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India and Pakistan have played a lot of exciting games in bothversions of the game. At the same time, both these teams can be asunpredictable as the English weather. The talent in both the sides isimmense yet sometimes the scorecards suggest that both these teamshardly play to their full potential. It was one of those kind of gamesat Sharjah with India making heavy weather of chasing a lowscore. Eventually the target was achieved after losing half the side,which was not convincing by any standards.Srinath, who has had very ordinary games on his return after a breakwas left out, which would help him in sorting out his problems. Thedecision deserves to be appreciated, as it is an indication that thecurrent form overrides either an individual?s reputation or pastdeeds. One can only hope that this criterion is followed consistentlyin order to produce the required results. Prasad replacing Srinathprovided the breakthrough by dismissing the dangerous Afridi whileAgarkar got rid of the talented Razzak. It has been a while since anearly breakthrough was achieved and the heartening thing is that theinitiative gained was not squandered away.The young opener Imran Nazir played with pluck and in the company ofInzamam looked like putting Pakistan in sight of a big total. He hitKumble over the top for boundaries with elan before his inexperienceled to his downfall when he played across the line to Joshi. Muchdepended on Youhana and Inzamam but a comedy of errors resulted inYouhana being adjudged run out. Yet another coincidence where Inzamamwas involved in a run out but at least on this occasion he was not atfault. Robin Singh had Inzamam snapped smartly by Karim behind thewicket who had a very good match.The lower order did not offer many problems despite some consciouseffort by Moin Khan and Wasim Akram. The low total of Pakistan canonly be attributed to their under par batting and some very ordinaryrunning between the wickets.Ganguly and Tendulkar had to get off to a decent start to ensure thatnothing untoward happened during the chase. Ganguly played a crispinnings and the departure of both the openers in quick successionprovided a glimmer of hope to the Pakistanis. Dravid and Azharuddinbatted resolutely as the required rate was not a demandingfactor. Akhtar worked up real pace even on a slowish track but he wasnegotiated safely by both Azharuddin and Dravid. Just as the matchwas petering to a dull finish the Indians lost quick wickets to evokesome interest in the proceedings.The target was achieved much later than expected and also by a lessernumber of wickets. The trio of Akram, Akhtar and Younis tried veryhard and it was due to their efforts that the match lasted as long asit did. The Indians will not grumble with the result but they have totry and work out a formula to gain and maintain overall consistency.This victory has given the Indians the advantage of knowing what isrequired of them before they get into their next round of leaguematches. It remains to be seen if Pakistan can make the tournamentwide open by winning against South Africa.

Everton could be tempted to sell Tom Davies if a ‘decent offer’ arrives, journalist Paul Brown has told GiveMeSport. 

The lowdown

Davies came through the youth ranks at Everton, making his senior debut for the club in 2016. He has since gone on to reach 158 appearances for the Toffees at the age of 23, but he is now into the final 18 months of his £25,000-per-week contract at Goodison Park.

He has not yet had the opportunity to impress new manager Frank Lampard, having injured his knee in November and then damaged his hamstring while on the road to recovery. Indeed, the player is not expecting to be back on the pitch until next season (via Daily Mail).

The latest

Brown pointed out that Everton’s precarious Financial Fair Play (FFP) situation could play a part in their thinking when it comes to Davies’ future, believing that if the Blues are receptive to offers for the 23-year-old, then it’s possible that he has already played his last game for the club.

The journalist told GiveMeSport: “The problem for him, and the club, is that because of their FFP situation, and him being a homegrown player, I think if ever there was a decent offer to come in for Tom Davies, they’d realise a lot of profit on him because he’s come through the ranks there.

“They haven’t had to pay a fee. So, I think his future is a bit uncertain, really.”

The verdict

Everton’s issues with FFP last summer were well documented. Their spending was ‘very much constrained’ by the rules after years of ‘significant losses’ (in the words of football finance expert Kieran Maguire), and based on what Brown is saying here, those problems haven’t gone away just yet.

Sacrificing Davies, valued at €18m (about £15m) by Transfermarkt, could therefore be a smart move from a business perspective.

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Furthermore, Everton have other options in the middle of the park in the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan, Fabian Delph and January signing Dele Alli. They could also potentially try to make Donny van de Beek’s loan move permanent come the summer, strengthening their midfield depth further and duly making Davies more dispensable.

In other news, these were Everton’s three worst players v Man City

	Norma Arendse, along with Gerald Majola, would have to define a plan that will lead South Africa to the future © Getty Images

The General Council of Cricket South Africa (Genco) has given a cautious vote of confidence to Norman Arendse, the CSA president, and Gerald Majola, the chief executive, in the wake of the quota controversy that has overshadowed South Africa’s current tour of Bangladesh.A series of meetings were held in Johannesburg to discuss the issues raised over recent weeks, starting with the squad selection for the tour of Bangladesh. Arendse and Majola will now hold another meeting to discuss a way of preventing similar situations in the future.”Genco expressed its displeasure in the manner in which the recent events had been handled,” said a statement. “The president and the CEO expressed their commitment and made an undertaking to work together for the good of cricket in South Africa and to follow processes laid down by CSA in dealing with such issues.”Therefore, Genco resolved that in dealing with the complaints made, the President and CEO will meet within seven days to define a plan for Genco’s approval that will lead South African cricket into the future.”Genco reiterated the council’s support for the transformation policy across all areas of the game. Currently, South African squads are meant to include seven players of colour in a 15-member team, but there are only five in the 14-man Test squad currently in Bangladesh.

Ryan Watson, who was run out for 31, said his side was given a lesson in fielding © AFP

As you might expect from members of an old-boys network, Graeme Smith and Ryan Watson – opposing captains in St Kitts and former pupils of King Edward’s school in Johannesburg – talked up the prospects of the other team. Scotland and South Africa now prepare for the grand finale of a group phase that until now has been as predictably one-sided as the world rankings suggest.”Scotland are a better unit [than The Netherlands],” Smith said after South Africa’s seven-wicket win. “They’ve got a few better bowling options and a few decent batters in the top six.”Watson fancied his former countrymen to put one over the Australians in their seismic tussle on Saturday. “I like the way South Africa are playing at the moment,” he said, “but I worry they don’t have a spinner in the side because these wickets are quite flat.”Today such weighty matters had to be put on hold, as Scotland took their turn to feel the wrath of the South African blades. There was no shame in the defeat, only weary resignation. Scotland leaked four-balls galore to succumb with more than half of their overs to spare. “We’ve improved a lot in terms of scorelines,” Watson said after posting their highest World Cup total of 186 for 8, “but we’re slightly disappointed with how we bowled up front. We bowled a lot better against Australia.”As has been the case throughout the past week’s mismatches, there wasn’t a lot that could be read into the result. For the fourth match running, the better side was professional to the core. Watson conceded that – regardless of what has been happening in Ireland’s group – against such focused opponents, the Associate teams don’t really have a prayer.”If any of the Test nations brings their A-game to an Associate nation they are always going to do well,” Watson said. “The problem with South Africa and Australia is they are never complacent – they are definitely always up for the game. I’ve played against Pakistan in the past, and whether it’s complacency or whether they take their foot off the gas, I don’t know. But they have the tendency to do that against smaller teams and that gives you half a chance.””As a team you cannot afford to take teams for granted,” Smith said. “You have to be ready for each day, because if you’re slightly off the mark, any team can beat you. But now the first two games are out of the way, and that’s a good thing because Australia is the game that everyone’s been looking forward to. The World Cup is really starting for us now, and the first part of that is Saturday.”

After thrashing 91, Graeme Smith plans to reward himself by learning to fish © Getty Images

Scotland did provide moments of troubling resistance that Smith was both grateful to have been alerted to, and eager to rectify before the Australia clash. In particular, he took on board the flurry of runs that Scotland’s tail had provided in the closing stages of their innings, as John Blain and Paul Hoffmann helped Dougie Brown to add 55 in five overs.”At the death on this ground you’re going to go for a few boundaries,” Smith said, “so you’ve got to come up with a few different strategies. I’m glad that we bowled first, because we were able to learn that and see what it’s like out there. It allows us to think about that now and plan for the Australia game. The winds were blowing strongly and that changed a bit of death-bowling tactics, but we bowled solidly and it was a good work-out.”It was Watson’s Scots, however, who were taught the most from this match-up. “We learnt how to field today,” Watson, who was run out while taking on AB de Villiers’ exocet arm in the covers, said. “South Africa were simply magnificent and those are the standards we need if we are going to compete. Also our batting up front needs some work. These guys come at us and hit us over the top – we need to apply the same pressure on them.”Smith, who thrashed 91 from 65 balls, was relaxed and content with his form after a low-key build-up to the Australia match, and he intended to keep things that way. As the hype prepares to be cranked up a notch for Saturday’s showdown, Smith revealed the squad’s intentions were to take things easy.”The guys have found a good balance since we’ve been in St Kitts,” Smith said. “It’s easy to find. Tomorrow I’m going to get a lesson on how to fish – a couple of our farm boys are taking me fishing tomorrow. It’s definitely a full day off and we won’t even plan any training sessions tomorrow night. We’ll take the two days and make sure those two days before Australia are real training sessions. I just hope I don’t get seasick.”

Luke Radford begins his first steps towards a first-class career © Warwickshire CCC

Luke Radford, the son of the former Worcestershire and England seamer Neal, has joined the Warwickshire academy for the 2006 season. He has impressed with performances for Bromsgrove School and his club, Evesham.Warwickshire have been keeping tabs on the youngster for the past year and are excited by the promise he shows. Richard Cox, the academy director, said: “He is a right-arm seamer and right-hand batter who strikes the ball cleanly and will win games for Warwickshire this season.”He has overcome a back complaint over the winter and remodelled his action under the guidance of the Warwickshire medical staff and bowling coach Steve Perryman and we are delighted with his efforts. We are delighted to have captured him at a key point in his career and hope that he will progress to higher levels of cricket whilst he is with us”Radford is excited by the opportunity and keen to get started. “I am delighted to have been asked to join the Warwickshire Academy. All the lads who are involved in the set up have huge potential and I am delighted that people think highly of me as a cricketer. I know that the support I will be getting will be second to none and I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that come my way.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Shahid Afridi: rollicking, ballistic and simply stunning© Getty Images

In 75 minutes of unbelievable power-hitting, Shahid Afridi swung his bat, the match and the series as Pakistan romped home to a comprehensive five-wicket win at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Having restricted India to 249, thanks mainly to Naved-ul-Hasan’s incisive opening spell, Pakistan rode on Afridi’s 45-ball hundred, the second-fastest in one-day internationals, and made a fighting total look paltry.In the searing afternoon heat of Kanpur, Afridi’s carnage brought a downpour of sixes. The arc between midwicket and long-on received maximum attention as bowlers were left gasping, fielders hopeless and spectators expectant. Within three overs the total rocketed from nine to 55, the stunning part being that there was a maiden in between. Good-length balls outside off were swatted to the roof of the midwicket stand, anything full disappeared, anything short was pummelled and anything wide savaged. It couldn’t be termed slogging, it wasn’t calculated, and it certainly wasn’t a fluke. Forces of nature are probably impossible to explain.He plundered bowlers before they could settle in. Lakshmipathy Balaji’s second over, and Anil Kumble’s and Dinesh Mongia’s first were pillaged for more than 20 runs each. His howitzered swat over midwicket off Zaheer Khan in the eighth over was his 200th six in one-dayers, and he blasted his way to a fifty off 20 balls. Salman Butt was reduced to a blur at the other end and bowlers’ line and length were rendered redundant. Afridi charged to his hundred in 45 balls, equalling Brian Lara’s record for the second-fastest hundred. If his 102 at Nairobi in 1997 – still the fastest in ODIs – had introduced him to the world, his 102 today just reaffirmed that he remains one of the most destructive elements in the cricket world.Ironically, he was out while attempting his first defensive stroke, as the ball ricocheted off his boot onto the stumps, but by then he had all but ensured that Pakistan took an unassailable lead in the series. While he was at the crease, Pakistan were rattling along at 9.14 runs an over and Shoaib Malik and the rest were left with the smoothest of cruises to complete. Mohammad Kaif pulled off a sensational catch to dismiss Yousuf Youhana, diving full length while running back from cover, but it was never going to influence the final outcome.

Rahul Dravid anchored the Indian innings with a well paced 86© Getty Images

Earlier in the day Naved had played a big part in keeping India to below 250 as he left the top order in tatters in the initial stages. Sachin Tendulkar hardly got the width or length to break free in his first nine deliveries before he was undone by a beauty: unsure of whether to play forward or back he pushed at one that left him a shade and took the edge en route to Kamran Akmal behind the stumps. Virender Sehwag was confronted with a delivery of similar venom but opposite seam movement, and he played outside the line and stood transfixed as the ball crashed into his off stump.And just when the situation demanded a cautious approach, Mahendra Singh Dhoni swished and swung, connected a few, fended a few and finally edged one to Younis Khan at second slip. India were 26 for 3 after seven overs with the bowlers on top, the pitch showing signs of variable bounce and all the batsmen struggling against controlled swing and cut. It was almost as if India were playing a Test abroad and, almost inevitably, Dravid entered his battling zone. Soon defence turned to single hunting, gliding and efficiently flicking in the gaps, and gradually it turned into controlled acceleration, with the odd boundary poached and ones turned into twos. When he finally fell, in the last over of the innings, he had taken India from a perilous position to a competitive total. In short, he had completed a job that he has mastered doing day after day in Test cricket over the last four years.Kaif proved to be the perfect foil. Where the rest of the batsmen struggled against a combination of superb bowling and a semi-dodgy pitch, Kaif appeared completely at home on the ground where he learnt his cricket. Flicking effortlessly, finding the narrowest of gaps in the field, forever bubbling and zooming between the wickets, he went about rebuilding with minimum risk. With the field spread, both he and Dravid upped the rate at the 35-over mark and rattled off 59 runs in the 7.2 overs before Kaif fell.

Naved-ul-Hasan dealt some crucial blows to the Indian top order early in the day© Getty Images

At that stage, scoring at eight runs an over appeared to be a fantastic display. A few hours later, Afridi started rollicking along at more than 20 an over while producing an innings that even superlative adjectives would fail to describe.How they were out
IndiaSachin Tendulkar c Akmal b Naved 1 (10 for 1)
Received a beauty that caught him on the crease and induced the edgeVirender Sehwag b Naved 1 (11 for 2)
Missed a good-length ball that cut in a shadeMahendra Singh Dhoni c Younis b Naved 11 (26 for 3)
Attempted a cover-drive off the back foot. Younis Khan pouched the edge at second slip with a good low catchYuvraj Singh b Razzaq 18 (59 for 4)
Tried to drive one through the covers but the ball kept a bit low and resulted in him playing onMohammad Kaif c sub (Hafeez) b Razzaq 78 (194 for 5)
Pulled straight to the fielder at short midwicketRahul Dravid run out (Iftikhar/Akmal) 86 (248 for 6)
Escaped being run-out at one end when Naved dropped the ball as he was trying to direct it to the stumps, but was well short of his crease at the other as he attempted to run on the overthrowPakistanShahid Afridi b Harbhajan 102 (194 for 5)
Played a defensive stroke but the ball deflected off his boot onto the stumpsSalman Butt b Kumble 21 (135 for 2)
Missed a straight one while going for a sweepYousuf Youhana c Kaif b Kumble 24 (193 for 3)
Didn’t time an inside-out stroke and Kaif pulled off a sensational diving catch while running back from coverShoaib Malik c Zaheer b Tendulkar 41 (216 for 4)
Holed out to long-offYounis Khan b Sehwag 24 (248 for 5)
Was bowled while trying a hoick over midwicket

Steve Waugh celebrates his memorable century against England at Sydney in January 2003 © Getty Images

1 v England, Kolkata, 1987 World Cup final
In the first of his four World Cups, Waugh showed the first signs of his ice-cold nerve when he bowled the penultimate over of the match with England requiring 19 to win. Waugh only gave away two, and dismissed Phillip DeFreitas as well, and Australia lifted the trophy.2 v England, Headingley, 1989
The wait was finally over. After 27 attempts and two scores in the nineties came the first of many Test centuries, and the first of ten against England. In the first Test of the 1989 Ashes series, Waugh pummelled 177 not out and put on over 100 with Dean Jones, as the Aussies batted England out of the match. Australia went on to win by 210 runs. 3 v England, Lord’s, 1989
Just to let everyone know he had arrived on the scene, Waugh scored another big unbeaten century in the very next match, and at Lord’s too. Coming in after a solid start from the top order, Waugh went on to make 152 not out, and added 130 with Geoff Lawson to give Australia an unbeatable advantage. Just to really rub it in, he hit the winning runs in their six-wicket victory on their way to an 4-0 Ashes win, something which few people expected. England didn’t get him out in that series until the third Test.4 v South Africa, Adelaide, 1993-94
Just as Waugh established a healthy appetite for English bowling, he liked the South Africans too. In his first Test against them, coming back from injury and with Australia one down in the series, he masterminded a comfortable victory with 164 in the first innings, and then took 4 for 26 as South Africa went down by 191 runs. That was also the game in which Allan Border became the first man to exceed 11,000 Test runs, Ian Healy made his 200th dismissal, and Shane Warne took his 100th wicket – but Waugh still picked up the Man of the Match award. 5 v West Indies, Kingston, 1994-95
Exceptional, even by Waugh’s stratospheric standards. The four-Test series against West Indies was delicately poised at 1-1, so all to play for in the decider – and Waugh played it just right. After West Indies had posted a respectable 265, Waugh and his twin put on a dazzling 231 together. Mark eventually fell for 126, but Steve made it to his first and only Test double-century (to date, anyway). Australia racked up 531, and West Indies, who had not lost a series for 15 years, succumbed to a humbling innings-and-53-run drubbing, a result which changed the world order forever.6 v South Africa, Johannesburg, 1996-97
Another big win, another hundred, and another big partnership. After the bowlers had let South Africa off the hook from 165 for 6 to reach 302, Waugh wasn’t in such generous mood and, this time with Greg Blewett, batted throughout the third day and ground down the South African attack with a dogged 160 and a monster stand of 385. Add to that the important wicket of Hansie Cronje in the second innings, and it was a good few days’ work as Australia ran out winners by an innings and 196. 7 v England, Old Trafford, 1997
Yes, back to England, who again found themselves on the wrong end of Waugh’s wand, this time in the 1997 Ashes. England at this point were 1-0 up in the series, but surely it couldn’t last – and thanks to two epic hundreds from Waugh, it didn’t. In a low-scoring match, he gritted out 108 in the first innings, just under half of the team total, and then put the match beyond England with an equally dogged 116 in the second. England lost by 268 runs, and went on to lose the series 3-2. 8 v South Africa, World Cup, 1999
This was the match before the famous one, but if it wasn’t for Waugh then that thrilling semi-final may never have happened. In their previous tussle in the Super Sixes, South Africa again appeared to have everything under control with Australia struggling on 174 for 7 in pursuit of 272 … but, you guessed it, the captain game good. Waugh calculated a perfectly paced knock of 120 off 110 balls, and was famously dropped by Herschelle Gibbs on 56. Whether or not Waugh really muttered that line about dropping the World Cup may never be known, but the importance of that century in Australia’s winning campaign will never be underestimated.9 v England, The Oval, 2001
Only a fool would play with a dodgy leg, wouldn’t he? After tearing a muscle in his leg at the Trent Bridge Test three weeks earlier, Waugh knew that the The Oval game would be his last in England – and nothing was going to stop him playing in it. Coming in at 292 for 2, Waugh could have been forgiven for taking it a bit easy, but not a bit of it. He could hardly run, so he just smacked boundaries – 21 fours and a six – instead. The only sniff England had of getting him out was when he hobbled for a single on 99, but he made it – and even managed a smile afterwards. 10 v England, Sydney, 2002-03
His last game against the old enemy, and it wouldn’t have been right if he hadn’t gone out in style – and what style. After a subdued series, and with the press calling for his head, Waugh bailed the Aussies out one last time against the Poms, and as a balmy evening draw on, he edged closer and closer to his century. And it came to pass that with one ball of the day to go, he had 98 not out … and punched Richard Dawson, the offspinner, through the covers to spark the biggest celebrations the SCG, his home ground, had witnessed for yonks. Even Waugh, normally the iciest of icemen, showed his appreciation of the historic moment, one that gleams brightly in his bulging treasure chest.

ADELAIDE – All the bravado of a fast bowler is there but Allan Donald can’t keep down the nagging doubts about his readiness to take on Australia in the first cricket Test on Friday.Donald, 35 and out of Test cricket for more than six months, scoffed at conjecture his big toe injury would keep him out of the opening round ofthe world championship show down at Adelaide Oval.His problem, he admitted, is that his bowling hasn’t been fine-tuned. In his words: “It’s not all there.”Donald lost valuable preparation time because of a toe injury sustained during a four-day game against Western Australia.He said the injury, caused by a new pair of boots, should heal in time.”All the hype about the toe and the boot and all that is a load of rubbish to be honest,” Donald said, before confessing his old boots were winging their way to Adelaide as he spoke.”They should be here by Thursday.”What might not be here by Thursday is his sharpness with a cricket ball and his confidence.”I’m nearly there but the confidence to go into a Test at the Adelaide Oval against the Aussies is a different thing.”But I’ve always backed myself. I’ve backed my ability in the past and I can do that again.”Obviously the consideration for me is that I haven’t played enough cricket to justify playing in the first Test but I’m confident enough to back myself to do a job for South Africa.”Donald said a lack of bowling at the highest level made it hard to “hit the right areas” on the pitch.”I think I’m still bowling sharpish – the ball’s coming out sweetly.”But against the Aussies you’re going to have bowl quality all the time – it’s just that odd ball when you give away four that breaks a good spell or a good over.”That’s the thing I’ve got to work on right now.”Asked if two days before the Test was enough to hone his bowling skills Donald replied: “I reckon I could do that – if they want to me play.”I’d love to play – I’ll bowl a bit in the next couple of days and seehow it goes.Donald, who joked he’d considered retirement “about 46 times” in the past six months, was grateful he still had the desire to play after a run of illness and injury.”I’m very happy my hunger hasn’t deserted me,” he said.”I think that I’m more focused and up to the challenge than I have been for a number of seasons.”It’s fair to say that I’ve had a bit of a shocker for the past two years – I’ve had illnesses and a lot of bad luck – little things that kept me out of the game.”

Ex-Comets batsmen Mark Higgs and Brad Haddin returned to Canberra to givetheir former teammates a lesson as New South Wales won by 118 runs in a rainshortened Mercantile Mutual Cup match at Manuka Oval today.Haddin, who last year scored 133 off 124 balls for the Comets againstVictoria on the same ground, began in a similar aggressive mood and raced to50 off 38 balls, the fastest half century in domestic one-day competitionthus far this year. The innings was punctuated with a variety of superblytimed drives lofted safely in the area over mid off and mid on, and fromfront foot drives through cover and mid wicket.Although former NSW paceman Anthony Stuart took 3-24 in a seven-over openingspell for the Comets, he lacked an effective partner from the other end,with the Comets minus injured regular bowlers Jason Voros and Lee Hansen.With the base provided by Haddin’s blistering innings, man of the match MarkHiggs was able to take advantage of occasional loose deliveries by the restof the attack and his 77 from 75 balls was risk free until he ran himselfout at the end of the innings.With half an hour lost to rain during the Blues innings of 9/252, the matchwas reduced to 47 overs per side and the Comets’ target increased to 255under the Duckworth/Lewis system. With the target a forbidding 5.42 runs perover, the accurate unchanged ten over spell of NSW opening bowler Don Nashyielded 3 wickets for 31 as the Comets batsman tried and failed to increasethe run-rate. Only captain Rod Tucker was able to briefly lift the rateagainst NSW spinners Jamie Stewart (in his first match since transferringfrom Western Australia) and Gavin Robertson, and the Comets crashed to theworst defeat in their brief existence.The inability to keep talented players such as Haddin, Higgs, and MichaelBevan will make this competition a continued struggle for the Comets. It isdifficult to see how they can be competitive if players must leave to playthe extended game and achieve their dream of playing Test Cricket.

Everton host Premier League leaders Manchester City with new Toffees manager Frank Lampard experiencing a mixed start to proceedings at Goodison Park.

The 43-year-old has experienced two wins and two defeats since taking over on the blue side of Merseyside, with both victories coming at home and the losses away.

Next up is a major test for the Toffees who will look to unstick themselves from the bottom end of the table as soon as possible, with Lampard’s side 16th and two points clear of the drop zone.

But who will start for the Merseyside outfit as they host Pep Guardiola’s side in the late Saturday kick-off?

Football FanCast predicts that Lampard will continue with the 4-4-2 formation that he has used in the last two matches against Leeds United and Southampton.

First-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford remains in between the sticks with no changes in the defence either, with the two changes coming in the midfield.

With an important FA Cup tie against Boreham Wood to contest on Thursday, there could be an argument for adjustments to the starting lineup as Lampard looks to manage his squad.

Winger Alex Iwobi put in a well below par performance against Southampton last weekend, with the 25-year-old Nigeria international without a goal contribution in the Premier League for almost four months.

The wide man has come under plenty of scrutinies for his lack of involvement in the final third, with TalkSPORT’s Adrian Durham saying earlier this season: “Listen, for a player that cost £36m, and my understanding is he’s on a fair wedge, he’s got to put chances like that away.

“When you get the chance to start for Everton Football Club and you’re presented with opportunities like that and you’re producing an air shot, you’ve got to focus and concentrate harder and make sure you get a contact on the ball, and at least force the goalkeeper to make a save.”

In his place comes Andros Townsend who appears to now be back to full fitness having endured a spell on the sidelines over the festive period and has exceeded expectations since joining last summer.

The £48k-per-week winger, labelled as “tireless” whilst at Crystal Palace, has scored seven goals in all competitions so far this campaign.

Centrally, Donny van de Beek has had a slow start to his temporary tenure at Goodison Park, with the Dutchman on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the campaign. Although it’s very early days, Lampard may be tempted to tinker with a busy schedule to come and opt for Andre Gomes alongside Allan in the middle.

This would arguably provide more cover against a ruthless opposition, with both midfielders defensively minded. Moreover, Gomes was the Englishman’s preferred option to replace Allan at St.Mary’s last weekend when the Brazilian was on a yellow card and needed to be withdrawn.

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In terms of the frontline, Everton fans will be desperate to see Dominic Calvert-Lewin find the back of the net again, with the Englishman struggling for form since his lengthy absence due to injury.

The striker was out of action for three months, having scored in each of his first three league appearances of the season, with a fractured toe but hasn’t scored since returning to the side almost two months ago.

It’ll be a tall task for Frank Lampard’s side to take a result from the league leaders who can’t afford another slip up after their 3-2 defeat to Tottenham last weekend with Liverpool breathing down their necks. Although, stranger things have happened than Everton getting a result against Manchester City.

In other news: Moshiri suffered an Everton howler over £27m-rated “monster”, Lampard will be gutted – opinion