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Brook’s 153 caps record-breaking display but England toil for breakthroughs in reply

Valkerie Baynes02-Dec-2022With a mountain to climb, Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique harnessed up and shinnied towards England’s monster first-innings total on the second day of their contest in Rawalpindi.After Harry Brook pressed on from his overnight 101 to reach 153 off just 116 balls as England were bowled out for 657 at better than a run a ball shortly before lunch, the home duo negotiated more than two sessions unscathed. On a pitch that remained a road throughout both days, to the disgust of PCB chairman Ramiz Raja, they staged an opening partnership approaching the 200-mark with Imam 90 not out at stumps and Shafique on 89.The pair faced up to a spin attack comprising Jack Leach, Will Jacks and Joe Root with class through a middle session, which contrasted with England’s fireworks of the previous four, but still contained flashes of excitement.Imam launched Leach over the rope at deep midwicket to break a run of 11 dot balls from England’s only frontline spinner and Shafique advanced down the pitch to dispatch Jacks over long-on to bring up Pakistan’s fifty.Shafique raised his half-century with a glorious drive to the cover boundary off Jacks, his seventh four of the innings, and Imam followed suit a short time later, pushing a Root delivery towards cover for a single.England served up 21 consecutive overs of slow bowling as captain Ben Stokes set attacking fields. Jacks fulfilled the part-timer role which helped secure him a Test debut when Ben Foakes failed to recover from the sickness bug which swept through the touring camp on match eve and Root reprised one he has played many times before with Liam Livingstone, England’s other debutant and sometime spinner, suffering a jarred knee that kept him off the field for much of the afternoon and evening.It was all a precursor to James Anderson returning to try and extract some reverse swing. There wasn’t much on offer from the limited evidence of the one over he sent down before tea, nor was there any more than a hint after the break, although there was a chance.With the fifth ball of the evening session, Anderson fired one into Shafique’s ribs which kissed the glove before sailing down the leg side to Ollie Pope, standing in for regular keeper Foakes. Diving to his left, Pope made an excellent take but the on-field umpires deferred to their TV counterpart, Marais Erasmus, and replays showed that the ball had gone to ground a fraction before meeting Pope’s glove.Searching for a breakthrough after Leach conceded 12 off the 41st over, Shafique hitting a six down the ground and Imam clearing mid-off for four, Stokes entered the attack to no avail as the hosts stood firm.Pakistan managed to prise out England’s remaining six wickets by lunch, but not before England had added a further 151 runs, having already amassed 506 for 4, the most runs ever scored on the opening day of a Test match.Stokes, who had taken England past that milestone with a brutal six over long-on off Mohammad Ali in the dying light on Thursday, unleashed another back over bowler Naseem Shah’s head off the second ball on Friday en route to 41 off 18 deliveries. He was out four balls later when Naseem took the pace off and took out the top of middle stump.Related

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Naseem’s fellow quick, Haris Rauf, sat in the dressing room with his right quad wrapped in an ice pack after rolling over the ball while fielding the previous day. Meanwhile, legspinner Zahid Mahmood suffered agony of another kind, his four wickets coming at an eye-watering cost of 235 runs in 33 overs – the most-expensive analysis by a Test debutant.Livingstone lofted Zahid for six down the ground on the seventh ball he faced in Tests, but he faced just three more before holing out to deep square leg off Naseem.Brook took to Zahid in a remarkable over, which went for 27 runs. He reverse-swept a six over extra cover, swept the next ball fine for four, and reverse-swept again for another four. He wasn’t done yet either as he hammered the fourth ball for four through long on and lofted next for six back down the ground. Brook tried to go big once more on the last ball and while he miscued and sent a top edge back over his own head, the ball trickled away for another three runs to compound Zahid’s woe.Two fours in three balls off Naseem’s next over, the second of which split keeper and first slip for four, brought up Brook’s 150, although he lofted an attempted sweep next ball to Saud Shakeel at deep square leg.Ollie Robinson took England past 600 with a six off Zahid down the ground before Jacks picked out Naseem at midwicket off Mohammad Ali after a 30-run cameo. Robinson failed to overturn his lbw dismissal off Zahid for 37 and Anderson miscued Zahid’s googly straight to Imam at deep square leg to be last man out.

Cricket Australia’s CEO James Sutherland said that alarm bells were ringing for Test cricket around the world, with the slide in the commercial value of the format creating headaches for the game’s future

Daniel Brettig16-Nov-2017Some days of international cricket are more equal than others. Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland has revealed how three hours of a single Twenty20 international are worth as much to India television broadcasters as five days of a Test match, a market reality that underlines the parlous state of the game’s longest form without context.Speaking to podcast, Sutherland said that “alarm bells” were ringing for Test cricket all round the world, in spite of the sold out crowds and strong television ratings expected for this summer’s Ashes series between Australia and England. The ICC recently, and at long last, approved plans for a World Test Championship to begin in 2019, but Sutherland said the slide of the five-day game’s value was creating major headaches around cricket’s future.”In many ways there’s so much doubt about Test cricket and its future I think and in some parts of the world it really is in a desperate state. That’s partly because it’s just not commercially viable,” he said, when asked how he saw Test cricket looking in 15 years’ time. “There are some really significant warning signals in some parts of the world.”As a starting point if you go to India, the country where there is supposedly the most lucrative commercial market, the current valuations on a Test match, five days of Test cricket, is exactly the same as the valuation on a three-hour Twenty20 international match. That’s a perspective on what the market in the biggest country in the cricketing world sees as the value of Test cricket, and that has a significant flow-on impact to other countries.”So the alarm bells are ringing for Test cricket and that’s one of the reasons why I think this context around Test cricket is so important with this league championship. In 15 years’ time I sincerely hope that this league will create extra relevance and drive and importance for Test cricket, ideally the championship has significant incentives for countries and players to stay involved in Test cricket, and the rewards and recognition from that will also be seen and reflected in fans coming and continuing to stay connected to the game.”Apart from the creation of the Test Championship to foster “third party” relevance and context to matches for fans not supporting either of the competing teams, Sutherland has also been an advocate for day-night Test matches to have more of their span played at a time when greater audience sizes are available both at the ground and on television.A third area in which he said the game could be enhanced is by the preparation of more bowler-friendly pitches in Tests, so that the balance between bat and ball is more even than that often seen in the ODI and T20 formats dominated largely by batsmen. “Money is basically a function of fan interest and support and there’s a lot of romantic connection to Test cricket and rightly so,” he said. “But Test cricket has to remain relevant and contemporary for the modern-day fan and I think it’s challenged by the fact there are two other forms of the game that are alternatives.”So context and relevance is particularly important. I’m not saying there’s any silver bullet solution so I’m not suggesting it’s that, but it’s another reason why we’ve been very strong in trying to introduce day-night Test cricket to time shift it into more available hours for fans to engage with cricket, and I think there are other things that need to be looked at, including pitches to ensure there is a better balance between bat and ball.”What I’m talking about there is actually giving more advantage to the bowler in Test cricket to make the game more interesting, because the one-day game and T20 game in terms of pitches and conditions heavily favour the batsmen. I think to even that up a little bit for the bowler would make for more compelling Test cricket.”Having just witnessed the women’s Ashes Test at North Sydney Oval, Sutherland said there was little prospect of more long-form women’s matches being scheduled. “World cricket — ICC and its member countries — have decided that the best format by which to promote the women’s game is the T20 format,” he said.”That’s the primary format and we continue to hold on the men’s side Test cricket as the primary format and the game that we want to preserve and make the ultimate form. We won’t see a lot more women’s Test cricket in the future but hopefully it will continue to be part of the Ashes at least.”

It will be the first time since 2004 that South Africa are playing a Test without both AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale11-Nov-2016

Match facts

November 12-16, 2016
Start time 1030 local (2330 GMT)3:07

‘Conditions are like an English seamer’

Big picture

That South Africa won the first Test at the WACA was in some ways not surprising, for in their previous three Tests at the venue they were unbeaten, and they were accustomed to recent success in Australia, having not lost a series here since 2005-06. Even without their captain AB de Villiers, they were in familiar territory. Not so for the second Test at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, which will be South Africa’s first Test appearance at the venue. And after Dale Steyn suffered a serious shoulder injury in Perth, South Africa are also on new ground in quite another way. Steyn and de Villiers made their debuts together against England in Port Elizabeth in December 2004 and this will be the first time since then that South Africa have entered a Test with neither man in the XI.That might have been cause for concern were it not for the manner of their victory in Perth, where the performances of South Africa’s newer players proved critical. There was Kagiso Rabada, the Man of the Match who stepped up heroically in Steyn’s absence. There was Temba Bavuma, who made a fighting fifty, took his maiden Test wicket, and pulled off one of the finest run-outs in Test history. There was Quinton de Kock, who scored a pair of half-centuries, one a salvage mission and the other a savage mission. And there was Keshav Maharaj, the debutant spinner who took four wickets and smashed late runs that just rubbed in South Africa’s dominance. True, hundreds from JP Duminy and Dean Elgar were key, but it was the contributions of these more junior figures that bode so well.What about Australia? Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood bowled well on day one. David Warner looked in good touch in both innings. Usman Khawaja fought for 97. Peter Nevill showed his grit in the second innings. But by the end of the Test, the Australians were falling apart like the WACA pitch. They had lost a fourth consecutive Test. The balance of their side, with an underperforming Mitchell Marsh at No.6, was again cause for consternation. Nathan Lyon seemed to lack the confidence of his captain. Adam Voges’ Bradmanesque 2015-16 summer seemed as distant a memory as the summers of Bradman himself. And to add injury to insult, Shaun Marsh and Peter Siddle were then ruled out of the Hobart Test.Down in the series, already questions have been asked of Australia’s preparation. Their men had not played red-ball cricket since the Test tour of Sri Lanka in August, for the only Sheffield Shield games came in a day-night round using pink balls. For the first time in two decades the first Test of the summer was moved from the Gabba, a fortress at which Australia have not lost since 1988, to the WACA, where they have not once beaten South Africa. Last time Australia won a home series after losing the first Test was in 1968, when Bill Lawry’s men staged a comeback against West Indies. This time, Australia must overcome not only South Africa but also the Hobart weather, with rain expected over at least the first couple of days.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


Australia: LLLLW
South Africa: WWDWL

In the spotlight

Joe Mennie will be hoping his Test debut is more impressive than his first ODI. Last month, Mennie took 0 for 82 against South Africa in Johannesburg, the worst figures ever by an Australia bowler on ODI debut, and three of his likely Test opponents – Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy – batted against him in that game. But Mennie has fine recent red-ball form against the South Africans, having claimed two five-wicket hauls against South Africa A in first-class games in July and August. And plenty of his Test opponents were among his victims: Mennie dismissed Dean Elgar and Vernon Philander twice each, and Stephen Cook and Temba Bavuma once each. The leading Sheffield Shield wicket taker of last summer, Mennie’s long-form record is far superior to his short-form figures.One of the most impressive things about South Africa’s win in Perth was that they achieved it with virtually no contribution from Hashim Amla, who made 0 and 1. As the only member of this team to have played in the pre-Steyn and pre-de Villiers era, Amla’s experience will be invaluable to the squad for the remainder of this series. South Africa will hope his Perth failures were just a blip, and that Amla returns to the kind of touch that has brought him five Test hundreds against Australia, including two in Australia.Will it be Morne Morkel or Kyle Abbott for South Africa in Hobart?•Getty Images

Team news

At least two changes will be necessary for Australia, with Shaun Marsh and Siddle both out injured. Joe Burns will therefore resume his partnership with David Warner at the top of the order and fast bowler Mennie will make his Test debut. But there is also the chance of a third change, with Mitchell Marsh under pressure after the inclusion of Callum Ferguson in the squad. Captain Steven Smith said on the eve of the game there was a chance Australia would go in with “six genuine batsmen”, especially with the prospect of bad weather in Hobart, which would ease the workload on the bowlers. Adam Voges tweaked a hamstring in Perth but passed a fitness test on Friday and is expected to play.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh/Callum Ferguson, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Joe Mennie, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan LyonSouth Africa will also be forced to make one change due to the shoulder injury suffered by Dale Steyn in Perth. Kyle Abbott appears to have the front-running to replace Steyn, although Morne Morkel would come under consideration if passed fit. There is also the possibility that South Africa might choose four fast men given the conditions. Spinner Keshav Maharaj trained indoors on Friday, separate from the rest of the group, and is by no means a guaranteed starter. Dwaine Pretorius will not arrive in Hobart until Saturday, so a four-man pace attack would mean both Abbott and Morkel in the XI.South Africa (possible) 1 Stephen Cook, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Keshav Maharaj/Morne Morkel.

Pitch and conditions

The Bellerive Oval pitch is typically very good for batting in Test matches, and there is no reason to expect anything different this year. However, rain is expected on at least the first two days, and overcast conditions should help the fast bowlers swing the ball.

Stats and trivia

• Only once in the past five Hobart Tests has the team batting first been bowled out. The other four first-innings scores were 5 for 542, 8 for 519, 5 for 450 and 4 for 583 – all by Australia.
• Australia will miss Siddle in Hobart, where he is the all-time leading Test wicket taker among fast bowlers, with 22 wickets at 15.72.
• Perhaps a good start for Smith would be to win the toss. Of the past 20 Tests in which Australia batted second, they lost 11; of the past 20 Tests in which they batted first, they lost only two.

Quotes

“It was a disappointing loss, I’m going okay. Things haven’t gone to plan so far, but we’ve got an opportunity to turn it around this week. The guys are in good spirits, we’ve prepared well again like we have for every Test and guys are keen and eager to get out there and turn this series around.”

Mashrafe Mortaza has been ruled out of the ODI leg of the current Zimbabwe tour as a result of a fat pad contusion on his left heel

Mohammad Isam24-Apr-2013Mashrafe Mortaza has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe. His latest injury, a fat pad contusion on his left heel, is keeping him out of action for yet another international tour, after he had missed the limited overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour as well.”According to the assessment of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) medical team, [Mashrafe] Mortaza has not fully recovered from the injury and still feels pain,” said chief selector Akram Khan. “There is a risk of him aggravating the injury if he returns to play, and he could become susceptible to new injuries also.”Under the circumstances, we felt it was best to allow him more time to continue with his rehabilitation programme. He will not be considered for selection for the ODI series in Zimbabwe.”He suffered the injury during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) final earlier this year. It has already been more than two months since he has been into his recovery, which seemed innocuous when it first occurred. But Mashrafe has a history of leg injuries and his surgery count is already in the double figures.Mashrafe’s last international appearance was the fourth ODI against West Indies last year, and his last Test appearance was in 2009.

Alan Gardner30-Apr-2012Ben Stokes, the Durham allrounder, is to undergo a scan on a back injury that currently prevents him from bowling. Stokes, who was named in the England Lions squad to take on West Indies next month, suffered discomfort during Durham’s drawn Championship match against Middlesex at Lord’s but is hoping it will not prove to be a significant problem as he seeks to press his case for an international recall.Stokes appeared in five ODIs and two T20 internationals for England last year, though he struggled to make an impact and subsequently underwent surgery on a finger injury that prevented him from playing cricket over the winter. Although he was called up on the strength of his batting alone, Stokes has put extra work into his bowling and already has 11 first-class wickets at 16.72 from three matches this season, albeit five came in the rout of Durham’s university students. The 20-year-old would not have bowled against Surrey last week – and in the end he did not get a chance to bat either, as The Oval suffered its first complete abandonment since 2007 due to persistent heavy rainfall.”It’s not quite ready for bowling at the moment,” Stokes said. “We’re just taking a few precautions with that. I’ve got a scan coming up so hopefully that will tell us more. If it stops me from bowling that is going to be a setback. I had a couple of stress reactions in my back when I was younger but this doesn’t feel similar so hopefully it’s not that bad.”I always work on both bowling and batting, as hard as each other. At the moment, there’s a lot of work going into my bowling because there’s a lot of improvement needed. So if this back injury does prevent me from bowling it will be give a chance to work on batting.”Already marked out as one of the most talented young players on the circuit, Stokes has a chance to make a statement with the bat, at least, when the Lions take on West Indies in less than two weeks’ time. He has not set any targets for the season, other than making runs and taking wickets, but with the make-up of England’s top order far from certain, Stokes could potentially play himself into Andy Flower’s plans with a big innings.If he remains on the Test fringes – with Ravi Bopara expected to bat at No. 6 against West Indies and Nick Compton stockpiling hard-won early season runs – Stokes has realistic hopes of a return to England’s limited-overs sides. “It’s fantastic to be involved again with the Lions, especially after a frustrating winter,” Stokes said. “Hopefully I can put in a good performance on the pitch when it comes to the game.”For the second week running, Durham were frustrated by the London weather, with not a ball bowled against Surrey. Indoor nets and watching the IPL on TV were as close as the players got to cricket as both clubs lost ground on Division One leaders, Warwickshire. Durham’s next match is at Edgbaston, beginning on Thursday, with Stokes seeking to build on a modest return of 90 runs from four Championship innings so far this season ahead of the Lions fixture.”It is tough sitting and watching the rain come down, especially at the start of the season because every team wants to get off to a good start and it’s pretty disappointing that the weather’s holding us back,” Stokes said. “Batting out in the middle is a lot different to batting in the nets. It is a bit frustrating not getting any game time but you’ve got to find a way to get in as much practice as you can.”

Round-up of the final match-day of the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2011Afghanistan, Namibia and Papua New Guinea won their games on the final day of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Ireland, to book their place in next year’s tournament, which will be played in Queensland, Australia. Scotland, Nepal and Ireland, who finished at the top of the points table, had already qualified. These six teams will be joined by the ten Full Members at the World Cup.Kenya Under-19s’ Duncan Allan, who finished the tournament with 455 runs from nine games at 50.55, was named Man of the Tournament. Allan said he was disappointed not to have made it to the World Cup – Kenya, with only two wins, finished ninth on the points table. “It would have been great to be part of the tournament next year. But I learnt a lot this time playing this tournament and I believe am a better player for the experience.”Scotland Under-19s won the qualifying tournament, after crushing bottom-dwellers Vanuatu Under-19s by 130 runs at Lodge Road. It was Scotland’s eighth win out of nine games, putting them ahead of Nepal Under-19s by two points. Nepal also qualified, as did hosts Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan. Ross McLean’s half-century helped Scotland get to 222, and then Vanuatu crumbled to 92 all out. Offspinner Kyle Smith took 5 for 17 as none of Vanuatu’s batsmen offered any resistance.The pitch, Smith said after the match, aided his bowling. “The pitch was a bit two-paced. So, all I had to do, was to bowl in the right areas. I am glad the tournament went off well for us, as we had prepared well for it.”Papua New Guinea Under-19s continued their rise up the table and secured qualification by picking up their fourth win in five games, this time easily beating Ireland Under-19s at Woodvale Road.Seamer Norman Vanua was PNG’s star with the ball; he picked up two early wickets that started a top-order collapse for Ireland, and when the Ireland lower order was fighting to take their team to a defendable total, Vanua came back and removed the last two batsmen. The 38-run eighth-wicket stand between Adam Coughlan and Barry McCarthy that Vanua broke was the highest of Ireland’s innings, and they only managed 155. PNG reached the target quickly, but not without losing five wickets. A quickfire 30 from Vagi Oala got the chase off to a rollicking start but the run-rate slowed slightly as wickets fell. PNG were always comfortable though and got home in 29.1 overs.Wicketkeeper Dogodo Bau, who was at the crease at the end and had claimed five catches when PNG bowled, was the Man of the Match. “It feels good to be part of the squad that qualified [for the World Cup],” he said. “The pitch was good today, but had something in it for our fast bowlers. We have done well to get through.”Nepal Under-19s stayed in second spot in the points table with a convincing 99-run win against USA Under-19s at the Limavady Cricket Ground. No. 3 batsman Naresh Budayair’s 76 set up the base for Nepal, as they recovered well from 78 for 4. Budayair was ably assisted in the recovery by Pradeep Airee, who scored 57. Krishna Karki then blasted four sixes in his 45 off 17 balls to lift Nepal from 214 for 6 in the 47th over to 264 for 9. USA’s chase ran into early strife as Avinash Karn and Krishna Karki reduced them to 15 for 3 in no time. Steven Taylor hit a quick half-century, but USA kept losing steam thanks to Rahul Vishwakarma’s four-wicket haul, and they were bowled out for 165 in the 45th over.Man-of-the-Match Budayair who had top scored with 76 said once Nepal got Taylor, they were confident of winning. “I thought we had enough on the board. But while Steven Taylor was at the crease, we were a bit wary. Once he fell, we were certain of a win.”Afghanistan Under-19s routed Canada Under-19s by eight wickets in a one-sided encounter at New Strabane Park which secured their qualification in fifth place. No Canada batsman managed to score more than 13 as they were skittled out for 71 by an all-round bowling effort from Afghanistan. Sayed Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai and Abdul Naseri picked up two wickets each to leave their batsmen facing an easy chase. Javed Ahmadi and Hashmatullah Shaidi did the needful, racing home in 15 overs despite the loss of two cheap wickets.Ahmadi’s positive, unbeaten knock of 34 from 25 won him the Man-of-the-Match award. He said the win came courtesy his sides’ high quality fielding. “Today’s victory belonged to the fielders. They were just brilliant and ran two batsmen out. When I batted, it was all very simple, since we did not have much to chase.”Kenya Under-19s dismal run in the tournament continued as they lost to Namibia Under-19s by 109 runs at the Drummond Cricket Club. The foundation for Namibia’s total of 314 was laid by captain Stephen Baard’s 89 and Merwe Erasmus’ 51, while the final surge was provided by Gert Lotter’s 35 off 18 balls and Christopher Coombe’s 31 off 17 balls. Lotter and Coombe took 64 runs off the last five overs to ensure Namibia reached the highest total of the tournament so far. Kenya never really went for the total in reply. At the end of 20 overs, though they had only lost two wickets, their run-rate was 2.70, and though they batted out the 50 overs, and Joseph Ochieng got a half-century they ended up losing by a big margin.Man of the Match Stephen Baard said the pitch suited the batsmen. “I had to lead the way for the side. We had to win and win big. It was an easy paced track. The batsmen had it easy during the day. We knew if we posted a huge score, it will become easier to qualify.”

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According to Sky Sports, Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye has handed in a transfer request at Goodison Park following a £21.5 million offer for his services from Paris Saint-Germain.

What’s the story?

As per Sky Sports, the Toffees are adamant that the 29-year-old isn’t for sale, and are set to reject the offer from the reigning French champions. However, the same report states that Gueye has written to the Everton hierarchy pleading for them to allow him to move to the Parc des Princes in this January transfer window.

Everton must refuse the 62-Senegal international’s wishes though and insist that he remains on Merseyside, at least until the end of this season.

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…

For the sake of their Premier League campaign, they cannot afford to lose the 29-year-old this month.

Time to dig in

Everton’s season has been disappointing so far as it is, as the club sit in mid-table but short of being prime contenders for Europa League qualification. What’s more, manager Marco Silva has come under pressure in recent weeks following a poor run of results. 

One of the few bright sparks in the Toffees’ season so far has been the quality and consistency of Gueye. He has been handed a huge task as the only reliable ball-winning midfielder in Everton’s midfield contingent, and his side’s suffering cannot be blamed on him or his performances.

Considering they are struggling with Gueye in the side, their season could spiral into disastrous territory without him. 

The Premier League club have every right to dig deep and resist PSG’s advances and Gueye’s wishes this month, and that is what they must do to save themselves from another dismal end to a campaign. 

Liverpool’s front three were so prolific last season that it would have seemed ludicrous to drop one of them.

Make no mistake, the trio are still by far the best options that Jurgen Klopp has in relation to the final third.

However, this season Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are yet to click collectively.

Firmino, in particular, has struggled to make a significant impact in recent matches.

The Brazil international has only hit the back of the net once in his last nine outings for Liverpool, which is disappointing by his standards.

The Merseyside outfit remain unbeaten in the Premier League and are only two points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”327140″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Leicester Trump Man City Chelsea & Liverpool”]

However, the club are yet to replicate their prolific form from the 2017-18 campaign, so perhaps a change should be made.

Daniel Sturridge has had to play a bit-part role, but he has scored four goals in 11 appearances in all competitions.

Should Klopp give the striker a chance in place of Firmino?

Let us know by voting below.

According to The Sun, Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis is desperate to tie up a deal for Le Havre centre-back Harold Moukoudi ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Boro lost Ben Gibson to Burnley in the latter stages of the summer transfer window, and despite bringing Aden Flint and Paddy McNair to the Riverside Stadium, it is understood that Pulis still wants a new centre-back.

According to The Sun, Le Havre defender Moukoudi has been identified as the perfect addition, and the Championship outfit are keen to tie up a deal which would see the 20-year-old make the move in the early stages of 2019.

West Ham United were strongly linked with a move for the central defender in the latter stages of the summer window, whilst it is understood that a number of other Premier League clubs are admirers.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”278881″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Kane’s Kryptonite & London’s Biggest Losers”]

However, it is being reported that Moukoudi would be prepared to drop down into the Championship if Boro can agree a deal with Le Havre.

Would Moukoudi be a good signing?

A four-time France Under-20 international, Moukoudi came through the youth system at Le Havre, and has since developed into a first-team regular.

The centre-back will not turn 21 until the latter stages of this year, but made 44 appearances in all competitions for his French club last term.

The Frenchman also contributed four goals in Ligue 2 last season, and standing at 6ft 3in, he has the potential to be a colossus in the second tier of English football.

The fact that Moukoudi’s contract expires at the end of this season means that Boro will not have to break the bank in order to secure his signature.

And it would send out a serious message to the rest of the Championship if Pulis managed to bring the Frenchman to the Riverside at the mid-point of the season.

Chelsea pulled off a hugely impressive 2-1 win away against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night, but Blues fans weren’t impressed with the performance from midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

The La Liga giants were hosting their first European game at their new Wanda Metropolitano home when Antonio Conte’s men came to town, and they looked to be on course to pick up three points when Antoine Griezmann’s penalty gave them a half-time lead.

However, the visitors hit back after the break and Alvaro Morata’s header on the hour-mark was followed by a last-gasp winner from Michy Batshuayi, with Fabregas – who started in a more advanced position with Tiemoue Bakayoko and N’Golo Kante in the middle of the park – missing a sitter from six yards just after Morata found the net.

Chelsea supporters were quick to have their say on his showing via social media, and while some described it as “awful”, others said it was a “shocking performance”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…