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Colin de Grandhomme, the New Zealand allrounder, has signed for Birmingham Bears for this year’s NatWest T20 Blast.De Grandhomme, 30, made an impressive Test debut against Pakistan in November, claiming 6 for 41 in the first innings to pave the way for an eight-wicket victory. However, it is as a T20 batsman that he has built his reputation, in which format he boasts a strike-rate of 171.04 from exactly 100 matches.He recently forced his way back into New Zealand’s team in all three formats following an impressive domestic season with Auckland Aces, which included 139 runs in four Super Smash T20 games at a strike rate of 220.63.”Colin is a perfect addition to the team for our 2017 campaign, adding the batting firepower that we desire in our middle order, whilst adding depth to our bowling attack as an experienced seamer bowler,” said Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket.”His batting strike-rate is unparalleled in the professional game. He has been in the best form of his career this winter and his power and ability to clear the boundary makes him on of the most exciting batsmen in the game.”I have spoken previously about needing to recruit cricketers who are not only talented, but are hungry for success, can play the entire campaign and have the right character to become a Bear. We certainly get this with Colin and look forward to seeing him join up with the squad in July.”De Grandhomme will be joined in the Bears squad by his fellow New Zealander, Jeetan Patel, who is currently playing against South Africa at Dunedin.”As a New Zealand cricketer, I am really excited by the opportunity to play to become a Bear,” said de Grandhomme. “I look forward to meeting Ashley, the team, staff and its Members in July and working together to achieve our goal of a home Finals Day at Edgbaston.”

Romeo Lavia reportedly suffered a muscle tear in his ankle during a Chelsea training session on Friday.

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Lavia arrived in big-money summer move Has now picked up ankle injury Latest Blues star to be sidelinedWHAT HAPPENED?

Lavia has not made a first-team appearance for the Blues since completing a £58 million ($50m) move from Southampton as he builds up his match fitness following a disrupted summer. And he may have to wait some time for his Chelsea debut, with journalist Sacha Tavolieri reporting that the midfielder has suffered an untimely injury in training.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT THEY SAID

Mauricio Pochettino's latest fitness update on Lavia came ahead of Chelsea's Premier League win over Luton Town. On that occasion, he said: "He needs a few weeks to be ready to be involved with the team. He is working to try and catch his teammates. For Romeo we need to wait a few weeks."

That timeline would have given Lavia a chance of featuring after the international break, but it now appears that the Blues will be without the midfielder for an extended period of time after his injury was assessed on Friday, according to .

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Manager Mauricio Pochettino will be cursing his luck, with Benoit Badiashile, Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana and Carney Chukwuemeka among the other big names currently sidelined. The Blues did at least receive a boost from Reece James recently, with the club captain posting a positive recovery update on social media.

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Chelsea are yet to confirm the injury through their official channels, but it seems unlikely that Lavia will be available for his side's trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League on 17 September. It remains to be seen how many games he will miss on top of that.

Aurelio De Laurentiis has sensationally fallen out with the man who ended the club's 33-year Scudetto drought, and is now looking for a new coach

Well, it's actually happening. Despite leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years, Luciano Spalletti is set to leave the Partenopei at the end of the season. The coach effectively confirmed his departure in an emotional press conference after Sunday's win over Inter.

"The matter has been decided, you don't change your mind every day," he told reporters. "It is a situation that has been brewing for a long time. If you are not convinced that you can give everything these people deserve, it's right to think it over. You think it over, you arrive at a conclusion and then you stick with it. This is not something that just fell from the sky out of nowhere."

The reason for his shock exit is a falling-out with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is already looking for a new manager, with several familiar faces in contention to take over at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

GOAL runs through the leading candidates to succeed Spalletti as the manager of the newly-crowned champions of Italy…

Getty ImagesJulian Nagelsmann

Talk of De Laurentiis turning to Julian Nagelsmann took many by surprise, but it does make some sense. Most importantly of all, he's available after being surprisingly sacked by Bayern Munich during the March international break – and what a disastrous decision that has proven to be. Furthermore, despite his dismissal, he is still regarded as one of the most interesting and innovative young coaches in the game today.

However, this one is unlikely to happen for one very important reason: money. Nagelsmann would demand a hefty pay packet and De Laurentiis appears unwilling to pay more than €6 million (£5.2m/$6.5m) net. It's doubtful that such a salary would satisfy a coach that rates himself as highly as many neutral observers.

AdvertisementGettyThiago Motta

Thiago Motta has come a long way since arousing suspicion and scepticism with talk of a goalkeeper-less 2-7-2 formation during his time in charge of Paris Saint-Germain Under-19s. Indeed, it's probably only a matter of time before the former Italy international is given one of the top jobs in European football, maybe even at the Parc des Princes – or another former stomping ground, San Siro…

However, right now, he's being linked with Napoli on account of the excellent work he's done in his first season at Bologna. Succeeding Sinisa Mihajlovic at the helm was always going to be a difficult job, for a variety of reasons, but Motta has turned the Rossoblu into one of the best footballing sides in Serie A.

He wouldn't just be an attractive option for De Laurentiis because of his style of play, though – he'd also be a less expensive appointment. Still, it feels like this opportunity hasn't quite come at the right time for the 40-year-old, who still has to prove he is as good a manager as he was a player.

Getty ImagesGian Piero Gasperini

The mastermind behind Atalanta's remarkable journey from provincial club to Champions League contenders, Gian Piero Gasperini has been in Bergamo for seven years now and, at 65, there is every chance that he will retire there.

However, like pretty much everyone else in Italian football, De Laurentiis holds Gasperini in the highest esteem and was ready to hire him a decade ago before former boss Walter Mazzarri decided to extend his stay in Naples for another season.

So, is Gasperini likely to leave his beloved Atalanta for Napoli? No. But it's easy to understand why De Laurentiis would be interested in a coach renowned for playing fantastic football with a mix of rejects and raw talents.

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(C)Getty ImagesRoberto De Zerbi

Roberto De Zerbi is understandably viewed as the ideal man to replace Spalletti. The pair share a similar view of the game and, as the former has previously proven at Sassuolo, and presently at Brighton, he is capable of achieving incredible results on a relatively small budget. There's also the fact that De Zerbi spent four years on Napoli's books during his playing days.

However, while De Zerbi appears destined to return to the Maradona as coach one day, we might be waiting a while. The Brescia native appears to be quite enjoying his experience in England and has just qualified Brighton for Europe. While some of his star players may leave the Amex Stadium this season, he is likely to stay put.

What's more, when he does eventually decide to depart, it could well be for one of the top jobs in the Premier League, given De Zerbi is currently earning ridiculously high praise from the likes of Pep Guardiola.

Imressive spells from Cecil Pervez and Satsimranjit Dhindsa helped Canada retain the Auty Cup, as they secured a 17-run win over USA in the second match of the series

Peter Della Penna in Los Angeles15-Oct-2016
Scorecard1:27

‘Bowled as per plan and it worked out’ – Nazar

Another superb spell by Cecil Pervez helped Canada stave off USA’s lower order and retain the Auty Cup, as they secured a 17-run win in the second match at Woodley Park on Friday. Pervez followed up his 3 for 38 in the first match on Thursday with 3 for 42, including the key scalp of Akeem Dodson for 73.USA, who had won the toss earlier, got off to a shaky start in their chase of Canada’s 216, when they stumbled to 10 for 3 in four overs. Abdullah Syed was bowled for a golden duck by a Pervez inswinger in the first over, before Alex Amsterdam and captain Steven Taylor were both caught driving to Canada captain Nitish Kumar at backward point, off Satsimranjit Dhindsa.Dodson and opener Fahad Babar then put on a USA fourth-wicket record partnership of 127 – also USA’s best ever stand against Canada for any wicket – to dig the hosts out of a major hole. Dodson counterattacked early in his innings, exploiting the short straight boundary as he skipped down the track to loft offspinner Nikhil Dutta over long-on for six in the eighth over. He eventually brought up his fifty off 62 balls in the 25th over, while Babar brought up the same landmark off 79 balls in the 30th.Kumar rotated his spinners in an effort to slow down the scoring rate and build pressure. It had its desired effect by the 32nd, when Dodson offered his first chance on 54, drilling a return catch to Varun Sehdev that ricocheted off the bowler’s hand and had the crowd gasping as it nearly carried to the fielder charging in from the long-off boundary. Babar eventually cracked at the other end with two balls to go in the 36th, when he tried to guide Junaid Siddiqui’s legspin behind point but played on to his stumps instead. This opened the door to the rest of USA’s fragile middle order.Dodson offered another chance just two balls later, driving Dutta flat to long off, where substitute fielder Shehan Kamileen spilled the chance. Dutta plugged away and eventually got his first wicket later in the over as Nicholas Standford played around his pads to be trapped in front for a third-ball duck.With USA needing 64 off nine overs and Dodson still at the crease on 73, Kumar brought back Pervez for his second spell. The seamer struck with his fifth ball, getting one to jag back from outside off and bowl Dodson. It was the first of four wickets in consecutive overs, as keeper Hamza Tariq caught Timil Patel – down the leg side – off Dhindsa in the 43rd over, and Hammad Shahid off Pervez in the 44th. Dhindsa then induced a leading edge from Jessy Singh for the ninth wicket, to put Canada within one wicket of victory at 163 for 9 in the 45th.Elmore Hutchinson, the only other USA player to reach double figures, gave them hope briefly when he sandwiched a cut through point for four between two monstrous sixes over the sightscreen to take Pervez for 19 in the 46th over. Dhindsa followed that up with a sloppy over that included two wides and another four through point, to bring the equation down to 21 off 18 balls.A long Canadian team discussion ensued before Kumar gave the ball to left-arm spinner Salman Nazar, who had figures of 0 for 25 in four overs at that stage and hadn’t bowled since the 17th over. After three singles off the first five balls, Nazar ended the match with an arm ball to No. 11 Prashanth Nair, who tried to dab it past the keeper, expecting turn, but instead chopped it onto his stumps. Hutchinson was left stranded on 37.Earlier in the day, five Canadian batsmen crossed 20 but nobody reached 50. Dutta, promoted to No. 4 after making a second-ball duck on Thursday at No. 8, top-scored with 43. He came in after Hutchinson dismissed both openers inside the Powerplay, having Bhavindu Adhihetty caught slogging to mid-on for 14, and Srimantha Wijeratne edging a flick down the leg side for 18.Nitish Kumar made a brisk 32 at No. 3, before he was caught in the covers off Nair’s left-arm spin. Coming together at 74 for 3, Dutta and Sehdev then produced Canada’s best partnership of the day, putting on 53 for the fourth wicket, before legspinner Patel had Sehdev caught behind for 26. Nazar then spooned a catch to Taylor at midwicket in Patel’s next over before Dutta fell in the 37th, chopping onto his stumps off Shahid, who was USA’s most troublesome bowler on the day and finished with 1 for 28.Singh came back for a late spell after going wicketless with the new ball and won three lbw appeals to dismiss Hamza Tariq, and then Siddiqui and Dhindsa off consecutive balls. Canada were reduce to 197 for 9, but USA’s inability to polish off the tail for the second time cost them. No. 9 Dilon Heyliger crashed Singh’s hat-trick ball for six over long-off to start the 49th, and followed it with a four over midwicket and another towering six over long-off. He finished with a vital 31 off 17 balls that helped add 19 runs for the last wicket which eventually accounted for the winning margin.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is considering a swoop for Nice midfielder Khéphren Thuram, who has been electric in Ligue 1 this season.

What's the latest on Khéphren Thuram to Newcastle?

According to Football Insider, French outfit Nice are 'open to bids of £60m' for one of their most coveted assets, who has swiftly asserted himself as one of the country's most talented young midfield options.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has also been of interest to the likes of Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United, according to 90min, which is a testament to his rapid ascent to prominence.

The one-cap Frenchman still has two years on his current deal, but with growing attention for his signature, his side might look to act swiftly and cash in while he can still garner a lucrative fee.

Should Newcastle sign Khéphren Thuram?

With such remarkable progress made under Howe's tutelage and technical director Dan Ashworth's sagacious transfer stratagems, some would be wary of disrupting the balance at St James's Park.

The Magpies have soared into Champions League reckoning this term after years of instability and turmoil, and sit comfortably in third with just five matches of their Premier League campaign to contest, six points above fifth-placed Liverpool having played a game fewer.

But with the increase in match action and pressure that runs parallel with European football, new recruits are essential, and with Newcastle boasting the affluence and allure of an outfit capable of rivalling any top team for years to come, signings of Thuram's ilk must be made, with the ace hailed as the "perfect profile" by RMC Sport reporter Alex Jaquin.

Having forged 135 matches for his side, Thuram has scored eight times and supplied a further 11 assists, with his recent call-up to the French national team an illustration of the expectation of his skill set.

This season, he has been an integral part of Nice's system, playing 45 times, scoring two goals and registering eight assists, and has been hailed as "very hard-working" by manager Didier Digard.

He is indeed a relentless force; as per FBref, the £15k-per-week gem ranks among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's big five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons, which illustrates just how robust he already is in the early phase of his career.

Should Howe pull off a transfer, it could be his greatest masterclass since the acquisition of Bruno Guimaraes in January 2022, a matter of months after the £300m PIF takeover and the catalyst for change on Tyneside.

Guimaraes was signed from Thuram's divisional rivals Lyon for £40m and has gone on to become an instrumental part of his outfit's emphatic success, with the Brazilian described as "world-class" by teammate Dan Burn and recording a Sofascore rating in the Premier League of 7.16 this season.

We think Thuram would only flourish alongside an established phenom in Guimaraes at the centre of Howe's ship, and with his inclusion, the Toon might just edge closer to silverware and an established spot at the forefront of European football.

Everton will make the short trip to Manchester this afternoon for their Premier League clash with Manchester United and Sean Dyche will be hoping his team can continue their unbeaten run.

The Toffees are currently teetering on the edge of the relegation zone, matching points with 18th place Bournemouth heading into their challenging fixture away from home, so picking up more crucial points this weekend will be integral to their fight for survival in the top flight.

Since joining the Merseyside outfit at the end of January, Dyche has collected 12 points from his nine league outings and is currently unbeaten in his last four fixtures with points collected from both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in their last two games, putting them in a great position to compete with Erik ten Hag's side.

Indeed, the Everton boss will be without his midfield talisman Abdoulaye Doucoure for the clash due to his red card suspension following an altercation with Harry Kane earlier this week, however, it could now present a golden opportunity to a young player-in-waiting who is all too familiar with the Red Devils.

Former Man United academy graduate James Garner could now be unleashed in Dyche's midfield set-up to replace his suspended teammate and could be the secret weapon Everton need to take all three points from their opponents.

Will James Garner start vs Manchester United?

The talented youngster made the move to Goodison Park in a £15m deal from Man United last summer but due to a long-term back injury has found himself becoming a rare feature for the Toffees.

However, now he could seize the chance to get in his manager's good favour by filling the boots of Doucoure, who has recently revived his Everton career since Dyche took over from Frank Lampard.

Over his seven-minute cameo against Spurs, Garner completed 100% of his passes (7/7) and won 100% of his duels (2/2) in the lead up to Michael Keane's 90th minute equaliser that earned Everton a point at Goodison Park.

Despite only averaging 21 minutes per performance, the 22-year-old ace – dubbed "highly-rated" by journalist Samuel Luckhurst – has tallied up an 83% pass accuracy, successfully completed 50% of his dribbles and won the majority of his duels combined over seven appearances, showing glimpses of his consistency in the centre of the pitch.

The Everton boss has already lavished praise on his young talent despite giving him limited game-time, citing Garner's impressive loan spell last season in the Championship with Nottingham Forest:

"From what I saw, and I did see him quite a bit at Forest, he’s got a good engine and running strength, he can strike a very good ball and he is calm in possession and he will cover the yards."

With that being said, there is no doubt that Dyche should now give Garner his first call-up to the starting eleven this weekend, as he could be the perfect replacement for Doucoure.

Leeds United saw plenty of heroes forged in their triumphant return to the Premier League in 2020, but arguably none more so than Patrick Bamford.

The wiry striker joined amidst great scrutiny from the English media, the likes of which would persist throughout his time with the Whites before he would eventually fire them into silence.

It seems that the 29-year-old's career never truly got going until he moved to Elland Road, where he became an integral spearhead at the front of Marcelo Bielsa's infamous system.

The English forward was actually one of his first signings in that summer of 2018, as he parted with £7m to tempt him from Middlesbrough. This is a figure that would only continue to rise alongside his performances.

Whilst injuries might have marred his recent campaigns, Bamford remains a great servant to the club and will likely go down in their history for his goalscoring efforts in firing them back to the big time.

How much is Patrick Bamford worth?

With a first season at the club stuttered due to various ailments, the 2019/20 campaign would see him notch 16 goals as they cruised out of the Championship, a feat that had troubled so many before them.

However, this was arguably when the media scrutiny reached its apex on the marksman. Many believed he did not have what it took to thrive in the Premier League, yet he would actually outperform his earlier tally by scoring 17 and assisting a further eight as Leeds finished ninth.

Radio presenter Matt Abbott even took to Twitter to wax lyrical about Bamford, claiming: "Absolutely stunning from Bamford. I realise folk'll moan about the fact that he hit the post, but I'm not having it – he's #LUFC personified right now".

Not only has he become a huge fan favourite, but FootballTransfers suggest that his value has soared alongside his standing in the game. They rate the apex of his expected Transfer Value at €16.8m (£14.7m), marking a 111% increase since signing.

The former Chelsea man has been a marvellous transfer for the club, serving as one of the numerous acts that Bielsa must be commended for. Whilst he has struggled of late for fitness and form, should he recapture his old ways then relegation would be far from a threat to this giant of the English game.

Pablo Fornals’ poor form has seen him lose his regular starting spot under David Moyes at West Ham and the Scottish manager should now look to get rid of the Spanish forward.

What’s gone wrong for Pablo Fornals at West Ham?

When the Hammers signed Fornals from Villarreal in 2019 in a deal worth £24m, it was seen as a coup, considering he had been one of the stars in the Spanish side’s route to the Europa League quarter-finals that season, notching three goals and three assists in 12 appearances.

He would quickly establish himself as a regular at the London Stadium and has gone on to make 162 appearances for the Hammers, contributing 20 goals and 19 assists in total.

There could definitely be an argument that the winger, now 27, has failed to live up to his potential with the east London side, with his six goals and four assists last season the best numbers he has managed in his time in the Premier League.

Sadly, he looks unlikely to achieve anywhere near that level in the current campaign, as he has been guilty, like several West Ham attackers, of seriously underperforming in the final third.

In 20 top-flight appearances, Fornals has managed just one goal and one assist, with WhoScored awarding him a shocking 6.43 rating for his performances, which ranks him as the 15th-best performer at the London Stadium, emphasising just how poor he has been this season.

It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that the Spaniard has seen his game time limited since the World Cup break, with just four starts to his name in 2023, just two of which have come in the Premier League.

Sky Sports pundit Tony Gale was full of praise for Fornals last season, saying:

“I don’t think there’s a fitter man at West Ham. He’s a workaholic, his work rate is phenomenal.”

Sadly, those words have seldom been backed up in 2022/23, and with Maxwel Cornet also set to return to action soon, Fornals may see his game time limited even further.

Indeed, he has clearly fallen out of favour with Moyes after a disappointing run of form, with his last goal for the club coming against Blackburn Rovers in November.

Since then, the Spaniard has arguably been burning his hefty wage of £65k-per-week at the London Stadium, with Moyes now facing the fact that he needs to cash in during the summer rather than seeing him continue to waste away on the bench.

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli has brushed off concerns over Chris Gayle’s form and is confident the West Indies opener can come up with the runs when the team needs it

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2016Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli has brushed off concerns over Chris Gayle’s form and was confident the opener can come up with the runs when the team needs it.Gayle has scored 1 and 0 in the side’s first two IPL 2016 matches. He has not scored in double-figures since his 47-ball century against England in the World T20 last month. Overall, Gayle has made 3200 runs in 84 IPL matches, of which 2737 runs have come for Royal Challengers. The batsman also has five centuries for the franchise, including a 66-ball 175* against Pune Warriors in IPL 2013, which is the highest individual score in T20 cricket.”I am sure he will come good at some stage of the tournament,” Kohli said, after Royal Challengers’ seven-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils in Bangalore on Sunday. “Probably, he may get a hundred for us when it’s required the most. I am not too worried about Gayle, because the other guys are stepping up nicely. Cricket is all about grabbing the opportunity, if some others fail.”Chris takes lot of pride playing for RCB. He has been a standout player for us. I think people just expect a lot out of him every T20 match he plays because he is good at it and has scored 17 centuries, which is not a joke. So, expectations are high and Gayle wants to live up to them.”Despite Gayle’s low scores, Royal Challengers have racked up totals of 227 and 191, against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Daredevils, building on fifties from AB de Villiers and Kohli in each game. With Shane Watson also in the line-up, Kohli believed any of the top four batsmen could turn the match for Royal Challengers.”Well we got 230 in the first match and then almost 200 in this match, without Gayle firing. Guess what would happen when he fires!” Kohli said. “Four guys – Gayle, AB de Villiers, myself and Shane Watson – of international calibre playing in one team, it always helps. You can rely on those four to turn the game for you.”

A statistical preview to the India-Pakistan ODI series

Mathew Varghese04-Nov-2007Both India and Pakistan head into the five-match ODI contest on the back of losses – Pakistan lost to South Africa in the Test and ODI series while India were beaten by Australia in the seven-match ODI series. Although the only ODI this year between the two sides was washed out in Scotland, India will have the confidence of having got the better of the opposition twice in the ICC World Twenty20, including the final in Johannesburg.Though Pakistan hold the advantage in the overall head-to-head records, it’s been an even contest in recent years. However, Pakistan have been exceptional in upsetting India in their own backyard, winning 15 of the 21 matches held here, including a 4-2 result on their previous tour to India.

India v Pakistan head-to-head

Record Matches India Pakistan Tie No Result

Overall108 40 64 0 4 Since 2003 23 11 12 0 0 In India 21 6 15 0 0 Things have changed a lot for both teams from the previous bilateral ODI series in Abu Dhabi. New captains are at the helm – Shoaib Malik and Mahendra Singh Dhoni – with Inzamam-ul-Haq, Malik’s predecessor, having retired and Rahul Dravid, who stepped down from the India captaincy recently, being omitted from the squad for the first two ODIs.In the absence of Inzamam, it will be up the Malik and Mohammad Yousuf to hold together the batting for Pakistan. The duo have been the leading ODI run-getters for the team this year.

Pakistan’s top run-scorers in 2007

Player Matches Runs Average SR

Mohammad Yousuf 16 640 45.71 71.66 Shoaib Malik 16 548 45.66 78.62 Younis Khan 13 386 29.69 74.95 Imran Nazir 12 372 31.00 111.37 Shahid Afridi 11 286 31.77 173.33 Malik has also been Pakistan’s leading run-scorer against India in ODIs between the two teams since 2003, averaging nearly 50.

Pakistan’s current line-up v India (since 2003)

Player Runs Average 100 50 SR

Shoaib Malik 1034 49.23 2 8 90.14 Mohammad Yousuf 606 27.54 0 5 80.69 Younis Khan 521 30.64 0 3 84.03 Salman Butt 457 45.70 3 0 80.31 Shahid Afridi 407 25.43 1 1 148.54 Yasir Hameed 293 36.62 0 2 68.13 Kamran Akmal 230 23.00 0 0 85.18 For India, Sachin Tendulkar has been the leading batsman this season, followed by Sourav Ganguly. However, both average in the high 30s against Pakistan, a tad lower than their career records. But the man who leads the run-charts against Pakistan since 2003 is the one who has been left out of the line-up this time, Dravid.

India’s top run-getters against Pakistan (since 2003)

Player Matches Runs scored Average 100 50 SR

Rahul Dravid 23 1005 47.85 1973.57 Sachin Tendulkar 18 787 43.72 3390.25 Yuvraj Singh 23 783 43.50 1596.19 Mahendra Singh Dhoni 13 542 60.22 14105.44 Sourav Ganguly 14 308 22.00 0073.50 Ganguly and Tendulkar have also been able to provide the team with solid starts at the top of the order, something which Pakistan have sorely lacked this year. In the 15 innings they have batted together, the two have managed five century stands. Pakistan’s average opening stand has been 17.50 this year, the worst among all teams.

Opening stands in 2007

Team Innings Runs Average Highest 100 50

India 32 1455 46.9315072 Pakistan 16 280 17.50 5301 India’s worry will be more in the bowling department, with none besides Munaf Patel – unlikely to play in the series – and Murali Kartik managing to prise wickets at less than 30 apiece this year.Irfan Pathan tops the bowling averages among the Indian bowlers in the current squad against Pakistan, with Zaheer Khan, India’s spearhead, going at over 40 against them.

India’s highest wicket-takers against Pakistan (since 2003)

Player Wickets Average Economy rate Strike-rate

Irfan Pathan 26 25.07 4.97 30.2 Ashish Nehra 20 31.90 6.19 30.9 Zaheer Khan 19 45.26 5.85 46.3 Ajit Agarkar 14 30.21 4.91 36.8 Sachin Tendulkar 14 39.35 5.68 41.5For Pakistan the bowlers have done well this year, with the surprise being Rao Iftikhar Anjum, who has picked up 20 wickets at under 18 in 2007.

Highest wicket-takers for Pakistan in 2007

Player Matches Wickets Average Economy rate Strike-rate

Rao Iftikhar Anjum 10 20 17.85 4.4224.2 Shahid Afridi 11 17 22.35 4.1332.4 Umar Gul 9 14 25.78 5.3329.0 However, their bowlers have struggled against India in recent years, with the exception of Naved-ul-Hasan, who is not part of the squad.

Highest wicket-takers for Pakistan v India (since 2003)

Player Matches Overs Runs Wickets Average Economy rate Strike-rate

Naved ul-Hasan 15 128.4 734 3123.675.7024.9 Mohammad Sami 15 131.3 795 2137.856.0437.5 Shoaib Malik 22 122 657 1738.645.3843.0 Shoaib Akhtar 10 89.5 501 1631.315.5733.6 Abdul Razzaq 23 187.1 979 1565.265.2374.8 Shahid Afridi 23 115 639 1349.155.5553.0 The fast bowlers not mentioned in the above list – Mohammad Asif, Anjum and Umar Gul – fare no better, averaging 44.83, 65.66 and 126. And with an average total of 282 when India and Pakistan have faced each other since 2003, it won’t be surprising if the bowlers are at the receiving end again over the next couple of weeks.