All posts by h716a5.icu

On-loan Wolves striker Austin Samuels says he wants to ‘kick-start’ his career at Aberdeen, who have an option to buy him at the end of the season.

The lowdown

Aberdeen sealed the season-long loan deal for Samuels with a week remaining of the summer transfer window. They can make the move permanent if they’re sufficiently impressed.

Samuels has made 46 appearances for Wolves at Under-23 level, with coach James Collins dubbing him ‘excellent’.

He earned a first-team run-out in a pre-season friendly against Crewe Alexandra this summer, but has yet to be granted an official debut despite netting 18 times for the Under-18s and 13 times for the Under-23s (via Transfermarkt).

Wolves also allowed academy forward Theo Corbeanu to leave on loan, with the Canadian joining Sheffield Wednesday.

The latest

Samuels hinted that he’s aiming to convince Aberdeen he’s worthy of a permanent move.

The 20-year-old is confident he’s made the best decision for his career.

“There’s an option for Aberdeen to buy me at the end of the loan period,” he said, as quoted by The Press and Journal.

“So, all going well and if both parties are happy, there’s a chance I’ll stay.

“I can develop and kick-start my career. I’m 20 now and have a lot of years to go in the game.

“I knew my next move would have to be right for me and benefit me a lot.

“I felt the move to Aberdeen would be a good one and hopefully I can prove that.”

The verdict

It certainly does look a good move for Samuels, who may get the chance to experience Europa Conference League football this season after plying his trade at League Two Bradford City last term.

The optional fee has yet to be specified, but you can’t imagine it’s too high given that Samuels hasn’t played a competitive minute for Wolves’ first team. Perhaps it will come to look pretty modest if he kicks on in Scotland, and time will tell if the Wanderers will eventually regret sanctioning a permanent deal down the line.

In other news, fans were left raging by these Lage comments. 

England have expressed a willingness to relocate the second Test to Antigua’s old venue, the Recreation Ground in St John’s, after the first day of the match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound was abandoned

Cricinfo staff13-Feb-2009
The outfield at North Sound is unfit, and England are willing to play at the Antigua Recreation Ground© Getty Images
England have expressed a willingness to relocate the second Test to Antigua’s old venue, the Recreation Ground in St John’s, after the first day of the match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound was abandoned after only 10 deliveries because of an unsuitable outfield.The managing director of England cricket, Hugh Morris, told Sky Sports that the team was willing to agree to a switch of venue at short notice, both for the sake of the thousands of England tourists who have booked holidays on the island, and for the sake of the team itself, which is desperate to bounce back from their 51 all out humiliation in Jamaica last week.”It’s critical that we play this match and we want to do that for ourselves after our defeat in Jamaica,” said Morris. “For the fans that have come over here it is really important that we get this game going. Giles Clarke [the ECB chairman] has put that proposal forward to the West Indies Cricket Board and the ICC and we are awaiting the result of that.”Officials from the WICB were understood to be inspecting the ARG, which hosted its last Test match in 2006 but was used by England for net practice in the lead-up to the second Test. The ground has become seriously run-down in the years since it was a prime Test venue, but England’s captain, Andrew Strauss, was happy to put up with the situation for the sake of a rescheduling.”It’s not in a great state but in terms of injuries or whatever it is fit to play on,” said Strauss. “We don’t know what state the wicket is in. It might not have been covered all night but I think it’s fit for bowlers to bowl on and batsmen to play on.”Morris revealed that England’s concerns about the outfield at North Sound had been raised in a letter to the ICC on the eve of the match. “We only came out here the day before yesterday for practice and to have a look and we were concerned about the pitch.”I wrote a letter to the ICC match referee and delivered it yesterday evening because we were clearly concerned at what we saw.”

Many Everton fans have been reacting to reports that the club are looking to sign Salomon Rondon before the end of the transfer window.

The Toffees have so far brought in four fresh faces to Goodison Park this summer in Demarai Gray, Andros Townsend, Asmir Begovic and Andy Lonergan (Transfermarkt), and the former two in particular have played a role in Everton’s impressive start to the season. The Merseyside outfit have won two and drawn one of their opening three Premier League games (Sky Sports), with Gray scoring two goals and Townsend providing one assist (WhoScored).

In terms of centre-forwards, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the only real viable option for Rafael Benitez, but it seems that the Toffees are looking to bring in a new striker to provide competition for the 24-year-old. According to journalist Alan Myers on Twitter, Everton are in talks to sign 83-cap Venezuela international Rondon from Dalian Professional.

The news has been doing the rounds on social media and it attracted plenty of attention from Everton supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the matter.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Rondon links

“We could do with a good back up for DCL”

Credit: @thetomgibbons

“Inevitable really, but also makes a lot of sense.”

Credit: @sunscreemer

“Great like for like back up for Dom, and endeared himself to me after McCarthy’s leg break too be fair, was inconsolable”

Credit: @Sean84628518

“We were signing Isco a few months ago, the life of an Evertonian”

Credit: @jeffwintersok

“Sound. We don’t have any backup for Dom and we can’t afford to spend tens of millions getting one. He’s not exactly top drawer, but as a cheap short term fix, he’ll do.”

Credit: @Geof17773624

“I really don’t get this rant. Rather than focus on how well we’ve been playing, the focus is turned on to how bad we’re going to be. I’m sorry, but that makes no sense to me. What happened to just enjoy the moment?”

Credit: @NTylerVI

In other news, Everton want to sign this Premier League ace.

Preview of the 2nd Test between Australia and South Africa at the MCG

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale24-Dec-2008Match facts
The MCG has been a happy venue for Matthew Hayden © Getty Images
December 26-30, 2008
Start time 10.30am (23.30GMT)Big PictureIt will be almost impossible for the Boxing Day Test to live up to the drama of South Africa’s win in Perth. So unexpected was their brilliant chase of 414 that it left both teams in a state of shock. The squads have had a few days to digest the outcome and for Australia the distaste of losing forced at least one player to be spat out. But it will take more than just personnel alterations for Ricky Ponting’s men to fight back in Melbourne. They face the challenge of turning a moderate attack into one capable of curbing South Africa’s powerful batting line-up, while their own batsmen try to click back into gear.South Africa have spent so long chasing Australia that it must be an odd feeling for them to know that they are potentially five days of good cricket from beating them in a series in Australia for the first time. An Australian victory would set up a thrilling decider in Sydney. The bookmakers still have Australia as warm favourites but the way South Africa played in Perth, it would be a brave punter to back against them.On a side note, a strange thing happened during the week. Two days after South Africa’s greatest Test victory they actually in the ICC’s Test rankings. The intricacies of the ranking system meant India’s series-clinching draw against England was enough to nudge them ahead of South Africa, although it will almost certainly be temporary. South Africa will regain second place unless they lose both remaining Tests and if they win them both they will take the top spot from Australia.Form guide (last five Tests, most recent first)Australia LWWLD
South Africa WWWLWWatch out forMatthew Hayden is having one of the leaner runs of his Test career but if he could pick the perfect place to try and bounce back it would be the MCG. Hayden has made centuries in the past three Boxing Day Tests and in six of the past seven. Since 2001 he has averaged 102.40 at the venue. To get anywhere near that he will need to rediscover his form quickly. His judgement has been muddled in recent months and a strong South African pace attack will not give him an easy ride. Hayden has declared his intentions to play on; this Test more than any other might help determine for how long.Jacques Kallis is out of form so rarely that opposition teams really need to keep him down while they have the chance. Australia couldn’t do that in Perth. He entered the game with one half-century from his past 11 Test innings and went on to raise a pair of fifties that helped South Africa to a historic win. Kallis made 63 and 57 and while he was rightly overshadowed by several of his batting colleagues, it is only a matter of time before Kallis again stamps his authority on a Test.Team newsDespite all the talk of potential personnel changes, Australia have made only one alteration to the side that lost in Perth. The offspinner Nathan Hauritz has taken the place of the axed Jason Krejza, with Peter Siddle holding his position ahead of Ben Hilfenhaus for his first Test at his home ground in Melbourne. A knee problem hampered Andrew Symonds in the field in Perth but the problem was not considered serious enough for him to be rested for the second Test.Australia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Hauritz, 11 Peter Siddle.South Africa have named the same side that earned the remarkable win at the WACA. The only question-mark was over the fitness of Ashwell Prince, whose cracked thumb kept him out of the Perth line-up. Prince was making good progress but was not considered quite ready for a return at the MCG and his replacement JP Duminy, who struck the winning runs on his Test debut, has proven a more than capable Test No. 6.South Africa 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Neil McKenzie, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.Pitch and conditionsThe MCG pitch is generally one of those surfaces that has something for everyone. It’ll offer some early seam movement, a bit of swing and some turn later in the match. After Hayden made a century there last year he called it the toughest surface he had batted on for two years. No batsman has made a century in the two Sheffield Shield games at Melbourne this season and spin has accounted for only two wickets in those matches. That statistic is slightly disingenuous though; Victoria’s primary slow bowler Bryce McGain is injured and only one spinner has been given a decent spell at the MCG this season.Stats and TriviaAustralia have won their past nine MCG Tests and have not lost there since 1998-99, when Dean Headley bowled England to a remarkable victory.Australia have not lost the first Test of a home summer since 1988-89, when West Indies went on to take the series 3-1.Jacques Kallis is 79 runs from becoming the first South African to score 10,000 Test runs. Quotes”It’s awesome to be involved in a series where we’re now coming from behind. A lot of the Boxing Day Test matches I’ve played in we’ve been in a very, very dominant position.”
“One victory doesn’t make a summer. There’s a huge amount of cricket for us to play.”

Pakistan’s ICL recruits have finally restarted a legal process to fight the bans imposed on them by the PCB from playing domestic and international cricket.

Osman Samiuddin27-Jan-2009
Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Yousuf could still represent Pakistan if the bans on ICL players are overturned © AFP
Pakistan’s ICL recruits have finally restarted a legal process to fight the bans imposed on them by the PCB from playing domestic and international cricket. A letter has been sent by the legal firm of retired judge Fakhruddin G Ebrahim to the PCB on behalf of the players. Currently, however, the communication is not “a legal notice”, a board official said.”No legal action is being taken just yet but we have received a letter from the firm,” the official told Cricinfo. “The letter asks us why we have banned them and under what rules.”The board has not responded yet, though it is understood the issue will be brought up at the ICC executive board meeting due to take place in Perth on January 31. Only after a clearer picture emerges from there will they respond to the queries.The move comes more than a year after a group of ICL players, led by Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar, first attempted to take the matter to court. They started the process towards the end of 2007 but it then petered out. The process has started again, said a prominent ICL player, because the environment is ripe for it.”We tried doing it in 2007 but Nasim Ashraf [the then PCB chairman] had too many connections in the government of the time,” the player told Cricinfo. “Whenever we did something or tried, it would come up against a dead end because Ashraf would use his friends in power to stop proceedings. So we decided to just wait it out till the government changed. Now it has and so has the administration and we feel, from the comments they have made, that we can progress this time.”The current board administration under Ijaz Butt has been far more ambiguous about the ban on the players than the one under Ashraf and seems far more willing to look for ways out of the situation. Pakistan has 19 players in the ICL – some of them, like Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Yousuf, still good enough to play for the country.Javed Miandad, the PCB’s director-general, has openly called for the bans to be removed claiming they hurt Pakistan and are only in place to appease BCCI interests. Butt, however, has been vague and often confused over the stance. He insists it is up to the ICC to resolve the matter and that the PCB does not want to ban the players.”We don’t want our players to be banned because they have contracts with the ICL,” Butt said on a TV show two weeks ago. “But unfortunately we can’t do anything unless the ICC changes its stance on this issue.”The PCB has not directly banned the players, We have banned them under the ICC rules,” he said. “The rules state that no tournament can be held without the home board’s permission and, in the case of the ICL, the Indian board [BCCI] does not recognise it as it runs its own league, the IPL.”Board officials have been examining legal aspects of the case since before the letter was sent to fully brief Butt before he attends the Perth meeting. The letter has been sent on behalf of almost all of Pakistan’s 19 ICL players and Moin Khan, coach of the ICL’s Lahore Badshahs team, is believed to be handling the matter as a representative of sorts.

Manchester United have received a potentially significant fitness boost ahead of their opening Premier League encounter against Leeds United.

What’s the latest?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges kickstart their new campaign with a fiery fixture at home to fierce rivals Leeds United in today’s early kick-off. The Red Devils will be hoping to put in a solid performance and show their title-winning credentials in a tricky fixture, but they’ll be without several first-team players for the visit of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.

Marcus Rashford is out until October after having surgery on his shoulder, while Jesse Lingard and Dean Hendersen are ruled out with Covid-19. Solskjaer also revealed Raphael Varane’s transfer from Real Madrid hasn’t been finalised in time for him to play any part this afternoon.

“He hasn’t trained with us. Things take time,” he said in yesterday’s press conference. “Not 100 per cent done yet. He won’t be involved because he has not trained with us. The big hold up was the quarantine and the isolation – it will be done soon.”

The Norwegian tactician also revealed experienced striker Edinson Cavani will be unavailable after an extended break due to personal reasons.

“Edi (Cavani) is in the country, (but) he’s just finishing off his isolation period. He’s had a little bit of extra time for personal reasons,” he said.

However, Solskjaer did provide a positive update on the availability of United’s £73m summer signing Jadon Sancho. The former Borussia Dortmund winger only began training with his new teammates this week due to illness but could feature from the off against Leeds.

“Jadon is going to be involved definitely. Good week, but was ill after his holiday. He has looked sharper than expected. Can’t tell you if he is going to start, though.”

Solskjaer will be delighted

United ended a promising campaign empty-handed last term, finishing 12 points behind Premier League champions Manchester City before being defeated in the Europa League final by Villarreal.

It’s hoped that the arrival of Sancho will elevate the 20-time English champions back to their previous heights, reeling in their noisy neighbours in the process.

Picking up three points on the opening day would be a perfect day to their title tilt, and Solskjaer and the fanbase alike will be expecting exactly that.

Therefore, the United boss will be delighted at Sancho’s availability, and he’ll be hoping the England international can inspire the Red Devils to victory.

And, in other news…Ole could save millions by trusting “perfect” £40m gem, Man Utd fans would love him 

Via his Patreon account, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has just dropped an exciting West Ham transfer update involving Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye Lingard…

The Manchester United midfielder has been a target for David Moyes since before the beginning of this summer transfer window and Claret & Hugh believe that the 28-year-old has been among the Irons; main transfer priorities along with a striker and a centre-back.

However, a recent claim by Sky Sports indicated that a move for Lingard was looking increasingly unlikely, with the player in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans.

Matheus Pereira was also taken off the table as an alternative target after his move to Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee drops exciting Lingard update…

As per ExWHUemployee, there is now some real hope for the Hammers after all when it comes to signing Lingard on from the Red Devils before August 31.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-gossip/” title=”West Ham latest gossip…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

It appears that the 28-year-old has pulled a U-turn on his West Ham stance and is ‘a lot more open’ to a London Stadium return. The player’s entourage are also said to be ‘making these feelings known’ to Manchester United, with Lingard’s future having not been assured.

West Ham are also expected to launch a bid for the attacker over these coming days and there is ‘renewed optimism’ that a deal could actually happen.

The Verdict: Very much needed…

It has been an arduous and at times painful summer for West Ham supporters given their lack of transfer business so far. Just over two weeks of the transfer window remain until the deadline and Moyes has still yet to see a major new outfield signing come through the door.

West Ham have only snapped up goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan deal from Paris-Saint Germain, so this update on Lingard should come as an exciting one for the Hammers faithful.

It provides fresh hope that Moyes could land one of his major targets after all and there could be many Irons supporters hoping that the ‘sensational’ player, as described by Nigel Winterburn (The Sun), finally signs on the dotted line.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Staggering’, ‘Cannot write this’… many West Ham fans erupt as news confirmed, find out more here.

Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal was gearing up for training in chilly Hetton-le-Hole when he received the warm news of his maiden call-up to the India squad, for the Zimbabwe tour

Shashank Kishore23-May-2016Faiz Fazal, the Vidarbha batsman, was packing his bags for training on a cold and wet Monday morning in Hetton-le-Hole, a small town in the north east of England, when he received a call from his father in Nagpur, informing him of his selection in India’s limited-overs squad for the Zimbabwe tour in June. Fazal, who was not part of the IPL auction in February, has spent more than a month in England, where he has scored two centuries in four matches for Hetton Lyons Cricket Club in the Premier Division of the North East Premier League in Durham.”This is a massive surprise for me,” Fazal told ESPNcricinfo. “For two years before this, I kept looking up to see if I was picked every time a squad was announced. But I was disappointed each time. I’ve tried to consciously steer away from thoughts about selection, so to receive this news early morning from India is a big surprise, but I’m happy. It’s funny how when you stop expecting something you have always chased, things start to happen.”Fazal said that the prospect of wearing the India cap was yet to sink in, but the disappointment of having missed the Under-19 World Cup in 2004 in Bangladesh because of an injury was still fresh. Fazal was withdrawn from the squad, days before the team’s departure, and was replaced by Shikhar Dhawan. Incidentally, Fazal is likely to open in place of Dhawan in Zimbabwe.”It’s a huge thrill, no doubt,” he said. “Apart from playing a few games against MS Dhoni, I haven’t really had a chance to interact with him. That’s something I’m looking forward to. At 30, you don’t really know if the chance has bypassed you or not, but I had the belief. That has kept me going. So this is a sweet moment, and I’ll cherish every minute of the experience.”With over 5000 runs in 79 first-class matches in over a decade, Fazal has been Vidarbha’s batting mainstay. While his numbers in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season – 559 runs in 15 innings at 39.92 were underwhelming, his century in the Irani Cup helped Rest of India pull off a historic chase against Mumbai in March. Prior to the Irani Cup, Fazal had also made a match-winning century for India A in the Deodhar Trophy final.”That Irani knock gave me immense satisfaction,” Fazal recalled. “I think that turned it around for me, probably. We needed 380 with nine wickets in hand on the final day. But at no stage did we think of playing for a draw. Obviously if you do well against the Ranji Trophy champions, you will get noticed, so the plan was for me to bat through, which I nearly did. So that knock was a big confidence booster for me. In terms of batting and adjusting to short-format cricket immediately after the Ranji Trophy, I thought I did quite well in the Deodhar Trophy too.”Fazal is tall, upright and a classical left-handed opening batsman, who relies on timing instead of power. It’s a method, which has brought him considerable success over the years, and he doesn’t want to trade it for anything. “There’s no substitute for the work you put in at the first-class level. I grew up watching greats of the game scoring big runs there,” Fazal said. “Flashy knocks may give you the thrill, but ultimately I wanted to score big runs. That was ingrained into me. Getting a chance to work with a few like Wasim Jaffer (professional) and S Badrinath (captain) at Vidarbha was an amazing experience. Watching them go through their batting drills, talking to them about the game, the rigours of living up to the demands season after season is something I’m fortunate to have got.”With temperatures touching 45 degrees in Nagpur, Fazal decided to play in England. He stepped out of his comfort zone and improved his game. “Playing on seaming wickets is a learning experience,” he said. “Getting 100s here gives you a different kind of thrill, because it is cold, the ball moves all day, and you can’t really switch off while batting at any time. I’ve spent a lot of time in the nets trying to play late, working on my trigger movements. I hope it will pay off. Hopefully I can get in a couple of more games before joining the Indian team.”This wasn’t Fazal’s first stint in England, though. He had played in the Yorkshire League as a 21-year old in 2007. Fazal then spent the next four summers with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, before he was left out in 2012.”That was an eye-opener,” he said. “To be left out of a team like the Royals was tough, but I kept expecting to be picked in the IPL, and missed out on opportunities to play competitive cricket between March and September. This year, I thought irrespective of whether I am picked or not, I will apply and seek clearance to play in England, and so far it has been a wonderful experience. I hope this experience will benefit me a great deal in Zimbabwe.”

GOAL takes a look at which American players are playing the best ahead of the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League

With the CONCACAF Nations League Finals set to kick off this week, one key question remains: Which U.S. men's national team players are in the best form?

It’s a crucial topic, especially with tournament call-ups looming. For the USMNT, these games matter. Competitive matches are rare on the road to the 2026 World Cup, and manager Mauricio Pochettino will need his top players ready to deliver. Fortunately, several have taken their games to new heights in recent weeks.

Christian Pulisic has earned his place on the list after a superstar performance for Milan, making it two consecutive big performances from the American star. With Milan’s recent struggles, he just missed out on the last edition of this list – a testament to how well other USMNT stars are performing. Pulisic’s quality is well known, but other players have been raising their games just as high

From established USMNT starters to those pushing for a breakthrough, these are the American stars thriving at club level. This is not a ranking of the best players, overall, but rather a snapshot of who is showing the best form at the moment. GOAL takes a look in this recurring feature tracking the pulse of U.S. talent worldwide.

Getty5Tyler Adams – Bournemouth ⬇️

He was his club's Player of the Month for February, which is a pretty good indication of just how good Adams has been in recent weeks.

In reality, he's been fantastic since making his long-awaited return from injury, leaping right into the Bournemouth XI and instantly bringing to a whole new level. It's been a little bit rockier in recent weeks, to be fair, with Bournemouth now winless in four after a 2-1 loss to Brentford this weekend. Manager Antoni Iraola deserves credit for the club's rise, but so too does Adams, who has been one of the Premier League's best defensive midfielders since returning to the team.

If he can bring that to the USMNT, they'll reach a new level, too. Adams is simply that good.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport4Chris Richards – Crystal Palace ↔️

Crystal Palace might just be the Premier League's hottest team, and the club's defense has played a major role. USMNT defender Richards has been right at the center of it all.

Over the last month or so, Palace has won four of their last five Premier League games, including wins over Manchester United, Fulham, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town. They've also won two FA Cup clashes in between Richards, meanwhile, has been ever-present, headlined by an assist in the FA Cup triumph over Millwall. The real work has been done defensively, though, as Palace have secured seven clean sheets in all competitions since the start of 2025.

Over the last month, Richards has played the best soccer of his career, and Palace have an outside chance at a European push because of it.

Getty3Christian Pulisic – AC Milan 🌟

With three goals over his last two games, both crucial Milan wins, Pulisic heads into national team camp with his swagger back.

AC Milan haven't been as good as their leading man but, over the course of a week, Pulisic dragged to two huge wins. First up was a two-goal performance against Lecce, which was followed up by the equalizing goal in a 2-1 win over Como. These were huge goals, finishes that will give Milan hope of a European push.

The fact that they're even alive is all thanks to Pulisic, who is showing that this isn't just form, but something more permanent.

Getty Images Sport2Josh Sargent – Norwich City ↔️

Sargent is in the best form of his career and it comes at a time of great need for the USMNT. Strikers Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun won't be in camp in March due to injury, but Sargent will, and based on how he's playing, that means things will be OK.

Since scoring a brace against Swansea on Jan. 25, Sargent has been on an absolute tear. He scored against Watford and Derby. Then against Hull City, too. A brace against Stoke, another goal against Oxford United – they've just kept coming. It's all added up to eight goals in as many games before two scoreless outings this week.

To push towards a Premier League chance, will need Sargent to keep at this pace. For the USMNT, they'll need that, too, f they want to lift another Nations League trophy. This is a big opportunity for Sargent, one that could greatly impact his chances of featuring more for the USMNT if he plays well.

Australia will be keen to experiment, with Green and Labuschagne coming in for Marsh and Smith; Pakistan will miss injured Shadab

Tristan Lavalette28-Mar-2022Big pictureAfter a historic and much-hyped three-Test series, comprising 15 gruelling and emotionally charged days, the limited-overs leg of Australia’s tour of Pakistan can feel somewhat neglected by comparison. The anti-climax is heightened by a severely-weakened Australia, who are missing a slew of stars due to rest, injuries and personal reasons.While Australia will undoubtedly experiment and start underdogs against a formidable looking Pakistan, there is a lot on the line for both teams with the three ODIs part of the current World Cup Super League cycle.Related

Smith ruled of limited-overs matches against Pakistan

Injured Mitchell Marsh to miss opening ODI; Inglis tests positive for Covid

Zampa not worried about three-month break

Australia set to experiment in Pakistan for 2023 World Cup

Australia and Pakistan will look to make up ground amid increasingly rare ODI scheduling in another T20 World Cup year. Australia have won their three series played during the cycle, but sit seventh due to playing just six matches, while Pakistan are 10th after a 3-0 defeat to England in the UK in July in their last ODI hit out.Similarly, Australia last played an ODI against West Indies in July, and they have only played four ODIs overall since December 2020.As their 50-over droughts end, Australia and Pakistan will be keen to put their best foot forward with an eye towards a World Cup in India only 18 months away.Form guidePakistan LLLWL (Last five completed matches; most recent first)
Australia WLWLW
In the spotlightAfter a tough home summer, Aaron Finch has a chance to ease his pressure with a big series in Pakistan. Having memorably become the first Australian captain to lift the T20 World Cup trophy, a laboured Finch struggled through the season with a persistent knee injury during a lacklustre BBL and subsequent T20I series against Sri Lanka. The 35-year-old is keen to continue through to next year’s World Cup but his dip in form has raised eyebrows. Finch has not played an ODI since December 2020, but expressed confidence during his press conference on Monday of being able to slip back into the 50-over format comfortably enough. He will be relied upon to shore up Australia’s inexperienced batting order, and if he fires then that should quell simmering pressure over his position.Australia players train in the heat•Associated PressShaheen Shah Afridi lit up the Test series although didn’t quite get the reward for his toil on mostly stale pitches and against Australia’s experienced batting order. Without his new best buddy David Warner, along with Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell also missing, Australia’s top order appears a little shaky and ripe for Shaheen to crack open if he can get the white ball hooping around. He will be eager for a bounce back in ODIs having been expensive during the three-match series in South Africa and in the last ODI in England last year.Team news*Mitchell Marsh is going to miss the opening ODI due to a hip injury with emerging star Cameron Green set to be his replacement. Smith was earlier ruled out of the series due to an elbow injury, which could open the door for Test specialist Marnus Labuschagne to add to his 13 ODIs. Josh Inglis tested positive on Monday and will isolate for five days but that’s unlikely to change the team combination with Alex Carey set to keep wicket.Australia will experiment with the squad, including uncapped ODI players Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis and Mitchell Swepson.Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Ben McDermott, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Travis Head, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Ben Dwarshuis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Nathan EllisPakistan are likely to be without legspinner Shadab Khan for the opening two ODIs after he sustained a groin injury during the PSL. They have a strong squad, including a contingent who played in the Tests, but excluded former captain Sarfraz Ahmed and allrounder Imad Wasim. They included uncapped spinner Asif Afridi and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris after strong performances in the PSL, while an ODI debut for Abdullah Shafique, who starred in the Tests at the top of the order, could be forthcoming.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Abdullah Shafique 5 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 6 Mohammad Haris, 7 Faheem Ashraf,  8 Asif Afridi, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Haris RaufPitch and conditionsOn the back of the Test match, the pitch is expected to be dry and favouring batting although reverse swing could be a factor amid dewy conditions under lights. Very hot conditions are forecast in Lahore with a maximum temperature of 38 degrees.Stats and trivia Australia have a commanding record against Pakistan in ODIs with 68 wins from 101 completed matches. On their last tour of Pakistan in 1998, Australia wrapped up a clean sweep of the three-match ODI series with a six-wicket victory in Lahore to complete the then second-highest successful chase in history. Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist scored centuries to lead Australia’s chase down of 316 with seven balls to spare. The world’s No.1 ranked ODI batter Babar Azam has a career average of 56.92 which is the fourth best of all time.*1210 GMT: The preview was updated after Cricket Australia issued a statement.