Young South African Athletes Win Eight Medals at U20 World Athletics Championships in South Carolina

Mamelodi Sundowns has declared its ambition to dominate South African football, aiming to reclaim the Betway Premiership title that they lost to Orlando Pirates last season.

The team began its league season on Tuesday night with a 3-2 victory over TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium. The goal was opened by Brayan León, who started the team in full strength this season. The win was secured by a late brace from substitute Sphelele Mkhulise.

Despite the match not being perfectly polished, coach Miguel Cardoso expressed no concerns, noting that the triumph is important for boosting the team's morale ahead of the remaining 29 championship matches.

Sundowns' philosophy is based on participating in all available trophies. Although winning the CAF Champions League last season was a significant achievement, it left a bitter aftertaste because the team failed to secure the league title. Sundowns understands that the national championship remains the greatest reward for any club, given their previous eight consecutive titles.

Cardoso admitted: 'It is clear that our intention is to fight for the league and try our best. The energy we put in must reflect our commitment to the title race.' He added that it is not about how they lost previously, but about the ambition to dominate South African football for the club's history.

The victory over Galaxy helped restore calm and lift the spirits in the squad. Previously, the team had participated in the MTN8 quarter-finals, and the atmosphere was overshadowed by the news of midfielder Jayden Adams' passing.

With Adams absent and Teboho Mokoena injured during the match against The Rockets, Cardoso explained the tactics that required Mkhulise to have a significant impact when he was brought onto the field. The coach noted that last season the midfield was controlled by Jayden, Teboho, and Marcelo (Allende). With two of these players simultaneously missing, the team had to reorganize and find a new dynamic.

Although Adams' loss was tragic and premature, Cardoso believes Mokoena's injury could have been prevented, as it resulted from a hard tackle during the MTN8 quarter-final victory over Polokwane City on Saturday. The Portuguese coach called for the implementation of VAR to reduce refereeing errors, emphasizing that players must be constantly protected, especially key starters.

The era of spin bowling is gradually drawing to a close in the Indian team. With Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement, the task has arisen to find a replacement for him in the Indian Test squad, and now questions are turning to Ravindra Jadeja's future. In this regard, former Indian spinner Murali Karthik named the player he sees as Jadeja's heir.

According to Karthik, 24-year-old left-arm spinner Manav Chatur possesses all the qualities that make him a contender for Jadeja's spot in the future. Chatur has demonstrated his usefulness with both ball and bat in recent months.

Murali Karthik advised against directly comparing Chatur with Jadeja, insisting that Chatur needs time to develop his playing style. Karthik recalled his first viewing of Chatur's debut against Afghanistan, noting the obvious consistency and skill in his deliveries at that time.

Karthik emphasized that Chatur is capable of bowling the ball in the air, imparting spin, and consistently placing it in the required zones. This is why he considers him an extremely valuable player for the future. Karthik also joked about Jadeja, stating that he might give him a punch in the next meeting, although he clarified that it was just a joke.

According to Karthik, Jadeja is currently at a stage in his career where the team needs to look ahead. This means it is crucial to identify and prepare a player who can take his place in Indian cricket. He admitted that taking over after Jadeja will not be easy, but Chatur's performances have instilled hope.

Manav Chatur made his debut in the Test against Afghanistan, and he made this match memorable. In the match played in Mullanpur, Chatur broke the Afghan batting attack, taking 6 wickets in the first innings. In the second innings, he added another wicket, totaling seven wickets in the game. He was awarded the 'Player of the Match' award. His performance in the first innings was 6/33, and in the second, 1/29. India won this match by a margin of 300 runs, which was India's largest Test victory in history.

Chatur contributed not only to bowling but also to batting. In his debut match, he played a useful innings of 28 runs. This all-round ability makes him a particularly interesting candidate for the role of a possible successor to Jadeja.

After his Test debut, Chatur played for Warwickshire in English county cricket. In the match against Somerset, he took 2 wickets in the first innings and 5 wickets in the second, totaling seven wickets in that game. This was his first five-wicket haul in county cricket. Before that, he had already taken four wickets in his county debut against Yorkshire. Thus, Chatur consistently demonstrates his presence in red-ball cricket.

Before the Test series against Sri Lanka, the issue of spin bowling in the Indian team was actively discussed. The team management faced a choice between the experienced Jadeja and young players like Chatur, who represent the future. Chatur also performed well in a friendly match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo before the trip to Sri Lanka. He took two wickets with the ball and scored 41 not out runs with the bat. This performance once again demonstrated his all-round qualities.

Sharks captain Nick Hatton stated that the players will never forget the impressions from the match against the mighty All Blacks, and they can be proud of the efforts they made to hold off possibly the most attacking team in world rugby.

Hatton noted that the opportunity to play against the All Blacks is something special for the club, as such opportunities are not provided to many other teams. He also shared emotional moments, including participation in the haka and Ma'a Nonu's reaction to the famous challenge.

Ma'a Nonu, who joined the Sharks less than two weeks ago on a four-month contract, has already made a big impression on the players. Hatton emphasized that Nonu proved useful to the group, especially for the backline players, becoming a valuable addition by helping the team with preparation, preventative medicine, and match setup.

Coach JP Pietersen expressed pride in the young team's efforts, but he also admitted that his players were outnumbered in strength, especially in the second half when the Kiwi team took control of the game. The match took place during the Sharks' pre-season training, and some lack of fitness was inevitable as they had not played since mid-May.

Although the score was 14-0 in favor of the Sharks at halftime, there were already signs that the Kiwis would increase their pressure in the second half. Ultimately, they won with a score of 54-0. In the first quarter, it was visible how the Sharks aimed to play according to Pietersen's tactics, demonstrating readiness to retain possession and play at a fast pace.

Pietersen explained that the team prepared for this match as a one-off event, aiming to achieve the best possible result and put maximum pressure on the opponent in the first fifteen minutes. The coach also noted that the players gained immense experience from this game.

The Sharks' backline included young players from Junior Boks such as Vusi Moyo, Zekhethelo Siyaya, and Litelihle Bester, as well as Blitzbok Donovan Don. Pietersen added that learning only happens through practice. Since this is a new combination, and for the first time Ziyaya, Donovan, and Bester played together in defense, cohesion is still lacking. However, over the next six or seven weeks of pre-season, the team will build this cohesion and master game management.