تدرب ألكسندر إيزاك مهاجم نيوكاسل يونايتد، خلال الفترة الماضية، مع ناديه السابق ريال سوسيداد، حيث يرغب المهاجم السويدي في الرحيل عن صفوف الفريق الإنجليزي.

ووفقاً لصحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية، فقد وجه إيدي هاو مدرب نيوكاسل، تحذيرًا شديد اللهجة إلى ألكسندر إيزاك الراغب في الرحيل، حيث قال له إنه لا يمكن للاعبي نيوكاسل توقع سوء التصرف ثم التدرب مع زملائهم، ويرتبط السويدي بالانتقال لصفوف ليفربول.

اقرأ أيضاً.. “ملهمة”.. أول تعليق من محمد صلاح على زيارة معبد إيكوين البوذي

ولم يكن لدى إيدي هاو والنادي أي علم بغياب إيزاك عن التدريبات، عندما سافر لإسبانيا الأسبوع الماضي لاستخدام مرافق التدريب في ريال سوسيداد.

وقال هاو حول ما إذا كان إيزاك سيتدرب مع نيوكاسل هذا الأسبوع: “بالطبع أود ذلك، لكن ما إذا كان سيفعل أم لا، لا أعلم في هذه اللحظة، أشخاص آخرون يتعاملون مع هذا الوضع في إنجلترا”.

وأضاف: “نحن نيوكاسل، اللاعب لديه مسؤولية هنا بأن يكون جزءًا من الفريق والمجموعة، عليه أن يتصرف بالطريقة الصحيحة، سنتأكد من أن أي لاعب يلتزم بذلك ليكسب حقه في التدريب مع المجموعة”.

وختم: “لا يمكن لأي لاعب أن يتصرف بشكل سيء ويتوقع أن يتدرب مع الفريق كأن شيئًا لم يكن”.

ويشعر إيزاك بالغضب والانزعاج والإحباط، حيث يرى أن نيوكاسل يونايتد تراجع عن وعد إما بزيادة راتبه أو السماح له بالرحيل ويزداد الوضع سوءاً بشكل كبير حالياً.

But a wily Victoria outfit will be a stern obstacle to South Australia’s first Shield since 1996

Daniel Brettig25-Mar-2016Twenty years since their last victory, South Australia are hopeful their fearless young team’s rapid progress will continue in the Sheffield Shield final, against a Victorian side wanting nothing more than to take the match all the way to a nerve-shredding fifth day.In a climate of doubt about the future of the showpiece match, there is an eagerness on both sides to play out a contest befitting the occasion. South Australia’s season ledger of five wins and as many defeats does not suggest they are well equipped to scrap to a draw. Likewise, Victoria’s recent batting travails make a draw an unlikely prospect. This may be a Shield to be won, not salvaged.The extra 90 overs will scarcely be needed if the pitch at Glenelg Oval is anything like the lively strip on which the Redbacks rumbled Tasmania last week to vault to the top of the table. However, South Australia’s high performance overseer Tim Nielsen said he would actually prefer a less seamer-friendly surface, with his eyes on the team’s progress well beyond the next week.”I hope it’s got a little bit less grass on it – we don’t want to see anyone bowled out for 90 on the first morning of a Shield final,” Nielsen said of Glenelg Oval, where the final must be played due to the shunting of cricket from Adelaide Oval for the AFL season. “The challenge is trying to produce a wicket on a ground that doesn’t have regular first-class cricket, so it doesn’t have the consolidated rolling throughout the season or the square used for four-day cricket on a regular basis.”We’ve had two or three Futures Leagues games there, but this is a five-day game with a bigger focus. I’m hopeful it’ll just be a good-quality cricket wicket that will bounce and carry a little bit and give us the best chance to play the way we do – support our bowlers but also allow our batters to play their shots.”Victoria coach David Saker expects a fair wicket, noting how the likes of Travis Head and Jake Lehmann have prospered when given the right conditions to put pressure on bowlers. He is eager to push the game all the way to the end, reasoning that the Bushrangers’ more seasoned XI and spin bowlers Fawad Ahmed and Jon Holland can come into their own.”I don’t think it’ll be as flat as some of the wickets produced [for finals] in the last few years, it’ll be a good wicket,” Saker said. “But I don’t think they’ll green it up too much because it’s a bit too risky on the toss then. They’ll try to produce a good cricket wicket, their batters are in good form so we’ll wait and see. We’ve got two good spinners so, if it is a good wicket, we think we can win the game at the back end if we bat well enough.”Sometimes that feeling of just giving it a go like the South Australians will is a better place to play in, knowing what the trophy is and what it’s like to win it, the hunger they’ll have will be unbelievable you’d think. But our guys know what it takes and five days of cricket doesn’t sound a lot more because it’s only one day, but it is a lot more cricket. In 90 overs a lot can happen on that last day, so we’re going to fight our butts off and hopefully it comes down to that.”It seems no coincidence that South Australia are contesting their first final since 1996 in the same season when they also made the limited-overs playoff in Sydney at the start of the summer. Under Nielsen and the coach Jamie Siddons – wicketkeeper and captain in that last victory – a concerted effort has been made to focus on homegrown talent and bolster it with a more hardened attitude to fitness and skill than had become customary in the state’s cricket.The acquisition of the former AFL fitness coach Stephen Schwerdt was much publicised in Adelaide, but Nielsen explained that a challenging pre-season was part of a wider plan. For one thing, the notion of plucking imported players from interstate in search of instant results was shelved. Paradoxically but tellingly, success has arrived faster than expected.Chris Tremain is Victoria’s leading wicket-taker with 32 scalps from eight matches•Cricket Australia/Getty Images”Stephen Schwerdt was a good focus point for us but it was more about changing the culture in the place and understanding exactly what hard work was and how professional athletes went about their business,” Nielsen said. “They’ve improved a huge amount with their skills as well. They are batting, bowling and fielding better than they were at the start of the year and fitness was just one aspect of that. We set that up with a really strong, hard pre-season, and now they’re still going strong. Our bowlers have gone from strength to strength – Chadd Sayers, Joe Mennie and Daniel Worrall have been strong the whole way through and that is a benefit of being fitter and stronger.”We hadn’t had any real success on a consistent basis for a long period of time and we were probably at different stages through that period guilty of recruiting people who we thought would be a quick fix for us. At the start of last year, we really put up the fences, we didn’t let any of our good young players go and we certainly didn’t go looking for the quick fix. We backed our players and Jamie is an excellent developer of young cricketers and young men, so that was a good time for him to come into the system.”It was time to set something up for ourselves, for the future. They have done that, had a bit of luck, learned from those things, and the staff have been excellent having the big picture at the forefront of their minds. It’s not just about winning today, but setting something up that will hold some water for the next five years and have a consistent era where we are competitive.”Like Siddons, who moved from New Zealand, Saker arrived from England last year with a mandate for regeneration. Though the likes of Rob Quiney, Matthew Wade, Clint McKay and Cameron White have been around the block plenty of times, Saker sought, and has achieved, a sizeable renewal of the state’s batting stocks in particular.”We were in need of finding some younger batters in our group and the one thing I said straightaway was we’d make sure we get a couple of games into some young batters and thankfully Travis Dean’s been outstanding for us at the top,” he said. “His start to the season was amazing. So he’s got a game that I think can move on to the next level, he’s a really compact opening batter. We got some games into Aaron Ayre who I think is a really good young left-hand batter and Sam Harper kept wicket a couple of games, performed really well for us with the gloves and showed some little signs with the bat.”That’s exciting and with the ball we’ve given games to a few players. Chris Tremain has been outstanding this year coming into the state as sort of a back up bowler but now he’s one of our frontliners and he must be putting his name forward for Australian selection. We needed to freshen it up a little bit, but it’s good to have those more experienced players around the group as well to help you out. If you need to call on them, which we did with Cameron, they so often stand up. We’ve got a good mix at the moment.”South Australia’s colts have gathered momentum closer to the season finish line, while the Bushrangers rather stumbled into the final. But they did so through the determination of White’s outstanding rearguard against New South Wales in Alice Springs, a performance that Saker hopes has not only lifted the mood of what had been a fading outfit, but also shown the way forward this week.”We didn’t celebrate like we won the game but it was a very happy bunch of guys at the end of the day,” Saker said. “Cameron was exhausted but very pleased with what he’d done, and good for him because he’s struggled a bit this year at times, being out of the team. All along I’ve said he’d have a big part to play late in the season and he’s done exactly what we hoped he would do.”It was an excellent innings, unbelievably skilful to be able to handle the spin, the reverse swing, batting a bit out of his crease to make sure lbw was out of play and he just played extremely well. A quote from Graham Gooch is that it was ‘great batsmanship’ and it was great to watch, really determined stuff. Going into that last day as a coaching staff we didn’t really expect to do what we did, but it was great to see and a great shot in the arm for us going into a final after seeing a performance like that.”White knows what it is like to win, and to lose; the Redbacks are presently unaware of either. Whether Head’s young team are able to keep charging ahead without being dragged down by the weight of 20 underachieving years is the question about to be answered.

Tottenham Hotspur are just one game away from reaching the League Cup final, having defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final clash.

A win or draw in the return leg at Anfield will ensure the club plays in a first cup final since the 2020/21 campaign, when they reached the final of the EFL Cup, only to lose to Manchester City.

Ange Postecoglou has come in for plenty of criticism this term, especially with the club languishing 12th in the Premier League table at the time of writing.

But could winning a first trophy since 2008 be the catalyst for improvement? The jury is still out on the Australian, but he could become the first manager to lead Spurs to a major trophy since Juande Ramos 17 years ago.

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2

By
Dominic Lund

Jan 6, 2025

Since the Spaniard was sacked after a horror start to the 2008/09 season, the north Londoners have employed eight permanent managers. We have ranked these managers by their attempts to end Tottenham’s trophy drought.

Tottenham Hotspur’s managers since Juande Ramos
Manager	Year appointed	Points per game
Harry Redknapp	2008	1.73
André Villas-Boas	2012	1.91
Tim Sherwood	2013	1.65
Mauricio Pochettino	2014	1.84
José Mourinho	2019	1.77
Nuno Espírito Santo	2021	1.65
Antonio Conte	2021	1.78
Ange Postecoglou	2023	1.63

8

Mauricio Pochettino

July 2014 – November 2019

In hindsight, sacking Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 was a massive mistake. Of course, the start of that season hadn’t quite gone exactly to plan, but this was a man who had led the club to the Champions League final just a few months before.

The lowest that Spurs finished in the Premier League under the Argentinian was fifth during his maiden season, qualifying for the Champions League across the next four campaigns.

In the top flight, he averaged 1.89 points per match, finishing runners-up during 2016/17, and the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min developed into world-class players.

Mauricio Pochettino Spurs record
Competition	Best finish (Year)
Premier League	2nd (2016/17)
FA Cup	Semi-finals (16/17, 17/18)
EFL Cup	Final (2014/15)
Champions League	Final (2018/19)
Europa League	Round of 16 (2015/16)

7

Harry Redknapp

October 2008 – June 2012

While Pochettino established Spurs as a top-four side, it was Harry Redknapp who achieved the feat first.

Taking over from Juande Ramos wasn’t easy, but the veteran manager began to slowly turn things around, going on to finish fourth during his first full season in charge, which qualified Spurs for the Champions League.

A run to the quarter-finals in the following season was mightily impressive, and while Redknapp couldn’t lead them to a trophy, the standards he set in place gave Pochettino a platform to build upon when he took over in 2014.

Harry Redknapp Spurs record
Competition	Best finish (Year)
Premier League	4th (09/10, 11/12)
FA Cup	Semi-finals (09/10, 11/12)
EFL Cup	Final (2008/09)
Champions League	Quarter-finals (2010/11)
Europa League	Group stage (2011/12)

6

Ange Postecoglou

July 2023 – present

If – and it is a big if – Postecoglou can lead Spurs to the League Cup, it may prove to be a huge turning point for the former Celtic manager.

At times, the football on show is sublime, with wins over Manchester City and Manchester United the highlights. Sticking to his attacking philosophy when some games require a more pragmatic approach may be seen as tactical naivety, but the Australian sticks to what he is good at.

Injuries haven’t helped Spurs this season, and if given time, Postecoglou could be a successful manager for the club.

Ange Postecoglou Spurs record
Competition	Best finish (Year)
Premier League	5th (2023/24)
FA Cup	Fourth round (23/24, 24/25)
EFL Cup	Semi-finals (2024/25)

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By
Dominic Lund

Jan 17, 2025

5

Andre Villas-Boas

July 2012 – December 2013

Sacked after eight months as Chelsea manager didn’t deter André Villas-Boas from trying again in the Premier League, this time with Spurs.

During the 2012/13 season, he led the club to a fifth-place finish, perhaps over-relying on Gareth Bale’s brilliance at times, but the football on show was superb.

They scored 70 goals that term in the Premier League – the fifth-best attacking side in the division – but this wouldn’t save Villas-Boas.

Indeed, he was sacked in December 2013 after a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, ending his 18 months back in England.

Andre Villas-Boas Spurs record
Competition	Best finish (Year)
Premier League	5th (2012/13)
FA Cup	Fourth round (2012/13)
EFL Cup	Quarter-finals (2013/14)*
Europa League	Quarter-finals (2012/13)
*sacked before knocked out

4

Antonio Conte

November 2021 – March 2023

Antonio Conte took over the club in November 2021 following the sacking of Nuno Espírito Santo and led the club to fourth place, losing just six games in the process.

Despite this, Spurs failed to make it past the last 16 in the Champions League during 2022/23, while Conte lasted until March 2023 before being sacked after a run of one win in his previous five matches.

Antonio Conte Spurs record
Competition	Best finish (Year)
Premier League	4th (2021/22)
FA Cup	Fifth round (21/22, 22/23)
EFL Cup	Semi-finals (2021/22)
Champions League	Round of 16 (2022/23)
Conference League	Group stage (2021/22)

3

Tim Sherwood

December 2013 – June 2014

Tim Sherwood lasted just 26 matches in charge of Spurs, but he did have a 59% win percentage in the Premier League.

While the football wasn’t the greatest under the Englishman, his commitment to giving youth talent a chance has to be recognised.

Indeed, it was Sherwood who gave Kane his first-ever start in the Premier League. 435 appearances and 280 goals later, unleashing him was one of Sherwood’s better moments.

His first game saw Spurs knocked out of the League Cup, before being handed the permanent role a few days later. Unfortunately, losses to Arsenal (twice) combined with heavy defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City during his spell meant he only lasted until the end of the 2013/14 season.

His replacement was Pochettino, who enjoyed a much more productive time in charge of the club.

Tim Sherwood Spurs record
Competition	Best finish (Year)
Premier League	6th (2013/14)
FA Cup	Third round (2013/14)
EFL Cup	Quarter-finals (2013/14)*
Europa League	Round of 16 (2013/14)
*as caretaker manager

2

José Mourinho

November 2019 – April 2021

Following the surprise sacking of Mauricio Pochettino, it was evident that Spurs would need a manager who could take the club to the next level – winning trophies.

On that note, José Mourinho sounded like the ideal candidate. His most recent spell at Manchester United had seen him win two major trophies in his debut season, although things soon turned sour.

The Portuguese manager lasted just 86 games in charge, leading the club to a sixth-place finish in the 2019/20 campaign. Indeed, it was Mourinho who last led the club to a major final, securing their place in the League Cup finale against Manchester City.

By the time the game rolled around, the former Chelsea boss had been sacked, lasting just 17 months in north London. Given the promise his appointment had, Mourinho’s time at Spurs was hugely underwhelming.

Jose Mourinho Spurs record
Competition	Best finish (Year)
Premier League	6th (2019/20)
FA Cup	Fifth round (19/20, 20/21)
EFL Cup	Final (2020/21)*
Champions League	Round of 16 (2019/20)
Europa League	Round of 16 (2020/21)
*sacked before knocked out

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By
Ross Kilvington

Dec 10, 2024

1

Nuno Espírito Santo

July 2021 – November 2021

It is perhaps no surprise to see Nuno Espírito Santo ranked as the worst manager the club have had since 2008, as his spell at the club was nothing short of dismal.

He did work wonders with Wolverhampton Wanderers, guiding them from the Championship to consecutive seventh-place finishes in the top flight, but at Spurs, he struggled majorly.

Overall, he managed the club for just 17 games, winning nine, but the football on show was largely forgettable. Losses to Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Crystal Palace in the top flight didn’t exactly help his cause and he was sacked in November 2021.

Nuno Espirito Santo Spurs record
Competition	Best finish (Year)
Premier League	n/a
FA Cup	n/a
EFL Cup	Quarter-finals (2021/22)*
Conference League	Group stage (2021/22)*
*sacked before knocked out

Disaster struck for Manchester United last weekend, when, in their 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace, Lisandro Martinez went down with an injury. A player who has been so crucial to Ruben Amorim in the last few weeks in particular, United fans waited with bated breath to find out the injury he picked up.

It was not good news, with the Argentine centre-back out for an unspecified amount of time with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. That leaves the Red Devils with an issue, given how thin their squad is in the first place.

Amorim will now need to find a new left centre-back for his side, and while the likes of Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt are options, the United boss could turn to new signing Ayden Heaven.

Why Heaven could replace Martinez

Arsenal academy graduate Heaven was a late January addition for United. They signed him from the Gunners at the back end of the window and paid an undisclosed fee, with his old deal at the Emirates Stadium set to expire at the end of the season.

It is fair to say that the youngster is incredibly inexperienced at first-team level. He made just one appearance for the North Londoners, which was a 10-minute cameo in the Carabao Cup against Preston North End earlier in the season. However, he has been on the bench at times, too.

If there is one thing Martinez brings to the United side, it is quality on the ball. Well, that is certainly something United’s new number 26 could add to their squad. Football analyst Ben Mattinson praised Heaven for his “build-up excellence”, and perhaps he could somewhat fill the void of Martinez.

Even though there is a lot of pressure to perform for United, Heaven might well have to be relied on this season to help cover for Martinez and fix United’s issues in the build-up. He could have a big role until the end of the season.

However, he is not the only former Arsenal academy star who might be important in the United first-team this term.

The youngster who could help United

Of course, the young player in question here is Chido Obi-Martin. Just as Heaven did in January, the young Danish forward swapped the red side of North London for the Red side of Manchester, making the move to United in the summer on a free transfer.

He joined United with a simply outstanding reputation. Obi-Martin went viral in 2023/24 for scoring seven goals in a game for Arsenal under-18s. He had a record of 32 goals in 18 under-18 Premier League appearances.

He has certainly carried that form into his United career so far. He has played eight games for the Red Devils under-18s side so far, and already has nine goals. That included a hattrick against Nottingham Forest in a 6-0 win. As football statistician Statman Dave said, he could become “something special” for United.

Sunderland (a)

u18 PL

3-4

27

0

Nottingham Forest (h)

u18 PL

6-0

45

3

Leeds (a)

u18 PL

0-8

29

0

Everton (h)

u18 PL

3-0

71

1

Stoke (a)

u18 PL

0-3

76

1

Man City (h)

u18 PL

0-4

90

0

Coventry (h)

FA Youth Cup

5-0

72

2

Preston (h)

FA Youth Cup

5-2

90

2

United’s strikers have struggled in front of goal this season. Joshua Zirkzee, who offers lots aside from his goals, has found the back of the net three times in the Premier League. Rasmus Hojlund has only managed two this season in the top flight.

This certainly could open the door for Ob-Martin, who has been in imperious goalscoring form for the academy this season. He has a natural killer instinct and is a powerful ball striker, which could translate well over to first-team football.

Giving the 17-year-old a chance in the first team could be a risk for Amorim, but his form at youth level suggests that it could be a worthwhile gamble, and that is why the manager should unleash him alongside Heaven.

An £80,000-a-week “leader” is ready to join Aston Villa before the transfer window closes at 11pm tonight, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Aston Villa transfer news

It has been a busy end to the transfer window for the Villans, as they have seen Jhon Duran leave to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and have added Marcus Rashford on loan for the rest of the season from Manchester United and are also close to bringing Marco Asensio in from Paris Saint-Germain.

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Villa announced they had completed the loan signing of Rashford on Sunday evening, with the Midlands side covering the majority of his wages and having a £40 million buy option. After the deal was announced, Rashford took to Instagram to state that it was an “easy decision” to join Villa as he just wants “to play football.”

Rashford wrote: “I would like to thank Manchester United and Aston Villa for making this loan deal happen. I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me, but Aston Villa was an easy decision – I really admire the way that Aston Villa have been playing this season and the managers’ ambitions. I just want to play football and am excited to get started. I wish everyone at Manchester United all the best for the rest of the season.”

As well as Rashford, Asensio is also joining Unai Emery’s side, but his deal is just a straight loan from the French Champions, but David Ornstein has reported that PSG would be open to extending Asensio’s time at Villa if the Premier League side wanted to.

£80k-p/w “leader” wants to join Aston Villa

Rashford and Asensio may not be the only new arrivals at Villa Park, as according to Romano, Chelsea defender Axel Disasi wants to join Aston Villa after agreeing terms with the Midlands side.

Romano has reported that Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a loan deal with Chelsea to sign the defender, with no buy option included. However, Disasi is not accepting the move to Spurs because, as mentioned, he’s agreed terms with Villa. But a move to Villa Park for Disasi appears difficult, as Chelsea have no intention of letting him join Emery’s side, as they are seen as competitors for a place in next season’s Champions League.

The 26-year-old, who has been labelled a “leader” in the past, has been at Stamford Bridge since August 2023, and despite being a regular in the side last season, he has fallen out of favour under Enzo Maresca in this campaign. Disasi has played just six games in the Premier League, four of which have come as starts, and given he is under contract until 2029, it may make a deal difficult to do.

Apps

6

Starts

4

Goals

1

Clean Sheets

1

Interceptions per game

0.3

Tackles per game

1.2

Balls recovered per 90

2.5

Clearances per game

1.7

Villa are in the market for a centre-back, as they have seen Diego Carlos leave to join Fenerbahce, whereas Tyrone Mings has picked up an injury after only returning to the matchday squad. Ezri Konsa is Villa’s only recognised centre-back fit and available at this moment in time, so ideally, Emery will want to bring in another centre-back before the window slams shut. Disasi, who earns £80,000 a week at Stamford Bridge, also being able to play at right-back means he can provide more cover throughout the season, but a deal looks tricky with the Blues.

Nathan Lyon will have to adopt some of his Indian counterpart’s methods if he is to set his record in Asia right; and he has been working on doing just that

Sidharth Monga in Pune21-Feb-20172:11

‘I have been studying Ashwin a lot’ – Lyon

You split the index finger and the middle finger along the seam, make sure you don’t let the ball touch the palm, and give it as much rip as you can. That’s fingerspin stripped to its essentials, but the variations within that purview make it fascinating, especially in an era when three of the top four Test bowlers are fingerspinners despite the doosra going out of favour. The traditional – correct, even – Australian way of bowling with the seam pointing to leg slip and the street-smart Asian way of mixing it up with various seam angles to facilitate natural variation provide a great contrast on the eve of a series that will pit Nathan Lyon, Australia’s most successful offspinner, against R Ashwin, the fastest man to 250 Test wickets.It is remarkable that the fingerspinners have found this resurgence after the doosra has practically been outlawed. The DRS-empowered (or awakened) umpires have made the straighter delivery lethal. No longer can a batsman afford to plonk the front foot forward and miss the ball. So they are trying to stay inside the line, which exposes the outside edge and the stumps. That makes for a role reversal.When India went to Australia in 2014-15, Ashwin tried to learn from Lyon, who won Australia the Adelaide Test with a 12-wicket haul. Now Lyon is watching Ashwin. Most important for him is to be able to threaten both edges as India’s fingerspinners do. You can’t bowl the straighter one on demand. It’s not like the legspinners’ wrong ‘un, which you actually aim to bowl. That’s what makes it lethal too: you can pick the wrong ‘un out of the hand, but there is no way you can tell from the hand that the next intended offbreak is not going to turn.Josh Hazlewood on…

The SG ball
“Haven’t bowled with the SG ball, this is my first time. Little bit different. Been training with it. The brand new ball swings a bit, and once it’s old, it reverses. Good signs there. We have three front-line quicks, that’s plenty of fast bowling for this tour.”
What has changed after nine straight defeats in Asia
“This is a really different group even from Sri Lanka. We have had a good preparation, two weeks in Dubai. Definitely we are well prepared this time. I think we have done everything we can leading in to the first Test. It is about putting those plans into action this week.”
Change in lines required in India
“In India you bowl a lot straighter. In Australia you bowl in that channel on and outside the off stump. In India you bowl a lot tighter on the middle and off. I think it’s about drying up the runs. It’s fast outfields here and runs can tick along pretty quickly. In that sense you build pressure and wickets come by bowling the dots and good maiden overs for a long period of time.”

You can’t bowl the straighter one, but you can facilitate it. It is perfectly reasonable if Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and Rangana Herath – the leading spinners in the rankings – don’t share all their trade secrets, but conventionally they are understood to do it through different seam positions, through different release points, and through under-cutting the ball. The idea is to land the ball differently; if it lands on the seam, it turns and if it lands on the leather, it skids straight on. Under-cutting the ball is remarkable in particular because it extremely difficult to do it across 22 yards and not flex the elbow. Sometimes you just drift it away enough to land it wider than the batsman originally expects it to land.Lyon has played 11 Tests in Asia, and averages 42.57 in conditions that should help him. In less helpful conditions, he averages a respectable 32.15. This will be his fifth series in Asia, and over the years he has tried to adjust, especially in his trajectory and pace – bowling quicker to not give batsmen time to recover – but success has been elusive. Lyon can’t unlearn everything and start bowling fingerspin all over again, but he is now looking to Ashwin to help him out.Ever since his last Test, in the first week of January, Lyon has spent considerable time watching tapes of Ashwin. “I have been watching a lot of footage of Ashwin, the way he goes about it, his different release points,” Lyon said in Pune, the venue of the first Test. “He is a world-class spinner, the best at the moment in the world, there is a reason for it. Been studying him a lot, hopefully I can put it in play.”I am not going to tell you what that is, because the whole world will read it. There are a few things as spinners in the Australian team we have certainly spoken about. Hopefully we can put them in practice and hit a few pads. There are a few changes, but I am not going to change my whole action for this tour. I am aware you need to change a few things here and there. But it’s a game of cricket, if we go out there and control the process… We are playing on the same wickets as they are, so there are no excuses.”Lyon said he has “definitely changed” his approach to bowling in Asia since his last visit to India, but didn’t want to elaborate it so close to a Test series. He will need all the improvement he can manage because he doesn’t find himself in an enviable position. Outside Asia, he is mainly used as a steady bowler. Sometimes he can be just an afterthought. When he does come on, he is expected to be steady, bowl the Australian way and build pressure for the quicker bowlers.

“If you are going to come out and try to take a wicket off every ball, you are going to get hit for boundaries. For us, coming over and competing here is about building pressure.”Nathan Lyon

All of a sudden, Lyon finds himself in conditions where the opposition spinners feel like demons to his side’s batsmen, and he has to go out and try to replicate it. Not many have been able to do so; only Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann come to mind after Saqlain Mushtaq did that to India in 1999. Lyon said he needed to stay away from that mindset.”That’s where you get into trouble,” Lyon said. “If you are going to come out and try to take a wicket off every ball, you are going to get hit for boundaries. For us, coming over and competing here is about building pressure, either with quickies or spinners at the other end. Try to give minimum runs and make the Indians play the big shots. That’s where we are going to build pressure. That’s how you build pressure and take wickets. If you go out thinking that I have got 10 overs and I am going to get them in 10 overs, you are on a slippery slope to nowhere really.”With the amount of cricket played today, Lyon has another opportunity to set his record in Asia right. He is already the most capped Australia fingerspinner in Asia. When he turns out in Bangalore later in the series, only Shane Warne will have played more Tests in Asia as a spinner. Whether he likes it or not, Lyon will be in the spotlight. The Australian way of bowling fingerspin will have to merge with the Asian way if Australia have to compete in the series.

Newcastle United will hope to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup this weekend, meeting Birmingham City in the Midlands.

Eddie Howe’s side are also battling to lift gold in England’s other top domestic competition, meeting Liverpool at Wembley in March’s final, and it’s all pointing toward a rather exciting business end to the 2024/25 campaign.

It didn’t always feel like it was going to be a barnstorming campaign for the Magpies, who had trundled out of the gates after a disappointing summer of spending.

But, fronted by the brilliant Alexander Isak, United are poised for a return to European competition and indeed have another shot at silverware, seeking to end a 70-year drought.

Isak is the key.

Alexander Isak's season in numbers

Mention the name Isak to Alan Shearer and you’ll get a stream of effusions about one of the best centre-forwards to have ever graced the Premier League pitch.

After all the ballyhoo, though, Isak truly is one of the finest goalscorers in the business, with Shearer labelling him as a “world-class assassin” during one recent striker-to-striker interview.

Newcastle’s stunning two-legged victory over Arsenal to set up a Carabao Cup final with Liverpool is all the buzz on Tyneside at the moment, but justly so.

Perhaps the biggest testament that could be bestowed upon the Sweden star’s skill set would be that he didn’t score or assist against Arsenal on Tuesday evening but still earned the roaring support of St. James’ Park and beyond, putting in a complete display that many other top strikers fail to produce.

He’s one of a kind, and Newcastle fans treasure the knowledge that he leads their line. However, PIF might never have authorised his sale had things worked out better with Chris Wood, who fell by the wayside in black and white but has since picked himself back up.

Why Newcastle sold Chris Wood

When Howe was anointed as Steve Bruce’s replacement, significant changes were made. It was January 2022. Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn reinforced the backline; Bruno Guimaraes marked a Galactico-esque addition to the midfield.

Newcastle were embroiled in a relegation battle but felt that they could leap from the pit of the Premier League with well-worked investment, and Wood was also targeted to strengthen the striking department.

Burnley’s talisman had been a consistent source of goals under Sean Dyche and was signed for a sizeable £25m fee, but he failed to replicate his solid striking record under Howe’s leadership.

Pundit Tam McManus commented that Wood looked “a bit lost” during his St. James’ Park stay, failing to slot into the frontal position with the kind of fluency that has been evidenced with other English clubs.

Despite reaching double figures in all four of his full Premier League campaigns with the Clarets, Wood only managed to notch five strikes across 39 fixtures for Newcastle, with his target-man-like style not quite working in Howe’s set-up.

The New Zealand native was only ever a stop-gap, and United chiefs will be happy to have convinced Nottingham Forest to pay £15m to take him off their hands.

They will be less chuffed, however, with his success over the past two campaigns.

Chris Wood's incredible campaign

Wood joined Forest on loan in January 2023, with his move turning permanent the following summer. The 33-year-old’s journey at the City Ground has been remarkable, posting 33 goals across just 67 appearances.

Last season, the Kiwi striker provided Forest with the perfect focal presence as they fought to stave off relegation from the Premier League, Nuno Espirito Santo replacing Steve Cooper before Christmas.

The Tricky Trees did their job, with Wood scoring 14 goals across 31 top-flight matches. However, few – if any – will have foreseen Wood’s incredible performances this season,

1.

Mohamed Salah

23

21

2.

Erling Haaland

24

19

3.

Alexander Isak

22

17

3=

Chris Wood

24

17

5.

Cole Palmer

24

14

5=

Bryan Mbeumo

24

14

The fact that Wood is scoring as many as Isak in the Premier League bears testament to his experience and success as the spear-point of Nuno’s high-flying Forest side.

Last time out in the Premier League, Forest decimated Brighton & Hove Albion, putting seven past the South Coast side. Naturally, the 6 foot 3 titan claimed a hat-trick.

Digging deeper into the forward’s brilliance, Wood has triumphed with a balanced approach to his shooting, scoring nine Premier League goals with his right foot, six with his head and two with his left, as per Sofascore. This level of protean threat has given Nuno the perfect focal point, capable of scoring from every which way.

Wood actually ranks among the top 10% of centre-forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, as per FBref, highlighting the quality that Newcastle saw in him. He differs greatly from Isak but could have been the perfect foil in a fully functioning Howe system.

With Callum Wilson barely featuring this term as he succumbs to injury problems and approaches the end of his contract and the 21-year-old William Osula, signed from Sheffield United for a £15m fee last summer – yet to start in the English top-flight as he continues to develop – this would have been quite the dimension – perhaps proving the difference-maker in a side that is already riding the crest of a wave.

Wood’s failure to hit the mark on Tyneside doesn’t really matter now that Isak is banging them in for fun, but he earned a big wage at £80k per week and Newcastle lost £10m in straight transfer funding on a player who offered very little.

That said, the new era was bound to have one or two blunders on the market, and the overall success of the strategy has negated the fumble with this one.

Howe may have unearthed his own Nobby Solano in Newcastle's "unsung hero"

Newcastle brushed Arsenal aside over two legs to advance to the final of the Carabao Cup.

ByAngus Sinclair Feb 6, 2025

da leao： It’s been a tough week in what has proven to be a tough campaign for Arsenal.

da marjack bet： Mikel Arteta’s side came into the week on cloud nine following their comprehensive win against Manchester City, but since then, the club failed to sign anyone on deadline day, and then the team collapsed away to Newcastle United in the League Cup.

What’s worse is that Gabriel Martinelli picked up a muscle injury in the first half and could be out for some time now, and while he hasn’t been particularly effective this year, the team do not have the numbers to lose another attacker.

In his absence, Leandro Trossard will have to play even more football, and like the Brazilian, he’s been out of form all season.

The situation the Gunners find themselves in is far from ideal and would be easier to navigate if they still had a Premier League ace sold by Unai Emery, who’s been outperforming both Trossard and Martinelli.

Martinelli & Trossard's form this season

It’s been more of the same from last season for Martinelli, as while he’s certainly looked a little more lively, he’s still been frustratingly ineffective in front of goal.

For example, in 35 appearances, the former Ituano gem has scored seven goals and provided four assists, which comes to a not-terrible but somewhat underwhelming average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games.

For his part, Trossard has found the back of the net on five occasions in 36 appearances and provided six assists for good measure, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.72 games.

Martinelli vs Trossard in 2024/25

Stat (per 90 mins)

Martinelli

Trossard

Goals

0.37

0.25

Assists

0.19

0.25

Shots

1.67

2.24

Shot-creating actions

2.41

3.48

Touches

39

44

Successful take-ons

1.48

1.43

Progressive carries

4.81

3.23

Key passes

1.54

1.49

Progressive passes

1.73

3.79

Stats via FBref.

Now, it should be said that the team have looked less threatening as a whole since the talismanic Bukayo Saka went down with a hamstring injury in December, but if the North Londoners are going to genuinely push Liverpool all the way this year, they cannot be relying on the 23-year-old to carry the burden of creating and scoring goals.

In short, Martinelli and Trossard have been underwhelming this season, and to make matters worse, one of the club’s former academy gems, sold years ago, is outperforming both.

The former Arsenal star outperforming Trossard and Martinelli

Several ex-Arsenal players are enjoying stellar campaigns this season, from the young Mika Biereth at AS Monaco to Donyell Malen, who just joined Aston Villa.

However, in this instance, the former Hale Ender, who has been tearing things up in the Premier League, has been doing so across the capital, in West London, for Fulham.

The player in question is, of course, Alex Iwobi, who came up through the North Londoners’ academy and went on to make 149 appearances for the first team before being sold to Everton for £35m in August 2019.

Four years and 140 appearances later, the Nigerian international made his way to Craven Cottage, where he has since become a key player for Marco Silva.

So far this season, the “terrific” winger, as dubbed by former professional turned pundit Gary Lineker, has scored seven goals and provided three assists for the West Londoners.

Iwobi vs Martinelli vs Trossard

Player

Iwobi

Martinelli

Trossard

Appearances

27

35

36

Goals

7

7

5

Assists

3

4

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.37

0.31

0.30

All Stats via Transfermarkt

While that is one less goal involvement than Marteinlli and Trossard have produced, he’s racked up his tally in just 27 appearances.

That means the 28-year-old dynamo has maintained a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 2.7 games, which is made all the more impressive by the fact that Fulham are a solidly mid-table side.

Ultimately, we aren’t saying Iwobi would start every game over Arsenal’s current left-wing options, but given how well he has fared in a weaker team this year, we bet Arteta would love to have him in his squad.

Related Arsenal hit the jackpot on sensational star worth far more than Gordon

Anthony Gordon has terrorised Arsenal throughout the years…

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 7, 2025

The Champions Trophy has produced some captivating moments and storylines over the years. How many of these do you recall?

Andrew McGlashan29-May-2017When Sachin and Glenn sledged
These two titans of the game had many great encounters. This one, in the 2000 Champions Trophy, was a feisty little affair. Sachin Tendulkar’s final tally was 38 off 37 balls – useful but not in itself defining – but it was an enthralling battle while it lasted. In later years Tendulkar recalled how, in a rare example of him having a few words to a bowler, he told Glenn McGrath he would “hit him out of the ground”. McGrath responded with a chirp, then Tendulkar launched a thrilling attack. After skewing an edge over third man in the third over, he then twice waltzed down the pitch in the fifth – sending McGrath for a straight six and then a four. More was to follow in the seventh, when McGrath dropped a touch short and was dispatched over deep square leg. A trademark back-foot square drive completed the collection before Tendulkar fell to Brett Lee, but he wasn’t done. Tendulkar’s subsequent dismissal of Ricky Ponting would prove instrumental in a 20-run victory, as Australia, the reigning world champions, were eliminated in the quarter-finals.Yuvraj Singh made his debut in the 2000 Champions Trophy, and 17 years later is back again•AFPYuvraj’s beginning
It was a match with more than a few subplots. After the McGrath-Tendulkar joust, India slipped to 90 for 3 and the game was in the balance. Up stepped 18-year-old Yuvraj Singh, playing his second ODI but batting for the first time, having not been needed on debut against Kenya. He would go on to plunder 12 boundaries in a thrilling 80-ball 84. There was a chance offered when he edged through Mark Waugh at slip, but he went to his half-century with arguably the shot of his innings – a pristine on-drive off McGrath. Such was his dominance that he had been at the crease less than 20 overs and a century was beckoning when he fell to Shane Lee. However, Yuvraj’s day wasn’t done. In the 32nd over of Australia’s chase he pulled off a direct hit run-out to remove Michael Bevan. Seventeen years later, he is the only player from the 2000 event who will take part in 2017.Cairns downs India
The 2000 tournament – still called the ICC Knockout – provided New Zealand with their one piece of global silverware. The side that had competed strongly at the 1999 World Cup remained together, but victory in the final over against India was largely down to one man. Chris Cairns, who had missed the semi-final against Pakistan with a knee injury, came in at 82 for 3 chasing 265 and New Zealand were soon 132 for 5. Cairns and Chris Harris then added 122, skilfully keeping the required rate in sight while knowing they couldn’t afford further slips. Cairns struck two sixes, one a glorious straight drive off Anil Kumble, before reaching his hundred in the penultimate over. Although Harris fell next ball, victory was within New Zealand’s grasp and Cairns swung a full toss through square leg to seal it.The first victim of the early DRS
The review system is now an accepted part of international cricket – when money allows – so much so that even India have come around to it. These days, there is a multitude of technology (not all of which works perfectly) available to the umpire, but in the early days of expanding TV’s decision-making role, it was rather more rudimentary. The first tentative steps were taken at the 2002 Champions Trophy when on-field umpires – not the players – were given the opportunity to check lbws with the third umpire. A little bit of history befell Shoaib Malik when he was given out against Sri Lanka. Chaminda Vaas struck him on the pads and Daryl Harper went upstairs to ask Rudi Koertzen whether it pitched outside leg: only that and height were within the third umpire’s remit; there was no predictive element. After about 30 seconds, Malik was given out, when Koertzen relayed his decision back to Harper. The system took a while – and numerous trials – to evolve but the technological tide had turned.The scoreboard did not make pretty reading for USA against New Zealand in 2004•AFPAmerica come a cropper
Once a great hope for the game, USA are now more fragmented than ever, and seem on the verge of expulsion from the ICC. In 2004, they had their one moment in the global spotlight, having qualified by winning the ICC Six Nations Challenge on net run rate. The two matches at the Champions Trophy remain their only one-day internationals. Not unexpectedly, they were a sobering experience. USA opened against New Zealand, who piled up 347 for 4 – the fifth-wicket stand of 136 between Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan coming off 46 balls. An opening partnership of 52 in nine overs showed some gumption, but USA then collapsed to 137, with former West Indies opener Clayton Lambert top-scoring on 37. That, though, wasn’t a patch on three days later against Australia: USA 65 all out, and the runs were knocked off with 253 balls remaining. At 191 balls in total, it remains the shortest completed ODI in England or Wales.Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne wrested the Champions Trophy away from England in 2004•AFP / Getty ImagesWest Indies dance in the dark
The most famous day (and almost night) in Champions Trophy history. It had been a largely triumphant season for England, who won all seven of their Tests, and in the damp and chill of a autumn, they had shown enough nous to reach the final of this tournament. Although they could only muster 217 – Marcus Trescothick made 104 – Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood reduced West Indies to 147 for 8. A first global trophy was within England’s grasp, only for Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw to play the innings of their lives. As the evening closed in, a partnership that began as an irritant then turned the game on its head. Darren Gough struggled to revive his glory days, and with Michael Vaughan having thrown his lot in with Harmison and Flintoff earlier, only Collingwood and Alex Wharf (or the unbowled Ashley Giles) remained for the conclusion. By then, the West Indies pair were in and defying the conditions. Off the penultimate ball of the 49th over, Bradshaw flayed Wharf to spark wild celebrations.Thanks, Sharad, it’s time for us to celebrate•AFPAustralia get pushy
Australia had lost their opening match of the 2006 tournament against West Indies, but pulled themselves together – including an impressive victory over India – and gained revenge with a thumping victory in the final. As is often the case for events such as these, the presentation was not a swift affair. Australia wanted nothing more than to just celebrate, and when they were eventually handed the trophy, Damien Martyn proceeded to give Sharad Pawar, the president of the BCCI, a little nudge to urge him off stage. It didn’t go unnoticed. “They are supposed to be aggressive, even rude on the field. On Sunday, Australia showed they are not exactly polite off it too,” said the . Even Sachin Tendulkar had his say: “I was not watching the proceedings, but from what I heard, it was unpleasant and uncalled for.” Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, tried to calm tensions. “I’ll be doing the best I can to get my point across to the concerned people in India and let them know we were not trying to embarrass them or anything like that.”Run out: Graeme Smith was not impressed when he was denied a runner in 2009•Getty ImagesCramped up
England had flayed their way to 323 on the Highveld – their innings included 12 sixes, with Owais Shah making 98 off 89 balls and Eoin Morgan 67 off 34 – but in reply Graeme Smith forged a magnificent century that kept South Africa firmly in the hunt of a demanding chase. His hundred came off 104 balls and they began the last ten overs needing 94; steep, but certainly chaseable in the conditions. Then Smith started to struggle with cramp, and at the end of the 44th over – with him on 124 – he called for a runner. However, England captain Andrew Strauss refused, arguing cramp was a conditioning issue rather than one of fitness. This did not go down well with Smith, who eventually carved into the deep for 141. England won, and the ICC came out in support of Strauss’ stance, banning runners full stop from international cricket a couple of years later.West Indies were sent out of the 2013 tournament by the narrowest possible margin•Getty ImagesThe rain falls in South Africa’s favour
Rain has followed South Africa around global tournaments: they were stuffed by the weather at the 1992 World Cup, had only themselves to blame in 2003, when they misread the Duckworth-Lewis sheet and crashed out of their own event, and cursed the heavy shower in Auckland that interrupted their charge in the 2015 semi-final. In 2013, though, the calculations smiled on them. Kieron Pollard had taken West Indies to the brink of victory – which would have knocked South Africa out – when he fell to Ryan McLaren. The wicket meant that the teams were tied in the DL reckoning (like it had been for South Africa in Durban ten years previously). There was no chance for Darren Sammy to face before the players left the field. The two teams got a point apiece, and so South Africa progressed by virtue of their better net run rate.That’s done it: Ishant Sharma turned the tables at Edgbaston•AFPIshant Sharma’s trophy-winning double whammy
The Champions Trophy final was reduced to 20 overs a side due to rain. With Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara together, England appeared on track to chase 130, having been struggling on 46 for 4. The early damage was caused by spin, but then pace changed the game for India. With consecutive deliveries, Ishant Sharma had Morgan caught at midwicket, then Bopara was snaffled at square: c Ashwin b Sharma had derailed England. When Jos Buttler was bowled first ball by Ravi Jadeja in the penultimate over, there was too much left to do for the lower order. India, under MS Dhoni, had added the title to their wins in the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup.

A look at how top performers in the Pakistan Cup fared

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2016

Winner

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa team, representing a northern province in the country, won their fourth domestic title in the last two years when they beat Punjab in the final of the Pakistan Cup. The side remained focused despite the controversy surrounding their captain Younis Khan, who left the team briefly to protest a 50% fine imposed on him.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost their opening match to Islamabad but their two-run win over Punjab proved to be a turning point. They went on to win their remaining league matches – against Balochistan and Sindh – before thrashing Punjab by 151 runs in the final.Ahmed Shehzad and Fakhar Zaman shepherded the batting while seamer Zia-ul-Haq, left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan and legspinner Yasir Shah were pick of the bowlers. Younis returned for the final against Punjab, scoring 49 off 59 balls in the team’s total of 311 for 9.

Runners-up

Punjab
The team, which represents a province that is home to nearly 60% of Pakistan’s population, was led by Shoaib Malik. They had a formidable batting and bowling line-up but did not live up to expectations. They lost twice to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, chasing 263 and 312. Their most convincing performance came in a low-scoring match against Sindh, which they won by five wickets to qualify for the final.

Best batsmen

Ahmed Shehzad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Shehzad was the highest run-getter in the tournament with 372 runs at an average of 74.40, and a century and three fifties. His dot-ball problem was a talking point during Pakistan’s World T20 campaign but in this tournament, he enjoyed good form and went past the 4000-run mark in List-A games. Despite the rich form, Shehzad had disciplinary issues in the tournament, and this played a part in his exclusion from the national training camp for the England tour.Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Born in the town of Mardan, in the northern region of the country, Zaman has played most of his cricket in Karachi. The left-handed batsman was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 297 runs in five innings at 59.40, including a knock of 115 that set up Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 151-run win in the final. His ability to bowl left-arm spin makes him a utility player and he is in contention for a place in the national side after appearances for Pakistan A.Khalid Latif (Sindh)
The former Pakistan Under-19s captain was the third-highest run-getter, with 252 runs in four games at an average of 126. His best in the tournament was a 129-ball 168*, which nearly carried Sindh to victory in a chase of 320 against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Although he has won call-ups to the one-day and T20 sides, he has failed to convert his domestic form into more substantial scores in international cricket. He was recently picked for the national training camp.In addition to his accuracy with the ball, Zohaib Khan is also a handy batsman•PCB

Best bowlers

Mohammad Amir (Sindh)
Mohammad Amir’s remarkable progress since his return to cricket from a ban for spot-fixing was also on display in this tournament. He took 11 wickets in four matches, including his maiden List A five-for. His team, Sindh, however, won only two of their four games and finished third on the table.Zohaib Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
The left-arm spinner, aged 32, also picked up 11 wickets, at an average of 16.63 and was selected in the probables squad for the national camp. In September last year, he captained Peshawar Region to the Haier T20 Cup title, beating Karachi Blues in the final. He reached the 100-wicket mark in List A cricket recently and has scored over a thousand runs in the format.Zia-ul-Haq (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Tall, thin and athletic, Zia-ul-Haq hails from Vehari, a small town in Punjab that is also the birthplace of former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis. His series haul of 10 wickets at 17.70 was a major driving force for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as was his ability to contain runs and provide vital breakthroughs. Zia, 21, has emerged through the Under-19 set-up. He took 11 wickets for Pakistan Under-19s in the 2012 World Cup and nine in the 2014 edition.

A quiet run

Salman Butt (Punjab)
Butt’s chances of reviving his career after the spot-fixing ban depended on his performances in this tournament, but he disappointed with 135 runs in five matches at an average of 27. His performances in the National One Day Cup earlier this year, where he finished as the second-highest run-getter with 536 runs, had generated interest but he failed to capitalize on the opportunity presented in this tournament.Shoaib Malik (Punjab)
Shoaib Malik had yet another quiet domestic tournament. He led Punjab to the final but his own contributions, with bat and ball, were ordinary. He scored 99 runs at 19.80 in five games and took five wickets.

New face

Imam-ul-Haq (Islamabad)
The inclusion of the 20-year-old nephew of Pakistan’s new chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq may have raised some eyebrows but Imam smacked a century for Islamabad in the only game he played to quash doubts over his ability. Imam is seen as one of Pakistan’s emerging players and has represented the Under-19s side in the 2012 and 2014 World Cups. He was not part of the Islamabad squad initially but was brought in to replace Misbah-ul-Haq, who took a break for personal reasons.