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Scotland will host Pakistan for two ODIs in Edinburgh in May 2013, shortly before the Champions Trophy in England

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2013Scotland will host Pakistan for two ODIs in Edinburgh in May 2013, shortly before the Champions Trophy in England. Both games – on May 17 and 19 – will be played at the Citylets Grange in Edinburgh. Scotland have played Pakistan on three occasions in the 50-over format, the last one being an abandoned fixture in 2007.”These fixtures are a fantastic boost for Scottish cricket,” captain Gordon Drummond said. “We have the chance to qualify for two global ICC events in 2013, and now we find we also have the opportunity to play two top test nations with Australia also visiting for an ODI in September. These matches are particularly important for the development of the current squad.”We are all really looking to welcoming the Pakistan team to Scotland once again, and these fixtures will undoubtedly build on the already strong ties between the Pakistani/Scots community. It’s a fantastic platform for us to show what we are capable of, as we did with victory against Bangladesh last year- these are the sort of matches that every Scottish squad member will want to be involved in.””Following the ICC’s additional investment in Cricket Scotland through their TAPP [Targeted Assistance and Performance Programme] scheme, we committed to secure further matches against the Full Members,” chief executive Roddy Smith said. “These games are vital to continue our progress and measure ourselves against the best in the world, and are integral to the on field improvements desired for by the ICC. We are very grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for their support in making these games happen.”

Gambling addiction is a condition that may strike at the peak of success without any prior warning. And football players are no exception!

Some recovered and were able to continue their careers, while others plunged into a heap of trouble. But one thing is for sure: they all regret not being informed and urge people to learn more about it.

From England to Iceland, here are some of the most renowned cases of gambling addiction among football players!

1.      Dietmar Hamann

German midfielder and coach Hamann has been part of major international football clubs, such as Bayern Munich, Liverpool and even Manchester City.

He reached the peak of his career in the 2000s, playing for Germany in multiple FIFA World Cup as well as UEFA European Championships. And he gained even more global notoriety when he advanced to the final of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Hamann’s gambling addiction had its onset when he divorced his wife.

He perceived it as a refuge which quickly took a turn for the worse. He has been open about his gambling problems and admitted he lost hundreds of thousands of pounds while betting.

He eventually succeeded to get over it!

2.      Joey Barton

Barton made his football debut in 2002 at Manchester City as a midfielder. He has subsequently moved to different clubs, from Newcastle United to Queens Park Rangers and Burnley.

He also participated in international competitions, such as the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Recently, has become the manager of Fleetwood Town at the beginning and Bristol Rovers at present.

He has also been the subject of controversy as his gambling addiction and compulsive betting led to a ban from the Football Association. He has admitted this as being a severe problem which many footballers have to surpass.

3.      Matthew Etherington

Etherington is probably best known for his apparition in the 2011 FA Cup Final, as well as his prolific career as a winger and now manager of Peterborough United F.C. In fact, at only 15 years old, he participated in the English Football League.

He gradually climbed the ladder of success, switching between clubs, from Tottenham Hotspur to West Ham United, eventually arriving at Stoke City. He also was forced to retire young, at 33, due to a back injury. But he transformed his misfortune into success and created the well-renowned Professional Player magazine.

Gambling addiction majorly affected his personal and professional life, as he stated in his autobiography entitled ‘Lucky Man’. He lost more than £1 million, but, fortunately, with the help of his family and the support from his fellow colleagues, he managed to surpass addiction.

4.      Kyle Lafferty

Lafferty has been a proud representative of the Northern Ireland national team and a member of the Anorthosis Famagusta FC club.

His career skyrocketed when he played internationally for Northern Ireland at UEFA Euro 2016. Until then, he has continuously moved from one club to another, going through Burnley, Rangers, Palermo, Norwich City and so on.

However, betting eventually got the best of him, and he faced charges by the Football Association. He had to pay £23,000 for his wrongdoing. Since then, he has sought professional help and managed to resist the temptation to gamble again.

5.      Dominic Matteo

With a reputable professional career that lasted no less than 17 years, Matteo retired young from football at 35 years old. He was a midfielder and a defender at 5 popular football clubs, including Liverpool, Sunderland, and Stoke City.

He started with a YTS contract since he was 16, escalating to a 1-year contract, 2 years later. After making his appearance in the Premier Leads in 1993, he was acquired by Leeds United. Throughout his career, he had almost 300 appearances in Premier Leads.

And we cannot forget about his incredible goal against AC Milan, in the Champions League. Unfortunately, a back injury ended his career, along with declaring bankruptcy back in 2015.

He didn’t shy away from explaining the struggles he went through with his gambling addiction. In his autobiography named ‘In My Defence’ explained the beginnings of his gambling habits, losing as much as £100,000 on Horse Betting while on a commute in the back of the car. He lost 1 million pounds, but luckily, he bounced back and managed to get out of his addiction!

He hopes that his book will come as a beacon of hope for those who followed the same gambling path as him and inspire them to seek help.

6.      Michael Chopra

Michael Chopra is very well known for his remarkable achievements as a striker, securing a place at some of the most renowned English football clubs. Starting his football career at Newcastle United, he then moved to Cardiff City and began to gain recognition. He actually earned an appearance at the PFA Team of the Year back in 2006.

He then ping-ponged between Sunderland and Cardiff and eventually landed in the Kerala Blasters Club, participating in the 2016 Indian Super League.

However, things went south when his gambling got out of control and led him into serious million-dollar debt. In fact, his passion for gambling started young, when he bet large sums of money while on the bus with his teammates from Newcastle. Even more, his betting habits were deemed questionable, and he was even charged by the British Horseracing Authority.

7.      Eidur Gudjohnsen

Gudjohnsen has had a career filled with great achievements over the span of no less than 22 years. He has played together with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Ronaldo, and has received global recognition through his outstanding performance at Chelsea and Barcelona.

Yet, he actually started in England, at the Bolton Wanderers F.C. club. Undoubtedly, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he won the 2008-2009 UEFA Champions League as part of Barcelona. His international appearances didn’t stop there, having moved from Athens to Belgium and to Bolton.

At the present moment, Gudjohnsen has been named manager of the Icelandic FH.

He struggled with gambling addiction and ended up losing hundreds of thousands of pounds to Blackjack and Roulette bets.

Conclusion

Regardless of success, money and overall fame, gambling addiction can have a rapid onset and a devastating influence upon anyone. They managed to overcome this condition and make it a subject of awareness for football generations to come.

Thus, gambling and responsibility must always go hand in hand!

In a spell befitting a champion spinner, Aushik Srinivas rattled Mumbai and denied the hosts the crucial first-innings lead

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai11-Dec-2009
Scorecard
After Aushik Srinivas’ stellar spell, M Vijay hit a brisk 154•ESPNcricinfo LtdIn a spell befitting a champion spinner, 16-year-old Aushik Srinivas rattled Mumbai with his probing length and persistence and denied the hosts the crucial first-innings lead. Mumbai started the final day needing a further 193 runs to overtake Tamil Nadu’s imposing first-innings 501 with seven wickets in hand, including the overnight centurion Wasim Jaffer. However, Srinivas squashed their hopes in the very first hour of the morning with a mesmerising spell of left-arm spin and returned figures of 8.1-4-11-6.From 314 for 4, Mumbai lost their way drastically. The next six wickets fell for the addition of just 44 runs, the last four wickets going down with the score stuck at 358. Mumbai lost Omkar Khanwilkar, Jaffer’s overnight partner, quickly as the left-hander failed misread the line of a straighter delivery from C Ganpathy and was rapped on the pads and declared plumb in front.The responsibility was solely Jaffer’s now, in the absence of any support at the other end. Even if Abhishek Nayar had joined him, his present form probably might not have given confidence to his captain. Nayar has successfully used the long handle in crunch situations in the past, but this season barring a half-century in the first game against Punjab, he has been struggling. He had just 73 runs in four games before this match.Meanwhile Tamil Nadu, led by Srinivas, were steadily loosening Mumbai’s grip, built by Jaffer-Ajinkya Rahane combine yesterday. Runs slowed down and Jaffer was slightly desperate. In this scattered frame of mind he tried reverse0sweeping a delivery that pitched on middle stump and held its line, but missed the line and the ball hit his bent knee. Srinivas appealed fervently, in unison with the entire Tamil Nadu team, but their plea was turned down. Two balls later Jaffer attempted the same shot against a similar delivery with the only difference being the change in pace. This time the top edge flew wide and to the right of first slip where Murali Vijay plucked a super catch with his right hand.Understandably Srinivas and Tamil Nadu celebrated rapturously, because Jaffer was their chief nemesis. Credit should go to the prodigious tweaker, born in Coimbatore, who thankfully was advised by one of the coaches at a talent camp to become a spinner instead of chasing ambitions of becoming a medium-pace bowler.On Thursday Srinivas had gained the upper hand against Ajinky Rahane in an engrossing contest. Though Jaffer had used his rich experience to quell Srinivas’ challenge, he knew he couldn’t afford to take the youngster lightly. The best example to gauge the impact of Srinivas was to compare him to Iqbal Abdulla, Mumbai’s second spinner, and a left-arm orthodox one at that. Never in either innings did Abdulla assert himself over the Tamil Nadu batting and even to a layman the reasons were clear: while Srinivas attacked with flight and varying pace, Abdulla mostly darted the ball at a fuller length.Little wonder then that Mumbai’s lower order and tail failed miserably against Srinivas. Nayar tried to defend on the front foot but ended up offering a simple return catch to Srinivas. Next ball Ramesh Powar lunged forward to pat the ball down but his outstretched back foot was raised allowing the proactive wicketkeeper U Sushil to knock off the bails. Though Srinivas missed out on a hat-trick he got lucky when Abdulla played casually into the hands of Ganpathy at silly mid-on. Dhawal Kulkarni tried to play with hard hands against a flighted delivery, which couldn’t even cross Ganpathy. Usman Malvi then stepped out valiantly and was stumped. Mumbai’s fall was quick and embarrassing, and it came at the little hands of Srinivas.Vijay made it more painful for Mumbai by scoring a blistering 150, bringing up his century in the second session thereby enlivening the rest of the day. Having three points, Tamil Nadu have are assured themselves a quarter-finals berth while Mumbai, at 16 points, need to make sure they do not lose outright in their final league clash at home against Gujarat starting on December 15.

A carefree Manish Pandey century loosened Mumbai’s grip on the title, but their self-belief never flagged and they prised out the last seven wickets for 76 runs to secure a 39th trophy in a tension-filled finale.

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran in Mysore14-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Howthey were out
Ajit Agarkar reacts after taking the final Karnataka wicket that handed Mumbai a nail-biting six-run win•Sportz SolutionsThe legendary (bloody-minded) approach of Mumbai cricket denied Karnataka a gift at a jam-packed Gangothri Glades, pipping the home side by six runs in one of the most gripping Ranji finals ever. A carefree Manish Pandey century loosened Mumbai’s grip on the title, but their self-belief never flagged and they prised out the last seven wickets for 76 runs to secure a 39th trophy in a tension-filled finale.It was a match either side could have won, but the assistanceprovided by the second new ball after lunch tipped the game inMumbai’s favour. When it was taken in the 81st over Karnataka had four wickets andstill needed 47 to complete the tallest chase in a Ranji final, and StuartBinny and Sunil Joshi had settled the crowd’s nerves by collecting 31quick runs. A pumped-up burst from Dhawal Kulkarni and Ajit Agarkar,though, gouged out the lower order, and Karnataka couldn’t wipe out theblot of never having beaten Mumbai outright in the Ranji Trophy.Binny fell in 82nd over, playing across the line to a Kulkarni deliverythat left him to take out the offstump. Seven runs later, Joshi also felllooking to play to the on-side only to nick it through to the keeper offAgarkar.With 35 more needed, R Vinay Kumar got the fans cheering again bysashaying down the track to swat Agarkar past the non-striker for four. Inhis next over, Agarkar banged in a bouncer that was so high that it wentfor five wides, and with Vinay and S Aravind picking off the singles, theywhittled down the runs required to 16.What followed was perhaps the most dramatic over of the day. Vinay, the lastKarnataka player with any batting proficiency, was bowled first ball offan incutter from Kulkarni, who shook his fist in front of the batsman’s face to give him a send-off. Last manAbhimanyu Mithun squeezed a single off the next delivery, and in-betweentwo footwork-free swings at wide deliveries that prompted rebukes from theKarnataka fans, Aravind swiped one to midwicket for four. The match wouldhave been over off the final ball, but Ajinkya Rahane missed an overheadchance from Aravind at gully.Rahane wasn’t crestfallen for too long, though, as Aravind popped back acatch to Agarkar four deliveries later to prompt over-the-top Mumbaicelebrations that soured what had been a fantastic finish. As the Mumbaiteam enjoyed the moment near the boundary, Abhishek Nayar, and then a fewothers, made a series of furious gestures towards the Karnatakadressing-room.The drama towards the end overshadowed what had been perhaps the inningsof the season from Pandey earlier on in the day. Plenty of wickets hadfallen in the first session each day of this match, but Pandey continuedto tap the same attacking vein he had been on Wednesday evening. In thesixth over of the morning, three Pandey boundaries in four Agarkardeliveries- a classic pull to midwicket, a tennis-serve like swat towardslong-on and a superbly-timed clip to midwicket – let Mumbai know they werein for a scrap.Pandey was hardly letting any delivery through to the keeper, and Mumbaicouldn’t come up with ways to keep the scoring down. It took him only fourdeliveries to move from 90 to 100, and with his partnership with Satishswelling past 150, the target was not looking that far away any more.At the other end, G Satish was playing a valuable, if not whollyconvincing, innings. He frustrated Wasim Jaffer not just with hisadhesiveness but also with a series of edges that flew either side of theMumbai captain at second slip. While Pandey was finding batting to be astroll in the park, Satish was finding it to be a cross-country hike.There were nicks aplenty, and many of his boundaries were streaky onespast gully but he persevered, trying to give the free-flowing Pandey thestrike as much as possible.With the fast bowlers ineffective, Ramesh Powar was brought on, but Pandeydismantled him with a series of twinkle-toed shots. Karnataka never lookedmore likely to win the match than when Pandey clubbed Powar to long-on forfour and then in the same area for the match’s first six to bring thetarget below 100.The only other frontline bowler still untried was left-arm spinner IqbalAbdulla, who was greeted first ball by Pandey with a contemptuous mowagainst the spin to midwicket. The score was beyond 250, the joyousfans were doing the Mexican wave and Mumbai were wilting. Three deliverieslater, the game changed: Pandey jabbing Abdulla to first slip.A couple of dicey decisions sent back Amit Verma and G Satish andKarnataka had lost three for five runs. Joshi and Binny then maintained apositive approach, striking five fours in three overs after lunch before the secondnew ball and Mumbai’s tenacity proved too much.

India have chosen the tough option for their do-or-die battle against Australia tomorrow. They will play five bowlers, and ask their depleted batting order to stand up

Sambit Bal in Centurion27-Sep-2009India have chosen the tough option for their do-or-die battle against Australia tomorrow. They will play five bowlers, and ask their depleted batting order to stand up.MS Dhoni refused to shed further light on the final XI, but it is almost certain that Amit Mishra, the legspinner, who made an impressive Test debut against Australia last year, will play.Dhoni didn’t specify who would miss out but, reading between the lines, that man could be Yusuf Pathan. “Yusuf has loads of talent and he has been dominating at the domestic and IPL level” Dhoni said, “But he hasn’t translated it at the international level. That’s a worry.”There could be a couple of other changes too. RP Singh, the most profligate of the Indian pace bowlers, could make way for Praveen Kumar, whose strength lies in pitching the ball up and swinging it.Virat Kohli, whose misadventure precipitated a middle-order wobble against Pakistan last night, is the other man unsure of his place. But he might get another chance because India’s options are limited. Dinesh Karthik has international experience but is short of confidence and runs, and Abhishek Nayar, whom Dhoni described as a batting allrounder, is of unproven mettle.Remarkably, Dhoni admitted that his bowlers had been lacking in confidence. “I would say they are short of confidence. These are talented boys who have bowled well in all conditions. Once they start clicking everything will fall in place.”Five bowlers will mean extra responsibility on India’s top order, already depleted by the absence of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, but it is risk India have been forced to take.”It sure gets tough with the batsmen if you play an extra bowler,” Dhoni said, “but then it’s one and the same thing if bowlers go for major runs. It again brings the pressure on batsmen. So in this case the batsmen will have to take the responsibility,”Dhoni believed the wicket in Centurion tomorrow would be a fresh one. “One doesn’t know how it will behave. But yes we did bowl a bit too short on that wicket. We needed to bowl full.”

Fast bowler Imran Arif has been cleared to play for Worcestershire for the next two seasons after being granted a British passport

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2009Fast bowler Imran Arif has been cleared to play for Worcestershire for the next two seasons after being granted a British passport.Pakistan-born Arif, 25, played for the county as an overseas player in 2008 and did enough to be offered a contract, subject to obtaining the passport. Australia allrounder Ashley Noffke is the overseas player this summer.”In the autumn of 2008 Imran took and passed the UK citizenship test and immediately applied for British citizenship,” a spokesman said. “This was confirmed in February which enabled Imran to apply for a British passport. This passport has now arrived and he can now be registered to play for Worcestershire as an English-qualified player.””Imran showed a lot of potential last summer after stepping up at short notice for his first taste of first-class cricket,” Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes said. “If he bowls in 2009 like he did last year, we will be very impressed.”

A number of Sunderland fans were left rather displeased at confirmation of the Black Cats’ opponents in today’s FA Cup first round draw.

For the second successive season, the Wearsiders will welcome Mansfield Town to the Stadium of Light in the first round, and they will be seeking to avenge last year’s shock 0-1 defeat to the Stags when the teams face off on the first weekend of November.

Mansfield were a lowly 22nd in League Two at the time and coincidentally they are in the same position in the current standings, with Lee Johnson’s Sunderland hoping that their place near the top of League One will be reflected when Nigel Clough brings his team to Wearside.

The Black Cats have exited at the second round or earlier in each of the last three seasons since dropping into League One, which brought with it the necessity to enter in the first round, two steps earlier than when they were in the Premier League and Championship.

Sunderland fans react to cup draw

Sunderland posted confirmation of their first round opponents on their official Twitter channel when the draw was made on Sunday afternoon, and these Mackems weren’t too pleased with the sense of deja vu:

“I swear we play the same handful of teams in cup competitions every season. Port Vale in the next round no doubt (assuming we reach the dizzy heights of the second round this year).”

Credit: @nathanlawsn

“This is a good draw for me on a personal level, but it’s possibly the most uninspiring tie we could have gotten from the club’s perspective. Let’s just hope it’s better than last season…”

Credit: @joey__burton__

“Oh no, not again lads”

Credit: @matty_corrie

“It’s time for the FA to give proper respect to the big team in the lower league and start heating up the balls to give us a fun tie. Consistently miserable draws”

Credit: @JusticeForCatts

“Yawn”

Credit: @spj7104

“Stags again. We stagnated against the same opponents last season”

Credit: @DanielJenks89

In other news: Many Sunderland fans raged at this Black Cats player over the weekend

With four draws and three defeats in their opening seven Premier League games of the season, it’s safe to say that Southampton have not had the best of starts, especially with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side also conceding 10 goals in that time.

In addition to this poor start to the season, the Saints were also struck with some bad news after Jack Stephens picked up a serious knee injury during the 0-0 draw against Manchester City which will see him ruled out of action for 12 weeks.

Taking all of this into account, along with the sale of Jannik Vestergaard to Premier League rivals Leicester City during the recent summer transfer window, it’s looking pretty bleak for the club from a defensive point of view.

However, we feel that the club have a good defensive option to call on for the time being or at some point in the future with 19-year-old centre-back Dynel Simeu.

Southampton signed the teenager back in July on a three-year contract from fellow Premier League club Chelsea.

Since then, Simeu – who was once described as a “monster” by journalist Neil Moxley during his time with the west Londoners’ youth team – has played 90 minutes in all of Southampton under-23s’ matches across all competitions, showing how important he has been for them in his short time there, even though they haven’t managed to win any of those games.

In the two appearances Simeu has made so far this season in the EFL Trophy, the defender – who is currently valued at £900k by Transfermarkt – has averaged two interceptions, 3.5 tackles and an impressive seven clearances per game, showing that he has plenty of defensive ability in him at such a young age.

In comparison with Vestergaard, the 29-year-old Dane racked up a not too dissimilar average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.7 tackles and four clearances per game throughout Southampton’s 2020/21 Premier League campaign.

Moving forward, if Simeu can continue playing regularly and improving for Southampton’s under-23 side, we see no reason why he couldn’t go on become a regular first team player for the Saints as an ideal long-term replacement for Vestergaard if given the chance.

In other news: Ralph must unleash “super-talented” Southampton ace v Leeds, he could be game-changing

Cricinfo previews the third Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, at Colombo’s SSC

The Preview by Sidharth Monga19-Jul-2009Match factsJuly 20-24, 2009
Start time 10.00 (04.30 GMT)The Big PictureChaminda Vaas has been recalled to the squad, but who will be dropped if he plays?•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat could have been a tight series has already been won by Sri Lanka, thanks to three-and-a-half sessions of madness from Pakistan, during which they lost 27 wickets for 172 runs. Consequently they now stand one defeat short of what would be their first whitewash against Sri Lanka.To their credit Sri Lanka, who are missing their best spinner and who had dropped their most successful fast bowler, have capitalised on the chances Pakistan provided. Sri Lanka have been a well-led side, comprising youngsters who have shown hunger to replace the incumbents for good. It will be a dream start for Kumar Sangakkara, in his first series as captain, if they can complete a clean sweep.Sri Lanka have chosen to give their greatest fast bowler, Chaminda Vaas, a farewell Test now that the series has been decided.Pakistan’s problem has been that they able not been able to sustain their good work for long enough. Over the two Tests they have been a exaggerated version of West Indies in decline: in that they have taken only minutes in going from looking like a proper Test side to collapsing spectacularly like a school team. That middle ground, where teams arrest slides and resist momentum shifts, has been elusive.Younis Khan, who refused before the series to make an excuse about being undercooked, has had a rethink, and has asked for some time before this team can become regular, consistent performers. Time in international cricket, though, comes dear. With every Test, their barren run grows, now at 10 win-less matches. They last won in January 2007, against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. In no time they will have an ODI series to salvage some pride, and they wouldn’t want to go into that series 0-3 or 0-2.Test form guide (last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka – WWDDW
Pakistan – LLDDD
Watch out for …Nuwan Kulasekara: Quietly Kulasekara has made this a defining series of his career. In Murali’s absence, Vaas’ dropping, and Mendis’ ineffectiveness, Kulasekara has been a true leader of the attack, taking three four-fors already.Mahela Jayawardene: It’s been a quiet series for Jayawardene, but at SSC he comes home. He has scored more runs at the SSC than Don Bradman did at the SCG. Twenty Tests, 2198 runs, average of 81.40, and 832 of them in his last four innings there, Pakistan will need to make sure Jayawardene doesn’t feel at home again.Younis Khan: After his moment of madness, the reverse-sweep that kicked off a match-losing collapse at the P Sara Oval, Younis needs to set an example for a team he says is in rebuilding.Team newsIt will be interesting to see whose place Vaas takes. Both Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara have done commendably so far, and Kumar Sangakkara said Ajantha Mendis was not beyond being dropped. “There is a good possibility that we may go in with four seamers and leave out a bowler who has not done well,” Sangakkara said. One of Thushara, Mendis and Angelo Mathews should make way.Murali and Prasanna Jayawardene are still out of the squad, which means Tillakaratne Dilshan will continue his wicketkeeping duties. Malinda Warnapura gets another go at the top.Sri Lanka (from) 1 Malinda Warnapura, 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan (wk), 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Chaminda Vaas, 11 Thilan Thushara, 12 Ajantha Mendis.Younis has spoken again and again about the need of not running the axe over this team. The middle order, though, has big questions to answer, and this could be a last chance for some of them.Pakistan (likely) 1 Khurram Manzoor, 2 Fawad Alam, 3 Younis Khan (capt.), 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rauf, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal.Pitch and conditionsThe SSC pitch has taken some rain over the last few days, and if it reacts to moisture like the pitch at Galle did, we could be in for a short match.Stats and trivia There has never been a clean-sweep of a three-match Pakistan-Sri Lanka series. In 1994 Pakistan won a two-match series 2-0 in the only clean-sweep in their contests.In his first three matches in Test cricket, Ajnatha Mendis took 26 wickets. In the next five he has taken 13.Sri Lanka have won five of their last seven Tests at the SSC, drawing the other two.Quotes”The guys will be more focused on partnerships. Maybe we should play some games when wickets are falling or chat amongst ourselves to handle the pressure better. This is a personal thing. In international cricket you need to have more focus and motivation.”
“It is always good to aim for a sweep, but you can’t achieve that without playing your best cricket. We have been patchy, and so has Pakistan.”

Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam says he would be stunned if Patrick Vieira selected Odsonne Edouard on the flanks against Brighton and Hove Albion on Monday night, tipping the summer signing to potentially start in a front two instead. 

The lowdown

Edouard has yet to start a game for the Eagles following his Deadline Day move from Celtic.

He made his first appearance as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month and scored twice in the final 10 minutes.

The Frenchman became the first player to bag a brace off the bench on their Premier League debut since Sergio Aguero in August 2011 (via Opta Joe).

But Patrick Vieira stuck with Christian Benteke up top for the visit to Liverpool the following week, turning to Edouard after 65 minutes.

Palace face rivals Brighton on Monday night as they look to climb to 12th in the early Premier League table. Edouard will be hopeful of making a full debut for his new club.

The latest

A Palace supporter suggested that Vieira might consider swapping out Jordan Ayew for Edouard, who would then line up at right wing with Wilfried Zaha on the left and Benteke through the middle.

“I’d be amazed,” Woosnam replied in The Athletic’s discussion board, “to see Edouard on the right or left for a game like this.”

If Edouard and Benteke are to play together, he thinks it will be as part of a front two.

The verdict

Brighton’s big back three seem like they would be comfortable dealing with the aerial threat posed by Benteke, but Edouard would ask altogether different questions with his movement, so there’s a strong case for him starting on Monday night.

Vieira may be exercising patience, but you can understand why many Palace fans might be clamouring for Edouard after that spectacular debut.

And, if the manager does go for broke and start both of his main goalscorers, one would have to assume Woosnam’s front two prediction is more likely than playing the big summer arrival out of his natural position.

In other news, read this pundit’s verdict on a potential attacking signing for Palace.