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Sweden national team boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has provided a fitness update on new Liverpool signing Alexander Isak.

Isak signs for Liverpool in £125m dealMissed Sweden's draw with SloveniaUpdate provided on striker's conditionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After months of speculation, Isak finally swapped Newcastle United for Liverpool in a British record deal worth £125 million ($169m). Now, attention has turned to when he will make his Reds debut. The striker was an unused substitute in Sweden's 2-2 draw with Slovenia on Friday but the 25-year-old could be back playing very soon.

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"He [Isak] had only done three training sessions with the team," Tomasson told Viaplay after the game. "No pre-season with the team and of course no playing time. The risk is probably a bit too great to use him today (Friday)."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

As Tomasson alluded to, Isak has not had the benefit of a pre-season campaign, partly due to going on strike at Newcastle to force through a Liverpool move. Despite that, it seems a Liverpool debut will not be too far away as he aims to hit the ground running at the Reds, potentially starting with a trip to Burnley next Sunday.

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Sweden are now preparing to face Kosovo in their next 2026 World Cup qualifier on Monday night. When asked if the former Real Sociedad man could play in that game, Tomasson added, "Hopefully, hopefully. As a game-changer."

تحدث طارق السيد، نجم الزمالك الأسبق، عن مستوى الأبيض الموسم الجديد تحت قيادة البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا المدير الفني وجون إدوارد المدير الرياضي.

وقال السيد، عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر 2”: “تجربة الزمالك يجب أن تكتمل حتى النهاية، فالزمالك يغير جلده في كل شيء، وعدد اللاعبين الجدد في الفريق ليس قليلًا، نحن نتحدث عن 11 صفقة”.

طالع.. خاص | مادورا البرتغالي يتقدم بشكوى لـ فيفا ضد الزمالك بسبب شيكو بانزا

وأضاف: “أن تكون البداية بهذا الشكل فهذا أمر عظيم للزمالك، لكن الأهم أن يستمر اللاعبون بنفس الروح والقلب الذي يلعبون به فجميع لاعبي مصر متقاربون في المستوى، وما يفرق بين فريق وآخر، الروح القتالية”.

وتابع: “الزمالك يحتاج إلى جناح أيسر، فهذا المركز يعاني من مشكلة واضحة أما شيكو بانزا فهو لاعب جيد، لكنه يمتلك الكثير من المشكلات”.

ويحتل الزمالك، المركز الأول في جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز برصيد 16 نقطة، جمعهم من الفوز في 5 مباريات وتعادل وخسارة.

Tottenham Hotspur may end up waving goodbye to another fan-favourite star before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

At the start of June, The Telegraph reported that club captain Heung-min Son could move on from London after leading the team to the Europa League trophy this season.

The outlet claimed that the South Korea international could be sold by Spurs in order to generate funds to bolster the squad ahead of their return to the Champions League, amid interest from teams in the Saudi Pro League.

Son has racked up an eye-catching haul of 173 goals and 101 assists in 454 appearances in all competitions for the club since signing from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015.

The experienced forward’s departure this summer would mean that all three of Mauricio Pochettino’s iconic attacking line-up will have moved on, following Dele Alli and Harry Kane’s exits from the club in recent years.

All three stars were key players for the former Spurs head coach at the top end of the pitch, and Alli’s contributions should not be overlooked.

Why Dele Alli was a star for Spurs

The London-based club reportedly splashed out a fee of £5m to sign the attacking midfielder from League One outfit MK Dons in 2015, and Pochettino brought him into the first-team squad for the 2015/16 campaign.

Alli hit the ground running in the Premier League, bypassing the Championship, with a return of ten goals and eight assists in 33 top-flight games in his first season with Spurs.

The England international went on to plunder 67 goals and 59 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham before his move away from the club in 2022.

These statistics show that the former MK Dons talent provided plenty of quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Spurs during his time in London, whilst he also offered Pochettino a lot of flexibility in the way that he could be deployed within the starting line-up.

As you can see in the table above, Alli was deployed in several different positions for Tottenham, mainly playing as a central or attacking midfielder, or off the left flank.

The 29-year-old midfielder, who now plays for Como in Italy, was a star for Spurs due to both the quality he provided at the top end of the pitch and the versatility he offered the manager.

Spurs may now be about to unearth their next version of Alli, who was a key member of the attack that included Son and Kane under Pochettino, as they are expected to sign a Premier League star.

Spurs expected to sign Premier League midfielder

West Ham United outlet HammersNews reports that the Premier League side expect Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jacob Ramsey to sign for Tottenham this summer.

The Hammers are interested in a deal to sign the former England U21 international to bolster their own squad this summer, but the club believe that the 24-year-old talent is on his way to another team in London.

Transfer Focus

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

Speaking to HammersNews, the ‘top spokesman’ for the West Ham owners said: “I think the player (Ramsey) is going to Spurs.”

Spurs were recently linked with an interest in the Villans starlet, who could be on his way out of Villa Park this summer, and this latest update suggests that they are set to win the race for his signature.

Earlier this year, The Boot Room reported that Manchester City are also interested in the attacking midfielder, who is valued at a fee of around £50m by Aston Villa.

However, it remains to be seen exactly how much Spurs will end up paying for the English talent if they do end up signing him, as West Ham expect.

Why Spurs should sign Jacob Ramsey

The Lilywhites should push ahead with a deal to sign the 24-year-old star in the coming weeks because he could arrive at the club as Thomas Frank’s own version of Dele Alli.

Ramsey may not seem like an obvious signing for Spurs, given that he has only scored two Premier League goals since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, but his form in the past for Villa suggests that there is a quality player who could be unearthed.

The Villans maestro’s performances in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns suggest that he has the potential to develop into a top performer for Tottenham if Frank can get the best out of him.

Ramsey, who was once dubbed “sensational” by Seb Stafford-Bloor, plundered 12 goals and eight assists in those two seasons, and was particularly impressive in front of goal in the 2022/23 campaign, with six goals and seven assists to his name that term.

As you can see in the table above, the English star caught the eye as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Villans, ranking highly among midfielders in the Premier League in several key attacking metrics.

Like Alli, Ramsey’s top three most played positions are central midfield, attacking midfield, and left midfield, which means that he can offer Frank the same positional flexibility that the former Spurs star did for Pochettino, as a playmaker who can play centrally or come in off the left.

His form in the 2022/23 season also suggests that he has the potential to provide an impressive threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from those three positions, which is exactly what Alli did throughout his time in North London.

Therefore, Frank could unearth his own version of the former England international by securing a deal for Ramsey, before helping him to get back to the kind of form he displayed at the start of his Villa career.

A bigger talent than Eze: Spurs make enquiry for "sensational" £40m star

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be making a move for another Premier League talent.

1

By
Ethan Lamb

Jun 28, 2025

Trent Boult, who was part of defending champions MI Emirates last season, has not been retained

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2024

Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, David Warner and Mohammad Amir are among the 69 players retained by their respective ILT20 franchises ahead of the third season.Captain Pooran, Dwayne Bravo, Akeal Hosein, Kieron Pollard and Fazalhaq Farooqi are also among defending champions MI Emirates’ retainees. Trent Boult, who was part of Emirates last season, has not been retained. Captain Narine and Russell are among the 11 players retained by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders along with the likes of David Willey, Charith Asalanka and USA’s Ali Khan and Andries Gous.Apart from Amir, the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Alex Hales and Azam Khan have also been retained by Desert Vipers. The notable absentees from the retention list are fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Matheesha Pathirana, and Colin Munro, who captained the Vipers last season.Captain Warner aside, Dubai Capitals have retained big names such as Rovman Powell, Sam Billings and Jake Fraser-McGurk. England’s Joe Root and Mark Wood, who were part of the squad last year, have been left out. Shimron Hetmyer headlines Gulf Giants’ retention list, along with captain James Vince. USA’s Saurabh Netravalkar and Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rehman haven’t made the list. The likes of Kusal Mendis, captain Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles are among the eight players retained by Sharjah Warriors.Each franchise has also retained two UAE players each, and there was no limit on retention of international players. Teams can now sign new players in the ongoing player acquisition window which will stay open till 15 September. The franchises will also need to complete their quota of four UAE signings after the completion of the ILT20 development tournament which will be held in October.The third season of the ILT20 is scheduled to be played in 2025 from January 11 to February 9 in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.ILT20 retention listAbu Dhabi Knight Riders: Aditya Shetty, Ali Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Andre Russell, Andries Gous, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Micheal Pepper and Sunil Narine.Desert Vipers: Adam Hose, Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Azam Khan, Bas de Leede, Luke Wood, Micheal Jones, Mohammad Amir, Nathan Sowter, Sherfane Rutherford, Tanish Suri and Wanindu Hasaranga.Dubai Capitals: Dasun Shanaka, David Warner, Dushmantha Chameera, Haider Ali, Raja Akif, Rovman Powell, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Zahir Khan, Jake Fraser McGurk and Oliver Stone.Gulf Giants: Aayan Afzal Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Chris Jordan, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gerhard Erasmus, Jamie Overton, James Vince, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Mohammad Zohaib Zubair, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson and Shimron Hetmyer.MI Emirates: Akeal Hosein, Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Nosthush Kenjige, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Waqar Salamkheil.Sharjah Warriors: Dilshan Madushanka, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Muhamad Jawadullah, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Peter Hatzoglou and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.

Pakistan captain says lack of rhythm upfront with the bat, and then again in the middle overs, cost his side against India

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-20241:47

Mumtaz: PCB needs to provide leadership skills to players

Babar Azam reckoned not utilising the batting powerplay well enough and then playing too many dot balls in the middle overs were the main reasons behind Pakistan not being able to chase down 120 in their T20 World Cup 2024 match against India in New York.”In our mind, we wanted to play normally, utilise the first six overs in the batting and [if we had done that] we win,” Babar said after Pakistan’s six-run defeat. “But one wicket down and we were not up to the mark in the first six overs. We were targeting like 40 to 45 runs in the first six overs, but we did not capitalise properly and yes after the ten overs also we made the same mistake.”Related

Kirsten bemoans Pakistan's 'poor decision-making'

Bumrah spearheads India's defence of 119; Pakistan on brink of elimination

The curious case of Pakistan's World Cup 15

Having restricted India to 119, Pakistan did not lose too many wickets upfront but also did not score many runs. They managed 35 for 1 in the powerplay and then moved 72 for 2 in 12 overs. Then, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya orchestrated a collapse. Hardik got rid of Fakhar Zaman with an excellent short of a length ball, before Bumrah breached Mohammad Rizwan’s stumps with the first ball of his second spell.

In the middle overs (6.1 to 15.6), Pakistan played 29 dot balls and scored 50 runs while losing three wickets.”We bowled well after ten overs and we would have taken 120. It’s a better total here. In the batting, we went run-a-ball but unfortunately, but we lost back-to-back wickets and then there were too many dot balls,” Babar said. “Tactics were simple, play normally, just rotate the strike and just try and play one boundary and be normal…get five or six an over. But in that period we had too much dot balls, the pressure was on us. And we lost back-to-back two to three wickets.”Having suffered back-to-back defeats to start this World Cup, Pakistan now find themselves struggling to make it out of the first round. Babar said they will just look to win their last two Group A games, and then take it from there.”Obviously we have to win the last two matches. We will sit and discuss our mistakes but we are looking forward to the next two matches.”Pakistan play Canada on June 11 at this venue and then finish the group stage against Ireland on June 16 in Lauderhill.

Leeds United are preparing for their return to the Premier League and are now readying a bid to sign an exciting top-flight star this summer, per a report.

Leeds United looking to build ahead of Premier League return

Now the dust has settled on a dramatic season that culminated in the Championship title at Elland Road, Daniel Farke and the 49ers Enterprises will now turn their attention towards potential incomings ahead of the new campaign.

Setting his expectations, the German coach believes survival in the Premier League is a realistic target for the Whites despite the regular occurrence of newly-promoted sides struggling to adapt a level up the pyramid.

He stated: “That’s definitely the plan (survival). I don’t want to come across as arrogant and tell everyone it’s easy. All the recently promoted sides are really good, big names, spending lots of money but not able to stay in the league. But one thing is for sure, we will try.”

Money will need to be spent by the 49ers to ensure Leeds can extend their stay in the Premier League, and there is no shortage of targets in Yorkshire now the off-season is in full swing.

Mjallby goalkeeper Noel Tornqvist has entered Farke’s eyeline, though he is likely to be a backup solution as opposed to a direct replacement for Illan Meslier between the sticks.

Leeds now want to sign £20m Championship star who outperformed Gus Hamer

The Whites are looking to raid one of their 2024/25 Championship rivals this summer.

1 ByDominic Lund May 28, 2025

Middlesbrough midfielder Finn Azaz could add some flair in the engine room for Leeds, but there is every chance they also move for some proven Premier League operators to ensure there is experience in the camp before they kick off the new campaign.

Tapping into that school of thought, the Whites are now lining up a swoop for an exciting addition at Elland Road that would please supporters.

Leeds United prepare £16.8m offer for Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendia

According to journalist Sebastien Vidal on X, Leeds are preparing a £16.8 million offer to sign Aston Villa “playmaker” Emiliano Buendia ahead of the summer window.

Farke previously worked with the Argentina international at Norwich City, and it is believed that he will be allowed to leave Villa Park this summer with the blessing of Unai Emery, and the Leeds boss is keen on a reunion at Elland Road.

Enduring a tough time with injuries, Buendia spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, registering two goals in 14 appearances across all competitions.

The 28-year-old may be in need of a revival, but there is every chance Leeds could give him the platform to shine following a difficult period in maintaining consistent availability. Buendia moving to Yorkshire appears to be an agreeable move for all parties and may be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks.

Worryingly, every team that seals promotion up to the Premier League immediately knows they’ll be up against it trying to stay afloat in its choppy waters. That will be the main concern now for Burnley.

Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton are going to fall back down to the Championship after one fleeting campaign in the tough division, with the Clarets hopeful, yet definitely apprehensive that they can buck this dismal trend when they reenter the top league shortly.

Scott Parker’s attempts to solidify the Clarets as a top-flight worthy side once more will be made a lot harder if Josh Brownhill were to depart Turf Moor, with the experienced midfielder’s future still up in the air heading into the hectic summer transfer window.

Brownhill's future at Burnley

Already, the Clarets are having to stomach the prospect of CJ Egan-Riley leaving the club for pastures new with RC Strasbourg.

Unfortunately, Brownhill could be next for the exit door if rumours are to be believed, with Turkish sides Trabzonspor and Besiktas now eyeing up the soon-to-be out-of-contract attacking gem, away from earlier interest from the likes of Everton and West Ham United.

Losing Egan-Riley is already a damaging body blow for Parker’s newly promoted outfit, but adding Brownhill into the mix would be nothing short of disastrous, considering the 29-year-old would hammer 18 goals in league action last season to help seal automatic promotion.

Moreover, the Manchester-born star – who is also reportedly on the radar of Wolverhampton Wanderers – possesses experience of the Premier League to further boost the Clarets, but there’s a worry he could now up and leave before top-flight football officially returns to Turf Moor.

Losing him for nothing would also be very painful for the Lancashire side, considering his estimated worth currently stands at around the £9.5m range according to Football Transfers.

But, there is a midfield teammate of Brownhill’s who actually now boasts a heftier worth than the stand-out 29-year-old after an impressive debut season under Parker’s wing.

The Burnley star who is now worth more than Brownhill

In their bid to immediately return to the promised land of the Premier League, Burnley surprisingly didn’t splash obscene masses of cash.

Indeed, £15.4m was the most spent on a single player in the form of Mike Tresor. Whilst Tresor would unfortunately fade into the background, another of their summer purchases would shine as ex-Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri ended up relocating to the Clarets for a modest £5.4m fee.

He wouldn’t be an immediate success in his new location as he got up to speed, but Hannibal’s importance to the cause would be seen when crucial promotion games came thick and fast.

Indeed, his well-taken strike got the ball rolling for Parker’s nervy Clarets against Norwich City, while he also registered two assists when Burnley flawlessly won their last five league contests to finish inside the top two.

Lauded as an “absolute baller” during his time at Man United by scout Antonio Mango, he’s now finally living up to that immense potential.

Games played

39

Goals scored

1

Assists

5

Value when joining

£5.4m

Value now

£9.7m

Value increase

£4.3m

The Tunisian hasn’t blown anyone away with constant vibrant displays, but it’s clear the 22-year-old could only get better with time at Turf Moor, with this promise seen in his transfer value already increasing to a high £10m just a season into his Burnley move.

This is a small jump up from 18-goal hero Brownhill’s own valuation, with Parker praying that both Hannibal and the more seasoned head of the 29-year-old can link up with each other in the top-flight.

If that doesn’t happen, however, the ex-Fulham boss will know Hannibal will be raring to prove himself in the elite division, having already picked up the pieces with the Clarets after his Old Trafford departure.

Their best RB since Trippier: Burnley eyeing move for "immense" £10m star

Burnley could be about to land their best right-back since Kieran Trippier with this sensational swoop.

ByKelan Sarson May 22, 2025

Manchester United’s season is not over, not just yet. Even at their lowest ebb, the Red Devils somehow managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat on Thursday evening to squeeze into the last four of the Europa League.

In need of a performance to keep the campaign alive, proceedings started in relatively routine fashion as the hosts led by two goals at the break, courtesy of Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot, before a Lyon fightback sparked understandable nerves inside Old Trafford.

The spirited visitors – who had been pegged back just before the end of normal time following Corentin Tolisso’s dismissal – looked to have then completed a remarkable turnaround in extra-time, with Rayan Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette sending United crashing toward humiliation.

But then. In just over seven minutes of heaven, the season – for now – was saved, with the ever-reliable Bruno Fernandes converting from the penalty spot, prior to an expertly placed finish from substitute Kobbie Mainoo.

A nightmare night was totally flipped on its head at the Theatre of Dreams right at the death, as the oft-maligned Harry Maguire showcased his centre-forward instincts with a crucial backpost header. Cue delirium.

A far from vintage side produced a vintage result in the end, with Ruben Amorim now left with the unenviable task of trying to make sense of that glorious chaos.

Harry Maguire's performance vs Lyon

There’s only one place to start and that’s with that man Maguire, with the Englishman proving an unlikely hero once again this season, having notably scored the winner against Ipswich Town in the Premier League and against Leicester City in the FA Cup.

The 31-year-old had set the tone for proceedings early on with a crunching challenge on the lively Cherki on the halfway line, while also playing his part in Dalot’s first-half strike, after lofting the ball over the top of the Lyon defence to find the Portuguese full-back.

It was then the turn of Maguire himself to provide that cutting edge in the final third, with the Three Lions star thrust into a makeshift number nine berth as the home side chased the game, as Amorim later admitted that he is the “only one capable of scoring with his head”.

Such a switch paid off handsomely as Casemiro picked out the 6 foot 4 giant in stoppage time, with Maguire duly guiding the ball into the opposite corner to cap a magnificent night of entertainment in Manchester.

It would be fair to say that the £80m defender has endured a rocky road as a Manchester United player, not least after being stripped of the captaincy by Erik ten Hag, but Thursday showcased once again just why he is an asset to this squad and this starting XI. As Amorim himself previously stated, the experienced ace is “perfect” for this 3-4-3 set-up.

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The same looked to be the case for Patrick Dorgu amid his arrival from Lecce in January, albeit with Thursday marking another shaky showing from the Dane at wing-back.

The Man Utd star who may need to be dropped

The 20-year-old hasn’t endured a smooth ride since his move to the Premier League, having notably been sent off in the 3-2 win over Ipswich, albeit while having particularly impressed against Real Sociedad after winning a penalty in that 4-1, second-leg thrashing.

Those mixed fortunes – which also saw the £30m man underwhelm in the defeat to Nottingham Forest – were on full display against the Ligue 1 outfit, with Dorgu putting in a somewhat frustrating performance down the left flank.

As journalist Samuel Luckhurst noted, the attack-minded asset looks like he is “creating a chance in almost every game”, although that willingness to get forward can come at a cost, as he lost the ball on ten occasions from just 48 touches – or every 4.8 touches.

Dorgu’s game in numbers vs Lyon

100 minutes

48 touches

2 shots off target

88% pass accuracy

0 key passes

0 crosses completed

0 long balls completed

0 dribbles completed

10x possession lost

5/9 ground duels won

1/1 aerial duels won

Stats via Sofascore

Prior to being replaced by teenage sensation, Harry Amass, in the early stages of extra-time, Dorgu had also failed to complete a single cross nor provide a single key pass, having also skewed two efforts off target.

Those woes – which saw the left-footer also fail to successfully complete a single dribble – were added to by his shortcomings defensively as the new man was outmuscled at the backpost in the build-up to Tolisso’s strike.

That shaky defensive display led to GOAL journalist Richard Martin handing him just a 4/10 match rating while describing the new addition as a ‘weak link’, with there perhaps an argument that the 18-year-old Amass should now be handed a run of games in that wide berth.

Yes, Dorgu deserves a consistent period in the side himself in order to get up to speed in his new surroundings, although his starting berth certainly shouldn’t be guaranteed.

It is, of course, time to revel in the euphoria of Thursday’s victory, although it’s worth remembering that United were minutes away from yet more embarrassment. This team is still in need of drastic improvement…

Related Forget Amass: Man Utd can soon unleash teen "steam train" to rival Dorgu

Man United are adding another talented left wing-back to their squad

Posts ByJoe Nuttall Apr 17, 2025

Even for Pakistan, their recent administrative churn has been excessive, and the instability is reflected in the team’s performances

Osman Samiuddin09-Sep-2024The on-field reasons behind Pakistan’s recent plunge are well-documented, in both white- and red-ball cricket. In a way, though, they are a red herring because the biggest driver for those results is the mess off the field.Historically the PCB has had a well-earned reputation for dysfunctionality; the (sadly brief) bouts of sound administration are the exceptions not the rule. In its defence, this is not entirely the PCB’s doing. The board remains bound to the country’s politics. The chairman is effectively appointed by the prime minister and the premiership itself has hardly been a stable post, so… (This, by the way, is the textbook definition of political interference in all textbooks other than the ICC’s.)But even in a rich canon, the instability of the last three years – from the end of August 2021, when Ehsan Mani stepped down as board chairman – stands out. A succession of board heads, nearly a team’s worth of head coaches, enough selectors for two XIs to have a game: here, then, are the real numbers behind Pakistan cricket’s current malaise.FourChairmen or heads of board since Mani stepped down: Ramiz Raja, Najam Sethi, Zaka Ashraf, and the incumbent, Mohsin Naqvi. It’s tempting to see this as a kind of limbo dance line, each successor lower than the last, but once the bar gets this low, it doesn’t really matter.Where would you begin anyway? Ramiz’s neutering of Pakistan’s pitches was terrible, needless and deliberate. It wasn’t worse than his neutering of the executive function of the board, though, bringing in an enfeebled CEO to replace Wasim Khan and, in the process, hoarding all power unto the chair itself.Related

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Sethi took the board backwards, literally, in replacing the 2019 PCB constitution with the 2014 version. This remains a deep wound, taking a board with independent directors and a chairman with curbed powers back to the days when the chairman was the sole decision-maker. Sethi also upended the domestic structure, bringing back departmental cricket, and planted the seeds of the disjointedness seen in the current sides. All in less than six months.The less said about Ashraf the better, if only because there literally is nothing to be said about his tenure. His only aim was to somehow cling onto the position. He failed.And now Naqvi. One might think that as the interior minister of Pakistan, maybe, just maybe, he has slightly more important things to deal with than hard-selling the Champions Cup as the panacea to cure Pakistan cricket. What three new tournaments will do that the four existing ones haven’t been able to, nobody is clear about, other than bloating the domestic calendar and stretching it to nearly 12 months. Maybe, they hope, that by adding “Champions” to the name, champions will somehow be abracadabra-ed out the other end.We already know the real winners of these tournaments, though – the five team mentors who don’t coach or play (other than two) but who earn a cool PKR 5 million (about US$18,000) a month each. Not only is that more than the coaches and players in these tournaments get, it is also more than any centrally contracted player in Pakistan bar the three in the highest Category A do. It’s still not clear what, if anything, their brief is beyond “inspiring” players (this must be the magic bit).Again, it’s not just the names. Change has meant entire coaching systems and strategies being flung aside. Misbah-ul-Haq was in what we might recognise as a traditional head coach role (though he also had unprecedented influence as chief selector). Saqlain Mushtaq was coach under a chairman who didn’t hold much stock in coaches, and turned out to be more a hands-off spiritual guide. There was the short-lived return of Mickey Arthur as team director, with Grant Bradburn as the head coach. Then, in Mohammad Hafeez, the team director and head coach became one role. Now there’s no team director but there are two head coaches.There has been an eclectic support cast, including Matthew Hayden as a mentor, Adam Hollioake as batting coach, two different high-performance coaches on two successive away tours, Mohammad Yousuf as a batting coach now transitioned into a selector, and seven different bowling coaches. For a time, the manager was an empowered cricket strategist and not simply the guy who holds the passports, books the flights and makes sure shirts are tucked in at breakfast, as pretty much all previous managers were.Is it any surprise, given this churn, that players new and established look so frazzled? Who does Abdullah Shafique turn to, to claw out of the rut he has been in? Who tells Babar Azam what is going wrong and how to make it right? If the development of Pakistani bowlers is arrested across all formats, is it any surprise?One series you’re heralding a new dawn and playing the New Pakistan Way; the next, you have new management, a new captain, and it’s back to the Old Pakistan Way: an Australian whitewash.By tossing the captaincy hat between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, the PCB has managed to destabilise two of the most vital players of the team•AFP/Getty ImagesFiveDifferent chief selectors. This stellar list includes Shahid Afridi (as with all the best Afridi interventions, it was short-lived), Haroon Rasheed (the new Intikhab Alam, finding a way back into any and every administration with such frequency that he’s never actually been out) and Wahab Riaz . It is as many head selectors as Sri Lanka, Australia, England and South Africa put together have had over the same period. Australia have had five different chief selectors since 1996-97. What’s more, as part of various committees (and including the chiefs) 23 different men have selected Pakistan teams since August 2021.They have tried traditional selection committees, with one head and two or three members. They had one with a chief and consultants, one of whom, for one day only, was Salman Butt (it’s okay, the other one was Kamran Akmal). One chief had to step down because of an alleged conflict of interest after it emerged that he was in business with the agent of Pakistan’s biggest players (except, 11 months on, nobody has been told what’s happening with that inquiry). Some committees have had coach and captain in it. Some have had seven members, each with a vote, but no chief. The current one has nine members, of whom four can cast a vote, with no chief.Is it surprising, then, that since August 2021 no side has used more players across all formats? India have used the same number – 66 – but have played 55 more games in doing so. In a time of three formats and multiple schedule challenges, it is natural there will be a need to use more players, to both build and use depth in the player pool. But with Pakistan it does feel very much a direct consequence of 23 different men having 23 different ideas about which players to select.Last year Inzamam-ul-Haq had to resign as Pakistan chief selector within a few months of being appointed because of a potential conflict of interest•AFP/Getty ImagesThreeFull-time captains. Other than stand-ins, Babar, Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood have been the only full-time Pakistan captains in this period. Given the backdrop above, their own brutal history with captains (in 2010 alone, Pakistan used four), and that Australia (4), England (4), Sri Lanka (6) and Bangladesh (5) have all used more men across all formats in this period, this should be remarkable.Except that Babar being pushed into resigning as the all-format captain after the World Cup last year and giving way to Afridi in T20Is looks like the pivotal moment in the destabilising of this side. Afridi was removed after a single bilateral T20I series by a different administration than the one that had appointed him. That led to significant discontent for a bowler who was probably still smarting over the way the board had bungled his rehab from a knee injury earlier.Meanwhile, Babar returned, no doubt warier and singed by the experience. He also did with the knowledge that no matter how reactive or inert a captain he was, he had led Pakistan to that 2-0 win in Sri Lanka on his last assignment, playing the New Pakistan Way. And that now, a man averaging less than 30 with the bat after a decade of Test cricket had replaced him as captain.Somehow, one after the other, two administrations managed to unsettle two of the side’s most valuable players and, to no surprise, here both are, struggling with their games and here is Pakistan, with two official captains, looking leaderless on the field.Off it they are looking worse.

There have already been four successful chases of 200-plus targets in 2022. Is this a golden age for fourth-innings pursuits?

S Rajesh20-Jun-2022Twice in two Tests in the current series against New Zealand, England were set challenging fourth-innings targets to chase down: 277 at Lord’s, and 299 at Trent Bridge. On each occasion they had a centurion – a serene Joe Root at Lord’s and scintillating Jonny Bairstow at Trent Bridge – as they romped home with plenty (five wickets) to spare.Add South Africa’s feats against India earlier this year, when they chased down 240 in Johannesburg and 212 in Cape Town, and there have been four significant fourth-innings batting performances in less than six months in 2022. And we haven’t even mentioned Pakistan’s epic-fourth innings response to a target of 506 in Karachi three months ago, when they gave Australia an almighty scare before finally settling for a draw with a score of 443 for 7.Four successful run-chases in a relatively short timespan give rise to a few questions: are these targets being hunted down more often now than in the past? Has fourth-innings batting generally become easier over the last few years? Let the numbers tell the story.ESPNcricinfo LtdTo start with, there have only been four other years when 200-plus targets have been chased down more often: five times in 2006, six times each in 1998 and 2003, and seven times in 2008. With half a year to go, 2022 has a decent chance of challenging that all-time record. Since the start of 2019, there have been 12 successful 200-plus chases; in the six-year period from 2013 to 2018, it had only happened seven times.However, these fourth-innings wins only highlight the success stories, without looking at the number of opportunities teams have had to chase such targets. To know the success rate in these situations, you’d also have to know the number of times teams have been set such targets, in the last few years and earlier.In 2022, there have been 14 instances when teams have been asked to chase 200 or more; the targets have ranged from 212, for South Africa against India in Cape Town, to 506 for Pakistan against Australia. As mentioned earlier, four of those chases have been successful, six have ended in defeats, and the remaining four have been draws. Four out of 14 gives a success percentage of 28.6. That is a huge improvement from 2021 (three out of 24) and from 2018 (zero out of 29).