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The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questionsabout (almost) any aspect of cricket. This week it’s a World Cupspecial

Steven Lynch20-Mar-2007The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket. The World Cup dominates your questions again this week:

Down on luck: Graham Gooch was the bridesmaid in three World Cup finals © Getty Images
Has anyone played in three World Cup-winning teams? asked Michael Docherty from Brisbane
The only team which has won the World Cup three times is Australia (1987-88, 1999 and 2003), and no-one played in all three games. But three members of the current team were on the winning side in both the last two finals – Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath, who thus stand to become the first three-time winners if Australia can justify their favourites’ tag again this year. Graham Gooch played in three finals for England … and, uniquely, lost the lot.I’m just watching Ireland play and they seem to have a lot on non-Irish-born players. How many of them are there, and what are the qualification rules? asked David Thompson from Huddersfield
The Irish squad includes four players who were born overseas – the captain Trent Johnston, Jeremy Bray and Dave Langford-Smith, who were all in Australia, and Andre Botha (South Africa). The full regulations are rather complicated, but basically a player born outside the country he wishes to represent can do so provided he has lived there for most of the preceding four years (and has not played for any other country in that time). Scotland’s squad also includes four players born outside the country – as does England’s – but the “leaders” in this regard at this World Cup are Canada, who have only three home-born players in their squad (John Davison, Ian Billcliff and Kevin Sandher) and Holland, who have eight players in their squad who were born outside the Netherlands. The full qualification rules can be found on the official ICC siteWho won a World Cup winners’ medal as a player but never played a World Cup match? asked Siddharth Ramesh from Chennai
I think the man you’re looking for has an even more remarkable claim to fame than that: Sunil Valson was in India’s World Cup -winning squad in 1983, but didn’t play in the competition – and in fact never played in a one-day international at all. Valson was a left-arm medium-pacer who took 212 wickets in first-class cricket, most of them for Delhi. In 2002-03 the offspinner Nathan Hauritz replaced Shane Warne in Australia’s squad when Warne was banned after a positive drugs test: Hauritz didn’t play in the tournament, but he has played in eight ODIs outside World Cups.Is Bermuda’s Dwayne Leverock the heaviest man to play international cricket? asked Savar Kashif from Kolkata
Bermuda’s genial left-arm spinner Dwayne Leverock is variously reported as weighing in at between 19 and 20 stone. I’m sure this makes him the heaviest player to appear in a World Cup, and probably in any one-day international, but there’s at least one player who outweighed him in Test cricket: Warwick Armstrong, the Australian captain who inflicted the first Ashes whitewash on England in 1920-21. By the time of the 1921 tour of England, Armstrong – who was known as “The Big Ship” – was thought to weigh around 22 stone. I read in a recent interview that Leverock lives above a curry house – and, he admitted with a twinkle in his eye, “there’s another one next door.” A recent Cricinfo column looked at some other beefy batsmen and bowlers.Ricky Ponting reached 1000 World Cup runs early in his hundred against Scotland. Is he the first Australian to do this? asked Colin Matthews from Perth
Ricky Ponting started this World Cup with 998 runs, and his first scoring shot in this tournament (a four off Dougie Brown) took him into four figures. And his next scoring shot – another boundary off Brown – took him past Mark Waugh (1004 runs) as Australia’s leading scorer in World Cup history. Ponting ended that match with 1111 runs (quadruple Nelson, perhaps?), behind only Sachin Tendulkar (1732) in the World Cup lists at the time. For updated details of the competition’s all-time leading runscorers, click here.Regarding the recent question about the current players who also appeared in the 1992 World Cup, didn’t Sourav Ganguly also do so and score 3 against West Indies … asked Pradyumna Dhore
No, Sourav Ganguly didn’t play in the 1992 World Cup, although I can see why you might have thought he did – he made his one-day international debut in Australia in 1991-92 – against West Indies at Brisbane – and did indeed score 3. But that was in the traditional Australian three-way one-day series, which was played before that season’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Ganguly didn’t make the Indian squad for that tournament – or the 1996 one.

The former national T20 captain is set for his first ODI appearance in nearly three years, when the England series kicks off

Daniel Brettig11-Jan-2018Cameron White does not regret criticising Australia’s recent selection policies and will seek out the selection chairman Trevor Hohns to discuss their differences of opinion after being recalled for his first ODI appearances in nearly three years.Having dropped Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade in large part due to a spate of Australian middle-order collapses in 2017, Hohns and his panel lost their first batting preference when Chris Lynn pulled out of the limited-overs squad to face England due to a calf strain.Hazlewood and Cummins to rest

Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will be rested from the first and second ODIs against England, respectively, as Australia seek to manage the workloads of their fast bowlers between the Ashes and the four-Test tour of South Africa.
The Australian limited-overs squad assembled in Melbourne on Thursday but Hazlewood remained in Sydney and will rejoin the squad in Brisbane on Tuesday ahead of the second match. Cummins, meanwhile, will be part of the team for the opener at the MCG but will miss the Gabba match.
Mitchell Starc is also expected to miss some of the series, with the West Australian duo of Jyhe Richardson and Andrew Tye expected to take up much of the pace load following their strong displays in the Big Bash League for Perth Scorchers.

Rather than recalling Maxwell or going with the younger D’Arcy Short, they have opted to return to White, who last played in the lead-up to the 2015 World Cup campaign and has been in extremely consistent form for Melbourne Renegades. “He’s in very good form as his figures demonstrate, he’s playing very well,” Hohns said. “He’s one of the leading run-scorers in the BBL, he’s experienced, he’s a very smart cricketer and he’s a good fielder. He ticks all the boxes for what we need at this stage.”In addition to thinking as recently as Christmas Eve that he was no longer going to be considered for the national team, White had been arguably the most ardent critic of the selectors for choosing younger players on their potential rather than more experienced operators with a better track record. The choice of Sam Heazlett for last year’s ODI tour of New Zealand was a particular sore point, and White had also pointed out that it now seemed possible to be picked for Australia out of the Big Bash League regardless of what format it was for.”I grew up watching and dreaming of playing for Australia and thinking how hard is it going to be to get a game for Australia and to earn the absolute right,” White said on RSN radio in January last year. “Now it sort of seems like the Australian team at some stages is a development team. For me, playing for Australia isn’t about giving you a chance to develop. Domestic cricket is where that happens, and Futures League. I just want to see the best players playing, I don’t care who they are… I’m not against young players playing at all, but I’m just not sure about bringing people into the Australian team to develop.”We’ve seen with selection over the last period of time that the Big Bash seems to be the be-all and end-all. You can get picked to play for Australia in any format out of the Big Bash, really. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’m just a little worried to be honest, on the [lack of] importance the selectors are putting on domestic cricket. For years, the strength of the Australian game has been the domestic game. I’m just not sure that there has been much importance put on that and it worries me for the future of Australian cricket and the strength of Australian cricket.”These words resulted in a riposte from Hohns, stating the White’s career had hardly been “earth-shattering”, but after a happier exchange on Thursday, White saw the irony in his own selection after strong BBL displays. “I don’t think I’d change what I said, that was just me being honest about what I thought about the selection process at the time,” White said. “Trevor disagreed at the time, we haven’t spoken about it since, but that’s okay as well. Hopefully during this period of time it might be a good chance to talk it over. But it was just a comment on selection, which was an opinion-based thing, and I had a different opinion like many other people do as well.”Making a few runs in the Big Bash hasn’t hurt, but maybe it is a little ironic. I’d like to think that my one-day cricket for Victoria hasn’t hurt my chances of getting this opportunity… Maybe it’s a little bit ironic – missing games for Victoria was more about playing some younger people and getting some experience into them in Shield cricket at the same time.”It was no different at the start of this year, I didn’t play the first three games even though I was coming off some really good form in the pre-season in the one-day cup, so it’s just the landscape of Cricket Australia these days, I understand that and there’s no point complaining about it or whingeing, it’s just the way it is. It could well be the same case when I go back to Shield cricket later in the year as well.”

“I’ve got an understanding of my game now, I’m a bit older and understand what sort of mental state I need to get myself into to make sure I’m scoring runs consistently – clear mind, watch the ball and react to it.”

White’s scores of 79*, 51, 3, 49*, 35* and 68* for Renegades followed innings of 66, 19* and 82 in two Sheffield Shield appearances, while he had made 199 runs at 49.75 in four domestic limited-overs cup appearances at the outset of the season. However he has in recent times been on the fringes of the Victorian squad, playing far less consistently than Maxwell, and had widely stated his belief that his international days were over. In many ways, the choice of White from the edges of the Victorian set-up mirrors that of Tim Paine when he was not keeping wicket for Tasmania.”I was very surprised when Trevor Hohns rang me,” White said. “I probably did think [I wouldn’t get picked again] but in the back of my mind I never did give up all hope, so it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, get back and have another go at it, so I’m just grateful for the opportunity and the chance. It’s up to me now whether I can make the most of it.”I’ve got an understanding of my game now, I’m a bit older and understand what sort of mental state I need to get myself into to make sure I’m scoring runs consistently – clear mind, watch the ball and react to it. Sounds simple but it’s not that easy to do most of the time. Along with that, understanding my game and situations out on the field. They’re the main things to it, and obviously got a bit of experience behind me now in different conditions and situations.”The good thing about now is I feel I’m a better player than when I last played [for Australia], so I’m happy that I’ve got another opportunity and hopefully I can show that. In terms of unfinished business or call it what you like, it’s a good feeling that I’m in a better position to be successful now than I was when I left after having the last go.”Andrew McDonald, the Victoria coach, has already indicated he is “shocked” at White’s recall ahead of Maxwell, describing it as a “kick in the backside” for the younger man. White observed that Maxwell was on a similar journey of self-knowledge that he had been on himself, and would come out of it a better and more consistent player. At the same time he reckoned he was capable of helping to stop the recent trend of middle-order collapses that limited Australia to five wins from 15 ODIs in 2017.”I think what you’ve seen from Glenn this year is he’s probably now getting a really good understanding of what consistent runs looks like and he’s in really good form,” White said. “You’ve seen it in the Big Bash and playing with him in the Shield, he’s made a double-ton and another hundred, so he’s doing everything right it seems to me.”But hopefully that is one of my strengths, playing to the situation [when collapses are underway]. I’ve done that pretty well in the Big Bash over the last four or five games. If that’s the role they see me playing, I’ll definitely be happy to do that.”

An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to add further additions to the playing squad before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, the Hoops remain keen on a deal to sign Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic as Brendan Rodgers looks to bolster his options between the sticks.

The reporter told the CeltsAreHere’s podcast that the Bhoys are "closely monitoring" the Croatia international's situation and that his proposed move to Fenerbahce could be on the "brink" of collapse, despite the Turkish giants having agreed a fee for his services.

Fabrizio Romano had claimed that the Super Lig side had reached an agreement on a €9m (£7.7m) deal to sign the shot-stopper but this latest update suggests that they may be unable to get the move over the line, which opens the door for the Scottish giants to swoop in.

How good is Dominik Livakovic?

The 28-year-old titan's performances for club and country last season suggest that he is an exceptional goalkeeper who would be a fantastic signing for Celtic.

Livakovic has the quality to be a big upgrade on Joe Hart between the sticks for the Bhoys and could form part of a new-look backline alongside Maik Nawrocki, who recently joined the club on a permanent deal from Polish side Legia Warsaw.

At the age of 22, the Poland U21 international is Celtic's youngest central defender and could be a colossus at the back for Rodgers for many more years to come, which could be alongside Livakovic – who has plenty of seasons left in the tank.

The Croatian cat is eight years younger than Hart, who is the current no.1 at Parkhead, and could, therefore, have the best part of a decade as the club's number one if he is a success and remains loyal to the Scottish Premiership champions.

Livakovic averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.93 across 35 HNL matches last season and saved 74% of the efforts on his goal. The impressive ace also averaged a rating of 7.33 over seven World Cup outings in Qatar last year, in which time he stopped 78% of the shots against him.

Hart, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.77 over 37 Premiership games and only saved 65% of the shots on target from the opposition.

This suggests that the £7.7m-rated star has the quality to perform at a higher level than Hart on a consistent basis whilst being able to prevent more goals by saving a higher percentage of the strikes between his posts.

Livakovic, who was dubbed "different class" by former Hoops ace Frank McAvennie, could, therefore, form a rock-solid defence alongside Nawrocki.

The 22-year-old machine made 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game in the Polish top-flight last season, which is more than any Celtic centre-back managed last term.

This suggests that Nawrocki could be an upgrade on Rodgers' other options in that position in terms of the frequency at which he wins the ball back for his side, by reading the game to make an interception or using his strength and timing to make a crucial tackle.

Pair his ability to cut out opposition attacks with Livakovic's super shot-stopping quality and you have the bedrock of what could be a sturdy defence for the Northern Irish head coach this season.

Nottingham Forest have scheduled imminent medical tests to finalise a summer deal for Manchester United star Anthony Elanga, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who is Anthony Elanga?

Elanga is primarily a left-sided winger who has played his football at Old Trafford for the past eight years having graduated from the club’s academy to get promoted to the first-team fold back in January 2022, as per Transfermarkt, but there’s a chance that he could be on the move during the present window.

During the 2022/23 Premier League season, Erik Ten Hag only handed the 21-year-old five top-flight starts and he was reduced to coming off the bench as a substitute on 11 occasions, via WhoScored, showing how out of favour he is and highlighting that he needs to leave should he want to receive more regular game time elsewhere.

The Telegraph have reported that despite interest from West Ham United and Everton, the Sweden international turned down the chance to join David Moyes’ and Sean Dyche's sides and instead has opted to make the switch to Steve Cooper’s men, with The Athletic revealing that the Reds have had a £15m offer for the attacker accepted in M16.

So far this summer, the Midlands outfit have finalised a permanent deal for Chris Wood who initially joined on loan from Newcastle United and most recently they confirmed the arrival of defender Ola Aina from Torino, and the club’s third recruit could be about to walk through the doors at The City Ground.

Are Nottingham Forest signing Anthony Elanga?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Nottingham Forest have already agreed with Manchester United for a medical to take place for Elanga, whilst also providing an update on their pursuit of goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who Cooper is keen to secure following his successful loan spell last season.

“Nottingham Forest are insisting on Dean Henderson as negotiations are ongoing with Manchester United after loan bid sent earlier this week. Medical booked for Anthony Elanga after permanent deal agreed on Friday.”

How many goals has Anthony Elanga scored?

Whilst Nottingham Forest will know that Elanga wasn’t given a fair chance to prove what he was capable of last season, the left-winger has racked up a total of 50 goal contributions (30 goals and 20 assists) in 124 appearances since the start of his career, so should he put pen to paper, he could be reborn under Cooper.

The CAA Stellar client can pose a huge threat in the final third having ranked in the 92nd percentile for most attacking touches in the opposition’s penalty area, whilst averaging 3.59 shot-creating actions per top-flight match last term was also impressive even though he was a bit-part player, as per FBRef.

The Malmo native, who has the versatility to operate in five different positions across the pitch, including everywhere across the frontline, also has bags of experience under his belt having previously played in both the Champions and Europa League competitions, so he would be able to instil a much-needed winning mentality and increase the level of performance in the Midlands.

Kostas Tsimikas has broken his collarbone after colliding with boss Jurgen Klopp in Saturday's game against Arsenal, the Liverpool boss confirmed.

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Tsimikas takes out Klopp and injures collarboneNudge from Saka sends defender into managerLiverpool's left-back woes continueWHAT HAPPENED?

Tsimikas and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka were chasing a loose ball when the Arsenal forward bumped the Greek defender off balance and into Klopp. Tsimikas was in visible discomfort and had to be withdrawn. It was revealed at half-time on that he had been taken to hospital and the manager has since confirmed the worst.

AdvertisementWHAT KLOPP SAID

Klopp told : "It was massively overshadowed by Kostas Tsimikas collarbone issue, definitely broken, so he is out for a long time. The other issues we will have to see. It is hard for us to swallow with the Robbo [Andy Robertson] situation."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The injury to Tsimikas adds yet another headache at full-back for Klopp, who is already missing his starting left-back, Andy Robertson, with a shoulder injury. Joe Gomez, who replaced Tsimikas, is not a natural left-back and won't be seen as a long term solution in that position.

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR TSIMIKAS?

The Greek full-back will be out for an extended period of time after suffering the latest injury in what will come as a huge blow to an already depleted Reds team.

Liverpool feel confident that they can land Levi Colwill this summer, according to 90Min, and are even readying a bid to snap up the defender from big six rivals Chelsea.

How many games has Levi Colwill played for Chelsea?

The current Chelsea man has really shone in the Premier League when he's got onto the field – which is even more impressive when you consider that he's actually yet to make his debut for the Blues in the top flight. The club have still not given him a minute of action in the top tier, instead opting to send him out on various loans to get action under his belt.

He started with a loan spell at Huddersfield in the Championship and featured prominently as they broke into the play-off places. With 29 second tier games at just 18-years-old, he didn't look out of place in that Terriers backline and they even ended the campaign in third place.

Having proven his worth in the second tier, it was Brighton who next got to add the centre-back on a short-term deal. The Seagulls brought him in at the beginning of the 2022/23 season and the young Englishman continued to stand out. Playing 17 times in the Premier League, the teenager, now 20, bagged two assists and actually managed more progressive carries than the likes of Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson despite being a defender, showing the signs of a truly unique ball-playing talent at the back.

Are Liverpool signing Levi Colwill?

These performances have led to interest in signing him up from Chelsea permanently this summer. Most notably, Liverpool have been really keen to bring in Colwill and have made him one of the players on their wanted list. Their eagerness to sign the 20-year-old has even been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, who stated that the links are "genuine" and "100% confirmed".

Now, according to a report from 90Min, the Reds are ready to launch an actual formal move to sign the centre-back. It states that they feel a deal can be struck with his current side Chelsea in order to bring him to Anfield and are ready to now make a bid in order to try and snap up the youngster. The Blues are holding firm and don't want to sell, but Liverpool do still intend to make a bid and are "confident" of getting a deal done for the Englishman.

Despite being just 20-years-old, the Chelsea man is highly regarded in the game. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig stated that Colwill is "one of the most talented" players in his position in the world – which is huge praise for someone considering all the other options in that centre-back area. He also added that the youngster has a "huge future".

Those who have seen him play then have clearly been impressed with what they have seen. It's no wonder Liverpool are eager to wrap up a deal for the Premier League ace – and if they can land him, then they have a player who could arguably lead the back line for years to come once Virgil van Dijk goes past his peak.

From the new Akram to India’s fifth-choice bowler – how did Irfan Pathan come so far the wrong way in just 18 months?

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan29-Jun-2006

Irfan Pathan, once the darling of the masses, is slipping into a rut © Getty Images
Exactly 30 months after he made his Test debut on December 12 of 2003 in that unforgettable battle at Adelaide, Irfan Pathan, for a brief five overs, reminded us of his potential. On an insipid pitch in picturesque Gros Islet, with the sun beating down and West Indies on the defensive, he ran in hard, generated some pace, found some swing, rediscovered his yorker, and dismissed Shivnarine Chanderpaul.Under normal circumstances, one wouldn’t remember the spell (5-2-8-1); it was of the sort a bowler is routinely expected to deliver at Test level. But these aren’t normal times for Pathan. His bumpy journey – from fast-medium to swing to medium to military – has prompted a range of reactions. Some are plain aghast, some insist it’s just a bad patch, while others say he has sacrificed his bowling for his batting.There’s a school of thought that suggests that his bowling was hyped in the first place. This theory, aired by certain observers close to the team, goes somewhat along these lines: Pathan burst onto the scene with a certain exotic charm – given that left-arm bowlers who could curve the ball either way were usually born on the other side of the border. He possessed a good bouncer and a delightful yorker, both of which helped him make an impact in his first two series. Hardly had a beginning been made than a pedestal was erected. Pathan was soon found out in his second season. Ever since that October 2004 afternoon in Bangalore when he consistently clocked close to 85mph in demanding conditions against Australia, his average speed has taken a gradual dip. He still remains a potent weapon when the atmospheric conditions assist, or when he is bowling to leaden-footed minnows, but the threat has diminished, no doubt. Maybe he’s simply someone whose limitations we need to understand. Instead of expecting him to be India’s answer to Wasim Akram, it would have been more fitting if we had thought of him as the next Chaminda Vaas.Pathan, if we are to believe some insiders, is quite confused at the moment. Receiving advice from various quarters – Imran Khan, Michael Holding, Wasim Akram, Andy Roberts – has its own pitfalls. “Pathan hasn’t understood his own game yet,” a source close to the team analysed, “and it becomes difficult for him to filter out what to do and what not to, especially when it comes from such great players. Ultimately, he ends up trying too much.”He has fallen into such a trap earlier. In August last year, he told Cricinfo.com: “After the Pakistan trip [in 2004] I was surrounded by a lot of hype and whenever I was praised, I worked harder by putting in extra hours at the gym… despite the caution of the physio and trainer of not overdoing things, I went and worked harder in the gym.” The upshot was a side strain that ruled him out of action for 20 days.When one watches Pathan bowl these days, it’s pretty obvious that he’s experimenting. On the first day of the tour game against Antigua and Barbuda, he appeared to be halting in his follow-through after delivering the ball. The rhythm was gone, and the local batsmen duly feasted. In his second spell, he tried one short ball too many and saw most of them sit up, begging to be pulled.Greg Chappell, addressing the press at the end of the day, said he was “maybe looking for pace”. Rudi Webster, the well known sports psychologist who spent time with the side, observed Pathan and said he could “feel his lack of confidence”. Worryingly, there have allegedly been snide remarks from some of his team-mates, about him being the coach’s favourite. It leaves him in no-man’s land, with a plateful of problems to sort out.In the second Test at St Lucia – the only one of the first three Tests he played – he appeared to be looking desperately for swing, bowling outside off and trying to make it move away. The ball didn’t do much and Chris Gayle didn’t miss out. “A bowler like Kapil Dev could afford to do that because he could deliver that natural outswinger in any conditions,” the source quoted above said, “Irfan’s immediate challenge lies in understanding his limitations and learning how to still be a good bowler.”Interestingly, in the middle of this decline as a frontline bowler, Pathan the batsman has thrived. Apart from No. 4, he’s batted in every single position in one-dayers (in Tests he’s missed out on Nos. 5 and 6). He has regularly shouldered the burden at the top of the order and, occasionally done spectacularly well. Those who speak about his ability to work at his game say that he spends a lot of time on his batting. Has his batting affected his bowling? Has he, unwittingly, sacrificed his primary suit? First he was the next Akram, then the next Kapil, but as things stood before the final Test at Jamaica, Pathan was India’s fifth-choice bowler and second-choice No. 7.

The ICC has set October 1-3 for the hearing on the PCB’s dispute with the BCCI, and the decision of the panel will be final

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2018The BCCI and the PCB’s dispute over two unplayed bilateral series moved a step forward after the ICC constituted a three-person dispute panel four months after Pakistan decided to take the legal route in pursuit of its resolution. The hearings will take place in Dubai from October 1-3 and the decision of the panel will be final.”The International Cricket Council today confirmed that the Hon Michael Beloff QC will chair the Dispute Panel in the matter of proceedings between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India,” the ICC said in a statement. “The other two members of the panel, which has been established under the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, are Mr Jan Paulsson and Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AO, SC. The hearing will take place in Dubai from 1-3 October and, as per Article 10.4 of the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, the decision of the Dispute Panel shall be non-appealable and shall remain the full and final decision in relation to the matter and binding on all parties.”The PCB claims up to $70million worth lost revenue from failure of the BCCI to play two series – in November 2014 and December 2015 – which were agreed by the boards in April 2014. Both series were officially slotted into the ICC’s Future Tour Programme (FTP) with Pakistan as host. However, amid a deteriorating political situation, the BCCI refused to honour that agreement.The PCB, saying they had no option left, sent a notice of dispute to the ICC. Under the watch of the ICC, both boards met on a number of occasions to try and reach a resolution in good faith, to no avail.In a final motion, a three-person dispute panel headed by Beloff with Paulsson (Pakistan representation) and Bennett (Indian representation) will have a three-day hearing at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. Beloff, incidentally, was head of the ICC tribunal which banned Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for spot-fixing in 2011. The proceedings are likely to be conducted in private.”Unless the parties agree to settle their dispute in the meantime, the Dispute Panel shall decide the outcome of the case following deliberation in private,” read the terms of reference. “They shall endeavour to reach a unanimous decision, but a majority decision shall suffice. No member of the Dispute Panel may abstain from voting on the outcome of any dispute, but any member may record a dissenting opinion which may be attached to the majority decision with the permission of the Chairperson of the Dispute Panel. “The bone of contention is the original agreement between the two sides in 2014, which is expected to be a central pillar in the PCB’s arguments. It had agreed on both sides playing six series between December 2015 and November-December 2022, and also an effort to play a short limited-overs series in Pakistan (or a neutral venue) in November 2014. But amid tense relations between the two governments, any chance of a resumption in bilateral ties had always looked distant. And that has been the BCCI’s core claim all along – that it does not have government permission to play Pakistan.India and Pakistan have not played a full series since the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, which India blamed on militants based in Pakistan. Pakistan visited India for a short limited-overs series in December 2012, but that did not do enough to thaw the frosty relationship.

The on-loan Spain forward bagged a brace to lead Carlo Ancelotti's side to a comfortable win on the road

On a night when Jude Bellingham struggled, Joselu stepped up. The Spain striker, handed a rare start, bagged a tidy brace to send Real Madrid to an ultimately comfortable 2-0 win against Getafe that sees them reclaim top spot in La Liga.

It was a game of few clear chances, but Joselu was in the right spots for most of them. He came closest early, flicking an effort off the bar after a smart pass from Luka Modric. He didn't miss on the second time of asking, though, nodding a floated Lucas Vazquez cross into the far corner after 15 minutes.

The big striker scored his second shortly after the break, pivoting from one foot to the other before firing an angled strike across the goalkeeper for a 2-0 lead. He should have bagged a crucial third after an hour, too, but opted to find Vinicius Jr, who inexplicably missed from five yards out.

The only real gripe for Carlo Ancelotti was the exit of Antonio Rudiger, who took a heavy knock to the thigh – and had to be replaced at half-time. Madrid will need him for Sunday's Madrid derby, where Los Blancos will once again look to continue their title charge.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Coliseum Alfonso Perez…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Andriy Lunin (8/10):

Made one very important save at 2-0 to keep his side in control. He's firmly the No.1 over Kepa now.

Lucas Vazquez (7/10):

An absolute peach of a cross set up Madrid's first goal. Scampered up and down the right diligently. An excellent performance.

Antonio Rudiger (7/10):

Dominant at the back before being replaced at half-time. Looked like he took a heavy blow to the leg – Ancelotti will hope it isn't serious.

Nacho (6/10):

Mixed throughout. Put in a few important tackles, but wasn't entirely convincing in possession.

Ferland Mendy (6/10):

Solid in the first half, had a bit more difficulty with the lively Greenwood after the break

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

Solid at the base of midfield, winning his duels and keeping the ball moving. Not as comfortable at centre-back after dropping in to replace Rudiger, but his team survived.

Federico Valverde (8/10):

Another excellent showing in his new deeper-lying role. Covered ground and made the occasional dangerous run. Understated but brilliant.

Jude Bellingham (7/10):

Made his standard mazy runs, and created problems with his incisive passing, but he never had a clear shot on goal. Disappointing, by his standards.

Luka Modric (7/10):

Magnificent in the first half as the most advanced midfielder. Played a key pass in the build up to Madrid's first goal. Looked tired after the break.

Getty ImagesAttack

Joselu (9/10):

Took his first goal well. Made his second look even better. Squared to Vinicius when he should have bagged a hat-trick. Say what you will about his gangly nature, but the striker is immensely effective.

Vinicius Jr (7/10):

Dangerous on the left, as usual. Created chances for himself and others. Should have scored in the second half, though.

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Eduardo Camavinga (6/10):

A professional showing at the No.6 after the break.

Rodrygo (6/10):

A lively cameo, but not much in the way of end product.

Brahim Diaz (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Dani Carvajal (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):

Got his selection right, giving Carvajal and Kroos rests. This wasn't a particularly taxing one for his side, but they made it look easy. All eyes turn to the Madrid derby…

Atletico Madrid forward Alvaro Morata has hit out at haters after learning the extent of a knee injury that forced him off in tears against Sevilla.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

Morata hits back at hatersPicked up knee injury against SevillaOut of action for two weeksWHAT HAPPENED?

The Atletico Madrid star picked up a knee injury and left the pitch in tears, clearly fearing a long spell on the sidelines as his club went down 1-0 against Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday. A day later, Atletico released a statement confirming the extent of the problem as they revealed that he had suffered bone bruising and a ligament sprain in his right knee. As per , the Spain international is expected to remain out of action for just two weeks.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT MORATA SAID SAID

After learning about his recovery timeframe, Morata released a statement where he took a dig at those who had sent hateful messages after he picked up the knock.

Morate wrote: "Thanks God, my knee injury is not serious. Thanks a lot for the nice messages. I also hope that people who send so many hate messages can have just as much desire to be happy and work hard. I’ll be at my best again soon."

@GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 31-year-old attacker's injury comes as a blow for Los Colchoneros as he has been in fine form this season. He has scored 19 goals across all competitions in 33 games, as well as providing three assists.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ATLETICO MADRID?

In the absence of the former Chelsea and Juventus star, Diego Simeone is likely to field Memphis Depay in the attack alongside Antoine Griezmann. The team will next be in action in La Liga against Las Palmas on Saturday.