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In the morning, Jomel Warrican took 7 for 32 but Pakistan had accumulated enough lead by then

Danyal Rasool19-Jan-2025Well, how do you sum that up? A madcap two sessions of cricket on the third day saw 17 wickets fall. Pakistan lost seven for 48, with Jomel Warrican registering the third-best figures for a visiting bowler in Pakistan. And yet, with half an hour to go for tea, Pakistan’s spinners had wrapped up a 127-run victory, skittling West Indies out for 123 in 36.3 overs to go 1-0 up in the series. Sajid Khan and Abrar Ahmed were the chief architects, taking nine of West Indies’ ten wickets as the visitors’ challenge appeared to melt away along with the solidity of the playing strip.West Indies had about 15 overs to face before lunch, and Pakistan just about made victory safe in this time. The visitors began with positive intent, having realised that poking and prodding would get them nowhere. It saw them through the first four overs, but as Sajid said yesterday, the strategy was to attack with the ball and defend with the field. Brathwaite employed the slog sweep to good effect so Pakistan had a fielder at deep midwicket, and it was him that the opener picked out to give Pakistan their first breakthrough.With prodigious turn around, especially to the right-hander off the footmarks, the stumps were always in play, and it helped Sajid clean up Mikyle Louis and Kavem Hodge to reduce West Indies to 37 for 4. Noman Ali, who had surprisingly not opened the bowling from the other end, came into the attack and picked up a wicket on the stroke of lunch when Justin Greaves missed a sweep laden with risk in front of middle stump.Alick Athanaze was the only West Indies batter to score a fifty in the match•PCB

There was plenty of West Indian resistance in the first hour after lunch, most notably from Alick Athanaze, whose half-century – West Indies’ only such contribution all Test – just about kept them alive. Alongside Tevin Imlach first and then Kevin Sinclair, Athanaze worked to give the Pakistan spinners as little as possible. They ditched the belligerent shot-making, and for the first time all Test, Sajid and Noman briefly didn’t look like a huge threat.But the momentum shifted once more when Shan Masood turned to Abrar Ahmed. The slightly different challenge his legspin poses saw a beauty to dismiss Imlach, the ball drifting in and ripping away to take his outside edge. He would also break the next partnership, thanks to some variable bounce and a splendid diving catch at first slip from Salman Agha, before Agha took the regulation catch the following ball to send Gudakesh Motie on his way.By now, West Indies’ resistance had been completely broken. Athanaze missed a straight one from Sajid to leave Pakistan one away, and Abrar put a bow on proceedings as the shot West Indies played often to try to cope on this surface – the high-risk reverse sweep – carried onto the stumps.Jomel Warrican took his career-best 7 for 32•AFP/Getty Images

The omens for this kind of day were there. It began with Pakistan’s best player of spin, Saud Shakeel, falling off the first delivery when he clipped one into short midwicket’s hands. Warrican followed it up with the wicket of Rizwan the following over, and on a pitch where grip and turn became ever more variable, Pakistan’s batters were finding it hard work.Kamran Ghulam had hung around until then, but some extra turn from Warrican drew his outside edge to give Warrican his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. West Indies began to burrow into the tail as Warrican grew in confidence. He varied his pace to trap Noman in front of the stumps as he tried a reverse sweep, before making it seven when Sajid miscued a slog and got an edge to backward point.The ninth wicket did not register directly in Warrican’s account, but it may as well have. Agha prodded one to him on the off side and hared off for a single, but Warrican picked up cleanly and hit the stumps direct, catching Khurram Shahzad well out of his crease. The innings wrapped up when Agha tried to go over the top against Motie, only to find long-off, and Pakistan were all out for 157.On a surface like this, and with the spinners Pakistan have, though, it was still, by some distance, more than enough.

India international set for first taste of county cricket after agreeing deal for first red-ball block

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2025India allrounder Shardul Thakur has signed to play for Essex in the opening block of County Championship games. Thakur, 33, will be available for seven fixtures during April and May this year.The stint will be a first in county cricket for Thakur, who was available after going unsold in November’s IPL auction. For India, he has taken more than 100 wickets across all three formats, with his last appearance coming on the 2023-24 tour of South Africa.He has been in good form domestically, scoring more than 400 runs to go with 34 wickets at 21.67 to help take Mumbai into the semi-finals of the ongoing Ranji Trophy. India went with Nitish Kumar Reddy as their allrounder during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and while he aced the batting challenge, his bowling lacked penetration. A good stint with Essex could put Thakur back into the Test mix, with India due to visit England for a five-match series in June-July.Related

• Shardul Thakur on his rescue act: 'I like batting in difficult situations'

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• Older, wiser Chris Silverwood eager for Essex second coming

“I am feeling excited to join Essex this summer,” Thakur said. “Personally, it brings new challenges and opportunities to showcase my talent and skills. County cricket is something I always wanted to experience and I am glad that I’ll be representing the Eagles.”Thakur is the latest India international to play County Championship cricket at Chelmsford in recent times, following in the footsteps of Umesh Yadav, Murali Vijay and India’s current head coach, Gautam Gambhir.The allrounder will line up alongside fellow overseas bowler Simon Harmer, with Essex looking to make a strong start in pursuit of a first Championship title since 2019 when they take on the reigning champions, Surrey, at home in the opening round.”We’re absolutely thrilled to get the signing of Shardul over the line,” Chris Silverwood, Essex’s returning director of cricket, said. “We were very clear amongst ourselves that a high-quality quick bowler, with lower-order batting ability, was a key target for the club this winter.”In Shardul, we have signed just that, and we can’t wait to welcome him to Essex and see how he gets on in the County Championship.”

Opener puts difficult start to season firmly behind him

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 24-Jun-2025Opener Finlay Bean put a difficult start to the season firmly behind him, compiling a superb maiden double hundred spanning more than nine hours as Yorkshire fought back against Rothesay County Championship leaders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.Replying to the home side’s 487, Yorkshire – with only one win so far after earning promotion to Division One last season – closed on 414 for 6.Bean batted for 564 minutes for his 224, hitting 30 fours and one six before being caught at slip off spinner Farhan Ahmed, having shared partnerships of 130 with Matthew Revis (54 not out) and 101 with skipper Jonny Bairstow (41), left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White taking 3 for 129 from a marathon 52 overs.Unable to make Yorkshire follow on after having them 154 for 3 overnight, Nottinghamshire look likely to have to settle for a draw, which would see their lead over Surrey cut to six points after the champions won at Worcester earlier in the day.Bean, with five career first-class hundreds against Division Two opposition, had found runs much harder to come by against Division One attacks this season, averaging a paltry 13.66 over his first 12 innings of the current campaign, with a top score of just 31.Although he had a flat pitch and the less bowler-friendly Kookaburra ball in his favour here, he nonetheless had the Test-match quality and know-how of veteran Mohammad Abbas to contend with, not to mention the pace of Dillon Pennington and a couple of decent spinners in Liam Patterson-White and Farhan.Yet he came through each challenge impressively, giving away only one genuine chance before his dismissal when a shot travelling at speed was put down on 170, his return to form timely in that Yorkshire’s next fixture, against Essex starting on Sunday, is being hosted by his own club side, York.His innings here – made barely half a mile from the scene of his Second XI record 441 against Nottinghamshire’s second team in 2022 – was an essay in concentration and patience, one of the longest played by a Yorkshire batter in the county’s history.Having been 86 overnight, he was 50 minutes in the 90s before cutting Farhan to third for his 16th four to reach 102 from 236 balls in the morning session. After tea, he had to negotiate more than 40 minutes in the 190s before going to 200 from 450 deliveries, pushing a single into the leg side with 17-year-old Farhan by then in his 34th over.Yorkshire lost only one wicket before lunch as Dan Moriarty, sent in as nightwatcher after Dawid Malan had fallen in the last over of the second day, went to drive Patterson-White but could only edge to Freddie McCann at slip. Moriarty protected one end for almost an hour.The conditions demanded patience of Nottinghamshire, too, as Bairstow then bedded in with Bean on a pitch that was yielding some help for the spinners, but not as much as they had hoped for. Two bursts with the second new ball before and after lunch could not unseat either and it was an hour into the middle session before another breakthrough came.The introduction of the medium pace of Lyndon James almost yielded a dividend for Nottinghamshire as Bean chipped perilously close to short extra-cover on 152, moments before Patterson-White struck Bairstow on the front pad and had his lbw appeal upheld.Swapping James for Abbas at the Radcliffe Road end likewise almost paid off, Bean surviving a hard chance to McCann at midwicket on 170. Unperturbed, the left-hander drove Patterson-White through the off-side to overtake his previous best of 173 versus Glamorgan last year before he and Revis guided Yorkshire to 320 for 5 at tea.His marathon came to an end 15 minutes before the close as Farhan turned one to have him caught at slip trying to work to leg, almost every spectator in the ground then rising to applaud as he walked back to the dressing rooms.

At the start of the summer, the management had said Bumrah would play three Tests but with a series on the line, he could play a fourth

Sidharth Monga27-Jul-20253:12

‘Would they have walked off?’ – Gambhir on Stokes’ draw offer

India coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed India have a whole quota of fit fast bowlers to select from for The Oval Test, which they need to win to level the series. Equally significantly, Gambhir didn’t rule out the possibility of Jasprit Bumrah playing a fourth Test after he had said he was good to play only three in the lead-up to the series.Bumrah, whose pace was down at Old Trafford, which could also have to do with a soft outfield and loose foot holes, has had time to put his feet up since before lunch on day four of this Test. The fifth and final Test begins on Thursday.India came into the third Test crippled with injuries to Arshdeep Singh (bowling hand) and Akash Deep (groin), and general fatigue for Mohammed Siraj. They had to call in reinforcements from India in Anshul Kamboj, who played ahead of Prasidh Krishna.Related

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• Gambhir bats for injury replacements in Tests, Stokes finds idea 'ridiculous'

“All the fast bowlers are fit,” Gambhir said after India’s 143-over batting effort to secure a draw at Old Trafford and stay alive in the series. “There are no injury concerns.”That also includes Bumrah, but his case is different. He is not playing only three Tests because of any injury, but instead for workload management purposes so that he prevents further injuries after his stress reaction earlier in the year. That stress reaction had kept him out for five months. Gambhir was asked if that workload prescription was still set in stone with a series still on the line.”We haven’t had any conversation around the combination for the last Test,” Gambhir replied. “No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try and do the job for the country.”2:09

Manjrekar: ‘Warriors’ keep sprouting for India when needed

Gambhir: ‘Absolutely up’ for series finale

Gambhir said this India team was an inexperienced side and the results needed to be seen in that light. But he also said that reason doesn’t change the scoreline of the series. He also didn’t want to get carried away with the achievement of drawing at Old Trafford.”You are asking someone who only believes in results,” Gambhir said. “I’ve said that in the past as well, that I believe in results. We are still 2-1 down in the series. This is the Indian team. Yes there is inexperience but this is still the best Indian team right now. So for me, I think we are still down 2-1. And hopefully we can try and make it 2-2. That’s going to be a good achievement.”When you are put under pressure, and you end up batting five sessions, I think that’s great character. Anything that you do in these conditions, when you are put under pressure and you come out of those pressure moments, it is always a great feeling, and it just ends up giving a lot of confidence in the dressing room as well.”And I’m sure going into The Oval, we will be high on confidence, but we can’t take anything for granted. I think it’s going to be a new game, it’s going to be against a strong England side, and we absolutely will be up for it.”

He starred for Bangladesh with his big hits and sharp fielding, but says it is a job he has to do each time he takes the field

Mohammad Isam14-Jul-2025In Sri Lanka, Shamim Hossain is doing things rarely expected from Bangladesh’s cricketers. He finds boundaries early in his innings and clears the rope regularly. He is taking excellent catches, both inside the 30-yard circle and in the deep. Even his bowling – his weakest suit – has been accurate. On Sunday, he executed one of the rarest dismissals by a Bangladesh fielder: a direct-hit run out from a tight angle.Shamim swooped in from point and struck the stumps at the non-striker’s end, with Kusal Mendis well short of his crease. Kusal, surprisingly, slowed down despite seeing Shamim charging in. Given Bangladesh’s poor history with direct hits, Kusal may be forgiven for underestimating Shamim, who ended his innings with sharp fielding.Bangladesh’s last direct-hit run-out came more than two years ago, when Mehidy Hasan Miraz removed Jos Buttler. Since then, and even long before, fielding has been a major problem for Bangladesh. Their drop-to-catch percentage remains high. Their approach to run-out opportunities receives less scrutiny, but is equally concerning, with frequent misses at the stumps – especially when only one stump is visible.Related

• Bangladesh look to end on a high in climactic tour finale

• Hungry Shamim shows he is a quick learner

• Litton Das hopeful of coming out of batting slump

• Litton, Shamim lead Bangladesh's rout of Sri Lanka

Earlier that day, Shamim had given Bangladesh a major lifeline with his 27-ball 48. He added 77 runs for the fifth wicket with Litton Das, who also returned to form in white-ball cricket. Bangladesh scored 76 runs in the final six overs, with Shamim’s big-hitting at the death taking them to 177 for 7 in 20 overs. It was 22 runs above Dambulla’s average first-innings total in the last five night T20Is at the venue. Bangladesh eventually won by 83 runs, their second-highest margin of victory in T20Is.Litton was named the Player of the Match, but Shamim was the toast of Dambulla, and one of the few bright sparks for Bangladesh on this tough tour of Sri Lanka. “Whenever I go out to bat, my plan is to stay positive,” Shamim said after the match. “Someone has to take risks, and I want to take that responsibility for the team. This was an important win for us.”The series is now level 1-1 heading into the third and final T20I on Wednesday.Shamim also took a fine catch in the second innings to complement his runs in the first innings, as Bangladesh dominated Sri Lanka in the powerplay. As much as he might want to be a trailblazer for his team, Shamim knows it starts with getting the basics right.”I think fielding is very important,” he said. “I can’t say I’m overly happy [with the run-out] because it’s my job, something I have to do every day.”Bangladesh’s 83-run win was built on two fifty-plus partnerships. Litton and Towhid Hridoy steadied the innings after the openers fell in the first two overs. Then Shamim and Litton got them to a strong position with their rapid fifth-wicket stand.”Sometimes, you have to slow things down a little,” Shamim said. “At that point (when Litton and Hridoy got together), we needed a good partnership because we had strong batters to come later in the innings, and we can always catch up if we have wickets in hand. So, that partnership between Litton and Hridoy was crucial.”Litton batted really well. It was a turning point because you need a good start early on, and because of that innings, we were able to finish strongly later.”Bangladesh have a chance to sign off the T20I series with a win in Colombo on Wednesday. Once again, they will expect their players to string together vital contributions. Shamim’s will be especially crucial because of his ability to mix the basics in with his mercurial acts: common for other teams, but rare for a Bangladeshi.

Division Two leaders edging closer to promotion despite Gloucestershire racking up 482

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Sep-2025Leicestershire’s march towards promotion may be in danger of becoming something of a shuffle, but a resilient batting performance saw the Foxes go a long way towards securing the draw that depending on results elsewhere, could prove enough to see them over the line on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship match against Gloucestershire.Big half-centuries from Lewis Hill, his fifth of the season, and Shan Masood, on his Championship debut for the county, saw Leicestershire recover from 86 for 3 and secure a batting bonus point before closing on 270 for 4. Both achieved personal landmarks in the course of their innings, Masood passing 12,000 first-class runs, and Hill 5000.Leicestershire still trail the visitors by 212, and need another 63 runs to be sure of not being asked to follow-on, but a poor weather forecast for days three and four means the draw is now strong favourite, and there should be enough play for Leicestershire to secure at least two more batting bonus points.A return of 14 or 15 points could prove sufficient to confirm their return to the top division.A sunny morning at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road, saw Gloucestershire resume their first innings on 382 for 7, but play began with one of those somewhat unedifying periods of county cricket when the bowling side opts to hurry through a few overs to improve a negative over rate, which in this case saw Leicestershire opening batsmen Rishi Patel and Sol Budinger squeezing 11 overs of their occasional off-spin into the first 20 minutes of play.While on one hand this meant the Foxes were no longer in any danger of being deducted any points at the end of the game, it also meant they had little chance of taking the two wickets they needed for a third bowling bonus point, and Zaman Akhter and Matt Taylor happily and comfortably built a half-century partnership before, with the seamers now back into the attack, Taylor top edged a pull at a short delivery from Logan van Beek, and Hill took a good catch at deep square leg.Van Beek then produced a fine delivery to bowl Josh Shaw, but Akhter and last man Ajeet Singh Dale laid about them to good effect, Akhter registering a third half-century of the season to underline his status as aspiring all-rounder before edging an Ian Holland out-swinger to wicket-keeper Ben Cox.Having made important contributions with the bat, Taylor and Singh Dale then looked dangerous with the ball, finding sufficient movement to beat both Patel and Budinger in impressive spells before lunch. Budinger could consider himself unfortunate however, when having hit Taylor for consecutive boundaries, the left-hander got a delivery that kept markedly low before thudding into off stump.Patel, who has struggled for form in recent weeks, followed shortly after the break, an uncertain defensive push at Shaw giving Ben Charlesworth a straightforward catch at second slip, and though Holland tried to dig in, the Leicestershire captain’s inclination to stay on the back foot cost him when a fullish Taylor delivery stayed low and pinned him leg before.Hill, however, has been one of Leicestershire’s most consistent run scorers this season, and having played himself in, the 34-year-old former captain began to unfurl some fine shots, including four boundaries in five balls before a glorious on-drive off Shaw took him past 50, the half-century coming off 57 deliveries.Masood, coming in to the side in place of Peter Handscomb (the Victorian having returned to Australia to prepare for the forthcoming season down under), also began slowly, but as the ball got older and the bowlers began to tire, he too began to show his class, with one particular late cut verging on the exquisite. The partnership had passed 150 when Hill, to his dismay, was given out caught behind on 88 off the bowling of Matt Taylor.His dismissal brought in another making his Championship debut for Leicestershire, Steve Eskinazi, and the tall right-hander gave Masood solid support in steering their side to the close without further loss.

A slow Colombo pitch could bridge the gap between the two teams but only slightly

Madushka Balasuriya07-Oct-20252:40

Australia exude an attitude of ‘we know how to win this’

“We have an edge on this wicket. We’ve played two games here. Australia has not played any. But they have a lot of experienced players who have played cricket in most countries. The way they assess the game is better.” It was a pretty telling statement from Sidra Amin, ahead of Pakistan’s World Cup clash against Australia – an opponent they’ve never beaten before.While Pakistan have lost both matches they’ve played in Colombo, to Bangladesh and India, the prevailing school of thought is that the slowish conditions – ones that Australia are yet to experience at this tournament – might help bridge the gap between the two teams. But only slightly.”They have played all over the world. They know the conditions better,” Amin said. “They play the WBBLs and the Hundreds, and come and play in Asian conditions as well. They take preparation very seriously. I’ve heard they prepare for Asian conditions with indoor sessions with the temperature up to 35-40 degrees [Celsius]. So they can train that way as well.”Related

• Winless Pakistan have uphill task of facing near-invincible Australia

While women’s cricket has grown dramatically over the past few years, it’s grown faster for some than others. This discrepancy, in part, stems from the calibre of competition each side gets to face.In the three and a half years since the 2022 World Cup, Australia have actually played two fewer ODIs than Pakistan – 32 compared to 34. However, of those 32 games, 15 have come against India and England – among the tougher challenges in world cricket. Pakistan have played only four games against those two – seven if you include Australia themselves.Ellyse Perry: I think we all go out with the same approach, and that’s to be really positive•ICC/Getty Images

Beyond this, once you dive into the importance of a strong domestic structure, you begin to see clearly how Australia have evolved over the years. A point not lost on Ellyse Perry who, having debuted in 2007, has been part of two ODI World Cup-winning sides and has seen first-hand the fruits of investing in the women’s game.”I think we’re incredibly lucky,” she said. “We’ve got wonderful support back home in terms of the programmes that we’ve got. We’ve got a full-time domestic structure that breeds great depth in Australian cricket. We’re a cricket nation too that loves playing the game. So we’ve always, throughout history, had wonderful players.”And I think as a group, we love the challenge of continuing to find new ways to get better. You know, there’s so much competition in the global landscape now. I think all the advent of the franchise leagues around the world has just grown the depth of women’s cricket.”In that context, the confidence that Perry gave off when analysing how an aggressive batting unit such as Australia’s would play on a not-so-batting-friendly surface like the one in Colombo was unsurprising.”I think we have a conversation with our batting group, which we’re quite fortunate to have some depth in. So for us, and it’s something that we’ve discussed a lot over the last 12 months, is how we use that depth. It’s never going to be everyone’s day on the same day. Quite possibly it might just be one person’s day.”But I think we all go out with the same approach, and that’s to be really positive, but also really adaptable and smart to whatever the game’s presenting, whether that’s conditions or the opposition. I think there’s a blueprint there that applies to anywhere that you play, and then you’ve just got to be adaptable all day.”

His big innings took UAE to 298 in 47-over game, before Malaysia were stopped at 220

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2025Ayaan Misbah scored 163 out of UAE Under-19s’ total of 298, in a game reduced to 47 overs due to a wet ground. They beat Malaysia Under-19s by 78 runs – a result that keeps UAE’s hopes of a place in the semi-final of the Asia Cup alive. If UAE upset Pakistan in their last group game, then they are certain of a place in the final four.The next highest score by a UAE batter was Muhammad Rayan’s 48. Misbah and Rayan added 98 for the second wicket, after Misbah started the innings with an 87-run stand with captain Yayin Kiran Rai, who scored 44.Misbah’s score came off 153 deliveries, and included nine fours as well as seven sixes. But it was an innings of two parts. While he ticked to just 43 off his first 77 balls with one four and six each, he changed the pace of the game by thumping 120 runs in his next 76 balls, with eight fours and six sixes.Despite that acceleration, though, UAE lost a bit of zip towards the end. Four wickets fell while scoring just 15 runs off the final 31 deliveries of the innings, a phase during which Muhammad Akram got two of his three wickets.In reply, Malaysia’s chase hardly took off. The highest partnership of their innings was 54 for the sixth wicket, but that came a little too late. Muhammad Aalif – their top-scorer with 54 – fell, and the stand broke. Malaysia managed only nine runs in the next 6.1 overs. They ended at 220 for 9, as Muhammad Bazil Asim bagged three wickets for UAE.

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Chris Davies fears that desperate defending is costing Celtic.

Sunday’s 2-0 win away to St. Johnstone was achieved at some cost with Mikael Lustig, James Forrest, Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie joining the growing injury list.

After collecting the points Brendan Rodgers and his backroom team assessed the damage to their squad with one second-half incident particularly costly.

Celtic had two good penalty claims ignored as Edouard was stretchered off and Christie struggled for breath after taking a kick to the ribs.

Looking at the penalty claims, Davies said as quoted by The Evening Times: “I think we might have had a couple in our game. It’s almost as if the desperation of the defending if you like that sometimes the clarity can go from what is an actual foul.

“The key thing on the Ryan one is whether (Jason) Kerr actually touches the ball, which we don’t think he does. We could have had that one. The Odsonne one? The manager said after the game that he thought it might have been harsh on (Joe) Shaughnessy, but I certainly think we could have had one.”

Celtic were back in training on Monday preparing for the visit of manager-less Hibs, who defeated the Hoops in December at Easter Road.

Oliver Ntcham and Kieran Tierney were pictured in training but neither are expected to be involved against Hibs with next week’s Europa League tie against Valencia a more realistic target.

After Sunday’s match, Celtic had 14 players on the injured list. Any additions to that and Rodgers could be running out of bodies as Celtic chase a treble treble and look to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.

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Marco Silva should use his precocious young talent in Ademola Lookman more incisively to spark an upturn in form for Everton, following a run of just three wins in 11 games as the pressure mounts on the former Watford boss.

Where should he play him?

It was against the Portuguese boss’ former side in the Hornets that there was a noticeable deficiency in attack. Top scorer Richarlison, who has 10 league goals to his name, was strangely deployed out on the right with Cenk Tosun up top and Gylfi Sigurdsson out on the left; both areas are positions in which the Brazilian probably would’ve played better.

However, his decision to play Tom Davies in the No.10 role behind Tosun was baffling, especially as Lookman was left watching on from the sidelines – the England Under-21 international didn’t even make it off the bench.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The former Charlton attacker is just 5′ 7″, possessing wonderful balance thanks to his low centre of gravity. In his three Premier League starts this season, he has often been deployed out on the right flank as a replacement for Theo Walcott, where, whilst he has still starred, he is admittedly limited in terms of where he can go.

Tosun is key for this to work

Lookman is right footed, so he can only really come infield and play the ball left, or take his man on and cross it, rather than move defenders around and cause major issues with his excellent dribbling skills.

It is the aforementioned traits that the 21-year-old possesses that would make him an ideal No.10 for the Toffees behind a more physical presence in Tosun up top, as he would be able to see a lot more of the ball and go anywhere he wants, all whilst avoiding the physicality of defenders in aerial duels – Tosun would win the knock downs and take the attention away from Lookman, who would admittedly struggle in a physical battle given his height and lack of strength.

With Richarlison on the left, Lookman in the middle, and Sigurdsson on the right, the Toffees could potentially find a return to form.