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Tottenham are in the market for more players amid the ongoing drama surrounding Morgan Gibbs-White, and new manager Thomas Frank is believed to be pretty confident that they can land one of them.

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Daniel Levy is reportedly keen to reinforce Frank’s squad further, after sealing deals for Mathys Tel, Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus already this summer, and while they wait to find out if Gibbs-White is still possible amid Forest’s threat of legal action, the Lilywhites are moving for different targets.

Alongside Gibbs-White, who Tottenham are still hopeful of signing (Fabrizio Romano), Spurs are believed to hold some interest in Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The Brazilian has reportedly been told that he’s free to find a new club this summer, and it’s been reported that Luiz is pretty keen on a move to Tottenham if Levy decides it’s worthwhile pursuing a deal.

Tottenham apparently want to sign a holding midfielder and new number six before deadline day, which isn’t intertwined with their chase for Gibbs-White (Graeme Bailey), and they remain contenders to sign Brentford striker Yoane Wissa.

The Congolese centre-forward enjoyed the season of his life under Frank at the Gtech Community Stadium last term, scoring 19 Premier League goals, but they face stiff competition from both Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.

Eddie Howe is now turning his attention towards Wissa after walking away from a deal for Hugo Ekitiké, who’s already in advanced talks to join Liverpool (BBC).

While Spurs now face both Newcastle and Forest in the race for Wissa, Frank is believed to be hopeful that he can reunite with his former star behind-the-scenes.

Thomas Frank confident Tottenham will win Yoane Wissa race

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, speaking to TBR Football, Tottenham are currently speaking to Wissa’s camp over a move, and Frank is personally convinced that the former Lorient sensation would choose to join them ahead of Premier League rivals.

“Yoane Wissa’s camp are speaking to four or five different clubs at the moment,” said Bailey.

“Tottenham and Newcastle are two of them, and both would love to sign him. Thomas Frank, who worked with Wissa at Brentford, is confident that he would choose Spurs if it came down to it.”

Wissa evolved into a proven scorer during his final season working with Frank, even joining the 100 club last campaign in terms of total career goals, and there is every reason to believe he could add to this tally at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, Brentford are highly unlikely to let both Bryan Mbeumo and Wissa leave in the same window, so a deal could well hinge on Man United’s attempts to sign his teammate.

The price to sign Wissa, according to reports, is believed to be around £50 million.

Manchester United came straight out of the gates at the start of the summer transfer window, signing Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers to help cushion the fall from grace in 2024/25.

Things were pretty bleak when Ruben Amorim wrapped up the opening chapter of his tenure at Old Trafford, and the road ahead remains long and ominous, but bagging Wolves’ £62.5m man at least demonstrated a willingness from INEOS to turn the page, begin anew.

However, that fast start has slowed to a snail’s pace, with very little else having happened on the transfer front for the desperate Red Devils, who after finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur are in desperate need of an overhaul.

The battle to sign Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo rages on. Viktor Gyokeres will join Arsenal, but United are still set on signing a centre-forward to improve upon the unconvincing Rasmus Hojlund.

However, Amorim also wants to strengthen Man United’s midfield.

Man Utd's search for a midfielder

Man United boss Amorim is looking to rebuild his squad across a number of areas as he prepares to challenge for silverware and a route back into European competition over the next year.

The fact that improvements are needed across so many areas of the field underscores the severity of the situation at the Theatre of Dreams, but while things haven’t moved as quickly as fans would have liked, there is hope that speed will increase over the coming weeks as pre-season starts to swing.

Christian Eriksen’s departure as a free agent at the end of June highlights the need for a central midfielder, though the centre of the park is hardly threadbare.

Amorim wants a midfielder, and perhaps he’ll harbour quiet grievances over his outfit’s decision to part with Scott McTominay one year ago, the Scotland star since becoming the Serie A MVP with Napoli, whom he led toward the Scudetto.

Alas, McTominay plies his trade elsewhere. However, Man United could learn from their mistakes and sign a player of similar proportions – one who is competing over in Italy right now.

INEOS begin talks for Serie A midfielder

As per TBR Football, Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz is keen to return to the Premier League just one year after leaving Aston Villa in a deal worth £42m.

Manchester United are joined by Tottenham in their interest.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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In fact, United have held conversations with the Brazil international’s representatives about a summer move, with Juventus having green-lit his prospective departure.

Further suitors both in England and overseas are expected to make their move at some stage, so INEOS will want to get this one over the line pronto.

What Douglas Luiz would bring to Man Utd

Luiz’s frustrating season with Juventus has left him eager to pursue a path back toward the Premier League, his favourite stomping ground, and Man United appear more than happy to oblige.

Once a career hatchling at Manchester City, the Villans signed Luiz for a £15m fee, and he went on to make 204 appearances, posting 22 goals and 24 assists.

He was a fantastic Premier League player, the subject of long-standing efforts from Arsenal to bring him over, before the Gunners eventually conceded defeat and signed Declan Rice instead.

But in spite of his abundant talent, the South American has endured a tough time in Italy, only playing a fringe role for Juventus.

Douglas Luiz – Past Two League Seasons

Stats (* per game)

Prem 23/24

Serie A 24/25

Matches (starts)

35 (35)

19 (3)

Goals

9

0

Assists

5

0

Touches*

70.1

27.3

Pass completion

89%

90%

Big chances created

10

3

Key passes*

1.5

0.8

Dribbles*

0.7

0.6

Ball recoveries*

5.5

1.6

Tackles*

1.7

0.9

Duels (won)*

4.2 (51%)

1.9 (55%)

Data via Sofascore

Were you unacquainted with Luiz as a Premier League player, you would be forgiven for lambasting Man United for their interest in a player who endured such peripheral, uninspiring performances across his campaign in Turin.

But at Aston Villa, he was an absolute “warrior” of a midfielder, as praised by journalist Jack Grimse. Luiz’s sale was forced as a by-product of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, and Unai Emery was not happy with the outcome, even though it was a necessity.

It’s funny: sometimes a player enters new territory and reaches levels previously unknown to them. Sometimes, an exciting transfer doesn’t go to plan.

The two ends of the spectrum here can be applied respectively to Luiz and McTominay, but given that both are robust and athletic number eights with keen eyes for goal when thriving in their environment, perhaps United could restore the presence of their former Scot by signing Luiz.

McTominay, 28, scored 12 goals and supplied six assists across 34 Serie A matches for Napoli, also averaging 6.1 successful duels and 4.3 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.

You can see the energy and completeness, and how his style literally exuded itself upon Antonio Conte’s side, lifting them higher, dynamising them.

Luiz was hailed as “one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders” by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell before his move and “one of the best [midfielders] in the world” in the words of Sky Italia, winning Aston Villa’s Player of the Season for the 2022/23 season, thus illustrating that his high-level ability is a sustainable thing, not just a flash-in-the-pan.

His remarkably complete level was something that McTominay has emulated in Italy. Now, the inverse could be true of the Brazilian, who could return to the Premier League and pick up where he left off, playing a talismanic part in guiding Man United back into the big time.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb Jul 7, 2025

It feels like it’s going to be a hectic summer for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

The Europa League champions sacked Ange Postecoglou on Friday afternoon due to his horrific Premier League record, and while it’s not been confirmed by the club, Thomas Frank looks set to replace him.

Despite the talent in the squad, the Danish manager will have a lot to do to ensure their domestic campaign is more of a success next season, and the best way for Daniel Levy and Co to help him with that is by bringing in the right players in the coming weeks and months.

One of those players linked with a move to the club has been Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, but recent reports have now touted another wide talent for a move to Spurs, someone who could be the perfect alternative.

Tottenham's interest in Semenyo

Spurs have been linked with a host of talented players in recent weeks, from Crystal Palace’s Eberchi Eze to Brentford’s in-demand Bryan Mbeumo, but earlier this week, Semenyo became one of the latest Premier League stars to be touted for a move to N17.

It’s not hard to see why the Lilywhites might be interested in the Cherries star, as even though he’s playing for a mid-table side, the Ghana international was able to rack up an impressive tally of 13 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances.

However, with his price tag potentially being as high as £70m and interest from other Premier League sides like Arsenal and Liverpool, this might be a transfer both too expensive and too challenging to get over the line, in which case, Levy and Co might be after an alternative, like Dorgeles Nene.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Yes, according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Spurs are now one of several top-flight teams now ‘considering a move’ for the RB Salzburg gem this summer.

Alongside the North Londoners, the report has revealed that Lazio, Fiorentina, Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen are all interested in the 22-year-old dynamo who has been seriously impressive in Austria this season.

Moreover, while the competition might be a problem, the fee shouldn’t be, as the report claims that an offer of up to £21m should be enough to tempt Salzburg to sell.

Nene might not be a well-known name or sound like a particularly inspiring signing, but should Semenyo be out of reach, the youngster would certainly be worth bringing in for Spurs.

Why Nene would be a good signing for Spurs

So then, in a market where there are countless wide talents available, why would Nene be a good signing for Spurs?

Well, first and arguably most importantly, his output this season was seriously impressive and made more so by the fact he was primarily playing off the wings.

For example, in 46 appearances, totalling 3043 minutes, the “terrifying” threat, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, was able to score 15 goals and provide nine assists for the Austrian outfit.

Appearances

46

42

Minutes

3043′

3562′

Goals

15

13

Assists

9

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.52

0.47

Minutes per Goal Involvements

126.79′

178.10′

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.91 games, or every 126.79 minutes, which is better than Semenyo’s average of one every 2.1 games or every 178.1 minutes.

Secondly, with him still being just 22 and not turning 23 until December, there is so much room for growth and development, as according to research carried out by The Athletic, wide players do not hit their peak until 26.

Finally, even though the Kayes-born dynamo is primarily a left-winger, he’s just as capable of playing down the middle or off the right, which would give Frank so much more tactical flexibility next season.

Ultimately, Semenyo will understandably be many Spurs fan’s first choice here, but if he’s unattainable, then Nene would be an excellent alternative, although with a price tag of £21m, why not try to sign both?

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Wolverhampton Wanderers are now seriously considering a bid for a £22m “magician”, who could be brought in to replace Matheus Cunha this summer, according to a report.

Cunha closing in on Man Utd move

Cunha is set to join Manchester United in a £62.5m move, with the deal likely to go through despite the Red Devils making a late attempt to pay the fee over five years rather than two. The 26-year-old has, of course, been a key player for the Old Gold in the Premier League, netting 15 goals in 33 games in 2024/25, and his departure will leave a hole in the squad, but a new statistic highlights the fact the Brazilian isn’t exactly the hardest of workers.

That said, the forward’s attacking output is by far the most important thing, and Vitor Pereira is now tasked with bringing in a replacement capable of recording a similar number of goal contributions next season.

According to a report from GiveMeSport, Wolves now have an attacking midfielder in mind, having set their sights on Leicester City playmaker Bilal El Khannouss, with a serious bid for the 21-year-old now being considered.

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El Khannouss is being targeted as a direct replacement for Cunha, and there is a belief he could be the Old Gold’s new talisman heading into the 2025-26 campaign, but it will take a bid of around £22m to prise him away from Leicester.

Pereira’s side are very keen on wrapping up a deal for the Leicester ace, having found it difficult to land Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, but there could be serious competition for his signature, with Arsenal also considering a move.

"Magician" El Khannouss could be ideal Cunha heir

The 21-year-old found it difficult to make a name for himself in a poor Leicester side during the 2024-25 season, but he is still very young, and there are some signs he could thrive at Molineux as a replacement for Cunha.

Lauded as a “magician” for his performance against Southampton earlier this month, the Moroccan has shown real signs of quality on occasion, picking up an assist and an 8.0/10 SofaScore rating courtesy of a very impressive display against the Saints.

Statistic

Number completed

Assists

1

Duels won

5

Successful dribbles

3

Accurate crosses

2

The maestro’s play-style is also easy on the eye, having become known for trivela passes during his time with Genk, and he could be an exciting player to watch for Wolves supporters.

With Cunha’s departure set to generate £62.5m, Wolves should have ample funds to replace the Brazilian international, and El Khannouss could be the ideal heir.

One of the few takeaways from Sunday’s drab derby was the stark reminder that Manchester United skipper, Bruno Fernandes, is a class above his teammates, with the Portuguese playmaker having again been one of the few bright sparks for Ruben Amorim’s side.

The 30-year-old was at the heart of everything that was good about the hosts at Old Trafford, be it while operating as a number ten or in a deep-lying role, having won eight duels, registered three key passes and recorded a solid 93% pass accuracy rate, as per Sofascore.

Having been the subject of an “offer” last summer – as the midfielder himself admitted – rumours are again rife over the former Sporting CP star’s future, amid claims that Real Madrid are keen on securing a £90m deal ahead of next season.

That would be a sizeable fee considering Fernandes’ age, but can his importance to the Red Devils really be valued at ‘just’ £90m? Is the man who boasts 32 goals and assists this season not arguably ‘priceless’?

Whatever happens in the future, the £300k-per-week talisman has established himself as a rare transfer success story over the last decade or so. The hope will be that such heroics can be replicated with another statement addition this time around.

Latest on Man Utd's transfer search

Fernandes’ impact has, it must be said, been simply transformational ever since his £46m switch back in January 2020, with the all-action star possessing the character and quality to cement himself as a leading presence at the Theatre of Dreams.

Perhaps such a deal could be repeated this summer with the addition of a ready-made Premier League signing – something that has been few and far between at the club in recent years – with the now injury-prone Mason Mount one of the few to have been directly plucked from within the top flight for a fee.

As reported by talkSPORT, that could be set to change amid United’s apparent interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers star, Matheus Cunha, with the report claiming that Amorim’s side have joined Arsenal in the race for his signature.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The suggestion is that the Brazilian’s agent is set to fly into England soon for ‘face-to-face talks’ with interested parties, with the Red Devils said to have already made initial contact regarding a potential move.

As the piece also notes, the 25-year-old has a £62.5m release clause in his current contract which could be activated, with it looking increasingly likely that he will depart Molinuex this summer.

Man Utd's biggest deal since Fernandes

As alluded to above, the Old Trafford side have rarely been able to prise the very best that the Premier League has to offer in recent years, instead opting to scour the Dutch market, in particular, during Erik ten Hag’s time in charge.

Since the INEOS regime got underway, the only notable signings from within the top-flight have been that of Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven from Arsenal, albeit with the teenage duo still largely prospects for the future.

Forking out for Cunha – who is the same age as Fernandes was when he made the switch from Sporting – could represent the club’s biggest deal in years as such, with the £60k-per-week menace proving himself to be a “world-class” asset of late, as per journalist George Lakin.

1 goal

1 assist

93 touches

86% pass accuracy

1 key pass

1 big chance created

14 total duels won

20x possession lost

5 fouls won

4/6 successful dribbles

That quality was particularly on show when Amorim’s side met Wolves in the Premier League back in December, with Cunha notably netting directly from a corner to open the scoring, before teeing up Hwang Hee-chan late on to help seal the win for the hosts.

Described as a “special player” by manager Vitor Pereira following that 2-0 win, the former Atletico Madrid man showcased the full array of his talents with his relentless, dominant display in that victory, emulating Fernandes in looking like a real talisman for his side.

Like Fernandes too, Cunha is also invaluably versatile due to his ability to feature as a number ten, a striker or even on the flanks, seemingly making him perfectly suited to one of the attacking roles in Amorim’s 3-4-3.

Indeed, the in-demand marksman has been in red-hot form this season for the Old Gold, having registered 13 goals and four assists in his 26 league outings, with no United player having even reached double figures for goals in the top-flight.

Like Fernandes – who was actually sent off in that meeting with Pereira’s side – Cunha does have a tendency to see red, amid his recent four-game suspension, although that passion and full-blooded approach could help to provide a spark to what is currently a lifeless attacking unit at Old Trafford.

Amorim’s ranks are crying out for another Fernandes-like figure who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and create something out of nothing, with Cunha – who memorably scored a stunner at Anfield from range – seemingly possessing such traits.

With United’s latest outing marking the 12th time they have failed to score in the league this season, something surely has to change this summer.

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England have been nowhere near India all series, and the way they have been outplayed in the middle overs has a lot to do with it

Sidharth Monga12-Feb-2025During the last ODI of a dismal tour for England, commentators Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen made stinging criticism of their attitude based on non-facts. With another team, there would have been outrage from fans, and possibly cricketers themselves. There wasn’t any here possibly because England’s performance through the series has suggested a team that has not been in the nets at all.So any achievement against such a team has to be taken with caution, but India have displayed here a new brand of ODI cricket they want to play. Every change in leadership brings new ideas, and this transition from Rahul Dravid to Gautam Gambhir suggests India want to make middle overs the point of difference.If you break this series down, the two sides have been quite close to each other during the first powerplay. India scored 200 runs and lost three wickets in the three first powerplays, while England scored 236 and lost two extra wickets. The death overs were not even relevant because India killed all three games off in the middle overs. India took more wickets in fewer balls while being more economical in the middle overs.ESPNcricinfo LtdEven as a captain, Gambhir had a liking for spin. In one series that he captained India in, Gambhir used R Ashwin for the batting powerplay overs back when batting teams could choose a set of five overs at any time from overs 11 to 40 as a powerplay. At Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he used spin liberally. His stamp is all over India’s move from a 4-2 attack to a 3-3 attack. And, at least one of those spinners has to be a point-of-difference spinner in either Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarthy.This plan is fit for purpose till at least the Champions Trophy 2025 after which there might be a reset in order as the ODI World Cup 2027 will be played in different conditions in South Africa. It has also resulted in a last-minute change to the squad for the Champions Trophy with India foregoing a reserve batter for the mystery spin of Varun.”The only reason was, we wanted another wicket-taking option in the middle,” Gambhir said of the late change. “And we know what Varun brings to the table. We know that Varun can be a massive threat with a lot of teams who haven’t played him. He could be an x-factor as well. I’m not going to say that he’s going to start, and all that stuff, but it’s always good to have a strong bowl line-up because we know that if we can actually get those wickets in the middle, it’s always going to be an advantage. Otherwise, we know that Yashasvi Jaiswal has got a fabulous future ahead. It’s just that we could only pick 15.”Gautam Gambhir interacts with Rohit Sharma at the training session•Associated PressEven with the specialist fast bowlers, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, India have trusted someone who is best suited for the middle overs. Harshit Rana is tall, bowls hard lengths, and thus extracts unevenness from surfaces. He has replaced in India’s plans Prasidh Krishna, who unfortunately was often unfit when he would have got his chances. Rana is also a better batter.”If you try to manage and squeeze in wickets in those middle overs, it gives you a chance to not worry so much about the death overs,” Rohit Sharma said after the second match. “When you look at this format, people talk about up front and the death, but the middle overs are very very crucial. That is where we squeezed in, took wickets in the middle. That’s how you stop the run-scoring.”Related

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With the bat too, especially in chases, the onus seems to be on finishing games early as opposed to taking them deep. That translates to continued impetus during the middle overs. Shreyas Iyer responded to crisis with a counterattack in the first match, Rohit killed the second one off, and Virat Kohli, who usually drops anchor, showed intent to sweep and hit sixes against offspin when batting first in the third ODI.Again, as a batter, Gambhir never wanted chases to go into the final few overs, which can be a bit of a lottery. That and MS Dhoni’s were the two different schools of chasing that co-existed in India’s limited-overs sides for a while. Gambhir once even said in a press conference that a match that Dhoni tied should never have gone to the last over.Of course, it will not always be this easy. You can’t have your way with every team. England were especially ordinary against spin, failing to score at five an over without taking risks. The versatility of India’s personnel and their strategies will be tested when they come up against stronger opposition, but you can see what India are thinking: use resources other teams don’t usually come up against and you have plenty of.

Pakistan have played just eight ODIs all year, and must fast come up with a winning formula ahead of the long hard grind of the season

Danyal Rasool21-Aug-2023The clock would not even have struck nine in the morning when PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf was in his car in Colombo. It is rush hour in Colombo on a Monday morning, no one’s idea of a pleasant start to any day. But this VIP guest could not leave it any longer, because the appointment he had to keep lay four hours away in a small southern Sri Lankan town. Ashraf was meeting the Pakistan team for brunch in Hambantota, a day out from the start of the first of three ODIs between Pakistan and Afghanistan. With no flights between the capital and the town, this was the only way to get there. Ironically, if Afghanistan – the official hosts of the series – had been actually hosting it – Kabul was just a half-hour plane hop away.The window in any four-year cycle when bilateral ODI cricket truly feels like it matters has shrunk exponentially and is diminishing even faster, but we’re finally looking through it now. With the ODI World Cup on the horizon, Afghanistan and Pakistan – victims of geopolitics and security concerns – find themselves in Sri Lanka for the best part of their preparations for the tournament. Before the Asia Cup, they have got together for their first-ever bilateral series, Hambantota and Colombo the neutral venues.Related

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It is not clear if the Afghanistan players also had the pleasure of the ACB chairman to benefit from, but they got to Hambantota early enough. Hashmatullah Shahidi’s side has experience at the venue; just two months earlier, they played a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in Hambantota, losing 2-1. They played a more recent 50-over series in Bangladesh, winning it by the same margin. It’s a near-identical squad to those two tours that they have assembled in Hambantota to face Pakistan. It’s a settled side, and one that’s had ODI experience in these conditions. It’s more than Pakistan can say.Afghanistan might never have beaten Pakistan in this format, but they have little to fear. The four times these sides have played ODIs – at varying degrees of development during Afghanistan’s journey over the last decade – Afghanistan have shown steady improvement, and been desperately unlucky not to win their last two encounters. Throw in Naseem Shah’s T20 Asia Cup heroics, and Afghanistan’s problem against Pakistan boils down less to quality and more to composure and experience in the moments that count most. As the 2-1 T20I series defeat of Pakistan in March demonstrated, they are making progress on that front, too.

“Pakistan in ODIs are surprisingly uncomplicated – a world-class top three, a gun pace bowling attack, and the still ascending star of Shadab Khan. The middle order is unconvincing, the underbelly is weak, and bench strength, particularly in the batting department, is limited”

Pakistan have played only a few more ODIs than their counterparts this World Cup cycle – it is their lowest tally since 1979-83 – and any patterns of form are difficult to make out. Their only ODI involvement all year has come in the form of eight matches against New Zealand at home, for all of which the visitors were hindered by unavailability to some extent or other. That has been the story of Pakistan’s opponents for much of the last four years; series wins against South Africa and Australia have come when those teams have been significantly diminished. Nine further games have been played against Zimbabwe, the Netherlands and the West Indies. But the win-loss ratio -19 victories and eight defeats – is solid, and in May, they rose to the top of the ODI rankings; they will get there again if they beat Afghanistan 3-0.At its core, Pakistan in ODIs are surprisingly uncomplicated – a world-class top three, a gun pace bowling attack, and the still ascending star of Shadab Khan. That’s about it. The middle order is unconvincing, the underbelly is weak, and bench strength, particularly in the batting department, is limited. It’s a Polo-shaped side, a winning formula all around with a large gap through the middle. That makes it conspicuously incomplete, but also plenty of fun.Pakistan have, belatedly in this cycle, tried to plug those gaps. Agha Salman has shown flashes of ability in the middle order, while Mohammad Nawaz has gradually assumed greater importance in the ODI side. Tayyab Tahir and Abdullah Shafique offer bench strength, while Pakistan wait for Mohammad Rizwan to translate his T20 runs into ODI accumulation. While what they have might be enough to overwhelm Afghanistan, this series is as much about what follows as it is about itself, and Pakistan will try and ensure they don’t spread themselves too thin for the sterner tests that will follow.By the time Ashraf returned to Colombo, the evening rush hour was waiting to greet him. It was quite a day for the chairman, but for the players he left behind in Hambantota, the long hard grind of the season was only just about to begin.

Praise for Australia and Pakistan following an entertaining semi-final in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2021

What a game !! Congrats to the Aussie boys on finding a way to win – well done to @davidwarner31 & Zamps. @MatthewWade13 who was absolutely bloody awesome, well done mate & the Hulk Stoinis was outstanding too. What a final between Aust & NZ at the #ICCT20WorldCup2021

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) November 11, 2021