India and Pakistan are likely to play a five-match ODI series in Europe in 2007, according to David Collier, the England Cricket Board (ECB) chief. England could host two matches with the remaining to be staged at other venues in Europe.”We’ve had some discussions. It’s more likely it will be considered in 2007,” Collier told BBC Sport. “We’ve got a number of broadcasting issues we need to look at but clearly an India-Pakistan one-day series has some great attractions.”Lalit Modi, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that Lord’s had agreed to host one of the matches, pending an approval from the ECB.The latest development is the result of the Indian and Pakistan boards agreeing to stage more matches between the two teams in neutral venues, especially in countries which have a large number of Asian migrants, both as a way to entertain the expatriate population as well as to maximise revenues. The two sides are scheduled to play two official ODIs at Abu Dhabi on April 18 and 19, and the funds from the first match will go towards the earthquake relief fund. In 2004, the BCCI helped organise a tri-series between India, Pakistan and Australia in Holland, prior to the ICC Champions Trophy.Collier also announced that the ECB would be bidding to host the proposed Twenty20 World Championship in 2009 and 2013, as well as the 2015 World Cup.”England has got the experience of Twenty20 finals day, where we have got three matches in a day. I think the ICC are looking to us for our experience in that type of format and it would be wonderful if we get a major global cricket event in the UK,” he said.
Western Province Boland 431 for 7 dec and 27 for 0 drew with Titans 280 and 450 for 6 dec (JA Morkel 204*, Kemp 130, Bodi 55*) ScorecardFor three days, Western Province Boland looked set to top the SuperSport Series table and waltz into a home final as they outplayed the Titans at Boland Park in Paarl. And then, enter the giants. The dictionary defines a Titan as “a person of great size” and two of them strode out to the middle to start the final day.Albie Morkel and Justin Kemp put together a 264-run fourth-wicket partnership in the Titans follow-on innings with the ball flashing away to all parts of the ground. Between them they struck 41 boundaries and three sixes as they took the attack back to WPBOL. Kemp was first to go on 130 after nearly five hours at the crease, caught behind off Dawson as the new ball made the breakthrough. Their partnership meant that the WPBOL season ended in disappointment and opened the back door for theDolphins to slip through to the final.Morkel continued towards his first double-hundred as a few wickets fell around him. Showing both patience and at times brute aggression he brought the milestone up off 315 balls having hit 22 fours and two massive sixes.Goolam Bodi decided to join in on the act and helped himself to a half-century as the WPBOL shoulders slumped, before a token declaration from the Titans at 450 for 6.A target of 300 in 14 overs was a touch optimistic, and the game petered out to a draw with WPBOL ending on 27 for 0.Dolphins 362 for 7 dec and 103 for 4 (Khan 40) beat Warriors 211 and 251 by six wickets ScorecardThe Dolphins needed only six overs to score the 21 runs needed to complete a six-wicket win over the Warriors at Kingsmead in Durban on the fourth and final day. The win also allowed them to slip into the SuperSport final to be played at Goodyear Park against the Eagles in a week’s time.Lying in third spot before this round of matches, the Dolphins needed to win and also needed Western Province Boland or the Eagles to fail. The Eagles did not but WPBOL obliged as they drew with the Titans, allowing the Dolphins to go through.Eagles 418 for 9 dec and 74 for 0 (Jacobs 48*) beat Lions 190 and 299 (Ontong 58, van Jaarsveld 58, McKenzie 55, McLaren 5-87, Tshabalala 3-120) by 10 wickets ScorecardThe Eagles progressed to their third consecutive final by beating the Lions by ten wickets at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom. As holders of the PRO20 and Standard Bank crowns, the Eagles are in line for the triple when they face the Dolphins in Bloemfontein this weekend.The Lions started the day still six runs behind with three wickets in hand. Werner Coetsee and David Terbrugge made sure that the Eagles would have to bat again as they put on 34 runs, with Terbrugge making 25. Coetsee followed after scoring a valuable 34 with the Man-of-the-Match, Ryan McLaren cleaning up the tail to end with 5 for 87 as the Lions were bowled out for 299, a lead of 71.The Eagles’ opening pair of Davey Jacobs and Jonathan Beukes finished the game off in 15.5 overs, just three overs after the lunch break on the final day. Jacobs finished on 48, Beukes on 25 and the Eagles on 74 for 0.
Nottinghamshire ended weeks of speculation by confirming that they have signed Ryan Sidebottom on a three-year contract.Sidebottom, 25, left Yorkshire at the end of the summer after failing to secure a permanent place in the side. "I was bowling as well as I ever have done, was high in the national averages but was still not playing regularly in the first team," he explained. “Competition is fierce among the seamers at Headingley but I am very ambitious and want to get back into the England set-up.”The only way to do that is to take wickets week in week out and hopefully I’ll get the chance to do that at Nottinghamshire," he continued. “It’s a move to another Test ground where there’s a good squad combining talented youngsters with some quality experienced players and I’m really looking forward to getting started.””At Yorkshire, Ryan was competing in a seam attack where everyone is an international but he offered variety as a left-armer so I was very surprised when they agreed to release him," explained Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket. “We were in the market for a seamer and once I knew there was an opportunity to sign someone of his quality I had to target him as a top priority. He’s an outstanding bowler with an excellent record and the right attitude and I’m delighted he has chosen to come and join us at Notts.”Sidebottom is Nottinghmashire’s fourth new signing since the end of the season, joining Mark Ealham, Anurag Singh and David Alleyne at Trent Bridge.
It is unfair to expect any player to score a hundred every time he walks out to bat. Try explaining that, however, to the average cricket fan. You will find that logic exits speedily out of the window when it comes to Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, in particular. Making an unbeaten 137 (275 balls, 18×4), Tendulkar entertained the swelling weekend crowd at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium and took India to 437/5 at stumps on the third day. Zimbabwe, for their part, found themselves yet again at the receiving end of a Tendulkar special.Minutes before tea, Tendulkar turned a full delivery from Travis Friend to square leg, scurried two, and reached his 28th Test hundred, going past Steve Waugh and Allan Border in number of Test tons scored. The little man from Mumbai is now just one century away from Sir Don Bradman and six away fromthe all-time leader Sunil Gavaskar. In the course of this innings, Tendulkar also passed the milestone of 7500 Test runs.So Tendulkar made a ton against Zimbabwe on a belter of a batting track at Nagpur – not too surprising. Perhaps less expected was the manner in which Sourav Ganguly batted. The Indian captain, who has been out of sorts for many Tests now, looked perfectly comfortable at the wicket. But just when it looked like he would emerge unscathed with a big score, he threw his wicket away. Let us face it – Ganguly has a certain contempt for left-arm spinners, and he simply cannot resist the urge to walk down the wicket and thrash them out of the park. It looks spectacular when it comes off, very silly when it does not.After knocking the ball around sensibly for 38 (99 balls, 7×4), Ganguly sauntered down the track and deposited a Ray Price delivery straight down the throat of Grant Flower at long on. With 344 on the board, VVS Laxman then walked out to the middle. And, from his performance today, one would have to conclude that VVS Laxman is fast becoming one of those enigmas of world cricket.The man who slammed 281 in the most trying of conditions against Australia in the second Test at Kolkata has since struggled to make a big score. The pressure of failure has turned a free-stroking batsman into a nervous prodder. The Hyderabadi stylist put his head down today, cutting out many of the shots in his repertoire and settling in – before falling tamely. Laxman, who prefers to use his bat rather than pad the ball away, gave Price a classical dismissal when the shoulder of his bat deflected a delivery to the close-in fielder on the off-side. Laxman made just 13 (47 balls, 2×4).Earlier, after adding eight runs to his overnight score, Rahul Dravid was dismissed on 65, chopping hard at one that kept low from Heath Streak. The ball kissed the inside edge and went straight back onto the stumps.Sanjay Bangar, in the side at the expense of Virender Sehwag, played his part well, batting sensibly and feeding his senior partner the strike. When the loose ball was on offer, Bangar was sharp enough to take full toll. Coming to the wicket to join Tendulkar with India on 376/5 in the 140th over, Bangar’s unbeaten 22 (87 balls, 2×4) helped Tendulkar take India through to stumps without further damage.For Zimbabwe, Price, the 24-year-old left-arm spinner playing in his seventh Test, stood out. Bowling with a fair degree of accuracy against batsmen who eat spinners for breakfast, Price returned figures of 4/130. Unfortunately for the visitors, though, the other promising young bowler, Travis Friend, was put out of action in the 149th over of the innings. Having bowled one “high full-pitched ball,” as the rules describe what is commonly known as a beamer, and being no-balled and warned for it, Friend repeated the mistake. Umpire S Venkataraghavan had no choice but to remove him from the attack for the course of the innings.It was an eventful day, but it will all amount to nought for the spectators if this game meanders into a tame draw. India will need to score quickly on the fourth day and give themselves enough time to bowl Zimbabwe out. With a lead of150 on the board already, India should be looking to force the pace first thing on the morning of the fourth day.
I do feel it’s strange – we are playing only the 2nd Test but it will spell the end of the series! Nevertheless, I do hope the Pakistan Team is better mentally prepared for this game than the 1st at Lord’s.
In between the Tests they have done very little physically, to improve their standard of play. In two practice games, barring Saleem Elahi and Faisal Iqbal not many batsmen have spent much time at the crease. Saeed Anwar who failed in both the innings at Lord’s did not even participate in any of the games. In my whole professional career I have never seen a specialist batsman miss as many games as Saeed Anwar has. In fact, during all his playing career he’s been plagued by injuries and illness. The only bonus is, he always performs better after a lay-off. Maybe he’s superstitious and misses out on games at will.To win at Old Trafford, Pakistan needs Saeed Anwar to be at his best because I fear we are putting a lot of pressure on Inzamam. In reality, I believe all the specialist batsmen should make a sustained effort to pull Pakistan out of the mire. It won’t be an easy task but nothing is impossible in cricket. All we need to do is to cast our mind back at the recently concluded series between India and Australia. We need all our senior players to set an example to our junior players.Talking about senior players, I hope Wasim has put the nightmare of the last test match well behind him and with renewed vigour, is looking forward to the game at Old Trafford. He has some very fond memories of this ground and I hope playing in front of Lancastrians will spur him to help win this test match for his country.Waqar Younis will need to Captain well in this match because his handling of five fast bowlers could have been better in the last one. For example, he could have unleashed Shoaib Akhtar at the tail-end batsmen rather than bowling himself and Wasim. He should remember when at his peak how quickly he used to dispose off the lower order batsmen with his lethal yorkers.Azhar came into the Lord’s test after a long lay-off and bowled well but was given a two-hour spell which stiffened him up for the evening session and was not as productive.There is talk about Razzaq opening the batting for Pakistan. I have no problem with it as long as it is only a short-term policy. He has a strong defence and if encouraged can attack the new ball bowlers as well. My only problem would be if he plays a major innings for Pakistan, it would limit his bowling later in the game. In the long run Pakistan needs him to take three or four wickets in every game.Manchester’s inclement weather is more than well publicised. In one whole month, Lancashire has managed to play only one one-day game at home. The pitch has been under cover for most of the month so we can only guess how it’s going to behave.After signing-up Wasim Akram in 1988 Lancashire started preparing very dry pitches to help Wasim achieve reverse swing. The square was also left extremely dry so that the ball would rough up very quickly. It also meant the pitch would be conducive for spin and this is the main reason why Muralitharan is employed by Lancashire County for this season.I have played three games at Old Trafford in the last four years and on each occasion the ball turned sharply, almost from the start. I expect Saqlain to play and will not be surprised if Mushtaq Ahmed is also in contention. Even though it has rained a lot during the last month in Manchester and the square at Old Trafford will be green, I still feel it is hard to change the nature of the pitch.Therefore, it should help seam as well as spin but I cannot imagine Pakistan playing an extra spinner at the expense of a batsman when even against a weakened Leicester, they scored only 294 runs in their only innings.Faisal Iqbal scored runs in New Zealand and has performed well in England so far. He deserves his chance in the Team and, providing he is careful against Caddick at the start of his innings, he should prosper and help Pakistan’s more aggressive batsmen by occupying one end. Inzamam, Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan desperately need Pakistani openers to give them a solid start so that they can pile up enough runs to put English batsmen under pressure.I hope Shoaib Akhtar is back to his full fitness as I think he poses the biggest threat to England. But, in order to bowl England out twice in this match he requires lots of extra support from Wasim and Waqar. Both are coming towards the end of their glittering careers but are still capable of outperforming most bowlers in the world.Let’s hope both of them have a better game this time.
Ed:Mudassar Nazar is a veteran of 76 tests and 122 ODIs. He is currently the chief coach of Pakistan’s National and Regional Cricket Academies. In view of the overwhelming interest of users in CricInfo’s articles, we have invited him to write for us.
South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock could miss the limited-over games at home against New Zealand in August after being dropped from the team for the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur. De Kock will be sent to India with the A team, Test captain Hashim Amla said on Thursday, in the hope that he will find form before the South Africa’s tour there beginning in late September.Former selector Hugh Page told ESPNcricinfo he had no doubt that de Kock possessed the “talent and the ability to recover,” and that his slump was healthy for creating competition for the wicketkeeper’s spot.After tearing ligaments in his ankle last December, de Kock was rushed back into the side for the 2015 World Cup but has scored just one half-century in 14 innings, and none on the ongoing tour of Bangladesh. His dwindling confidence as a batsman and indecision outside off stump forced the selectors’ hand and Dane Vilas replaced de Kock in the Mirpur Test. Amla steered away from saying de Kock had to work his way back but revealed that he would be headed to India with South Africa A.South Africa A are playing India A and Australia A in a triangular series, which starts early next week, and then two unofficial Tests against India A that clash with New Zealand’s tour of South Africa. Should de Kock go to India, South Africa will be without an opening batsman and a wicketkeeper in the shorter formats against New Zealand.AB de Villiers is set to return from paternity leave and could take over as wicketkeeper, though that may increase the burden on him as captain in ODIs. Vilas has played one T20 for South Africa and could be used, but that would require a shuffling of the batting order because he does not open. A ready-made solution would be for South Africa to go back to 36-year old Morne van Wyk, who could fill the opening berth and keep wicket, but they may see that as a regressive step. They may convince de Villiers to keep wicket temporarily and give Reeza Hendricks, who is part of the Test squad, an opportunity in the formats where he has done well at domestic level.
Arsenal are a club with a proud history of developing and promoting young talent.
During his time in the dugout, Mikel Arteta has more than done his part to continue that tradition, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka all getting serious runs in the team under him.
The latest batch of youngsters to come through are perhaps the most exciting in a long time, with Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri now permanent fixtures in the first team squad and Max Dowman sure to follow suit as the season goes on.
However, Arsenal are clearly looking to bring in young talent from elsewhere as well, and Andrea Berta has already overseen the signing of a teen phenom who could be another Dowman.
Why Dowman is such an exciting prospect
The most successful academy gem Arsenal have produced in the last couple of decades is undoubtedly Saka, as the 24-year-old has already made 285 appearances for the club since his debut.
However, there is a genuine belief among those in the know that Dowman could go on to be an even bigger star than the club’s current talisman.
Don’t just take our word for it, though, as early last season, respected talent scout Jacek Kulig made the bold claim that the then-14-year-old was the “most exciting prospect” he had seen “since Lamine Yamal.”
As if that wasn’t enough, Hale End expert Will Balsam then described the teenager as “one of the greatest footballing brains that’s ever come through Hale End” and “the biggest talent in England.”
That is certainly a lot of praise for someone so young, but the Chelmsford-born gem would more than justify it over the season, as he racked up a tally of 19 goals and five assists in 23 appearances, totalling 1945 minutes last season.
Dowman in 24/25
Appearances
23
Minutes
1945′
Goals
19
Assists
5
Goal Involvements per Match
1.04
Minutes per Goal Involvement
81.04′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Such an incredible rate of return for someone so young saw Arteta take him on the pre-season tour, where he played against Newcastle United, a game in which analyst Ben Mattinson pointed out that he “hasn’t even done his GCSE’s but he’s humiliating Premier League players.”
The impressive achievements kept coming into the season proper, as he made his Premier League debut against Leeds United, became the club’s youngest starter and also the youngest player in Champions League history.
In all, the hype might sound hyperbolic, but it’s not, and so Arsenal fans should be seriously excited about the fact that Berta may have just signed the club another Dowman-like talent.
Arsenal's new Dowman
Since being appointed as the club’s Sporting Director, Berta has been ambitious and aggressive with his transfer dealings.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
He oversaw eight additions to the first team in the summer and has now also helped secure two of the most exciting youngsters in world football.
Earlier this month, Arsenal announced that they had signed Edwin and Holger Quintero from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle, and that, once they were 18 years old in 2027, they’d join the team.
Both youngsters are hugely exciting prospects, but it’s Edwin who could be another Dowman.
One of the reasons for this is that, in the words of Mattinson, he is a wide player who has “the ability to run games and create something out of nothing.”
For anyone who has watched the Englishman at academy level, and even to some extent during his first team appearances, that would be an excellent way to describe him.
Subscribe to the newsletter for Arsenal youth scouting Discover deeper Arsenal youth analysis—subscribe to our newsletter for expert scout breakdowns, detailed talent profiles, and transfer context that frame emerging prospects like Dowman or Quintero within the club’s long-term development picture and broader squad narrative. Subscribe to the newsletter for Arsenal youth scouting Discover deeper Arsenal youth analysis—subscribe to our newsletter for expert scout breakdowns, detailed talent profiles, and transfer context that frame emerging prospects like Dowman or Quintero within the club’s long-term development picture and broader squad narrative.
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More than that, though, the 16-year-old is, in the words of Kulig, “an absolute joy to watch” and a “10/10 talent.”
Another reason for the comparison and why the Emirates faithful will adore him is that he loves to take opposing players on.
Unlike a lot of modern wingers, the teenager’s first instinct in attacking situations seems to be to go right at his opposite number and, in the words of U23 scout Antonio Mango, is “skilful and fearless” when doing so.
Ultimately, the combination of his incredible close control, desire to make something happen, and the potential so many believe he possesses makes Edwin Quintero look a lot like another Dowman-like prospect, and one Arsenal should be delighted to have on the books.
116 touches & 87 passes: Arteta's 8/10 Arsenal star was better than Saka
It was yet another stellar performance for the Arsenal star, who played even better than Bukayo Saka.
New Zealand have included openers Matthew Bell and Peter Fulton in the squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh. Michael Papps, who opened with Craig Cumming in New Zealand’s recent tour of South Africa, has been dropped, while Cumming, who suffered multiple facial fractures after mistiming a hook off Dale Steyn in the second Test, is part of the 12-man squad.Bell last played in a Test in 2001 in Australia. But he has been picked based on his domestic form – 722 runs at 103.14, including a double-century in this season’s State Championship. John Bracewell had hinted at Bell’s selection a day before the squad was picked. And on being asked what he expected Bell to bring to the Test side, Bracewell told the , “Hopefully a large percentage of those 700 runs.”Scott Styris was dropped in favour of Fulton after averaging 14.75 in the two Tests against South Africa.Jamie How, included in the one-day side for the Chappell-Hadlee Series and against Bangladesh, missed out on a Test spot, while Sinclair, who replaced Cumming for the ODIs against South Africa, gets a call-up to the Test side.With Shane Bond out because of injury, New Zealand will go with Michael Mason, rather than Mark Gillespie, who was Bond’s replacement for the second Test in South Africa.Jeetan Patel will be added to the squad for the second Test in Wellington. The University Oval in Dunedin will be hosting its maiden Test when the two sides meet for the first Test on January 4.New Zealand squad Matthew Bell, Craig Cumming, Mathew Sinclair, Stephen Fleming, Peter Fulton, Brendon McCullum (wk), Daniel Vettori, Chris Martin, Michael Mason, Kyle Mills, Iain O’Brien, Jacob Oram.
Friday Kasteni was the only surprise name in Zimbabwe’s 15-man squad for the World Cup.Kasteni, an 18-year-old left-hand batsman, made his debut against Bangladesh last weekend, and while he only made 9, the selectors seem to have been impressed by his A-team performances and even if he does not get a game in the Caribbean, they see him as a player for the future. His inclusion is at the expense of Hamilton Masakadza who made only 42 runs against Bangladesh and was dropped for the last match of the series.Tawanda Mupariwa, Zimbabwe’s leading fast bowler, was included even though he did not play against Bangladesh. He was left out of the tour to Bangladesh last year because of a knee injury but has since recovered. Brendan Taylor, who continues to try the patience of the selectors both on and off the field, was retained even though he made only 23 runs in three matches.Blessing Mahwire, who was expected to be included, was left out after falling ill with pneumonia, while hard-hitting batsman Charles Coventry ruled himself out of contention after failing to report for camp ahead of the Bangladesh series.Zimbabwe Squad Prosper Utseya (capt), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Keith Dabengwa, Terry Duffin, Anthony Ireland, Friday Kasteni, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Christopher Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ed Rainsford, Vusi Sibanda, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams.
Ricky Ponting’s rest will include a second match as Adam Gilchrist was confirmed as captain for the VB Series clash with Sri Lanka at Perth on Sunday. Ponting missed Australia’s five-wicket win at Adelaide on Thursday and the result vindicated their controversial rotation policy, which has also included breaks for Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath.However, Australia’s plans for an unchanged side for the WACA were hit by Nathan Bracken’s return to Sydney for personal reasons. Bracken was the team’s most successful fast bowler at Adelaide with 2 for 45, and his departure from the squad should allow Stuart Clark to play.”The team had a good win last night and move on to Perth, thus allowing Ponting to complete a two-game break,” Hohns said. “The selectors and team management have agreed to allow Bracken to return to Sydney and we’re hopeful he’ll be available for the one-day international in Melbourne on February 3.”Gilchrist showed he could combine the leadership, opening batting and keeping roles against Sri Lanka as Australia moved five points clear at the top of the series table, with three matches to come. Michael Hussey, who steered the side to their victory target with an unbeaten 25, retains his role as vice-captain, while McGrath and Brett Lee will once again share the new-ball duties. There was, however, no place for Phil Jaques, who hit 94 on debut but lost his opening berth to Simon Katich.The players have three more matches in the preliminary stage of the tournament, which also double as their last chances to win votes for the Allan Border Medal on February 6. Andrew Symonds is the only one not eligible for either the main prize or the One-Day Player of the Year award after he was suspended on the Ashes tour for being drunk before a match. The voting period for Australian cricket’s most cherished individual achievement includes the past 15 Tests and a total of 30 ODIs.Australian squad Adam Gilchrist (capt, wk), Michael Hussey, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Brett Dorey, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds.