All posts by h716a5.icu

Glasgow Rangers have signed seven players so far this summer as Michael Beale looks to rejuvenate a squad that finished 2022/23 empty-handed.

With the majority of his business done, the onus will be on the 42-year-old to move on a few players to free up the wage budget and raise some funds, however one such move may turn into a serious blunder…

Is Robby McCrorie leaving Rangers?

According to The Scottish Sun, McCrorie looks set to leave Ibrox this summer after having talks with Beale over his future.

The manager now appears to be resigned to losing the 25-year-old as he is looking to secure first-team football elsewhere and despite Beale admiring his ability, it now seems like he won't stand in his way regarding a potential exit.

The Gers signed former Crystal Palace goalkeeper Jack Butland during the summer and with the nine-cap England international set to begin the season as the number one choice between the posts, McCrorie isn’t prepared to revert to a backup option having featured regularly for the club during the final part of the 2022/23 season.

Who is leaving Rangers?

Antonio Colak appears to be leaving the Light Blues after only one season, moving to Parma in a £2.5m deal while Fashion Sakala is also close to a move, with an unnamed Saudi club interested in signing him for a fee believed to be around £4m as Beale aims to recoup some cash for further signings.

Despite their obvious quality in front of goal, scoring 30 goals between them last term, the arrivals of Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers should be more than enough to offset their departures.

It could be a blunder to let McCrorie leave on the other hand, and it could turn out to be a similar situation to that of Cedric Itten, who has gone on to impress elsewhere following an exit from Ibrox.

The Swiss international struggled during his two seasons at the Gers, netting just eight times across 49 matches and was sold by Giovanni van Bronckhorst last summer to BSC Young Boys for £1.5m which was seen as good business at the time.

He has since shown Gers supporters exactly what they missed, however, scoring 23 goals and grabbing 12 assists as the Swiss outfit won the domestic double last term, and although he wouldn’t have been a regular starter under Beale, there is no doubt he could have contributed with a few goals.

McCrorie could be another who leaves Ibrox and shines elsewhere, especially if his performances for the Light Blues are anything to go by. The Scot has made only six starts for Rangers during his time at the club, yet he has kept five clean sheets during those matches, conceding just one goal.

The £5.7k-per-week ace was the only ‘keeper for the Gers to keep a clean sheet against Celtic last term, in their 3-0 victory at Ibrox in May and looked to have a chance at taking the number one jersey from the departing Allan McGregor ahead of 2023/24.

Steven Gerrard dubbed the departing gem and his brother Ross as “model professionals” back in 2020 and although it would be a shame to see him leave the club, he is far too good to be warming the bench for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully, the decision doesn’t come back to haunt Beale – as it perhaps has with regard to Itten.

There are a number of reasons why Arsenal are back to their exhilarating best, but every one of those reasons points back to one man. And that’s Mikel Arteta. The former Manchester City assistant has transformed the Gunners.There were some initial doubts about his ability to take Arsenal back into the Premier League’s top four. Those doubts were understandable, however, given his inexperience and the number of miserable years fans at The Emirates had been forced to sit through.Even in the season prior to the last, as the North London side missed out on a Champions League place yet again, some may have been left wondering whether Arteta really was the man for the job.One year later on though, and it’s clear that Arsenal have arguably got themselves one of the most exciting young managers in Europe.The Spaniard expects nothing less than the high standards he sets for his players, too, as shown in recent training footage.

Mikel Arteta’s standards shown in recent training footage

As seen in a clip shared via Twitter, when warming up with club captain Martin Odegaard, they’re playing a little game, keeping the ball up in the air.

One of the club captain’s volleys falls just short of Arteta who, instead of reaching to try and save it, lets the imperfect pass hit the ground and then penalises the tiny error.

Odegaard laughs in joke disbelief but his manager simply retorts “This is Arsenal” emphasising the high standards he holds at the club.

The midfielder, in particular, has reached a new level under Arteta, leading by example for the rest of his teammates, who will be looking to make their mark in the Champions League next season.

In the last campaign, Odegaard had a year to remember, scoring 15 goals, and assisting a further eight in the Premier League. The fact is, the former Real Madrid man has quickly emerged as one of the best players in the Premier League.

What is Martin Odegaard’s market value?

Signed by Arsenal for a reported £30m, Odegaard has turned out to be quite the bargain. If the Gunners were to sell their star man now, which is extremely unlikely – so you can take a sigh of relief, Arsenal fans – they would potentially receive €90m (£76.83m), according to Transfermarkt.

At 24, that number is only likely to go up and up, too, given the sheer potential that Odegaard has, combined with the level that he is currently operating at.

Arsenal, in general, are on the up. Reportedly on the verge of welcoming Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber this summer, we may see Arteta’s side go one step further next season, and seal the ultimate glory of a Premier League title win.

Manchester City will have something to say about that, of course, following their sensational treble win last season. Meanwhile, Liverpool have fixed some of their midfield issues by welcoming both Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, so Jurgen Klopp’s side may well return to their dominant best come August.

One certainty is that Arteta is keen to ensure that the standards do not slip for one single second at Arsenal. He will want to make sure that last season was no fluke, but instead the start of a successful era in North London. They’re certainly due silverware, that’s for sure.

Arsenal fans reacted to the training footage, some of which you can see below:

Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jordan Clark are two deeply contrasting cricketers, but on a gloomy day at Kia Oval they forged a wonderful alliance to change the complexion of the opening day

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval14-Apr-2017
ScorecardShivnarine Chanderpaul and Jordan Clark are two deeply contrasting cricketers, but on a gloomy day at Kia Oval they forged a wonderful alliance to change the complexion of the opening day. While Chanderpaul neared his 74th first-class hundred, Clark scored a long-awaited maiden ton, brought up with a towering hook for six off Mark Footitt: a shot in keeping with the spirit of élan that infused this innings.In a cricketing world in flux, the sight of Chanderpaul furiously knocking a bail with his bat to take guard has a reassuring familiarity. Some were underwhelmed at his recruitment for a summer in which he will turn 43. This, though, was the sort of crisis for which he was signed, after Lancashire lost half their side before lunch.Chanderpaul’s response was to do as Chanderpaul does: playing the ball late and with great care and, above all, knowing when not to play it, dangling his bat inside the line as if to tease the bowler. With Clark, who gallivanted to his century by advancing from 82 to his hundred in the space of five balls from Footitt, he forged a match-turning alliance.Where the left-hander Chanderpaul batted in his own gilded cage, inoculated from the changing face of the sport, right-hander Clark bristled with intent, breezily overtaking his partner in spite of giving him a 62-ball head start. Where Chanderpaul favoured precise late cuts, glides and flick, Clark preferred to sweep against spin or thunder drives or hooks against pace.Where Chanderpaul resolved to keep the ball on the ground, save for one clip over mid-on, Clark is not the sort to be perturbed by the presence of fielders, and harrumphed two straight sixes against spin before the hook over square leg off Footitt that led to his moment of delight.”It’s pretty hard to describe right now,” he said, elated, after play. “If I try and survive it’s not one of my strengths. If I come out and play with intent, but don’t play rashly, it’s going to work better for me.”The only pressure that comes with batting with Chanderpaul is you’ve got such an experienced bloke at the other end it makes you work harder because you can’t throw your wicket away – you’ve seen him bat for days. You’ve got to put your foot down and bat with him in partnership.”Here was a reminder that this is a game for all sorts. And in adding an unbroken 172 to lift Lancashire from the debris of 122 for 6, Clark and Chanderpaul let Lancashire lay claim to shading the opening day.Four years ago, Clark hit six sixes in an over in a Roses 2nd XI match. Broad-shouldered and lacking neither shots or the confidence to play them, he is a cricketer ideally suited to Twenty20; indeed, he had to wait four years between his T20 debut and his first-class bow.Surrey, though, are well-aware that Clark is determined to be viewed as more than just a limited-overs cricketer. For the third season in a row he scored a half-century at The Oval – three of his five first-class scores of 50 or more have come here. Some of his shots – a square drive off Tom Curran, an imperious short-arm jab through mid-on off Sam Curran, and the disdain with which he hooked Footitt in the last throes of the day – hinted at talent too great to be batting at No. 8. On the first day for 18 years on which all first-class counties played Championship cricket simultaneously, it was Clark who made the solitary century in the land.What gratitude Liam Livingstone must feel. Captaining Lancashire for the first time, he had opted against inserting Surrey, and, undeterred by an overcast morning and Surrey’s potent pace attack, decided to bat first.The conditions demanded Haseeb Hameed’s adhesiveness; instead, he wafted at his second delivery to be caught behind off Sam Curran. Bowling an immaculate line, elder brother Tom soon elicited Luke Procter to poke to second slip too.Six days on from dismantling Warwickshire with 6 for 14 at this ground, there was anticipation and fascination in seeing Footitt bowl again. He was indeed utterly compelling throughout. Three wickets came in a first spell that interspersed balls sprayed around with those of great peril, embodied by four byes down the leg side coming the ball before Alex Davies was lbw, playing across his pad to an inswinger that jagged late.Livingstone shaped to counterpunch in response to the early wickets; a scampered single to mid-on would have run out Chanderpaul with a direct hit. Two balls after flicking Footitt for four, Livingstone clipped a delivery straight to square leg, so disgusted with himself that he started walking off as soon as he hit the shot.It was the sort of shot one could never imagine Chanderpaul playing. Here he erred only in edging Tom Curran to second slip on 47, where Scott Borthwick, whose pyrotechnics in the position last week had gone viral, shelled the chance. As Footitt toiled under floodlights at the end of this truncated but intriguing day, Surrey had even more reason to rue their moment of generosity.

Celtic have agreed a £2.1m transfer fee with Gangwon FC for forward Yang Hyun-jun, however, a move is proving complicated.

What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?

It has been a busy few weeks off the pitch at Parkhead, which began when Ange Postecoglou left the cub to join Tottenham. Since then, Brendan Rodgers has been brought in for a second stint in charge of the Hoops, and new signings have been made.

The first player to arrive was midfielder Odin Thiago Holm, who joined from Eliteserien club Valerenga and signed a five-year contract in Glasgow. As well as Holm, Australian winger Marco Tilio has also penned a five-year deal with the Hoops, joining from Melbourne City.

There has been a major departure, though, with star winger Jota joining Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £25m.

More attacking additions could be on the cards as a result, with Yang a player who has been linked with a move to Parkhead. Reports last month claimed that Celtic made a significant transfer offer for the K-League winger, with journalist Jason Lee saying:

“According to Korean media, Celtic have sent an official transfer offer to Gangwon FC for Yang Hyun-Jun. The offer is believed to be "significant and final" as Celtic await Gangwon's response. The player is eager to move to Celtic.”

There has now been a further update from Football Scotland, who say that Celtic and Gangwon have in fact agreed on a £2.1m deal which includes a 12% sell-on clause.

The player is keen to move to Scotland, however, Gangwon are now stalling over a deal as they believe Yang could help them avoid relegation. Gangwon want to keep their forward until January when their season finishes, but Yang is even willing to give up his salary to push through a move to join Rodgers’ side ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Who is Yang Hyun-jun?

Yang is primarily a right-winger who can also play on the left or through the middle, so would bring plenty of versatility to Rodgers’ attacking options and may rival current right-wingers James Forrest and Liel Abada, although the latter of the two has been linked with a move to Sporting Lisbon.

He was described as “excellent” and a “level above” in the media following a pre-season display against Tottenham last year and has contributed to 14 goals in 69 senior appearances for Gangwon.

The 21-year-old is under contract until the end of 2025 and has been described as an unpredictable and eye-catching player in the media, labelled as Gangwon’s up-and-coming star last year by the K League media.

Celtic have enjoyed plenty of success by bringing players in from the Asian market over recent years, and it looks as if Rodgers is keen to continue looking in that direction. Former manager Postecoglou signed the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Oh Hyeon-gyu from Japan and South Korea, and with a deal agreed for Yang, hopefully, he’ll be the next to arrive in Scotland.

South Africa coach Russell Domingo says he is unsure if he will continue in the role beyond the tour of England in August after being made to reapply for the position

Firdose Moonda30-Mar-2017Russell Domingo is still unsure of whether he will reapply for his job as South Africa’s head coach, with the 42-year-old awaiting clarity on the process as he maintains the stance he took on the topic prior to the start of the New Zealand tour.Domingo’s contract, which has been extended three times from when he was originally appointed mid-2013, runs until the end of the England series in August. Cricket South Africa will advertise for the post and open applications in May, with the aim to appoint a coach before the Bangladesh series in September.News that Domingo’s position was not secure was met with some surprise in South African circles – particularly because of recent results – but several sources have explained it is part of a corporate governance requirement. CSA confirmed Domingo can reapply if he chooses to, although the board has not said whether it has asked him if he is interested in continuing and Domingo has not given away too much either.”I don’t know what the process is. I’m still waiting to find out what I need to do, or if I need to do anything. Once we’ve got clarity on that I’ll make some decisions,” Domingo said, after South Africa’s Test series win over New Zealand. “At the moment I’m going fishing for a couple of weeks. So it’s the last of my worries at the moment.”It’s out of my control – what happens, happens. When I get back home I’ll select a squad for England, prepare the side well for when we get to England, play in England, and take it from there and see what happens.”Domingo took a similar stance in February, after South Africa completed a 5-0 ODI whitewash over Sri Lanka, when he explained that he needed time to think about his personal situation before he made any commitments. Asked whether he thinks still wants to continue as national coach, Domingo was non-committal.”I don’t know. I suppose everybody wants to coach the national side,” Domingo said. “That’s where you want to coach, I suppose. I’ve loved my four years but if my four years are up, so be it. I’ve had some wonderful results, I’ve had some disappointments. But that’s part of international sport. I haven’t looked that far ahead. All my focus is on England and the Champions Trophy. What happens after that is not in my control.”Under Domingo, South Africa slipped from No. 1 on the Test rankings to No. 7, following twin series defeats to India and England but have since moved back up to No. 2, winning four series in succession. In total, Domingo has been in charge for 159 games across all formats accumulating a record of 91 wins, 55 losses and 10 draws as well as three no results.Domingo is also the only South African coach to win a World Cup knockout game. Although no names have been linked to the job yet, it is understood Lions’ coach Geoffrey Toyana is among the frontrunners to take South Africa to the 2019 World Cup.

Chelsea completing a deal to sign Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo is now at the "final stage", according to reliable journalist Rudy Galetti.

Is Moises Caicedo leaving Brighton?

Back in January, Brighton’s defensive midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal and he even penned an open letter on his social media channels confirming that he wanted to leave, but instead he ended up signing a new long-term contract until 2027, likely so that he could be sold for more during the summer.

The Ecuador international has recently been attracting significant interest from Mauricio Pochettino in SW6 with the Daily Mail claiming that the Blues have already seen a £60m opening offer rejected, but having seemingly since returned to the negotiating table, it appears that all financial roadblocks have been resolved.

The Stamford Bridge outfit will have a more healthy budget now that the likes of N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic have been sold from their engine room, and the 21-year-old looks like he could be one of the central reinforcements making his way to London.

Are Chelsea signing Caicedo?

Taking to Twitter, Galetti revealed that Chelsea and Brighton are close to reaching a full agreement for the sale of Caicedo, with the player having already personally said yes to the giants in the Premier League. He wrote:

"Moises Caicedo, the talks between Chelsea and Brighton are entering in the final stage. Understand the 2 clubs agreed the fixed amount of the transfer (£75m) and now they are discussing the add-ons. Moises is keen to join CFC and he’s pushing for the move."

What could Caicedo bring to Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea and Pochettino will be aware that Caicedo is much stronger in the natural defensive midfield aspect of his game having recorded just one goal and assist in the top-flight last season, so he could bring an excellent layer of protection to the backline should he sign on the dotted line.

The Futbol Division client won 50 out of his 100 tackles during the previous campaign which was not only the highest-success rate but also the most made throughout the whole of his squad, via FBRef, alongside averaging 1.5 interceptions per game in the Premier League.

Brighton’s “Machine Man”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would also add wonderful versatility to the manager’s ranks with his ability to operate higher up in central midfield and even at right-back alongside his usual role, and if possible, he would only excel further under the leadership of Pochettino.

A round-up of the Group C matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy played on March 3, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2017Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran’s hundred helped Bengal cruise to their fourth consecutive win and consolidate their position at the top of the Group C points table. After Easwaran’s 127 lifted Bengal to 230, the bowlers shot out Mumbai for 134 in 36.2 overs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.Easwaran, who struck his third List A century, held firm even as wickets tumbled around him. Seamers Shardul Thakur and Abhishek Nayar did the bulk of the damage, claiming combined figures of 18.5-1-82-7. Easwaran, however, stitched fifty partnerships with Anustup Majumdar and Aamir Gani before he was the seventh Bengal batsman to be dismissed.Mumbai lost their openers within five overs and were seven down by the time they reached 100. Seamer Sayan Ghosh and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha ripped through the batting line-up with three wickets each. Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 34 and while Siddhesh Lad (23) and Aditya Tare (20) got starts, Mumbai’s chase never really took off.File Photo – Parthiv Patel scored his third List A century•ESPNcricinfo LtdAndhra suffered a batting collapse to fold for 106 as Gujarat thumped them by 182 runs in Chennai. Captain Parthiv Patel was Gujarat’s hero, hitting 104 off 123 balls, including 11 fours. Rohit Dahiya played the sidekick with an unbeaten 39-ball 53 as Gujarat put up 288 for 7. Jasprit Bumrah (4 for 29) and Rujul Bhatt (3 for 21) then wrecked Andhra’s chase and bundled them out in 31.5 overs.Dwaraka Ravi Teja, coming in at 39 for 5, provided the lone source of resistance with 44 off 64 balls. In fact, he was the only Andhra batsman to pass 10.Having been sent in, Gujarat lost Priyank Panchal early, but Parthiv shared useful stands with Samit Gohel and Bhargav Merai to set a solid platform. By the time Parthiv was dismissed, Gujarat had reached 200. Jesal Karia and Dahiya then struck late blows to take their team past 280.Madhya Pradesh needed only 38.1 overs to chase down 291 against Goa in Chennai. Captain Naman Ojha powered the chase with an unbeaten 87-ball 105. He was well supported by Rajat Patidar (64 off 53 balls) and Harpreet Singh (83 off 60 balls) as MP completed their chase with seven wickets in hand.Ojha and Rajat Patidar laid the foundation with a 92-run opening stand off 83 balls. Ojha and Harpreet then pressed on to add 116 in 15.1 overs. Ojha struck six sixes and six fours en route to his eighth List A century.Goa had rebounded to reach 290 after being reduced to 23 for 2. Their captain Sagun Kamat (63 off 75 balls) and Suyash Prabhudessai (52 off 47 balls) hit half centuries, but it was Snehal Kauthankar’s 110-ball 94 that led Goa’s batting. Playing his fourth List A game, Kauthankar made his career-best score, but late wickets prevented Goa from reaching 300. Ankit Kushwah was the pick of the bowlers for MP, finishing with 5 for 60.

Allrounder Solomon Mire, who has played 10 ODIs for Zimbabwe, most recently at the 2015 World Cup, has made himself available for international duty

Firdose Moonda09-Feb-2017Allrounder Solomon Mire, who has played 10 ODIs for Zimbabwe, most recently at the 2015 World Cup, has made himself available for international duty. Zimbabwe Cricket have included him in the squad to play Afghanistan in a five-match ODI series that starts next Thursday. Mire, who has been playing grade cricket in Australia since the end of the World Cup, will bolster a Zimbabwe squad that is desperate for fixtures ahead of next year’s qualification for the 2019 World Cup.Mire is accompanied by another allrounder Elton Chigumbura, who has kept his place despite a poor tri-series in which he scored only nine runs in three matches and did not bowl. Whether Chigumbura’s allround ability will be needed in an XI that welcomes back a key strike bowler is yet to be seen.Tendai Chatara, who last played an international in June 2016, has returned to full fitness after recovering from a leg injury and will likely form one half of the new-ball pair with Chris Mpofu.Zimbabwe have left out seven players from the squad that reached the final of the tri-series. Chamu Chibhabha, Tendai Chisoro, Hamilton Masakadza, Brian Chari, Carl Mumba, Tinashe Panyangara and Sean Williams all miss out with Mire, Chatara, Wellington Masakadza and two uncapped players, Ryan Burl and Nathan Waller, included. Burl is a left-hand batsman fresh off a a century and two fifties against Afghanistan A, while Waller is an allrounder and cousin of Malcolm.Two more players will be added to the group after this weekend’s round of Pro50 matches.Zimbabwe do not have anything on their calendar until a tour to Sri Lanka in mid-2017 and have not played international cricket since a triangular series featuring Sri Lanka and West Indies in November. ESPNcricinfo understands they are in talks to host Scotland and West Indies in June and October respectively in a bid to fill up their calendar, which has also seen a dearth of domestic fixtures.Zimbabwe were due to have a bumper home season with 12 rounds of Logan Cup first-class fixtures, List A matches and a club competition but the Logan Cup has been delayed several times. It will be pushed back further with this weekend’s fixtures moved to later in the month, but with good reason. The Pro50 Championship will be played instead, in preparation for the Afghanistan series.Zimbabwe squad: Graeme Cremer (capt), Peter Moor (wk), Ryan Burl, Tarisai Musakanda, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Wellington Masakadza, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara, Christopher Mpofu, Nathan Waller, Craig Ervine, Solomon Mire.

Manchester City have entered the race to sign Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga, according to Fabrizio Romano.

What’s the latest Man City transfer news?

Pep Guardiola and those at the Etihad have already made a start on their summer business by bringing in Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. The midfielder looks likely to fill the void left by Ilkay Gundogan, who is set to join Barcelona when his City contract officially expires at the end of the month.

Kovacic may not be the only Croatia international to make the move to the treble winners, though, with RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol reportedly a top target in defence and personal terms already agreed.

Another midfielder to join Kovacic could also be in the works, and after City pulled out of the race to sign Declan Rice from West Ham, it appears as if Veiga is a target despite Liverpool leading the race for his services. Recent reports have claimed those at Anfield are 'well ahead of any club' in the race for Veiga, although 'many twists and turns could still take place', and it looks as if that could come from Manchester.

According to Romano in the last 48 hours, City are now in the race and informed when it comes to a possible deal for Veiga, who has a release clause set at €40m (£34.5m).

“Manchester City have entered the race for Spanish talent Gabri Veiga after pulling out of Declan Rice deal.

“He’s one of the options now being considered at the club. Liverpool and Chelsea remain interested but City also informed now. Release clause: €40m.”

Who is Gabri Veiga?

Veiga, who has been hailed as a "very electric player" by Romano, is 21 years of age and is primarily a central midfielder who can also play in attacking and defensive midfield roles.

The Spaniard has progressed through Celta Vigo’s academy and has gone on to make 55 senior appearances for his current employers – 40 of which came during the 2022/23 season. Veiga has scored 11 times and has registered four assists with Celta Vigo and has seen his Transfermarkt valuation rocket to a career-high €30m.

As per FBref, Veiga already ranks in the 99th percentile for goals and assists for midfielders and the 98th percentile for successful take-ons that lead to a goal, showing his ability in the final third.

He looks to be a real star in the making, and by the looks of it, City could look to capitalise over the coming weeks, potentially making him the club’s second midfield addition of the summer to rival the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and co.

FICA, the international players association, has justified its actions in warning about the risks involved in playing the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore

George Dobell11-Jan-20172:36

Samiuddin: It will eventually be the players’ choice

The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) has insisted its warning to players thinking of playing in the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore is from “highly credible security experts” and “in line with advice from government agencies and diplomatic missions.”FICA was fiercely criticised by the PCB after circulating a memo to players, players’ associations and players’ agents that spoke of “an extremely elevated” risk level in Pakistan. And while they stopped just short of advising players not to travel – they do not have the power to prevent them from doing so – they did conclude that “an acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed.”That warning infuriated the PCB who responded by calling FICA’s approach “careless and cavalier.” Stating that “not a single foreigner or hotel has been attacked in Lahore in the last five years” the PCB scolded FICA for making “a sweeping negative statement about the security situation” from “thousands of miles away.”Although FICA have now expressed “great sympathy for fans and players in Pakistan” and stated they “we would like to see the PSL succeed” they have reiterated that their responsibility and priority was “the safety and security of players” and have stood by their earlier comments warning of an “elevated security risk” when visiting Pakistan.Responding to the PCB’s claim that FICA “cannot name even one credible security expert” which might have informed their original statement, FICA clarified that they utilised the advice of Eastern Star International (ESI). That is the company headed by Reg Dickason, who has provided security advice to the ECB, CA, NZC and the ICC among others and who recently gave the go-ahead for England’s tour of Bangladesh.”FICA relies on advice given by expert security consultants, Eastern Star International (ESI),” their statement reads. “ESI has supplied security services over several years to a number of cricket boards and international teams around the world and to the International Cricket Council (ICC).”FICA sent a confidential memorandum highlighting the advice received from ESI relating to the elevated security risk for them of playing in Pakistan. The elevated risk is in line with advice from government agencies and diplomatic missions of several countries regarding travel by foreigners to Pakistan.”FICA also suggested the PCB was “not responsive” to attempts to discuss their security concerns relating to playing the PSL final in Lahore and reiterated the security situation which has led to the almost complete absence of top-level cricket from Pakistan since 2009.”Since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore Pakistan has played bilateral home series matches against ICC full member countries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for security reasons,” the FICA statement says. “The only full member men’s team to tour Pakistan in this time was Zimbabwe in 2015. The ICC declined to send its match officials to Pakistan to officiate in this series for security reasons. A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside the stadium in Lahore shortly before the 2nd ODI of the series, killing himself and a policeman.”The PCB is staging all PSL matches, except the planned final in Lahore, in the UAE for security reasons. Several months ago the PCB consulted FICA in relation to provisions of the standard player contract for the PSL. When FICA expressed possible security concerns relating to playing the final in Lahore the PCB was not responsive to FICA on this issue.”Tony Irish, FICA’s Executive Chairman, said: “Players around the world from affiliated countries have always looked to FICA to provide them with information relating to security risks of playing in various parts of the world. It is our responsibility to provide this information, which we obtain from highly credible security experts, so that players can make informed decisions.”The PCB has made clear that the PSL final will be played in Lahore on March 7 whether overseas players participate or not.