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The fast bowler, who picked up his eighth five-for in Tests, also praised Niroshan Dickwella for playing a ‘gem of an innings’

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Wellington15-Dec-2018

Sri Lanka may have recovered well after they had been gasping at 9 for 3 early in the day, but New Zealand’s own batsmen might not be disappointed at how this Basin Reserve pitch is playing. Those were the thoughts of Tim Southee, who claimed figures of 5 for 67 and was the architect of Sri Lanka’s early wobble, taking three wickets in his first two overs.Once batsmen got in though, it was possible for them to succeed. Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews, for example, put on a 133-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Niroshan Dickwella made 73 not out off 91 balls towards the end of the day, which Sri Lanka ended on 275 for 9.”Once Mathews and Karunaratne got in they played nicely after losing three early,” Southee said. “What our batsmen will take out of it is that when you get in it can look reasonably easy. Dickwella’s come out and played aggressively, and he’s played a gem of an innings so far for them. It was a frustrating one for us. But we can turn up tomorrow and try and get that last wicket as quick as possible, and hopefully our batsmen can get stuck in.”This was Southee’s first ever five-wicket haul at the Basin Reserve, and the eighth in his career overall. Sri Lanka happen to be among his favourite opponents. He now has 38 wickets against them at an average of 17.92.”It’s nice to get some wickets – the key here at the Basin especially on day one is to try and pitch it up,” he said. “It did swing for the majority of the day, but sometimes it doesn’t do as much as people think it’s going to do and we saw that. Once a couple of guys got in, it was tough work.”Though Southee’s first three wickets were a result of seam and swing – he nailed left-hander Danushka Gunathilaka in front of the stumps with a straightening delivery, had Dhananjaya de Silva nicking off, and then had Kusal Mendis caught at short midwicket – his wickets later in the day came from bouncers. Southee had Dinesh Chandimal holing out to deep square leg before dismissing Angelo Mathews with a chest-high delivery that the batsman top-edged to the wicketkeeper.Typically, it had been Neil Wagner who first attempted the short-ball attack, but when Southee followed suit it was he who gleaned the greater rewards.”It was nipping around and swinging early on, but there was a bit of a dull period and we knew we needed to try something different. I don’t think I could bowl short balls for 10 overs at a time like Waggy does. He’s phenomenal at it. Some would say mad. But at the time we needed something different and it did kind of work today.”

Chelsea will be aiming to build on their recent results as the Premier League resumes this weekend after the last international break until next year.

Mauricio Pochettino has led his men to a 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur before drawing with current champions Manchester City and confidence appears to be high in the camp.

Several of his players were outstanding in both ties. Cole Palmer scored a last-minute equaliser against his former club, while Conor Gallagher proved his worth playing just off Nicolas Jackson as he made two key passes against City – following on from the five he made against Spurs.

There were a couple of players who failed to impress, however, as Moises Caicedo struggled majorly against the Etihad outfit.

Moises Caicedo’s game in numbers vs City

The youngster has failed to live up to his vast hype since sparking a transfer war during the summer window, with Liverpool having also been desperate to win the race for the emerging talent.

The Blues were the ones to secure his signature, but his performance against the champions wouldn’t have filled Pochettino with confidence.

Indeed, he won just 33% of his total duels throughout the tie as he started alongside Enzo Fernández at the heart of the midfield and he also took just 39 touches during his time on the pitch.

Caicedo lost possession five times too, and he was given a match rating of just 4/10 by GOAL for his display as they claimed he was ‘a bit of a passenger in the first half’ and he will need to improve over the coming weeks.

The Argentinian may ditch the former Brighton starlet for the tie against Newcastle United this afternoon. The question is, who will replace him?

The players who can replace Moises Caicedo

The obvious answer at this moment in time is Gallagher, as the Englishman could drop slightly deeper into a central midfield role and this would allow Palmer to move into the number ten slot.

While he has been excellent in a more forward-thinking role, Gallagher can also shine at the base of the Chelsea midfield.

When compared to positional peers, the midfielder ranks in the top 4% for tackles per 90 (2.58) and the top 1% for both blocks (1.95) and interceptions (1.39) per 90, demonstrating how effective he is defensively.

Pochettino could also call on the services of Lesley Ugochukwu as the 19-year-old would be able to step in for Caicedo in the midfield area.

He has only started one Premier League match so far this season – the 0-0 draw against Bournemouth – yet it is evident he has wonderful potential, and he could perhaps stake his claim for more regular game time should he impress against the Magpies.

Chelsea's "insane" titan has seen his value skyrocket to £52m in a year

Chelsea’s academy starlet has become an integral part of Pochettino’s first-team plans this term.

ByTom Griffin Nov 22, 2023

The former Paris Saint-Germain coach is still missing midfielders Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka through injury and once they both return, he will have plenty of options to choose from.

Until then, however, he may have to tinker slightly with his starting XI, but the Ecuadorian gem must be dropped to the bench for the clash against Newcastle today, especially following his poor display a few weeks ago.

اعترف ريس جيمس، لاعب فريق تشيلسي، أن عودة زميله إنزو فرنانديز إلى تدريبات النادي، ستمثل مشكلة بالنظر إلى ما حدث خلال احتفالات تتويج منتخب الأرجنتين بكوبا أمريكا.

ونجح منتخب الأرجنتين في تحقيق بطولة كوبا أمريكا 2024 بعدما فاز على كولومبيا بهدف قاتل، في وقت سابق من هذا الشهر.

وتسبب إنزو فرنانديز في إثارة غضب مسؤولي منتخب فرنسا والاتحاد الفرنسي لكرة القدم، بعدما قام ببث مباشر عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع إنستجرام، خلال احتفالاتهم في الحافلة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | “فوز وتعادل”.. آرسنال وتشيلسي يقصان شريط مبارياتهما الودية في أمريكا

وظهر لاعبو الأرجنتين، على رأسهم إنزو، وهم يرددون أغنية عنصرية ضد لاعبي منتخب فرنسا، وهو ما أثار غضب الاتحاد الفرنسي الذي لجأ إلى فيفا.

ليس هذا فقط، بل تسبب تصرف إنزو فرنانديز في إثارة غضب لاعبي تشيلسي، الذين ينتمون إلى منتخب فرنسا، وعلى رأسهم ويسلي فوفانا.

وعندما سُئل عما إذا كان ذلك الأمر سيؤثر على غرفة الملابس في تشيلسي، أجاب ريس جيمس في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ذا صن” الإنجليزية: “بالتأكيد”.

وأضاف: “هناك دائمًا عامل عدم الارتياح لدى الناس عندما تكون هناك مشكلة، لكن حتى يأتي اليوم الذي يجتمع فيه الجميع معًا في غرفة واحدة، لا أعلم، لكنني آمل أن يتم حل الأمور بسلاسة وأن نتمكن من المضي قدمًا في الموسم”.

وأردف:”لقد تحدثت معه (إنزو فرنانديز) قليلاً، لكن الأمر كان صعبًا لأننا كنا في مناطق ذات فروق زمنية مختلفة، كانت محادثة عامة حقًا، بشأن آراؤه حول ما حدث ومحاولته شرح وضعه وكيف حدثت الأشياء”.

واستمر: “إنه موقف صعب حقًا، لا مجال للعنصرية أو التمييز في كرة القدم، أعتقد أنه رفع يده بسرعة واعترف بأنه أخطأ واعتذر لزملائه في الفريق والنادي وبقية الأشخاص الذين شعروا بالإهانة”.

واختتم قائلًا: “أعتقد أن هذا ربما كان أفضل ما كان يمكن أن يفعله في هذا الموقف”.

Everton's strikers so far this season haven't set the world alight with their finishing, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has two goals to his name in the league after eight games whilst new attackers Beto and Chermiti have yet to score in the Premier League so far.

It's led to the Toffees struggling early on under Sean Dyche, a lack of clinical finishing versus Luton Town at Goodison Park recently meant the visiting Hatters grew in confidence and picked up a 2-1 victory despite Everton registering 23 shots on goal over the 90 minutes.

Strikers disappointing in an Everton jersey isn't unique to the Toffees situation in the present though, the Merseysiders signing one particular dud up front during the 2017-18 season that severely disappointed punters.

When did Everton sign Cenk Tosun?

Cenk Tosun arrived under the tenure of Sam Allardyce, signing for the Toffees in January 2018 for a reported £27 million fee, as per Sky Sports.

At the time, it looked as if Everton had purchased a clinical forward who was ready for the demands of top-flight English football – his goal return for Beskitas in Turkey was deadly, scoring 20 goals from 33 appearances in his final full campaign for the Black Eagles.

The Turkish striker wouldn't score his first goal for his new employers until March however when relocating to England, netting his first goal for the Toffees away at Burnley in a slim 2-1 defeat.

This would see the experienced marksman go on a mini purple patch for the Blues, scoring three goals in his next two appearances for the club versus Brighton and Stoke City with a double against the Potters ensuring Allardyce's side won the tight contest 2-1.

Unfortunately for Tosun, his goals would dry up after.

He would only go on to score another five in the Premier League for Everton before he was moved back to his native Turkey, leading to Guardian journalist Aaron Sharp branding him as "awful" and crying out for central defender Yerry Mina to play up front instead of the 6 foot dud.

Thankfully for the latter man, he has managed to turn his career around since departing Merseyside.

Where is Cenk Tosun now?

Tosun would move back to Turkey after his disastrous couple of seasons at Goodison Park, even a loan spell with Crystal Palace away from the Toffees couldn't kickstart his Premier League career again – managing a solitary goal with the Eagles from a forgettable temporary switch.

He would return to his best with former club Beskitas, picking up from where he left off as a clinical finisher in the Süper Lig.

He now has 86 goals from 190 appearances with the Turkish club across his various spells, outscoring the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Neal Maupay and others who have slotted into the Blues attack since Tosun's exit.

It could well be that Tosun thrives surrounded by home comforts, netting 15 goals last season for the Istanbul outfit as they finished in a respectable 3rd spot in the league.

On the contrary, Everton's main man Calvert-Lewin managed a meagre two goals during the entire 2022-23 Premier League season, while the club's leading scorer in the competition was Dwight McNeil with just seven goals.

Dyche and co likely could have benefitted from a prolific talent like Tosun last term, although the 32-year-old will himself be delighted that he's been able to shrug off his nightmare spell with the Toffees and become a star man for Besiktas once more.

أعلن جاريث ساوثجيت، المدير الفني لمنتخب إنجلترا، تشكيل فريقه لمواجهة هولندا في بطولة كأس أمم أوروبا.

ويلتقي منتخب إنجلترا مع هولندا في تمام العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، في نصف نهائي كأس أمم أوروبا.

وكانت إسبانيا حسمت التأهل لنهائي يورو 2024 بعد تغلبها على فرنسا ليلة الثلاثاء، بهدفين مقابل هدف، وتنتظر الفائز من مباراة الليلة بين إنجلترا وهولندا.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشكيل هولندا أمام إنجلترا في نصف نهائي يورو 2024 تشكيل إنجلترا أمام هولندا

حراسة المرمى: جوردان بيكفورد.

خط الدفاع: كايل ووكر، جون ستونز، مارك جيهي.

خط الوسط: ساكا ديكلان رايس، كوبي ماينو، ، كيران تريبيير.

خط الهجوم: فيل فودين، هاري كين، بيلينجهام.

البدلاء: رامسديل، هندرسون، كونسا، جالاجير، دانك، ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، توني، جوردون، واتكينز، بوين، إيزي، جوميز، بالمر، وارتون.

George Munsey pulls during his fifty•Getty Images

In what may be coach Grant Bradburn’s final match in charge of Scotland, his players did their best to send him out in style, posting their highest total in T20Is to set up a 115-run demolition of Netherlands to claim the tri-series title in Amstelveen.Boosted by a trio of half-centuries from George Munsey, Richie Berrington and Matthew Cross, Scotland posted 221 for 3, which was 32 runs better than their previous best in T20Is. It was also Scotland’s biggest margin of victory by runs in a T20I, more than three times better than their previous record of 37.For Netherlands, it was their heaviest defeat by runs. Their previous worst was against Hong Kong at the Desert T20 Challenge when they were bowled out for 92 chasing a target of 184.Scotland once again got off to a flying start thanks to Munsey and captain Kyle Coetzer, the pair producing their fourth consecutive fifty partnership of the tri-series. Coetzer struck 24 off 14 balls before he was dismissed by Shane Snater in the fifth over to break the stand at 50.For a third time in three matches, a different batsman came in at No. 3 and Cross followed in the footsteps of Berrington and Calum MacLeod in making a 40-plus score. He finished with 50 off 42 balls, though it was largely in a supporting role to Munsey and Berrington, who were the aggressors in partnerships of 84 and 78 for the second and third wickets.Munsey blazed his way to 71 off 34 balls, Scotland’s second-highest score in T20Is. He appeared well on his way to becoming their second T20I centurion after Berrington, but fell in the 13th over to Wesley Barresi’s part-time spin.Berrington took charge of the rest of the innings, creaming an unbeaten 64 off 30 balls, including four consecutive boundaries off Fred Klaassen to begin the 16th over. Another four by Berrington in the 18th off Snater took Scotland to their highest total in an innings, and they continued to pile on during the final two overs, the only blip being Cross falling to Timm van der Gugten with three balls left in the innings. The treble of half-centuries in an innings by Scotland was just the fourth time any team had accomplished the feat in T20Is.Netherlands had famously chased down a target of 190 in less than 14 overs against Ireland in the 2014 World T20, but many of the heroes from that day have since moved on, and an injury-depleted batting unit faced an uphill battle here. Their chances were severely dented when two wickets fell in the first seven balls of the chase, Ben Cooper bowled by Mark Watt for a first-ball duck and Barresi suffered the same fate against Safyaan Sharif. By the end of the Powerplay, Netherlands were 47 for 4.Left-arm spinner Hamza Tahir, who conceded 0 for 57 on T20I debut last week, burrowed through the Dutch middle-order to finish with 3 for 26. The innings ended after 14 overs when Dylan Budge and Cross combined to run Klaassen out for the ninth wicket as batsman Saqib Zulfiqar was unable to bat after injuring himself in the field.As for Bradburn, his contract ends in December and Scotland have no more fixtures for the rest of 2018. After publicly declaring his ambitions to coach New Zealand in an interview with ESPNcricinfo prior to Scotland’s win over England, he reiterated his interest in the wake of Mike Hesson’s resignation and is considered a leading candidate in the New Zealand media. If this was indeed his final match in charge of Scotland, the Saltires made sure it was a memorable one.

Queensland’s Brendan Doggett and Marnus Labuschagne will also be travelling to India while Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh were named captains

Daniel Brettig30-May-2018

Usman Khawaja’s long-running battle to improve his methods against spin bowling may well reach a crucible on the Australia A tour of India in August and September, where he will be the most experienced member of a touring party chosen with an eye on the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE that follows.Struggles against spin bowling have caused the national selectors to drop Khawaja in the recent past, most notably when he was not picked for any of the four Tests in India in 2017 and then dropped again after one match in Bangladesh where he was twice dismissed cheaply. In between times, Khawaja has been an outstanding No. 3 batsman for Australia on home soil.Australia A squads

Limited overs: Travis Head, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth
Four-day games: Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain

While other Test batting candidates such as Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns are believed to have been left out of the Australia A squad because the selectors did not think they needed to learn anymore about them in Asian conditions, Khawaja’s inclusion strongly suggests the panel – now featuring the new coach Justin Langer – are seeking signs of progress and improvement before they commit to playing him against Pakistan.”We’re really pleased with the squads we have assembled for this tour,” the selection chairman Trevor Hohns said. “We’ve got a couple of really experienced international cricketers, a large group who have had a taste of playing for Australia already, and some emerging players who have performed strongly and we believe have the potential to one day play for their country.”It’s an extremely important tour, as we look for players who can adapt and find ways to excel in sub-continent conditions. With Australia’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates fast approaching, it’s a chance for some players to push for selection for that series, and for all players to gain experience in subcontinent conditions.”Brendan Doggett finished with four wickets in the first innings•Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Another notable choice for the tour is that of the indigenous fast bowler Brendan Doggett, who has turned plenty of heads with his sheer pace and wicket-taking capacity for Queensland. Given the current injuries to Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, the selectors are eager to broaden their stable of super fast bowlers, with Doggett and Billy Stanlake the leading names. Another Bull, Marnus Labuschagne, has gained his first representative call-up after strong recent displays in the domestic limited-overs competition.”Marnus and Brendan both came through the National Performance Squad program last year, and performed strongly for Queensland last summer,” Hohns said. “Brendan is an exciting fast bowler with genuine pace, who has impressed with his wicket-taking ability in the Sheffield Shield. Marnus has put together some really good performances with the bat over the past 12 months, particularly at one-day level.”Given the bans being served by Steven Smith and David Warner, the next generation of leaders in Australian cricket is also starting to emerge. South Australia’s captain Travis Head leads the limited overs squad, while Western Australia’s skipper Mitchell Marsh is in charge of the long-form team. The wicketkeeper and former Greater Western Sydney football club captain Alex Carey serves as deputy in both formats.”We’re looking for leaders for future Australian teams, and Travis, Mitch and Alex are all very impressive young men,” Hohns said. “Travis and Mitch both have captaincy experience at state level, and this is an exciting opportunity for them to lead a new group of players in different conditions. Alex, as our Twenty20 vice-captain in the UK and Zimbabwe, is also someone we rate very highly as a leader, and this is another opportunity for him to develop those skills.”

Liverpool were linked with a move for Real Madrid star Federico Valverde this summer, and a new update has given Reds fans hope of one day luring the midfielder to the Premier League.

Where did Real Madrid find Federico Valverde?

Back in 2016, Real Madrid signed Valverde from boyhood team Penarol in Montevideo. Having been promoted from the youth set-up to the first team two years later, as per Transfermarkt, he’s since gone on to make a total of 208 senior appearances in the Spanish capital.

Carlo Ancelotti’s central midfielder still has another four years remaining on his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped FSG and Jurgen Klopp from highlighting him as a potential candidate to bring to Merseyside.

The Secret Scout reported that the Reds submitted an enquiry for the 25-year-old last month alongside his teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, having failed to secure the services of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia who both ended up joining Chelsea, and it wasn’t long before they took their initial interest one step further.

Spanish outlets claimed that FSG then tabled a €60m (£51.8m) offer for the Uruguay international, and whilst a deal failed to come to fruition before September 1st, it sounds like there is reason to believe something could happen in the future.

Are Liverpool signing Federico Valverde?

According to reports in Spain (via Football365), Valverde “half regrets having made this decision” to stay at Real Madrid and believes that the best thing he could have done would have been to have “packed his bags”.

The La Liga star has a “feeling of being secondary” and knows that he “needs more prominence” after saying “no” to joining Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United over the summer.

The Los Blancos veteran has “already noticed” that he won’t be a regular starter this season, so there’s a possibility that he could look to seal an exit in January.

How many goals has Federico Valverde scored?

In La Liga during the 2022/23 campaign, Valverde posted 11 contributions (seven goals and four assists) in 34 games which is an impressive return for a central midfielder, form which has seen labelled a “monster” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

The Montevideo native has also recorded 11 shots so far this season which is the second-highest total throughout his squad, via FBRef, not to mention that he’s extremely calm and composed on the ball averaging a 90.7% pass success rate.

Furthermore, Madrid’s £133k-per-week earner, who has the versatility to operate in eight different positions over the midfield and attack, will know what it takes to compete and be successful having secured ten pieces of silverware since the start of his career, so he will possess the same winning mentality of the current squad who are already at Kirkby.

Finally, Valverde shares the same agent, Wasserman, as both Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones, so should the hierarchy attempt to make a second move for their target in the new year, the existing connection that his representative already has to the club could give them a small advantage in getting a deal over the line in 2024.

Chris Lynn’s run of injury misfortune continued during the tri-series final at Auckland, after he suffered a dislocated right shoulder while diving in the field

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2018Chris Lynn looks set to be ruled out of the Pakistan Super League, and will return to Brisbane for further assessment, after suffering a dislocated right shoulder while diving in the field during Australia’s T20 Tri-Series final victory over New Zealand.It was another cruel stroke of injury misfortune for Lynn, who left the field midway through the ninth over of New Zealand’s innings after attempting to intercept a clip through midwicket from Ross Taylor. Sprinting to his left, he reached for the ball with his right arm, in an apparent attempt to protect his troublesome left shoulder, on which he has undergone three bouts of surgery in recent seasons.However, he appeared to jar his right arm on the turf, and it was later confirmed that he had popped the shoulder out of its socket. Although the team medical staff were able to put the joint back into place, he took no further part in the match after being sent for a scan.”Chris dislocated his right shoulder after landing awkwardly on it when fielding the ball,” said Australia’s physio, Alex Kountouris. “His shoulder was able to be put back into place at the ground and he was consequently sent for X-Rays which revealed no major bone injury.”At this stage Chris will not travel to the Pakistan Super League in Dubai. He will return to Brisbane to undergo further scans and assessment and from there we will have a better understanding of the ongoing management, along with the return-to-play timeframes.”Lynn had previously said he would avoid diving in the field in a bid to prevent any further shoulder problems.”It’s something that’s played on my mind for about four years,” he said. “Let’s go one step at a time – I want to dive, there’s no doubt about that, I want to do well and contribute. But at the moment, I don’t want to have another setback because I feel like I’m making good ground.”Lynn had been due to travel to Dubai imminently to take part in Lahore Qalandars’ first match of the Pakistan Super League, on Friday, against Multan Sultans. The Qalandars will be hoping Lynn’s injury is not serious, considering the explosive Australian was their first pick at the PSL draft.Another franchise that will be anxiously hoping for a swift recovery for Lynn is Kolkata Knight Riders. Lynn was the Knight Riders’ most expensive buy at the IPL auction last month, fetching $1.5m. The team is yet to announce its captain and Lynn was one of the names on the shortlist.

A cold Dhaka needs a bit of warming up, so the cricket has come at a good time, and there is plenty at stake as Mirpur hosts the international game’s middle-weight battle.Bangladesh are taking their first step into the post-Chandika Hathurusingha era and will want to erase all memories of their winless tour of South Africa last September. Zimbabwe too will be driven by similar motivation after they lost their Boxing Day Test in Port Elizabeth inside two days.As it often is, Bangladesh’s five most experienced cricketers – Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah – have to reclaim the winning habit. Their ODI team has been on the road since the series against England in October 2016 and have won only four out of 14 completed matches in that time. That this is a home series will help, and they wouldn’t mind facing an opponent who hasn’t played an ODI since last July.But the thing is Zimbabwe won that series five months ago and beating Sri Lanka on their home turf is rarely easy. Additionally, the likes of Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza and Hamilton Masakadza will be freed up by the fact that Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis have returned to take up national duty again. Zimbabwe can also rely on Heath Streak’s intel, who spent two years as Bangladesh’s bowling coach only recently.Cremer has said that this tri-series could be decided on the basis of which team fields the best, and in that count, Zimbabwe are slightly ahead of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka these days. But there are a few other factors to consider. The unusual weather for starters. Dhaka is in the clutches of winter, and though it is an afternoon start, the new ball will be tough to face.

Form guide

Bangladesh: LLLWL
Zimbabwe: WWLLW

In the spotlight

Not so long ago, Tamim Iqbal was in the news with the BCB mulling about fining him over comments made with respect to the Mirpur outfield. As one of the country’s leading batsmen, he’d want to bring attention back on his cricket, and considering he finished 2017 with a fine BPL campaign, not too many will be betting against him.Hamilton Masakadza is probably the most respected Zimbabwe player in Bangladesh. Not only does he have a good record against them, he has also taken part in many of their domestic competitions. Zimbabwe would look to their experienced opening batsman to live up to reputation.

Team news

Bangladesh would be making at least four changes to the XI that played against South Africa in October last year. Tamim Iqbal and Mustafizur Rahman, who missed that game through injuries, will replace Soumya Sarkar and Taskin Ahmed. With Imrul Kayes injured, Anamul Haque and Mohammad Mithun will get their opportunities if Bangladesh play seven specialist batsmen.Nasir Hossain, who recently made 295 in a first-class game, will vie for a middle-order spot with Sabbir Rahman while Mohammad Saifuddin, Sunzamul Islam and Mehidy Hasan will be discussed for two spots in the bowling line-up.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mohammad Mithun, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Nasir Hossain/Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehidy Hasan/Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Rubel HossainZimbabwe too have to make three changes to the side that beat Sri Lanka back in July last year. Tarisai Musakanda, Sean Williams and Carl Mumba are out, and will most likely be replaced by Brendan Taylor, Kyle Jarvis and Chris Mpofu.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Solomon Mire, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Brendan Taylor, 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Peter Moor (wk), 8 Graeme Cremer (capt), 9 Kyle Jarvis, 10 Chris Mpofu, 11 Tendai Chatara

Pitch and conditions

The Bangladesh batsmen played comfortably through the line on most occasions during centre-wicket training and matches in Mirpur in the last couple of weeks.

Stats and trivia

• Zimbabwe haven’t won an ODI in Bangladesh since December, 2010. They have lost 12 matches in a row till date.
• Rubel Hossain is two wickets short of becoming the second Bangladeshi fast bowler to complete 100 ODI wickets, behind Mashrafe Mortaza.

Quotes

“The wickets seem batsmen-friendly now, much like it was in the BPL semi-final and final. At the same time, if we bowl in the right areas there will be a lot of advantage.”
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza doesn’t give much away.”I learnt a lot about the Bangladesh players (and a few Sri Lankan players) during the BPL. It will be really good for us. The input from Raza and Malcolm will also help us a lot in the tri-series.”
Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer about how his side have recent knowledge about their opponents