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Pollard smashed the fastest half-century of this CPL, off 17 balls, but it wasn’t enough

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025

Dwaine Pretorius’ late sixes trumped Kieron Pollard’s in a tense chase of 168 to start Guyana Amazon Warriors’ home stretch with a victory and boost their playoff chances. They are fourth now on the points table, just one point behind Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, but with three matches in hand compared to one for Falcons. Trinbago Knight Riders, second on the table and already through to the playoffs, were lifted to a competitive score single-handedly by Pollard’s unbeaten 54 off 18, but it didn’t prove to be enough on a night where batting got easier later on, according to Pretorius.Amazon Warriors were in a spot of bother once their set batters Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer were gone by the 16th over and they needed 38 to win off 18. Pretorius, fresh on the back of his 53 off 34 against Barbados Royals two days ago, ended the 18th over, from Andre Russell, with consecutive sixes to bring it down from 19 to 12, and further eased the nerves in the last over, of which they needed nine, with a hack over wide long-on off Pollard before they reached the target with a ball to spare.TKR got off to a sedate start after they were put in to bat. They kept attempting boundaries, but kept losing wickets in the process as Romario Shepherd rattled Alex Hales’ stumps and Moeen Ali did the same to Nicholas Pooran, leaving them on 40 for 3 at the end of the powerplay. Moeen and captain Imran Tahir slowed them down further with a spin strangle, conceding just 18 in the next four overs with just one boundary. Moeen finished with 4-0-11-1 before Darren Bravo broke the shackles but soon holed out off Tahir for 33 off 35.On 100 for 4 after 16, TKR got a massive late lift when Pollard faced 17 off the last 24 balls and smashed the fastest half-century of the season, off 17 balls, studded with his trademark swings across the line after going back and across. He started with consecutive fours against Pretorius and smashed back-to-back sixes off Shepherd before Keacy Carty retired out for 29 off 34 at the end of the 18th. Pollard took on Tahir too, with a six that travelled 103 metres back over the bowler. The innings ended with a sequence of 6, 6, 4 and 4 as Pollard tore into Shepherd for a 21-run over.Amazon Warriors’ start wasn’t very impressive either, as Akeal Hosein sent back Moeen and Keemo Paul in his first eight balls. Hope, however, broke free with 6, 6 and 4 off Russell before Hetmyer hammered Usman Tariq for three sixes in an over to place them on an impressive 66 for 2 after six overs. But Amazon Warriors, too, slowed down after the powerplay, with the introduction of Sunil Narine. He added to the hosts’ woes by having Hetmyer hole out for 49 and trapping Hope lbw for 53. But Pretorious held his nerve by being prepared for yorkers and variations, and putting a bunch of them away to the ropes to see Amzaon Warriors home.

While things might not have ended as well as they could have, there are few figures more legendary in the history of The Arsenal than Arsène Wenger.

The Frenchman ushered in a period of immense success in the late 1990s and early 2000s that the club have not even come close to matching since.

However, with how things are going this season, that could soon be about to change.

Moreover, it would be fair to say that Mikel Arteta now has a star in his squad who’s undoubtedly the best player Arsenal have had since Wenger retired.

Arsenal's best players since Wenger retired

When looking at the best players signed by, or developed by, Arsenal since Wenger stepped away from management, there are more than a handful of names you could pick out.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

For example, for everything he did wrong, Unai Emery signed off on William Saliba’s move in the summer of 2019, and then just a year later, Arteta made his best defensive acquisition by bringing in Gabriel Magalhães from LOSC Lille.

Together, the centre-back pairing have been nothing short of exceptional over the last few years, and as things stand this season, have conceded just three goals in all competitions and should they win it, could go down as the best defensive partnership in Premier League history.

Moving into the middle of the park, and, in this conversation, it’s impossible to ignore club-record signing Declan Rice.

The former West Ham United captain made his way to the Emirates under a tremendous amount of pressure, but from his first game to today, he’s proven to be worth every penny.

From his ability to break up play, carry the ball from deep, score important goals and deliver the ball with pinpoint accuracy from set-pieces, he, without a shadow of a doubt, is a “world-class” midfielder.

Staying in midfield, and while he had a down season last year, and has had some terrible luck with injuries this term, Martin Odegaard deserves to be in this conversation.

The Norwegian international was made club captain in the summer of 2023, won back-to-back Player of the Season awards, and, at his best, can be utterly mesmerising to watch on the ball.

However, with all that said, when it comes to the club’s best player since Wenger left, there is one star who stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Arsenal's greatest player since Wenger retired

While fans will have their own favourite players, it would be hard to deny that, as things stand, Bukayo Saka is the best player Arsenal have had since Wenger retired.

The Hale End icon made his first team debut under Emery in a Europa League game away to Vorskla Poltava in November 2018, and then earned his first start at home against Qarabağ FK a month later.

However, it’s been under Arteta that the Englishman has transformed from a versatile utility player who often popped up at left-back, into one of the best right-wingers in world football.

Not only that, though, but the 24-year-old game-changer has become the club’s talisman and the face of its rejuvenation over the last few years.

It shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise then that, following his hamstring injury and surgery last season, the Gunners became far less potent in attack.

In his career to date, the North Londoners’ “legend in the making” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 74 goals and provided 72 assists in 274 first-team appearances, totalling 20713 minutes.

That comes out to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.87 games, or every 141.86 minutes, which is made all the more impressive by the fact he’s made 21 appearances at left-back.

As if his record at club level wasn’t enough, he has also won 46 senior caps for England, in which he’s scored 13 goals, provided nine assists and been named Player of the Year twice.

Ultimately, there is still much to come from Saka, but based on his already astounding record and the fact that he has become the club’s poster boy, it’s clear that he has been Arsenal’s best player since Wenger left the dugout.

Arteta's "foul magnet" is now looking like Arsenal's next Alexis Sanchez

The incredibly exciting talent could end up being as good as Alexis Sanchez for Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 31, 2025

Having retired hurt on the first day, Pant came out on the second morning, hit Archer for a six, completed his fifty and helped India cross 350

Sidharth Monga24-Jul-2025

Rishabh Pant scored 17 runs batting with a fractured foot•Associated Press

Rishabh Pant shocked everyone by coming out to bat with a broken foot and extending his overnight retired-hurt score of 37 to 54.During this unexpected extension of his innings, he hit his 90th six in Test cricket to go level with Virender Sehwag, India’s highest six-hitter in Test cricket. It took Sehwag 103 Tests to do so; this was Pant’s only 47th Test. Pant went on to get to his fifty with a block with no follow-through that raced along the floor to the cover boundary.Pant injured his right foot during the final session of the first day when, while trying to reverse-sweep Chris Woakes, he ended up playing the full toss onto his boot. He went down in seemingly unbearable pain immediately, and when he removed his sock, it revealed an egg-sized lump.Pant had to be carted off the field in a golf-style buggy, and he went straight for scans. The BCCI is yet to confirm the results of the scans, but ESPNcricinfo understands that he has a fracture and that he is out of the final Test.Related

How Woakes defied injury to front up in England's hour of need

Sai Sudharsan fifty guides India after they lose Pant to injury

Sai Sudharsan brings calm to India's chaos at No. 3

Pant suffers foot fracture, set to miss remainder of series

Dhruv Jurel will keep wicket for the rest of the Manchester Test, but it was anticipated that Pant would bat only if India needed him desperately.However, Pant was seen in his whites as Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar added 48 for the sixth wicket. Just before lunch on day two, with the score 314 for 6 in conditions where 350 is being seen as above par, Pant walked out to a big applause. He was still in pain, couldn’t do much more than hobble through for his runs, but he hung around for long enough to have 35 runs added while he was at the wicket.During his extended innings, Pant was involved in the running 14 of singles. Once he lost Washington, Pant picked up a slower ball from Jofra Archer and smacked a pull for six before bringing up his fifty. Archer had to produce the unplayable ball – angling in from round the wicket, seaming away, hitting top of off – to get rid of Pant.

It is the start of Arsenal’s biggest week of the season so far.

On Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s team take on Tottenham in the North London derby, seeking a fourth successive victory over Spurs for the first time since 1989.

After that, it is the small matter of Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, both currently boast 100% records in this season’s competition, before another blockbuster the following Sunday, facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in another fierce derby.

If the Gunners are going to maintain their unbeaten streak, currently standing at 14 games, they will need their “unpredictable” summer signing to come to the fore, currently going through a similar trajectory to that of his teammate.

Kai Havertz's roller coaster Arsenal career

Few players fluctuate in popularity at one particular club quite as dramatically and quickly as Kai Havertz has done since joining Arsenal in June 2023.

Costing £65m from hated rivals Chelsea, supporters were puzzled as to why Arteta had recruited the German, ostensibly signed to replace Granit Xhaka as the left-sided eight in midfield, but seemingly not suiting that role at all.

He scored just one goal in his first 12 Premier League appearances for the club, this is a pity penalty at Bournemouth, before flourishing in the second half of the 2023/24 season, once moved up front.

By the end of the campaign, as Arsenal won 16 of their final 18 Premier League matches, Havertz had 14 goals and eight assists to his name, netting nine times in 14 matches during that historic streak.

Last season, Havertz added 15 goals to his tally, despite suffering a season-ending hamstring injury against Newcastle in the EFL Cup semi-finals in February, meaning he has barely featured at all in 2025, seeing just half an hour of action this time round, suffering a knee injury on the opening day at Old Trafford and not seen since.

Two years ago, it would’ve felt fanciful to suggest that Arteta and Gooners everywhere are desperate to see Havertz return to fitness, considering the ambivalence and bewilderment his arrival and early appearances were met with, but he is undeniably a key figure that they’ve severely missed this season so far.

With that in mind, which of Arsenal’s summer signings is currently enduring a sticky start to life in North London, but could enjoy a Havertz-esque revival?

Arsenal's next Kai Havertz

In complete contrast to that of Havertz, Eberechi Eze’s £60m signing was the most exciting Gonners have been about any new arrival since the days of Mesut Özil’s deadline day switch from Real Madrid.

While there was an acceptance that some of the overseas summer signings, namely new striker Viktor Gyökeres, would take time to adapt to their teammates but also the level of the Premier League, there was hope that Eze would hit the ground running, which has not quite been the case, as the table below documents.

As the numbers highlight, Eze has certainly not been bad to commence his Arsenal career, but he has also not been the lights-out difference maker they were perhaps hoping for.

Rio Ferdinand, speaking on TNT Sports, labelled Eze an “elusive player” who is “unpredictable” when carrying the ball, which he describes as his greatest strength.

The England international has made massive contributions, scoring his first Premier League goal for the club against Crystal Palace, a thunderous volley to secure a 1-0 victory, while also producing this glorious assist to play in Gabriel Martinelli to rescue a draw in injury time against Manchester City.

Nevertheless, since Ødegaard suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee against West Ham in early-October, Eze has taken on the mantle as the central number ten, yet to consistently look excellent in that role, albeit there have been glimpses.

At Crystal Palace, he played as an inside-forward on the left of the front three, whereas now he’s being deployed as an attacking midfielder shaded towards the right, thereby tasked with learning a new role and position on the job, required to do so in double-quick time.

This is, as already outlined, reminiscent of when Havertz arrived two years ago, with Arteta attempting to mould the German into a central midfield, taking time to get to grips with what was being asked of him, with Eze seemingly going through something similar.

So, what is the solution for Eze?

Well, for now, he will continue to be deployed centrally but, whenever Ødegaard does come back, Eze could potentially return to the left-wing, usurping Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in the pecking order, which may suit his skillset better.

In 2023/24, Havertz scored crucial goals against Brentford, home and away, Chelsea and Spurs, which is when he really started to win supporters over.

Not that Eze needs to do that, but a goal in Sunday’s North London derby, against the side he famously turned down to join Arsenal instead, might just take the roof off, but could also be what he needs to ignite his career in red and white.

Arteta can fix Gabriel injury blow by unleashing Arsenal's £45m "beast"

After both Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori picked up injuries on international duty, Mikel Arteta must unleash Arsenal’s “physical” defender vs Spurs.

By
Ben Gray

Nov 16, 2025