Chelsea could finally sack Maresca & hire “one of the best coaches ever”

Chelsea fans will now want 2025 to desperately end when casting an eye over their team’s gloomy end-of-year form.

Indeed, the up-and-down Blues have only been victorious a meagre two times across eight contests in all competitions in December, with one of those wins coming against League One opposition in Cardiff City in the EFL Cup.

Last time out, Chelsea did play out a thrilling Premier League clash with AFC Bournemouth, and while the neutral would have been overjoyed with the entertainment on show in the 2-2 draw, Blues supporters packed into Stamford Bridge would have been sick to their stomachs as another three points passed their side by.

Enzo Maresca certainly looks to be on borrowed time in the Chelsea dug-out, with the Italian a strong contender to be the first Premier League managerial casualty of 2026…

Why Chelsea must consider sacking Maresca

Maresca wouldn’t face the media after his side’s action-packed draw with the Cherries, with the former Leicester City boss judged to be too unwell to answer questions, as assistant coach Willy Caballero filled in instead.

Of course, this could well have been the case, but it does read as if the 45-year-old knows he is under significant pressure to change the Chelsea predicament, and fast, hence his hesitancy to be under the media spotlight.

With only one victory picked up from their last five league outings, Maresca and Co. currently occupy a disappointing fifth spot at the halfway stage of the season, with no signs of great improvement on the pitch, having secured a fourth-place position during his debut campaign.

Moreover, the under-fire manager’s constant “chopping and changing” of his starting XI is doing him no favours, as per pundit Chris Sutton, with a start handed to Liam Delap seriously backfiring against Andoni Iraola’s visitors, as yet another goalless performance was offered up.

Delap isn’t the only mega-money signing from Chelsea’s plentiful summer activity that has failed to settle, with Maresca cursing the likes of Jamies Gittens still being without a Premier League strike, alongside Alejandro Garnacho frustrating the West London masses mid-week when failing to track Bournemouth runners.

Ultimately, it is up to the boss in the dug-out to get the best out of what’s at his disposal, with the Italian’s reign at Chelsea now feeling somewhat stale.

This stale feeling could be rectified by Chelsea appointing this standout replacement, who already has significant BlueCo ties.

Chelsea must dismiss Maresca for "one of the best coaches ever"

Plenty has been made of Todd Boehly and BlueCo since the American billionaire took over at Stamford Bridge in 2022, with not a lot of success taking place on the pitch across their stay to date.

That might soon change, though, if Boehly can tempt RC Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior to move away from France to West London.

Indeed, Football Insider recently revealed that the fellow Blue Co-owned club could soon lose the ex-Hull City manager, as he is seen as a strong contender for the Chelsea vacancy if Maresca is removed.

Unlike the 45-year-old who has seen his stock take a notable dip at Stamford Bridge this season, Rosenior is very much a manager who has received plenty of praise this campaign for the glowing job he is continuing to do in Ligue 1, with European football broadcaster Andy Brassell recently hailing him as an “exceptional coach and developer of players.”

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The proof is in the pudding, too, with Rosenior turning Jordan Panichelli into a potential Ligue 1 golden boot winner with nine strikes already next to his name this season, with Delap perhaps benefiting from an arm around the shoulder from the London-born head coach.

Rosenior’s overall managerial record

Stat

Rosenior

Games played

152

Wins

66

Draws

43

Losses

43

Goals scored

224

Goals conceded

184

Points accumulated

241

Win percentage

43%

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Having also been a steadying influence at Derby County right at the start of his well-travelled managerial career, with pundit Clinton Morrison hailing him as “one of the best coaches ever” for what he managed to achieve with the crisis-stricken Rams, he could well be capable of getting a lot more out of an underperforming Chelsea side, as seen in him lifting Strasbourg to an unexpected European finish last season.

Nearly getting to the Premier League with Hull, too, it does feel as if Rosenior is deserving of a chance at Premier League glory now as a manager, having been dubbed a “highly-regarded” figure right after his Tigers dismissal by journalist Henry Winter.

His reputation has only been enhanced since taking an unexpected next step to manage in France, as Chelsea keep their fingers crossed that they can pull off a transformative replacement for Maresca, if Rosenior takes over in the New Year.

Fewer touches than Sanchez: £100k-p/w flop is on borrowed time at Chelsea

Chelsea dropped points on home soil yet again on Tuesday evening.

ByRobbie Walls

Atherton moves to The Times

Mike Atherton will replace Christopher Martin-Jenkins as cricket correspondent of after England’s tour of New Zealand early next year.Atherton, who has made his name as a journalist on , and is considered one of the major successes of a player becoming a writer, will continue with his Sky Sports commentary alongside his new brief. Martin-Jenkins, who was handed the Peter Smith memorial award at the Cricket Writers’ Dinner in September, will take a role as senior cricket columnist.It is the first major reshuffle of the broadsheet newspapers since 2002 when Angus Fraser retired from playing to take up the main role at and Derek Pringle moved to .

World Cup visa row frustrates Australians

Fans travelling to the World Cup from Australia have had a bad week. Hot on the heels of finding out that they will need to pay an additional US$100 for a special visa when they visit the Caribbean, it now appears that the hassle-free system to apply for the necessary documentation has proved anything but.Ostensibly, the visa is to enable visitors to travel between various islands without going through the normal immigration controls, although a number of people have contacted Cricinfo asking why they have to pay the additional sum when they only planned to visit one island.The authorities had trumpeted how visa centres had been established and how there would be a two or three week turnaround for applications.However, Mia Amor Mottley, the deputy prime minister of Barbados, admitted yesterday that all was not well. “We have hit a snag with the issuing of the special visa in Australia but we are seeking to resolve the issue as soon as possible. I wish to assure our friends in Australia that this will be ironed out.”We took the decision to establish a temporary physical consular presence in Australia to reduce the inconvenience to Australians and New Zealanders. We believe that this is a gesture of good faith on our part in spite of the expense which we are incurring. This is especially since Caribbean people are unable to obtain a visa to enter Australia without sending their passports to Canada.”Mottley’s last remark will hardly be of any consolation given that there would seem to be a duty on any country hosting a major international tournament to make access as straightforward as possible.The comments came after reports that the process for issuing visas in Australia was a shambles. “The visas could take up to three weeks, and you have to send your passport in,” Australia’s honorary consul general to Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Agostinhe, said. “But we don’t know where they have to send it. The mission has arrived here and they’ve got offices but they haven’t taken them up yet. They have staff but we don’t know where they are.”It has been reported that Cricket Australia had received a formal complaint from the Australian Federal Government about the visa delays and was contemplating its next move. “It’s an issue we might seriously need to raise with the ICC,” Peter Young, general manager of public affairs for the board, stated.The authorities denied accusations that the visa was a money-making venture, insisting that the revenue raised would barely meet the costs of the acquisition of the visa system. They also explained that the visa carried wide-ranging security features which would enable the region to minimise the security threats which it may face during the games.

  • Information on the issuing sites, visa application form and the Instruction Sheet are available on IMPACS website at: www.caricomimpacs.org.

  • Gibbs and Boje dropped from one-day squad

    Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje, who yesterday both withdrew from South Africa’s tour to India, have been dropped from the 13-man squad announced to play the last two ODIs against New Zealand this weekend.Andrew Hall and Albie Morkel have been called-up as replacements as South Africa look to complete a 5-0 series win. Gibbs and Boje pulled out of the India tour, which starts later this month, because they received no assurance that they would not be arrested on arrival in the country due to match-fixing allegations.South Africa’s convenor of selectors Haroon Lorgat explained the decision to drop the pair: “It’s rather unfortunate, but we needed to face reality, make the tough decisions and look ahead at our tour of India. Ideally we need to slot in our replacements now, re-define roles in the absence of the two established players, and ready ourselves for India.”Boeta Dippenaar was ruled out after undergoing a wrist operation last night.South Africa squad for 4th and 5th ODIs Graeme Smith (capt), Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph.

    An undignified end … probably

    Rashid Latif: summary justice© Getty Images

    When Rashid Latif made his debut in the Oval Test of 1992 few, including himself, could envisage the course his career would take. Latif kept unobtrusively and athletically that day, as was to become his hallmark, and added to it by compiling a refined fifty.There were a couple of punches off the back foot through square cover, on top of his toes, which prompted Henry Blofeld to comment on what a “beautiful figure” Latif cut on the field. Then, he seemed set to replace Moin Khan as Pakistan’s first-choice wicketkeeper. Yet in the 12 years since, he has played in only 36 more Tests, and memories of that accomplished debut recede every time he makes the news now. In a country not short of temperamental, complex, enigmatic cricketers, Latif has been a breed apart. No cricketer has aroused as many different emotions; he brings on as much justified criticism as he does praise. Just what do you make of him?Ostensibly, he is forthright, outspoken, principled and brave. He has worked tirelessly to eliminate match-fixing, to harness talent in Karachi, and to rebuild the Pakistan side after last year’s World Cup. But there is also a careless, dangerous eccentricity that has marked his career. Running parallel to his efforts to cleanse and enhance the game are incidents which have dented his public image of crusader extraordinaire.There was the alleged racist slur at Adam Gilchrist in last year’s World Cup, or the flimsy charges of match-fixing which he levelled at the fourth one-dayer between Pakistan and India at Lahore earlier this year. There has been the constant ambiguity of his retirement plans – he “retired” in 1994-95 after the match-fixing scandal first broke, and then again from Tests in November 2002. That floored catch he claimed against Bangladesh last year, which led to a five-match ban and what seems to be his final removal from the team, was among the more infamous in a line of incidents that have defied explanation and evoked ambivalence. In all this, it has been difficult to defend Latif, and harder still to reconcile with his image. And now again his behaviour comes under question – although this time the Pakistan Cricket Board’s reaction demands equal scrutiny.Latif conceded a domestic match while leading Karachi Blues against Faisalabad last week, because of what he claimed was a dangerous, unfit pitch. On the surface, at least, he wanted to protect his players. There is no doubt that regulations have been breached – it is not up to one team to decide that the pitch is unfit – and that disciplinary action was necessary, but only after a due process of investigation. Given the unprecedented nature of the incident, and its grave implications, this process surely warranted a meeting between Latif and the Board. Shaharyar Khan, the Board’s chairman, says he based his decision on the views of the match referee, the umpires, the domestic tournament monitoring committee, a national selector … and a letter from Latif to the match referee.The domestic regulations state that “If a match is conceded, the points scored by the defaulting team during the tournament … will be nullified and the team will be scratched from the tournament … in addition a fine of 15,000 rupees shall be imposed.”According to the PCB, their chairman “has exercised his discretion in deciding that the Karachi Blues team would be allowed to continue participating … and that no fine or restriction would be imposed on them…” The PCB says he made this decision “in view of the fact that Latif appears to have acted independently”.But there is no evidence here: views have been garnered from various players in the drama, and not from the instigator. A unilateral decision seems to have been taken. Why single Latif out? He was captain at the time, but stated that the decision was taken along with his team members. If it is natural that the captain gives the unified views of his team, how do you distinguish an independent decision from a group one?Furthermore, the punishment was taken him bearing in mind that Latif has acted in “such a precipitous manner” before. What were they referring to here? That catch? His comments on match-fixing? That last incident occurred while he wasn’t with the board or the team in any official capacity, yet it seems that it’s now being used against him. Those incidents bear no relation to what he did last week – an act, which by its unique nature, demands examination in isolation.The relationship between the PCB and Rashid Latif has always been prickly. His outspoken views have rarely endeared him to successive boards over his career: indeed, they have often been embarrassing. He has been tolerated, rather than welcomed, and when possible they have tried to remove him altogether. He hasn’t helped himself, but this time it seems the PCB is falling over itself to remove him swiftly and arbitrarily.This season there had been increasing calls for his recall to the national team, something the Board seemed reluctant to countenance. Now he is banned for six months, and out of contention for the next three series. Is this just a convenient way for the PCB to oust him from Pakistan cricket one last time? If this is the end – which is by no means certain – then, given the promise of that 1992 debut, it is an undignified one.Osman Samiuddin is a freelance journalist based in Karachi.

    Hampshire take 14 to Scarborough

    Following their first Frizzell Championship victory of the season in the amazing turnaround against Glamorgan, Hampshire take 14 for the trip to the seaside resort of Scarborough for the match against Yorkshire starting on Wednesday (23rd July).Robin Smith and Shaun Udal will be facing fitness tests, but there is still a doubt whether either will be ready.Ian Brunnschweiler makes his Championship debut following the hamstring injury to Nic Pothas.Hampshire 14: Derek Kenway, James Adams, Simon Katich, John Crawley (captain), Robin Smith, John Francis, James Hamblin, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shaun Udal, Iain Brunnschweiler, Chris Tremlett, Alan Mullally, James Bruce, James Tomlinson.

    Otago has chance to make a point against Wellington

    Otago had reason to feel aggrieved over its treatment in last summer’s Max semi-finals and they go into tomorrow morning’s playoff State Max match with Wellington with more incentive to overcome the odds.Last year, Otago, Wellington and Auckland won regional playoffs and played off among each other in Auckland.The only problem was that while Wellington and Auckland had one game each on the first day, Otago was required to play two and missed out on a finals berth.This time with Wellington and Auckland given preferential treatment to ensure they had a two-life advantage, Otago found it would have to play four games if it was to reach and win the final.It will have to overcome Wellington first, after the defending champions were humbled by a rampant Auckland team today.Otago beat Canterbury today in a match dominated by two features – its own slow scoring and the weather.Canterbury batted poorly in their first innings. Slow scoring in the top order and the regular loss of wickets meant Canterbury could only notch 85/4 in their 10 overs.While Canterbury responded and kept Otago to only 95 in their 10 overs, the 10-run advantage was inflated when rain affected Canterbury’s second innings. Rain had forced the players from the field briefly during the first innings and a re-assessment of overs was made at the end of the two first innings.Initially, two overs were taken from each side in their second innings, but the second delay saw two more overs deleted to make it a six-over affair. With Canterbury already batting in its third over it was immediately at a disadvantage.But with Warren Wisneski boosted up the order, Canterbury launched an all-out assault and took 19 runs from the most frugal bowler of the tournament James McMillan.Peter Fulton, Chris Harris and Cleighten Cornelius each contributed to a battling 64-run lead.Otago took 16 runs from the first over but Stephen Cunis bowled a fine second over to yield only five runs. Ryan Burson followed up tightly and captain Harris must have been delighted when his first three balls went unscored from.However, sensing the need for urgency, the hard-hitting Otago batsman Andrew Hore hit a Max six, valued at 12 runs.But from the first ball of the fourth over, Hore ran himself out when attempting a run from the bowler’s end, only to see Burson grasp the ball on his follow-through and then lob the ball into the wickets with Hore short of his ground.Brendon McCullum and Craig Pryor worked together to usher the side through the latter stages and by the time the last over started they needed 10 runs to win. Pryor took control and sealed the success with a Max four worth eight runs from the penultimate ball of the game.Otago shapes as a big rival for Wellington and the match in the morning will be a fascinating do-or-die struggle.

    Wolves could save millions with Gibbs-White

    One of the stand-out Championship players this season has been on-loan Sheffield United star Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been a revelation since joining temporarily from Wolves.

    At the end of last season, the midfielder was valued by Transfermarkt at just £5.4m, but after scoring seven goals and contributing six assists from midfield in 23 Championship appearances this campaign so far, his value has soared up to £8.1m.

    His development this year has been nothing short of exceptional, and he finally looks ready to play Premier League football in the near future.

    “It’s benefited me massively,” he said. “Getting a full season playing at my age is what I need, it’s helping me as a player.

    “There’s a smile on my face every time I go on the pitch. I love the fans, the fans have been brilliant with me, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

    Blades’ captain Billy Sharp labelled the 22-year-old as “influential” in an interview a few months ago, but his list of admirers hasn’t stopped growing there.

    With Ruben Neves being targeted by a number of top clubs in Europe including Barcelona, and Joao Moutinho’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, there will be a big opportunity for Gibbs-White to become one of Wolves’ key creators for next season – and he could save the club millions in doing so.

    While Gibbs-White typically plays further up the field, he has started a couple of times this season as a central midfielder – scoring twice and assisting once, averaging a match rating of 7.49 compared to when he plays as a central attacking-midfielder where he averages a 7.48.

    The midfielder has made on average just under two key passes per game, as well as 1.3 successful dribbles, 2.2 shots and just under one tackle per game in a Sheffield United side currently vying for promotion.

    FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.


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    Wolves boss Bruno Lage typically sets up in a 3-4-3, but his two wide attackers often tuck in and operate as attacking midfielders – meaning that the England U21 international won’t have to adapt his playing style too much to fit into the team next season.

    Based on his ability to create and remain strong in physical battles, he seems pretty well equipped to replace Moutinho next term.

    In other news: Lage must now axe Wolves’ “sensational young player”, he’s cost them £13.5m per assist 

    Experience of playing South Africa in the past helped – Shanto

    There is a bit of fire about Liam Smith. Perhaps it was the pent up adrenaline after completing his first hundred at the under-19 level, or maybe even cramps on his leg that was bothering him. Or it just could be that South Africa’s 43-run loss to Bangladesh was hurting him even more.Standing few meters away from Smith was Nazmul Hossain Shanto, whose sparkling 73 set up Bangladesh’s win. He wasn’t beaming, but his body language had a mild strut to it. Upright, almost cocksure.Smith wasn’t exactly seething, but it was evident that the loss didn’t sit right with him, like it didn’t with Tony de Zorzi, the captain, and the rest of his team.It was a challenging day for the defending champions, and Smith played well throughout his nearly three-hour stay. His suppleness at the crease caught the eye, considering a lot of the cricket he’s played in his flourishing career has come on surfaces with more pace and bounce.He was good at using the depth of the crease and on occasions looked to dominate during his 146-ball innings that had nine fours and a six. Forty-seven singles and two twos punctuated his effort which could have been a match-winning effort had there been a couple of big partnerships.Smith was left to mostly play the anchor role before trying to up the ante at the end, but his innings was cut short courtesy a brilliant catch at cover by his counterpart Mehedi Hasan. Smith said the weather conditions were a bit challenging, even as he seemed to have worked out Bangladesh’s bowling quite well.”It is extremely hot,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo. “You do get tired quite quickly. The bowlers are playing at their home ground so they know how to bowl here, so it was quite difficult. We played against Bangladesh before (the two teams played two seven-match series in 2015), so we were well prepared. However, he was left to rue the lack of partnerships.”Only one of their bowlers has changed and we knew the pitches when practicing here. We did try [to build partnerships] so I can’t blame us. We would have won the game if we built bigger partnerships.”For Bangladesh, who displayed tremendous energy on the field and were on cruise control with the bat, this had been a highly anticipated game. Shanto, who was also part of the 2014 Under-19 World Cup squad, said he urged the rest of his teammates to not get overawed by the occasion. After all, they had beaten the same opponent in 11 out of 14 games last year.”There was a bit of nervousness today because we have some new guys in the team,” he said. “But at training yesterday and before we took the field, the only thing we talked about was to play our normal game. We can’t think of it as a World Cup game.”The experience of playing against them helped us. We knew where they would bowl and the strength of their batsmen. The wicket was for a 240-250 score batting first. The ball did stop a bit and scoring runs freely wasn’t easy but I think my own experience at this level helped me today. I knew what to do in this situation,” he said.Shanto said that he initially tried to base his innings on ones and twos, but didn’t hesitate to put the bad balls away. He struck four boundaries and three sixes in all during his 82-ball innings. “My first thought was to rotate the strike and only latch on to the bad balls,” he explained. “When we lost a couple of wickets, I thought I wouldn’t go for the shots but go ahead with singles. But it was hard to pick singles because the wicket was stopping a bit and they were fielding very well.”Bangladesh’s technical advisor Stuart Law said while Shanto stuck to the task expected of him, it would have been better if one of him, Pinak Ghosh and Joyraz Sheik carried on to make a big score. “This is Shanto’s job. He has instructions to bat through. He took his time but once he got in, he played some beautiful shots,” Law said. “It was disappointing that one or two others weren’t able to push on and get a really big score. We thought 241 would be tough to get if we bowled well.”I think South Africa bowled and fielded well to restrict us to 240. Their cover and midwicket cut off a lot of runs. I think we did what we could. We saw Smith get a 100. If we get one of our top-order to do that, we will get close to 300 runs.”It would be easy to think that Smith’s 100 went in vain but he hardly had anyone supporting him. Shanto however had Sheik and Mehedi at the other end making sure he didn’t have to do all the running.It was ultimately the difference in outcome between two splendid batting efforts.

    Obligatory uncertainty, dazzling premise

    India’s batting line-up is famed, but real spunk comes from Yuvraj Singh and the captain himself, Mahendra Singh Dhoni © AFP

    As with all the greatest sporting derbies, matters are never routine when India and Pakistan come together. Strange things, not always clasped to the fortunes of form, class and temperament, happen.A match is stolen off the last ball with a mighty six, a match is won off the third last ball with an equally grand stroke; 350 is nearly chased down yet 126 proves too far; a fast bowler of repute is smashed for 40 runs in two overs but an opener with a tidy line in slow-medium wobblies cripples a side; people flock to see them play in deserts, against abackdrop of windmills and even in Canada, a country as au fait with cricket as India and Pakistan are with ice hockey.And we should be glad for it. Such previews generally carry all the weight of a feather floating in space but for what its worth, here is a punt. Home advantage and a stodgier feel to their personnel tips the balance in India’s favour, albeit gingerly. Then again Pakistan don’t mind the other tag, one they wore so ebulliently on their last tour two years ago. Does that tip the balance back?Citizens of two nations they may be, but certain truths are shared. One, Bollywood cuts across the Line of Control as does indigenous Pakistani classical and pop music. Two, democracy works for one, maybe not the other. Lastly, and most importantly, India’s batsmen have always been unchallenged kings of the region and Pakistan’s bowlers its’ undisputed lords.

    If and when India falter at 15 for 2 with nothing to lean back on, Pakistan will be happiest to not see Rahul Dravid walking out

    Much like the Rolling Stones, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly roll on. They don’t surf the zeitgeist as they once did, but like the band, they still provide solid value. Suresh Raina may be yesterday’s news, but Rohit Sharma might be tomorrow’s. The real spunk, however, comes from Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa and the captain himself. Mahendra Singh Dhoni may command Shahid Afridi-like fan fervour and he may have the strike-rate to match, but he is a cerebral giant by comparison.The Wall is resting, fatigued no doubt from the support it has provided in recent times. But if and when India falter at 15 for 2 with nothing to lean back on, Pakistan will be happiest to not see Rahul Dravid walking out. It leaves the middle order thin rather than lean, especially given the presence of five openers in the squad.Perhaps they can pass on the surplus to Pakistan. New era, new captain and coach, same opening strife: Pakistan went through five openers and three combinations in five matches against South Africa and are still likely to draw names from a hat come the first ODI. In fact, their batting has rarely been as brittle as this, relying essentially on Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, with a little help from Shoaib Malik, the captain.But even as it has become a pre-tour ritual for at least one Pakistan fast bowler to drop out from injury, drugs or bust-ups just before the series, on their bowling still rests the winning and losing of this. In Mohammad Asif’s absence, Shoaib Akhtar will carry much the attack and though he is eminently capable, never before has it been as important for him to remain fit and preferably confined to his hotel room with no possibility of mischief.

    Shahid Afridi’s bowing record in India may be poor, but his craft is at its peak and strong enough to make up for his batting © AFP

    Just in case, the force is strong with Umar Gul and Iftikhar Anjum presently, especially the latter who provides, as first change, an adept, thoughtful option. India hasn’t suited Afridi the bowler, but his craft is at its peak and strong enough to make up for his batting. As vital as the fast men will be Afridi’s middle-overs spread.For once, however, India’s pace is in comparably rude health. Zaheer Khan and RP Singh’s bowling is a different game from when Pakistan last played them in an ODI. Zaheer is leaner and wiser, more rounded and a better bowler. RP is broader, quicker, bouncier, spikier and altogether more dangerous. Behind them, Sreesanth will dance, pump fists, sledge, stare and occasionally bowl mean spells. But it says much for their strength that India choose to play without Munaf Patel, who is possibly the most gifted of them all.Will fielding make a difference? Both sides are bad enough for it to cancel itself out, as Sanjay Manjrekar points out in Cricinfo’s Round Table. But leadership will. Both captains are young, both have had their honeymoons and both have been brought back to earth swiftly by vastly superior sides.Dhoni feels the more settled, if only because his place in all forms is unquestioned. Malik, meanwhile, is still gamely battling off lingering doubters. It is also easier to be a young captain of India than to be one of Pakistan. Malik’s calm will come in handy in times of stress, as will Younis as deputy. Dhoni’s feistiness, his wily, upmarket bravado will serve him likewise.As parting, heed this: if this were on paper, you would be wise to crumple it and chuck it away. So turn off the monitor instead, for come tomorrow all of it and none of it will matter.

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