The shape that defines this Test series is a sphere, and it comes in various forms

Alan Gardner16-Jul-2025There’s nothing the Light Roller likes more than panto season – especially when it arrives during the height of the English Test summer. England versus India began with lots of apparent bonhomie between the teams – most international players are IPL frat bros, one way or another, these days – so the introduction of a little niggle, the grit in the Lord’s oyster, was timely.Nobody threw any jellybeans, which is a pity, but there was lots of finger-pointing, verbal battles and crowd involvement as both sides sought an extra edge. We often talk about the “theatre” of Test cricket, which is presumed to mean heroic exploits, epic plotlines and grandiloquent stanzas of play. But it’s also worth getting in the popcorn when players start prancing around like they’re putting on at the Bedford Corn Exchange.The first shouts of “He’s behind you!” might have begun with England’s cute ploy of bringing the keeper up to the stumps in order to stop the Shubman Gill run machine in its tracks. But Gill then assumed centre stage during a fractious mini-mini-session at the end of day three, yelling at Zak Crawley to “grow some f***ing balls” and then miming for an impact substitute (back to the IPL again) when the England opener opted for the blatant time-wasting tactic of calling on the physio after a ball hit the middle of his bat.Related

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Perhaps, given the problems with the Dukes balls in this series, Gill was just trying to come up with a practical solution. Of all the England players, Crawley most looks like a member of the landowning class who might be able to dedicate farming resource to cultivating some sort of new-age alternative to cork and leather.Okay, so it’s more likely he was talking about cojones, certainly giving the accompanying hand gestures. And while Lord’s might be an improbable venue to stage a royal rumble – even with Alex Carey’s underhand/underarm antics to stir things up – there was an air of WWE to proceedings as Mohammed Siraj played to his “heel” status, copping a fine for his efforts, and Washington Sundar baited all and sundry with some ballsy chat of his own.To cap it all off, England tore up the saintly playbook they have adhered to under Brendon McCullum in order to generate a last-day atmosphere that harked back to the time when men were men and teams bowled 100 overs in a day. Then, when the dust settled, there were handshakes and hugs, solemn gestures of respect and brotherly love between combatants. Which is fine, so long as they go back to the Punch and Judy stuff when the series resumes at Old Trafford next week.Wiaan Mulder: not yet a legend•Zimbabwe Cricket

****

“New balls, please!” It’s been Wimbledon fortnight, but nowhere has the demand for a replacement batch of projectiles been louder than at Test matches in England. The Dukes ball, as mentioned, apparently goes soft quicker than a millennial faced with an awkward social situation, and needs to be changed more often than Gen Z change their pronouns. Is this because the cricket balls of today can’t withstand a little corporal punishment? Are the cows of Brexit Britain no longer the leathery leaders in their field? Maybe it’s another symptom of the inexorable decline of Western liberal values? Answers on a postcard to the ECB.
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****

Of all the things we were not expecting to write about this month, the question of whether Wiaan Mulder should have backed himself to go on and break Brian Lara’s record for the highest individual score in Test history would be right at the top of the list (or maybe, after some time to consider over lunch, fifth). Mulder said afterwards that he felt “Lara keeping the record is exactly the way it should be”, clearly fully aware of the pelters he would have received had he gone on past 400 in what was a Test in name only, and effectively South Africa B against an under-strength Zimbabwe. As an aside, Mulder revealed that it was Shukri Conrad who advised: “Listen, let the legends keep the really big scores.” Never mind what the public thinks of him, perhaps Mulder should be more worried about how highly he’s rated by his own coach.

The globetrotter has a remarkable record with KKR, TKR and against Rohit Sharma

Namooh Shah04-Dec-2025Best economy and 100-plus wickets for two teamsAcross 568 T20 matches, Narine has maintained an economy rate of 6.16, the best among 117 bowlers with a minimum of 200 wickets in the format.Narine is one of only five bowlers in T20 history to take 100 or more wickets for two teams alongside Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan.One-franchise IPL career with KKRNarine is one of three players to play for a single IPL franchise alongside Virat Kohli and Kieron Pollard (minimum 150 matches). He has played all his IPL cricket for Kolkata Knight Riders, featuring in 189 matches, joint-most by an overseas player in the league with Pollard.With 192 wickets, he is the leading overseas wicket-taker in IPL history. Overall, 210 of his 600 T20 wickets have come for KKR, the most by any player for a single franchise, ahead of Lasith Malinga (195 for Mumbai Indians).ESPNcricinfo LtdThe ruler of Punjab KingsNarine’s only T20 five-wicket haul came in the 2012 IPL against Kings XI Punjab [now Punjab Kings], making him the first overseas spinner in IPL history to take a five-for. Since then, only Adam Zampa (2017) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2022) have achieved the feat as overseas spinners.In 2013, Narine also took his only T20 hat-trick, again against Punjab Kings, against whom he has the most dismissals in the format (36).Dominance against Rohit Sharma and at Eden GardensNarine has dismissed Rohit Sharma ten times in T20 cricket, the joint-most dismissals of a batter by a bowler, alongside Dwayne Bravo, who has dismissed Pollard ten times.Narine also has 72 wickets at Eden Gardens, the most by any bowler in Kolkata in T20s. His next best venue is the Shere Bangla Stadium, Mirpur, where he has 38 wickets.CPL’s leading wicket-takerNarine is currently the leading wicket-taker in the Caribbean Premier League, with 133 wickets, ahead of Imran Tahir (130). Out of the 133 wickets, 102 have come for Trinbago Knight Riders, making him one of the only three bowlers to take 100-plus wickets for a team in CPL.

And what’s the ODI record for most caught-and-bowleds by one bowler?

Steven Lynch11-Nov-2025In one of South Africa’s recent ODIs, four Pakistan batters were caught and bowled, three of them by Nqaba Peter. Were either of these records? asked Mendel Bacher from South Africa

You’re talking about the second ODI in Faisalabad last week, when four men were caught and bowled during Pakistan’s innings. That equalled the ODI record: there were also four in England’s innings against Australia in Adelaide in January 1999, two each by Brendon Julian and Shane Warne.Three of last week’s quartet were held by the South African legspinner Nqaba Peter, which is a first for one-day internationals. There are 11 other instances of three caught-and-bowleds in an ODI innings, but none of them was taken by the same bowler.Jasprit Bumrah has taken 99 wickets in T20Is. How many bowlers have 100 or more in each of the three formats? asked Paritosh Gupta from Canada

You’re right that Jasprit Bumrah currently has 99 wickets in T20ls, to go with 226 in Tests and 149 in ODIs. He needs one more T20I scalp to become only the fifth man to reach three figures in all three formats, following Tim Southee (391 in Tests, 221 in ODIs and 164 in T20Is), Shakib Al Hasan (246, 317, 149), Shaheen Shah Afridi (121, 132, 122) and Lasith Malinga (101, 338, 107).Another current player, Jason Holder, is close to completing the set: going in to the final match of West Indies’ T20 series in New Zealand later this week, he has 97 wickets to go with 162 in Tests and 159 in OIDIs. Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe also has 99 wickets in T20 internationals, but he’s taken only 40 in Tests and 94 in ODIs.Who are the batters and bowlers with the best averages in their last 25 Tests? asked Rammohan Roy from India

The leading batter in his last 25 Tests will come as little surprise: Don Bradman averaged 105.09 in his last 25 matches, with 3468 runs, including 15 centuries. Next as I write is New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who averages 66.67 in his last 25 Tests: if that should fall, second place would revert to Kumar Sangakkara (64.05). Among those who played 50 or more Tests, Andy Flower averaged 63.83 over his last 25, Shivnarine Chanderpaul 60.91, and Clive Lloyd 60.14.The leading bowler is another current player: Jasprit Bumrah has taken 120 wickets in his last 25 Tests at an average of just 17.63. Among regular bowlers, Alec Bedser (18.68) and Curtly Ambrose (18.78) also averaged under 20, while Josh Hazlewood – who is about to play in the Ashes – has taken exactly 100 wickets in his last 25 Tests at an average of 20.35.Bermuda appeared only in the 2007 ODI World Cup, and is best remembered for Dwayne Leverock’s blinder to dismiss Robin Uthappa•Getty ImagesIn the climax of the 1968 Oval Test, John Inverarity was the last Australian to get out, having opened the innings. How often has an opener been the tenth wicket to fall? asked Robert Watts from England

When John Inverarity was the last man out in that famous match at The Oval in August 1968, it was only the fifth time an opener had been the last wicket to fall in any Test innings. The first was a more famous Aussie, Victor Trumper, against England in Melbourne in January 1904, and then it didn’t happen for more than 44 years, until Len Hutton was the last to go against Australia at The Oval in August 1948 as England were all out for 52.It’s become slightly more common in recent years, but there have still been only 29 instances all told. Three of them involved West Indies’ Desmond Haynes, who uniquely was last out in both innings against New Zealand in Dunedin in February 1980. Haynes also managed it against India in Delhi in November 1987; no one else has done it more than once.In the Lord’s Test in June 2021, the debutant Devon Conway did this for New Zealand, and Rory Burns followed suit for England.Are there any teams who have appeared at just one World Cup? asked Harrison Miller from England

Three teams have appeared at a single men’s 50-over World Cup. A side representing East Africa appeared in the first one, in 1975 (when the matches were of 60 overs each); Namibia made their sole appearance in 2003, and Bermuda in 2007.Three different countries have played at just one T20 World Cup: Kenya played for the only time in the inaugural edition, in 2007, while the most recent tournament in 2024 featured Canada and Uganda for the first time. Bermuda and Uganda (and East Africa) have featured in just the one World Cup over the two formats.In the women’s game, Scotland and Thailand have appeared in one T20 World Cup (and never in the 50-over version), while Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Young England all participated for the only time in the inaugural ODI World Cup in 1973.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Vital display in adversity at Mount Maunganui gives showcase for hard-hitting, hard-bowling credentials

Cameron Ponsonby27-Oct-2025So this is what a Jamie Overton is.Through little fault of his own, Jamie Overton has cut a curious figure in England colours over the past 12 months. Seemingly destined to retire with one international cap to his name – coming in 2022 when he made 97 on Test debut against New Zealand – he has since been the designated square peg to fit any round-hole problem England has faced.On his ODI debut 12 months ago – a full five years after he had last played a List A match – Overton was selected at No.8 as a specialist batter. “It felt a little bit like I shouldn’t be there,” he said at the time.A couple of months later against India, in his lone appearance of the series, he was picked as the side’s out-and-out all-rounder to bat at No.7. And then after seemingly switching his attention to white-ball cricket, he was picked for the series decider in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at The Oval. He announced his red-ball retirement shortly after.But after six weeks away from cricket where he was able to take a breath, he showed why England have valued him so highly at Mount Maunganui with 46 crucial runs, a probing – albeit wicketless – spell with the ball, and two pieces of high-quality fielding. There’s a reason England like Overton so much. It has just taken until now to put it all together.”100%,” Overton said after play at the Mount. “At No.8 I want to be contributing runs whatever the situation. And in the middle overs keep hammering the wicket and make those breakthroughs. Then in the field, I feel like I’m a good fielder, so get in those hotspots, and take the catches and the run-outs when they come.”Unusually for a fast bowler, Overton is a fantastic slip fielder. His catch to dismiss Rachin Ravindra was completed long before it reached his hands. He was denied the same courtesy in return when Joe Root put down Michael Bracewell off his bowling on two. Overton would later run Bracewell out himself, completing a diving one-handed pick-up-and-throw from midwicket.Overton’s success at Adelaide Strikers came after his batting had attracted the franchise’s initial interest•Getty ImagesDropped catches happen, but it would have stung Overton more than most. For the first time in his international career, there is a genuine settled role on the table. England have their opening bowlers sorted through a combination of Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer and whoever else may be available when fit (see Saqib Mahmood), but the role of middle-overs enforcer is up for grabs and an area that Harry Brook specifically noted as one that England need to improve.”We’re still trying to learn how to take wickets in the middle stage,” Brook said after his team’s four-wicket defeat to New Zealand. “We’ve bowled really well in the powerplay in the games I’ve captained, so I don’t feel that’s as much of an issue as the middle overs. We’ve got to try and find a way of taking wickets through there and not just rely on Rash [Adil Rashid] to have a bit of wizardry.”Related

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Overton has played eight ODIs for England, of which they have lost six and won two. He has only bowled more than six overs on one occasion: a statistic that is a symptom of an underperforming team who are defending meagre totals. A critic, however, would point out that Overton has only taken three middle-over wickets of top six batters across that time. To take Liam Plunkett’s final eight ODIs as a comparison, he took 11 top-order wickets in those middle overs, and bowled more than six overs on all but one occasion.It is cruel to compare any one player to the standard of a predecessor that no-one has yet been able to emulate. But that is what England are looking for. Overton should have both the remaining matches of this series to stake his claim. A run of games he has so far been denied in his brief, multi-hatted career.His batting will buy him extra time. When his two stress fractures in 2023 and 2024 forced him to take a break from bowling, it gave him extra time in the nets and allowed him to develop his game to the point where he was playing as a specialist batter in the Blast for Surrey and the Hundred for Manchester Originals. It even got him a deal with the Adelaide Strikers.”I spoke to one of the analysts halfway through the tournament,” Overton said last year of his time in the BBL. “And he was like, ‘Yeah, we didn’t really pick you for your bowling.”At Mount Maunganui, he arrived at the crease in the 12th over and added 87 with Brook as they went blow-for-blow. That he was able to strike at close to 100 even with England in the depths is a big tick in his favour. So too was his on-the-spot decision to move away from his natural gameplan of standing still at the crease, and instead copy his captain Brook in moving around to disturb New Zealand’s lengths.”There were times when I was thinking ‘what am I doing here?'” Overton said of his innings. “I normally don’t move around. Whereas today I feel like because the wicket was doing a lot to try and move across or step back, and it’s one of those which was trial and error. I actually found out today it will suit my game going forward.”Two boundaries off Nathan Smith, the first backing away and hitting through cover, followed by a whip through mid-wicket after walking across his stumps, proved his point.For a year now, Overton has been a nice-to-have for England. A multi-talented cricketer capable of fitting in wherever and whenever. But with two games to go in the series and a spot up for grabs, Overton has the opportunity to prove to England he is no longer a nice-to-have, but a must.

The 38-year-old India batter showed all the traits he is known for in scoring his 33rd ODI century against Australia in Sydney

Sidharth Monga25-Oct-20252:03

Chopra: Kohli and Rohit keep adding confidence

This was only the second time in the last five years that Rohit Sharma has batted 100 balls or more in an ODI innings. Most of this is his captaincy era, a period in which he took on a different role, that of a hyper-attacking batter around whom Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli could accumulate runs. The number of hundreds came down – this was only Rohit’s fourth in the last five years – but Travis Head is the only opener in this period to have both averaged higher and scored quicker than his 47.65 and 111.09.The two times that Rohit has batted 100 balls in this period are the 2023 World Cup match against England and this one. Lucknow was a difficult pitch, and this has come at the end of a difficult series in early-season conditions in Australia.If Lucknow was an impromptu adjustment to the conditions before he went back to blazing starts, this was an organic progression through the course of the series. In Perth, where the bowlers enjoyed both seam and bounce, Rohit still tried to impose himself on the game and failed. In Adelaide, where the bounce settled down but the ball still seamed appreciably, Rohit tried a bit of everything. He played two successive maidens from Josh Hazlewood, tried unsuccessfully to charge the seamers, and then fought through to top-score with 73 off 97.This 121 not out, in the face of a modest target (237) in the best but still not flat batting conditions of the series, was the return of the vintage Rohit, who mastered the template of big ODI innings from 2013 to 2019. Broadly, it involved a watchful start against two new balls, risk-free accumulation from overs 11 to 30 and then an almighty explosion that few had any counter for. In Sydney, he didn’t need that almighty acceleration phase because the target didn’t call for it, but Rohit had put himself in a position to aim for it.Rohit Sharma made his 33rd ODI century. Only Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar have more•AFP/Getty ImagesIn a slightly emotional interview with Adam Gilchrist and Ravi Shastri later, Rohit, almost certain to not play any more international cricket in Australia, spoke of “a lot of good memories, bad memories” in the country. One of the bad ones has to be earlier this year at this same venue, when he, as the captain of the Test side, dropped himself for the series decider never to be selected again.Related

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Having retired from T20Is already, Rohit now had only one format to stay active in, a format that is played the least these days. There were doubts about how he would stay in touch with the game, not just in the present moment but also for two years down the line when the ODI World Cup takes place in South Africa, when he will be 40 years old.On the evidence of this series, the game seems to be in good order, although the one real test for every limited-overs batter is when batting first on a flat track. In tough conditions, Rohit set the base for a competitive total in Adelaide. In a modest chase in Sydney, he showed how regulation he can make scoring an international century look.The ease with which he scored 121 at about a-run-a-ball is a reminder of what has made him the third-highest centurion in ODIs. A reminder that over the last five years he hadn’t lost that ability but just played a role that the team needed him to play at that time.If the selectors and team management were looking for signs to make their decisions on, they will have learnt very little. Rohit has shown what was never under doubt even though he might have carried some ring rust.His next assignment with India will be in a month’s time, a break much more manageable than the seven months he has had off since the Champions Trophy. A less sporadic schedule without being completely packed will be ideal for Rohit at this age. For now, he has shown he can’t be written off so easily. Let’s then strap in and get along on the ride.

Celtic have closed the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership table on a potentially pivotal Sunday.

The Hoops demolished Kilmarnock 4-0 at Parkhead, with Johnny Kenny breaking the deadlock, Kieran Tierney adding a second shortly after half time, before Daizen Maeda and then Arne Engels from the penalty spot added a little gloss to the scoreline late on.

With Hearts held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee United over at Tynecastle, the Hoops go into the international break now just seven points adrift of the leaders, also with a game in hand.

For Martin O’Neill, since returning to the Parkhead dugout after two decades away, he has enjoyed back-to-back 4-0 Premiership wins, as well as dumping Rangers out of the League Cup semi-finals at Hampden; the less said about Thursday’s Europa League clash with Midtjylland the better!

In this victory, for however long the 73-year-old remains in caretaker charge, he learned that one Celtic player in particular can be counted on.

Will O'Neill still be at Celtic after the break?

After Sunday’s comfortable victory, O’Neill confirmed “I genuinely don’t know” if he will still be in charge for their next fixture, adding that if the board do appoint a permanent manager during the international break that it’ll “be absolutely fine by me”.

When Celtic do return to action later this month, they’ll travel to St Mirren before facing Feyenoord in Rotterdam in a repeat of the 1970 European Cup Final, but who will be in charge of those matches?

Well, could it be Wilfried Nancy?

He is currently the favourite to land the job, reportedly one of the club’s top targets alongside Kieran McKenna, and a move to Glasgow may have edged a little bit closer this weekend, after Nancy’s Columbus Crew were dumped out the MLS play-offs by rivals FC Cincinnati on Saturday, meaning their season is now over, which could expedite any appointment, if he is indeed who they want.

Irrespective of who is sat in the away dugout in Paisley in a fortnight, they surely can’t help but be impressed by the performance of one Celtic player in particular this weekend.

Celtic star enjoys his finest day of the season vs Kilmarnock

The Celtic medical staff may need to paraphrase Police Chief Brody from Jaws: we’re going to need a bigger treatment room!

The Hoops are already without Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Jota and Kelechi Ịheanachọ, before Hampden hero Callum Osmand​​​​​​​ suffered a long-term injury in Herning on Thursday, while Marcelo Saracchi was then stretchered off in the first half against Kilmarnock.

This obviously is not ideal, but does of course present opportunities for others and, in the absence of Carter-Vickers, his compatriot Auston Trusty has really impressed.

The American centre-back put in an excellent display against Rangers in last weekend’s semi-final victory, but was possibly even more eye-catching this Sunday, with the statistics supporting this assertion.

Accurate passes

98

1st

Passing accuracy %

96%

3rd

Accurate long balls

9

2nd

Dribbles success %

100%

1st

Defensive actions

9

5th

Clearances

7

3rd

Interceptions

1

6th

Duels won

9

1st

Aerial duels won

6

1st

Touches

117

1st

SofaScore rating

8.4

3rd

As the table documents, the centre-half put in a colossal defensive display on Sunday, ranked first for duels as well as accurate passes and touches.

Meantime, when only Celtic players are considered, nobody accumulated more defensive actions, clearances or interceptions.

Glasgow World documented that he ‘continued his rich vein of form’, while noting that the 27-year-old appears to be the perfect man to fill a rather large Carter-Vickers-shaped void at the back.

The defender, who was named man of the match, was also labelled “composed, dominant and aggressive”, having been “immense​​​​​​​” since Carter-Vickers suffered a long-term achilles injury against Sturm Graz.

As recognition of his form, Trusty has been recalled to the United States squad for their friendlies against Paraguay in Pennsylvania and then Uruguay in Florida next week.

Trusty has not played a single minute for the USMNT since November last year, but could well change that as Mauricio Pochettino continues to experiment ahead of the World Cup.

Back at club level, Celtic will need Trusty to remain fit, available and in form because, frankly, they don’t have any other options and, if a new manager is appointed in the next fortnight, he has really staked a claim to remain a key figure. This was undoubtedly his finest day of the campaign to date.

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In the almost six years he’s been in charge, Mikel Arteta has helped to transform Arsenal.

He’s led the North Londoners from mid-table mediocrity to genuine Premier League and Champions League contenders.

The Spaniard’s tactical nous and standard-raising philosophy have undoubtedly played a massive part in this turnaround, but so has the club’s recruitment and promotion of youth players, like Bukayo Saka.

The Hale Ender has gone from promising prospect to the face of Arsenal and undoubtedly their most important attacker, although, based on recent reports, the club are looking to sign someone who is playing better than him at the moment.

Arsenal target superstar star attacker outperforming Saka

Since making his debut for Arsenal in a 2018 Europa League group stage match against Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava, Saka has gone on an incredible journey with the club.

Transfer Focus

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

Despite being moved around the pitch and then spending plenty of time at left-back in his early career, the Englishman has now become the club’s go-to right-winger and the first name on the teamsheet when fit.

In all, the 24-year-old has made 280 appearances for the Gunners, in which he’s racked up a sensational haul of 76 goals and 73 assists, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.87 games.

However, due in part to his injury, he has performed a little under par this season, and now it looks like the club are looking to sign someone who is outperforming him.

At least, that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Arsenal are still very interested in Michael Olise.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners are now preparing an ambitious plan to sign the Bayern Munich star and are willing to break their transfer record to do so, preparing an offer of around €150m, which converts to around £132m.

That’s an outrageous sum of money to spend on a player, but given Olise’s ability and potential, it might just be worth it for Arsenal, especially as he’s outperforming Saka.

How Olise compares to Saka

So, the first thing to say is that it seems highly unlikely that Arsenal would sign Olise to outright replace Saka.

After all, the Hale Ender has become the face of the project and probably the most beloved player of the last 20 years among the fanbase.

Instead, the Frenchman could be looked at as someone to offer competition, or, as has been the case with Noni Madueke, someone who can interchange with the Englishman during games, almost making the idea of a starting position antiquated.

With that said, it’s worth looking at how the pair have stacked up against one another since the Bayern ace’s move to Germany.

Last season, his first in Baveria, saw the 23-year-old rack up a sensational tally of 20 goals and 23 assists in 55 appearances, totalling 3842 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.27 games, or every 89.34 minutes.

Appearances

55

37

Minutes

3842′

2619′

Goals

20

12

Assists

23

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.78

0.70

Minutes per Goal Involvements

89.34′

100.73

Appearances

20

17

Minutes

1583′

1211′

Goals

9

6

Assists

10

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.95

0.47

Minutes per Goal Involvements

83.31′

151.37′

In contrast, Saka scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 37 appearances, totalling 2619 minutes, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.42 games, or every 100.73 minutes.

Okay, what about this season then?

Well, the former Crystal Palace star has really taken it up a notch, already scoring nine goals and providing ten assists in 20 appearances, totalling 1583 minutes.

That comes out to a staggering average of a goal involvement every 1.05 games, or every 83.31 minutes, and truly justifies analyst Filipe Sousa’s description of him being a “nightmare” for defenders.

For his efforts this season, the Gunners’ talismanic number seven has scored six goals and provided two assists in 17 appearances, totalling 1211 minutes.

That comes out to a somewhat underwhelming – for his lofty standards – of an average of a goal involvement every 2.12 games, or every 151.37 minutes.

Now, it should be said that he suffered another hamstring injury at the start of the campaign and is clearly still not at 100%, but even so, he would likely admit his output has been a little disappointing this season.

Ultimately, while it would cost an egregious sum of money, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Olise, as he could help get the best back out of Saka, and a team with the pair of them in it is a scary team indeed.

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