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Last year, Arsenal finished second in the Premier League for the third successive season, but who can deny that Mikel Arteta’s burgeoning side have gotten better and better since the start of his reign?

Injuries ruined what could have been the year for the Gunners, but Arteta and new Emirates technical director Andrea Berta have come together and devised a summer plan, which is angled toward trophy-winning success in 2025/26.

A host of signings have been welcomed to north London over the past two months, but it’s the latest which is the most exciting, the most emphatic.

Maybe, having signed Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal have what they need to crown the Arteta era.

Why Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres

Arsenal have needed a reliable frontman for some time, one who will provide a confident stream of goals across the campaign.

And in Gyokeres, they have their man. Having bagged 97 goals and 28 assists besides over just two years with Sporting Lisbon, it’s inconceivable that the 27-year-old won’t bring a degree of prolificness beyond that of the Gunners’ current crop.

Despite interest from elsewhere – namely from Manchester United – Arsenal have agreed a deal worth £64m for the Swede, who will finalise his big-money move this weekend.

Many supporters, no doubt, would have liked to have signed Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. The Sweden striker, Gyokeres’ countryman, has informed his club that he wishes to explore a move away, with Liverpool leading the race for his signature.

Arsenal might not sign Isak, but they have one of the game’s most clinical strikers all the same. And anyway, with Bukayo Saka fully fit and raring to take the division by storm next year, the soon-to-be No. 14 is in safe hands.

In fact, it is Saka who stands above these other players. Arsenal have hit the jackpot on their homegrown hero, who is undoubtedly the cream of the crop.

The Arsenal star worth more than Isak & Gyokeres

Saka, 23, is one of the Premier League’s leading players. Pundit Karen Carney has said that “it’s scary how good he will be in three or four years”, and she’s right.

He’s the real deal, all right, and he’s already proven himself to be a game-changing player of the highest standard. After breaking out of the famed Hale End academy, he has made 263 senior appearances for Arsenal, scoring 70 goals and providing 71 assists.

You felt this throughout the 2024/25 campaign, with Saka sidelined for a significant stretch after Christmas that ultimately proved detrimental in the quest for silverware.

But he is, of course, fit again, and will play an instrumental role for club and country next season, challenging for the biggest prizes in red before donning that white shirt and fighting for gold over the pond with Thomas Tuchel’s England.

There’s indeed a case to be made that he is one of the most valuable players in the game, worldwide. This is actually backed up by the numbers, with one site penning him down above two aforementioned names.

Well, according to the renowned research centre CIES Football Observatory, the £98m-rated Saka is valued higher than both Isak and Gyokeres.

Newcastle’s centre-forward is only marginally behind the Three Lions sensation at £97m, while Gyokeres falls some way below at £68m, and this is reflected in the sealed deal for the number nine in north London.

Isak, of course, has a price tag of £130m as Newcastle prepare for his potential, but Saka, too, would demand an astronomical amount if any suitors approached Arsenal.

It bears testament to Saka’s inborn ability, his work-rate and indeed Arteta’s shrewd coaching that he has reached this level. He has many levels yet to go, but at this stage already, he is undoubtedly “world-class”, as has been said by pundit Rio Ferdinand.

Arsenal might have a prolific marksman in Gyokeres, and Isak may have been labelled “the best striker in the Premier League” last season by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, but Saka is something special, something different.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

As long as he remains the nucleus of this thrilling Gunners project, glory days will surely rain down on the Emirates Stadium once again.

Bigger talent than Simons: Arsenal lining up "world-class" £87m talent

Arsenal are hoping to follow the signing of Viktor Gyokeres with more attacking quality.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 25, 2025

Sunderland are yet to pick up a win during their pre-season outing to the Algarve, but there have been promising signs aplenty anyway.

Indeed, the Black Cats have faced some formidable opponents out in Portugal in the form of Sevilla and Sporting, meaning a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 loss aren’t disastrous outcomes, when you also consider a large chunk of the first team personnel selected by Regis Le Bris are still getting used to one another as brand new recruits.

In particular, Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki caught the eye of Sunderland spectators watching on, with the skilful midfield duo set to be joined by another impressive body in the middle if emerging reports are correct.

Sunderland agree terms with £17m battler

Of course, Sunderland fans will take any progressing deal with a pinch of salt until it’s officially over the line, having been burnt recently by Armand Lauriente’s deal falling through at the last minute.

Lauriente was even pictured jetting off to the Stadium of Light to complete a move, but the wheels unfortunately came off the deal in the end.

Hopefully, any last-minute mishaps are out of the Wearside outfit’s system, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein dramatically revealing via X that Sunderland have now agreed personal terms with long-term target Granit Xhaka.

The exclusive development by Ornstein reveals that Xhaka is only considering the newly promoted side as his next onward destination, with the hope on his end that the deal can be tied up rapidly for him to return to the Premier League.

In a window where Sunderland have already made a few statement deals a reality, this could well be the pick of the bunch, with the deal for the Swiss international – who is said to be valued at €20m (£17m) – a far more exciting signing to seal than Lauriente’s ever was.

Why signing Xhaka would be more exciting than Lauriente

Lauriente no doubt would have made his presence known donning Sunderland red and white, off the back of an explosive campaign in Serie B.

After all, the silky Frenchman wasn’t labelled “amazing” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig just by fluke, with a stunning haul of 18 strikes last season for Sassuolo clinching a glorious promotion up to the Italian top-flight.

Xhaka also has a sumptuous rocket up his sleeve, yet the seasoned 32-year-old would pick up his impressive tally of two strikes and seven assists in the far choppier and intense terrain of the Bundesliga last campaign, with the Bayer Leverkusen number 34 elevating his game to the next level in Germany.

From 174 games in the top division – with 66 of those coming about for Leverkusen – the midfield enforcer would collect 11 goals and ten assists, 12 of which were registered at the BayArena, as his side were even crowned champions of the usually Bayern Munich-dominated Bundesliga during his two-campaign stint.

On the contrary, Lauriente only has 133 games next to his name in total when plying his trade in Serie A and Ligue 1, with Xhaka’s expertise of the taxing Premier League also making him a far more worthwhile signing to pursue, away from festering in any lingering disappointment of the Frenchman’s deal collapsing.

Whilst he did experience many bumps along the way at Arsenal, Xhaka – in retrospect – is now viewed as a cog that allowed the Gunners to tick during testing times, as seen in his impressive 17 goals and 25 assists from a mammoth 225 top-flight appearances.

On top of that, he also battled away valiantly for the Gunners’ cause time after time, with 1001 duels being won in total, gaining him the label of a “monster” by Arsenal-based writer Connor Humm.

With the necessary grit required for a relegation battle, on top of possessing the quality to try and push Sunderland away from that mire, this really would be a standout addition to make for a £17m star also lauded as a “technician” by Chelsea great Joe Cole.

Lauriente might well have developed into a dazzling attacker under Le Bris’ wing, but if it’s readymade Premier League performers the ex-Lorient manager is after, he should ensure this move is sealed.

Adingra will love him: Sunderland in talks to sign "sensational" £22.5m ace

Sunderland is continuing to negotiate a deal to snap up a £22.5m star

By
Kelan Sarson

Jul 22, 2025

هنأ أحمد حسام ميدو، نجم الزمالك السابق، منتخب المغرب بعد تأهله رسميًا إلى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026، موجها رسالة خاصة للشعب المغربي، ورئيس الاتحاد فوزي لقجع.

وكان منتخب المغرب قد حقق فوزًا كاسحًا على النيجر بخماسية نظيفة، في اللقاء الذي أقيم مساء أمس الجمعة، على ملعب المجمع الرياضي الأمير مولاي عبد الله بالرباط، ضمن الجولة السابعة من التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لكأس العالم.

وكتب ميدو عبر حسابه الرسمي بمنصة “إكس”: “مبروك لـ المغرب على كل شئ.. التأهل لكأس العالم وافتتاح الملعب الجديد وعلى النهضة التي يعيشها إخواننا في المغرب في كرة القدم على كل المستويات، تطور المدربين وتصديرهم للاعبين إلى أوروبا بعد تأسيس جيد في مشاريع تحت إشراف الدولة.. مبروك لـ فوزي لقجع ولكل الشعب المغربي”.

طالع أيضًا | المنتخبات الإفريقية المتأهلة لـ كأس العالم 2026 (محدث باستمرار)

وبهذا الانتصار رفع منتخب المغرب رصيده إلى 18 نقطة في صدارة المجموعة الخامسة، متقدمين بفارق 8 نقاط عن تنزانيا صاحبة المركز الثاني، ليضمنوا بطاقة التأهل إلى كأس العالم الذي تستضيفه الولايات المتحدة وكندا والمكسيك.

ويقع المنتخب المغربي في المجموعة الخامسة والتي تضم منتخبات تنزانيا وزامبيا والنيجر والكونغو وإريتريا. ترتيب مجموعة المغرب في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026

1- المغرب 18 نقطة

2- تنزانيا 10 نقاط

3- زامبيا 6 نقاط

4- النيجر 6 نقاط

5- الكونغو نقطة

6 إريتريا 0 نقاط

USA, playing in their first T20 World Cup, have qualified for the Super Eight stages

Sidharth Monga14-Jun-20243:17

O’Brien: USA deserve to be in the Super Eight

It didn’t come around with a final dot ball or a wicket or a final scoring shot. The fans didn’t get to celebrate in the stands. There was no drama. After about five hours of hard work from the ground staff, it was during a fresh shower that it was finally decided there wasn’t going to be a match in Lauderhill on Friday. And with that, amid almost no fanfare, USA qualified for the Super Eight.USA will take it whatever way they get it, but they came wanting to play cricket. “As a cricketer, me coming to the ground today, and the boys coming to the ground today, I think that you don’t want to leave home and not play cricket,” the USA vice-captain Aaron Jones said. “That’s for me personally, I want to play. But at the end of the day, the rain… it’s nothing that we can control. So we are grateful that we got to the Super Eights. But we left the hotel this morning thinking about playing cricket, we wanted to play cricket.”Jones is not one for doing cartwheels. “Yeah, definitely we are celebrating,” he said. “Everybody’s happy right now. Obviously qualifying for the Super Eights is a big thing, so everybody’s happy right now.”Related

Scenarios: How can Bangladesh, Netherlands still qualify?

India and Australia in same Super Eight group

USA qualify automatically for T20 World Cup 2026

Washout in Florida takes USA through to Super Eight

Of course, the qualification didn’t come around just because there was no play on Friday, leaving Pakistan no chance to draw level with USA let alone going past them. They qualified because they beat Pakistan and Canada, something Jones at least had warned the world about when he said USA were not there just to make up the numbers.”Yeah, I definitely believed that earlier this year when I spoke about it,” Jones said when reminded of his comments. “To be honest with you, a lot of people don’t really pay much attention to US cricket. So probably the whole world don’t already know how much talent we have here and how good the players that we have here are. I think that could be a little advantage to us, but definitely I think that on any given day, once we play proper cricket, we believe that we can beat any team in the world for sure.”USA will now get three big matches in the Super Eight, facing West Indies, South Africa and possibly England. Their prize money will jump by at least $150,000. The biggest boost will hopefully be more interest in cricket in the country after such an impressive showing in their first T20 World Cup. Especially given how this automatically qualifies them for the next T20 World Cup too.”It’s a big thing for us to be honest,” Jones said. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve been speaking about playing in the World Cup, playing more games against the Full Member nations and stuff like that. And here we are doing it right now. And obviously qualifying for the Super Eights is really good. Not only for us right now in the moment but I think we’ll qualify for the 2026 World Cup as well so I think it’s a big thing for us. Not only for us but the fans around America as well. We really appreciate them for sure and not only for the fans but for the younger generation in America as well.”Even their rivals Canada have been rooting for USA because this brings the spotlight on the whole of North America. “I saw them last month in April, those guys were working really hard and I’m happy for them, how they qualified,” Shreyas Movva, the Canada wicketkeeper said. “It’s a motivation for us going into the next tournaments that USA have done it so we can do too.”Jones himself will be going back to the land of his birth, Barbados, to play two of the three matches. “It’s really good for me to go back home,” Jones said. “I’m really happy right now. I think I’ll get a lot of support for sure, especially in Barbados. So definitely looking forward to it.”

Arsenal’s most significant weakness this season is not a big secret; it’s a lack of goals.

Now, did the Mikel Arteta’s side face some questionable refereeing decisions early on and a torrent of injuries later? Yes, yes, they did.

However, even then, it would be hard to describe the club’s attack – bar Bukayo Saka – as anything other than disappointing this year. After all, they scored 17 goals fewer than Liverpool.

So, news that the club are closing in on a new attacking star should excite fans, especially as this is a player who could become world-class with Saka to his right.

Arsenal's attacker search

Given their blunt attack, it’s hardly been a surprise to see Arsenal linked with a plethora of forward talent in recent weeks and months, such as Leroy Sané and Nico Williams.

Transfer Focus

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

The former could be available for free this summer, as his contract with Bayern Munich expires at the end of the month, and given his tally of 13 goals and six assists in 45 games this season, he’d certainly be a wise acquisition.

Williams, on the other hand, would cost around £50m, but at 22 years old and with a tally of 11 goals and seven assists in 45 games this year, he too would likely be a wise addition to the team.

However, what most fans would tell you, and rightly so, is that the Gunners are in need of a new striker more than anything else, someone like Benjamin Sesko.

Yes, according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in the RB Leipzig star.

In fact, the journalist claims that the deal is now on and that talks between the clubs and the player himself are progressing, with outside reports claiming that the final fee could be somewhere in the region of £70m.

It’s certainly a lot of money to spend on a young forward, but his talent and potential are undeniable, and he could be incredible alongside Saka.

Why Sesko would be unreal with Saka

So, while there are likely a plethora of reasons why Saka could help turn Sesko into a world-class striker, from his work off the field to leadership on the pitch, there is one reason that stands above all others: his output.

The Hale End superstar has turned into a lean, mean output machine in the last year and a bit, as even though he missed almost four months of action with injury this season, the 23-year-old phenom racked up a superb tally of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 appearances, which comes out to one every 1.42 games.

Moreover, per Understat, he would have had at least one more assist had his teammates been better at finishing, as his ten league assists came from an expected assist figure of 11.58.

Now, let’s look at the Leipzig star’s numbers.

In just 45 appearances this season, the 22-year-old “monster,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored 21 goals and provided six assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.66, which for someone of his age, is sensational.

Appearances

45

37

Minutes

3258′

2619′

Goals

21

12

Assists

6

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.60

0.70

Minutes per Goal Involvement

120.66′

100.73′

Yet, it gets better, as the Slovenian “diamond,” as dubbed by Mattinson, is also able to turn middling chances into goals; according to Understat, his 13 Bundesliga goals came from 10.84 expected goals, and last season, he scored 14 from an expected goals figure of 8.60.

The fact he is consistently finishing at a higher standard than would be expected of him should delight fans and Arteta, as that ability, combined with the Gunners’ talismanic number seven, could be a match made in heaven.

And, just to make the former Salzburg gem even more exciting, he happens to be a mammoth 6 foot 5, and yet, per the respected Mattinson, is blessed with “rapid speed,” “good dribbling”, and “good mobility.”

Ultimately, while he isn’t going to be cheap, Sesko appears to have everything a striker needs to become a world-class goalscorer, and when you consider he’d be playing alongside Saka, it feels more like a matter of when and not if that happens.

Arsenal very close to signing £50m star who's a Saka & Rodrygo hybrid

The uber-talented international could be just the winger Arsenal need.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 6, 2025

In an ideal reality, West Bromwich Albion would find themselves competing in the upcoming Championship playoff final after Tony Mowbray’s return had gone down as a rip-roaring success.

Unfortunately, that script hasn’t come to life, with Mowbray actually finding himself out of a job again after a dismal run of just five wins from 17 games led to the Baggies falling short of those coveted playoff spots.

West Brom do have plenty of time on their hands to assess who they would like to bring in as the 61-year-old’s successor now as the ongoing search shows no real signs of coming to a halt.

West Brom's list of manager targets

It’s been nearly a month since Mowbray was abruptly axed from the Hawthorns hot seat, meaning plenty of names have been linked to fill the vacancy.

Indeed, faces such as Stockport County manager Dave Challinor have been tipped to take on the reins, alongside ex-Southampton boss Russell Martin potentially getting back on the horse after his Saints dismissal.

Moreover, former Manchester United coach turned Minnesota United manager Eric Ramsay has also been regularly thrown about as a successor to Mowbray, but there’s one other name that looks to be the likeliest option away from any other rumoured bosses.

Indeed, journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed recently that West Brom still ‘really like’ Tottenham Hotspur background figure Ryan Mason, with his young and fresh approach one factor that ticks a lot of boxes for the Baggies hierarchy.

Ramsay is the same age as Mason – with both the fresh-faced managers only being 33 years of age – but the Spurs coach arguably has more experience of the hustle and bustle of the English game, meaning he might well be viewed as an upgrade on the left-field Minnesota boss.

Why Mason is an upgrade on Ramsay

There is a logic behind West Brom wanting to go down the route of appointing a youthful new manager, having been burnt by the experienced Mowbray returning and ultimately failing.

On top of that, the likes of Liam Manning – who is only six years older than Mason – managed to steer Bristol City to the playoffs just this season, whilst the equally blooming Danny Rohl improved on a near escape from relegation at the helm of Sheffield Wednesday by guiding them to a comfortable mid-table finish.

Whilst both of those figures will likely go on to achieve far more in their careers, Mason does hold an advantage over both of them currently – on top of also bettering Ramsay in this department – with the 33-year-old gaining experience on the job of what it’s like to be an interim boss of a Premier League team with Spurs.

Whilst Ramsay does have an impressive 24 wins under his belt in charge of Minnesota, he has no experience of what it’s like to be thrown into the deep end of Premier League action, having only ever watched from afar when situated at the Red Devils.

On the contrary, Mason has briefly shone when handed the reins of the North Londoners, with six wins collected during some testing and turbulent times after some notable managerial exits.

He could be what West Brom needs, therefore, to recover from the popular figure of Mowbray flopping, with Ange Postecoglou even going out of his way recently to label Mason as “outstanding” for his work at the Premier League side.

Clearly, the Baggies need to think somewhat outside of the box to bring success back to the Hawthorns after the tried and tested route of Mowbray unravelled.

Whilst Ramsay would fit that unorthodox label, he might well flounder attempting to adapt to the Championship. Whereas, the time could be just right for Mason to prove himself after a worthwhile education at Spurs.

Free transfer: West Brom in talks to sign 21 y/o with same agent as Fellows

He’s out of contract at the end of June.

ByCharlie Smith May 15, 2025

New Zealand vs England as experienced from the back of a taxi in Chennai

Aditya Iyer09-Nov-2024When I start watching the game on my mobile phone in Liyaqath’s taxi shortly after dusk, New Zealand’s reply is underway. Opener Devon Conway is batting at one end. At the other stands the relatively unknown Rachin Ravindra. In his previous seven ODIs, all played in 2023, the curly-mopped left-hander hasn’t batted higher than No. 6. But something about Ravindra’s top score of 61 in a 100-run loss to England at Lord’s in the lead-up to this World Cup made the New Zealand team management promote him to No. 3 in Ahmedabad. It seems to have paid off instantly.With a few quick clicks on chronological time-stamps, Liyaqath and I watch all that we’ve missed in the innings. Just as we go live, Ravindra welcomes us back with a terrific hook off the speedy Mark Wood, where he gets inside the line of the bouncer and almost casually swats it away over square leg for six. There’s a slow-motion clatter of the ball against an electronic hoarding in Motera and a louder crash just in front of us in Guindy, for Liyaqath, in his eagerness to catch the replay, has nudged the car in front of him as we move halfway up the choked flyover. He slams hard on the brake pedal, but the damage has been done.Through the columns of water being displaced on the windscreen, we can see that the right taillight of the Maruti S-Presso ahead of us has been hit. Liyaqath steps out to inspect both cars. Two men emerge from the S-Presso to do the same. One of them is in regular office clothes, a shirt tucked into his trousers, but the other wears a crisp black and a diaphanous black shirt, a very specific kind of combination that only devotees of Sabarimalai Ayappan tend to wear, and immediately I fear that this situation could well take a communal turn; Liyaqath, with his beard under a moustache-free upper lip, is very evidently Muslim.But they just blink at each other in the falling rain, pointing at what I suppose are dents and nicks on both vehicles. I can’t hear what they are saying, but their gestures are pretty self-explanatory: nods and sighs and pursed lips and hands on hips. The man in black walks back to his car and re-emerges with his phone. He shelters the device with a palm and punches in whatever Liyaqath is dictating to him. Missed calls are made, photos of number plates clicked, heads shaken and nodded. That’s it, fracas over. Liyaqath is drenched by the time he heaves himself into the driver’s seat and sighs heavily over the sounds of pelting rain. The S-Presso is now part of the indistinguishable swarm ahead.

I catch the strains of Tamil commentary. I follow the sound and identify three flower-sellers as the ones listening to it, squatting in a line on the sand as they arrange strings of jasmine in coir baskets

Liyaqath is grumpy, muttering and castigating himself for his carelessness. “Please, I want to stop at a tea after this flyover, I just need to compose myself. Only if you don’t mind, please, okay?” he says. In a short while, we are parked beside ashop from whose awning hang many hands of bananas so ripe that they have lost all nutritional value. It is a stationery store, tobacco shop, confectionery stall, tea halt and shopkeeper’s living room all rolled into one. A woman sits on a red plastic stool, watching the World Cup game on a small TV on the green wall.We duck under the suspended bananas and Liyaqath lifts two fingers at the shopkeeper, who in turn whistles at a working the kettle by the backroom stove, who nods and exaggerates the motion of his pour into two paper cups, mainly to incite fresh froth in the milk chai. We slurp into the rising steam, watching the rain. “It was completely my fault,” says Liyaqath, looking bitterly into his hot beverage. I tell him that I’m just glad the hullabaloo didn’t acquire a communal shade. Liyaqath gives me a quizzical look. Then he throws his head back and laughs, deep, jolly rumbles emanating from his stomach. We now have the shopkeeper’s attention.”This is not your Delhi or Bombay, sir. This is Tamil Nadu, and our politicians might constantly stir other stupid things but they don’t do this Hindu-Muslim-Christian division here,” Liyaqath says. The shopkeeper nods along. “All of us coexist happily, what do you say ?” makes a perfect circle with his head a few times in agreement. Liyaqath likes the validation, the response, the power of telling off an outsider in front of his own, teaching a complete stranger the ways of this land, his land. “Unlike in the north, where widespread illiteracy allows the leaders to take advantage and polarise the people, the south is largely literate. Tougher to turn us against each other. Religion in the south of India, be it here or Kerala, or even Andhra Pradesh, is there to give us believers strength. It doesn’t make us weaker. We can be from any religion but here we are Tamil first, correct ?”The rain has stopped just as suddenly as it had started, and the winding roads leading up to the bay are bathed in the phosphorescent yellow hue of the dim streetlights. About a hundred metres short of Elliot’s Beach, the Uber stops next to a permanent -painted entryway to an apartment block in Besant Nagar, so named after Britisheducationist Annie Besant, who established the Theosophical Society a stone’s throw from where I stand. I learn that my friend, whose apartment I will be staying in until the end of India’s match in Chennai, is a good two hours away from getting home. I drag my strolley over the wet pavement towards the beach for a lonely wait. But then Liyaqath, parked at the intersection of the residential avenue and the beach road, calls out to me once again.He has pushed his seat back as far as possible and is smoking a herb. Potent, aromatic coils waft from the window as he enquires where I’m headed. On finding out that I’m at a loose end, he says: “Come come, sit inside. Want to try? It is very good, from Idukki.”Penguin Random House”Sure. But can we go to the beach? I happen to have a bottle of whisky that I got for my friend. Would you like to try some of that?”Each of us having accepted the invitation to indulge in the other man’s poison, we sit on the low peripheral wall around the Kaj Schmidt Memorial, a monument consisting of a single archway to remember a Dutch man who died while saving a British girl from drowning in undivided India. That was when this city was very much still Madras. The tide is low and calm, and it laps gently against the receding shore. Watching it, we smoke and drink, drink and smoke.In the silence, we hear two young lovers close by, their faces hidden under a thick jacket, giggle and playfully admonish each other for getting too frisky. I also catch the strains ofTamil commentary from the Ahmedabad match. I follow the sound and identify three flower-sellers as the ones listening to it, squatting in a line on the sand as they arrange strings of jasmine in coir baskets.Just as the might of the intoxication kicks in, Liyaqath nudges me in the ribs with his elbow and holds out his phone, showing me a picture of a girl no older than five, maybe six. “My daughter. Mahira.”I nod my spinning head.”I named her after Thala.”It doesn’t strike me immediately, so he smiles and pokes me again.”What, sir? Didn’t get the connection? Dhoni, sir! Mahi, sir! That is how I chose the name.”We are now lying on the sand, hands behind heads, looking up at the inky sky in our dizzy silence. Two boys in college uniforms trudge past us with their noses stuck into a mobilescreen. I yell out to them for the score. “Over, over, all over,” one of them shouts back. “Ravindra hundred. Conway 150. Both not out.”Somewhere in the far west of this vast, vast country, the World Cup has well and truly begun. A nation will live and breathe nothing else over the next six weeks, one deep lungful at a time.