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Chelsea transfer chiefs could actually be in the market for another striker after sealing a £35 million deal for Ajax defender Jorrel Hato earlier this week, despite already bringing in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this window.

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Hato has put pen to paper on a seven-year contract after completing a medical on Friday, with the Dutchman set to provide cover for Marc Cucurella at left-back whilst also potentially reinforcing Enzo Maresca’s central defensive options from time to time.

The 19-year-old arrives at Stamford Bridge after making over 110 senior appearances for Ajax, despite his young age, which includes experience in European competitions as well.

Whilst Hato began his career predominantly at centre-half, Chelsea agree with former Ajax manager, Francesco Farioli, that his future is in the full-back area.

“Jorrel started as a central defender, but under our guidance he became a full-back at national team level,” said Farioli, via Ben Jacobs on X.

“This kind of transformation stems from a detailed analysis of his technical and physical attributes. “Hato has excellent technical skills, he’s physically strong and fast, and he’s good in one-on-one situations. While he may not have a natural defensive instinct as a centre-back, his experience in that role gave him good game-reading abilities.

“Ajax still viewed him as a central defender, but I believe that at the very highest levels, like the Premier League, a player who stands at 1.81m will struggle to play centrally, especially in physically demanding duels.

“In my opinion, his future lies more as a left-back, a position that requires both attacking and defensive qualities and fits better with his characteristics.”

Chelsea’s immediate next transfer plans will most likely revolve around their attack.

RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons remains in talks to join Chelsea, with the Netherlands international opting out of training on Friday and removing Leipzig from his Instagram bio as he pushes for a Stamford Bridge move (Fabrizio Romano).

Chelsea are also expected to bid for Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho in what would be a separate deal to Simons, with Strasbourg striker Emmanuel Emegha remaining on BlueCo’s radar too.

Chelsea looking to strike "early" cut-price deal for Emmanuel Emegha

Reports suggest that Chelsea could still sign another striker if Nicolas Jackson leaves, and Emegha is chief among their targets after an excellent season in Ligue 1.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

The 22-year-old was clocked as the fastest player in France’s top flight last season with Chelsea looking to strike an “early deal” for Emegha, anticipating that his price tag could soar to £44 million-plus in the next few years if they don’t act now.

That is according to Telegraph journalist Matt Law, who told the London is Blue podcast this week that Chelsea aim to sign the Dutchman for a cheaper fee this

window.

“I was told by someone who works around the Strasbourg end of things, that they believe that one day this guy could be a €50m-plus striker,” said Law.

“I think maybe they’re looking to do an early deal for him, to get him into a Chelsea player, is looking at that fair market value.

“Because if you do it now, you can probably do it around, I’m guessing here. I don’t know that this is a figure, but say €25m (£22m). If you do it another year down the line, you might be looking at a fair market value of around €40m (£35m).”

Emegha bagged 14 Ligue 1 goals last term, alongside being Ligue 1’s most explosive player, but it is unclear what Chelsea’s plans will be for him, or whether he’d be thrust straight into Maresca’s first team.

وجهت إحدى الشبكات الإنجليزية تحذيرًا قويًا إلى حراس مرمى الفرق المنافسة لفريق ليفربول، بسبب النجم المصري محمد صلاح، في إطار حديثها عن مشاركته في مباراة منتخب مصر أمس أمام نظيره إثيوبيا.

واستضاف ستاد القاهرة مباراة مصر وإثيوبيا، في إطار منافسات الجولة السابعة من تصفيات قارة إفريقيا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم نسخة 2026.

وتمكن منتخب مصر من تحقيق فوز على خصمه بهدفين دون رد، حيث سجل محمد صلاح الهدف الأول من ضربة جزاء، وهو ما كرره عمر مرموش في الهدف الثاني.

ورفض محمد صلاح تنفيذ ضربة الجزاء الثانية حيث منحها لـ عمر مرموش، في تصرف شخصي بحت من النجم صاحب الـ33 عامًا.

وتحدثت شبكة “empireofthekop” الإنجليزية عن مشاركة محمد صلاح في مباراة مصر أمس وتصرفه المميز تجاه عمر مرموش، رغم أن ذلك كان سيجعله يسجل هدفًا ثانيًا في اللقاء.

اقرأ أيضًا.. محمد صلاح يحرج أسطورة ليفربول بعد تصرفه في مباراة مصر وإثيوبيا

وأوضحت أن محمد صلاح عانى من قلة التهديف بشكل غير معتاد في الفترة الأخيرة، حيث لم يسجل إلا 3 أهداف فقط في آخر 13 مباراة له رفقة ليفربول، منذ الشهرين الأخيرين من الموسم الماضي.

وأشارت إلى أن محمد صلاح سيتطلع بشغف إلى تعويض ذلك النقص التهديفي عند عودته إلى ليفربول في وقت لاحق من هذا الأسبوع.

وأفادت أنه مع خوض ليفربول 7 مباريات في مختلف المسابقات قبل فترة التوقف الدولي في أكتوبر المقبل، ستُتاح لـ محمد صلاح فرص كثيرة لإنعاش غزيزته التهديفية.

وشددت على أن التاريخ علمنا أن صيام محمد صلاح عن التهديف لا يدوم طويلًا، ولا شك أنه سيُرعب حراس مرمى الفرق المنافسة من جديد في الأسابيع المقبلة.

Though Liverpool have exceeded expectations by winning the Premier League in Arne Slot’s first season, FSG chiefs will know that football is a fickle game, and pre-season projections will now rank Liverpool among the favourites for the 2025/26 term.

Well, sporting director Richard Hughes certainly isn’t resting on his laurels, having acted promptly to close on full-backs Jeremie Frimpong, whose transfer has been sealed, and Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, the reps of whom are engaged in advancing talks with the Anfield side.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is officially a Real Madrid player, leaving his boyhood club to join Jude Bellingham as a key part of Xabi Alonso’s Los Blancos revolution.

Thus, reinforcing the wide flanks was necessary, but Alexander-Arnold takes more than just positional value with him to sunny Spain. Indeed, the Three Lions superstar is one of the most creative players of his generation, with Jamie Carragher once remarking, “It’s like having Kevin De Bruyne playing at right-back.”

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Trent Alexander-Arnold

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64

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Andy Robertson

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60

3)

Leighton Baines

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53

4)

Graeme Le Saux

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Kieran Trippier

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Liverpool need a new leading playmaker, and boy, have they picked out a good one.

Why Liverpool are signing Florian Wirtz

Simply: Wirtz is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, posting 122 goal contributions across 197 senior Leverkusen appearances.

His labours in his homeland have even seen him awarded back-to-back Bundesliga Player of the Year awards, having helped his team toward an invincible title triumph in 2023/24.

Having beaten off Bayern Munich and Manchester City in the race to secure the 22-year-old’s services, reputable sources such as Fabrizio Romano have confirmed completion is on the horizon.

Make no mistake, this is a significant coup for the Anfield side, even though Wirtz is expected to cost around £110m, all told. He will dynamise and revolutionise Liverpool’s attack, reorienting the creative hub to a more conventional berth besides.

Below are a series of ways in which Slot could field Liverpool’s frontline next season, with Wirtz in the mix. However, uncertainty reigns over Luis Diaz’s future, with Saudi side Al Nassr making the Colombian a top target ahead of the summer transfer window. Barcelona also have a long-standing interest.

Where Wirtz could feature for Liverpool

If the 28-year-old Diaz does leave, Liverpool would want to consider bringing in a replacement, with one rumoured target potentially even superseding Wirtz as FSG’s most exciting signing.

Liverpool could sign a bigger talent than Wirtz

Liverpool’s Premier League success has been an incredible thing, but it doesn’t mean Slot has led a flawless team to the title this term. Indeed, the Reds have been frustrated by forwards Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, both of whom are expendable.

Earlier this month, GIVEMESPORT revealed that Real Madrid’s Rodrygo could be within FSG’s reach amid the Brazilian’s consternation from being overshadowed by teammates like Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Bellingham.

Real Madrid would rather not part with their dynamic forward, of course, and have set a lofty £84m asking price which FSG will likely need to whittle down, should they lodge an official proposal.

Though Rodrygo isn’t an out-and-out striker, he is a “world-class finisher,” as per reporter Kyle Bonn, with an elite winning mentality forged in the Santiago Bernabeu furnaces.

At face value, it looks like the 24-year-old has endured something of a difficult season for Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid. Indeed, the Brazil star scored just 13 times across 50 matches in all competitions, assisting ten goals too.

However, as you will see below, he’s proven invariably effective when unleashed from his favoured left flank, maximising his goalscoring quality.

Right winger

29

7

4

Left winger

12

6

6

Centre-forward

8

–

–

Though Wirtz tends to drift over to the left side, he’s more of a ten, placed behind the central striker to promote creativity. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 5% of positional peers in the Bundesliga this season for progressive passes and the top 4% for shot-creating actions per 90.

Rodrygo, fleet-footed and ferocious, would blast up and down the flanks, hopefully utilised from the left to enrich his goalscoring qualities.

His limited action this term, starting only 22 times in La Liga, as per Sofascore, hasn’t withdrawn from Rodrygo a sense of place among the modern greats, having missed only one big chance in Spain’s top flight, scoring six goals.

Furthermore, he averaged 1.6 dribbles per game and won 56% of his ground duels, speaking of a combativeness that could see him dovetail right into the Premier League, known for its rigorous nature, steely members.

Wirtz is a marquee signing for Liverpool, and that’s a fact, but there’s a case to be made that in Rodrygo, Slot would find an even brighter star. Not to the descredit of the German’s giddy talent, but the South American is something special, all right.

His versatility, deadly goalscoring ability and immense physicality all combine to suggest this is a player worth throwing the kitchen sink at. If Diaz goes, it could become a tangible prospect, and just imagine the chaos Wirtz and Rodrygo could inflict side by side.

There would be a certain degree of poetic justice to Liverpool bringing Rodrygo into their fold this summer, especially if Slot allowed him to play off the left flank, something he has yearned for but to little avail in the Spanish capital.

It would require the sale of Diaz, sure, but Liverpool could strike gold with this one, bagging an even bigger talent than Wirtz to aid their quest for unprecedented levels of sustained glory in Slot’s still-building project.

Another Suarez situation: Liverpool expect bid for "world-class" £72m star

Liverpool may have to contend with the sales of a few stars this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair May 30, 2025

Celtic turn their attention away from the Scottish Premiership this weekend as they prepare to take on St. Johnstone in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup on Sunday.

The Hoops are hoping to win the SFA Cup in order to complete a domestic treble for the second time in the last three seasons, after Ange Postecoglou did so in the 2022/23 campaign, as they have already won the League Cup.

Brendan Rodgers is aiming for a perfect domestic campaign despite losing Matt O’Riley to Brighton & Hove Albion last summer and Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes in January.

The Scottish giants sold their Japanese forward to the French side for a reported fee of £10m earlier this year, but they also managed to bring Jota back to Parkhead in return.

Celtic reportedly paid a fee of £8m to sign the Portuguese winger, 18 months on from selling him to Al Ittihad for £25m, which essentially meant that the club received Jota and £2m from Rennes, in a roundabout way, for Kyogo.

There may not be too many complaints about the way that things turned out for the Hoops in that window, because the forward has hit the ground running in his second spell at Parkhead.

Why Jota has been a good signing for Celtic

The former Benfica whiz had big expectations on his shoulders upon his arrival in Glasgow in the January transfer window, due to what he had produced in his two seasons under Ange Postecoglou.

As you can see in the graphic above, Jota delivered consistent quality at the top end of the pitch in those two Premiership seasons under the Australian head coach, with 21 goals and 21 assists.

This meant that it was a reasonable expectation for Jota to come in and immediately bolster the squad with instant performances on the pitch when he arrived in January, and the forward has met those expectations.

Appearances (starts)

10 (6)

Goals

4

Big chances missed

1

Big chances created

3

Assists

2

Dribbles completed

10

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese starlet has already contributed with seven goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in six Premiership starts this year.

This shows that he has provided the instant impact that was expected of him, and rightly so, given his proven quality at that level, which is why he has been an excellent signing for the Hoops.

It was a terrific opportunity for all parties involved to bring Jota back to a club where he knows he can be a star player, and the forward will hopefully continue to impress in the final third in the months and years to come in Glasgow.

Despite all of this, Celtic are now being linked with an interest in a young talent who could go on to become even better than the Portuguese sensation at Parkhead.

The latest on Celtic's interest in Premier League starlet

According to Football Insider, the Scottish giants are one of a number of clubs chasing a deal to sign Crystal Palace youngster Jesse Derry in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that both Celtic and Rangers are interested in a swoop for the 17-year-old attacker, and that teams across Europe have also made contact with the player about a possible move this summer.

It states that teams have become aware of his potential availability after the England youth international turned down a professional contract to remain at Selhurst Park.

Football Insider adds that PSG, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid have all sent scouts to watch him in action, whilst there are also Premier League teams looking at the teen sensation.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The outlet reveals that Derry would be open to moving abroad, whether that is to one of those European sides or to Scotland, but it remains to be seen where he will end up next season.

There looks set to be plenty of competition for the 17-year-old talent’s signature this summer, and Celtic must push to win the race for his services, because he could become even better than Jota.

Why Jesse Derry could become even better than Jota

The current Hoops forward came up through the Benfica academy with a return of nine goals and eight assists in 47 matches for the B team, and four goals and eight assists in 17 games in the Youth League.

This shows that the Portuguese dynamo enjoyed an impressive, but not completely outstanding, career at youth level before coming to Scotland to shine under Postecoglou with roughly ten goals and ten assists per season in the Premiership.

Derry, son of former Palace and QPR defender Shaun, has shown incredible promise at youth level for Palace in recent years, to the point where he looks like an even better prospect than Jota did at Benfica.

Per Football Insider, the teenage ace has scored 20 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions for the Eagles at youth level in the current campaign, including nine goals in eight U18 Premier League matches.

As you can see in the clip of one of those 20 goals above, Derry is similar in style to Jota as a left-winger who likes to cut in on his right foot to find the far corner.

The Palace youngster, who U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed has been “tearing things up” at youth level, also scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 17 matches in the 2023/24 campaign.

This means that the England U19 international has scored 31 goals in 44 games for Palace since the start of last season, which is a far superior youth record in comparison to what Jota did with Benfica’s academy before his move to Celtic, whilst playing in the same position.

This, therefore, suggests that the potential is there for Derry, who is reportedly being looked at by some of Europe’s biggest clubs, to become even better than Jota on the left wing by providing an incredible goalscoring threat by cutting in on his right foot.

Celtic must rue losing "exciting" gem who's now playing like a £100m star

Celtic lost the talented young attacker for a fee of just £230k and now he’s being compared to a £100m talent.

ByDan Emery Apr 15, 2025

That is why Celtic must push to sign the teenage starlet in the summer because he could be an exceptional long-term addition to the squad, as a winger with the qualities to emerge as a first-team star in the future if he can translate his academy form over to senior football to be even better than Jota.

Puja Pujara talks about how she came to write a book chronicling the career of her famous husband, the former India No. 3

S Sudarshanan26-May-2025A lot happens in a cricketer’s life. The binaries of wins and losses aside, there are various other ups and downs. For a cricketer’s family, they experience these vicariously when they hear from or watch and read about their loved one.Cheteshwar Pujara’s family might have been less aware of the ins and outs of his career than other cricketers’ families. Pujara, by his own admission, is a private person. Sharing his thoughts didn’t come naturally to him, and indeed, he did not want to put second-hand pressure on his family by telling them about the trials and stresses in his life. But he worked on opening up over the years and got better at it.His wife, Puja, did not follow cricket or know who Pujara was before marrying him. Coming to the sport afresh, she wanted to know more about it and took a deep interest in his career. Over time, she learnt more about the game and its various aspects. Inspired by Andre Agassi’s book, , she began journalling her experience as the wife of an India cricketer.An MBA graduate, Puja quit her corporate job, which she loved, after her wedding. When the couple’s first daughter was three, she wanted to get back to work, but decided that as Pujara’s manager, she didn’t have the time to give to a full-time job. On the other hand, accompanying him on long cricket tours would leave her with not a lot to do. Over the years, she had made notes about conversations with the Pujara family. Her father-in-law, Arvind, would describe their struggles from years gone by, talk about the challenges the family went through so Pujara could play cricket, and describe the bond Pujara shared with his mother. Puja would listen keenly, and thanks to her sharp memory, write it all down in her diary later.In 2021, Pujara suggested she collate her notes into a book. That had been Puja’s motive for keeping a journal, which she had not spoken of before – the hope that it might turn into a book someday. That book has now been published: is an unusual memoir, Puja’s account of the bumpy ride the family of a cricketer goes through. It belongs in a sparsely populated genre, of which the best known are perhaps the tour books of Frances Edmonds, wife of former England spinner Phil Edmonds, though those were more by way of humorous travelogues and therefore different in nature and tone from Puja’s book.”I had to be very prepared before suggesting [she] write the book,” Pujara says. “I was a little uncomfortable at times about what people would think about what I was doing or what my thought process was. But I told her I don’t mind [the book] because this is the truth and you have seen my journey.”On watching Pujara fend off body blows in Australia in 2021: “I don’t know if I have it in me to relive it again”•AFPPuja agrees. “I told him I am not going to portray you as a saint. You are a good human being, but the book won’t be just glorifying everything. There will be the hard parts and vulnerabilities. You have an inspiring journey, and I want someone to take inspiration.”I think most [cricketers’] partners would relate to what I’m saying – that you are riding the same highs and the same lows. And while it is easy to say, it is a whole new thing when you are actually experiencing it.”Puja had to get used to being a public figure after their marriage, and become aware that she needed to be careful of her image too, for the effects it might have on her husband’s. Even if she didn’t end up enhancing Pujara’s image, she did not want to damage it.It is relatively easy for a sportsperson to be in the public eye when things are going well. Pujara was in good form around the time of their courtship and marriage. The challenge came when the going got tough. When he was dropped for the Sydney Test in 2015, it was heartbreak for Puja, she says. She felt it like a personal loss and like the world had turned upside down. She was in Australia for the tour and did not want to go to the SCG to watch the match.That experience taught her the value of detachment – that as a family member, she needed to offer her husband support rather than having her own emotional reaction to the incident add to his distress. “I had to gather courage, swallow that news and be there for him in whatever way he needed,” she says. “While it is very disheartening, you have to understand that only 11 players can play. That somebody else’s family is happy that the other person is getting to play. It took time for me to mature… We realised over time that [being dropped] is fine, but I wouldn’t take away any disappointment I had at that point in time.”Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was not Pujara who broke the news of his omission in Sydney to Puja. He found it tough to give his family updates of that sort. He dealt with failures in his own way; instead of opening up, he would withdraw, trying to “protect the family” from disappointment.”He wouldn’t realise that he’s going through something,” Puja says. “I had to tell him, ‘Boss, I think you need to take a step back and just pause for a second. I feel you are not on your A game mentally. Let’s talk about it.’ In a country like India, things like mental health weren’t addressed until recently. You’re so used to the hardships and the difficult times that you don’t realise sometimes [that] you may need to seek help.”Stand by me: from not being a cricket fan before marriage, Puja went on to become her husband’s manager•BCCIPujara credits his wife with helping him deal with failures better. She helped him stick to his cricket routine when he didn’t want to, during a low phase. His county stint with Yorkshire between 2015 and 2018 also enabled him to open up. The mental conditioning coach at the club helped him be less hard on himself, making Pujara realise that scoring a fifty was an achievement too, not just a hundred. “That was the first time I realised that I need to switch off from the game, divert my mind and talk about my failures also,” Pujara says. “When you succeed, you know what you have done has worked for you. But when you fail, it isn’t always about the technique; it could be a very small thing – like, you are not resting well or not sleeping well.”While Puja could help her husband out with his mental battles, the blows inflicted by bowlers on the field were his alone to deal with. During the Brisbane Test in 2021, Pujara stood like an immovable force in the middle, staving off a bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon. He repeatedly took blows to his body – elbow, thigh, neck, finger – and on the helmet grille, while scoring a crucial second-innings fifty. As a fan or a viewer, those hits added to the narrative of the Test match. Not for the wife, though.”It was just a nightmare,” Puja says. “Watching it, I had a gush of many emotions all at once. I was worried and got in touch with the physio and team manager. I messaged so many people, because some of [the blows] were closer to the head and that was very scary. I don’t know if I have it in me to relive it again,” she laughs.When Pujara picked up his phone after the match, he saw a flood of text messages from her. “I am fine,” he wrote back. They spoke briefly and he rushed back to join the team celebrations for India’s second successive Test series win in Australia. “I was in pain, but it was a sweet pain because the Indian team had won the game and the series,” he says.A year and four series after his Gabba knock, Pujara was dropped again from the Indian Test side. He was recalled six months later and played eight more matches, the World Test Championship final in June 2023 being the last.Puja suggested a while ago that he look at life beyond playing cricket, and take up coaching or broadcasting, but he wasn’t on board then. Slowly his reluctance gave way and he took up some media work. He has been an expert on ESPNcricinfo’s match-analysis shows, which, he says, has enabled him to explore another side of the game and understand his own game better in retrospect.Pujara is 37. It has been close to two years since he last played for India, but he is not thinking about retirement just yet. The fire in him still burns. He enjoys the grind of preparing for a match, and the routines that help him stay hungry.Irrespective of what happens in his journey from here on, Pujara will know he has a pillar of support alongside him. The one who told his story to the world as she watched and lived it off the field.

“If someone would have checked my heartbeat, the meter would have exploded,” says the man playing his first Test in four years

Deivarayan Muthu26-Dec-2022The build-up to the Karachi Test was particularly chaotic. Pakistan had lost four Tests in a row at home for the first time, including an unprecedented 3-0 whitewash to England. Ramiz Raja was subsequently removed as PCB chairman, with a 14-member management committee headed by Najam Sethi taking interim charge of affairs. Shahid Afridi was originally named in the management committee, but he opted out and took over as the interim chief selector of the Pakistan’s men side and made some additions to the squad, two days out of the match.Pakistan’s batting in the first hour mirrored the chaotic build-up. Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood both jumped out of the crease against spin only to be stumped. It was the first time in the history of men’s Test cricket that the first two wickets have fallen to stumpings. Imam-ul-Haq then toe-ended a catch to mid-off, having also advanced against spin. Pakistan were 48 for 3 in 15 overs; they could’ve been four down had Daryl Mitchell not dropped Babar Azam at slip when he was on 12. Then, when Tim Southee snagged Saud Shakeel, the score read 110 for 4.Pakistan’s superstar Babar and forgotten star Sarfaraz Ahmed, who returned to the XI amid a sea of change, overcame the chaos and stabilised the innings with a 196-run fifth-wicket partnership. It was business as usual for Babar – he scored his fourth Test century in nine Tests in 2022 – but Sarfaraz made a statement in what was his first Test in almost four years and his very first one at home.

Pleased with Pakistan's performance today, great comeback after the early loss of wickets. Special praise for Babar for another outstanding innings. Sarfaraz proved his selection right, excellent performance for him under pressure.

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) December 26, 2022