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Almost two years to date, in a replay of the ’99 World Cup final, Pakistan takes on Australia on Saturday for the NatWest Trophy. Two years ago the greenshirts had to eat humble pie. Not only were they defeated but disgraced too, for that was the most one-sided of all the World Cup finals. Back home, such was the backlash on that debacle the Pakistan Cricket Board was sent packing!This time round, the Pakistanis seem a whole lot more dedicated to not allow a repeat of that abysmal show. Beating the Aussies, albeit slightly under strength side with McGrath and Ponting having been rested, in one of the two league encounters has sent their confidence soaring.The question, however, is: whether they are equipped to overcome the Aussies, the best team in the world, in a crunch game?Well, for one, the Pakistanis in the last year or so have almost ended up losing every vital encounter. It shows that character flaw which the ’99 World Cup final itself had brought out in such sharp relief: the lack of ‘mental toughness’. The Aussies have loads of it, while the Pakistanis, despite their enormous talent, have lacked that important ingredient which transforms sides to the extent that they can virtually snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat.But during this early England summer, under a new captain, this seems to be improving, for the better. The rubber-levelling victory in the Old Trafford Test, which ensured that they extended their unbeaten run in England since 1987 (though they failed to win a series for the first time in four rubbers), was the turning point. The good work was carried on in the NatWest Series, and four wins from five games seems to be as good a record as any. More so because it matches that of their nemesis, the Aussies.Even the one game they lost, against the Aussies, was remarkable for the fact that after losing six wickets for 85, Yousuf Youhana-Rashid Latif rearguard took the total to a competitive 257. That was never going to be a winning score on a good batting wicket, but that they didn’t totally capitulate after the hara-kiri against Shane Warne, goes to show that they were resolute in not going down with a whimper.So going into the final, we see that despite the upper order a trifle unsettled, generally the combinations are working well. The middle order has mostly delivered, not only individually but tried to develop partnerships with the all-rounders and the tail. Despite getting out cheaply and in a manner that was anything but dignified, Inzamam is in very fine fettle, and so are Youhana and Younis Khan. The availability of four quality all-rounders – Wasim Akram, Abdur Razzaq, Rashid Latif and Azhar Mahmood – has added to the depth in both bowling and batting. Waqar Younis, the skipper, with 13 wickets in two outings is the leading wicket-taker of the competition by a distance and has immensely grown in stature as a captain. And Saqlain Mushtaq is bowling as beautifully as ever, and on occasions seems to be topping it off. The only problem areas are, Saeed Anwar not being in convincing form and the question of who should partner him. Saleem Elahi was included for one encounter, and after an extremely shaky start he made 70-odd. But should he be persisted with instead of recalling Shahid Afridi, whose three-dimensional talents could really come handy?In comparison, the Aussie upper and middle order has been in devastating form, but the bowling seems to be a slight area of concern. They have mostly tried to have Test-match like field placings against England, but that may not work out as the Pakistani strokemakers are wristy and have a habit of working off-side deliveries between square-leg and midwicket. Inzamam had given ample proof of that in his hundred in the Old Trafford Test.Other than their three frontline pacers, McGrath, Gillespie and Lee, the Aussie bowling lacks sting and penetration – something which was fully exploited when Pakistan scored 290 and beat them by 36 runs. It would have been a few more runs had the momentum not been broken when crowd disturbance caused an interruption. Shane Warne is not in the best of forms, and the back-up bowlers are not good enough to stop the flow of runs and get wickets at the same time.The Pakistanis would have to be conscious of not allowing the Aussie upper order, Gilchrist and Ponting in particular, to get a flying start and guard against a collapse much reminiscent of the ’99 World Cup final.So all in all, with the Pakistanis undaunted by the Aussie reputation, a pretty even fight at Lord’s is on the cards.

ScorecardLiam Hatcher’s performance meant Australia cannot lose the one-day series•Cricket Australia

Liam Hatcher took 6 for 27 to demolish England U-19s for 99 as Australia took a 2-1 lead in the one-day series with one match remaining.Hatcher ran through England’s middle order at Grace Road with Jack Burnham’s 21 being the top score in a paltry effort. They were 76 for 9 before a last-wicket stand of 23 nearly pushed them to three figures.Australia lost Caleb Jewell to a run out off the first ball of the chase and slipped to 9 for 2 Will Pucovski was lbw, but Matt Renshaw’s unbeaten 39 ensured there were few other worries as they cantered to the target in the 21st over.Australia had chosen to bowl first and were soon marking inroads as Jhye Richardson removed England’s openers, including the in-from Dan Lawrence, inside the first seven overs.It was then over to Hatcher who had Haseeb Hameed caught behind then bowled captain Aneurin Donald for 4 third ball. Burham’s 21 included five boundaries before he was also bowled. Nine of the England batsmen were dismissed with barely half the overs used when Hatcher claimed George Garton and Mason Crane in consecutive deliveries.

It’s not been a happy few months for the Asian Cricket Council.In December its Under-15 Elite Cup in Nepal was reduced to near farce after eight of the ten participants were thrown out for fielding over-age players – as many as eight in a 15-man squad. Last week the ACC Under-19 Challenge Cup took place in Thailand, but with only four of the original ten countries taking part. There has been no official explanation for the withdrawals, the last of which, Iran’s, came two days before the tournament started on January 12.The organisers were left with four teams – China, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia and Maldives – who played each other in a round-robin format and then, rather embarrassingly, all four then progressed into semi-finals.Saudi Arabia dominated the round-robin stage, winning all three of their matches and only being run remotely close by Maldives in their opening game. China, however, lost by large margins, underlining how far their cricket has to come despite bullish noises from those running world cricket.In the semi-finals, Saudi Arabia followed their ten-wicket drubbing of China earlier on with an equally impressive 191-run rout, while Bhutan beat Maldives by six runs in the game of the tournament. Maldives appeared set for victory but lost their last five wickets for five runs in 11 balls.In the final, Saudi Arabia easily beat Bhutan by 59 runs. Saudi Arabia, who won the toss, rattled up 247, a good score considering with 16 overs to go they were 131 for 5. Man of the Match Hussain Anwar triggered the late onslaught with a 68-ball 62, including two sixes. Bhutan were never up with the asking rate and only one of their top six passed 12.

Ryan ten Doeschate: a star in the making © AFP

The Essex allrounder, Ryan ten Doeschate, holds the key to Holland’s World Cup campaign, according to his coach at both international and county level, Ian Pont. ten Doeschate, who made four consecutive centuries in the 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup including a career-best 259 not out, gives his side their best hope of a major upset, in a World Cup group that includes both Australia and South Africa.”Ryan is a world-class performer when he’s playing well,” said Pont. “He won games with his batting and fielding for Essex last year, and now his bowling is back on track he’s a real contender as one of the stars of the tournament.”We are targeting South Africa first,” added Pont, “not least since we have three players with SA connections. There’s a determination to get amongst them and make things difficult. Pressure is on them as new world No.1s and also after failing to get out of their group at the last World Cup, on home soil. I’ll be giving Essex signing Andre Nel some friendly stick too.”Apart from ten Doeschate, the Dutch also have Billy Stelling (Leicestershire) and Baz Zuiderent (Sussex) with county experience, plus new kid on the block, 17-year-old Alexei Kervezee who has signed a two-year deal at Worcestershire.Pont, one of the ECB National Skill Sets Coaches at Loughborough, said: “It will be a great experience for everyone associated with Netherlands cricket. But Ryan has the chance to show what he can do at the highest level of all. He’s one of those characters that thrives on challenges. And I wouldn’t put it past him to show his best against the best.”The squad fly out on Friday, March 2 from Gatwick for Kingston, where they meet India and Kenya in ODI warm-ups ahead of the group stages in St Kitts. Scotland completes the group.

The Champions Trophy: at the heart of another row © International Cricket Council

Having already threatened to pull out of the ICC Champions Trophy from 2008 onwards, the Indian cricket board is on a collision course with the ICC over the 2006 event, which they are scheduled to be hosting in October.At the heart of the matter, as ever, is the thorny issue of advertising revenue. Under a multi-million dollar agreement between the ICC and the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), all ICC-owned events – such as the Champions Trophy and the World Cup – have to be contested at “clean” venues where no trace of unofficial sponsorship can be permitted.However, two of the three proposed venues – Mumbai and Delhi – have their own agreements with various corporates. “The grounds must be free of any ad signages so that we can maximise the revenue for our sponsors,” said Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive during a meeting with Sharad Pawar, the president of the BCCI in New Delhi.The two boards are putting up a united front at present, with both sides showing willingness to resolve the impasse well in advance of the event. “The BCCI and the ICC now have a clear understanding of each other’s point of view,” said Pawar. “We hope to solve the issues as soon as possible so that we can concentrate on the preparation for the 2006 Champions Trophy.”Delhi has had a long-standing contract with ITC, a cigarette and manufacturing company who have been supporting Indian cricket for several years. Similarly, Mumbai has a lucrative agreement with the Tata Group, although Speed said such problems had been overcome during past events.”We had similar problems in 2002 [Champions Trophy] in Sri Lankaand the 2003 World Cup [in South Africa] as well. If we cannotresolve the issues, we look at a different venue. That is why lasttime in England [in 2004 Champions Trophy] there were no matches atLord’s. We had it at The Oval.”He, however, refused to speculate on whether the matches could be moved out of Mumbai and Delhi. Asked how the ICC had decided on the three venues, Kolkata being the third, Speed said: “we made a decision based on the recommendations of the previous [BCCI] administration. Obviously, new issues have cropped up.”Speed said the ICC was open to the option of using more than three venues “without increasing the production cost”, but Pawar distanced himself from comments by IS Bindra, the BCCI’s former president, that the event had become a burden on the host nation. “That is his personal view,” said the BCCI chief. “Our whole approach has been to find a way as to how organise the event efficiently.”Ian Fiykverg, director of GCC, said his company was happy with the association with the ICC. “There have been issues. Obviously it would be fine if there was none, but life is life, we hope to sort it out.”

Scorecard
New South Wales won a close game against Tasmania at the Bellerive Oval due to a damaging spell by Stuart MacGill, who took 6 for 85 in 25 overs. Set 259 to win, Tasmania fell short by 25 runs, managing only 233 in 62 overs MacGill struck the middle order and ran through the tail after Tasmania recovered from a precarious position and appeared set to overhaul the target.A little after lunch, New South Wales declared their innings for the second time in the game. Phil Jaques led the way with a solid 79 at the top of the order with crucial contributions from Greg Mail, Brad Haddin, Jason Krejza and Nathan Bracken. Apart from Mail’s knock of 40, the rest were hammered at faster than a run-a-ball as NSW tried to force a victory.Tasmania’s reply began badly, with Travis Birt out early, but Jamie Cox’s 84 held the innings together. He found allies in Michael Bevan (26), Daniel Marsh (20), Sean Clingeleffer (39) and Michael Di Venuto (35). But five wickets fell for only 12 runs, as they slipped from 5 for 221 to 233 all out.

Shane Bond’s injury worries may not be over. He is to have another MRI scan after he suffered back pain during a club match in Christchurch at the weekend.Bond returned home from New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka in May with a problem that was found to be a stress fracture that forced him out of cricket until he began bowling again two weeks ago. He was hoping to be fit in time for Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand which starts next month.Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand team manager, said Dr Rob Campbell, the New Zealand Cricket doctor had examined Bond yesterday.”Dr Campbell has advised that the discomfort Shane is experiencing is in the same vicinity as the stress fracture he suffered in May, so the New Zealand Cricket medical team is going through the necessary procedures to try to arrange an MRI scan as soon as possible,” Crocker said. No date has been confirmed for the scan.

Augustine ‘Gus’ Logie has had a very distinguished career as a player and as a coach. He is a proven winner and a true gentleman, a reflection of the true spirit of cricket and the glory days of West Indies cricket. We wish him, the WICB, and players continued successes on and off the field.His CV is attached for reference purposes.Curriculum VitaeName: Augustine Lawrence LogieDate-of-Birth: 28th September 1960Marital Status: Married with 3 ChildrenEducation and Training:

1993 – Certificate in Small Business Management, Adelaide College of TAFE.

1994 – NCA Coaching Award

1995 – NCA Senior Coaching Award

2000- ECB Level III Cricket Coaching Course

1999 -World Cricket Coaches Conference

2001 – World Cricket Coaches ConferenceEmployment:

1978- 1992- Professional Cricketer, Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board

1981- 1993- Professional Cricketer, West Indies Cricket Board, St. John’s, Antigua.

Summer 1982- Professional Cricketer, Tea Tree Gully Cricket Club, Adelaide. Australia.

Summer 1986- Professional Cricketer, Kirkcaldy Cricket Club, Fife, Scotland.

Summer 1987, 1989, 1994,1995- Professional Cricketer, Norden Cricket Club, Central Lancashire Cricket League, United Kingdom

Summer 1993- Professional Cricketer, Prospect Cricket Club, South Australia.

Summer 1994- Professional Cricketer, South Melbourne Cricket Club, Victoria, Australia

Summer 1996- Professional Cricketer, Unsworth Cricket Club, Central Lancashire Cricket League, United Kingdom

1995-present- Cricket Coach, West Indies Cricket Board.Cricketing Experience:

52 Test Matches

158 One Day Internationals

157 First Class MatchesCoaching Experience:

Summer 1987, 1989, 1994-1996: Schools and Clubs in Central Lancashire

Summer 1993/1994: South Australian Cricket Association, Adelaide

Summer 1994/1995: Tony Miles Sports Camp, Melbourne, Australia

WI Windward Islands Coaching Project (1997-1999)

West Indies Under 15 Tour- Youth World Cup, England (2000)

West Indies Under 19 Tours- Pakistan/Bangladesh (1995), Pakistan to WI (1996), Namibia (1998), Youth World Cup, South Africa (1998), Youth World Cup, Sri Lanka (2000), England (2001), Youth World Cup, New Zealand (2002)

West Indies A Team – Sri Lanka (1996), Ireland/ England/ Canada (2002)

West Indies B Team- Busta Cup, West Indies (2001/2002)

West Indies Senior Team – WI vs. Sri Lanka (1997)

Facilitator: WI Training Camps/Courses (1995- present)

Committee Member: WI Cricket Development Committee (1997-2001)

Youth Selector: WICB (1996-present)Achievements:

1991:National Award Humming Bird Medal Silver

1988:Trinidad and Tobago Sportsman of the Year Award

1998: Ministry Of Sport and Youth Affairs Award in recognition ofcontributions as WI Cricket Coach.

1990: Captain, Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Team

1992: Vice-Captain West Indies Senior Team

2000: Coach WI U- 15- Winners of the Costcotter Youth World Cup

1983, 1987, 1991: Played at three World Cup Tournaments

1997: UWI Award in recognition of contributions to WI Cricket

1981-1993: Never played in a losing Test Series

1995-present: Unbeaten record as Coach of all WI Under19 and WI A Team Test Match Tournaments

Mudassar Nazar Photo © CricInfo

Old Trafford was packed with cricket fans today, and why not? This test match has been a wonderful advertisement for test cricket. It’s been full of drama and free scoring. People love to watch positive cricket and that’s why most people cherish one-day cricket!Inzamam and Youhana were sedate for the first twenty minutes. I liked their approach. Pakistan could ill afford a mini collapse at the start of play, as all three results were possible at that time.

Inzamam top edges Hoggard, much to the bowlers disgust Photo © CricInfo

It was not long before Inzamam was in full stride. If Pakistan wins, this test match will certainly be recorded as Inzi’s match in history. He looked a special player when he first started playing for Pakistan but I never realized one day he’d leave behind the likes of Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan. He is a much better all round player than the former illustrious players. He butchers the spinners and is in a class of his own against pace bowlers. After hitting an all time low during the last tour of Australia he has recovered well and is in the process of rewriting Pakistan cricket history. He is certain to score over 7000 runs in test cricket and even Pakistan’s greatest batsman (Javed Miandad) must be looking over his shoulder as his record might be overhauled too.They say fortune favours the brave. Nick Knight is easily the best all round fielder in the England team. I have seen him take some stunning catches. He dropped three catches in this test match. Maybe Waqar’s luck is changing.Players like Inzamam do not need a second chance. Memories of this game will surely haunt Nick Knight. In the first innings Inzy scored 82% of his runs on leg side but today some of his strokes on the off side were simply regal. At times he just stood tall and delivered. After lunch, he disdainfully dispatched Caddick over square leg for six. But, it was a tired looking shot that brought his downfall. Favouring his right hand he tried to smash Hoggard only to mishit it to Trescothick at mid-wicket.Soon after, unfortunate Youhana was given out caught in the slips when the ball had clearly hit only the tip of his helmet. Nevertheless, it was a gritty innings and perfect for the occasion. He’d made sure Pakistan did not lose early wickets and did not deter him to play second fiddle to Inzamam. Considering his form on the tour it was the best he could do for his team.England is considered the headquarters of cricket. There is an instant recognition by cricket fans all over the world if you have performed well in England. Well, Younis Khan has certainly done well enough in two innings in England to convince cricket pundits that he will be a force to be reckoned with in future. It could have been better. He has been an unfortunate victim of two rank bad decisions in this series. Both times he had gotten an inside edge when he was adjudged lbw and incidentally, these were the only times he’s failed in the two test matches.England was very defensive today. The ball they used for most the day was soft and in tatters which distinctly meant they were trying to restrict Pakistan batsmen scoring quickly rather than bowling them out. Azhar missed a straight ball from Caddick. Instead of hitting it down the ground he played all around it.

Wasim Akram belts a ball from Caddick for 4 Photo © CricInfo

Rashid and Wasim were involved in a fruitful partnership. Wasim was belligerent from the start. He was aided by Caddick who had a change of heart and instead of bowling short at him kept presenting him with wide half volleys at a pace which at best was military medium. I must confess, both Caddick and Gough were below par today. Rashid, after a useful knock, was taken at slip. Wasim continued to apply the long handle but Pakistan should have declared once Rashid was out. It was sheer time wasting. Perhaps Pakistan camp conveniently forgot they were trailing in this series?Gough brought one back to clean bowl Wasim and after some more time wastage and savage hitting, Hoggard finally had Saqlain caught by Stewart while trying to slog him out of Old Trafford.Anyone who has read my preview about this test match would recall how much I wanted Shoaib Akhtar to play in this test match. Without him I thought Pakistan would struggle to bowl England out twice in the game.Now, England may very well win this test match. They are without loss with all wickets intact, yet I think Pakistan should have declared as soon as Rashid was out. Why are we so scared of losing a test match? I would rather take a chance of coming home with rubber drawn, rather than a one nil defeat.

Saqlain appeals for a catch at silly point but the umpire says Atherton is not out Photo © CricInfo

Azhar once again, did not bowl in the evening. Why can’t we take hard decision and play specialists in their respective position rather than filling in the void. Players should be accountable and it is only possible if we give them a fair chance. Pakistan can still win or draw the game tomorrow. Atherton and Trescothick have given England a solid base but an early wicket can make all the difference.Remember 1992 and 1996, only problem is people who won those games for Pakistan are now a little long in the tooth.

Ed:Mudassar Nazar is a veteran of 76 tests and 122 ODIs. He is currently the chief coach of Pakistan’s National and Regional Cricket Academies. In view of the overwhelming interest of users in CricInfo’s articles, we have invited him to write for us.

The last few weeks haven’t all been smooth sailing, but Arsenal are now going to be top of the Premier League table for Christmas.

Mikel Arteta’s side had the challenging task of playing Everton at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night, a task made all the more difficult by Manchester City’s comfortable win over West Ham United earlier in the day.

However, while it wasn’t necessarily easy, the Gunners did come away with all three points, and deservedly so.

Moreover, while it wasn’t a vintage performance, there were a few starters who made their mark on the game, including one who was even better than Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal's standout stars vs Everton

Starting at the back, it was a good night for David Raya.

Now, the Spaniard only had to make one save in the game, but his performance was so impressive for two other reasons.

Firstly, he commanded his area masterfully, making five high claims in the match and coming out on top both times he ran out of the penalty area.

Second, the former Brentford star completed seven long balls throughout the game, and had the forwards been a little more on their game, those could have led to more chances.

Moving into the defence, and once again, Jurrien Timber is coming away from a game looking like one of the best signings Arteta has ever made.

The Dutchman was solid as a rock at the back, and combined with Saka on more than one occasion, ending the game having completed 44 passes and 100% of his dribbles.

Speaking of Saka, the Hale End star was, as he usually is, undoubtedly the Gunners’ best attacker.

He might not have scored, but the 24-year-old was a constant threat on the right-hand side and on more than one occasion moved over to the left to help out there.

By the end of the game, the winger had taken four shots, completed four of six dribbles, played one key pass, won seven of 11 ground duels, and generally looked every bit the attacking talisman he is.

However, as sensational as Saka was, one of his teammates did just about outperform him.

The Arsenal star who outshone Saka vs Everton

The good news for Arteta and Arsenal fans is that at least a few other starters put in reasonable performances.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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Viktor Gyokeres, for example, might still not be offering as much as some would like, but he did get his goal, and aside from the potential penalty shout, William Saliba had another stellar game at the back.

However, there was only one player in red and white who managed to just about outperform Saka on Tuesday night: Declan Rice.

Yes, the all-action midfield monster was just that on Merseyside, playing a role in all phases of play and looking every bit the £105m man he is.

Subscribe for in-depth Arsenal and Rice analysis Want more expert Arsenal and Premier League coverage? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear match breakdowns, player metrics, and tactical insights that turn key performances into meaningful analysis you can rely on. Subscribe Subscribe for in-depth Arsenal and Rice analysis Want more expert Arsenal and Premier League coverage? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear match breakdowns, player metrics, and tactical insights that turn key performances into meaningful analysis you can rely on.

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One moment, the “world-class” machine, as dubbed by journalist Tom Marshall-Bailey, was helping Martin Zubimendi protect that backline by winning the ball, and the next, he was marauding with it up the pitch and creating a chance for the team.

It was a brilliant display from the Englishman and one that more than justified David Moyes’ post-match claim that he’s “probably the best midfield player in the world” and the 8/10 match rating he received from the Standard’s Matt Verri.

Unsurprisingly, the former West Ham United captain’s statistics more than back up the praise.

Rice vs Everton

Minutes

96′

Touches

116

Accurate Passes

87/97

Key Passes

2

Big Chances Created

1

Shots

1

Tackles (Won)

3 (2)

Interceptions

3

Clearances

4

Recoveries

10

Ground Duels (Won)

6 (4)

Aerial Duels (Won)

3 (3)

Dribbled Past

0

All Stats via Sofascore

In his 96 minutes of action, he created one big chance, played two key passes, completed 87 of 97 passes, made three interceptions and four clearances, took one shot and 116 touches and won seven of nine duels.

Ultimately, the scoreline might have been a little close for comfort, but Arsenal were most certainly the better team against Everton, and Rice was their best player.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes