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Mikel Arteta has a few fitness doubts ahead of the Gunners' clash against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday

Arsenal take on Bournemouth on Saturday looking to maintain their advantage at the top of the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s side go into the game on the back of three successive wins, the latest coming on Wednesday night when they cruised to a 4-0 success against Everton at Emirates Stadium.

So how are things shaping up at Arsenal ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash? Below, GOAL takes a look.

Getty ImagesArsenal team news

The Gunners will make late checks on Eddie Nketiah, who limped off the pitch following his second-half substitute appearance against Everton in midweek.

Jorginho is also a slight doubt having been suffering with illness, but should be fine to make the squad, although Thomas Partey is expected to return to the starting XI.

Gabriel Jesuscontinues to step up his recovery ahead of his long-awaited return to action.

He has been working outside and should soon be able to start full contract training with the rest of the squad, providing he does not suffer a setback.

Saturday’s game will come too early for the Brazilian, however. 

Mohamed Elneny is out for the remainder of the season having undergone knee surgery in January.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesKey man: Bukayo Saka

It has to be Saka. Arsenal’s star man stepped up when his team needed him yet again on Wednesday night, producing the moment of class that ended Everton’s stubborn resistance.

Saka now has 10 league goals to his name this season and every one has either been an equaliser, or a goal to put Arsenal in front.

Time and time again he is delivering at key moments and it would be no surprise to see him do the same once again on Saturday.

Saka's goal and assist against Everton takes his direct goal involvement tally in the Premier League to 19 this season, only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have more.

GettyTalking point

There is always a lot of debate ahead of games over the need for Mikel Arteta to rotate his squad.

Saturday will be the third game in a week for Arsenal, and Arteta named an unchanged starting XI for both of the previous two against Leicester and Everton.

Despite that hectic schedule, the likelihood is that he will once again resist the urge to make changes this weekend – especially with Thursday night’s Europa League game in Lisbon on the horizon.

Arsenal's manager will certainly make changes for that game, with the likes of Kieran Tierney, Fabio Vieira and Jakub Kiwior all expected to come in, so it’s likely that he will keep things as they were for Bournemouth.

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(C)Getty ImagesWhat has Arteta said?

Despite scoring four goals against Everton, Arteta wants to see his side add even more creativity to their game, knowing that they will continue to come up against defensive low blocks between now and the end of the season.

“That’s something we’re going to need,” he said. “To create a lot of opportunities against this block is really difficult because when we find openings, we have to be clinical and ruthless. 

“I think the way Bukayo scored the first goal [against Everton] was top.”

A calmly compiled 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to a heart-rate-steadying six-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20, but not before Afghanistan reminded them and the rest of Group 1 that they belonged in the Super 10s

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kolkata17-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:01

Chappell: Afghanistan made SL fight all the way

A calmly compiled 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to a heart-rate-steadying six-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20, but not before Afghanistan reminded them and the rest of Group 1 that they belonged in the Super 10s.With the bat, Afghanistan recovered brilliantly from a poor start, scoring 106 runs in their last ten overs to set a challenging target of 154. They bowled with skill and intelligence to claw back into the match after Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal had given Sri Lanka a bright start: 41 for 0 in five overs.In the end, it was only Afghanistan’s fielding that proved to be of less-than-elite standard, with three basic errors in the deep giving a jittery Sri Lankan batting unit valuable breathing room.First, in the 14th over, Karim Sadiq failed to get his body behind a regulation stop at deep midwicket. Then, in the 16th, Dawlat Zadran made the same mistake at deep backward square leg. The third misfield came from the substitute fielder Gulbadin Naib, who dived to his left at third man, got a meaty hand to the ball, and only ended up pushing it past the rope. Sri Lanka should have only got three runs from those three balls; they ended up getting 12.Sri Lanka would have appreciated the help, for barring Dilshan, their top order showed itself to be decidedly wobbly.Mohammad Nabi’s introduction in the sixth over exposed the wobbliness. Sri Lanka were going along comfortably when Chandimal stepped out and aimed a heave over the leg side. The ball turned a little further than expected and popped off the inside half of his bat straight to midwicket. Lahiru Thirimanne, back in Sri Lanka’s T20 side for the first time since May 2014, showed why he may have been out of the side for so long, playing only three scoring shots in 12 balls before inside-edging an attempted cover drive off the legspinner Rashid Khan onto his stumps.At the other end, like Mahela Jayawardene did during the two sides’ 50-over World Cup meeting last year, Dilshan provided the experienced head that guided Sri Lanka through this troubled period. He had started in his usual manner, hitting consecutive sixes off Dawlat Zadran – the second with a trademark scoop over his own head – and swatting Hamid Hassan for successive fours over midwicket, but did not take too many chances against the spinners. But he still scored freely against them, taking the singles on offer, putting away the bad ball, and running faster than every other 39-year-old on the planet to pick up a couple of twos to the leg-side gaps.There were a couple more nervy moments, courtesy the run-outs of Thisara Perera and Chamara Kapugedera, but the cool heads of Dilshan and Angelo Mathews, helped along by Afghanistan’s sloppy fielding, took Sri Lanka home with seven balls remaining.Having only faced Scotland, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe so far, it took Afghanistan a while to come to terms with the quality of Sri Lanka’s attack. Mohammad Shahzad, unusually subdued early on, tried to break free of the shackles in the third over and clouted Angelo Mathews to the straight boundary before top-edging a pull to mid-on the next ball. Apart from a couple of sweetly-timed leg-side flicks, Noor Ali Zadran struggled for tempo, and was bowled around his legs by Rangana Herath after adding 32 off 32 balls with Asghar Stanikzai.Herath settled into a beautiful rhythm, mixing his pace and trajectory cleverly, and the run rate plummeted as Sadiq and Nabi soon followed Noor to the pavilion.Stanikzai had moved to 18 off 23 balls when he made an abrupt change of gear against Milinda Siriwardana’s left-arm spin, launching him for successive sixes in the 13th over, before slog-sweeping Herath for another six in the 15th over, with a helping hand from a butter-fingered Thirimanne in the deep. At the other end, Samiullah Shenwari hit two fours and a six – including a reverse-swat off Perera that left the batsman on his backside – in successive overs before holing out to long-off.Stanikzai and Shenwari, the heroes of Afghanistan’s ODI win over Bangladesh in 2014, had put on 61 in 33 balls. It clearly rattled Sri Lanka, and Mathews dropped Stanikzai at cover immediately after Shenwari’s dismissal. It was a sitter, and Stanikzai, at 44 at that point, struck two more fours and a six to move to his highest T20I score before falling at the end of the 19th over.Afghanistan were by no means done. Najibullah Zadran, a specialist batsman, had only batted once in the tournament so far, and was slotted to come in at No, 8, but found his namesake Dawlat promoted above him instead. When Najibullah finally did come out, there were only three balls left in Afghanistan’s innings. No problem. Swinging freely through the line like a young Yuvraj Singh, Najibullah lofted Nuwan Kulasekara for a six over extra cover first ball, and then flat-batted him in the same direction for a four next ball.

A round-up of the Bangladesh Cricket League matches that were played from March 1-4, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2016Central Zone consolidated their top spot after gaining ten points from the drawn encounter against East Zone at Cox’s Bazar.Central rode on Raqibul Hasan’s double-century to post 588 before the declaration came in the first innings. This was Raqibul’s first 200-plus score in first-class cricket since his 313 in the National Cricket League nine years ago.Coming in at No. 4, Raqibul made 228 in 338 balls, including 19 fours and two sixes. He added 154 runs for the third wicket with Marshall Ayub, who made 81, and then 240 for the fifth wicket with Tanveer Haider, who made his sixth century.In reply, East Zone were bowled out for 442, thanks to half-centuries from Mominul Haque (89), Alok Kapali (73), Yasir Ali (59) and Mohammad Saifuddin (77*).Central Zone slipped to 98 for 3 in second innings, after gaining a 146-run first-innings lead. Opener Shamsur Rahman, however, held the innings together with an unbeaten 125 that included 11 fours and two sixes, before the match ended in a draw.Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s patient century helped North Zone to a draw against South Zone. Nazmul made 126 off 208 balls, including 15 fours, after North Zone conceded a first-innings lead of 45.Batting first, North Zone were bowled out for 296 with No.9 Muktar Ali making an 84-ball 64, after they had slumped to 219 for 8. South Zone’s strong reply of 341 was built on the back of fifties from Anamul Haque (70), Shahriar Nafees (52) and Tushar Imran (96).Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam claimed 6 for 116, before Nazmul turned it around with the bat in the second innings. He found support from Jahurul Islam, Naeem Islam, and Ariful Haque, all of whom made fifties.Facing a target of 346, South Zone were driven to 182 for 2 by Shahriar Nafees’ unbeaten 101. The match eventually ended in a draw.

Not everybody believes that a side with such abundance of batting talent as Nottinghamshire are actually in a relegation scrap

David Hopps at Trent Bridge29-Jun-2015
ScorecardAlex Hales was left wishing he had played the delivery which took his off stump•Getty ImagesNot everybody believes that a side with such abundance of batting talent as Nottinghamshire are actually in a relegation scrap. Perhaps they are right. To be in a relegation scrap, it is incumbent upon you to do a bit of scrapping. Dismissed disturbingly easily for 240 by Worcestershire at Trent Bridge, it is not immediately apparent that they are doing just that.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s coach, preferred to contend that their batsmen are merely out of nick and suggested that their first-innings score was just “a little under par”. “There is no point getting cross after day one,” he said.But Nottinghamshire face an ordeal. They must brace themselves for contesting the rest of the match with a three-strong bowling unit after Andy Carter and Luke Fletcher, both recently back from loan spells, withdrew from the attack in quick succession because of injury.”How do you manage a three-man bowling attack?” said Newell, lugubriously. “Good luck with that captain. Especially when one of them is a spinner on a pitch where he probably shouldn’t really be bowling. In an ideal world you want to go for it in the first hour, but if things don’t happen for you where do you go after 12 o’clock?”Carter, who famously insisted in pre-season that he is not prone to injury, but has just had a lot of them, has a side strain that could mean another prolonged lay-off and Fletcher went to hospital to check on the extent of a damaged hamstring.As for Worcestershire, who lie third bottom, every time they are promoted to Division One, they harden themselves for another struggle. They hang in matches for all they are worth – an admirable young seam attack did just that when Nottinghamshire were 98 for 1, at which point Alex Hales left a ball from Joe Leach that removed his off stump – and then redouble their efforts whenever they get on a bit of a roll.To make matters worse for Newell, their place alongside Hampshire at the foot of Division One coincided with a members’ meeting at Trent Bridge. The Nottingham recorded how Newell was pilloried for being an England selector. It could be worse after a season like this: he could have been pilloried for being a Nottinghamshire selector.You had to admire Newell’s originality when he defended his England selectorial role (an honour surely, not an imposition) on the grounds that he was “very boring”. In his defence, it should be pointed out that this was an exaggeration just in case people start avoiding him in the Post Office.”This time last year I was an England selector and we were flying high in the Championship and playing good T20 cricket. I’d like to think I’m capable of combining two jobs. The selector’s role takes up very little of my time with Notts. In a year and a half I’ve missed two days of cricket to attend meetings. I don’t go to other matches. I do it all watching Notts or watching a video analysis system of other games. I’m a very boring man. I do that at home.”Two years ago, the Dull Men’s Club – it really does exist – produced a 2014 calendar. January was the president of the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society; April’s charms concerned a man who had a museum of milk bottles. Not everybody finds county cricket interesting, so if Newell’s video analysis ever gets entirely out of control it might be wise in future years to keep an eye out for September.When Newell walked into the lunchtime members’ forum, Nottinghamshire were quite healthily placed at 102 for 2. Michael Lumb had clipped Jack Shantry weakly to midwicket and then there had been Hales’ aberration – enough to goad one member into terming the world No. 3 ranked T20 batsman “useless” and demand he was dropped for younger talent. Newell flourished the averages in retort, which predictably fell in Hales’ favour.But if he skipped back up the steps to the dressing room, that vigour soon deserted him. Nottinghamshire’s innings began to unravel – two Taylors gone within five overs in early afternoon, James lbw to Leach as he tried to manufacture a work through midwicket, not for the first time; Brendon, after a robust top score of 69, failing to strike Shantry down the ground.The rush of wickets fell to Charlie Morris with Samit Patel, Chris Read and Ben Hutton – the last two within the space of three balls – all caught in the wicketkeeper/slip cordon. Worcestershire bowled consistently after lunch as Nottinghamshire lost eight wickets for 92 in 33 overs. An unbeaten half-century by Richard Oliver then left them in reasonable order by the close.Leach, Shantry and Morris now have 103 Championship wickets between them and they were ably supported on this occasion by Ed Barnard, a former England U-19 in only his second first-class match, who gained rewards for some tight overs with the wicket of Ben Hilfenhaus. The praise of his coach Steve Rhodes was fitting. “I thought Ed was outstanding,” he said. “That lad is only 19 and to bowl with such control and movement is great.”A last-wicket retort of 50 in seven overs between Riki Wessels and Carter allowed Nottinghamshire some release until Saeed Ajmal had Wessels caught in the deep for 65.Ajmal’s involvement lasted only nine balls so it was hard to draw conclusions on the judgment of Worcestershire’s captain Daryl Mitchell that the remodelled version will “go from strength to strength”. It will be intriguing to see how Nottinghamshire deal with him second time around.

Liverpool have confirmed their place in the round of 16 Europa League and Jurgen Klopp has emphasised the importance of the competition.

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Liverpool win 4-0 vs LASKQualify for the knockout stagesKlopp does not deprioritize Europa LeagueGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool defeated Austrian team LASK 4-0 at Anfield to guarantee their place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16. With this victory, they qualified for the knockout stages and sealed the title of Group E victors. The game was a display of Liverpool's offensive capabilities, with goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz within the first fifteen minutes followed by a second-half strike by Mohamed Salah. After the match, Klopp revealed his relief after having qualified for the knockouts with one game in hand as they now face a packed fixture list till the start of the year. Klopp also maintained that the club would not be treating the Europa League as a secondary objective this season.

AdvertisementWHAT KLOPP SAID

Speaking in the press conference, Klopp said: "What do you mean how much of a priority? In comparison to other competitions or whatever? Unfortunately, my career is not like this where I can choose, to be honest. I have to take what I get. When we play the competition it's the most important competition on the planet. Easy as that. But now we play the Premier League on Sunday and so that is then the most important competition, definitely. We want to go as far as somehow possible [in the Europa League]."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Liverpool are favourites for the Europa League but having put themselves firmly in the Premier League title race, the demands on Klopp’s side are likely to be significant when the competition resumes. They are involved in a multi-club title fight with Manchester CIty, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Arsenal as Klopp's men sit third, two points behind leaders Arsenal but also only four points ahead of Manchester United in sixth.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Liverpool's last Europa League group-stage game will be played on December 14 against Union Saint-Gilloise and are expected to field a lighter squad for the clash as it is one of their eight matches in the next three days. They next play against Fulham at Anfield on Sunday, December 3.

Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will aim to shake off their recent failures and strengthen their positions at the top of the table

The preview by Arun Venugopal09-May-2015Match factsSunday, May 10, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Big PictureBoth Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have occupied the top-two positions in the points table for quite some time now. However, after a solid beginning, they have faltered in their last few games. While Super Kings lost their first game in 11 matches in Chennai, a streak that goes back to 2013 (they didn’t play any of their home games here last year), a few defeats and washed-out games have hurt Royals’ momentum.With four teams hot on their trail, either side would want to maintain as much daylight as they can between them and the others. Despite the defeat to Mumbai Indians, Super Kings shouldn’t feel too perturbed. They have ticked most of the boxes: R Ashwin is back to boost the spin department, and with Pawan Negi shoring up the late-order hitting, a problem area, if not entirely rectified, has been addressed. Super Kings would look to sign off with a win in their last home game of the season.Royals, too, haven’t resorted to the compulsive experimentation that affected them last year, freezing in on more or less their best XI. A convincing victory over Super Kings in their first meeting will give them confidence going into this match where they will have to contend with a noisy, partisan crowd. The weather reading forecasts another hot evening in Chepauk.Form guide Chennai Super Kings LWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals LWLLLWatch out for…The Super Kings management has continued to throw its weight behind Ravindra Jadeja, who hasn’t had a great run in the IPL. While he hasn’t done enough with the bat, he is a useful bowling option, especially on the MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch . If he comes good with the bat as well, that can only be a bonus for Super Kings ahead of the Playoffs.Deepak Hooda hasn’t had much to do after a bright start to the tournament. The wicket here, besides aiding his fastish offbreaks, will give him a chance to flex his batting muscles. But the likes of Ashish Nehra and Ashwin won’t make life easy for him.Stats and trivia Suresh Raina (69) has the most number of catches for a non-wicket-keeper. No Rajasthan Royals bowler has an economy rate of less than 7.5 runs an over in IPL 2015.Quotes”That’s the beauty of hindsight. It was a different combination today and we were learning some things about our team going forward.”

Napoli could part ways with manager Walter Mazzarri before the club's Champions League clash against Barcelona on Wednesday.

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Napoli could sack Mazzarri before Barcelona clashWon just five times in 16 games under MazzarriSlovakia coach Calzona tipped to be next managerWHAT HAPPENED?

Since taking charge of the club in November from Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri managed to guide Napoli to just five wins in 16 matches across all competitions. On Saturday, the reigning Serie A champions scored a late goal to hold Genoa to a 1-1 draw.

Now journalist reports that the club are "seriously considering" sacking Mazzarri and the Italian coach's exit could even come before they take on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Wednesday.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The journalist further claims that The Blues have already contacted Slovakia national team coach Francesco Calzona who is likely to replace the Italian coach at the helm. Calzona, who had formerly worked at Napoli as an assistant to Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spalletti, would then manage the Italian side and The Falcons simultaneously.

DID YOU KNOW?

Jose Mourinho was strongly linked with the Napoli job after he parted ways with AS Roma last month, although the move never materialised. Some reports suggested that the Portuguese coach was supposed to meet club president Aurelio De Laurentiis to discuss a potential move.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR NAPOLI?

It remains to be seen if Mazzarri will sit on the bench for the club's upcoming European clash against the Catalan giants. After facing the reigning Spanish champions, the Blues will take on Cagliari in the Serie A on February 25.

With Sunday's Gold Cup final set to renew the biggest rivalry in Concacaf, Goal selects the players who have been the tournament standouts

The Gold Cup final that Mexico and U.S. national team fans were hoping for is finally here, and Sunday's final will be an opportunity for players from both teams to cap the strong tournaments they have already put together.

The United States has won all five of its matches at the Gold Cup, allowing just one goal along the way while scoring a tournament-best 15. Gregg Berhalter's squad has helped ease the fears generated by two pre-Gold Cup defeats to Jamaica and Venezuela, though struggles against Curacao in the quarterfinals rekindled some of the concerns about whether the Americans have the quality to defeat Mexico in the final.

It hasn't been all smooth sailing for El Tri either, with Tata Martino's squad needing a penalty shootout to hold off Costa Rica in the quarterfinals and overtime to eliminate Haiti in the semifinals.

Despite those difficult matches, Mexico has shown the individual quality expected when the Gold Cup began, with some familiar faces shining, and some new ones impressing.

The same can be said for the USMNT, which has had some relatively new faces step up into prominent roles and enjoy breakout tournaments.

Which American and Mexican players have enjoyed the best Gold Cups so far? Here are Goal's selections for the combined USA-Mexico Gold Cup XI:

Guillermo Ochoa | Mexico | GoalkeeperWithout a doubt the El Tri No. 1, Ochoa helped Mexico to the final with a save to win a shootout against Costa Rica in the quarterfinals. Though he’s 33 years old, Ochoa hasn’t dropped a bit from his form in the 2014 World Cup and has his sights set on a third World Cup as the starter in 2022. His Gold Cup campaign indicates he’s up to it.AdvertisementGetty ImagesLuis 'Chaka' Rodriguez | Mexico | Right Back“Chaka” may not be a perfect fullback, but he does what he needs to do in Tata Martino’s system. He gets forward to join the attack, scoring in a pre-tournament friendly and coming close in the tournament proper, and also defends well enough to avoid catastrophe. While Fernando Navarro also is available this tournament, it’s clear why Martino has stuck with Rodriguez as his first choice at right back.Getty ImagesAaron Long | USA | Center BackOne of the breakout stars of the Gold Cup for the United States, Long overcame a hamstring injury suffered a month before the Gold Cup to help anchor a U.S. defense that has allowed just one goal in six matches. Long's one-on-one defensive ability, range, and attacking quality as a threat to score on set pieces make him the ideal well-rounded defender. What makes Long's emergence even more impressive is that the 26-year-old hadn't even received his first national team cap until last October.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Patrick SmithWalker Zimmerman | USA | Center Back

One of the surprises of the Gold Cup, Zimmerman beat out Matt Miazga for the starting role in central defense and took full advantage, providing a perfect complement to Aaron Long. His aerial prowess and increasing confidence on the ball have helped him adapt to Gregg Berhalter's system. His growth as a player at LAFC playing for Bob Bradley is clear, and the United States hasn't allowed a goal at the Gold Cup with Zimmerman on the field.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has called on the national selectors to appoint fast bowler Wahab Riaz as the country’s next one-day captain

Gaurav Kalra22-Mar-20154:55

Ramiz: Wahab can take Pakistan in right direction

Former Pakistan batsman Ramiz Raja has called on the national selectors to appoint fast bowler Wahab Riaz as the country’s next one-day captain.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Ramiz said that after watching Wahab bowl in the quarter-final defeat against Australia, he was convinced Wahab can make it “big as a leader” because of the “aggression, passion and emotion” he showed. Pakistan will need to find a replacement for Misbah-ul-Haq, who had announced his retirement from ODIs after the World Cup, and Ramiz urged the selectors to groom a youngster for the job.”It’s a difficult one because Pakistan have not yet trained a youngster,” Ramiz said. “What I saw of him (Wahab) against Australia convinces me that he’s got it in him to make it big as a leader because he showed aggression, passion and emotion and that is what is required right now to put Pakistan cricket back on track.”The team think tank have not really been able to give Pakistan that aggressive tag that its renowned for and I’ve been very disappointed with the route that we have taken. Pakistan cricket is about emotion, about showing passion and to a certain degree about being unpredictable in a healthy way, which makes it so romantic.”Wahab was among the few standout performers for Pakistan at the World Cup, finishing as one of the tournament’s highest wicket-takers with 16 scalps at an average of 23.00 and an economy rate of 5.56. His spell to Shane Watson during Australia’s run-chase in the quarter-final in Adelaide was an unforgettable passage of play, and Ramiz believed the time was right for Pakistan to pitchfork Wahab at the helm on the back of that performance.”You can experiment with an out-of-box idea like this in one-day cricket. Australia is a great example,” he said. “George Bailey was plucked out of first class cricket straight into international cricket as a leader when he was made T20 captain. I’ve seen the ingredients to give Wahab Riaz that pedestal and position. Let’s see how he operates but what I saw of him against Australia, he can take Pakistan cricket in the right direction.”Although Pakistan won’t have the services of Misbah and Shahid Afridi, who too retired after the tournament, Ramiz believes that at least for the short-term, the selectors should consider “looking beyond” players like Ahmed Shehzad, whose best scores came against UAE and Ireland, and Umar Akmal, who produced underwhelming returns at the World Cup. While Shehzad made 227 runs at an average of 32.42 in his seven innings, Akmal could manage just 164 at 27.33.”I would look beyond these youngsters because you have to get the nucleus right,” he said. “You can carry on for a bit with these guys but they need to learn quickly because people are getting frustrated, they must themselves be getting frustrated because they know that they have the talent and ability. I think Pakistan do not have even at this stage a batting culture, like for example India.Ramiz Raja – “What I saw of him against Australia convinces me that he’s got it in him to make it big as a leader”•Getty Images”When you are in and you have got 20 or 30, those numbers then need to get converted to a 60 or a 70 which they fail consistently, not only the youngsters but also the senior players. They also disappointed in that area.”Pakistan’s batting is a throwback to the 1980s. We need to kick on and be a little progressive in our thoughts and a little fearless in our approach, and that seems to be missing. I don’t think they are far behind in the bowling area but batting needs a kick up the backside. They need to take a fearless approach and a new direction altogether with the bat.”While Pakistan’s batting was a letdown throughout their campaign, Ramiz was impressed with what he saw from the bowlers. Wahab stood out, but in Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan, who was ruled out of the squad due to injury, Pakistan have a strong core group of fast bowlers to call upon.Ramiz, who played under Imran Khan for a large part of his international career, believes Pakistan need to focus on creating “an aggressive environment” similar to that era for these bowlers to achieve their full potential. He said the country’s “great bowling culture” meant that these young fast bowlers did not need to be taught “how to bowl.” All they need, according to him, is the backing of the team’s leadership group and management.”I think we have been very conservative in our approach about when to introduce and unleash young bowling talent,” Ramiz said. “Our fast bowlers have been far too reserved and it stems from the fact that we have had a reserved captain. It needs to change completely after this World Cup fall and we need to think differently so that these younger players take Pakistan to a newer high.”Ramiz was also of the view that Pakistan needed to follow the example of India who have “moved on” from celebrating past feats, and focus on an “overhaul” of the domestic structure.”We still rejoice the 1992 World Cup whereas for example, India, our neighbour, has moved on,” he said. “They’ve produced new superstars and Pakistan have lagged behind in that area. They (Pakistan’s batsmen) don’t seem to read the situation and that stems from the fact that Pakistan domestic cricket needs an overhaul.”You have to go through such situations at domestic level to make you a success story at international level. Then it doesn’t appear to be an alien art for you because I feel some of these younger guys just do not know how to operate in or react to a tense, crunch situation.”Pakistan’s next international assignment is a tour of Bangladesh involving two Tests, three ODIs and a T20I from the middle of April.

Cameron White’s unbeaten 102 set up Victoria’s first win in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup in Brisbane, helping the side chase down 300 against South Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2014
ScorecardCameron White made his eighth List A hundred•Getty ImagesCameron White’s unbeaten 102 set up Victoria’s first win in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup in Brisbane, helping the side chase down 300 against South Australia.Coming in to bat in the 12th over with the score at 2 for 65, White anchored the chase at just over run-a-ball, stitching important partnerships with opener Rob Quiney and David Hussey, who contributed fifties. White’s partnership of 90 runs for the fourth wicket with Hussey, which came at a brisk clip of almost seven an over, set the base for Victoria’s reply and they went into the last 10 overs needing 66.The wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Peter Handscomb did not affect Victoria too much in the final overs as John Hastings and White kept pace with the equation. Hastings took 18 in an over off Chadd Sayers, before White ended the game in the 49th over, bringing up the win and his eighth List A hundred with a brace of fours.Earlier, fifties from Travis Head, Alex Ross and Johan Botha, and a 35-ball 49 from Tim Ludeman lifted South Australia to 8 for 299. Head, Ross and Botha shared a string of 50+ plus partnerships in the middle overs, before Ludeman provided a lift towards the end, smacking 17 runs in the last over. Hastings was the most successful bowler for Victoria, taking 3 for 37 in his 10 overs.