All posts by h716a5.icu

Jeet Raval, Colin Munro and Tim Seifert offered the only resistance for New Zealand A in the pink-ball day game

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2017Shardul Thakur bundled out the top order•AFPColin Munro and Tim Seifert’s middle-order resistance propelled New Zealand A to 211, despite the clusters of wickets that fell in their innings on the first day of the second unofficial Test in Vijayawada. The match is being played with a pink ball and is a day game. Shardul Thakur bundled out the top order, while spinners Karn Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem, who bowled India A to victory in the first unofficial Test, ensured New Zealand A went from 127 for 4 to 211.Munro made 65 off 82 balls, while Seifert’s 44 not out hauled New Zealand past 200 after they had slid to 161 for 8. Before their efforts, opener Jeet Raval had given his side a push with 48, in a bid to overcome the poor start. Opening batsman George Worker and captain Henry Nicholls were dismissed by Thakur within three balls in the seventh over and by the 16th over, New Zealand A were reeling at 34 for 3.India A, who began playing close to stumps, lost opener R Samarth for a duck to pace bowler Seth Rance off the fourth ball of their innings. Shreyas Iyer, the centurion in the first game, and Priyank Panchal, were unbeaten at close of play and will resume from scores of 18 and 14 respectively on the second day.

Chelsea have tabled a "formal bid" in the hope of signing Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Robert Sanchez this summer, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Is Robert Sanchez leaving Brighton?

The Spain international is an academy graduate of the south coast side having carried out two loan spells at Forest Green and Rochdale only to return to get promoted to their first-team back in 2020, and during his three years in the senior fold, he’s gone on to become a regular feature.

In the Premier League last season, Roberto De Zerbi’s shot-stopper started 23 games having spent the final five top-flight matches on the sidelines through injury, and having established himself as the club’s official number one between the sticks, Todd Boehly has had his eye on him for quite some time at Stamford Bridge.

Read The Latest Chelsea Transfer News HERE…

Speaking to GiveMeSport in January, Simon Phillips, who is a reporter for the Blues, revealed that the 25-year-old was a keeper that was “high up on the list” of targets in the capital and it’s believed that chiefs were “taking a closer look” at him alongside Brentford’s David Raya, but obviously a deal failed to come to fruition at the time.

However, if the following update is to be believed, The Amex outfit are now looking to sanction a permanent exit for their first-choice which could give Mauricio Pochettino the perfect opportunity to take a second bite at the cherry and secure the club’s long-term focus, even though he still has two years remaining on his contract.

Are Chelsea signing Robert Sanchez?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Chelsea have made an opening offer for Sanchez and are in discussions with Brighton regarding a summer deal, whilst also delivering an update on their pursuit of his defensive midfield teammate Moises Caicedo. He wrote:

"Chelsea have sent formal bid for Robert Sanchez to Brighton. Negotiations are ongoing — told Sanchez has already accepted Chelsea as destination. #BHAFC Brighton hope for Sanchez to leave this summer. Chelsea and Brighton remain in talks also for Moises Caicedo."

How many clean sheets has Robert Sanchez kept?

In the 2022/23 Premier League season, Sanchez kept six clean sheets from 23 top-flight games which is a decent return having shared the gloves with Brighton’s number two Jason Steele, and Chelsea are clearly serious about signing him to make an official approach, so should they be successful in their attempt, it would be a huge boost for Pochettino.

The Seagulls’ 6 foot 6 “monster”, as dubbed by former manager Graham Potter, made 47 saves from 71 shots on target against during the previous campaign, giving him a success rate of 64.8%, via FBRef, which was higher than Edouard Mendy’s 64.1%, showing he’d be an upgrade on the goalkeeper who recently joined Al-Ahli.

Sanchez, who pockets £25k-per-week, won’t assume that he’d become number one straight away if he was to put pen to paper, but there’s no doubt that he’d be the perfect candidate to challenge Kepa for his spot heading into the start of the new campaign.

Everton will need to continue to strengthen this summer after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League last term, and Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho has been earmarked to bolster the attacking ranks.

What's the latest on Everton's move for Kelechi Iheanacho?

That's according to former editor-turned-scout Ignazio Genuardi, the Toffees are "active" on the case of the Nigerian striker after missing out on Almeria's El Bilal Toure, who is closing on a move to Atalanta.

Sean Dyche has already wrapped up moves for Ashley Young on a free transfer and Arnaut Danjuma on loan, and Iheanacho, who boasts a wealth of Premier League experience, could be another shrewd investment given his availability for just £10-15m following the Foxes' relegation.

Leeds United dynamo Wilfried Gnonto is also attracting attention, but the Whites have seemingly "closed the door" on his departure as they look to keep their most coveted attacking prospect tethered to Elland Road after relegation to the Championship.

Could Everton sign Kelechi Iheanacho?

Immediately, Iheanacho would offer something different for the Merseyside outfit in attack after a season that yielded fewer goals in the top-flight than all but Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the 26-year-old having scored eight goals and supplied five assists from just 13 starting appearances across all competitions.

Primarily a centre-forward, Iheanacho also finds success on the right wing, utilising his natural inclination to strike with his left foot to swerve in-field and bypass the opposing net, while also maintaining a creative flair that will no doubt have left Dyche eager to further negotiations.

Indeed, as per FBref, the £90k-per-week ace ranks among the top 2% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive carries and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90, which illustrates his dynamism and aptitude as a driving force, which strengthens the argument that he could find success marauding up the Goodison Park right flank.

While some may view him as an alternative to talisman Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been decimated by injury issues over the past two seasons and missed 30 matches, Iheancho's arrival could actually be the genesis of a slick new strike partnership.

Calvert-Lewin, also aged 26, is an imposing 6 foot 2 menace who ranks among the top 8% of positional peers for aerials won per 90, and his most fruitful fortunes are found through his expertise in serving as a focal point in the attacking box and a conduit through which his squad's flow can be channelled.

Deploying Iheanacho's versatility beside him could prove to be the formula for success under Dyche's leadership, creating a dynamic balance to avoid the team stagnating.

Once praised as a "special talent" by pundit David Cottee, the 45-cap Nigerian could pay dividends for the Blues with his electric pace, direct and variegated approach when it comes to his attacking intent, and Premier League experience with both Leicester and Manchester City, having chalked up 70 direct contributions from 196 total appearances in the English top-flight.

And with Calvert-Lewin hoping to get back to his best to spearhead a desired resurgence, Iheanacho would be the perfect choice to ensure that the misfortune that has stained Goodison Park across recent years is irrevocably expunged.

Michael Hogan’s 5 for 17 ended on the losing side when the DLS went in Gloucestershire’s favour

ECB Reporters Network03-Aug-2017Jacques Rudolph’s dismissal turned the DLS score from a tie to a Gloucestershire victory•Getty ImagesGloucestershire beat Glamorgan by five runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, despite career-best figures of 5-17 for Michael Hogan, with Jacques Rudolph’s dismissal off what became the final ball proving a match-winning moment.Only five overs of the run chase were possible as the rain came when Glamorgan were 32 for 2, chasing 151 to win, after Thisara Perera bowled Rudolph moments before the players left the field. Had that wicket not fallen, the scores would have been tied on DLS.The match was due to resume at 9.15pm with a revised target of 114, meaning Glamorgan would have required 82 from nine overs, but further heavy rain arrived to bring an end.Having won the toss and put Gloucestershire in to bat, Glamorgan’s bowlers struggled to find their line early on and at the end of the Powerplay Gloucestershire were solidly placed on 45 without loss.However, a bowling change paid off as Craig Meschede, with his first delivery, had Klinger caught by Andrew Salter attempting a pull shot.Phil Mustard brought up his fifty with an on-driven six off Salter in the 12th over, and Ian Cockbain added a six of his own in the same over as the visitors reached 97 for 1.Meschede made a second breakthrough when Ian Cockbain skied to Michael Hogan at mid-off for 22 and he ended with 2 for 28.Colin Ingram was brought into the attack and claimed the scalp of Mustard for 57 when he picked out deep midwicket.Kieran Noema-Barnett took Ingram for two boundaries and Jack Taylor was given a life when he was dropped on the midwicket rope by Aneurin Donald.However, Donald did take the chance offered by Noema-Barnett which began Hogan’s late burst. Hogan took another two wickets in the over, bowling Taylor for 10 before Thisara Perera was removed by an impressive catch from David Miller.Hogan added a fourth when he bowled George Hankins and, after the run out of Matt Taylor, he removed Benny Howell off the final ball of the innings.

The CoA has asked the Supreme Court to take note of the “disruptive and subversive conduct” of disqualified office bearers who were preventing the implementation the Lodha recommendations

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jul-20175:55

Ugra: Old BCCI challenging Supreme Court

The Committee of Administrators has turned up the heat on the BCCI’s old guard, asking the Supreme Court to take note of the “disruptive and subversive conduct” of disqualified office bearers who were preventing the board from implementing the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.In its fourth status report which the court will consider on July 14, the COA, which was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, named former BCCI office bearers N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah as being particularly problematic to the process.Srinivasan and Shah had become ineligible to continue in their roles as heads of the Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra Cricket Associations, and to attend BCCI meetings, after the court approved the Lodha report on July 18, 2016. They were disqualified because they were over the prescribed 70-year age cap and had exceeded the maximum tenure for office bearers.Yet both Srinivasan and Shah have found ways to stay involved in administration and attend important BCCI meetings, including the most recent special general meetings (SGM) of the board on May 7 and June 26. Those two SGMs had been convened for the BCCI’s members – the state associations – to approve the new constitution, as per the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.The CoA said the SGM on June 26 was “manifestly disruptive”. In its report, the CoA told the court that it had managed to convince the majority of the state associations to adopt the recommendations but the SGM was “hijacked” by the disqualified former office bearers.”From an audio recording of the SGM, it appears that such disqualified persons were able to effectively hijack proceedings at the SGM by prevailing upon other attendees (who may have been otherwise willing to facilitate the reform process) to either support the cause of such disqualified person or remain silent,” the COA said.Srinivasan and Shah, and other disqualified administrators, had attended the meetings as a representative or nominee of their state association. In their defence, the TNCA and SCA said the Lodha Committee’s eligibility norms were for office bearers and not representatives. The CoA countered in its report that the “true intention” of the court’s order had been violated on a technicality.”In this manner, such disqualified persons are effectively able to do indirectly what they have been prohibited by this Hon’ble Court from doing directly,” the CoA said. “Such disqualified persons have a vested interest in stalling implementation of the Judgement because, if the Judgment is implemented, such disqualified person will have to relinquish control over their respective State/Member Associations.”The COA also noted that though the three existing BCCI office bearers – CK Khanna (acting president), Amitabh Choudhary (secretary), and Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) – had given written consent to the Supreme Court, only Choudhary urged the members to take “concrete steps” to implement the reforms at the SGM on June 26. Chaudhry, the COA said, was a “mute spectator, lacking the courage and conviction” to support the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.The BCCI’s recent decision to form a special committee to shortlist “critical points” from the Lodha recommendations that it wanted the Supreme Court to reconsider, was also criticised by the CoA. Such a committee, the COA said in its report, was formed almost a year after the order was delivered last year, clearly indicative of the resistance to the reforms. The COA requested the court to “remove the impediments to implementation” of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.

The focus of Liverpool's recruitment during the summer transfer window has been the midfield department so far as they have brought in two new recruits to bolster the squad.

Jurgen Klopp has swooped to sign Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai from Brighton & Hove Albion and RB Leipzig respectively, following Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, and James Milner's respective departures at the end of last season.

However, the Reds could yet look to strengthen their options in defence as they have been touted with a move for a new centre-back to compete with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip.

Liverpool were named as one of a number of teams interested in signing Bayern Munich central defender Benjamin Pavard last month, alongside top-flight rivals Manchester City and Chelsea.

How good is Benjamin Pavard?

The 27-year-old warrior, who can also be deployed as a right-back, has the quality to be a phenomenal player for Klopp if he is able to translate his form from the Bundesliga over to the Premier League.

Pavard could be the dream partner for Ibrahima Konate moving forward, given that he is five years younger than 32-year-old Virgil van Dijk, due to his ability, experience as a winner, and their pre-existing relationship.

They are both French internationals and started four matches alongside each other in defence for their country last season, which resulted in four wins and one draw – with only two goals conceded.

This suggests that Pavard, who would arrive as a proven winner with four Bundesliga titles, a Champions League, and a World Cup winner's medal, could hit the ground running next to Konate as they are already familiar with each other and there would not be a language barrier between them.

The Bayern star could also be an outstanding defensive performer for Liverpool due to his performances last term. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.36 across 30 league matches for the Bavarian side, which would have placed him top of the Reds' squad – above Trent Alexander-Arnold's club-leading score of 7.32 in the Premier League.

Pavard also made 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game for the German giants – more than any of Klopp's central defenders managed – as he showcased his ability to win possession back for his team on a regular basis to prevent his goalkeeper from being tested.

The French brute, who was once hailed as "underrated" by current boss Thomas Tuchel, is also an exceptional passer of the ball who could complement Konate's lack of progressive play.

Over the last 365 days, the Bayern titan ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions for progressive passes and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90 – as per FBref.

This essentially means that the talented stopper is able to consistently find teammates in advanced positions whilst also being able to dribble further up the pitch to gain ground on the opposition.

On the other hand, the former RB Leipzig colossus places below the average in both statistics, which suggests that the 24-year-old ace does not excel on the ball.

This is another reason why the £83k-per-week Liverpool target could be the dream partner for Konate as his magnificent ability to progress his team up the pitch to start attacks could make up for his compatriot's lack of quality in that department.

The hosts have the weight of expectation on them, but also a batting line-up that has been in sensational form

The Preview by Shashank Kishore17-Jul-2017Match facts Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Start time 1030 local (0930 GMT)1:20

Can South Africa’s attack lead the underdogs to the final?

Big pictureFour years ago, the possibility of England playing South Africa in a semi-final would’ve been scoffed at. But South Africa are here, and that is thanks to their consistent bowling performances and the format itself – seven straight games for each team to leave an imprint.Dane van Niekerk and her team-mates have played a brand of cricket that has been reminiscent of West Indies in 2013, injecting fresh flavour into the tournament, celebrating every win with gusto. South Africa took the qualifier route to get here and the benefit of having a settled team – they’ve been playing together since February – has been apparent. By the time they landed in England, every player knew exactly what was expected of her.England, meanwhile, are in a cocoon outside of training sessions and media commitments. They have even made efforts to log off social media distractions. Heather Knight and her team have the weight of expectation on them, because they are favourites, a well-earned tag after their six clinical and successive victories since losing the opening game to India.The batsmen have been especially dominant. Concerns over Sarah Taylor’s form, after she took much of 2016 out to deal with anxiety issues, were emphatically brushed aside when these two teams had met in the group stages. The England wicketkeeper struck a regal 147 off 104 balls with no less than 24 fours. Natalie Sciver, amid scoring tons of runs, has also introduced the ‘Natmeg’ – a flick between the legs to yorker-length deliveries. And opener Tammy Beaumont is the tournament’s leading run-getter with 372 of them.But if there’s one attack that’s capable of stopping England’s juggernaut, it’s South Africa’s. In Marizanne Kapp and van Niekerk, they have two bowlers who have combined to take 27 wickets, much more than the cream of England’s attack. On form, this is, therefore, a clash of equals, although the pressure of being hosts could weigh on England’s mind.Form guideEngland WWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
South AfricaLWWLWIn the spotlightAt her menacing best, Anya Shrubsole can be a threat on any surface. In this tournament, however, wickets have been a struggle for England’s vice-captain. Five in seven games is a reflection of how batsmen have taken note of her threat and negated it by looking to play her out. She will, however, have fond memories of the last semi-final against South Africa, at the World T20 in 2014, when she took 2 for 12 in an incisive opening burst to seal the game.Her contributions haven’t attracted the same attention, but it’s a direct acknowledgement of how tidy Trisha Chetty has been behind the stumps. Against Sri Lanka last week, she rose to the top of the list for most dismissals (134) by a wicketkeeper in Women’s ODIs. With 97 ODIs under her belt, she’d want to get as close to that milestone of 100 right here at the Women’s World Cup.Team newsLauren Winfield’s form at the top is a concern, but, barring injuries, England are unlikely to make too many changes for a knockout game. England: (possible) 1 Lauren Winfield, 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Sarah Taylor (wk), 4 Heather Knight (capt), 5 Natalie Sciver, 6 Fran Wilson, 7 Katherine Brunt, 8 Jenny Gunn, 9 Laura Marsh, 10 Anya Shrubsole, 11 Alex HartleySouth Africa are likely to bring back Chloe Tryon, a big-hitter who can also bowl seam up. Her services were missed in the loss to Australia. As such medium-pacer Masabata Klaas could find herself out. South Africa: (possible) 1 Laura Wolvaardt, 2 Lizelle Lee, 3 Trisha Chetty (wk), 4 Mignon du Preez, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Sune Luus, 7 Dane van Niekerk (capt), 8 Chloe Tryon, 9 Shabnim Ismail, 10 Ayabonga Khaka, 11 Moseline DanielsPitch and conditionsThe league game between these two sides in Bristol produced 678 runs. This is a televised game, a semi-final at that, and the ICC, over the years, have focused on making such games more marketable. So expect a good bating surface.Stats and trivia Four England players have scored 250 runs or more in this tournament. It is the most among all teams – Beaumont (372), Heather Knight (333), Sciver (315), Taylor (297). South Africa’s only semi-final appearance came 17 years ago. They lost to Australia by nine wickets then England have won 26 out of the 34 meetings between the two sides.Quotes”I came into the World Cup thinking I had the best opening attack in the world, at the moment I am starting to believe I have the best bowling attack.”
“We prepared a little bit differently, there was a different vibe around the group. A few people did things they wouldn’t usually do on cricket, field, but that’s international cricket. And I think we have learnt a lot from that. We’ve done a lot of work on how we deal with that pressure, we’ve made it normal to feel pressure. And that kind of open honesty helps ”

Liverpool are "actively working" on bringing Romeo Lavia to Anfield despite there being "nothing advanced" between the Reds and Southampton at present, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Is Lavia joining Liverpool?

Jurgen Klopp has barely had a moment to catch his breath this summer. Alongside sporting director and compatriot Jorg Schmadtke, the Reds boss has been busy in the transfer window already and his hectic schedule shows no signs of slowing down as the beginning of the season edges closer.

Liverpool have already signed Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai having lost Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Roberto Firmino on free transfers.

The Reds have also been busy finalising loan deals for a number of the club's young prospects including Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg and Calvin Ramsay.

But Klopp has already made it clear that he is far from done in the market as his squad still looks some way from being able to rediscover the blistering form exhibited in previous seasons.

With Jordan Henderson having all but left for Al Ettifaq and Fabinho potentially on his way to Saudi Arabia too, Klopp will need to bolster his midfield even further in the transfer window.

Therefore, Liverpool's interest in Romeo Lavia could materialise into a transfer this summer, with the 19-year-old Southampton midfielder destined for a return to the Premier League off the back of a wonderful season on the south coast.

According to transfer expert Romano, Liverpool are still working on a deal to bring the Belgian to Anfield but there are is nothing concrete in place between the Reds and Southampton.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: "Mentioning Liverpool, let me say again that nothing is advanced in terms of bids and club to club negotiation, but Liverpool keep working on Romeo Lavia deal.

"Liverpool are keeping contacts with his agent, are still discussing to understand the final price tag. Southampton always wanted around £50m but Liverpool are still hoping for a different fee at the end of the story. So, Liverpool are still there for Romeo Lavia. He's not the only target but for sure he's a target and is a concrete one."

He added: "Liverpool actively working on that on player side. Let's see what happens on that one."

Links with Lavia had gone somewhat quiet in recent days but this will come as positive news to Liverpool fans hopeful of securing the teenager's signature this summer.

Lavia would be an obvious replacement for Fabinho should he leave the club and at 19-years-old could be a starter for the Reds for years and years to come, but Klopp may have to fend off interest from Chelsea and Arsenal to land his target.

How good is Lavia?

Lavia made 29 Premier League appearances for Southampton last season following his arrival from Manchester City and continually shone in an often pitiful Saints side.

A defensive midfielder with a great reading of the game, Lavia averaged 2.43 tackles, 1.9 blocks and 1.34 interceptions per 90 minutes in the league last season, despite often being left woefully exposed by those around him.

At times he was required to be one-man midfield and performed admirably in such a role, especially given it was his debut season in the Premier League, and the one-cap international averaged a 6.8 Sofascore rating last campaign.

At 19-years-old he may not be ready to start 40+ games for Liverpool next season, which is one dilemma Klopp faces if he brings the inexperienced prodigy to Merseyside, but his potential makes him a tantalising prospect at a relatively low price point.

At this stage of the year, there seems to be more interest in transfers than there is in actual football. Indeed, it seems some fans would rather ‘win the transfer market’ than actually win a genuine bit of silverware.With that being the case, one of the undisputed kings of the summer window is Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano who has built up a reputation for breaking many of the best transfer stories over the last few seasons. In an interesting twist on things, however, instead of focusing on his transfer reporting as usual, supporters have been able to actually critique his footballing ability thanks to some recent footage that was shared online.

Can Fabrizio Romano play football?

Twitter user JD Football posted a short clip on social media of the transfer guru playing a game of football in the dead of night after a hard day’s work.

The video included a caption saying: “Football game after transfer news day at 2am… Here we go!”

In the clip, Romano showed that he wasn’t too bad with the ball at his feet either. Indeed, in one instance, he rolls the ball past his defender before curling in a fine shot with the outside of his foot to score. While in another brief highlight, he controls the ball superbly before flicking it in on the bounce to score again.

Romano saw the video shared online and took to Twitter to simply reply with the eyes emoji.

Fans had some fun with the footage too, sharing their own reactions to the surprising highlights package of the Italian journalist.

Which team does Fabrizio Romano support?

It might be a bit of a surprise to see that Romano is actually any good at football. After all, he once told Bleacher Report that he prefers transfers to actual games of football.

Indeed, he explained: “I feel excited when I get a big story. For me, it’s like scoring an important goal in a big match. I remember when Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United; that was a good one for me. When you put in so much on one story, and I get the news it has finally happened, I feel excited.

“People ask me which team I support, but it is not about that. I am excited because of the way the signing will make people feel.”

He added: “I prefer the transfer window to the actual football matches! Of course I love games, but there is an excitement about working on the market and how things can change so quickly.”

According to SportsKeeda, Romano is a fan of Championship outfit Watford and has been since 2013 after witnessing their remarkable comeback against Leicester City in the Championship playoffs – you remember, the one where Manuel Almunia saved the penalty and then Troy Deeney immediately scored on the counter.

Supposedly from that moment on, the Hornets – who have an Italian connection as they are owned by the Pozzo family who also own Udinese – became the club for Romano and he even chooses them when playing FIFA career mode and Football Manager.

Their bowling remains as strong and varied as ever, but their batsmen have been struggling to cope with the demands of modern-day limited-overs cricket

Umar Farooq30-May-20171:20

Babar Azam – The new face of Pakistan’s batting

Overview

Pakistan cricket has always been associated with great symbols – their unpredictability, and boldness to unleash young surprise packages to name a couple. Now, however, those associations seem more diluted. There are more challenges than ever before with the team fluctuating around the bottom three spots in the ICC ODI rankings. They were on the verge of losing a berth in the Champions Trophy and barely managed to qualify.Squad

Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz

Pakistan have won all the major titles – World Cup, World T20, Asia Cup – but the Champions Trophy crown has eluded them. The closest they came was in 2009 when a crucial catch dropped by Younis Khan halted their progress into the final. Pakistan’s record in the 2013 edition was rather modest – knocked out losing all three games, and losing to India meant they lost their unbeaten record in the tournament against India.Pakistan are slotted in the same group as arch-rivals India, Sri Lanka and South Africa, the only Full Member they beat in the 2015 World Cup. They have already had to do away with one captain [Azhar Ali] and they go into the Champions Trophy ranked No. 8 but the next couple of weeks present them a rare opportunity. The young players coming into the squad – legspinner Shadab Khan, fast bowler Hasan Ali – and even Sarfraz Ahmed, the newly appointed captain will, once and for all, know if they can cut it with the best in the world.

Champions Trophy history

1998 – first-round exit
2000 – semi-final lost
2002- first-round exit
2004 – semi-final lost
2006 – first-round exit
2009 – semi-final lost
2013 – first-round exit

Form guide

Pakistan beat WestIndies 2-1 in their most recent ODI series, a tournament that was played with the added pressure of getting a rankings boost ahead of the September 30 deadline for direct qualification into the 2019 World Cup. Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam made match-winning hundreds and Mohammad Hafeez was the highest run-getter in the series with 201 runs at an average of 67.

Strength

“The return of my swing will make a huge difference in conditions like England,” Mohammad Amir said. Amir will lead the bowling attack, which remains the team’s biggest strength. The 18-year old legspinner Shadab had a fantastic introduction to T20Is, picking up 10 wickets in four games, and has been backed to replicate that performance in 50-overs as well. Pakistan will also look for impactful performances from Junaid Khan, who made his ODI comeback against Australia earlier this year, and Wahab Riaz, with his sheer pace.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Weakness

Pakistan’s limited-overs batting has been strewn with unbelievable collapses. To add to that, concerns regarding the strike-rates of their batsmen have also risen and cost them games recently. The team appears to be struggling to adapt to the pace of one-day cricket, where power-hitting has become a major aspect. In the period between 2012 and 2015, Pakistan’s scoring rate in the first 10 overs hovered close to the 4.5 runs per over mark, only gradually improving over the last two seasons and climbing to over 5. Their scoring rate in the last 10 overs has also shown similar improvement after a period of prolonged struggle. They have already lost their best power-hitter, Sharjeel Khan, in the wake of the PSL corruption case, while Umar Akmal was removed from the squad after failing a fitness test. With the batting unit lacking in firepower, their bowlers will be under a significant amount of pressure.

Key stats

Malik is set to feature in his sixth Champions Trophy tournament, the most among current players. He made his tournament debut in 2002, and since then has played all editions of the tournament. He has scored 326 runs and taken 10 wickets in 15 Champions Trophy games. The last time a Pakistan batsman scored a century in the Champions Trophy was in 2009 when Malik made 128 against India in Centurion. Saeed Anwar, who struck two of them in Nairobi in 2000, is the only other batsman from Pakistan to have scored a century in the tournament. Among the current Pakistan bowlers, Junaid Khan has dismissed Virat Kohli the most in ODIs – three times, all during the 2012-13 series.