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Pakistan’s new Test captain is someone who has found a way through several obstacles over the years

Danyal Rasool13-Dec-20234:32

What do Pakistan need to do to win in Australia?

For a man who often doesn’t seem to be around, Shan Masood is always there. Like that character in a soap opera the credits list as recurring but you could swear features more than most main characters, every seminal moment in Pakistan Test cricket appears to have Masood involved. You think the writers have killed him off, the character arc they’ve plotted surely rendering another yet another return impossible. And then he’s reimagined into existence once more. Shan Masood the debutant, the promising opener, the useful number three, the cool, collected presence in the dressing room.And then you look up, and underneath a blazing early afternoon sun in Perth, he’s stood next to Pat Cummins, the gold Benaud-Qadir Trophy gleaming between them. He’s talking to Cummins about the pitch, and how spicy he expects it to be (“very,” in case you wondered). He’s addressing a smattering of reporters, not quite the throng that crowded around Cummins (the decision to hold the captains’ press conferences on the outfield meant no one stayed longer than they absolutely needed to), but about a dozen nonetheless. He’s talking about leadership, legacy, the Pakistan Way, and Usman Khawaja’s shoes. The most dramatic reincarnation – Shan Masood the Test captain.How did this happen? How does anything happen in Masood’s career, really? He only returned to the Test side five matches ago – something that has felt true about every little stint he’s had in the side. He didn’t set the world alight, though he did score a half-century, his first in over three years, most of which – you guessed it – he spent out of the side. In that time, he was appointed ODI vice-captain, despite not playing any ODI cricket for three years, and then immediately dropped from the ODI side.Related

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Even when he’s not there – and he’s not there a lot, too – Masood is never far away from Pakistani consciousness. The languid elegance that laces his purple patches has supporters swearing his record has never been representative of his quality, his soft-spoken demeanour often touted as an invaluable quality in an oft-frenetic dressing room, his obsessive work ethic to get the best out of his ability regularly cited as the example senior pros should look to set. And he’s never far from selectors’ minds, either; despite playing only 30 of the 78 Test matches Pakistan have played since his debut, he’s the only player in this side to have played at least one Test match every year since 2013. If he was a club footballer, he’d be due a testimonial by now. Only Sarfaraz Ahmed has been around longer.And for all the talk of a posh, effete upbringing cynics have termed totemic of the institutional favouritism that pervades most Pakistani institutions, you don’t survive a decade in Pakistan cricket without the sort of steely resolve only the most mean-spirited would deny Masood possesses. A debut 75 against an attack comprising Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis made that evident, a fourth-innings hundred to seal a world-record chase in Sri Lanka cast it in stone. Two Test matches later, he was out in the cold again, and the following three returns to the side lasted two, one and two matches respectively.The only stable run he would be allowed in the team came thanks to an injury to Haris Sohail on the morning of a Centurion Test; Masood was thrust in at number three minutes before the toss. The accidental starter would become an unlikely star for Pakistan on an otherwise dismal tour, finishing second on the overall run-charts in a series Pakistan lost 3-0, with every Test done before lunch on the fourth day.It was followed up with respectable outings in Brisbane and Adelaide the following year in arguably the most dismal of several dismal Pakistan tours to Australia. He got starts in all four innings and a gritty second-innings 68 in Adelaide, demonstrating resistance few of his contemporaries were able to muster. Masood may have been offered more opportunities in life than most of his contemporaries but it shouldn’t need saying that Stomford School or Durham University don’t quite prepare you for the baptism of fire in South Africa and Australia.Shan Masood spoke to reporters on the Perth outfield on the eve of his first Test as Pakistan captain•Getty ImagesBut Masood’s mild mannerisms and generally inoffensive demeanour hasn’t inoculated him from criticism. A frosty relationship with Babar meant he didn’t ingratiate himself with Babar’s supporters in the wake of the former captain’s reluctant resignation and Masood’s ascendancy. And while some of it was directed at Masood the cricketer, Masood the human being wasn’t spared either; a touching social media post marking the anniversary of the passing of his sister was met with plenty of hate and limited sympathy.And while Masood’s record makes him a lightning rod for critique – ridicule, even – when he assumes the captaincy, he has simply done the one thing you need to do in Pakistan to get your chance: hang around. Most cricketers would fade away into obscurity after being cast aside by the system so frequently, but Masood has relentlessly forced himself into the conversation. If red-ball runs dried up, he was tearing it up on the List A circuit.If that didn’t work, he was captaining Multan Sultans to the PSL final, and winning the tournament the following year. If Pakistan wasn’t working out, he made his way to the County Championship in England. There is high regard for his analytical abilities in cricket; at the 2021 T20 World Cup, he did some broadcast work for ESPNcricinfo. At the same tournament the following year, he was Pakistan’s top-scorer in the World Cup final.Masood can wear a lot of hats and look equally comfortable in them all, but today, as he slipped on the green blazer on a searing hot day, he will likely never have felt as good about himself. The one hand he placed on the trophy may be as close as he gets to it all month. But this side already appears as if it’s moulded in its captain’s image, irresistibly watchable while being replete with obvious limitations they will do their best to conceal.As soon as the open-air press conference was done, Masood walked down the tunnel out of sight; perhaps aptly, he had left as soon as he’d arrived. He’d nailed it as usual, speaking at length while creating as little news as possible. He was coy about team selection, even-handed on Pakistan’s style of play, and reticent to be drawn into the messaging on Khawaja’s shoes. There was no goodbye as he walked away; it is Masood after all, and he was bound to be back.Sure enough, a half hour later, a glance down the media box revealed a figure emerging over the boundary towards where the Pakistan team was huddled. There was no green blazer this time, just a Pakistan training kit as he walked over and took his place among his teammates. Yet another hat, same old Shan Masood.

But he’s armed with quotes and ready to rise from the Ashes

Alan Gardner15-Oct-2021Time to check in on the latest update from Australia’s head coach and inspirational-quotes-googler-in-chief, Justin Langer, whose three-year voyage into the “heart of darkness” – aka the Australia men’s team dressing room – seems to be heading towards its natural conclusion.For those who haven’t been following, Langer’s idiosyncratic approach has been a beautiful gift to world cricket, from the moment he took charge of Australia’s first post-Sandpapergate tour and proudly declared that he sledges his own daughter at UNO. Now, to add to barefoot walks on the outfield, “elite mateship” and various other eccentricities, Langer has delivered a social media post from quarantine in the UAE that includes such gems as: “A wise man once said: Don’t give them a taste of your own medicine. If they lied, let their medicine be honesty… Stay true to yourself… Who you are lasts a lifetime. Who you pretend to be changes like the change of seasons… The wise man says: BE YOURSELF. YOU ARE UNIQUE and YOU ARE SPECIAL.”All good advice, for sure, but unlikely to help when it comes to STRIKE ROTATION against SPIN during the MIDDLE OVERS.It’s hard not to think that Langer is playing himself into the Colonel Kurtz role here. For a start, the intensity, the mysticism, the commitment to fully inhabiting the part – it’s all very Brando. And there’s no doubt that Langer has been, figuratively speaking, a long way up the Mekong river for some time. You can almost imagine the exchange with the unfortunate Cricket Australia staffer sent up to check on the coach, shrouded in the flickering half-light of his hotel room: “Did they say why they want to terminate my command? Are my methods unsound?”Of course, the real theatre of phoney war that concerns Australia is the Ashes – and Langer’s loyal lieutenant, Tim Paine, was manning the barricades back home, responding to the latest round of protracted negotiations to confirm England’s touring arrangements by deploying his familiar brand of somewhat-confusing smack talk. “No one is forcing you to come. If you don’t want to come, don’t come. The Ashes are going ahead.” As things stand, the series is on, pending the ECB being satisfied on “several critical conditions” – presumably one of which is that Paine never speaks on the subject again.Here’s hoping that Langer has emerged blinking into the light wearing a beatific smile well before then, having successfully banished some of his demons while at the T20 World Cup. Although, given Australia’s T20I fortunes in Bangladesh earlier this year, the Light Roller fears “the horror… the horror” could well end up being a fairly accurate tagline.

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For those worrying that the greatest finisher who ever finished might be, well, finished, it was a case of bing, boom in the IPL’s first qualifier earlier this week. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t about to enter another MS Dhoni retirement spiral. Oh no. “You’ll see me in yellow next season but whether I’ll be playing for CSK you never know,” Dhoni said gnomically at the toss for Chennai’s final game in the group stage, before a doddery 12 off 15 suggested he really might be on his way. Maybe his mind was already turning towards the next stage of his career – be it as a lollipop man, @CricSuperFan tribute act, or a role in the next Minions movie – but whatever happens in the IPL final, remember, it’s only over when Mahi says it is.

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News of New Zealand pulling out of their tour of Pakistan, and then England following suit a few days later, was sadly predictable. What we didn’t see coming was Ramiz Raja stepping up to lend some gravity to the whole sorry business. For those who remember Ramiz the commentator chiefly as a talking haircut that you wished would stop talking, his eloquent denunciation of the “western bloc”, which had failed in its obligation to look after the rest of the “cricket fraternity”, came as something of a surprise. So wrong-footed was the ECB that Ramiz’s opposite number, chairman Ian Watmore, gave some widely ridiculed comments about not knowing the USA was going to pull out of Afghanistan (okay, we’ve all tried to forget a lot of what Donald Trump said) and then agreed to step down from the job. Cricket administrators of the world had better watch their step: Rambo means business.

It’s one step forward and two steps back for Newcastle United, who were defeated on the road in the Champions League against Marseille, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the double.

Eddie Howe’s side responded with vim and vigour after the international break to beat Manchester City at St. James’ Park, but this served as a sobering reminder that there is much work to be done away from Tyneside, with the Toon having won only one game away from home all season.

Harvey Barnes’ fine form continued as he swept home from close range only minutes into the affair, but United failed to channel their counter-attacking approach and were ultimately overwhelmed by the French hosts.

It was a frustrating performance, epitomised by the woes of Nick Pope between the sticks.

Why Howe must consider dropping Nick Pope

Pope joined Newcastle from Burnley for about £10m in 2022, and he has since. This season, he has started all 12 of the Magpies’ Premier League fixtures, though he has failed to keep a clean sheet across five successive matches.

There have been tenuous calls to drop the 33-year-old all year, but these are rising in volume and intensity, and the veteran’s mistake in France will only fan those flames, with United losing clarity and conviction in their performance after the gaffe.

Given that Aaron Ramsdale is patiently waiting in the wings, having been signed on loan this summer, there’s justification for dropping Pope going forward, it may be that Howe needs to drop his mainstay between the sticks and start to rewire his defence, as has already started through the likes of Malick Thiaw and full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento.

Newcastle still have three wins from five in the Champions League this season, and may yet find the form to seal a place in the automatically-qualifying top eight.

But Howe does need to continue to chop and change, and Pope isn’t the only one whose starting berth is at risk.

Newcastle star is now relegated to the bench

At the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Anthony Gordon was awarded Newcastle’s Player of the Year. But last year was a testing one for the England international, in contrast with United’s resurgence, and he has fallen further into the mire since the summer.

Against Marseille, Gordon’s woes continued as he proved utterly ineffectual in a makeshift centre-forward role.

Writer Firdie Idris remarked that the decision to field Gordon, a pacy left winger, as a central striker “never works”, and his display against Marseille only corroborated that claim.

In his central berth, Gordon only created one chance and hit the target with only one shot. He didn’t even attempt a dribble and won only one of five duels, as per Sofascore. He also completed just 14 passes as an isolated figure in Howe’s offensive line.

Penning their post-match thoughts, The Shields Gazette could only hand the Three Lions star a 4/10 match rating, criticising him for being on the back foot throughout the contest.

Matches (starts)

7 (7)

5 (5)

Goals

0

4

Assists

0

1

Touches*

35.4

39.2

Shots (on target)*

2.0 (0.7)

2.2 (1.0)

Accurate passes*

14.7 (80%)

16.4 (77%)

Chances created*

1.0

0.4

Dribbles*

1.4

1.4

Ball recoveries*

2.6

3.2

Tackles + interceptions*

0.7

1.4

Duels (won)*

4.7 (49%)

4.0 (41%)

Truthfully, Gordon has been out of sorts all season. Prolific on the continent, he has yet to kindle any semblance of good form on the domestic front, and this was not a display to imbue within him a kind of confidence that will be needed ahead of Premier League clashes against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.

Given that Gordon is one of Newcastle’s most profitable players, there’s reasoning behind the call to cash in down the line. Certainly, given the need for further investment over the coming transfer windows, it’s something PIF might consider as Barnes continues to go from strength to strength.

In any case, Gordon needs to raise his level. He is one of the outfit’s most talented players and is horribly underperforming. Like Pope, Howe would be wise to drop him for the forthcoming fixtures and rekindle his will to win.

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Cristiano Ronaldo is being backed to grace a seventh World Cup, with FIFA’s flagship event heading to Portugal – as one of several co-hosts – in 2030. If the all-time great were to make that event, then more history would be made. Nuno Gomes can see that prospect appealing to CR7, with a contract extension having already been signed at club level with Al-Nassr.

• Evergreen Ronaldo: CR7 still going strong at the age of 40

  Those terms are only through to 2027, with it yet to be determined what Ronaldo will do beyond that point. He has starred in the Saudi Pro League, with remarkable individual standards being maintained at 40 years of age.

  He continues to make himself available at international level, with 226 caps being earned while scoring 143 goals. Ronaldo continues to chase down 1,000 career strikes – with the record books being rewritten.

  Ronaldo has stated that next summer’s World Cup will be his last, but anything is considered possible where the former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar is concerned. He has kept himself in the best possible shape and made no secret of the fact that he wants to continue for as long as possible.

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• Getty
  

  Home World Cup: Ronaldo backed to make 2030 finals

  Portugal will stage games at the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Morocco – with group stage matches also heading to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. On Ronaldo bowing out on home soil, former team-mate Nuno Gomes told : “It's a difficult question. I think only him, or maybe not even him, knows the answer because I think he is doing year by year at this age.

  “I think he's still fit to play. He's a really professional player and one of the players that we can point him as an example to follow? For the young generations. But of course he has his age and his capacity is reduced in some qualities, in speed for example. He's not the same Cristiano when he was 18 or 20, but he's still capable to score goals, and in football, it's the most important thing, to score goals and he's still scoring.

  “Of course I think it also depends on the coach. Right now we have Roberto Martinez and I think he adapts the team, having him in the first 11 or not. So I think it will depend on his will, to play more or not. But probably I could tell that it could be his last World Cup. Even though we know that in four years we are hosting some games. And maybe it could be an opportunity to say goodbye at home.”

• Euro 2028 and beyond: When will Ronaldo retire?

  Ronaldo’s former United colleague Wes Brown told GOAL recently when asked if CR7 will play on to Euro 2028: “If he can bring something to the squad, why not pick him? Does that mean he has to play every game? Look at the last competition, everyone was saying he shouldn’t play but he did ok. He knows the press are going to give him stick anyway as soon as he doesn’t score or give an assist. At the same time, he is still there for his younger team-mates and wants them to do well.

  “In his mind he won’t be finished yet and he can still contribute to the team. I don’t think he will retire from international football until he has retired completely. He’s still got the energy, that same belief, and can still do it. There are not many people that can say that at that level.”

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• Getty
  

  Another record for Ronaldo? Oldest player to grace a World Cup

  If Ronaldo were to play towards another major tournament beyond the next European Championship, then he would head into his mid-40s. He will be 41 when representing his country at next summer’s event in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

  The oldest player to make an appearance at the World Cup finals is ex-Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who faced Saudi Arabia in 2018 aged 45 years and 161 days. Ronaldo would be 45 years and 166 days old by the time the 2030 competition comes to a close.

عبر فرجاني ساسي لاعب منتخب تونس، عن حزنه لعدم التأهل إلى دور ربع نهائي بطولة كأس العرب، رغم الفوز على قطر. 

وفاز منتخب تونس على نظيره القطري، بثلاثية نظيفة، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة من بطولة كأس العرب.

طالع.. فيديو.. بن رمضان يقود تونس للفوز على قطر بثلاثية ويودعان كأس العرب رسميًا

وفشل منتخب تونس في التأهل إلى ربع نهائي بطولة كأس العرب، بعد احتلاله المركز الثالث في المجموعة برصيد 4 نقاط. 

وقال فرجاني ساسي في تصريحات على قناة “الكأس”: “أهدارنا نقاطًا أول مباراتين، ولعبنا على حظوظنا لآخر لحظة، سنبني على الأشياء الإيجابية وليست السلبية”.

وأضاف: “شكرًا جدًا لجماهيرنا، كأس العرب بطولة مفيدة وتحضير لكأس أمم إفريقيا، كنا نريد تحقيق نتائج إيجابية”. 

وتابع: “لعبنا لآخر لحظة وآخر مباراة كان من الممكن أن نسجل أهدافًا أكثر أمام قطر”. 

Rangers manager Danny Rohl has confirmed that as many as six players are currently injury doubts to square off against Livingston in the Scottish Premiership this Saturday.

It’s bad timing for the Gers, who are attempting to make it four league wins from four under their new manager. Victory over bottom side Livingston would also see those at Ibrox rise to third if Hibernian also fail to beat Dundee. It would be the result of the strong start that Rohl has made to turn things around following the disaster that was Russell Martin’s tenure.

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The German told reporters in the build-up to Rangers’ return to action that he believes they’re “in a good way”, but still need to work on breaking old habits on the pitch.

As January approaches, the former Sheffield Wednesday boss may also be eyeing up some potential improvements to his squad amid recent links with the likes of Kilmarnock’s David Watson.

The midfielder would add the kind of depth that the Gers could do with this weekend following the latest injury news.

Rangers vs Livingston team news

As revealed by Rohl, as many as six stars could miss Rangers’ game against Livingston this weekend following a frustrating international break. Mikey Moore, John Souttar, Derek Cornelius and Bailey Rice are all certain to be absent after picking up knocks, whilst Youssef Chermiti and Liam Kelly are facing a race against time to return to full fitness.

Rohl told reporters: “I am very happy and very proud of my players during the international break. We do have a couple of injuries from players returning, such as John Souttar, Micky Moore, and Derek Cornelius, who all have muscle injuries. Bailey Rice got injured during training, and Liam Kelly is a question mark at the moment.”

It’s a particular blow for Tottenham Hotspur loanee Moore, who scored his first Rangers goal against Dundee just before the international break. The 18-year-old, who was dubbed “brave” by former manager Martin upon arriving, has now seen his recent momentum halted by an untimely injury.

With Rangers set to face Braga in the Europa League next Thursday, Rohl will hope to have a positive update on several injuries just in time for what is a crucial game.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Grêmio anunciou na quarta-feira (10) a contratação de Agustín Marchesín. O goleiro argentino é o terceiro reforço do Tricolor para a temporada de 2024 e o Lance! te conta mais sobre o jogador.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFutebol NacionalAtlético-MG e Grêmio ocupam algumas das maiores hegemonias estaduaisFutebol Nacional10/01/2024GrêmioGrêmio anuncia contratação do goleiro Agustín MarchesínGrêmio10/01/2024GrêmioEm clima de reapresentação, Grêmio ainda procura substituto para SuárezGrêmio09/01/2024

Agustín Marchesín iniciou a carreira profissional em 2006 no Lanús, da Argentina. O goleiro defendeu o clube durante nove anos, e fez mais de 200 jogos, além de ter conquistado um título da Copa Sul-Americana junto a equipe.

➡️Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Em 2015, o Marchesín foi rumo ao futebol mexicano. Contratado pelo Santos Laguna, o jogador atuou por apenas uma temporada. Contudo, conquistou um Campeonato Mexicano e um título de Campeão dos Campeões junto ao clube. Ao fim do ano, foi vendido ao América, também do México, e foi lá que o goleiro conquistou a torcida.

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Ídolo no América, Agustín Marchesín ficou conhecido como um dos maiores goleiros na história do clube. Defendeu o time durante três anos e entrou em campo em 130 oportunidades. Além disso, também levantou uma taça do Campeonato Mexicano ao lado do time.

Em 2019, Marchesín foi contratado pelo Porto, de Portugal. Ele participou de 94 jogos durante quatro anos. Pelo Porto, venceu dois Campeonatos Portugueses, duas Taças de Portugal e uma Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.

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Entretanto, Agustín Marchesín começou a perder espaço no Porto com a chegada de Diogo Costa e, com isso, deixou a equipe portuguesa e foi comprado pelo Celta de Vigo, da Espanha, o último clube pelo qual passou. O goleiro atuou em apenas 94 jogos, durante uma temporada.

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Pela seleção argentina, Marchesín estreou em 2011, em amistoso contra a Venezuela, participou da Copa América de 2015 e 2019, e conquistou o título da edição de 2021.

A diretoria do Grêmio fechou a contratação após o goleiro conseguir se liberar do Celta de Vigo sem custo algum. Agustín Marchesín deve ser apresentado em breve pelo Tricolor.

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Agustín MarchesínGrêmio