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When Pedro first broke onto the scene with Barcelona circa 2008, the fiery Spaniard was walking into a team that simply saw no task as impossible. ‘Tiki-taka’ was the choice of phrase used to describe Pep Guardiola’s preference for possession based play at the Nou Camp, and as trophies galore started raining down for Pedro for both club and country, Spanish football was in a very good place indeed.

However, with Carlos Puyol’s retirement, the addition of several new foreign players, and the moving on of Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, subsequent Barca managers have failed to maintain their side’s imperial dominance in Europe, and have seen the team become far more transitional than the complete Barcelona squad of just a few years ago.

As Pedro, another of Barca’s more experienced faces, is reported to be gaining the interest of Arsene Wenger this winter, will this January transfer window represent a new chapter for the Spaniard, or will Pedro remain at Barcelona and become a true Nou Camp hero?

The general footballing consensus seems to agree that the answer to the latter part of that question remains a resoundingly clear. No. Twenty-seven-year-old Pedro may have already sounded himself out as a real star of Catalonian football, but as Barcelona’s conveyor-belt of talent is constantly being added to in their quest to dominate Europe, remaining at the Nou Camp would be a tough ask for the no. 7.

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In the wake of Neymar’s and Luis Suarez’ arrival at Barca, Pedro has seen his game time largely restricted to a place on the bench, and his form has therefore taken a dip as a result. Only three La Liga goals this season simply doesn’t shine the forward in the greatest of lights.

That said, for all the distinct lack of sensation and excitement surrounding Pedro at the moment, Barcelona’s somewhat forgotten man could still do a great job elsewhere, and get his career truly up and running again. With Arsenal said to be great admirers of the Spaniard, perhaps a move to the Premier League wouldn’t be too far off in the near future for the current Barca man.

Pedro initially made a mark on the scene with his lightening quick turn of pace, ability to send in a great whipped cross, and impressively keen eye for goal for a winger. He was highly thought of throughout Europe and even played an important, but albeit understated role, in helping Spain dominate international football.

Whilst his lack of physicality may need addressing if he were to ever make it in the English game, Pedro could offer Arsenal a brand new outlet as the Gunners seek to regain their title chasing status in the Premier League. He would give Wenger that added outlet of pace whenever such a tool was needed, and whilst Pedro may prove a bit steep in terms of his price tag and wages, the link up play with ex-teammate Alexis Sanchez would be something for the Emirates faithful to behold.

However, although such a deal would certainly excite Arsenal fans, the Barcelona winger wouldn’t really do much in terms of addressing their side’s defensive problems. A holding midfielder, several new faces at the back, and perhaps even a new centre-forward will all be needed if Arsenal are to ever regain their dominance in the Premier League.

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Overall, Pedro remains a very much sought after player, even if his current form doesn’t quite do him justice. It ultimately seems likely that he will be on his way out of the Nou Camp sooner or later, and despite the fact that many big teams throughout Europe will be after his signature in the coming months, it is thought that Arsenal’s long term admiration of Pedro will hold them as front runners in any potential move.

Whilst it would be great to see such talent in the Premier League, Pedro’s tendency to go down far too easily may see him face a brand new set of critics should he make the plunge into the English game.

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Arsene Wenger could make a surprise deadline day move for Uruguayan full back Alvaro Pereira after a thigh strain ruled Kieron Gibbs out for three weeks, the Telegraph report.

Gibbs picked up the injury during the 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday and looks set to be sidelined until the end of February leaving Andre Santos as the only fit and available left back at the Emirates Stadium.

The Brazilian has looked defensively suspect when called upon this season and that could force Wenger into the market for a specialist before the transfer deadline closes at 11pm, joking that he needs the window extended by an extra week.

“Gibbs has a thigh strain and that rules him out for the next three weeks – it is a big blow for us,” the Frenchman said.

“I’ll see what I can do. Gibbs was a big player for us going forward and in the game we want to play. I cannot promise you any transfers. We work on it.

“We want an official extension of the window for one week.”

Reports are now suggesting the Gunners boss is eyeing up Inter Milan’s Pereira, formerly a target for Chelsea, after being priced out of moves for Southampton’s Luke Shaw and Everton’s Leighton Baines this month.

The 27-year-old has struggled at the San Siro since arriving from Porto for £8million last August and Wenger will have to fend off interest from North London rivals Tottenham.

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West Ham confirmed this week that they have handed lifetime bans to the fans that invaded the pitch against Burnley, and it’s pretty clear who the fans are siding with.

It’s been a pretty toxic season for West Ham, as performances on the pitch have echoed the atmosphere in their new stadium – soulless.

While plenty were excited about the move to the Olympic Stadium, many fans were infuriated by the move away from the Boleyn Ground, and those concerns have proved justified since the move.

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Things reached boiling point in the recent loss to Burnley, as fans literally ran riot on the pitch and in the stands. Burnley won the match comfortably, but there was only one story after the match, as fans frustrations with David Gold and David Sullivan toppled onto the pitch.

The club have now announced that five individuals have been banned for their actions, and that they are continuing investigations into several other incidents.

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Fans have been reacting to the news on Twitter, and some of the best reactions can be found below…

Liverpool take on Stoke City today in the Premier League and Brendan Rodgers knows questions are being asked about whether he is still the right man for the Reds?

It has been a difficult season for the Merseysiders so far, having lost four of their last five in all competitions, with the one time they’ve avoided defeat being a disappointing 2-2 draw against FC Ludogorets in the Champions League.

To make matters worse for the former Swansea City gaffer, there has been a lot of talk surrounding Liverpool’s captain Steven Gerrard with suggestions that he can no longer do the required job for Liverpool in the middle of the park. This has seen calls for Rodgers to drop the former England international and, as of yet – apart from Liverpool’s Champions League game against Real Madrid – Brendan has kept faith in Stevie G…until today.

The Liverpool gaffer has made several changes and Stevie G finds himself on the bench – is this the begining of the end of Gerrard’s time on Anfield?

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Jonathan Woodgate`s playing career contains many peaks and troughs but the pinnacle came on 24th February 2008 when his name was forever enshrined in the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame for his winning goal in the League Cup Final.

It was the first League Cup Final to be staged at the new Wembley and Spurs faced Chelsea.

Chelsea took the lead with a typically superb 25 yard free-kick by Didier Drogba just before half-time. Spurs pressed for an equaliser for most of the second half and were finally rewarded on 70 minutes when Dimitar Berbatov kept his cool, after what seemed an eternity of delay, to stroke home an equalising penalty.

Tottenham seemed to have the upper hand from there on in but squandered two good chances to settle the game in normal time.

With only four minutes of extra-time gone, Jonathan Woodgate stepped forward to claim his place in history with one of the most bizarre goals in the history of Wembley finals.

Spurs were awarded a free-kick 30 yards from goal, on theChelsearight. Jermaine Jenas floated the ball into the area and Woodgate climbed, just outside the six-yard box where, inexplicably, he was met by the flailing palms of Peter Cech. With barely inches between them, the Spurs man flicked his forehead at the ball, which deflected on to the goalkeeper`s gloves, back on to Jonathan`s forehead and back over Cech to bounce, once in a totally unmanned six-yard box, before crossing the line.

The Spurs defender then set off on a memorable lap of honour before climbing the steps to receive his first senior winner’s medal.

Not only did Jonathan`s winner claim the League Cup for the White Hart Lane trophy cabinet it also secured UEFA Cup qualification, something they would not have achieved via their league position.

Woodgate started at Leeds in 1997 and featured regularly for the first team that reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and contested the leading places in the Premier League.

He joined Newcastle United in 2003, for £9 million plus add-ons and his performances in their march to the UEFA Cup semi-finals led to his £13 million move to Real Madrid in August 2004, at a time when his CV was blighted by regular injury absences, indeed he was injured when he left for Spain.

Injuries delayed his debut for a year but despite his troubles, Woodgate became a cult hero at the Bernabeau, indeed one of the myriad Spanish football newspapers christened him `Madrid`s true leader`.

By 2006 he had established himself as a first team player but injuries struck again and in 2007 he was nominated, by more than a third of voters on a Spanish website, as the worst signing of the 21st century. By then he had returned toEngland and signed forMiddlesbrough.

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Injury and the emergence of David Wheater saw Woodgate leave for Tottenham for £7 million in January 2008.

In 2008-09 he made 44 appearances but over the next two seasons he played just four times and in July 2011 he agreed a pay-as-you play deal with Stoke City. After limited first team appearances he was freed and immediately signed forMiddlesbroughin July 2012 on a three year contract.

Woodgate’s goalscoring attributes wouldn’t have looked out of place in this year’s Capital One Cup goal fest, but it’ll be a surprise if we see a stranger and more important winner this time around at Wembley on the 24th February.

Giants fee-fi-fo floundered to 23 for 7 and then 64 all out after Mooney had to retire hurt

S Sudarshanan04-Mar-20236:29

‘Harmanpreet and Mumbai Indians gave the crowds something to cheer about’

Despite all the glitzy build-up, what the inaugural Women’s Premier League needed to truly blast-off was an I’m her performance. And it came from Harmanpreet Kaur.In many ways the Mumbai Indians captain’s 30-ball 65 could well be for the WPL what Brendon McCullum’s 158 was to the IPL.It was as if Harmanpreet wanted to vent the ire of that run-out that turned the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 semi-final in Australia’s favour. Gujarat Giants had filled all four of their overseas quota with Australians. And that was reason enough.Related

• Opening act: Blue is the warmest colour as Harmanpreet, Mumbai carry WPL torch

• Harmanpreet hopes WPL will 'cut down' the gap in talent between India and Australia

• WPL – a league long overdue, and already making dreams come true

• Can the WPL make women's cricket in India mainstream?

• Issy Wong grew up watching Mumbai Indians. Now she's one of them

Harmanpreet found herself in the middle in the ninth over, with Mumbai at 69 for 2. She saw a set batter in Nat Sciver-Brunt depart after a 54-run partnership with Hayley Matthews, who was also dismissed in the next over to leave Mumbai at 77 for 3. After her Player-of-the-Series performance in the T20 World Cup, Ashleigh Gardner had yet again left a mark.But Harmanpreet didn’t care. She just attacked the ball, like she has been doing for a long, long time for India. A fortunate outside edge in a attempted drive got her going before she timed a Sneh Rana ball through extra cover.But that was merely the prelude. The 12th over showcased Harmanpreet at her Harmanbest. And obviously it was filled with sweep shots – one through backward square leg and another through forward square leg. Georgia Wareham, the bowler, could do little to stop the runs. Even Gardner felt the full force – and range – of Harmanpreet’s sweep, one ball hit powerfully through midwicket, the next paddled deftly past short fine.By now, Harmanpreet was in overdrive. She hit seven fours off successive balls to bring up a 22-ball half-century, the first in the WPL. The famous bat-swing was on show. The confidence perhaps never left. Glimpses of her T20I hundred, ODI knock, or more recently the unbeaten 143 were all on show. Sweeps, check. Pulls, check. Slices and scythes, check. Courtesy her hitting and Amelia Kerr’s able support, Mumbai were able to score 46 between overs 14 and 16 that gave them a launchpad.And all this despite having little practice in the lead up.”Practice (I couldn’t get time to practice)!” she said about her training ahesd of the knock. “There was very little time and I had a lot of commitments as a player and a captain.”But the key for the “over-thinker” in Harmanpreet was to calm herself and bring clarity in her thoughts and get herself “in the zone”.”When I am calmer and be in the moment, it helps in giving clarity,” she said. “Being in that zone isn’t easy but when I am calm it gives me clarity. To be in that zone isn’t easy but I have to keep talking to myself and be in the present. When I am in that zone I am clearer in picking my areas and things become easy for me, and today was that day when I was relaxed”.All of Mumbai rose to applaud Harmanpreet when she finally fell, slicing one to short third off Rana in the 17th over, bringing the curtain down on an 89-run stand with Kerr off just 42 balls. Kerr then stepped up to lead the attack on the Giants as Mumbai added 41 off the next three overs to finish on 207 for 5. Their total of 207 for 5 was the joint-second highest across all major Women’s T20 leagues (WBBL, Kia Super League, The Hundred, Women’s CPL, T20 Challenge and now the WPL) behind Sydney Sixers’ 242 for 4 against Melbourne Stars in 2017-18.Much like that starry night in 2008, the opposition on the receiving end of a truly astonishing T20 innings just couldn’t cope. It didn’t help that their captain and top-scorer at the T20 World Cup final, Beth Mooney, retired hurt after seemingly injuring her knee before the first over of the chase was even done. Giants were 8 for 3 by the end of the fourth over. Then 23 for 7 by the eighth over. And finally bowled out in the 16th to lose by 143 runs.

Matthews’ fireworks complement Harmanpreet

If Harmanpreet’s knock was the fire, Matthews’ quick start at the top was the spark Mumbai needed to announce themselves in the WPL. Matthews’ hard-hitting truly set them on their way to begin with a win. She played a pick-up shot off seamer Mansi Joshi’s first ball over deep square leg, before slicing one past backward point for four. She then drove left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar through covers to finish the powerplay on 22 out of Mumbai’s 44.Matthews then showed why she is rated highly with a display of hitting three sixes in the space of seven balls. She first flicked a full ball over long leg off seamer Annabel Sutherland before just pressing forward and lofting her over cow corner a couple of deliveries later. In the next over, she once again cleared her front leg, used her reach to hit Wareham well over long-on.Matthews then used the depth of her crease to slap Gardner through cover-point before the latter got the better of her for a 31-ball 47.Giants were never in the hunt in their 206-run chase especially after captain Beth Mooney hobbled off the field in the first over due to possibly jarring her knee. Sciver-Brunt then had Harleen Deol skying one to deep third off her first ball via a leading edge before castling S Meghana. In the interim, fast bowler Issy Wong’s pace undid Gardner for a first-ball duck as Giants lost three wickets in 15 balls.Bengal’s left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque then ran through the middle order to crush any hopes Giants would have had of a resurgence. Only Dayalan Hemalatha, with 29 not out, and Monica Patel finished in double digits for them.

Turning point

Mumbai had just started to find the next gear with Harmanpreet and Kerr in the middle and were 124 for 3 after 13 overs. But Monica’s second over truly helped them gain full control. She bowled full and outside off from around the stumps, which Kerr drove through cover-point. A single later, Harmanpreet tore the left-arm seamer’s bowling apart.Harmanpreet first drove her through cover-point, and when Monica switched to over the wicket, she pummeled her through square leg. Monica then went full and outside off only to be driven through covers. The last of fours in that over was perhaps the best of it all – Harmanpreet opened the face of her bat ever so slightly to drive it square through covers. A total of 21 were scored in that over.

Arthur, who worked with Masood at Derbyshire, says he has “unlocked his hips” and has “developed his game in terms of accumulating”

Matt Roller17-Sep-20221:20

‘I’ve picked up a lot playing the PSL with top T20 players’ – Shan Masood

When Mickey Arthur’s tenure as Pakistan coach started in 2016, he made an understandable judgement on Shan Masood as a batter. “I thought he was just a Test player,” Arthur told ESPNcricinfo. “Nice and compact, with a really good technique.” Masood had hardly played T20 cricket and in his sporadic appearances, he struggled to get going.After losing his place in the Test side after a difficult tour to England, Masood set about expanding his game in domestic cricket. “In typical Shan manner, he was never satisfied,” Arthur recalls. He impressed in List A cricket – where he boasts a formidable average of 57.14 – and was picked up in the PSL for the first time by Multan Sultans.Related

• Andy Flower: 'I'd like Rizwan and Masood to develop their partnership a bit more'

• Shaheen making progress ahead of planned T20 World Cup comeback

• Mohammad Wasim backs Babar, Rizwan to improve strike rate

• Buttler on England's arrival in Pak for T20I tour: 'It's great to be back'

Now, after years of hard work, Masood’s evolution as a T20 batter has earned him a call-up to Pakistan’s squads for the seven-match series against England which starts on Tuesday, and the T20 World Cup in Australia beyond. At 32, he has been presented with a chance that must have seemed unlikely for much of his career.”I’ve been very fortunate to play PSL,” Masood said before training at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday night. “I’ve developed my role a lot over there. I’ve batted with different partners. We’ve had really good T20 players in that set-up: James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Tim David, [Mohammad] Rizwan, Khushdil [Shah], Sohaib Maqsood.”Across four PSL seasons with Multan, he has averaged 32.78 with a strike rate of 136.10, captaining them in 2020 and lifting the title in 2021. “I’ve picked up a lot in terms of my development,” he added. “As a player, your game is always evolving.”But Masood’s call-up has also owed plenty to county cricket, where he has spent the English summer churning out runs for Derbyshire across formats. He signed a year-long contract after bumping into Arthur, their director of cricket, in Dubai airport after the T20 World Cup last year and captained them to the quarter-finals of the Blast, leading from the front with 547 runs in his 14 innings.”It was a big stepping stone in terms of me making it into the T20 side,” Masood said. “Playing the Vitality Blast and getting some runs was very important to just put my name out there. I got to play a lot of cricket… I figured myself out as a person and as a batsman. I owe a lot to Derbyshire and to Mickey Arthur for the time they invested in me over there.”The key has been his ability to open up the leg side. Unlike most modern T20 batters, who are leg-side dominant and work hard to access the off side, Masood was so used to ‘locking’ his hips that his scoring options were predictable and easy to cut off early in his short-form career.”He’s certainly unlocked his hips a little bit now,” Arthur explained. “All great T20 players have that ability to unlock their hips: you want them properly locked when you’re playing Test cricket because you want to be sideways on but he’s developed an ability to access all different areas on the ground now. That’s been a massive add-on.”It’s a testament to his hard work. Shan is the complete guy, he really is: he’s the guy you want your daughter to bring home. He’s a good guy with an unbelievable work ethic, good principles, values and morals. And he’s getting the recognition now that he thoroughly deserves.”The biggest question for Pakistan is how they will fit him into their side. The most obvious position for him is at No. 3 as a replacement for the injured Fakhar Zaman, but he has opened for much of his short-form career and recently impressed at No. 4 in the National T20 Cup for Balochistan.”When Fakhar was there, I thought Shan’s best opportunity of playing was at No. 4 because with Rizwan and Babar [Azam], he probably wasn’t going to open the batting,” Arthur said. “He opened for us in the Vitality Blast the whole time but has developed his game in terms of accumulating.”He’s developed a sweep which we’ve worked on quite hard so that in those middle overs he can kick on: normally when he gets to the middle overs he’s 30-odd not out, so he went and developed starting in the middle in the domestic T20 competition. That shows his desire to be the best he can be and his desire to play for Pakistan.”The answer may well emerge over the course of a seven-match series against an England side that Masood described as one of the leading T20 sides in the world, despite their various absentees. “It’s probably the ideal preparation to play one of the best sides in the world before the T20 World Cup,” he said. “It’s an exciting time to be a Pakistani player.”

A dropped chance off Kohli was just one of the moments lost, says West Indies captain

By Aishwarya Kumar15-Aug-2019In the sixth over of India’s chase in the third ODI in Port of Spain, Virat Kohli, batting on 11, was surprised by a Keemo Paul delivery that went past him as he tried to make room to play on the leg side and caught an inside edge. Behind the stumps, Shai Hope couldn’t get enough of his gloves on the ball and dropped it. Kohli went on to score an unbeaten 114 and clinch the match for India. It was a chance that Jason Holder rued at the end of the match.”We have got to hold our chances and we didn’t hold them today. [Kohli] made us pay for it,” Holder said at the press conference. “Credit to him he batted really well and he won the game for India in the end.”They got off to a really good start and so did we. I think it was a really, really good wicket for cricket. Conditions got a little tougher in the afternoon after the rain fell. The ball was a bit wet and the outfield was obviously very wet, too. It didn’t work for us today.”Before the match, Carlos Brathwaite had said that the team wasn’t playing as badly as results suggested and the problem for the side came down to executing the critical moments. That held true in the third ODI, too. There were times, with bat and ball, when West Indies looked like they had the upper hand. Like that opening stand of 115 in nearly 11 overs between Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, and Fabien Allen’s double-strike in the 13th over to dismiss Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan. But they failed to build on the big moments.”From T20s to the last ODI here, we have played some pretty decent cricket in patches, it is just a matter for us to put it together more often than not and that’s where we continue to let ourselves down,” Holder said.”It’s just a matter for us to continue to build, you know. I keep saying it’s a matter for us to really seize the key moments of the game and play those key moments a little bit better than we have been in the past.”Holder said there were a lot of individual performances – positives – that the team could build on going into the Test series and beyond.”The way Chris played today, Evin Lewis too showed a lot of form. The bowlers had a reasonable time too. The last game I thought we bowled really, really well,” he said. “Today we were off a little bit, but generally our bowling has led us in the last couple of games.”Nicholas Pooran continues to show what he can produce here at this level. Every single batter today really put their hands up today. I was really, really pleased how we batted in the situation after the rain break. In the past we lost too many wickets and not being able to – or struggled to – bat, and I think we handled the situation very well today and put ourselves in a really good situation in the halfway stage, you know. Just unfortunate we weren’t able to defend it but when you don’t hold your chances these things happen.”With the Test series beginning on August 22, Holder urged the side to carry the momentum from their 2-1 series win over England earlier this year. An additional incentive for the side will be the points in the World Test Championship.”We’ve got a few days off. This is a fresh group, different faces coming in to the Test squad. It’s a matter for us to continue doing the good work we have been doing in Test cricket in the last two-three years,” he said. “The first series we had this year was a success. I know the guys would be ready to go against India here in this second series of the year.”Obviously with the Test championship around it’s something I look forward to play. I think the guys are up for it. We started really well this year beating England at home and you know we had some brilliant individual performances. It’s just a matter for us to build. The Test championships are two years away, we have a lot of cricket to play in the next two years, I think every series will be important. Each and every moment in the series will be important.”

With the ODIs against Zimbabwe beginning later this month, a lot of key Bangladesh players are carrying injuries

Mohammad Isam04-Oct-2018Mashrafe Mortaza and Mushfiqur Rahim, who had injuries during the Asia Cup, are expected to recover in the next two weeks to add experience to Bangladesh’s squad for the ODIs against Zimbabwe from October 21.With the selectors likely to name a preliminary squad by next week, the injuries to Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have already left a gaping hole in the batting line-up. Bangladesh are scheduled to start a training camp in Dhaka from October 15.According to BCB’s chief physician Debashish Chowdhury, Mashrafe will need two more weeks to recover fully from his finger injury, which he sustained during the Asia Cup match against Pakistan on September 26.”The injury on his little finger is quite serious,” Chowdhury said. “It takes about three weeks to recover. We are hoping that Mashrafe can come back from that injury within two weeks. He was struck by a ball directly. We will have a further scan tomorrow to ascertain how much of a blood clot there is. Once we know about it, we will go for our next course of action.”Mashrafe is not too bothered about the injury though. He said he has already played two matches with it, and his bowling isn’t affected by the injury. The finger comes to use for his batting, of course.”Chowdhury said Mushfiqur, who injured his rib during the pre-Asia Cup training camp in Dhaka, has been rested for a week. “[Mushfiqur] has a cracked rib which usually takes four to six weeks to heal. Ribs usually take time as it is constantly moving. There’s no rest. We have asked Mushfiqur to rest for a week after which we will determine the next course of action.”If their recoveries don’t go to plan, Bangladesh might find it difficult to replace Mushfiqur in the middle order and Mashrafe as captain.The opening partnership was an issue for Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. Mehidy Hasan, who had a 120-run opening stand with Liton Das in the final, was last-gasp measure after Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar failed throughout the tournament.Even if the team management is looking to continue with Mehidy as opener in the Zimbabwe series, they would still want back-up. Despite scoring only 20 runs in three Asia Cup matches, Shanto remains the long-term option. Soumya could, for the fourth time this year, sneak into the squad despite a number of failures, as he has always been preferred either by the team management or by the BCB officials.Imrul Kayes could also be in contention for his experience, though he made only one fifty in three Asia Cup matches. Mominul Haque, Mosaddek Hossain and Ariful Haque will be competing for middle-order slots. Mominul and Mosaddek struggled in the Asia Cup while Ariful, who didn’t get a game, recently struck a maiden double-hundred in the first-class competition’s opening round.Mohammad Mithun made two vital fifties in the Asia Cup and would be crucial in the middle order, along with Mahmudullah. However, Tushar Imran, who scored twin hundreds in the opening first-class match of the season, might have to wait till early November as he may be considered for the Test series against Zimbabwe.Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain are likely to partner Mashrafe – if he is fit – in the pace attack, while Abu Hider is likely to continue as their understudy. Bangladesh could pick an extra pace bowler as cover for Mashrafe.Left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam could be leading the race to replace Shakib the bowler, though in the recent past the more experienced Abdur Razzak has had more success in domestic cricket. Offspinner Sohag Gazi also made a strong case for selection with a number of notable performances in the last 12 months.Chowdhury said Shakib’s recovery would be determined after a surgeon in Australia assesses him next week. “We have removed fluid twice within the last two-four days from Shakib’s infected finger. He is improving. His infection will come under control in a week through medication. He is likely to go to Australia on Friday, to determine whether he needs surgery,” he said.An update on Tamim’s injury might take about three weeks.

Bruce Oxenford wore a shield on his left arm while officiating the second Royal London ODI between England and Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.

Melinda Farrell at Edgbaston24-Jun-2016Bruce Oxenford may not leap to mind as the first choice to play Captain America in any upcoming Marvel films.But the Australian umpire could have been mistaken for an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, when he marched onto the field carrying one on his left arm to officiate the second Royal London ODI between England and Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.While Oxenford had worn the lollipop-shaped guard in April during the IPL match between Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and earlier at a World T20 warm-up match between Australia and the West Indies, this is the first time the protective device has appeared in an international match and represents another step towards greater protection for officials.The issue of umpire safety was thrust into the limelight in 2014 when an official died after being struck in the head by a ball during a league match in Israel.Earlier this year Australian John Ward became the first umpire to wear a helmet in an international match during the fourth ODI between Australia and India at Manuka Oval.The shield worn by Oxenford is made from polycarbonate, weighs one kilogram and is six millimetres thick. The version used at Edgbaston is the second incarnation of the device and it was tested in the nets before being cleared for use during the match.An ECB spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that, if a batsman struck the ball and it deflected off the shield and was subsequently caught, the batsman would be given out, in contrast to the situation for fielders wearing protective headgear. If the ball strikes the helmet before looping to a fielder, dead ball is called.