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da realsbet： Celtic have their eyes on two new forward players this month, but a new report suggests it is a Poland international currently starring in the MLS that the Hoops may move to sign.

Celtic transfer news

da betway： The Bhoys have just over two weeks remaining to complete any transfer business they wish to do ahead of the second half of the season. Despite sitting pretty at the top of the Scottish Premiership and a victory away from the knockout phase of the Champions League, Brendan Rodgers will still want his side to improve.

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However, before they get a new player to the club, Celtic may have to deal with an exit, as Hull City and Queens Park Rangers have made Greg Taylor a transfer target. The left-back is out of contract in the summer, and while Celtic continue to negotiate over a new deal, an exit could materialise this month. Taylor has a positive relationship with Rodgers, which means he would be happy to stay at the club, but a move away has yet to be ruled out.

The Hoops face another potential exit, as young striker Daniel Cummings is wanted by West Ham United and Brighton, but Celtic are pushing for Cummings to stay and sign a new contract. The 18-year-old will be a free agent at the end of the campaign and, given he has scored 24 goals in 24 games in the club’s B team, that will be a bitter blow to Celtic.

Celtic may move for £8.5m MLS star this month

The future of Kyogo Furuhashi has been thrown into doubt in recent weeks, and the Hoops may already have a replacement in mind, as according to Corriere dello Sport relayed by Sport Witness, Celtic may look to sign Mateusz Bogusz this month instead of long-term forward target Gustav Isaksen.

The report states that the Scottish champions remain interested in Lazio’s Isaksen, but that is a deal that looks unlikely, as he is set to stay at Lazio until the end of the season, and Celtic are yet to bid for the player because of their interest in Bogusz.

Bogusz, who currently plays for MLS side LAFC, is of interest to Celtic and has been since the summer, when they were in talks over a deal to sign the forward. The 23-year-old netted 20 goals and recorded 11 assists in the MLS last season, and that form would make him an exciting addition for the Hoops.

Mateusz Bogusz’s LAFC stats

Apps

90

Goals

24

Assists

19

Bogusz’s form in front of goal has seen the player go from a transfer value of 2 million euros to 10 million euros (£8.5m) in the last 12 months alone. The Poland international’s ability to play anywhere across the frontline and as a ‘number ten’ means Rodgers has options for where he could play the player, but his arrival would provide serious competition for the likes of Kyogo and Adam Idah.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2016Mohammed Shami then bounced Darren Bravo out for 11 off 33 balls•Associated PressWhen Shami had Marlon Samuels edging behind, he became the joint-quickest Indian seamer to 50 Test wickets•ESPNcricinfo LtdFour balls later, Shami dismissed Jermaine Blackwood for a duck. West Indies were reduced to 92 for 5 in 49 overs•Associated PressRoston Chase made 23 in his first Test innings before flapping a catch to short midwicket off Umesh Yadav•Associated PressKraigg Brathwaite progressed slowly to 74 before falling to Umesh, who would share eight wickets with Shami•Associated PressShane Dowrich resisted the visitors with his second Test fifty•Associated PressJason Holder contributed 36 in a 69-run stand for the eighth wicket•Associated PressShannon Gabriel was the last man dismissed for 2 as West Indies were asked to follow on•Associated PressIshant Sharma pinned Kraigg Brathwaite lbw to cap an excellent day for India. West Indies were 21 for 1, still trailing India by 302 runs•Associated Press

da brdice： Liverpool have now set their sights on a “sensational” full-back, having already made contact with his agent, according to journalist Christian Falk.

Liverpool's plans in January

da supremo： One of the Reds’ main priorities this winter will be to tie down Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold to new contracts, given that all three of their deals are set to expire at the end of the season.

However, Arne Slot may also look to bring in some reinforcements in January, with Fulham’s Antonee Robinson viewed as an ideal replacement for Andy Robertson, amid the left-back’s struggle to find his best form so far this season.

Given that Alexander-Arnold could leave in the summer, with La Liga’s Real Madrid becoming increasingly confident about completing a deal, the manager may also have to strengthen on the right side.

Liverpool are said to have registered their interest in signing Chelsea’s Malo Gusto as the doubt over Alexander-Arnold’s future continues, but the 21-year-old is not the only option they have in mind.

BILD reporter Falk has now revealed that Bayer Leverkusen winger Jeremie Frimpong is of interest to Slot, given his versatility in being able to play in a number of positions, including on the wing and at full-back.

Falk said: “True: That Jeremie Frimpong is on the shortlist at Liverpool. He’s a very special player. He can play many positions and that makes him so interesting for Liverpool. There are no concrete talks yet at the moment, but he’s in their sights.”

Falk also revealed that Frimpong has a €40m (£33m) release clause included in his contract, which the Reds will seemingly need to pay to get a deal over the line. Liverpool are said to have already spoken with the winger’s agent, going as far as inviting him to Anfield earlier in the campaign, although they are not yet at the stage of negotiating the conditions of a deal.

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Given that Alexander-Arnold is well-known for his attacking exploits, it may make sense to replace him with another attack-minded full-back, should he move to Real Madrid at the end of the campaign. Throughout his career so far, Frimpong has been utilised at both right-back and right wing, showcasing his attacking talent this season by chipping in with two goals and four assists in 14 Bundesliga outings.

Guardian columnist Dominik Diamond was particularly impressed with the Dutchman during the Netherlands’ friendly against Canada back in the summer.

As such, although Liverpool fans will not want Alexander-Arnold to leave under any circumstances, Frimpong could be a fantastic replacement.

MatériaMais Notícias

da blaze casino： Botafogo e Vasco empataram em 1 a 1 nesta quarta-feira pelo Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-17, no CEFAT, em Niterói. Os cruz-maltinos abriram o placar com Estrella e os alvinegros empataram a partida com gol de Fabrício.

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da apostebet：
Aos 35 minutos do 1º tempo, Paulinho recebeu na lateral da área e cruzou no meio da área para Estrella que cabeceou vindo de trás da marcação para abrir o placar.

+CBF estuda perda de pontos por racismo: relembre casos no futebol brasileiro

Aos 5 minutos da etapa complementar, Fabiano deixou tudo igual ao ganhar no alto após cruzamento vindo da lateral direita.

As duas equipes seguem empatadas com 5 pontos somados no Grupo B. O Vasco está em 6º lugar e o Botafogo vem logo atrás em 7º. Os alvinegros voltam a campo no dia 31 contra o Fortaleza. Os cruz-maltinos recebem o Bahia no mesmo dia.

Just a few months after their World Cup flop show, the nucleus of a vibrant England one-day unit has emerged. And, unlike previous episodes of the team trying to embrace 50-over cricket, this one feels as though it has some longevity to it

Andrew McGlashan21-Nov-2015Two hundred and fifty seven days. On March 9, England exited the World Cup in the group stages after a 15-run defeat against Bangladesh in Adelaide. On November 20, Jos Buttler broke his own record with England’s fastest ODI century, a brutal 46-ball demolition of Pakistan in Dubai, which set-up a series-clinching victory.Anyone who watched England’s insipid World Cup campaign could scarcely have believed how their year in 50-over cricket would develop. A barnstorming series victory against New Zealand, a hard-fought 3-2 loss against World Champions Australia and finally a convincing series win in Asian conditions which tested various facets of a young side’s game.The Ashes series success will define England’s 2015, but it is the resurgence of the one-day side under Eoin Morgan and the shrewd stewardship of Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace that should really be seen as the stand-out achievement of the latest “new era”. Unlike previous incarnations of England trying to embrace one-day cricket, this one feels as though it has some longevity about it.Driven by Andrew Strauss’ demand that English cricket casts off its dismissive attitude to one-day cricket, the nucleus of a vibrant 50-over unit has emerged in barely six months. Those associated with the World Cup campaign insist that the freedom now being displayed was how they wanted to play in Australia and New Zealand. They never came close, though, after Morgan inherited Alastair Cook’s team and was unable to implement his own ideals in such a short turnaround.However, given the complete backing by Strauss to retain the captaincy – one of the decisions buried on that tumultuous day at Lord’s in May when Kevin Pietersen’s career was ended and the mud-slinging resumed – Morgan was handed the authority to make it his team. He has been immense as a captain and a batsman; it is all well and good to tell batsmen to play without inhibition, but that desire had to be followed through from the top and Morgan was true to his word. Since the World Cup he has made 754 runs at 58.00 with a strike-rate of 101.75.A couple of decisions in the final match against Pakistan in Dubai also highlight his sharp captaincy mind. Firstly, he promoted Buttler to No. 4 and then, with Pakistan throwing the bat, saw Sarfraz Ahmed dispatch Adil Rashid down the ground. It would have been easy to drop a fielder back to long-on, but instead he kept mid-on inside the circle. Off the next ball Sarfraz picked out the man. Neither was a ground-breaking captaincy manoeuvre, but such thinking in the one-day game has not often been natural within an England set-up.Jos Buttler’s century in the final ODI in Dubai was the 12th by an England batsman this year, the most in a calendar year•Getty ImagesWhile inconsistency remains, as shown by an overall tally of eight wins and six defeats since the start of the New Zealand series, the highlights of England’s last three series have been plentiful. Against New Zealand they crossed 400 for the first time, chased down 350 with six overs to spare and secured the series having been 45 for 5 in the chase at Chester-le-Street.Facing Australia, they fought back from 2-0 down to take the series to a decider. At Old Trafford, spinners Rashid and Moeen Ali came to the fore and at Headingley, Morgan marshalled a chase of 300. Back in Manchester, the top order folded with the series on the line and when they started against Pakistan by being 14 for 3 in Abu Dhabi, there was a thought whether progress would stall, but the response was emphatic.For individual players, there have been important career milestones. In the last seven matches, three batsmen have registered maiden ODI centuries: James Taylor, Alex Hales and Jason Roy. Taylor did not play against New Zealand, having emerged from the World Cup carnage with his reputation intact and captained the washout against Ireland in Dublin, but has proved to be an immensely versatile batsman. His century came at No. 3 against Australia and then in Sharjah he nursed a run chase at No. 5 in conditions favouring spin that would have undone many an England side. Do not underestimate his power, either, while his speed between the wickets adds another dimension.The hundreds for Hales and Roy in the UAE showed the value of letting players settle into a position; both have had their ups and downs – Roy started unconvincingly against New Zealand and Hales stuttered against Australia – but there is a long-term view about this one-day team with Bayliss and the selectors content to soak up the occasional hiccup.Centuries win one-day matches and in 2015 England have started to crack the code. Before the series against Pakistan, they already had their most three-figure scores for a calendar year (nine), and the 12 they have finished with – crowned by Buttler’s effort – is evidence of a top order that is quickly learning its trade at the top level, although it also reinforces how far behind the pack their game was. The overall strike-rate, too, of 93.07 is comfortably their best for a year.The bowling depth has been tested and the results have been encouraging. James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been moved aside from the one-day team – the former probably for the good, the latter may remerge – while in the UAE the side was shorn of Steven Finn who had become the senior figure in the team during the summer and Ben Stokes was due to be rested even before his collarbone injury. What David Willey and Reece Topley lack in pace they have made up for in nous, both producing eye-catching spells of swing against Pakistan, while the management have already been impressed by Topley’s variety. Player rotation means that the notion of a first-choice attack may be a thing of the past and the by-product is that the pool of players who can fill a role has expanded.All the bowlers have had to take a deep breath at times – especially in the series against New Zealand which was the fastest scoring bilateral series in history – none more so than Rashid, but England’s commitment to him embodies their new approach. He has conceded more than six-an-over, yet has not been overawed as 19 wickets in 14 innings would attest to. His 3 for 78 in Dubai was a case in point: two of the wickets came after he had been clobbered for a boundary, responding by finding Mohammad Rizwan’s edge with a sharp legbreak and having Sarfraz taken at mid-on.There will be more rough days with the smooth for this side. The first major staging post for them is the 2017 Champions Trophy in England – by when they will also have played series in Bangladesh and India that will challenge other areas of the team – and that tournament will be a good gauge as to how the side is shaping up for 2019. That World Cup, on home soil, is crucial to English cricket on a multitude of levels in terms of performances on the field and spreading the game off it – the challenge of the latter as important as the former. There is reason to believe, though, that there is a team being formed that can deliver.For England in one-day cricket, 2015 was on one hand another but on the other a year where an exciting future emerged.

da winzada777： A “quality” Leeds United player has been ruled out of his side’s Championship clash with Swansea City this weekend through injury, according to a new claim.

Leeds preparing for Swansea clash

da supremo： The last international break of the year is done and dusted, much to the delight of the vast majority of football fans, and the Whites return to action on Sunday afternoon.

Daniel Farke’s Leeds side make the trip to Swansea knowing only victory could give them a chance of being in the automatic promotion places come the end of the weekend. That will depend on how Sunderland and Sheffield United fare, with both sides two points clear currently.

The Swans are sitting 11th in the table, so it won’t be an easy game for the Whites, but these are the kind of matches they need to win, in order to outline their promotion credentials and show why many believe they will return to the Premier League this season.

Ahead of the game, Leeds aren’t without injury problems, not least with Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev long-term absentees in midfield, and another player has now been ruled out of the weekend action.

"Quality" Leeds player out of Swansea game

Speaking to the media on Friday, Farke confirmed that Isaac Schmidt will miss Leeds’ clash with Swansea, with a return to training expected “next week”:

Meanwhile, journalist Nancy Froston added more on the situation, confirming that the £10,000-a-week left-back “had surgery on a hernia at the start of the international break.”

Admittedly, there could be more important players for Lees to be without this weekend than Schmidt, considering he has only made four appearances since sealing a move from St. Gallen in the summer transfer window. All of those came as a substitute, too, totalling just ten minutes.

It is still a setback for the Whites, however, with Farke wanting as many options as possible available, and the Swiss has been praised by Oscar Marrio in the past, who has said of him:

“I won’t pretend to know anything about Schmidt but he’s a really interesting profile and his versatility means at the very least he’s good depth if we do sign him. And adding another quality ball striker would be nice as well to help break down the teams who sit in vs us.”

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The fact that Schmidt is only a short-term absentee is good news, however, with his return to training in the coming days meaning Swansea could be the only game he misses, along with potentially the visit of Luton Town in the Championship on Wednesday evening.

Statistical highlights from the fourth day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India in Galle

Bishen Jeswant15-Aug-20151 Number of previous instances out of 21 attempts of India failing to achieve a target of less than 200 in the fourth innings of a Test – when they were chasing 120 against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1997.192 The lead conceded by Sri Lanka at the end of the first innings, their biggest when winning a Test. The record is held by Australia, when they overcame a 291-run deficit against Sri Lanka in 1992. Excluding Pakistan’s forfeiture at The Oval in 2006, this is only the eighth instance of a team winning a Test despite a first-innings deficit of 190 or more. (Click here for such instances when the team batting first won the Test, and here for wins by the team batting second.)112 India’s total in the second innings, their lowest score in or against Sri Lanka. Their previous lowest score in Sri Lanka was 138 at the SSC in 2008. Three out of India’s four lowest scores in Sri Lanka have come in Galle.270 Test wickets taken by Rangana Herath, the third-most for any left-arm spinner after Daniel Vettori (362) and Derek Underwood (297). Herath went past Bishan Bedi (266) during his seven-wicket haul in the fourth innings of this Test.22 Number of five-wicket hauls taken by Herath in Tests, going past Clarrie Grimmett (21). He is now among the top-five spinners with the most five-wicket hauls after Muttiah Muralitharan (67), Shane Warne (37), Anil Kumble (35) and Harbhajan Singh (25).7-48 Herath’s figures in the fourth innings, the second-best for any bowler in a Test innings in Galle, after Muralitharan (7-46) against England in 2003.5 Number of innings per five-wicket haul for Herath, the fifth-fewest for any bowler in Test history (min. 20 five-fors). He has taken 22 five-wicket hauls from 110 innings (61 Tests). The four bowlers to take five-wickets hauls at a greater frequency than Herath are Sydney Barnes (24 in 50 innings), Grimmett (21 in 67), Muralitharan (67 in 230) and Richard Hadlee (36 in 150).37 Herath’s age, making him the oldest Sri Lanka bowler to take a seven-wicket haul in Tests. Herath and Muralitharan are the only Sri Lanka bowlers to take more than one five-wicket haul after the age of 35.35 Number of dot-balls played by Shikhar Dhawan at the start of the fourth day. His first runs came when he inside-edged his 36th ball for a boundary.

da betsson： Tom Wagner has been the Birmingham City chairman since 2023 and is looking to bring the good times back to the Blues, starting with promotion back to the Championship after relegation to League One last season.

da 888casino： Under Wagner, Birmingham have splashed the cash, brought in a new manager in Chris Davies and are looking at leaving St Andrew’s for a new purpose-built 60,000+ capacity stadium by 2029.

They’ve also got NFL icon Tom Brady on board in the Midlands, making it an exciting time to be a Birmingham supporter. But who actually is Wagner? Football FanCast has compiled a fact file on the American businessman.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 6, 2024 Who is Tom Wagner?

Wagner is an American financier who co-founded Knighthead Capital Management LLC in 2008 along with business partner Ara Cohen. He is also the New York-based firm’s co-CEO and manages about €9bn (£7.5bn) of assets.

A subsidiary of Knighthead Investment set up a company last year called Shelby Companies Limited, registered in Birmingham. Wagner is also listed as a director of that company.

Tom Wagner's Birmingham City takeover

Shelby Companies Limited completed a 45.98% ownership of Birmingham City in July 2023, with Wagner saying at the time:

“The transition and implementation plans will take time. There will be bumps in the road but I ask that you get behind the leadership team guiding the club forward, be part of the alliance and continue to give every team that wears the shirt your passionate support.”

SCL later took full ownership of St Andrew’s. Birmingham were run by Chinese owners prior to the takeover.

Tom Wagner's links to Tom Brady

Brady was announced as a minority owner of Birmingham City in August 2023, weeks after SCL purchased their stake in the club. But how do Wagner and Brady know each other?

The Americans have reportedly been friends for a number of years and have worked on other projects before their time with Birmingham. Last year, Wagner, Brady and tennis ace Kim Clijsters invested in a major league pickleball team, and they have recently been approved by NFL owners to buy a 10% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.

Tom Wagner and Tom Brady's net worth

Wagner’s personal net worth is thought to be around $1.6bn (£1.34bn), while NFL icon Brady is said to be worth around $300m (£252m).

Tom Wagner personal life

Wagner, who is 55 years of age, keeps his personal life away from the media, but he is reportedly married and has two children. In 1992, Wagner completed an undergraduate study at Villanova University where he received a degree in accounting.

Tom Wagner's previous jobs

Prior to co-founding Knighthead Capital Management, Wagner worked at Goldman Sachs, where he was a managing director.

Wagner has also previously been employed by investment banking affiliate Credit Suisse First Boston and accounting company Ernst & Young.

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Brendan Taylor stayed through some of the toughest times in Zimbabwe cricket’s recent history but the circumstances have forced him to opt for a stint in England

Firdose Moonda13-Mar-2015Brendan Taylor was told to walk away from Zimbabwe Cricket 11 years ago. He stayed. He was told to walk away every year after that. He did not like being told what to do. He stayed.For him, the politics of playing sport in Zimbabwe was secondary to the actual playing and he did not have any real reason to leave. In 2004, during the white-player walkout, Taylor was just out of high school, too young to fully understand the undercurrents but old enough to know playing international cricket was a big deal and the chance to do so was on his doorstep. He stayed.After that, crisis snowballed into crisis. He stayed.In the years that followed, Zimbabwe, the country, was thrown into turmoil. The economy lost so much money, cricket was among the last things it could think about. And in that time they lost so many Test matches – seven in 2005, five by an innings and then some – figuring out how to become competitive was also low down on the radar. They offered themselves up for exile. He stayed.Not worried about leaving a hole here – Taylor

Brendan Taylor has cautioned against forecasting a gloomy future for Zimbabwean cricket just because he will not be involved. Taylor’s three-year Kolpak deal with Nottinghamshire makes him ineligible for Zimbabwe for that time but he has full faith the game will move in the right direction with Dav Whatmore at the helm and promising players in the ranks.
“I think there’s enough depth there at the moment. We’ve certainly got some experienced players, we’ve got some young and talented players coming through,” Taylor said. “I’m not too worried about maybe leaving a hole there. I certainly don’t think that’s the case.
“I think the players are definitely good enough to fulfill that No. 4 spot in Test cricket and one-dayers, exciting players as in Solomon Mire and Sean Williams in the middle there, there are talks of Graeme Cremer making a comeback. For me that’s all very encouraging. I have no doubt you’ll start seeing the best from them, and I’m confident that there’s a bright future right around the corner for Zimbabwe cricket.”

Salaries weren’t paid. But there was almost nowhere in the country where it was any different. He stayed.He looked for somewhere to go, briefly, and then stayed.By 2008, sponsors were slowly trickling in and Zimbabwe had a plan to reintegrate into the global cricket community. Taylor’s stay seemed worthwhile. They started playing a T20 franchise competition and built towards the 2011 World Cup. But then, they crashed out after only beating the smaller sides they faced. He stayed.A Test comeback was around the corner. So staying was worthwhile. He led the side and remembers it as the best moment of his career, an “incredible feeling.” He even stayed longer.Series against Pakistan and New Zealand followed, and Zimbabwe Cricket was on the up. He stayed.A tour to New Zealand tested their ability and brought Taylor to the attention of a franchise in that country. He was offered a T20 deal for one of their sides, which he accepted. There were rumours Taylor would consider moving to New Zealand but he returned to Zimbabwe.That year, 2012, saw funds and tours dry up again. Salaries weren’t paid. He stayed.There was a World T20 to look forward to and although Zimbabwe crashed out of that, Taylor stayed.More matches came in 2013 but only after more fighting about funds. Taylor stayed.The reasons for Brendan Taylor to go are far greater than the ones which could make him stay•ICCShortly before the home series against Pakistan, Kyle Jarvis took up a Kolpak deal and left, citing financial security as a major reason for his decision. Taylor questioned the timing of his team-mate’s decision and stayed.His son, Mason, was born on the eve of the first Test. Taylor had been at the hospital and had to withdraw from the starting XI. But later that day, he went to Harare Sports Club to watch his team-mates and have a net. And stayed.He returned for the next match. His wife Kelly and their new-born child were in attendance. They stayed too.Somewhere in the midst of all of this Craig Ervine went to play club cricket in Ireland and Graeme Creamer quit cricket for golf.A players’ association was formed to lobby for salaries, which were not paid again. Taylor stayed.Mid 2014, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) was restructured, the captaincy was split and Taylor was relieved of his duties as limited-overs leader. He stayed.Zimbabwe hosted South Africa, Taylor made two low scores and was dropped for the third game, despite notching up a half-century against Afghanistan two innings before that. He stayed.An eight-nil blanking across all formats to Bangladesh was the only preparation Zimbabwe had for the World Cup. Taylor stayed. But it was also the first time he thought of leaving. Seriously.The situation was becoming untenable and even ZC knew it. As soon as the team returned home, they announced another overhaul.So why now, when Zimbabwean cricket is again looking to get back on its feet, has Taylor finally decided to go?Because now, enough things have mounted up and his reasons to go have become greater than his reasons to stay. Other people are not telling him what to do but circumstance is.”It hasn’t been an easy decision to make,” Taylor said. “It’s something that I discussed with my family and my wife, and after two-three months of doing that, I decided to go and play in England. I think all players tend to try and maximise a little bit. When you’ve got kids at home, you want to try and make sure they’ve got the best sort of upbringing that you can give them. That all sort of favoured the decision. I just want to go there and try to better myself as a cricketer, and at the end of the day, we’re all trying to provide for families, and to me that’s very important.”The good news for Zimbabwe fans is that Taylor could still go back. Nobody would dare tell him that, he already knows. “I don’t think everything is lost after England, whether I continue to play on after those three years in England or come back to Zimbabwe.” And stay? When he does return, you can bet he will.

Both Pakistan and West Indies have a chance to improve their recent ODI record

Shiva Jayaraman20-Feb-20156 World Cup games West Indies have won against Pakistan out of the nine played between them so far. In the last ten games between the sides, however, the contest has been more even with Pakistan winning five and West Indies four, and one match ending in a tie.8 Matches Pakistan have won out of the last ten ODIs against West Indies while chasing a total. In the last 10 ODIs against top eight sides in which they have batted second, Pakistan have been most successful against West Indies.5-13 Pakistan’s win-loss record against the top ODI teams since 2014. Their win-loss ratio of 0.38 is only better than Zimbabwe’s, who have lost 12 of their 13 games since 2014. West Indies have done slightly better against the Test teams, having won seven of their 17 matches.

Team records – ODIs since 2014

Team Mat Won Lost Tied NR W/LAustralia 24 18 5 0 1 3.6South Africa 25 17 7 0 1 2.42New Zealand 27 16 7 1 2 2.28India 28 14 11 1 2 1.27Sri Lanka 38 20 17 0 1 1.17West Indies 17 7 10 0 0 0.7England 31 10 20 0 0 0.5Bangladesh 17 5 11 0 1 0.45Pakistan 18 5 13 0 0 0.38Zimbabwe 13 1 12 0 0 0.08-12.81 The difference between Pakistan’s batting and bowling averages in ODIs since 2014 – the second highest among teams. Only Zimbabwe have let their batting and bowling averages drift apart in the wrong directions by a greater extent. Pakistan are the only team in this World Cup with a bowling average of greater than 40 and a batting average that has stayed below 30. West Indies are not far behind, with a negative difference of 5.83.

Highest average differences – batting minus bowling

Team bat runs wkts lost bat ave runs conc wkts taken bow_ave ave diffZimbabwe 3698 155 23.85 4639 125 37.11 -13.25Pakistan 4638 167 27.77 4870 120 40.58 -12.81West Indies 4520 146 30.95 4746 129 36.79 -5.83Afghanistan 4158 151 27.53 4370 135 32.37 -4.83England 6972 244 28.57 7473 226 33.06 -4.49Ireland 1864 69 27.01 2006 70 28.65 -1.64 UAE 1981 57 34.75 2062 58 35.55 -0.79Bangladesh 4012 146 27.47 4042 145 27.87 -0.39Sri Lanka 9453 298 31.72 9638 301 32.01 -0.29Scotland 2464 86 28.65 2150 80 26.87 1.77India 7030 194 36.23 6534 218 29.97 6.26Australia 6133 170 36.07 5577 194 28.74 7.32New Zealand 6799 174 39.07 6329 204 31.02 8.05South Africa 6538 153 42.73 5650 217 26.03 16.697 Number of wickets West Indies’ bowlers have taken during the batting Powerplay in 14 innings – the least among the top teams in ODIs since 2014. They have conceded an average of 65 runs per wicket during these overs. Their economy of 6.59 in the Powerplay is also among the worst. In comparison, Pakistan are the most economical bowling unit in these overs with an economy of 5.35 and 18 wickets at an average of 26.11.61 Runs Chris Gayle has scored against Pakistan in his last five innings against them. He has hit only eight boundaries in the 105 deliveries he faced in these five games. Gayle is going through a lean patch with 18 ODI innings since his last hundred – against Sri Lanka in 2013. Since then, he has scored 270 runs at an average of 15, including a solitary fifty against Bangladesh.

Top West Indies batsmen v Pakistan

Batsman Inns Runs Ave SR 100s 50s CH Gayle 33 940 28.48 85.84 3 3 MN Samuels 15 565 47.08 59.59 2 1 LMP Simmons 14 536 41.23 78.36 0 6 DM Bravo 11 241 21.9 58.07 0 2 DJG Sammy 10 146 20.85 87.95 0 09 Fifties Misbah-ul-Haq has hit against West Indies in 15 ODI innings. Misbah has scored 684 runs at an average of 76.00 against them. Umar Akmal, too, has done well against West Indies with 287 runs in nine innings at an average of 57.40 and a strike rate of 105.12.

Top Pakistan batsmen v West Indies

Batsman Inns Runs Ave SR 100s 50s Misbah-ul-Haq 15 684 76 68.46 0 9 Shahid Afridi 36 625 18.38 93.42 0 4 Younis Khan 15 432 28.8 65.75 1 1 Umar Akmal 9 287 57.4 105.12 0 1 Ahmed Shehzad 10 258 25.8 59.31 1 1 Nasir Jamshed 6 175 29.16 59.72 0 29 Number of fifty-plus scores by West Indies top-order batsmen (No. 1 to No. 3) – equals the least by any of the top teams in ODIs since 2014. Zimbabwe also have nine fifty-plus scores from their top-three batsmen but have played one match less.8.18 Pakistan’s economy in the last ten overs in ODIs since 2014. Among teams in this World Cup, only Zimbabwe leak runs at a faster rate, at an economy of 8.75 runs an over. Even in their last game in which Pakistan bowled excellently in the last five overs, they had conceded 56 runs between overs 41 to 45 for an overall economy of 8.3 in the last ten overs. Pakistan will be up against a team with the second-best scoring rate in the last ten overs: West Indies’ scoring rate of 8.51 in these overs is second only to New Zealand’s 8.84 in ODIs since 2014.