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If there is one person on this earth who has lived and breathed the very mantra of never giving up, it’s former Arsenal star Ian Wright.

The ex-striker was a marvel in the red and white at Highbury, scoring as many as 185 times in 288 outings for the Gunners.

That record puts him second only to Thierry Henry on Arsenal’s list of all-time goal scorers.

However, the move to north London came relatively late in his career. Wrighty as he’s become affectionately known was a late bloomer, as he laid down the foundations for the Jamie Vardy’s of this world to show that no matter how old you are, there is always more potential to be extracted.

When it comes to players who found their touch late into their career, Wright and Vardy are two of the most famous examples of the Premier League era.

Back in March, the Leicester forward overtook the former with 94 goals after turning 30 – the most out of any player who has played Premier League football.

They both have Arsenal in common too, although Vardy’s association is that of rejection, with the jovial attacker once turning them down.

But what, I hear you ask, is the relevance to this in the modern-day?

Well, Wright joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace and this summer, the Gunners could raid their fellow Londoners again.

They have previously been interested in a deal for Wilfried Zaha but it’s not the Ivorian on their radar this time. Instead, it’s Michael Olise who has captured the interest of Arsenal according to reports.

The young France youth international joined Palace last summer in a bargain £8m deal and it’s thought as though his valuation has now risen to around £35m.

It’s a considerable sum of money but one Arsenal won’t be afraid to pay. After all, France and the Islington club go hand in hand after Arsene Wenger’s time in the English capital.

Although Olise is a winger by trade, a different position to Wright, there would be shades of the deal that Arsenal successfully completed to bring the latter to Highbury back in 1991.

Over 30 years later and Olise could become the club’s new Wright.

Scoring as many as the now television pundit would be quite the accomplishment but the Palace youngster has the same sort of swagger and confidence to his play.

He is a joy to watch and is learning the game from a certain Patrick Vieira. Wherever you look, the former Reading man is beginning to smell Arsenal and he’ll have certainly picked up a few of the club’s philosophies given his current manager.

Throughout the current campaign, the 20-year-old found the net on four occasions and registered nine assists in 32 games. It’s a fine record for someone who was playing at the highest level for the first time in his career.

So good have been his performances that he’s even earned the praise of Wright himself.

“When you watch what Zaha brings to the team, Wilf is what 29 now? Here you are talking about a youngster that has a massive future,” the former Gunner began.

“When you look at what he does in the final third. Go and do what you want. He is going to be somebody that is going to do unbelievable things,” Wright concluded.

Olise has earned further praise from Reading defender Tom McIntyre who hailed his “special ability” while Squawka writer Muhammad Butt called him a “wizard”. On that evidence, he’d be quite the capture for Mikel Arteta’s men.

Crucially, he’d also fit the club’s philosophy of buying young players who are yet to reach their ceiling.

Should the chance present itself, it would surely be a no brainer for Edu and co to bring the dazzling French star to north London.

As Wright eludes to, this is someone who is going places within the world of football.

AND in other news, Signed at £6m, now worth £34m: Arsenal struck gold on gem with “a bit of Pires” to him…

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has delivered a double transfer claim involving Manchester United ahead of the summer transfer window. 

The lowdown: United interested in Laimer and Nkunku

United have been heavily linked with a move for RB Leipzig midfielder Konrard Laimer, according to a recent report from The Mirror, as the Old Trafford squad prepares to undergo a summer overhaul.

Elsewhere, according to German publication Bild, the Red Devils have also made contact with the Bundesliga outfit regarding highly-rated forward Christopher Nkunku, who is also wanted for a return to Paris Saint-Germain.

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After incoming manager Erik ten Hag sacrificed a post-season tour to the Caribbean with Ajax in order to start work in Manchester, one reputable journalist has suggested that the proosed double raid on Leipzig could be a sensible one.

The latest: O’Rourke talks up double swoop

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has claimed that a move for 24-year-old pair Nkunku and Laimer could be on the cards for United, particularly given the links between their current club RB Leipzig and Old Trafford consultant Ralf Rangnick.

The journalist outlined the rationale behind the potential double swoop: “I think they would be two good signings. Obviously, they’ve got the links with Rangnick there because of RB Leipzig; he knows all about these players as well. So, they’re players that he knows and trusts.”

The verdict: Smart moves

Despite the continued on-field woes since the arrival of Rangnick as interim manager, the experienced operator is expected to play a part in the new era at Old Trafford in his forthcoming consultancy role.

Although Ten Hag hasn’t stepped foot inside the United dugout as of yet, it appears that the Dutchman’s fingerprints are already across those linked with a move to the club this summer.

The 52-year-old is widely expected to oversee a major sea change on player departures and incomings with the help of newly-appointed Austria coach Rangnick, particularly focusing on clearing out deadwood and signing youngster alternatives.

With 34 goals and 20 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions this term, Nkunku would be a sensational capture for the Dutchman’s new-look squad.

Meanwhile, Laimer – who holds a strong stylistic likeness to Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham (as per FBRef) – would serve as an adequate replacement for the exit-bound Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.

Valued at a combined £81.8m by Transfermarkt, the double swoop would be an expensive one for United, but one which could certainly kick-start a much-needed revival at Old Trafford.

In other news: Man Utd now eyeing move for ‘world class’ Premier League star. Read more here

According to ESPNCricinfo’s Luck Index, Yusuf Pathan’s dropped catch off Mayank Agarwal gave Kings XI Punjab an advantage of eight runs

ESPNcricinfo Stats Team08-Apr-2019In a game of T20 cricket, every small error makes a big difference.Kings XI Punjab’s successful chase off the penultimate delivery against Sunrisers Hyderabad after having quite a few key luck factors go their way proves that. ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index estimates how Kings XI got lucky and that led to their victory.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe most important Luck Event in Kings XI’s innings turned out to be the dropped catch of Mayank Agarwal in the 16th over by Yusuf Pathan. According to Luck Index, the drop had an impact of eight runs for Kings XI. Mayank was on 40 off 36 before the drop and after the drop, he scored 15 off seven balls.The batsmen to follow were David Miller, Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh. Luck Index takes into account the quality of batsmen, their form and the overs remaining of each opposition bowler, and then estimates the impact of the luck event. In this case, it estimated that had Agarwal gotten out, those seven balls would have been faced by others and they would have scored eight runs fewer than his. Thus, Pathan’s drop – a straightforward chance – basically cost Sunrisers the match in the end.Other key luck events were two misfields in the final over. Just 11 runs were needed. On the first ball, Deepak Hooda’s misfield allowed the batsmen to take two runs. And in the end, when two were needed of two, David Warner’s fumble at long-on once again allowed two runs.

India’s decision to go with four bowlers meant each of them had to step up – a job they did and would have felt happier about had the match situation been different

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Bengaluru05-Mar-2017Ishant Sharma began day two of the Bengaluru Test with a half-volley on David Warner’s pads, and when he sent down another boundary ball in his second over – short, punched through cover point – Australia moved to 50 for 0, Warner to 28, and everything looked ominous for India.India had lost the first Test and followed that up by getting bowled out for 189 on the first day of the second. They were one more bad day from losing the chance to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They had only picked four specialist bowlers for this game, and couldn’t afford even one of them having an off day. They could rely on their spinners not to have off days, but they couldn’t be quite as sure about Ishant or Umesh Yadav.Now, Ishant wasn’t making the greatest start to the day.He ran in again, with Warner standing at least a foot outside his crease. The speed gun said 141kph, which doesn’t sound particularly lightning, but bouncers always clock less than full balls, and Warner was certainly slow to react as the ball spat towards his right ear. His head ducked sideways, and his glove went up instinctively. He was lucky the ball missed everything and whizzed over his right shoulder.From there on, everything was different. It was as if that bouncer had transformed the mood of the match. Having conceded two fours in his first 10 balls of the day, Ishant would bowl a further 98 balls and concede only one more, Matthew Wade edging past the diving wicketkeeper.Ishant ended the day with figures of 1 for 39 from 23 overs. Umesh ended it with 1 for 57 from 24. This was India’s best day of the series, and the two fast bowlers were as much at the forefront as R Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja.Ashwin hardly gave anything away – particularly while bowling over the wicket and into the rough outside the left-handers’ leg stump – and went to stumps with figures of 1 for 75 from 41 overs. He did not get the ball to misbehave with the frequency of Nathan Lyon on day one, which could have had something to do with his style – he does not put as much overspin on the ball as the Australian – or the fact that the pitch had gotten a little lower and slower, without the first-day dampness that Lyon profited from.Kohli’s sparing use of Ravindra Jadeja brought three wickets to the spinner•AFPStill, Australia hardly scored off Ashwin, and that, coupled with the fast bowlers’ unexpected frugality, probably caused them to play more shots against Jadeja than they otherwise might have. In a curious reversal of roles, Jadeja ended up profiting from the other bowlers’ economy, with two of his three wickets – Renshaw jumping out too early and getting stumped down the leg side and Peter Handscomb failing to clear midwicket – coming from batsmen taking chances.For once, though, Jadeja bowled fewer overs than India’s other specialists. On a dry, cracked surface that caused the odd ball to keep low or jag sideways, Virat Kohli kept going to his two quicks – it took until the 47th over of the day for the spinners to bowl in tandem – and Ishant and Umesh kept running in and asking questions, and could well have ended up with more than just a wicket each.Umesh found Matt Renshaw’s edge four times in two overs, and none of them carried to the slips. Three streaked to the third man boundary, and Kohli could have caught one of them had he not risen too early from his anticipatory crouch.Then Umesh had Shaun Marsh caught behind off the glove. It was given not out, and Wriddhiman Saha, whose appeal was the most vociferous of all the Indian players, did not persuade Kohli to call for a review. When Umesh had Marsh adjudged lbw shortly after tea, a review saved the batsman – an inch the other way and the ball would have hit his pad in line with off stump.Ishant then nearly had Marsh lbw too. Replays suggested the umpire had every reason to give it out had the bowler not overstepped.It was that kind of day for India’s bowlers, their frustrations amplified by the match situation. On its own, keeping high-quality opponents to 197 for 6 in 90 overs would represent a highly satisfactory day’s work, but by the end of it Australia were already ahead by 48 runs. On an absorbing second day, India chased the game as well as they probably could have, but by the end of it were fully aware they were still chasing it.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2015Shoaib Malik went past his previous Test best as England struggled to create chances•Getty ImagesEngland’s bowlers toiled during a wicketless morning session•Getty ImagesMalik reached his maiden Test double-century during the afternoon•Getty ImagesHis performance was all the remarkable given it came after a five-year absence from Test cricket. Malik put on a record fifth-wicket stand for Pakistan against England with Shafiq…•Getty Images…who reached three figures himself in the following over•Getty ImagesMark Wood eventually made the breakthrough and a clatter of wickets saw Pakistan declare on 523 for 8•Getty ImagesAfter fielding for 151.1 overs, England began their reply. Alastair Cook was close to handling the ball in the first over but managed to stop himself•Getty ImagesMoeen Ali survived a review for lbw against Rahat Ali as England reached 56 for 0 at the close, with plenty still to do•Getty Images

Glenn Maxwell came in with Australia two down in the first over, but he didn’t let that bog him down, choosing instead to take advantage of the field restrictions to launch a methodical counterattack

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur24-Mar-2014Glenn Maxwell’s hurricane 74 against Pakistan ultimately amounted to nothing, from a result point of view, but Australia will be delighted with the knowledge that one of their biggest hitters can connect under the highest pressure.From 8 for 2 in the first over and with Aaron Finch struggling to get going, Maxwell aimed at the best within Pakistan’s bowling attack. He regularly connected with the slog sweep every time a bowler strayed or even hinted at straying.It would have been understandable had he not taken complete advantage of the poor deliveries at that stage, since Australia needed to rebuild, but Maxwell rushed them past that stage quickly with what amounted to methodical hitting. His power helped, ensuring even slower deliveries cleared the rope comfortably. His feet were moving well, and at times he splayed them to make room on both sides of the wicket.Maxwell peppered the on-side field, taking 53 of his 74 runs from the region, hammering all seven of his sixes in the arc between backward square-leg and long-on. He was only stopped by genuinely good deliveries, such as a doosra that he missed from Saeed Ajmal in the tenth over.He attacked Ajmal quite a lot too, taking 12 off five deliveries, but was keener still when Bilawal Bhatti bowled his first over, taking 20 out of the 30 runs that came from it. His early attack on Mohammad Hafeez also signaled what Australia’s attitude would be towards spin, but the other batsmen didn’t taste the success Maxwell had.This was Maxwell’s most significant effort in an Australian jersey, having entered the team two years ago with a growing reputation as a T20 player. Captain George Bailey praised Maxwell’s response to the situation.”It was outstanding,” Bailey said. “That’s exactly why he’s batting in that position [No. 4] for us. We know he’s got that shot-making power. I thought it was a mature innings too; he picked gaps at times as well. He went up and down in momentum as was required.”According to Maxwell, batting in the Powerplay overs made it slightly less challenging for him. He had raced to 31 off 13 balls with two sixes and four fours during this period, taking his side’s score past 50 in the process. He also enjoyed the extra responsibility of batting up the order in a crucial moment.”I think it does help when you are out there in the first over and there’s still only two men outside the circle,” Maxwell said. “It’s a lot easier to score. The wicket was skidding a little bit at the time I went out there and by the end, it was actually starting to turn a bit.”It was nice to watch the wicket reversal, it made it easy for me because I had been out there for a while. For the guys that came in, it was probably a little bit more difficult because the ball was starting to spin a little bit more and play a few more tricks.”Maxwell also believed his prior experience while playing against Pakistan helped him, as did having Finch in the middle.”My first series against Pakistan, that probably helped tonight, knowing that I can face their spinners and I was confident I could score against them,” he said. “Having Finchy at the other end was quite calming as well, someone who I live with and I spend a lot of time with. So it was very calming having him at the other end.”It was Maxwell all the way for Australia, and when the batting collapsed after his dismissal, there was confirmation that not many of his teammates were having a great day. Whether it was just a case of waking up on the right side of the bed or of flicking a switch within, the Australian team ought to look to Maxwell and turn it on under pressure.

Was it worth having Olympic athletes walking all over the sacred turf of Lord’s a fortnight before the ground’s biggest cricket event of the year? The jury’s still out

Liam Herringshaw04-Aug-2012A sunny Thursday morning in early August, and Lord’s is ready for the first session of yet another high-level, high-quality battle. The crowds arrive in their droves, hopeful of a full and exciting day’s play. It isn’t cricket they’re here for, though, as England are taking on South Africa 200 miles north, in Leeds. No, the public have come to St John’s Wood for something completely different: Olympic archery.For me, it’s my last day on site. They call me a Games-maker, but that doesn’t feel like the correct term. I’d love to say I volunteered at the London 2012 Olympics for purely altruistic reasons, but I didn’t. I offered to help out at the archery because I wanted to see behind the scenes at its host venue. As a cricket fan, where else would I want to be but Lord’s?I may be an interloper, then, but no one in my team seems to mind. Many colleagues volunteered for similar reasons. Not that everyone here is happy: the MCC has surrendered control of the home of cricket for three, prime, midsummer weeks. The idea was to use London 2012 to promote Lord’s to a new audience, but some of the old guard are less than impressed.I began my stint in mid-July, and the ground was eerily quiet. Walking past the pavilion in my Sergeant-Pepper-becomes-a-supermarket-cashier uniform, I saw an elderly gentleman walking towards me. I smiled non-confrontationally at him.”Go away,” he spluttered at me. “Go away! We don’t want you here!” And he walked on indignantly.I couldn’t entirely blame him for his outburst. We’d hindered him from going about his usual lordly business, plonked bright pink access boards all over his beloved pavilion, and the brand protection team had gone berserk with the white sticky tape. This was Lord’s, Jim, but not as he’d know it.And then there was the outfield. Rather than use existing seating, spectator stands were erected on the hallowed turf, right in front of the pavilion. The archers would shoot straight across the square, towards targets on the bowlers’ run-ups at the Nursery End. Swathes of grass would see no daylight for weeks, and the wicket would be completely open to the elements.Geoffrey Boycott might hail a temporary return to uncovered wickets, but with fewer than two weeks between the end of the archery competition and the start of the third Test, what chance is there that conditions will be properly playable? Especially with this being the soggiest British summer in living memory.”We are working with the MCC and its turf specialist to ensure the venue will be in good condition for the Test match,” a spokesperson for the Olympics organising committee told me. “Lord’s groundsmen will be able to access the ground for maintenance before and after sessions during the Olympic Games.”New grass is being grown in Lincolnshire, and squares of fresh turf will replace the damaged outfield. Mick Hunt and his MCC ground staff have managed to keep much of the ground in an impressive state. Nonetheless, a 13-day repair job is a monster of a task: dismantling the stands, removing the targets, screens, cables, banners, cabins and tents; removing all signs that the Olympics were here. MCC Head of Cricket John Stephenson admitted earlier this year that Lord’s may not be at its resplendent best in time for the Test.The “Have A Go At Archery” practice range in the Coronation Garden, with WG Grace playing a (fairly) straight bat to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune•Liam HerringshawIf that’s the case, and a crucial England-South Africa match is affected, will the experiment have been worthwhile? The answer seems to be an almost unqualified yes. Sell-out audiences have come to enjoy a new twist on an ancient place. One press veteran of ten Olympics told me he’d never seen archery so popular, whilst the MCC Museum staff were delighted by the number of visitors. High-profile guests have been drawn in too: the Princess Royal, Lennox Lewis and Paul McCartney, to name but three. And cricket even made it into Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony.The archers, meanwhile, have seemed very much at home. The Australians acquired inside information from advisor Steve Waugh; the South Korean men broke both individual and team world records on the first day of competition; and Britain’s Larry Godfrey – the Kevin Pietersen of archery – celebrated his second round victory with a flurry of cover drives*.There were some appropriate pairings: Yorkshire’s Amy Oliver against India’s world No. 1 Deepika Kumari in the women’s event; an Ashes clash between Taylor Worth (Aus) and Alan Wills (GBR) in the men’s. Britain claimed a surprise win in the former, but Australia took the second.Sadly, the promise from India’s male archers that they would celebrate a medal a la Sourav Ganguly never materialised. Italy took the men’s team title, and, in the individual event, neither Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee, nor Tarundeep Rai got beyond the second round. In making the last 16, only Godfrey and Worth flew the flag for cricket-playing nations.The weather hasn’t always been helpful, but rain doesn’t stop play. The archers just have to adjust, and the skill on display has been amazing. Not that I’ve been able to see many matches first-hand. Perhaps aware of my background, the organisers gave me a volunteering role in Lord’s most glamorous setting: a Portakabin in the No. 6 car park. Still, I’ve been able to sneak into the pavilion now and then to watch some of the action, and our workforce canteen in the Mound Stand has a fabulous view of the field of play.Anyway, it’s not the watching, it’s the taking part that counts. I’ve been privileged enough to see Lord’s in a way I’d never imagined, to achieve a lifelong dream and walk down the steps and out onto the field of play, and to discover many useful things. Don Bradman looks like Bono, for example, whilst real tennis is a very strange game indeed.And when Seb Coe zoomed in to see a thrilling finale to the women’s competition, ending with a golden arrow shootout that South Korea’s Ki Bo Bae won by the slimmest of margins, the place was a different Lord’s. Whether all is “normal” again in a fortnight remains to be seen, but for now there was no doubt this strange test had been a great success.*though they did look a bit golfing

Just how much can conceivably be riding on an Under-19 tournament – even if it is the biggest in the world? More than you think perhaps

Sidharth Monga14-Jan-2010With a stump in his hand Virat Kohli, clean-shaven then, gesticulated unsubtly and swore at the South Africans, who had just lost. That famous sight from the Under-19 World Cup final in 2008 didn’t endear Kohli to observers, who thought him ungracious in victory, and that such a reaction was pretty rich from someone who was yet to achieve much in cricket.In a recent interview on , a stubbled Kohli relived the moment: “The whole South African team was sitting there, and I purposely showed it to them,” he said. “Because during the break they were playing football and were relaxed as if they had come for a picnic. [India had been bowled out for 159]. The wicketkeeper said that they had sent India packing. That was one thing that really disturbed us in the mind, and everyone was massively aggressive.” Moral of the story: grace or no grace, the U-19 World Cup is no picnic.Not even after you have bowled the opposition out for 159 in the final. Not in a country such as India, where U-19 years ago overtook first-class competitions as a source of international players. Not in this day and age, when a 20-ball 50 in the semi-final of the tournament could be worth a big-money contract in the IPL.Kohli won’t be in New Zealand over the next fortnight, nor will Bradley Barnes, the keeper who thought India had been sent packing. Instead it will be a fresh bunch of kids – barely out of school. Sons of legends, sons of nobodies, sons of Afghanistan, sons of the Caribbean will all find something for themselves, and will all be by themselves.Last year Umar Akmal, in his first series in international cricket, in Sri Lanka, tried to steal an overthrow off a ricochet off his body. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, almost more experienced in cricket than Akmal was in life, pounced on the boy to teach him a lesson in cricket gamesmanship. To the rescue came Akmal’s batting partner, Shahid Afridi. There won’t be any babies in the 16 teams in New Zealand. There will be no pre-assigned bullies, no pre-assigned rescuers. All will be babies, all will be men.It won’t be an end in itself, just the start of a journey, an education. They will, for instance, learn what doping is, and which pills given by momma can end their careers. They’ll learn the art of mindlessly saying politically correct things in press conferences, an integral part of a modern sportsman’s life. Many of them will be travelling out of their countries for the first time. Most still live with their parents. A few will come back and soon find themselves with enough money to buy their houses for their parents, without yet having gone to college.Quick facts

The format Sixteen teams play round-robin in groups of four each. Two teams from each group make it to quarterfinals. After that it’s all knockout.

Internationals on view Five players involved have already played senior ODIs: Ruvindu Gunasekara for Canada, James Atkinson and Irfan Ahmed for Hong Kong, Paul Stirling for Ireland, and Ahmed Shehzad for Pakistan. A total of 50 players have prior first-class experience. Pakistan have the most such players, eight.

Formbook There isn’t really a formbook, but India and Pakistan have sort of monopolised the tournament lately, having won four of the last five titles. Both will be aiming to become the first three-time winners. Australia are the other team to have won it twice; England have won once.

The youngest and the oldest Pakistan’s Babar Azam – at 15 years and 91 days – is the youngest player in the fray, and Naseer Jamali of USA – at 20 years and 126 days – is the oldest. (Associate nations get a year’s grace on the age norm.)

Dark horse Keep an eye out for Bangladesh. They have a settled, experienced team (seven players with first-class experience), and have thrashed Australia and New Zealand in the warm-ups.

Almost everything in cricket manages historical resonance. More than 22 years ago, months before the first Youth World Cup was played, Abdul Qadir was trying to pull off an improbable chase against Australia in the 1987 senior World Cup semi-final. Craig McDermott was there to make sure no such heist was successful, leaving Qadir stranded on 20 off 16 balls and running through the rest. There’s every chance Alister McDermott and Usman Qadir, their sons, might come face to face here in a knockout match.There is every chance the two boys may not know of the space in history their fathers shared, but Manan Sharma has grown up with history. His father, Ajay Sharma, is not remembered as the Ranji Trophy giant he was, but as someone who was banned for life for match-fixing. Manan said that when he was growing up, his father used to watch him play from a far corner of the ground and leave quietly. In a fortnight he could give his father better memories to remember the game by. Not a picnic.This World Cup will belong as much to the Sharmas, the Qadirs, the McDermotts, the Bracewells, the Marshes, the Buchanans, as it will to Noor-ul-Haq and his Afghan team-mates. At 17, he has already fled war, been a refugee in Pakistan, and somewhere along the way picked up cricket. Afghanistan’s mere qualification for a big world event is a matter of fascination. The tournament will belong as much to West Indies and Zimbabwe, two teams whose success could give hope to those who feel heartbroken at the downfall of their senior teams.In two weeks’ time, after having gone through a maze of the fixtures, having witnessed play-offs for ninth place, 12th place, 15th place, we will see new champions crowned at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, a quaint university ground about a 50-minute bus ride from Christchurch. Don’t go by the stunning green all around, the picket fence, the grass bank, the college kids. It’ll be no picnic.

An unbeaten tenth-wicket stand of 17 from MacMillan and Vidler helped Australia clinch thriller after Straker’s six-for

Sreshth Shah08-Feb-2024An unbeaten tenth-wicket stand of 17 between Raf MacMillan and Callum Vidler took Australia past Pakistan in a topsy-turvy second semi-final in Benoni to seal a date against India in Sunday’s final for the 2024 Men’s Under-19 World Cup title.Chasing only 180 after Tom Straker’s 6 for 24 wrecked Pakistan in the first innings, Australia nearly threw away their advantage with the bat after a few clumsy top-order dismissals brought some parity into the contest. Fifteen-year-old Ali Raza (4-34) struck thrice late in the day, but the young pair of MacMillan (19*) and Vidler (3*) staved off the challenge posed by the inspired Pakistan bowling attack in the death overs to just about take Australia over the line. The winning runs in the final over were scored off an inside edge that very nearly crashed into the stumps but instead trickled behind for four.Australia also had opener Harry Dixon and wicketkeeper-batter Oliver Peake to thank for their contributions with the bat that held their fragile innings together.Dixon, who models his game on David Warner, hit his third half-century of the tournament and perhaps the most important of his youth ODI career with 50 in 75 balls. He held one end up as Sam Konstas (14), Hugh Weibgen (4), Harjas Singh (run out for 5) and Ryan Hicks (0) fell in quick succession to leave Australia reeling at 59 for 4. Along with Peake, he added 43 for the sixth wicket, but a double-wicket burst from left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas brought Pakistan into the game.Tom Straker starred with six wickets•ICC/Getty Images

Pakistan then went ahead in the contest when Raza with his blistering pace picked off Peake – on 49 – and Straker in the 42nd and 46th overs respectively. He then bowled the No. 10 Mahli Beardman for a duck leaving Australia scrambling with only one wicket in hand. But the tenth and most important wicket remained elusive.Earlier in the day, Pakistan were inserted to bat by Australia captain Weibgen. On a surface with ample spin and enough lateral movement, four of Pakistan’s top six were out for single digits. Straker, with his height and pace, dismissed Shamyl Hussain (17) and Saad Baig (3) while fellow new-ball bowler Vidler got Shahzaib Khan (4). Offspinners MacMillan and Campbell also found enough purchase to keep the left-hand heavy Pakistan line-up guessing.Two batters who did look comfortable for Pakistan, though, were the No. 3 Azan Awais and the No. 7 Minhas. They both struck 52 of different styles, to ensure Pakistan could make 179. Awais was more reserved, playing according to the struggling situation Pakistan found themselves in, while Minhas was more attacking in the back end, with the team searching for a respectable total. Their 54-run fifth-wicket stand seemed to set Pakistan up for a score closer to 200, but their dismissals in the 41st and 45th overs gave Australia an opening to exploit.And that came in the form of Straker’s extreme pace. He picked up a fourth wicket when Ubaid Khan mistimed a shot to cover in the 47th over, and when he returned for the 49th, Straker rattled the stumps of both the No. 10 and No. 11 Pakistan batters. In a game of close margins, the seven balls Pakistan failed to face in the first innings turned out to be mighty expensive.The result now sets up a repeat of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup final and more recently, the 2023 ODI World Cup final contested between the India and Australia senior sides. That contest will be at the same venue in Benoni on Sunday, February 11.