Natal got off to a flying start on the first day of their three-day game against Zimbabwe at the Bulawayo Athletic Club. After losing the toss and being sent in to bat by the home side, the visitors scored 416 for three wickets declared. Captain Hashim Amla led his team from the front, scoring an unbeaten 178 off just 168 balls.Their opening pair of Victor Xuxu and Wayne Madsen struggled in the early overs owing to the wet conditions and the pressure applied by the home bowlers. They finally settled in when the pitch dried and started to chase the runs. Their partnership was finally broken when Madsen was dismissed by Stewart Marisa, caught at mid-on by Conan Brewer to depart for 46 in the 27th over.Marisa struck again when he trapped Xuxu leg before wicket to send him back to the pavilion for 41 in the 29th over. Natal went to lunch at 121 for two off 38 overs. Afterwards they lost one further wicket, that of Imran Khan who also played an outstanding innings, scoring 120 runs before he was caught by Seager off the bowling of Shah. That ended an outstanding display that saw him share a third-wicket partnership with Amla that produced 299 runs.The visitors finally declared their first innings closed at 416 for three at 15.45 with the captain still unbeaten, together with East Springer on 19. The home side in reply was 94 without loss at the close of play with Charles Coventry on 73.
Journalist Jacque Talbot has revealed that Wolves are now the ‘most likely’ to sign Joao Palhinha once the summer transfer window opens, with an ‘agreement’ in place for Jorge Mendes to ship the player from Lisbon.
The Lowdown: Scouts sent
It was reported last week by Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness), that the Midlands club had personally sent some of their scouts to watch Palhinha play recently, after his agents had a few approaches for him in January.
Described as a ‘sensational player‘ and an ‘artist‘ by sports journalist Josh Bunting after watching him for Sporting CP in the Portuguese top flight, he is someone that is certain to attract a lot of interest once this season ends – one journalist suggested this week that Manchester United could pip Wolves.
The Latest: Wolves ‘most likely’
According to Talbot, the Molineux faithful are now the ‘most likely’ to sign Palhinha this summer, although agent Mendes does have a ‘good relationship’ with Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici.
However, Talbot also revealed that a number of other clubs in the Premier League are also ‘in the running’ for his signature:
“Exc: Sporting Lisbon’s Joao Palhinha – heard similar, will be offered to Man United, Spurs, Newcastle, but other Premier League clubs in the running/more likely. Agreement in place with Jorge Mendes to forge a move.
Wolves the most likely, I’m told, but of course, Mendes does have a good relationship with Tottenham’s MD Fabio Paratici.”
The Verdict: Get it done
With the amount of competition that Bruno Lage’s team are likely to face in the summer, they just need to get this deal done.
Of course, Lage himself knows the player well from his time managing in the Portuguese league with Benfica, while Palhinha was playing for Braga, so if Wolves are pursuing this then the manager must be a big fan.
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Now at Sporting, he was a title last season, and with Joao Moutinho now 35 years of age, his countryman could be the ideal successor in the heart of the midfield.
In other news, find out who has now been backed to leave WWFC this summer by a transfer expert here!
Australia 371 and 349 (Head 170, Carey 72, Tongue 4-70) beat England 286 and 352 (Crawley 85, Smith 60, Jacks 47, Starc 3-42, Cummins 3-48, Lyon 3-77) by 82 runsIn the third Test, they rose again, but there was to be no Christmas miracle. Despite a gutsy fight from England’s lower order that hauled an already lost cause deep into the afternoon session of the final day, Australia held their nerve – and their catches – to seal the 2025-26 Ashes with their third victory in a row on only the 11th day of the series.The winning moment was delivered by Scott Boland, who induced a thick edge from England’s No. 11 Josh Tongue, straight to Marnus Labuschagne at first slip, who swallowed his fourth take of a truly sensational display in the field. That left Brydon Carse high and dry on 39 not out; his efforts, alongside fighting but ultimately thwarted knocks of 60 and 47 from Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, had given England genuine hope that their performances at other key moments of the Test, and the series, simply hadn’t warranted.Labuschagne’s efforts included his second one-handed screamer of the match, this time to prise out Jacks at first slip, and it was a fitting reminder of one of the key differences between the sides. The winning margin of 82 runs was exactly the same score that Usman Khawaja had reached on the first day of the match, after being dropped by Harry Brook on 5, while the 71 runs that Travis Head made after the same fielder had reprieved him on 99 would prove to be the death knell of England’s series hopes.Related
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And yet hope is most certainly what England had, right up until the moment it was finally snuffed out… and by a familiar nemesis.For the first time in the series, the Player-of-the-Match award would elude Mitchell Starc, but his claim to the Compton-Miller Medal is now beyond any further discussion. On a day when Australia’s resources were stretched by a potentially series-ending injury to Nathan Lyon, Starc stepped up with the first three of the final four wickets required. His left-arm angles and command of seam and swing were able to extract rare life from an unthreatening Adelaide surface, and once armed with the harder new ball, the end was always nigh despite England’s doughtiest day’s work of the series.The day of reckoning had dawned with 17 overs remaining until Australia’s new ball, so Lyon and Cameron Green shared the early workload to keep the senior seamers fresh. Despite some early alarms against the short ball, Smith and Jacks settled quickly into a confident stand, with Smith smashing a brace of sixes over the leg-side off spin and seam alike to whittle the requirement below 200.Jamie Smith and Will Jacks made the running for England as Nathan Lyon suffered injury•Getty Images
It was a boon for the Barmy Army on an overcast morning, and their ever-mounting optimism reached an early crescendo midway through the day’s 11th over, when a persistent shower blew across the ground to force a 40-minute delay.Jacks brought up the fifty stand soon after the resumption, but the biggest moment of the morning came one over later. Lyon, at fine leg, dived valiantly to intercept a Jacks pull, but was in obvious discomfort as he clambered back to his feet. It was instantly apparent that he’d damaged his right hamstring, and as the physio came out to assist him back to the dressing-room, his involvement in the series – as with his torn calf at Lord’s in 2023 – appeared to have come to an abrupt end.That was the cue for England to step up their tempo. With the new ball looming, Smith cracked three fours in a row off the part-time spin of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, and then – having taken a few sighters as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins re-entered the attack – decided the new ball had to travel as well.Smith reeled off a quartet of superb, imposing boundaries – two in a row off each man, including a straight-batted launch through long-off off Cummins to bring up his first fifty of the series. But just when it seemed he’d rocked Australia back on their heels, Smith attempted one big shot too many: a wild pick-up across the line off Starc. Cummins at wide mid-on backpedalled to swallow the chance, before turning to the crowd to celebrate with a combination of triumph, and some relief.Jamie Smith brought up his fifty but it was not enough•Getty Images
It was all too familiar from an England point of view: opportunity not so much knocking as ding-dong-ditching, as another moment of optimism came and went with indecent haste. Jacks, however, stayed true to the methods that had served him well in adversity at the Gabba, remaining watchful outside off and dealing largely in nudged singles square of the wicket. Despite one alarming deviation from that norm – a pre-meditated whip to leg off Cummins that he was lucky not to snick to the keeper – he and Carse carried England through to lunch on 309 for 7, a deficit of 126.Australia thought they had their breakthrough shortly after the resumption, as Cummins pinned Carse on the pad, but umpire Nitin Menon’s verdict was a shocker – the ball was shown to be missing a second middle stump, and Carse, on 15 at the time, marched on. He responded to the reprieve by planting Head’s part-time spin over deep midwicket for six, and when he flicked Boland off his pads through fine leg, he had hauled the requirement down to double figures.Australia, however, were starting to create chances and pressure with seam at both ends, and two balls later, Starc served up a wobble-seam outside off, and Labuschagne sprung to his left at first slip to pluck a fat edge in one hand, almost out of Alex Carey’s waiting gloves.The end was nigh. Carse was dropped by Green at second slip – standing so close to ensure every half-chance carried – and even Carey, Player of the Match for a peerless performance both in front and behind the stumps, endured a rare blemish as Archer snicked one into his elbow: had he been standing back to Boland, it would have been a regulation take.It mattered not, however. Archer has been one of England’s batters of the series to date – which, for a No.10/11 is a damning indictment of their efforts – but this time he couldn’t be the hero. A slashing cut at Starc picked out deep point, and eight balls later, Australia’s fourth home Ashes in a row was in the bag, and once again at the earliest opportunity.
Dale Steyn has been rewarded for his outstanding bowling in the Test series with a place in the South African squad for the three-match ODI series and the one-off Twenty20 game. Steyn inclusion, in place of Justin Kemp, is the only change from the squad that won the ODI series in Pakistan earlier this year.The selectors have also put Morne van Wyk, the right-hand batsman, on standby for Herschelle Gibbs for the one-day series. Gibbs hurt his knee during the second Test in Centurion, which South Africa won by an innings and 59 runs to wrap up the series 2-0.Explaining the decision to replace Kemp, a batting allrounder, with a fast bowler, selection convener Joubert Strydom said: “With the number of allrounders in our squad we are happy with the depth we have to our batting. Dale gives us an exciting extra option as a wicket-taking bowler.” New Zealand were clueless against Steyn’s pace and swing in the Test series – in two matches he took 20 wickets at a remarkable average of 9.20, with a wicket every 16.8 deliveries.The Twenty20 match will be played at the Wanderers on Friday, while the ODI series starts in Durban on Sunday.Squad Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Albie Morkel, Vernon Philander, Johan Botha, Andre Nel, Charl Langeveldt, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn. On standby: Morne van Wyk.
Monty Panesar has told Cricinfo that he is “raring to go” and is “itching to bowl” as speculation grows that he will be picked for next week’s third Test at Perth.In an exclusive interview which will appear on the site on Friday, Panesar admitted that he needs to perform when he plays in the warm-up game against Western Australia this weekend. “It is hard to take all the knockbacks, because when I’m playing I get all my energy, and when I’m not I just have to stay patient,” he explained. “Hopefully, the coach and the captain will take notice in the next three days. If things don’t go to plan, I’ve only got myself to blame to be honest.”And he spoke of his frustration about sitting on the sidelines. “There’s not a lot you can do when you’re just a spectator. All you can do is hope that things go our way, and from my point of view it’s frustrating not to be out there. I want to be part of the action, I always want to be playing and a part of the game.”I want to keep improving, because you get bored doing the same things over and over again. I really want to keep on adding new things each year, just to keep my interest in the game going. It does get frustrating when you’re not involved. You keep trying your best in the nets and training hard, but now these games are coming, and hopefully I’ll get my chance.”I guess if I do get a chance at Perth, it’s going to be a test of my skill as a spinner. In Perth, and Australia in general, the wickets don’t turn so much for finger spinners, so it will be a test of my cricketing ability. But I would like to be put in these kind of situation, because that’s how you learn about yourself. You develop more as a player when you play in the game.”Panesar is writing an exclusive Ashes diary for Cricinfo. Read it here.
Glamorgan’s David Hemp has set his sights on playing for Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup.Hemp, 34, was born in Hamilton, Bermuda, but his family returned to Swansea soon after his birth. He has flown to the island to complete a 100 days residency period that will allow him to play for Bermuda.”It’s a wonderful chance at this stage of my career,” Hemp told the . “I also want to be in for the 2009 ICC Trophy and the 2011 World Cup.” Hemp, who has scored over 12,000 first-class runs, won Glamorgan’s Player of the Season award in 2005. He will be an asset to a Bermuda side that showed they are lacking real talent during the recent Intercontinental Cup, when they were pushed aside by Kenya in the semi-finals.
Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan board, believes Bob Woolmershould not be giving out unnecessary statements to themedia. There were reports in some sections of thelocal press in Pakistan on Tuesday that Shaharyar had called Woolmer toask him to avoid making comments to the press. TheNews quoted sources within the board: “Basically thePCB chief told Woolmer he should only speak when it isabsolutely necessary to the press and only give issue-related statements.”The source added, “Shaharyar told him that too many statements didn’t help the team or thePCB and only made things more complicated foreveryone.” Apparently, Khan also discussed theincreasingly contentious issue of Woolmer’s website,which he has used often to answer criticism from thelocal media, and also his ongoing verbal battle withex-coach Javed Miandad.Abbas Zaidi, the PCB’s media director, toldCricinfo: “I cannot say exactly whether or not thechairman has spoken to Woolmer about it. But I cantell you that he does believe Woolmer shouldn’t bemaking all these comments, at least not to the extentthat he has been. The reasoning behind it is that itthen becomes a slanging match – he said this and hesaid that – and he should keep a distance from thesethings.”Zaidi did reveal that Shaharyar had spoken to the teamin Australia. “He believes there is no point incriticising the team further. They are already shakenand embarrassed, so hitting them while they are downwill further damage their morale. But he has conveyedto them some words of encouragement, as a chairman, totry and forget what has happened and move on toMelbourne [the venue of the second Test, which starts on December 26].”Shaharyar’s words of encouragement come in the faceof increasingly hysterical and trenchant criticism inPakistan at the nature of the team’s capitulation atPerth. Some journalists and ex-players have reignitedthe issue of Woolmer’s passport, questioning whether aforeign coach can work successfully with Pakistan.Even the Federal Minister of Sports, Ajmal Khan,weighed in with his views, claiming he didn’t think aforeign coach would communicate effectively withPakistani players.Most vocal has been Javed Miandad, who has repeatedlyquestioned Woolmer’s aptitude for the job as well ascasting doubt over his commitment. Miandad had reactedangrily to statements that Woolmer was seeking theservices of a sports psychologist for his “mentallyawed” team after the defeat. He told Dawn newspaper:”Criticising one’s own team with such remarks is aninsult of not only the players but of the entirenation, and it would be better if the coach handles thesituation by motivating the players. To me by usingthe word mental confusion, the coach is labelling hisplayers as mentally disturbed people and that is alsothe insult of the nation.”Zaidi responded to the barrage of criticism: “We runthe game, so we take the blame. The media arebasically relying on people for quotes who have beensacked by us. So it isn’t surprising that they aremaking these sort of comments.” There have been someex-players, however, like Imran Khan and Rameez Raja,who have cited poor technique, an outcome of poordomestic playing standards, as the cause of thedebacle.There were isolated outbreaks of public outrage too. InKarachi, for example, protestors burnt effigiesof the captain and coach in front of the Press Club.Around 150 protestors also smashed up a public television onTuesday.Zaidi said of the public reaction, “I think there is amisperception among the public that we are a verytalented and good side. The fact is that we are yet tobecome a good side and people should realise this.They have beaten India four times since the series athome, but that shouldn’t instill false optimism in thepublic.”
Chris Read believes he is ready to step into Alec Stewart’s shoes as England’s first choice wicketkeeper.Read was in fine form during the recent Natwest Series and as a result, has put himself in the frame for a place in the England squad for the first Test against South Africa at Edgbaston, which is to be named this Friday.Read said: “I now believe I have got what it takes to play both forms of the game. I know my own gameplans so much better than I did four years ago.”Read, 24, has three Test caps, all against New Zealand in 1999, and he now feels that his experience at county level, plus 19 one-day international appearances, have sharpened his game.He said: “When I played for England first time around I was nowhere near the complete cricketer and still don’t think I am, if there is such a thing. But the fact is I am a far better player now, having learnt so much over those years just through the experience of playing first-class cricket and analysing my own game.”However, Read may have to bide his time for a second chance. Stewart, who has no plans of retiring, is England’s second-highest Test run-scorer behind Graham Gooch and is still first-choice behind the stumps.But Read holds no grudges: “Alec has been a terrific servant for England all told and I don’t dwell too much on how he has done in the past, I just try and do my job as it’s required for the team in any given situation.”Certainly, having done a lot of batting with Nottinghamshire and the Academy over the last 12 months I am very keen to make a statement with the bat and contribute runs.”
England have good reasons to smile and feel happy – their star batsman Mark Ramprakash has run into tremendous form on this tour. He made a crisp unbeaten half-century in Mumbai and on Thursday at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad, the stylish Surrey batsman continued the good work while holding the England innings together with a well-compiled century.Ramprakash made 105 runs off 182 balls, with the help of nine boundaries and two sixes against an attack that included Sarandeep Singh and Murali Kartik. Nasser Hussain must have been mighty pleased with Ramprakash’s efforts though the latter’s dismissal, which saw him bowled when he tried to slog Kartik out of the ground, was not exactly copybook stuff.A happy and visibly relieved Ramprakash spoke to the media after the day’s play, “In these conditions you need a lot of patience with the spinners bowling long spells. It was a very slow and low wicket. You have to be patient and score runs whenever possible, score off the bad balls.””I thought they (the spinners) bowled very well and it was indeed a hard day for all our batsmen. I think it was a very good team performance, but it was a struggle, to be on 149/5 at one stage. We had to work hard, the lower order came in and did a good job. Nasser Hussain and Mark Butcher had time at the crease, which are good positives for the side. 297/9 is a competitive score.”About the positive and robust approach he has shown on this tour, Ramprakash said, “We saw England in 1993, they struggled a lot. Hick and Lewis scored the only two hundreds on that tour and both of them hit down the ground. Obviously you have to strike a balance; there is always the risk in trying to hit the bowlers over the top, so it is a good learning process for us. We still have one match to go in Jaipur and we are quite happy with the way things are going.”On the high-risk shots that have been played so far, he said, “It is really difficult; if you stay at the crease and poke, people will say you got to use your feet. If you use your feet and try to take the attack to the bowlers and if it doesn’t come off, people will then criticise, so there is a risk in any shot you play, each batsman has to have their own game plan and try to stick to that. We just work on the game plan, this has been a great match practice against a good competitive opposition.”England batsmen got to play 53 overs of high class spin attack and Ramprakash was quick to observe the obvious benefits. “That’s what we need, we are going to be up against class spinners in Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. I think he (Sarandeep Singh) bowled very well, some balls turned very sharply.”Ramprakash showered praises on the two spinners, Sarandeep Singh and Kartik, “They both seem to be consistent bowlers. They don’t go to pieces if you hit one or two over the top, they just keep coming back at you, perhaps a little slower, a trifle higher. The duo impressed me today.”When asked about his success while playing abroad, the stylish batsman said, “I have enjoyed playing abroad, I had been to Sri Lanka at a very young age on an ‘A’ tour. I have enjoyed the tours to West Indies and I suppose, when the sun is out it is very nice to play cricket.”Ramprakash admitted that all the media attention back home along with the pressure of expectation has had its negative effect in the past. He was quick to add, “I am pretty much happy with the way I have approached cricket during this summer.”Visiting India has already left a positive impression on Ramprakash. It was quite a pleasing experience for him to visit the Birla Temple on Wednesday. Ramprakash’s focus, meanwhile, is clearly on cricket for he will have to deliver a lot of runs in the Test series. That did not prevent the soft-spoken cricketer though from adding, “You come to India not only to play cricket but to experience a bit of life also.”
After two months of excruciatingly painful withdrawal symptoms, Football Fancast’s relentless addiction to the English top flight has finally been satisfied by the grand opening of the 2015/16 Premier League season.
Today’s fixture list was full of fantastic match-ups as per usual – not least including Tottenham’s visit to Manchester United – but tomorrow’s affairs offer equal excitement, starting with Arsenal’s 1.30pm kick-off against West Ham.
The Gunners have certainly enjoyed the better rub of the green during recent encounters against the East Londoners. In fact, they’ve won all of their last six clashes with the Hammers, producing an aggregate scoreline of 19-4.
But could things be a little different this time around, with Slaven Bilic now in the Upton Park hotseat and West Ham spending around £25million on new signings this summer?
Perhaps a look at the FIVE key individual battles can shed some light on the issue; and give some insight into who’ll finish victorious at the Emirates.
OLIVIER GIROUD VS JAMES TOMKINS AND ANGELO OGBONNA
Slaven Bilic may be looking to take West Ham in a more progressive direction following their attritional days under Sam Allardyce but the East London outfit are still an overtly physical side, with power, strength and aggression in every department.
The Gunners, on the other hand, are amongst the least physical sides in the Premier League, so rare exception Olivier Giroud will have to assert his 6 foot 4 relentlessly if the Emirates outfit are to get their title bid off to a flyer.
The Frenchman isn’t exactly known for snide elbows and robust aerial challenges in typical English centre-forward style but his ability to hold up the ball has always been an integral component of Arsenal’s build-up play and they’ll need more of that service on Sunday.
He’ll likely be up against James Tomkins, who averaged the second-most successful aerial duels per match (4.6) of any Premier League centre-half last season and summer signing Angelo Ogbonna, who will be desperate to demonstrate the quality and experience gained from claiming back-to-back Serie A titles and regularly participating in the Champions League during his spell with Juventus.
Resultantly, Giroud can’t expect to win every ball, although his 3.7 successful aerial duels per-match from last term is certainly impressive. But he needs to occupy Tomkins and Ogbonna as much as possible, persistently challenging their power and dominance in the air, to create space for Arsenal’s potent midfield.
DIMITRI PAYET VS FRANCIS COQUELIN
It remains to be seen how Slaven Bilic plans to utilise £12million signing Dimitri Payet, having proved himself equally adept as a winger and as a No.10 during his decade in Ligue 1.
Indeed, the France international has been predominantly considered a wide man during that time period but racked up a rather incredible 17 assists in a more central role at Marseille last season, which paved the way for his Upton Park move.
But either way, as the most creative force in the Hammers squad, Francis Coquelin’s primary task on Sunday should be to keep Payet out of the game as much as possible – especially on the counter-attack.
Defending on the break has been one of the Gunners’ biggest failings in recent years but the Frenchman appeared to put an end to that last season as he forged a regular role for himself at the base of Arsenal’s midfield.
Whether the 24 year-old’s impressive form was simply a zeitgeist remains to be seen. But Arsene Wenger has placed plenty of faith in the speedy enforcer – rewarding Coquelin with a new contract in February and perhaps most importantly, not signing the big ‘n’ burly holding midfielder that much of the Arsenal fan base continue to crave – and he’ll be keen to repay it with a strong performance on the opening day of Arsenal’s campaign.
MESUT OZIL VS HIS POSITION
There’s no question that Mesut Ozil’s best performances for Arsenal – and indeed, throughout his career – have come in his preferred role of No.10; the position he finally began to look like a £42.2million player in last season after spending the first 18 months of his Emirates tenure dwindling aimlessly on the wing.
But with Alexis Sanchez out injured and the trio of Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey proving to be Arsenal’s most resilient midfield, it’s likely the German World Cup winner will start against West Ham on the left channel in consistency with his selection for the Community Shield last weekend.
Ozil’s never been much of a touchline hugger so the real challenge for him against the Hammers is finding a way of still contributing positively from that left hand-side. He’s certainly got the talent to do so but still hasn’t truly proved it since joining the north Londoners two summers ago.
Injury free, fully rested and now well acquainted with Premier League football, there’s no more excuses for the 26 year-old – this is the season where he needs to start producing the goods on a consistent basis.
DIAFRA SAKHO VS PER MERTESACKER AND LAURENT KOSCIELNY
Diafra Sakho was West Ham’s top scorer in the Premier League last season, netting ten times in 23 appearances, so with strike partners Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll both stuck in the physio room for the foreseeable future, goalscoring responsibilities will be firmly on his shoulders this Sunday.
Whether the Senegal international can sustain that one-in-two strike-rate long term remains to be seen; last season was his first ever in a top flight, having previously represented Metz and scored all of his goals for them in the French second and third tiers, and there was something suspiciously one-season-wonder-esque about his flurry of goals during the 2014/15 campaign.
That being said, Sakho offers plenty of traits that could make him a real handful for Arsenal’s tried and trusted centre-back duo Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. The former will have to concentrate on the 25 year-old’s penetrative pace, whilst the 6 foot 6 latter must ensure he doesn’t let the striker with the most headed goals in the Premier League last season out of his sight.
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Despite Arsenal’s impressive end to last season, Mertesacker hasn’t quite been at the races since Germany’s World Cup triumphs in Brazil. In my opinion, he’s a weak link the Hammers could exploit.
ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN VS AARON CRESWELL
With Alexis Sanchez a serious doubt and Danny Welbeck a confirmed absentee, the Gunners will be depending upon stocky and explosive winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to stretch the West Ham backline with some lung-bursting runs on Sunday.
The 21 year-old perhaps goes a little underrated outside of the Emirates; last season he averaged 3.6 successful dribbles per match, which was only bettered throughout the Premier League by Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
Limited output is probably the England international’s lingering criticism but if his superb strike against Chelsea last weekend, securing the Gunners a second consecutive Community Shield, is anything to go by, he’ll show vast improvements in that department throughout the coming season.
That also suggests he’ll enter the West Ham clash high in confidence and strong in form, so Aaron Cresswell could have a job on to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain in check, especially with right-back Hector Bellerin proving so potent on the overlap since becoming a Gunners regular last season.
That being said, Cresswell is a force in his own right, last season picking up the second-most assists of any player in the Hammers’ squad (4) after the now-departed Stewart Downing.
With Bellerin bombing forward, Oxlade-Chamberlain will need to ensure the Spaniard is covered at all times; the Hammers’ No.3 offers lethal delivery from his left peg and has the potential to produce a match-winning cross if he’s given the time and space to do so.