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A round-up of the fourth day’s play from the tenth round of Quaid-e-Azam trophy matches

Cricinfo staff22-Feb-2009Group ANational Bank of Pakistan were three wickets away from a win over Khan Research Laboratories in Rawalpindi, which would have helped the leaders secure their place in the final. Only 59 overs were possible on the final day, and second-placed KRL managed to keep the difference to six points – they took three points from this game by virtue of their first-innings lead. Resuming on 292 for 3, NBP played out 16 overs before declaring their second innings at 357 for 4. Naumanullah and captain Qaiser Abbas, the overnight batsmen, made 80 and an unbeaten 63 to set KRL a target of 305. Quick strikes left KRL reeling at 13 for 4, but captain Mohammad Wasim held up one end with an unbeaten 72. They were at 152 for 7 at stumps, having seen off 43 overs. For NBP, Mohammad Aamer struck thrice and went past 50 wickets in the tournament, while both Wasim Khan and Irfanuddin took two wickets.Hasan Raza, the Habib Bank Limited captain, scored 62, and Fahad Masood chipped in with 41, but they could not prevent a defeat to Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in Sheikhupura. Set 462, HBL started the day at 135 for 4, and slid to 189 to 7. Raza and Masood then combined for an 83-run stand, but both fell to Abdul Razzaq, the ZTBL captain. HBL folded for 303, lasting 47.1 overs on the final day. Razzaq took 4 for 48 to finish with nine wickets in the match – he also scored a second-innings 74. Eighteen-year-old medium-pacer Azhar Attari scalped 3 for 47.Jahangir Mirza’s second first-class century – both of which came in this game – helped Water and Power Development Authority to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan Customs in Sialkot. After having dismissed the hosts cheaply in their second innings, WAPDA had closed the second day at 59 for 1 in pursuit of 204. Mirza lost his overnight partner, Salman Akbar, with the score on 77, but combined with captain Aamer Sajjad for an unbroken 129-run stand. Mirza, who resumed on 25, ended on 101 not out – to add to his first-innings 135 not out – while Sajjad made an unbeaten 47.In Faisalabad, defending champions Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited lost by two wickets to Pakistan International Airlines. SNGPL had secured the first-innings lead but were dismissed for 183 – Najaf Shah took 5 for 51 – in the second, setting PIA a target of 286. Yasir Hameed led the chase with a run-a-ball 73, with Fahad Iqbal and Shoaib Khan snr chipping in with 28 and 33. Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, who has largely remained Pakistan’s second choice to Kamran Akmal, boosted his prospects with his second half-century of the game. He made 61, but was one of four victims for legspinner Yasir Shah. However, Anwar Ali, the former Under-19 bowler, made 48 not out to steer them to victory. Although PIA, on 39 points, can still possibly tie for first place with NBP, their greater number of losses means they have no chance of making it to the final.The contest between Lahore Shalimar and Karachi Whites ended in a draw in Muridke. Karachi, with an overnight lead of 140, pushed from 23 for 0 to 194 for 4 in 45 overs on the final day before declaring. Captain Khalid Latif, the overnight batsman, top scored with 105 not out. Chasing 312, Lahore were reduced to 68 for 3, but they managed to avoid losing further wickets, reaching 112 in 29 overs at stumps.Group BThe battle for the top spot will go down to the final round after Islamabad completed a five-wicket win over leaders Sialkot at Diamond Club Ground. With Islamabad still to complete their first innings, the match seemed to be headed for a draw at stumps on the third day. They resumed on 354 for 9, and were bowled out for 361, a lead of 93. Islamabad’s bowlers then prised out wickets quickly at either end of the fourth-wicket stand of 105 between Haris Sohail, who made a 63-ball 60, and Sialkot captain Mohammad Ayub, who played out 170 balls for his 65. The two took Sialkot to 136 for 3, but a flurry of wickets resulted in them being bowled out for 185 in 54.2 overs. The final four wickets fell for 10 runs in an innings which had four ducks. Saad Altaf took 4 for 62 off 17 overs, while Rauf Akbar and spinners Imad Wasim and Raheel Majeed finished with two each. Islamabad then made a mad dash to reach the target of 93 before close. Ameer Khan and Naeem Anjum made 30s as they wrapped up the win in 11 overs and with five wickets in hand. Sialkot have 51 points from nine games, while both Islamabad and Rawalpindi have 45.Quetta moved out of the bottom position with a three-run win over Hyderabad in Mirpur Khas. Hyderabad, resuming on 148 for 5 in pursuit of 274, lost Lal Kumar with only two runs added to their score. However, their chances were kept alive with an 86-run stand between Hanif Malik, who added 50 to his overnight 25, and captain Pir Zulfiqar (41). However, three quick blows left them at 253 for 9. The last pair added 17, but with a win four runs away, Gauhar Faiz struck to leave them short. Faiz and fellow opening bowler Nazar Hussain took four wickets apiece for the visitors. Hyderabad now find themselves at the bottom, but have one game left to move ahead of Quetta, who lead them by three points.Despite a lead of 340 at the start of the day, Faisalabad batted on till they were dismissed in their second innings, leaving Peshawar with hardly any overs to force a result in in Sargodha. Resuming on 220 for 4, Faisalabad lost overnight batsman Usman Arshad early, but Naved Latif scored a brisk 81, off 88 balls, and No. 10 Zulqarnain smashed 50 to extend the lead past 500. Their second innings ended on 396, with 176 of those scored in 38.5 overs on the final day. Peshawar medium-pacer Nauman Habib picked up 7 for 119. Chasing 517, Naved Khan and Israrullah scored half-centuries and put on 142 for the opening wicket. Israrullah was unbeaten on 75 as Peshawar finished on 153 for 1.Karachi Blues needed only 23.3 overs on the fourth day to complete a 202-run win against Multan in Karachi. Multan, resuming on 44 for 4, were bowled out for 133. Overnight batsman Zulfiqar Babar top scored with 31, and two lower-order batsmen went past 20. Both Tabish Khan and Tabish Nawab picked four wickets in the innings – Nawab bagged his maiden ten-wicket match haul in first-class games.Captain Adnan Raees’ 159 helped Abbottabad bat out the 76 overs on the final day for a draw against Lahore Ravi at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Abbottabad, trailing by 150 on the first innings, began on a shaky 73 for 2. The next wicket, though, fell only after they had gone past 300. Rahimbaz Khan put on a 240-run stand for the third wicket with Raees, but fell four short of his maiden first-class ton. Ghulam Mohammad made an unbeaten 40 as Abbottabad closed at 378 for 5.

Group A Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts

National Bnk 9 5 0 0 4 048 Khan RL 9 4 00 5 0 42 PIA 9 4 2 0 3 039 Sui Gas 9 4 20 3 0 36 Zarai TBL 9 3 1 0 5 033 Habib Bank 9 3 20 4 0 27 WAPDA 9 2 0 0 7 018 Sui Sthn Gas 9 0 40 5 0 12 Karachi Whites 10 0 4 0 6 09 Lahore Shalimar 9 0 40 5 0 6 Pakistan Customs 9 0 6 0 3 00

Group B Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts

Sialkot 9 5 2 02 0 51 Islamabad 94 1 0 4 0 45 Rawalpindi 9 5 0 04 0 45 Abbottabad 93 1 0 5 0 27 Faisalabad 9 2 0 07 0 24 Karachi Blues 92 3 0 4 0 24 Lahore Ravi 9 0 0 09 0 18 Multan 92 3 0 4 0 18 Peshawar 9 2 3 04 0 18 Quetta 101 8 0 1 0 6 Hyd (Pakstn) 9 0 5 04 0 3

Tottenham Hotspur are set to compete with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain for the prospective free transfer of AC Milan’s Franck Kessie in January, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), and the trio of suitors may have been given some encouragement following recent developments. 

The Lowdown: Contract problems 

Since his permanent move to AC Milan in 2019 following a two-year loan spell, Kessie has been linked with a move to top clubs across Europe. 

The 24-year-old, who has made 44 appearances for the Ivory Coast national team, hasn’t appeared for the Serie A side since his brace earned all three points at the end of May against Atalanta.  He is yet to feature for Stefano Pioli’s side this season after helping his nation to the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo during the summer. 

With his contract running out next summer, the interest in Kessie is set to increase during the upcoming 12 months. 

The Latest: Contract roadblock

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), Kessie has rejected a contract extension from Milan worth €6.5m (£5.57m) a year. 

The Italian newspaper reported that the midfielder wants €8m (£6.86m) a year plus €2m (£1.7m) in bonuses, and Spurs are said to be keen on the midfielder, who scored 13 goals in 37 league appearances for the Rossoneri last season. 

Milan will be fearful of losing one of their key players for nothing like they did with Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) and Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter). 

Kessie claimed in July that he wanted to stay at Milan ‘forever’ but has now rejected a new deal with the club.

The Verdict: Perfect Box-to-Box 

Kessie’s quality has been clear to see since he arrived at the San Siro. Last season he carried an 89% pass completion per match whilst making 2.07 blocks per game. 

Spurs currently have a couple of gifted centre-midfielders in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, but with doubts having circulated over Tanguy Ndombele’s future, the arrival of Kessie would be an added bonus to Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad. 

Former Milan striker Antonio Cassano even lauded the midfielder as “intelligent” and “devastating” earlier in the year during one of the best seasons of his career, and we will have to see whether the Lilywhites can beat the pulling power of PSG or Liverpool next summer. 

In other news: Many Spurs fans have been raving about one of their summer signings – find out more here.

Canada and Ireland will meet Zimbabwe A as part of their preparations for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, but any potential political embarrassment will be diluted as the games will take place in South Africa

Cricinfo staff18-Mar-2009Canada and Ireland will meet Zimbabwe A as part of their preparations for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, but any potential political embarrassment will be diluted as the games will take place in South Africa.Zimbabwe A will play Canada on Tuesday, March 24, and Ireland two days later at the Africa Cricket Association headquarters in Benoni.”We had no hesitation in accepting the invitation [from the ACA],” a Zimbabwe Cricket spokesman told Cricinfo. “Opportunities such as these are definitely what we are looking for to give our next best players the necessary exposure for them to be able to challenge those at the top, thus improving our standard of play.”

Speaking to Football Insider, a Tottenham Hotspur source has shared an unwanted update involving young winger Roshaun Mathurin after his ‘devastating’ injury blow.

The Lowdown: Mathurin tears ACL…

The Spurs teenager is one of many academy products turning heads at Hotspur Way, with the 17-year-old netting seven goals and registering two assists across 21 Under-18 Premier League starts last season (Transfermarkt).

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Mathurin’s performances even earned the player his first call-up to first team Tottenham training last season, with former manager Jose Mourinho seemingly taking full notice of his exploits.

However, the teenager suffered a major blow to his fitness, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the end of last month in a serious injury blow.

The Latest: Spurs source shares damning update…

Speaking to Football Insider, a Spurs source has now shared an update on Mathurin’s expected recovery time following surgery.

As explained, the Tottenham talent could now be out for at least nine months and possibly 12 after his ACL blow.

Mathurin is apparently regarded as highly-rated behind the scenes at Spurs and a player capable of breaking into the first team, but he will now begin an ‘extensive’ period of rehabilitation before he can play again.

The Verdict: Big shame…

ACL injuries are classed among the most serious in the modern game and Spurs will hope that one of their most highly-rated academy gems can recover as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

Mathurin’s world class display and hat-trick in a 6-1 victory over Chelsea under-18s last year highlights just how much potential there is in his locker. Hopefully he can put this significant setback behind him and make the leap into the first team in the future.

In other news: ‘Meetings with Tottenham’…Source close to ‘unstoppable’ player drops transfer reveal, find out more here.

Jadon Sancho’s arrival at Manchester United over the summer was one of the worst-kept secrets in football, and it was hoped that he would be the catalyst to bring the 20-time English champions back to their former glory.

However, his £73m move was soon overshadowed by the surprise return of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo to English shores, 12 years after he departed Old Trafford for Real Madrid.

It’s left Sancho as just another one of United’s many outstanding attacking options rather than the star attraction, but after his slow start to the campaign, perhaps that’s a blessing in disguise.

At Dortmund, the England international cultivated a reputation as one of the most exciting, promising young forward players in the European game after bagging 50 goals and providing 64 assists in 137 appearances.

He has found life slightly tougher in the Premier League so far, though. He has yet to make any goal contributions or create any big chances in his four outings, while also averaging just 0.8 key passes per game and successfully completing only 38% of his dribbles, as per SofaScore.

Rather than panic and condemn Sancho to the sidelines for an indiscriminate amount of time until the £175,000-per-week gem is deemed ready for the demands placed upon him at United, Solskjaer must keep faith with his new acquisition.

The English top-flight’s history is littered with world-class performers who took time to settle when arriving from a foreign league before going on to produce their best form, and Sancho’s previous exploits indicate that he’ll be no different.

“When I saw Jadon and Reiss (Nelson) I thought ‘these boys are mad,'” Sayce Holmes-Lewis, a former coach and teacher, explained to the Daily Mail (as relayed by Bundesliga.com). “Jadon was just making people look stupid. The nutmegs, the skills. Some were outrageous. And it was other academy players they were doing this against.”

The 21-year-old carried his quality from school level to Manchester City and from the Cityzens to Dortmund. Given time, he’ll surely do the same at United, and a trip to the Wankdorf Stadium this evening could be the ideal place to start.

Therefore, Solskjaer must select Sancho from the off once again against Young Boys, allowing him time to adapt to his new surroundings and build some momentum at the start of a gruelling campaign. The English winger could yet be a game-changer for the Red Devils if he replicates his numbers from Dortmund.

In other news… MUFC suffer potential blow in pursuit of “excellent” 22y/o machine, Ole will be gutted 

Sachin Tendulkar paved the way with a crucial unbeaten 59 and the Mumbai Indians’ spinners and the crafty Lasith Malinga combined to clinch a 20-run win over the Chennai Super Kings in Cape Town

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter18-Apr-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Sachin Tendulkar carried the Mumbai Indians with an unbeaten 59, and how crucial it proved•Getty ImagesIn the first match of the IPL in 2008, Brendon McCullum smashed an unbeaten 158 from just 73 balls to set up a crushing win for his side. A year later, as season two got underway across the Indian Ocean in different conditions and under grey skies, Sachin Tendulkar batted 20 overs for an unbeaten 59 from 49 balls. It was as valuable as McCullum’s blitzkrieg, if utterly different in execution and appeal, for it came on a track not entirely conducive to batting and laid the platform for Mumbai Indians’ victory.Stumbling and bumbling, Mumbai managed to put together a competitive total after the core of their vaunted batting struggled to cope with the uneven bounce at Newlands. There were few fireworks from the big bats and the team owed plenty to the vast experience of Tendulkar, who absorbed the pressure superbly. Where Chennai’s pacers were tidy in restricting runs during the middle stages of Mumbai’s innings, it was the spinners Harbhajan Singh and Sanath Jayasuriya who derailed Chennai. They varied their pace and reined in the big hitters before Lasith Malinga kept the tail under control.The pre-match drizzle in cloudy Cape Town influenced MS Dhoni’s decision to field on a damp pitch, and though Mumbai’s opening partnership yielded 39 in 5.4 overs, it wasn’t convincing. Jayasuriya slashed and swiped and survived a run-out before he mowed fellow Sri Lankan Thilan Thushara to midwicket for 26. The ball didn’t come on to the bat, as was evident in Tendulkar’s frequent grimaces and constant shuffling to manoeuvre the bowling. Tendulkar attempted and connected with a few risky shots over the infield and was dropped on 10 by Matthew Hayden at first slip, off a leading edge induced by Andrew Flintoff.Play was then held up for 12 minutes when a dog found its way onto the field. Failing to be enticed by whistles, calls, dives and even an inviting snack, the canine intruder got bored and finally trudged away. After the resumption Chennai’s bowlers made swift inroads.Shikhar Dhawan struggled for fluency and was undone by the slow bounce as he top-edged Manpreet Gony. Gony then held on to a sharp reflex catch to get JP Duminy with a clever bouncer in his next over and, taking the cue, Joginder Sharma dropped short and had Dwayne Bravo pulling to deep square leg. It was proof that the short-pitched ball can work well on such tracks. With Tendulkar keeping one end up, Abhishek Nayar walked out and played an invaluable cameo that provided a late push. Nayar larruped Flintoff for three sixes in a 22-run over in his 14-ball 35, while Tendulkar kept the innings alive by batting through the 20 overs. That 46-run partnership would prove decisive.Chennai’s chase was dented in the first over when Parthiv Patel steered Malinga to Tendulkar at slip. Suresh Raina caressed an impressive boundary in Zaheer Khan’s first over but fell in the next, pulling Bravo to deep square leg where Rohan Raje made a difficult chance look easy. Malinga was tight, and Tendulkar showed the value of taking pace off the ball as a run-checking tactic by bringing on spinners at both ends, as Chennai’s batsmen remained restless.And as long as there is limited-overs cricket there will linger the prospect of the spinners’ choking the opposition during the middle overs, especially when an Indian and a Sri Lankan are bowling. Today Harbhajan and Jayasuriya did that job. Flintoff didn’t last long against Harbhajan, going for a wild swipe and popping back an easy catch.Hayden – who bullied young medium-pacer Raje for three successive fours and drilled his old friend Harbhajan for a straight six – chased a wide one from Jayasuriya and picked out a diving Zaheer at cover. Jacob Oram then perished to an ugly slog against Jayasuriya, leaving Dhoni with plenty to do.Dhoni swung his bat freely but the rest perished with a whimper. Malinga gave away nothing and his crafty yorkers and reverse-swinging variations netted him excellent figures of 3 for 15 from four parsimonious overs.The crowd had filed in two hours ahead of the toss in gloomy conditions, and by the end of the first game of a double-header day they’d seen the weather clear and the ball go past the boundary several times. Mumbai celebrated the win animatedly in front of a healthy crowd – it wasn’t exactly a boisterous Wankhede cauldron, but the IPL thinktank has reason to smile after the tournament opener.

Crystal Palace could be set to add further reinforcements to their first team squad after they were linked with a move for Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.

What’s the story?

According to 90min, the 30-year-old is set to depart the Emirates Stadium once his current contract expires next summer, with neither the player nor the club keen to reach an agreement.

The report states: “90min understands that talks between the Gunners and the player’s representatives have taken place, but there has been no offer of a new contract. What’s more, neither club nor player appear keen to try and reach an agreement, leading to a parting of ways.”

It also claimed that Lacazette is not short of potential suitors, with clubs across the continent interested in securing his services.

He will be free to sign a pre-contract with an overseas club once he enters the final six months of his expiring deal in January with clubs in Spain, Germany and Italy reportedly monitoring the situation, but his former side Lyon and Premier League duo West Ham United and Palace are also named as possible destinations.

Imagine him and Odsonne Edouard

Lacazette rose through the ranks at boyhood club Lyon and established himself as one of the most exciting forwards in his homeland during his time in Ligue 1. He bagged a remarkable 129 goals and provided a further 43 assists in just 275 appearances for Les Gones, helping them win the French Cup along the way.

The Frenchman’s remarkable form earned him a £46.5m move to Arsenal back in July 2017, a club-record fee for the north London outfit at the time, but he has perhaps not had the impact that many might have been anticipating.

Despite scoring 67 goals and laying on a further 29 assists in 173 outings for the Gunners, Lacazette only has one FA Cup success to show for his efforts on English shores and has failed to fire the north Londoners back to the Champions League.

Nevertheless, his ability to put the ball in the net has rarely been in doubt, with Arsene Wenger previously lauding him for having that knack, saying: “Scoring goals is about being in the right place, and Lacazette has that quality.”

The prospect of him linking up with fellow countryman Odsonne Edouard at Selhurst Park is a mouth-watering possibility.

Edouard marked his Palace debut in style with two goals against Tottenham Hotspur, and the 23-year-old would surely benefit from his compatriot’s tutelage should Lacazette make the switch across London.

Therefore, Eagles chairman Steve Parish must sanction a move for the £25.2m-rated hitman, bringing a proven Premier League goalscorer into Patrick Vieira’s setup and adding the finishing touches to the club’s already impressive squad overhaul.

And, in other news…Sold for £10.8m, now worth £3.6m: Parish struck gold over Palace flop

The Deccan Chargers captain has said he would have picked team-mate Andrew Symonds in Australia’s Ashes squad

Cricinfo staff25-May-2009Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist has said he would have picked team-mate Andrew Symonds in Australia’s Ashes squad on the strength of his performance in the second IPL season. Symonds didn’t make the Ashes cut but played a huge role in Deccan winning the tournament.With Deccan clinching the title on Sunday following their six-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final in Johannesburg, Gilchrist had spoken of how Symonds played a key role in the team’s success. Symonds took the wickets of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli with successive balls to effectively end Bangalore’s chances.”He [Symonds] would be in my [Ashes] team,” Gilchrist said. “Ever since I’ve played with Andrew Symonds he’s been a real team man. You saw a glimpse of that last year when he only played four games – the respect he had from the Indian players and international players alike. He became an instant favourite in the squad. He’s a great personality and a wonderful talent on the cricket field who can turn matches.”Gilchrist also had words of praise for VVS Laxman, from whom he took over as captain after the team finished bottom of the league last season. “Although we made changes in the coaches and the captain, everyone in the squad bought into it, including VVS,” Gilchrist said. “He went through a lot emotionally. The captaincy was taken away from him and he only played five games, then the selectors decided we didn’t need him.”Laxman remained a good team man despite being dropped, Gilchrist said. “He continued to contribute around the group with his experience and his vast knowledge. He wants to learn to be a better Twenty20 player. That’s a wonderful example to young players to see a player at his age wanting to evolve into a better player.”Gilchrist said Laxman even worked with the team’s coaches to improve his Twenty20 skills. “It’s not just the young kids who are learning all the time, it applies to all of us. VVS epitomises what this franchise is all about.”Gilchrist attributed the team’s turnaround to several factors, including emphasising to the players to “make sure every ball is the most important thing in their life at that moment”. He said the team’s owners had also played a role by agreeing to his requests for some changes in personnel.”The main one was [coach] Darren Lehmann, who has a wonderful cricket brain.” Gilchrist also brought Australian fielding coach Mike Young and fitness trainer Steve Smith on board.

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to abstain from voting has left iton weak legal ground on the case of the ICC’s decision to move the World Cupmatches outside Pakistan, according to legal advice received by the ICC

Ajay S Shankar13-May-2009The Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to abstain from voting has left iton weak legal ground on the case of the ICC’s decision to move the World Cupmatches outside Pakistan, according to legal advice received by the ICC.Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, chose to stay away from voting during the ICCboard meeting that decided on the issue in Dubai on April 17.”The final vote during that meeting has been recorded as having been aunanimous one,” ICC sources told Cricinfo. “This should work strongly in the ICC’s favour. If the PCB had any objection at that point of time, they should have voted against the move instead of abstaining. Legally, as it is, they have a weak case.”Pakistan was stripped of hosting rights because of the “uncertain securitysituation” in the country, and David Morgan, the ICC president, called it a”regrettable decision” but one that was taken to “deliver a safe, secure andsuccessful event.”The PCB announced that it had issued a legal notice to the ICC on the World Cup issue on May 9, three weeks after the ICC arrived at its decision. The PCB called the ICC board’s decision discriminatory and legally flawed and subsequently wrote to the world body asking for the case to be referred to the independent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) “in the interests of fair play”.The ICC, in contrast, has largely remained silent on the issue till HaroonLorgat, its chief executive, told reporters at Lord’s this week that they woulddeal with the situation. “On the PCB issue, I believe it’s better for me to say lesson it,” Lorgat said. “It is the subject of a dispute and we’ll have to deal with it.”The ICC official also dismissed suggestions that the 14 World Cup matches that were to be held in Pakistan could have been staged in neutral venues like Dubai and AbuDhabi to avoid a confrontation of this nature. “It was an absurd concept especiallyafter it has been decided by the ICC that the subcontinent will stage the World Cupalternatively,” the official said.

Leeds Live’s Beren Cross has delivered his verdict on Leeds United’s summer signing Junior Firpo amid a mixed start to life at Elland Road.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side signed the flying left-back from Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer, and he’s been thrust straight into the action in the Premier League, playing five out of the first six games and completing the full 90 minutes in the past three.

The Whites have struggled as a team however, lying in the bottom three heading into this weekend’s fixture against Watford at home, and Cross has now delivered his take on Firpo’s first few weeks at the club.

He said: “On the face of it, picking up a Barcelona left-back for less than £15m looked good value and it’s too early to say it won’t prove to be good value. We are six league matches into Firpo’s Leeds career. It’s unfair to to say he’s not going to work out for United.

“The raw materials are there. It’s down to him and Bielsa to unlock that potential. Alioski was a separate matter. The club wanted to keep him, made him an offer, but the bottom line is he was offered a lot more money elsewhere and he has a family to think about long after retirement.”

Takes time to adapt

While Firpo may not have been a regular starter at the Camp Nou last season – he played just 18 times in all competitions – he is the kind of attacking left-back who seems to be a perfect fit for Bielsa’s Leeds.

In his real breakthrough season with Real Betis during the 2018/2019 campaign, Firpo managed three goals and four assists in La Liga, as well as averaging 0.8 shots, 0.8 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game.

The fact he’s had a difficult start to life at Leeds, at a time where the team as a whole has been struggling it should be said, should not disguise the fact that he will take some time to settle in.

Perhaps more than any club in the Premier League, adjusting to things at Elland Road with Bielsa’s notoriously intense tactics and famed pressing is arguably the most difficult.

Leeds fans simply have to be patient with someone like Firpo, but his attacking instincts should see him really shine eventually when he finds his feet in English football.

Meanwhile, Leeds could find their next Pablo Hernandez in this star…