Most wickets in a Test Match for Pakistan

Harbhajan Singh’s recent marvelous feats against Australia, claiming 13 for 196 at Calcutta and 15 for 217 at Chennai, prompted me to take a look at instances of 11 or more wickets in a Test by Pakistani bowlers. The results of this study are:Eleven or more wickets in a Test Match

Performance Bowler Opponent Venue Year
14-116 Imran Khan Sri Lanka Lahore 1981-82
13-101 Abdul Qadir England Lahore 1987-88
13-114 Fazal Mahmood Australia Karachi 1956-57
13-135 Waqar Younis Zimbabwe Karachi 1993-94
12-94 Fazal Mahmood India Lucknow 1952-53
12-99 Fazal Mahmood England The Oval 1954
12-100 Fazal Mahmood West Indies Dhaka 1958-59
12-130 Waqar Younis New Zealand Faisalabad 1990-91
12-165 Imran Khan Australia Sydney 1976-77
11-79 Zulfiqar Ahmed New Zealand Karachi 1955-56
11-79 Imran Khan India Karachi 1982-83
11-110 Wasim Akram West Indies Antigua 1999-2000
11-118 Iqbal Qasim Australia Karachi 1979-80
11-119 Waqar Younis Sri Lanka Kandy 1994-95
11-121 Imran Khan West Indies Georgetown 1987-88
11-125 Sarfraz Nawaz Australia Melburne 1978-79
11-130 Intikhab Alam New Zealand Dunedin 1972-73
11-130 Mohammad Zahid New Zealand Rawalpindi 1996-97
11-160 Wasim Akram Australia Melburne 1989-90
11-179 Wasim Akram New Zealand Wellington 1993-94
11-180 Imran Khan India Faisalabad 1982-83
11-190 Sikandar Bakht India New Delhi 1979-80
11-218 Abdul Qadir Australia Faisalabad 1982-83

Notes:

  1. Imran Khan claimed 11 or more wickets on 5 occasions
  2. Fazal Mahmood on 4 occasions
  3. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis on 3 occasions
  4. Abdul Qadir on 2 occasions
  5. Mohammad Zahid achieved the feat on his debut
  6. Pakistan bowlers have claimed 11 or more wickets on 6 occasions against Australia, 5 times against New Zealand, 4 times against India, 3 times against West Indies, twice against England and Sri Lanka and once against Zimbabwe.

Spurs: Chief has interesting Zaniolo claim

Speaking to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), Italian sporting director Matteo Superbi has delivered an interesting prediction regarding reported Tottenham Hotspur target Nicolo Zaniolo. 

The lowdown: Big admirers

This comes following a recent report from Gazetta dello Sport claiming that Spurs are keen on signing the AS Roma attacking midfielder.

Having been left out of a recent Rome derby clash with SS Lazio, the 22-year-old was believed to be weighing up his options ahead of the summer window, apparently left ’embittered’ by Jose Mourinho’s selection decisions in recent months.

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Now, a club chief seems to have shed more light on the possibility of a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The latest: No surprises

Superbi, who is currently the sporting director at Serie C Group B side Virtus Entella, told Calciomercato, as translated by SW, that Spurs could be set to swoop at the end of the season.

The 53-year-old claimed that the nine-cap Italy starlet ‘could be worth €50million (£42million)’ and he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if a major European club stepped in.

Superbi went on to name Tottenham as one of those, alongside Juventus and one of the Manchester outfits.

The verdict: A supreme talent

Market valued at £29.70million and under contract in Italy until 2024 (Transfermarkt), we feel paying the mooted asking price would be a superb piece of business from Fabio Paratici.

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Predominantly an attacking midfielder from central positions, Zaniolo already boasts an impressive 72 direct goal contributions in a fledgeling club career across youth and senior levels, and his versatility would allow Antonio Conte to be flexible in his attacking approach – he has scored goals from five different positions in his career.

Such impact from midfield has even led to comparisons with both Premier League and England icons Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Described as possessing an ‘incredible natural physique’ by Daniele De Rossi, signing Zaniolo in the summer window would certainly add a new type of threat to Conte’s ranks.

In other news: Spurs want to sign EFL starlet in the summer transfer window, find out more here.

Cricket reaches North Korea

On May 2, Taesongsan Park in Pyongyang will be the host venue for the first ever formal cricket matches in North Korea.Two teams from Shanghai and the newly-formed Pyongyang Cricket Club will take part in a triangular Twenty20 tournament with the winners receiving the inaugural DHL Pyongyang Cricket Friendship Cup. This landmark event will take cricket into one of the last countries left where it has neither been played nor witnessed in the hope that it may start one of the most unlikely development programmes the game has ever seen.An trio comprising a Scotsman and South African both living in Shanghai and a North Korean enthusiast from Angola have been the driving force behind an initiative that has been eight months in the planning and which will feature players from ten nations, including one 14-year-old schoolboy.In recent years there has been a rapid expansion of the game in China where the 2010 Asian Games will include cricket for the first time. The Shanghai Cricket Club has played a key role in the game’s expansion in the country.

Kallis impressed by team's calmness

Sachin Tendulkar fell for 99 © Getty Images

Jacques Kallis, the South Africa captain, was proud of the way his side came through a testingrun chase against India at Stormont. He anchored the pursuit with a116-ball 91, but received vital support from Vernon Philander in thematch-winning seventh-wicket stand of 55.”I thought it was a competitive score then once we got a good startthat set the base for us,” he said. “The key here is getting throughthe new ball, the openers played pretty well then we just neededsomeone to bat through and guys to bat around him to get close tothem. Vernon did extremely well there at the end to finish it off.”The chase was shaping up well at 99 for 1, but then Rahul Dravidbrought on his spinners which cut through the middle orderand brought India right back into the contest. “It was the nature ofthe wicket – it just got slower and slower as the innings went on,” Kallis said. “We tried to do the same thing towards the back end of our innings [take the pace off] but certainly the spinners did come into play and bowled pretty well to put the pressure on us.”South Africa made two changes from their win over Ireland on Sundaywith the experienced pair of Andrew Hall and Andre Nel coming into theside. However, it was still a relatively inexperienced side andKallis was full of praise for the way they handled the situationdespite the lack of cricket since the World Cup.”We came in very cold and for the guys to play the type of cricketthey did today was very impressive,” said Kallis who was also delightedwith his Man of the Match form. “It was nice to get some runs andwickets again to carry on the form from the World Cup and hopefullythat will continue for the rest of the week.”After excelling with the ball against Ireland with 4 for 12, Philandershowed a level-head with the bat. When he came in South Africa stillneeded 53, but he calmly partnered Kallis to the final-over win.”To come in and perform the way he has shows big character. He’s doneit back home in domestic cricket, finishing off a lot of games for theCape Cobras and today he did it at the highest level. He’ll gain a lotof confidence and he’s setting himself some high standards tomaintain.”India did well to put up such a strong performance considering thevirus which has been running through their camp for the last few days.They managed to field a strong eleven, but some of the players werestill struggling, and Dravid admitted Kallis’ innings was thedifference.”There were aspects of the game we were quite happy with, not leastthe fact that a lot of the guys were still not 100% right,” saidDravid. “They went out there, tried their best and fought really hard.There were some good performances with bat and ball and it was a closegame.”It was just a little frustrating that having played some good cricketwe couldn’t pip them at the post. Kallis was the wicket we needed butwe just couldn’t get it.”South Africa are going to spend a day playing golf on Wednesday whilethe Indians will, no doubt, be dosing up on the cold and flu remedies.The second match of the series takes place on Friday.

Middlesex routed again

Latest tables

Ben Phillips has his stumps shattered by Alex Wharf, but Northants still beat Glamorgan at Wantage Road© Getty Images

South

Surrey routed their London rivals Middlesex, who have yet to win a match in the competition, by seven wickets at The Oval. Nayan Doshi took 4 for 22 with his left-arm spin before James Benning romped past a target of 116 with 41 balls to spare. A packed house of 23,000 turned out to watch.Essex drew level with Kent at the top of the table after beating them by five wickets at Chelmsford. The wickets were shared between all five bowlers as Kent were restricted to 157, whereupon Ronnie Irani led the chase with 53 from 43 balls.Hampshire successfully defended a meagre target of 112 against Sussex at The Rose Bowl. Dmitri Mascarenhas was their hero, with 4 for 23 to restrict Sussex’s tail. They closed on 97 for 9.Middlesex’s

Midlands/Wales/West

Gloucestershire posted their highest score since the Twenty20 competition began, as Craig Spearman and Chris Taylor led the onslaught against Somerset at Bristol. Spearman made 63 from 32 balls and Taylor 83 from 34 in a total of 227, which proved to be well out of their opponent’s reach, despite a lusty reply from Justin Langer, who top-scored with 49.Glamorgan slumped to a 14-run defeat against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, despite the best efforts of Brendon McCullum, who smacked 40 from 15 balls to keep their pursuit of 174 on course. David Sales and Lance Klusener had already shown the way with the bat for Northants, however, who then held onto all their catches to seal an important win in the top half of the table.Worcestershire finally recorded their first victory of the tournament, and did so in fine style, beating their local rivals Warwickshire by four runs in front of an enthusiastic 15,000 crowd at Edgbaston. Worcestershire batted first and made 186, with Ben Smith’s unbeaten 69 anchoring the performance, and they were always in control thereafter, despite an unbeaten 75 from Jonathan Trott.

North

Nottinghamshire consolidated their lead at the top of the North division thanks to a virtuoso performance from Graeme Swann. He took 3 for 15 to restrict Derbyshire to 128, then led a measured run-chase with 40 from 29 balls. Notts were victors with four balls and seven wickets to spare.Leicestershire look like joining Notts in the next round after seeing off Durham at Grace Road. Their total of 144 for 5 seemed eminently gettable, but Nick Walker destroyed Durham’s response with 3 for 19.A minute’s silence for Fred Trueman inspired Yorkshire to a 15-run win over their Roses rivals, Lancashire at Old Trafford. Batting first, Yorkshire posted 156 for 7, thanks to Anthony McGrath’s 43-ball half-century, but that proved sufficient for victory. Lancashire lost their way after a decent start, with only Mark Chilton passing 30.

Sehwag's day

Close India 278 for 2 (Dravid 28*, Tendulkar 35*)
ScorecardThe story of West Indian cricket abroad over the past seven years is one that induces you to creep under the covers and hide. On this evidence, that rope-thin run will continue a while – as long as the players combine wretched ineptitude with a seemingly lackadaisical approach more suitable for the village green than international cricket.After making some encouraging noises early on, courtesy of Mervyn Dillon and Pedro Collins, they fell away to finish the first day of the series teetering on the edge of a precipice. Virender Sehwag’s scintillating hundred and a double century opening partnership saw their worst nightmares realised and at 278 for 2, India are well and truly in the box seats. If West Indies don’t buck up and soon, the once-mighty will fall a few feet more.Take no credit away from Sehwag though. After a cautious start, he was simply magnificent. The bowlers helped by feeding him a regular diet of deliveries outside off stump, deliveries that were either cut, driven or simply bludgeoned away. Sanjay Bangar took the crease occupation credo a tad too literally at times, but his belligerent 55 was a perfect counterweight to Sehwag’s swashbuckling batting after lunch. And at times – as with a glorious straight six off Ryan Hinds – Bangar showed he could do some hitting of his own.After tea, and with his brief seemingly fulfilled, Bangar went for broke, and India lost their first wicket, with a mere 201 on the board. He flicked at one from Dillon and Ramnaresh Sarwan at square leg took a superb diving catch. It saved the blushes of Cameron Cuffy, who had moments earlier fluffed a steepler running towards mid-off – much to the chagrin of the bowler, a certain Carl Hooper.Sehwag followed suit minutes later, tickling one from Dillon down the legside for Ridley Jacobs to take an outstanding catch (213 for 2). A heaved six off Mahendra Nagamootoo had got him within touching distance of 150 but on this day, he had to settle for 147. On this performance though, there will be many such days.Fifteen years ago against West Indies, India were shot out for 75 on a relaid pitch at the Kotla in Delhi. But when Sourav Ganguly decided to bat first today, there were no such devils in the 22 yards of clay and dirt, and no Courtney Walsh or Patrick Patterson in the opposing eleven either.There was a testing spell from Dillon – notable for the probing off-stump line rather than pace – while Collins hit Sehwag flush on the helmet with a bouncer. The few runs that came in the first hour were the result of edges and deflections to third man, not any decisive strokeplay.Mid-morning though, with Cuffy and Nagamootoo on, Sehwag – tired of the waiting game – flicked an invisible switch that unleashed a barrage of strokes. Cuffy was first to bear the brunt – driven twice backward of point before a gorgeous cover-drive brought the crowd to its feet. Nagamootoo was treated even more disdainfully. A misdirected flipper was helped on to the fine leg fence, in an over that also featured an uppish cover-drive and a flashing square cut.Hooper got himself on and was promptly driven through the covers and with lunch nigh, he tossed the ball back to Collins. Cue a drive down to third man and an exquisite cover-drive that brought up Sehwag’s fifty, and lunch. What followed after that was unpalatable for West Indies players and supporters alike.Fuelled by a power bar or its Indian equivalent, he came out blasting and it was all West Indies could do to take cover. He raced to his hundred from 138 balls, with 19 fours and a six, as runs cascaded in the first hour after lunch. It was imperious stuff, against pace and spin alike. Dillon and Cuffy found the flashing blade bisecting the field whenever they erred a fraction in line or length. Hooper was driven nonchalantly through the covers for two fours, before Nagamootoo saw one disappear high over cover. He did offer one chance, but Dillon could only look away disgusted after Collins left a ferocious slash slip through his hands at deep third man.Nagamootoo’s cup of woe was filled when umpire Asoka de Silva turned down a vociferous appeal for caught behind against Bangar. Just to rub it in, Sehwag then thrashed him through the off side for four. He got to his hundred with a powerful swipe to the midwicket fence off Wavell Hinds and then appeared to lose some momentum as the heat and humidity reached an almost intolerable peak. After half an hour of stodge and slumber though, Ryan Hinds and his part-time left-arm spin were taken to. By the time West Indies trooped in for tea, analgesics may have been laid out next to the cups and saucers.Sehwag’s departure merely paved the way for Mumbai’s favourite son, and Sachin Tendulkar showed enough signs in the evening light to suggest that he intends to be around for the long haul. A splendid cover-drive off Nagamootoo got him going and a flick and a square drive (which got him to 1000 runs for the calendar year) off Cuffy brought with them gestures of obeisance from the stands. A fierce cut off Sarwan late in the day flashed perilously close by slip, but it was one of those days for the visitors. Rahul Dravid was as calm, unflustered and classy as ever – playing two rollicking cut shots – and the portents for the morrow are very dark indeed, if you’re an Indian of the occidental persuasion.Teams
India
1 Sanjay Bangar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Parthiv Patel (wk), 8 Anil Kumble, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Javagal Srinath.West Indies 1 Wavell Hinds, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Carl Hooper (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Ryan Hinds, 7 Ridley Jacobs (wk), 8 Mahendra Nagamootoo, 9 Mervyn Dillon, 10 Pedro Collins, 11 Cameron Cuffy.

Southern Stars go 2-0 up against White Ferns

Australia Women 2 for 153 (Rolton 60*, Jones 40*) beat New Zealand Women 8 for 152 (Lewis 30, Fitzpatrick 3-35) by 8 wickets
ScorecardAustralia shook off a food-poisoning scare to win their second Rose Bowl women’s cricket match against New Zealand by eight wickets here today. The comfortable victory gave the Southern Stars a 2-0 lead in the one-day series, meaning that the White Ferns now had to all four remaining games to take the trophy off the holders.On a slow wicket at Westpac Park, Australia easily chased down New Zealand’s modest 8 for 152, reaching the target in the 39th over. Karen Rolton, who starred with a century in the first game in Auckland last Wednesday, again led the way with a fine 60 not out from 108 balls.The result was all the more impressive given that Leonie Coleman, Southern Stars’ wicketkeeper, and Alex Blackwell, a medium-pace bowler, were struck down with food poisoning the afternoon before the game and had to be replaced. Blackwell was so seriously affected she fainted at the team hotel.Ironically, Blackwell’s identical twin sister Kate Blackwell, who was visiting her sister, was brought in as 12th player. New Zealand’s coach, Mike Shrimpton, said that the White Ferns’s 152 wasn’t enough to make the game competitive.”By and large the senior players, the ones with most experience, haven’t put their hand up and scored in anger really. We need more runs from them. We need 200 runs in order to be competitive and we were obviously 40 to 50 runs short in each game.”New Zealand’s innings started well when openers Rebecca Rolls and Maria Fahey put on 35 in 40 minutes before Rolls was bowled around her legs trying to sweep medium pacer Emma Twining. Emily Drumm looked in great form and hit four fours in her 26 off 39 balls before holing out to mid-wicket off spinner Lisa Sthalekar with the score at 63.It was the turning point of the innings as the rest of the batsmen struggled to score on a slow, low wicket. New Zealand’s captain, Maia Lewis, worked hard for 30 off 70 balls before being yorked by Australian pace bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick. Lewis and Aimee Mason shared the biggest partnership of the innings of 38 in 44 minutes before Mason was run out for 21 from a superb side-on throw by Sthalekar.Fitzpatrick, the destroyer in Auckland, was again effective taking 3 for 35 while Sthalekar flighted the ball beautifully to end with 2 for 20. Rolton then guided Australia to a comfortable win with good support from Melanie Jones who took just 46 balls to compile a classy 40 not out including four fours and a six.The teams meet again on Tuesday here in the third ODI, then fly to Australia on Wednesday for three games at Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart.

Boxing Day in Melbourne (part 1)

Twenty years ago one of the classic Test matches was played at the MCG. David Wiseman takes a look back in this four-part series which backgrounds the MCG, Boxing Day Tests, and the epic of 1982/83.Take a piece of grass. Mark out a 22-yard strip, the old-fashioned English chain, in the middle of it. Place three sticks at both ends of this strip and you already have something. Erect some grandstands and electricity starts to generate.That’s all a cricket ground is and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the grandest cathedral in the cricket world, is no exception. What began in the early 19th century as 10 acres of swamp in Yarra Park became the MCG in March 1856.Twenty-one years later, the MCG was host to cricket’s first Test match. Australia met England in March 1877. For Australia, Charles Bannerman was the hero with the bat, making an unbeaten 165, and Tom Kendall the hero with the ball after taking seven for 55 to bowl Australia to victory by 45 runs. Bannerman’s 165 was 67.35% of Australia’s 245 – surely one of the oldest of all world records in sport which still stands today.A great rivalry between England and Australia was formed, and the MCG came to host many other memorable cricket matches between the two sides.On New Year’s Day 1908, Australia met England at the MCG for the second Test, after Australia had won the first by two wickets in Sydney. A batting line-up stacked with immortal names such as Victor Trumper, Charles Macartney, Clem Hill, Monty Noble and Warwick Armstrong saw Australia bat first and make 269. England responded with 382, including 83 on debut from Jack Hobbs and 126 from Ken Hutchings. Australia was bowled out early on the fifth day for 397, a lead of 281.At stumps on the fifth day, the match was precariously placed with England 4/159. In this era of timeless Tests, the game would be played until a result came.When Armstrong had English wicket-keeper Joe Humphries trapped in front for 16, England required 39 to win with their No 11 and known bunny, Arthur Fielder, joining Syd Barnes at the crease. At the time, Barnes had a batting average of nine with a top score of 26 which he had made in his maiden Test innings.The English pair had scraped and nudged their way to level the scores. With one run needed for victory, a mix-up saw both at the same end. Gerry Hazlitt’s throw missed wicket-keeper Hanson Carter behind the stumps and the duo crossed for the winning single and the most unlikely of victories.For Australia, this was their second one-wicket loss in an Ashes match – the first being in the fifth Test at the Oval in 1902.Barnes was more accustomed to winning Test matches with the ball and not the bat, but striving to win an Ashes Test for his country brought out qualities in Barnes he never knew he had, just like it would bring out heroics in others down the track.The MCG has often been the venue for such heroics: Wilfred Rhodes taking 15/124 in 1904, England successfully chasing 331 in 1928/29 and Bob Cowper’s defiant 307 in 1965/66. And then, of course, there was the 1976/77 Centenary Test!There was no consistency with the scheduling of Tests at the MCG. With four Test venues in Australia, sometimes Sydney and Melbourne would host more than one Test in a summer. The dates moved around.In 1968, a tradition was born with Australia squaring off against the West Indies in the first Boxing Day Test match.After dropping the first Test in Brisbane by 125 runs, Australia bounced back the only way it knew how. Sending the West Indians in, Graham ‘Garth’ McKenzie captured eight for 71 to roll the West Indies for an even 200.After combining for a 217 run partnership in the First Test, Ian Chappell and skipper Bill Lawry put on 298 to bat the West Indies out of the game. Australia was bowled out for 510 late on the third day for a lead of 310, and Gleeson claimed his second five-wicket haul of the series to spin the hosts to an innings victory.Despite the success of this event, the Boxing Day Test wasn’t yet a permanent fixture. The next one was six years later in 1974. The split of World Series Cricket saw it put on the backburner for a number of years.But in the post-WSC era, a remarkable Test between Australia and the West Indies was to enshrine the Boxing Day Test in the Australian sporting landscape…

My hard work has paid off, says Nehra

Ashish Nehra, who was very much the best Indian bowler on the openingday of the first Test against Zimbabwe on Thursday, has said that hisimmediate objective was to cement his place in the Indian squad.Since the tour of Zimbabwe began, skipper Sourav Ganguly and coachJohn Wright have been singing Nehra’s praises. The left-arm fastbowler from Delhi has performed so well on the tour that the thinktank of the Indian team did not think twice about including him in theteam in place of a seasoned campaigner like Ajit Agarkar. And Nehra,who worked steadily to improve his bowling, did not disappoint them.In an interview to a vernacular daily in Kolkata, Nehra has said,"for the last two years, I have worked very hard. Probably I made myinternational debut a bit to early. But then, I realized whatinternational cricket was all about. Since then, I have worked quietlyin Delhi to increase my pace and, at the same time, my length andline. I can definitely say that I am a better bowler than what I wastwo years ago."Nehra attributes his success to coach John Wright saying, "the lasttime that I was at the conditioning camp with Wright at Bangalore, Ilearnt quite a lot. I learnt that in international cricket there wasno scope for error. The coach has given a number of tips which havecome in very handy."Nehra also said that he was determined to put up a good show atZimbabwe. "When I left home, I had only one aim – to work very hardand to fight. I knew that nothing would come easy. I told myself thatI would be better than everyone at the nets. It seems that my hardwork has finally paid off."Nehra is also thankful to Ganguly for his help. "From the first dayof the tour, he has really backed me and inspired me. A bowler, needsthe confidence of his captain. I’ve got that."

Arsenal must unleash Smith Rowe vs Palace

Arsenal can overtake their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and break back into the top four this evening if they secure a win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Gunners’ previous league match saw them secure a 1-0 win against Aston Villa away from home before the recent international break, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side with five victories in their past six league games.

On the chalkboard

One player that should be in the team to face the Eagles on Monday night is midfielder Emile Smith Rowe.

As a product of Arsenal’s youth academy, the youngster racked up 21 goals and eight assists in 54 appearances across the club’s U18 and U23 sides before eventually breaking into the senior team.

With nine goals and two assists to his name in 24 league appearances this season, the Englishman, who is reportedly picking up a weekly wage of £40k-per-week, currently stands alongside Bukayo Saka as the club’s top scorer.

To further highlight the 21-year-old’s attacking talent, with 20 of the 34 shots at goal he’s had being on target, only Manchester United midfielder Fred (60%) has racked up a higher percentage of shots on target than Arsenal’s young star (58.8%) in the Premier League.

His overall performances for the north London side, which have been described as “exceptional” by his manager, have earned him a season rating of 6.89 from WhoScored, making him the sixth highest-rated player in Arteta’s squad.

Labelled as a “difference maker” for the Gunners by former Arsenal figure Mesut Ozil, Smith Rowe certainly has what it takes to make a difference for his side once again this evening in front of goal against Palace.

After all, in the words of Rio Ferdinand, not only does he echo Alexander Hleb, but he’s also “got a Robert Pires vibe” to his play.

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Taking into account how Patrick Vieira’s side have kept three clean sheets in their three previous league games across all competitions against Wolves and Manchester City in the league and Everton in the FA Cup, having such a clinical figure like the England international on the pitch is exactly what Arsenal will need to get three points.

When it comes to putting his starting XI together, Arteta should definitely have Smith Rowe in his mind for tonight’s showdown.

In other news: Arteta now handed huge injury boost ahead of Palace, it’s great news for Arsenal

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