching trip to Manchester United in November. 

Tottenham could sign a highly-rated player in the winter window, knowing that he was once keen on a move to N17.

The recent board restructure, which resulted in ex-chair Daniel Levy resigning and CEO Vinai Vinkatesham taking a more prominent role alongside members of the Lewis family, has prompted some optimism over their future recruitment plans.

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol recently mooted the possibility of further squad investment from ENIC, who may now be willing to spend more on both wages and transfers overall to hand Thomas Frank the best chance of on-pitch success.

The Lilywhites are already one of world football’s highest revenue-generating clubs, according to the Deloitte Money League, and Levy’s success in turning the club into a financial powerhouse cannot be understated.

However, Levy’s reputation for underspending compared to rivals was a key complaint of his tenure, and arguably contributed towards Tottenham’s lack of silverware during the 24 years he was chairman.

Now, Spurs insist a “new era” has begun with the swathe of recent boardroom changes, and it will be very intriguing to see how the north Londoners tackle their first transfer market post-Levy.

Frank has overseen an excellent start to 2025/2026, and worked wonders to tempt Xavi Simons with a move to Tottenham, according to super agent Ali Barat.

Reports over the summer claimed that Frank was also really pushing to sign Man City forward Savinho, and the Dane apparently believed that he could do ‘big things’ in north London, as per the reliable Fabrizio Romano.

Pep Guardiola was publicly clear that he wanted to keep the Brazil international and a potential Spurs move ultimately fell through, with City rejecting two bids, including an offer just under £61 million (Fabrizio Romano).

Savinho transfer to Tottenham alive for January after previous Levy plan

As per journalist Dean Jones, speaking to TEAMtalk, Levy was prepared to pay up to £65m for Savinho in the summer, and Tottenham know the winger wanted to join them before deadline day on September 1.

Spurs are still keeping an eye on Savinho, and it is believed they could move in January if Frank’s side get enough encouragement.

Savinho has played just 37 minutes in all competitions so far.

This is partly down to injury, but if the ex-Girona star continues to be on the fringes of Guardiola’s plans, a January move could well tempt him.

Savinho faces a battle to get into the starting eleven on a regular basis amid Jeremy Doku’s sensational start to the season, and with the 2026 World Cup looming, the 21-year-old may fancy a move elsewhere as Frank’s side maintain a serious interest.

His best-ever campaign yielded 11 goals and 10 assists in 41 appearances for title-chasing Girona in 23/24, and Guardiola has called Savinho an “exceptional” player.

After finally making his first Liverpool appearance against Atletico Madrid, Alexander Isak will have his sights set on the Merseyside derby against Everton and Arne Slot has already dropped a hint about his potential role.

Isak makes Liverpool debut

It was never going to be a game that saw Isak steal the show in the same way that he so often did for Newcastle United. He’s not quite there yet, as he works his way back to sharpness. But the Swede certainly showed plenty of glimpses.

What particularly stood out is how Florian Wirtz also burst into life for the first time in Liverpool colours when combining with his fellow summer arrival. That partnership, if it continues to click, will be one to watch.

Although it’s difficult to criticise a side that have won four from four in the Premier League, Liverpool looked far more balanced against Atletico Madrid before complacency forced them into winning late on once again.

Isak, Mohamed Salah, Wirtz and Cody Gakpo formed a formidable frontline, whilst Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch proved that they’ll be a tough midfield partnership to break up for the rest of Slot’s options in that department.

Jeremie Frimpong’s influence should also be noted. The addition of a natural, overlapping full-back – which Szoboszlai did not provide – allowed Salah the space that he has been craving to cut inside and return to his most influential form.

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Liverpool left it late once more to collect a Champions League victory at Anfield over Atletico Madrid.

By
Kelan Sarson

Sep 18, 2025

Finally complete now that Isak is up and running, the depth of quality that this current Liverpool side have at their disposal should be frightening for any Premier League rival. But after making his debut against Atletico Madrid, will Isak start against Everton in the Merseyside derby this weekend?

Liverpool vs Everton: Slot drops early Isak hint

Speaking about the Swede’s potential role against Everton, Slot told reporters that, whilst Isak surprised him, fans shouldn’t get their hopes too high for another start in a matter of days. Instead, Anfield may be forced to welcome their new star striker from the bench on Saturday afternoon.

Of course, such is the depth of talent in Liverpool’s squad, it will likely be Hugo Ekitike who starts against Everton. The Frenchman has scored two Premier League goals in four games and has looked more than capable of pushing Isak all the way for a starting place this season.

Real Madrid centre-back Dean Huijsen has pulled out of the Spain squad for the October World Cup qualifiers after he suffered a muscular injury. Huijsen, who joined Los Blancos from Bournemouth this summer, has appeared in all of Madrid's matches, except for the Espanyol clash, where he was suspended. He also played the full match against Villarreal last weekend.

• Huijsen out of Spain squad for October qualifiers

  Huijsen was forced to pull out of the Spain squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifying games against Georgia and Bulgaria on October 11 and 14 after the Real Madrid medical team assessed his condition, and the centre-back was diagnosed with a muscular injury. 

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  Madrid confirms Huijsen's injury

  The official statement from Real Madrid read: "Following tests carried out on our player, Dean Huijsen, today and assessed by the Real Madrid medical services, he has been diagnosed with a muscular injury to the soleus muscle in his left leg. Further updates will follow."

• Huijsen a key figure in Xabi Alonso's squad

  Under new manager Xabi Alonso, the former Bournemouth defender has established himself as a key member in the Spanish coach's starting lineup, as he has featured in every game for Madrid across all competitions this season, except for the Espanyol clash, where he was suspended after picking up a red card against Real Sociedad. In the club's latest 3-1 win over Villarreal last weekend, Huijsen played the full 90 minutes, but might have picked up the injury at the end of the clash.

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  Madrid's injury crisis worsened

  Madrid are already missing their right-backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal, as both defenders have been sidelined with injuries at the start of the season. Now, Huijsen's injury further makes the situation worse for Alonso, whose side are currently leading the title race by just two points. Alonso will hope that the Spanish defender's injury isn't too serious and he recovers before Madrid face Getafe on October 19.