All posts by h79snht.top

Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea will still feel like "they can win the signature of Lavia" as the race to land the Southampton midfielder is still "pretty open", claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

Arsenal transfer news – what's the latest on Romeo Lavia

The summer window has kicked off in some style in Islington as the Gunners have already confirmed the £65m purchase of Chelsea's Kai Havertz, and the deal to bring Declan Rice to the Emirates is also nearing completion.

Alongside these established names, the club has been linked to Southampton's exciting young prospect and full Belgian international, Romeo Lavia.

According to a report from the Independent, Arsenal first turned their attention towards the £45m player after concluding that any deal to bring in Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo would be too difficult to achieve alongside their other targets.

However, the race has become a lot more complicated as Chelsea and Manchester United are said to be directly challenging the Gunners for his signature, with Liverpool 'monitoring' developments for now.

Where there is some doubt as to where Lavia would fit in at Arsenal, there is less about any potential move to the Red Devils.

At the moment, Erik ten Hag's choices in defensive midfield are the imperious Casemiro and the hard-working but under equipped Scott McTominay. If United could bring the 19-year-old to Old Trafford, he could make for the perfect understudy to the 30-year-old Brazilian, eventually stepping in to replace him a few seasons from now.

Chelsea on the other hand have just sold a huge portion of their midfield with N'Golo Kante moving to Saudi Arabia, Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City and the aforementioned Havertz to Arsenal deal, so a move for the Brussels-gem would make perfect sense, filling a current gap in the team and potentially staying with the club for the next decade.

What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about the race to sign Romeo Lavia?

Jones was confident that no club had the upper hand regarding the young Belgian at the moment and that all three teams will feel relatively good about their chances.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I honestly think it's pretty open race at the moment. I wouldn't say that Arsenal are placed any better than Chelsea any better than Man United. I think that all of those clubs will feel that they can still win the signature of Lavia."

Do Arsenal need to sign Romeo Lavia?

The sides in this transfer saga could clearly use Lavia both now and in the future, but what about Mikel Arteta's side?

Well, it's a little more complicated; as things stand, the club have Thomas Partey and Mohammed Elneny in that defensive midfield position and will soon add Rice, the club's most expensive transfer ever.

From that, it looks hard to see where the "monster" – as dubbed by football writer Benjy Nurick – would fit into Arteta's immediate plans.

However, if the recent report from the Telegraph claiming that the club will cash in on Ghanaian international Partey is true, there could well be a way into the team for the ex-Manchester City wonderkid.

However, with Rice likely to take Partey's place as the clubs go to defensive midfielder anyway, Lavia would still be firmly behind a player only five years his senior.

While he would certainly be a fantastic rotation option, the player might view himself as something other than just a backup.

Whoever ends up landing the Southampton starlet will have an unbelievable prospect on their books, but it looks like some teams need his services more than others.

A wrap of the first day’s play of the 8th round match between New South Wales and Tasmania

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2017
Scorecard
File photo – Ed Cowan built on his form to score another century•Getty Images

Ed Cowan’s 115 proved a lone hand for New South Wales in Wollongong as Tasmania made a bright start to their first Sheffield Shield match since the sacking of coach Dan Marsh.NSW lost regular wickets over the course of the day after being put in, four of them falling to the seam and swing of Simon Milenko. Tim Paine, recalled for his first Shield appearance this season, held a quartet of catches behind the stumps.Cowan, batting at No. 3 for the hosts, put on a strong display to follow up his double-century against Victoria at the MCG two rounds ago – he has prospered against the experimental Dukes ball being trialed for the back half of this Shield competition.His only real support came from the captain Moises Henriques, who made it to 47 in fourth-wicket stand worth 119 before falling to Sam Rainbird, who took two wickets. James Faulkner and Andrew Perrin also chipped in with two wickets each, as NSW folded for 253. Alex Doolan and Jake Hancock took Tasmania to 40 without loss at stumps.

The 39-year old record-breaking left-arm spinner also said he considers his future before every series he plays

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle 11-Mar-2017

Rangana Herath conceded 400 career wickets would be “nice to have”, while reiterating that at 39, he considers his future in the game after every series. Having taken 6 for 59 in Sri Lanka’s victory in Galle, Herath is now the most successful left-arm spinner in Tests, surpassing Daniel Vettori’s career tally of 362. This was also his 29th five-wicket haul – only Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Richard Hadlee and Anil Kumble have achieved more.”If you can get to a target like that it would be terrific, because very few people have taken 400 Test wickets,” Herath said. “I’d love to get there, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll be in this form forever. But I’ll keep playing and contributing as I can for the team and for the country, and hope that the wickets keep coming.”That Herath is now among the most successful bowlers in the game is all the more extraordinary, given he did not have a long run in the team until he was 31. Before 2009, when he became a fixture in Sri Lanka’s Test XI, Herath had played only 14 Tests at sporadic intervals.”I have no regrets about starting late,” he said. “I have already played 79 Tests and I am happy with what ever I have achieved so far.”Herath needs 34 more Test wickets to get 400, and if matches are played per-schedule, Sri Lanka play six further home Tests this year before they are due to go overseas for a bilateral tour. In those matches, Herath may find himself sharing the spin duties with two other slow bowlers, however – Sri Lanka now having fielded three specialist spinners in each of their last four Tests on the island. Unusually, in this match, they also played two seamers, bringing the number of frontline bowlers to five. As acting captain, Herath said having so many bowlers at his command provided him with a wealth of possible strategies.”We talked a lot about playing six batsmen and five bowlers, and ultimately it was the selectors who made that decision,” Herath said. “I look at it the positive way. I have loads of options when you have three spinners. When we bowl long spells bowlers will get tired, so in that situation having five bowlers is a clear advantage.”As you saw today, playing against three spinners with such a large score to get is difficult for the opposition. The pitch wasn’t turning as much as usual, but we had the bowlers who did well – Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan gave a lot of support.”Though Sri Lanka were rarely pushed in this match, they did drop three catches in the first innings. Catches had been liberally spilled in recent tours of South Africa and Australia as well. 

”After a game we look at the weak points in all three departments, and we have to be more cautious when it comes to fielding, as we missed a few chances,” Herath said. “But we are learning. We will work hard and come good.”

تحدث أحمد أمين أوفا مهاجم فريق الكرة الأول بنادي إنبي عن طموحاته مع الفريق البترولي وتوقف مفاوضات القطبين لضمه.

وقال أوفا في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورتس: “تركيزنا وطموحنا في نادي إنبي أن نشارك في دوري بطولة إفريقيا أو الكونفدرالية الموسم المقبل”.

أوفا: نادٍ سويسري يرغب في ضمي.. والأهلي والزمالك يتفاوضان مع وكيلي

وأضاف: “الأهلي والزمالك تفاوضا مع وكيلي من أجل الانضمام قبل شهر يناير الماضي، ولا أعرف سبب توقف المفاوضات من القطبين”.

وأتم: “أي لاعب يتمنى أن يلعب للأهلي والزمالك، ولكن أختار النادي الأنسب لي والذي ستكون فرصتي كبيرة للمشاركة معه”.

ويحتل نادي إنبي وصافة ترتيب الدوري المصري الممتاز “النيل” برصيد 26 نقطة حصدهم من 15  مباراة.

Aston Villa are reportedly targeting Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto in a move that could bolster the attacking options at Villa Park.

With Youri Tielemans already on board, Unai Emery and Monchi are setting their sights on firing the Midlands club to new heights with added fuel this summer.

Could Aston Villa sign Wilfried Gnonto?

Football Insider reported on Wednesday that the Villans are interested in Gnonto and have 'made a move' to sign him, with the player expected to depart Elland Road following the Whites’ relegation.

A separate report from Football Insider earlier this year claimed that Leeds would be reluctant to let their gem go for a fee lower than £40m, with his contract valid until 2027.

The winger would be an affordable asset to Villa, who have a reported £150m to spend, however, they will have competition with Everton also listed to be in the race for the Italian.

What could Wilfried Gnonto offer to Aston Villa?

Elland Road has only got a taste of the teenager's ability so far, after he arrived in Yorkshire last summer from FC Zurich.

The Inter Milan academy graduate gave Premier League viewers a snapshot of exactly the level he could consistently operate at in the future, posing as a significant threat on the flanks.

At just 19-years-old, Emery could equip his side with one of the most explosive young talents in Europe, who stood out in his debut Premier League season, registering two goals and four assists in 24 appearances.

Averaging only 56 minutes per game and making just 14 starts, the teenager quickly imposed himself on the league, described as “magic” by journalist Phil Hay.

There’s an extensive list of attributes that the Italian could bolster Emery’s attack with, being a player that excels in the final third with a desire to achieve as a young talent.

Having already signed Tielemans, the Spaniard could give his attack a new look by deploying Gnonto to the right of the Belgian, who is acclaimed for his playmaking abilities.

The former Leicester City midfielder has been branded a “phenomenon” for his creative know-how and passing strengths.

The numbers support the idea that the two could cause havoc at Villa Park, focusing on the Italian’s threat in possession and movement off the ball paired with the 26-year-old’s distribution.

As per FBref, Gnonto received an average of 9.04 progressive passes per 90 in the Premier League last campaign, highlighting his intuition to get on the end of a pass and advance in the final third.

On the other side, Tielemans averaged 6.95 progressive passes, as well as 6.49 passes into the final third per 90, as per FBref, showing his attacking prowess from central midfield.

The Belgian could provide the Leeds United man with plenty of ammunition to cause problems in front of goal, with the teenager always looking to create a goal-scoring situation. That's best highlighted through his 5.12 attempted take-ons per 90 last term, a number that ranks him within the top 13% of positionally similar players in the division.

Deploying a talent as confident and flamboyant as Gnonto could give the youngster room to flourish and excel with those around him, which could only prove to be a positive for Emery’s project in the Midlands.

At just 19-years-old, the Spaniard could unleash a talent for the ages by securing the Verbania-born gem’s signature at a price affordable for the Villans.

The closer we get to the start of the new Premier League season, the more anxious West Ham United supporters are growing about a lack of new arrivals at the London Stadium.

With Declan Rice's £105m move to Arsenal dragging on, the Hammers are seemingly holding fire before bringing in any new recruits to bolster a side that underwhelmed domestically last season.

Who have West Ham signed so far this summer?

David Moyes' side have yet to make a single senior signing ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, despite the fact that they have already kicked off their pre-season programme.

Rice's departure will surely be confirmed by the end of the week, whilst Manuel Lanzini is another first-teamer who has departed during the close season following the expiration of his contract.

For all the doom and gloom, though, Denis Zakaria is reportedly close to arriving from Juventus, and Spanish outlet ABC de Sevilla suggests the Europa Conference League winners are in advanced talks for Real Betis defender Luiz Felipe.

How good is Luiz Felipe?

The report indicates that the Irons are confident of completing a €20m (£17m) deal for Felipe – who was once described as "excellent" by FootballClub writer Juanlu Rodriguez – in the coming days.

The 26-year-old titan has only spent one campaign with Betis, having arrived from Lazio – where he had been a regular for five Serie A seasons – in July last year.

Felipe thrives in the defensive aspects of the game – always a priority for any centre-back, of course – as he ranks in the top 1% of all of his positional peers for blocks per 90 minutes (2.39) across Europe's top five leagues over the past year, as per FBref, and in the top 5% for clearances per 90 (2.39).

To put that second figure in some perspective, Kurt Zouma – the most likely candidate to make way should Felipe arrive in East London – averaged 0.77 blocks, placing him in the bottom 8% of centre-backs across Europe's elite leagues.

Felipe was often guilty of overstepping the mark last season, as he became the first player to receive three red cards in his first 11 LaLiga games this century, as per Opta. After the third of those sendings-off at the start of February, however, he did not see red again before the end of the season.

If West Ham's need for a new centre-back – or perhaps even two – was not already clear, the statistics lay it bare. Zouma is in the bottom 1% of centre-backs for tackles per 90 with 0.41, which compares to 1.55 for Felipe (top 56%).

Italy international Felipe does lack in other areas, yet he still ranks higher than Zouma for passes attempted per 90 (47.07 v 37.60) and successful take-ons (0.21 v 0.09), which are becoming increasingly more important traits for defenders to have.

Zouma's performances have noticeably dropped over the past year or so – perhaps coinciding with off-field events – and the time for change is now. Having also previously been touted as a target for Barcelona, Felipe looks well suited to slot in alongside compatriot Ogbonna in the heart of Moyes' defence.

A maiden List A century by Roelof van der Merwe enabled Somerset to pull off an incredible four-wicket win over Surrey

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2017
ScorecardRoelof van der Merwe produced an astonishing hundred to rescue Somerset from 22 for 5•Getty Images

A maiden List A century by Roelof van der Merwe enabled Somerset to pull off an incredible four-wicket win over Surrey in the Royal London One-Day Cup South Group match at Taunton with more than six overs to spare.Surrey were restricted to 290 for 8 from their 50 overs, Ben Foakes top-scoring with 92. In reply Somerset crashed to 22 for 5 and looked out of it before van der Merwe and Dean Elgar came together to lay the foundation for victory with a sixth-wicket stand of 213. Elgar fell for 68 but Somerset eventually won with 37 balls remaining, after one of the most dramatic turnarounds imaginable in a one-day contest.”It was great for the team and fabulous to have been part of that partnership and great to get the team home,” van der Merwe said. “At 22 for 5 we were basically dead and buried and you had that freedom just to go out there and bat and suddenly we needed a run a ball with not too many left so we could just bat and keep the ball on the floor.”We did put the Surrey fielders under pressure and it was tough for them to pick it up. There were also a few throws that went awry and we took a few extra singles and kept up that intensity.”When I walked out to bat I thought that we would be home by 4pm, so it was just one of those where you got in and it was hard to get out on that wicket. I don’t think that I have ever played better, especially at Somerset on my home ground so it was awesome.”The Somerset innings was floundering in the seventh over, with the top order back in the changing rooms. Jade Dernbach claimed three early wickets and Sam Curran two as Steven Davies, Peter Trego, Jim Allenby, James Hildreth and Adam Hose departed in rapid succession.Elgar, who was dropped early in his innings, and van der Merwe came together and gradually started the recovery. The pair kept up with the run rate and saw up the 100 in the 19th over. In the next Elgar hit the first six of the innings off Gareth Batty, which brought a loud cheer from the home crowd.Two balls later Van der Merwe reached his fifty with two off the back foot, his runs coming off 44 balls with six fours, shortly after which Elgar followed, his runs coming off 62 balls with three fours and a six.Van der Merwe went to his century with a drive to the square cover boundary off Tom Curran, having faced 77 balls and hit 15 fours. The partnership was worth 213 in 30 overs, a new Somerset record in List A cricket to bring the hosts right back into the game, when Elgar was bowled by Scott Borthwick for 68.Van der Merwe was joined by Lewis Gregory and the pair stayed in the middle to see Somerset home, the Netherlands allrounder ending unbeaten on 165 off 122 balls with 24 fours and a six. It was one of the truly great one-day innings.Surrey were indebted to a career-best 92 from Ben Foakes and a half-century from Mark Stoneman in setting Somerset 291. Stoneman, on his Surrey List A debut, looked in great form after the visitors had been put in and along with Dominic Sibley brought up the 50 in the 11th over. But soon after going to his half-century off 49 balls with six fours he was caught at fine leg hooking at Gregory.Kumar Sangakkara kept the total moving as Surrey passed 100. Sibley had moved onto 37 when he went down the wicket and was caught by wicketkeeper Steve Davies for 37, Gregory again the successful bowler. Josh Davey then changed ends and immediately had Rory Burns sharply caught at short midwicket by Jim Allenby for 15, and then Sangakkara taken by the keeper two overs later for 32.Foakes looked in great form and saw up the Surrey 200 with a single off Craig Overton, but two balls later the bowler accounted for Borthwick, caught at midwicket for 19.Foakes went to half-century with a straight drive and while he was at the wicket Surrey looked to be heading for a big total. The Somerset bowlers had other ideas as both Sam and Tom Curran went cheaply.Foakes had moved onto 92, off 65 balls, with 11 fours, when he was caught at deep midwicket before Surrey ended on 290 for 8. Overton ended with 3 for 57, Gregory 3 for 71 and Davey 2 for 45.

يرى محمد أبو جبل حارس مرمى نادي البنك الأهلي ومنتخب مصر، أنه الحارس الأول في مصر خلال الفترة الحالية.

وقال أبو جبل خلال استضافته في برنامج المقالب “رامز جاب من الآخر” المذاع على قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “أنا حارس مصر الأول”.

وبسؤاله هل استعان مصطفى شوبير حارس الأهلي بوالده أحمد شوبير لافساد انتقاله إلى الأهلي أوضح أبو جبل: “لا أعلم شيئًا عن ذلك، كل شيء قسمة ونصيب”.

طالع | كهربا يرد على اتهامات تسببه في فشل صفقة أبو جبل ويصرح: محمد صلاح “عاملنا قيمة”

وعن سؤال هل يتمني اللعب للأهلي حتى الآن، قال: “شرف لأي أحد أن يلعب في الأهلي”.

وعن حقيقة المشادة مع محمود عبد المنعم “كهربا” في معسكر منتخب مصر، قال: “لا لم يحدث مشادة، كهربا لم يعتد علي بالقلم مثلما تردد،(أنت أهلاوي يا رامز وعارف مين اللي مش من مصلحته أن أبو جبل ميروحش الأهلي)”.

عن تسديد الركلة الأخيرة أمام الكونغو في أمم إفريقيا، أوضح: “أحمد حجازي أشار لي إنني آخر واحد في الفريق وكان لازم أسدد، كنت بدل مهند لاشين”.

وحول اختياره الجبهة اليمنى في ركلات الترجيح خلال مباراة مصر والكونغو الديمقراطية في كأس أمم إفريقيا، كشف أن كل حارس وله مدرسته.

عن إهدر كرة الجزاء الأخيرة أمام الكونغو من أجل مفاوضات الأهلي، أجاب: “إذا أردت فعل ذلك كنت عملتها في المباراة الـ 120 دقيقة”.

Nottingham Forest are closing in on the signing of Manchester United youngster Anthony Elanga, according to a key update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

How much does Anthony Elanga earn?

The 21-year-old has been at United since 2014, arriving as a child in the youth team and working his way into the senior setup, making 55 appearances to date, not to mention scoring and assisting four times apiece along the way.

Elanga has found it difficult to see earn regular football under Erik ten Hag, however, with other attacking players generally preferred to him, from Marcus Rashford to Antony.

Last season, only five starts came his way in the Premier League, as well as just one in the Europa League, and it looks increasingly as though he isn't seen as part of the manager's future plans at Old Trafford.

It has become clear that a move away this summer looks highly likely and Forest have now emerged as the frontrunners to snap him up before the new season gets underway. Now, a new update has emerged regarding his future that further suggests the £5,000-a-week attacker could be heading to the City Ground in the very near future.

Will Nottingham Forest sign Anthony Elanga?

Taking to Twitter, Romano provided a big update on Forest's pursuit of Elanga this summer, saying that the move is now nearing completion:

"Negotiations advancing for Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest – it’d be permanent deal."

Elanga could be a really shrewd signing by Forest this summer, coming in as someone who has proven himself at a high level. Granted, things ultimately haven't panned out the way he would have hoped at United in terms of being a regular, but he has still picked up some invaluable experience and played his part in some of the club's success.

The 12-cap Sweden international is someone who could flourish as one of the main men at a club rather than simply being a cog in the machine, and there is every chance that he becomes one of the first names on the teamsheet at Forest.

At just 21, Elanga still has a vast chunk of his career ahead of him, and while he would arrive as an important figure from the off, he could mature into an even more formidable prospect over time. The fact that he has impressed Roy Keane recently speaks volumes, with the legendary former midfielder saying:

"I like the fact he likes to run in behind. I love that desire. You stretch teams, it’s very simple and very effective, you have to do it at the right times. When they are sprinting behind, you cause all sorts of problems, especially if you mix your game up, which he does well."

To receive praise from someone like Keane says a lot about Elanga's potential – the ex-Forest man isn't exactly one to dish out compliments left, right and centre – and further highlights why he could be such a good signing for the Reds, coming in and immediately bolstering their wide attacking options in the process.

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur stressed on the need for a team’s captain and coach to be on the same page and said he enjoyed working with captain Sarfraz Ahmed

George Dobell at Edgbaston03-Jun-2017It was the contrast that was most striking.While India’s pre-match media conference – attended only by the captain, Virat Kohli – was dominated by talk of the division between him and his team’s coach, Anil Kumble, the Pakistan captain and coach turned up together and talked of the relationship as akin to a marriage.It is possible that such a move was planned to highlight their opponents’ apparent divide. It didn’t feel like it at the time, but it is possible. And it is very possible that when Mickey Arthur and Sarfraz Ahmed were listening to each other speak in their respective languages and nodding vigorously in agreement, they had not the slightest idea of what was being said.But the general impression remained: while much is expected of a tense and possibly divided India, Pakistan are united, relaxed and quietly confident. No one is claiming they are favourites. But they are certainly dangerous.”The captain-coach relationship is almost like a marriage,” Arthur said. “You’ve got to be on the same page all the time. And if you’re on the same page, you get correct decisions and you give clarity to your team. And that’s certainly where Saf and myself find ourselves; very much on the same page. I’m really going to enjoy working with him.””The pressure is on India only,” Sarfraz said. “There is no pressure on us. We are standing at No. 8 in the rankings. We cannot fall below this.”They can, of course. They need only look at the example of West Indies to know that. And with context and merit likely to play an ever greater role in all formats of the game, there can be no room for complacency. Qualifying for such competitions – and that includes the World Cup – cannot be taken for granted.But the first step to progress is accepting that change is required. And after a period of denial, Pakistan are now well aware of that. They know they need to undergo the same sort of evolution in their ODI cricket as England have in the last couple of years. They need to score more heavily, be more potent with the ball and improve their fielding. They need, in every way, to attack more.They know all that. And with several promising young players beginning to settle into international cricket – notably Babar Azam, Shahdab Khan and Hasan Ali – they have the raw materials to make progress. This tournament may come a little too early in their development cycle, though, with Arthur accepting his team are “a work in progress.”Despite Pakistan’s claims of being well-prepared, some of their players will enter the Champions Trophy without significant international experience•ICC

“We knew that we needed to play a different brand of cricket,” he said. “And it’s changing. Certainly in terms of the brand of cricket we play. We’re working on it. It’s a work in progress. I’m comfortable where we’re at.”We’ve worked massively on our ball rotation and our strike rates. It was very interesting to read the other day – I go through the stats quite regularly – that in the last year we’ve scored the third-most amount of 300s. England are way, way ahead, but Pakistan is number three on that list. And I think that’s testimony to the brand of cricket that we are starting to play.”The team that’s going to win this competition is the team that can strike. Gone are the days of just containing through the middle overs. Gone are the days of going at five-and-a-half an over, thinking you’re doing a good job.”You’ve got to be able to take wickets. We always pick an attack to take wickets. Every one of our attack is going to be able to do something different. We have a left-arm swinger, we could have left-arm pace, we have the swing and hustle of Hassan, we’ve a left-arm spinner, an off-spinner and we could have a leg-spinner. We’ve got everything at our disposal tomorrow to allow Saf to pull the strings to make sure we can try to bowl India out, because that’s got to be priority number one. We can’t just sit back and let them score. We’ve got to attack them and we’ve got to look to bowl them out.”Sarfraz agreed. And, intriguingly, offered “new things” on Sunday. “We have made a plan,” he said. “On Sunday, you will see us doing some new things, which we have not done against India previously. We will try doing some out-of-the-box things. You will see this team playing differently.”Quite how ‘out of the box’ they can be remains to be seen. But it is not a phrase that might have been expected from Misbah-ul-Haq, and with a couple of new faces in the team – faces that India will not have seen – it may be that they have some element of surprise on their side.For all the talk of being “extremely well-prepared and ready to go” (as Arthur put it), for all the talk of “players having role clarity” and “everybody knowing where they fit in,” there are some pretty obvious holes in Pakistan’s preparations. If a team is really well-prepared, won’t it have ensured its players have gained experience at this level before going into a global event against an arch rival? And if a team is really well-prepared, won’t it have ensured its players know what to expect from full-house crowds, media attention and this level of competition?That is patently not the case with this Pakistan side. Shahdab Khan, the 18-year-old leg-spinner, has played only three ODIs, while Faheem Ashraf, the seam-bowling all-rounder who made a wonderful impression in the warm-up victory over Bangladesh, could make his international debut. Whatever their inherent class, this will represent a huge step up in quality. Plunging such players into one of the most high-profile games in the sport is hugely demanding and not especially reflective of good planning.”If you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” Arthur said. “That’s what I always say. And I think Shadab Khan is certainly good enough. He’s ready. If he gets the opportunity, I’m particularly confident in his ability to produce for us. And he’s a match-winner. He really is. It’s so exciting. It’s another young Pakistan cricketer on the big stage and that’s really great. It’s really good for the country and it’s really good for cricket.”It may well be. But while you suspect this game comes a bit too early for Shadab et al. history has taught us never to discount Pakistan. And while the Arthur-Sarfraz partnership can survive defeat against India, perhaps the same cannot be said for the Kohli-Kumble partnership if the result goes the other way. All the expectation, all the pressure, all the consequences are weighing down India. You suspect Pakistan wouldn’t mind adding to their woes.