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Crystal Palace are keen on signing Marseille forward Bamba Dieng, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Dieng profiled

Dieng, labelled as an ‘explosive’ talent by Jorge Sampaoli, is 22 years of age and is primarily a centre-forward who can also play on either wing.

The Senegal international is valued at a career-high £9m by Transfermarkt and has scored ten goals for club and country.

He progressed through FC Diambars’ academy in Senegal, which was co-founded by Patrick Vieira in 2003, and it looks as if a move to Selhurst Park could be on the cards.

The Latest: Palace links

According to 90min journalist Graeme Bailey, Palace are one of a number of Premier League sides who are keen on Dieng’s signature.

Everton, Leeds, Newcastle, West Ham and Wolves are also interested alongside the Eagles, as well as sides from Germany and Spain.

The Verdict: Needed?

Vieira could potentially do with Dieng’s services, especially as Jordan Ayew is into the final 12 months of his contract.

He enjoyed a breakthrough season with Marseille in 2021/22, mainly featuring as a centre-forward and from the left, and you’d like to think that his stock could continue to rise over the coming years with plenty of sides keen.

His versatility could also come in handy for Vieira, so it may well be one to watch in the final weeks of the window, especially as Marseille are looking to move the player on.

Liverpool return to action in the Premier League on Saturday in the lunchtime kick-off at Craven Cottage against promoted Fulham, and a new update has emerged from a reliable source regarding an injury problem for the Reds.

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce, Ibrahima Konate will be out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury sustained in the pre-season friendly against Strasbourg last weekend and will not be available for selection against Fulham tomorrow at the very least.

Jurgen Klopp followed up Pearce’s report in his pre-match press conference this morning, giving a little more detail on the player’s injury issues as he said (via Liverpool Echo): “Ibou in a challenge in the game against Strasbourg, what happened there we have to see how long it will take but he’s out for a while.”

Klopp will be gutted

For a team like Liverpool who are expected to be in contention for the Premier League title yet again this season, a good start with a solid team to deploy will always be advantageous in the early stages of the campaign, so Klopp will surely be gutted that Konate will now be out for a while.

The Liverpool manager followed up his assessment of the Frenchman’s injury, with a claim that the Reds would now be unlikely to sell Nat Phillips this summer to cover the 23-year-old’s defender’s absence, following interest from both Fulham and Bournemouth.

When asked about Phillips’ chances of staying at Anfield, Klopp responded (via Liverpool Echo): “Probably. (Konate’s injury) will influence the outgoing transfers, I would say.”

Konate settled in spectacularly well at Liverpool after joining last summer and played a valuable part in the Reds’ challenge for four trophies and victories in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, showcasing his confidence and talent in the Champions League with two goals against Benfica.

Over 11 Premier League performances, the Frenchman made 78.8 touches, 1.5 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game and tallied a 92% pass completion rate in his own half, also winning the majority of his duels (62%) and successfully completing the majority of his dribbles (67%).

Indeed, Joel Matip will likely be the first-choice partner for Virgil van Dijk, with Joe Gomez next in line in Konate’s absence, judging by their respective top-flight minutes in 2021/22.

However, both Matip and Gomez are renowned for having injury issues, so Klopp won’t be taking any chances by keeping Phillips on standby should the worst case scenario present itself again as it did in 2020/21, when Liverpool had almost all of their defenders injured.

There is no doubt that the Reds manager will be disappointed to lose Konate so early in the season, and he will be hoping that the probable centre-back duo of Matip and Van Dijk can comfortably hold their own when their league season gets underway at Craven Cottage this weekend.

Crystal Palace have been heavily linked with Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White in recent weeks, although the likes of Everton, Southampton and Nottingham Forest are also said to be keen.

What’s the word?

The Old Gold have reportedly put a £30m price tag on the 22-year-old midfielder, who is being tipped to star in the Premier League next season after a superb spell on loan with Sheffield United in the Championship.

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke shared his thoughts on Gibbs-White’s future.

He said: “I think his form at Sheffield United showed just how much potential the player has and he has attracted interest from a number of other Premier League clubs.

“I think Everton, Southampton and Nottingham Forest, so it’s going to be a real battle for his signature and it might take a big money offer for Palace to get him and we could end up seeing them breaking their transfer record.”

Is Gibbs-White worth the fee?

Although he is yet to make much of an impression for Wolves’ first team, contributing just three goals and one assist in 86 appearances for the Old Gold, his performances last season suggest that he is more than ready for the Premier League.

The young midfielder was named Sheffield United’s player of the season as they lost in the playoffs, with his 12 goals and ten assists a big factor behind their impressive season.

Palace last broke their transfer record when they signed Christian Benteke from Liverpool in 2016 for £27m, and while he has undoubtedly been a valuable player over the years, the Eagles might be hoping that Gibbs-White proves to be a better investment.

Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp was full of praise for the midfielder last season, saying:

“I think he will play in the Premier League.

“He’s got so much quality. I love playing with him, he creates a lot for me. He’s disappointed tonight, feels he should have had more goals, but his goal is incredible.”

Therefore, Palace fans will be hoping that Gibbs-White does make the move to Selhurst Park this summer and lives up to his potentially record-breaking transfer fee.

AND, in other news: After Doucoure: CPFC have “interest” in signing a “great talent”, Vieira will love him

Manchester United are progressing quickly in finalising a deal for Feyenoord’s full-back Tyrell Malacia.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who had the following to say on Twitter: “Tyrell Malacia agents are in direct contact with Manchester United to discuss personal terms. Proposal has been sent, after today’s exclusive update on OL [Lyon] deal hijacked.”

He went on to note the fee, stating that there is “Key hours ahead after full agreement between Man Utd and Feyenoord for €15m plus €2m add ons.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Manchester United’s search for a new left-back could be over, as Erik ten Hag appears to be closing in on his compatriot.

This could spell danger for the underperforming duo of Luke Shaw and Alex Telles, as the Netherlands international has enjoyed a fine personal season.

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He boasts an average SofaScore rating of 7.09, which comfortably beats the 6.88 for Shaw and 6.98 for Telles. This consistent high-performance level and added reliability could be the reason for Ten Hag wanting to revamp this terrible United squad.

Statistically, this is the worst Red Devils outfit of all time, and these two full-backs played their part in equal measure as neither seemed to be able to nail down the starting spot.

It is therefore unsurprising that the 22-year-old who offered five goal contributions in a third-placed Feyenoord side is so desired at Old Trafford.

Conversely, if you combined the attacking output of both United left-backs, they would still only have contributed towards seven goals in the league, just two more than Malacia.

To combine this input into one solid performer, and hopefully recoup a fee on either one of these duds could be in the minds of the United hierarchy.

Earlier this summer, when Ten Hag had played down talks of a move for the defender whilst at Ajax. In a press conference, he stated “We do think he is a good player, yes”, showing how he has held an interest for some time now.

Having disappointed for so long, the new boss will want to gut this terrible squad and add some reliability in players he trusts, rather than the ones that have let down so many managers before him.

This action marks a change in transfer strategy, that does not discriminate and only wants the best to be playing at Old Trafford. Surely this should excite supporters.

AND, in other news: Ten Hag eyeing Man United swoop for “excellent” £50m sensation, imagine him & Bruno.

Having ceded their Scottish Premiership crown to their Old Firm rivals last term, Rangers are seemingly plotting ways to hit back next season, with their summer transfer activity set to prove vital if the Ibrox side are to return to the summit.

At present, however, much of the focus has been on outgoings for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and co, with one notable departure thus far having been that of striker Cedric Itten, with the Switzerland ace having joined BSC Young Boys on a permanent deal.

His exit – as well as the contract uncertainty surrounding talisman Alfredo Morelos – has left manager van Bronckhorst desperately short of options in attack, with additional centre-forward reinforcements needed before the start of next season.

One figure who has emerged as a potential solution to that striking problem is Sunderland hotshot Ross Stewart, with Northern Echo journalist Scott Wilson revealing that the 25-year-old is the Gers’ “number one option” to replace Morelos, should the Colombian depart.

The belief is that the recent League One play-off final winners will attempt to offer the Scotsman a new deal to stay at the Stadium of Light, although he could no doubt be tempted by the prospect of European football at Ibrox, with the player potentially available for around £5m.

The Irvine-born marksman has emerged as a top target following his sparkling form for Alex Neil’s side in the 2021/22 campaign, with the former Ross County man – who moved south of the border in January 2021 – having netted 26 goals and provided three assists in 49 appearances.

That stunning form has also caught the attention of national team boss Steve Clarke, with the £450k-rated forward handed his first international call-up in March, before making his debut in the recent Nations League win over Armenia.

Undoubtedly a player on the up, it is no real surprise that he has caught the eye of those back in Glasgow, with the hope being that he can replicate the success of another Scot who traded the Black Cats for Rangers – Ally McCoist.

The much-loved pundit/commentator had endured a disappointing two-year stint with the northeast side before joining the Old Firm giants in 1983, going on to become a certified club legend after scoring a mammoth 355 goals in 581 games over the next 15 years, with that tally unsurprisingly a club record.

A winner of ten league titles during his time with the club – playing his part in that remarkable nine-in-a-row sequence in the late 80’s and early 90’s – there have been few players who have enjoyed better times in the famous blue jersey.

Such feats are undoubtedly too great to replicate, although Stewart has shown signs in the most recent campaign that he can be a prolific presence in front of goal, with his “superb” form – as per the aforementioned Wilson – seemingly warranting all the fuss, while his prior knowledge of the SPL could also prove useful.

Who knows, he could be the next McCoist in the making…

AND in other news, “Rangers will…”: Jordan Campbell drops big transfer update, supporters will be livid…

Yosuke Ideguchi could end up being Celtic’s long-term answer to Parkhead legend Scott Brown in midfield, according to former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Ideguchi’s injury problems

The 25-year-old made the move to Glasgow during the January transfer window but struggled to play a key role in the Hoops’ Premiership title win.

Ideguchi’s progress has been halted by injury problems, meaning that he failed to make a single start in the league and has been limited to just 134 minutes of action across six appearances for the club in all competitions thus far.

The hope is that the Japan international becomes a key player moving forward, and there is one man who believes that will certainly be the case.

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The Latest: Ideguchi backed to be Brown’s successor

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie has backed Ideguchi to end up being the ideal replacement for Brown at Celtic in terms of his style of play in the middle of the park. The 62-year-old claimed:

“I have been saying this for a while, Celtic are missing Scott Brown. He was the catalyst in that midfield for so long. He dictated everything that went through there.

“I just wonder if Ideguchi could be that guy. He has barely played really, we don’t know what kind of player he is. Maybe he is that kind of perfect player we need. Next season will be a big one for him because the jury is still out.

“Rogic and Bitton are going so there will be a chance for him and we know he wouldn’t have come if the manager didn’t rate him. He has been so unlucky with that injury so hopefully we see a bit more of him in pre-season.”

The Verdict: One to watch

Ideguchi has become something of a forgotten man at Parkhead because of others excelling during Celtic’s title triumph, but he could yet become a formidable player in his own right.

Ange Postecoglou has described the midfielder as the ‘hardest worker’ at the club, and that is something for which the legendary long-time captain Brown was famed during his time with the Hoops.

With Tom Rogic leaving this summer, a gap will open up in Celtic’s midfield, and a strong pre-season and return to full fitness could yet see Ideguchi fill that void.

Having averaged 2.3 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 2.7 successful duels per game in his final season in the J-League last year (Sofascore), the evidence is there to suggest that the 25-year-old could be the industrious Brown-like presence in the Hoops’ engine room over the coming months and years.

In other news, Celtic are reportedly eyeing up a move for one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Liverpool midfielder Fabinho is expected to win his battle to be fit for the Champions League final, The Daily Mirror’s David Maddock reports. 

The lowdown

Fabinho was forced off half an hour into Liverpool’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday night with an apparent hamstring injury.

It’s since been confirmed that the 28-year-old will miss Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea, as well as the Reds’ remaining league games against Southampton and Wolves.

That means that the no. 3 faces a race to be fit for the meeting with Real Madrid in Paris at the end of the month.

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The latest

Maddock, northern football correspondent for the paper, shared the ‘big news’ on Fabinho on Thursday evening.

The Brazilian ‘should be fit for the Champions League final’, he wrote, news which has now been confirmed by Jurgen Klopp himself.

The verdict

This would be a significant boost for Klopp and Liverpool. Fabinho is typically one of the first names on the team-sheet, starting 26 of the 30 Premier League games for which he’s been available.

What’s more, Klopp has previously hailed him as ‘the best’ defensive midfielder on the planet.

And with Fabinho on the pitch, Liverpool are outscoring the opposition by an average of 1.7 goals per 90 minutes.

Injury played a part last time Liverpool faced Real Madrid in the UCL showpiece, with top goalscorer Mohamed Salah forced off in the first half, and they won’t want it to be a factor this time around.

In other news, there’s been a ‘major development’ in the Aurelien Tchouameni race. 

An opening day that was theirs to claim came crashing down as they slipped from 78 for 1 to 84 for 4

Alagappan Muthu01-Nov-2024India might somewhat justifiably believe that their struggles during this series against New Zealand were the result of circumstances coming together. The rain in Bengaluru. The toss in Pune. But the chaos in Mumbai is less easy to wish away.They were on top, picking up seven wickets for 76 runs to limit the opposition to 235, and responding to that with 78 for 1 in 17 overs on a pitch where first-innings runs will be incredibly important. Until 4.47pm on Friday, everything was going according to plan. And then, in the next five minutes, it all fell apart. Three wickets in eight legal balls, and a day that was theirs to claim was back in the balance.Related

Ajaz triggers late India slide after Jadeja keeps New Zealand to 235

The Indian players in the dressing room could only look on in horror. A set batter falling to a reverse sweep with stumps approaching. A nightwatcher dismissed first ball and using up a review. A world-beater run-out going for a quick single. Morne Morkel had his head in his hands. Ravindra Jadeja didn’t have the time to react even that much.”Everything happened in ten minutes,” Jadeja said at the end of the first day’s play in Mumbai. “But it happens. It’s a team game. You cannot blame one person. Everyone makes mistakes. The next batters will have to stitch some partnership and try to get [the score] beyond 230. Only then the second innings will come into play. So it will be better if the incoming batters contribute.”New Zealand have done what few others have been able to, and hang on until the moment where the balance can shift. They showed it in Bengaluru in their first innings when Tim Southee and Rachin Ravindra added vital lower-order runs. They showed it in Pune when they toppled India from 50 for 1 to 156 all out. And they’ve shown it again, here, breaking a 53-run stand between Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal with 13 minutes to go to stumps and then topping that with the direct-hit run-out of Virat Kohli.Ajaz Patel struck twice in two balls•BCCI”You want to keep taking wickets,” Daryl Mitchell, who top-scored for New Zealand with 82, said. “It’s always nice. Look, it’s the nature of the surface and playing Test cricket over here, the ebbs and flows happen throughout the day and happy with how we hung in there while they were building a partnership, and when you get one you hopefully can get two and three.”And thats our motto, its just keep giving to the team, the way Rachin and some of the other guys chased the ball right to the boundary, that’s the stuff we always pride ourselves on. It means everyone is engaged, everyone is giving to the team, so that if we get one, hopefully we get another and its nice that it paid off tonight.”Kohli was fully kitted up when the second wicket fell, but Mohammed Siraj came out to bat instead. The nightwatcher fell first ball and burned a review trying to survive. Kohli then came in but he took on Matt Henry’s arm at mid-on and lost. Rishabh Pant came out. It was a good thing no more wickets fell because the next man in, Sarfaraz Khan, wasn’t in his whites.India have already lost this series, and are looking to avoid their first-ever home whitewash in a series of three or more Tests. They’ve been reminded of these things everywhere they’ve turned. Was their plunge into this possibly avoidable situation a sign of a team buckling under pressure? Jadeja didn’t think so.”Only the individual can tell what’s going through in his mind,” he said. “But if you are behind in the series, and such a situation comes, it feels you panicked because you are 2-0 down and committed an error. But if you are 2-0 up and the same thing happens, everyone says it happens. But if you are behind in the series, even the small things look big. Our top order has made mistakes, so the next six batters need to go close to or beyond 230. If we bat well in the first innings, things will be easier in the second.”

Skipping IPL 2023 gives him the opportunity to play county cricket and push for a Test recall

Matt Roller19-Dec-2022When the longlist of players who had entered next week’s IPL auction was first circulated around franchises at the start of the month, Chris Woakes’ name was a surprise omission.Woakes has played for three different teams in his three IPL seasons – Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017, Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018 and Delhi Capitals in 2021 – and would almost certainly have found a suitor on December 23. While he might not have sparked the scale of bidding war expected for his England team-mates Ben Stokes and Sam Curran, the demand for seam-bowling allrounders is always high at mini-auctions.But after missing the whole of the 2022 summer with injury and watching the transformation of England’s Test team under Stokes and Brendon McCullum from afar, Woakes explained that he will instead spend April and May trying to force his way into Ashes contention through performances for Warwickshire in the County Championship.”It wasn’t an easy decision, by any means,” Woakes told ESPNcricinfo. “There’s still a part of me that wishes I could go because the IPL is a great tournament and financially it could be very rewarding – but I didn’t want to make the decision solely on finance. It’s a tricky scenario: having just won a World Cup, potentially stock could be high. There are obviously some other players who are likely to go big but I could have been next on the list behind them.”I had conversations with a lot of people and some with franchises as well, who sounded keen, which made it harder to pull out. But having not played any cricket in the English summer last year, it’s a good opportunity for me to set myself up for, hopefully, a really strong summer with England.”It’s an Ashes year and I haven’t played much red-ball cricket. I need to suggest to people and remind people that I can play red-ball cricket and get through it – both from a fitness point of view, but also to show what I can do to try and have a go at being part of the Ashes.”Related

• Knee surgery leaves Woakes in race to be fit for T20 World Cup

• Curran, Stokes and Green to be in second set at IPL 2023 auction

• Green gung-ho about IPL despite Warner's warning

• Root puts name forward for IPL auction after lengthy T20 absence

• Stokes to Green – six players who could fetch big money at the IPL auction

Woakes spoke to Rob Key, England’s managing director, during the T20I tour to Pakistan in September, who reassured him that he was still seen as an all-format player. “He was very clear that I was still a part of the Test plans,” Woakes recalled, “but obviously I needed to get myself fit, and get my knee right.”Having taken the new ball during England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign, he was then left out of the squad for the ongoing Test series but is at peace with his omission. “At that moment, the World Cup was the priority,” Woakes said, “and we needed guys going to Pakistan that had fitness behind them, or that bowl a touch quicker. My success in the subcontinent with a red ball has been quite limited, so I feel like it made sense.”With two young daughters at home, he has been awake early in the morning watching the series on TV. “To go 2-0 up in Pakistan is an incredible effort. They’re such hard surfaces to force results on, so to do it in the fashion that they have has been amazing. Credit should go to Ben’s captaincy and the way the bowlers have bowled as well: you can score as many runs as you want to but unless you can take 20 wickets, you don’t win Test matches. It’s been great to watch and I’d really love to be a part of it.”Woakes made his Test debut in the final match of England’s Ashes win in 2013 but missed their 2015 victory through injury and has been part of one drawn series and two defeats in Australia in the years since. As a result, he is desperate to have a crack at them next summer. While his stock fell slightly after a difficult 2021-22 winter – he took 11 wickets at 52.36 across England’s Australia and Caribbean tours – he remains a formidable bowler in English conditions, with a career average of 22.63 in home Tests.”Winning an Ashes series where you play a really strong part would be extremely rewarding”•Getty Images”Winning an Ashes series where you play a really strong part would be extremely rewarding. It’s something that I probably would like to tick off,” Woakes said. “The 2019 series was a tight one with some amazing games to be part of, but there’s nothing like winning an Ashes series. Fingers crossed, that’s something we, as an England team, can do in the summer.”Skipping the IPL will give him the opportunity to play for his county, Warwickshire, in the early months of the Championship season. A combination of England commitments and injuries has heavily restricted his availability in recent years: he played a crucial walk-on role in their 2021 title win, but has only made five appearances for them across formats in the last three seasons.”The IPL is hard to turn down because the best players go there, it’s financially rewarding and it’s been brilliant for my career,” Woakes said, “but the trade-off is that opportunity to play for Warwickshire, which I’ve always loved doing. It’s tricky as an international player, particularly with the current schedule, and more so as a bowler: you don’t get the opportunity to come back and play much for your county.”I don’t blame members and fans for giving myself and many other players a bit of stick for not playing for their counties enough, but the schedule means it is just so hard to do now. I love playing for Warwickshire and I’d love to play more, it’s just almost impossible. It’ll be a good time to put the Bear back on and hopefully put in some early performances and get myself in the reckoning for the Ashes.”His involvement in the inaugural ILT20, where he has a contract with Sharjah Warriors, means that the financial blow of missing the IPL will be less severe than it might otherwise have been and illustrates that he has plenty of attractive offers coming his way from the franchise world.But Woakes insisted that, at 33, he has no intention to give up red-ball cricket any time soon and that his knee – which kept him out of seven Tests and 15 white-ball internationals in the summer – feels “a lot better than it was” after surgery in August left him in a race against the clock to be fit for the World Cup.Woakes took the new ball at the T20 World Cup•Alex Davidson/Getty Images”That time might come, but while I’m still capable and still available for selection, my appetite for Test cricket is still really high,” he said. “With the age I am, as a fast bowler, you can easily get sucked into being pigeon-holed as being close to the end, almost. You’ve seen with Stuart [Broad] and Jimmy [Anderson] – and I know they don’t play white-ball cricket – that we try and keep ourselves as fit as we possibly can and there’s no reason why you can’t play until you are a lot older nowadays.”I’ll try and play as long as I possibly can. I certainly don’t want to hang on. That decision might be made for me and if that’s the case, I might be a white-ball specialist one day, but whilst I can and whilst I’m enjoying it, I’ll try and be that three-format cricketer for as long as I possibly can.”Woakes looks set to travel to South Africa for England’s ODIs in late January, and is yet to discuss with the team’s management whether he will travel to New Zealand for the Test series or Bangladesh for the white-ball tour in February-March, with the short turnaround between the two tours likely requiring England to pick completely separate squads.But for now, Woakes has the rare chance to spend the Christmas period at home with friends and family. “It’s been nice to spend a bit of time decompressing, letting it all sink in after the T20 World Cup. My two young girls have been keeping me busy: my eldest daughter is four-and-a-half and my youngest has just turned two. Especially having missed last Christmas, to have a whole December at home will be really nice.”

Not too long ago, he wasn’t considered to be T20 material. On Tuesday, he blitzed his way to deliver Pakistan’s first win on tour

Danyal Rasool22-Dec-2020It’s been a complicated few days for Mohammad Rizwan. After being named the best player of the Test series over in England in the summer, he was catapulted to levels of prominence that seemed unlikely to come his way while he served as understudy to Pakistan’s then all-format captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.He was named vice-captain of the Test side only last month, but with Babar Azam ruled out of the first Test, he is set to lead a side he has only played for nine times out in the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand. Only Javed Burki in the 1960s has played fewer Tests before being elevated to the captaincy. Rizwan’s stock has never been higher.Oddly, though entirely fittingly in the bizarre world of Pakistan cricket, the levels of criticism he endured were never fiercer either. You see, Azam’s absence in the T20Is meant someone had to do a fairly straightforward job – replacing the world’s number two T20I batsman at the top of that Pakistan order. And who did they entrust? Of course Rizwan, sent on that hiding to nothing.Having struggled to get going in the first two T20Is, he was singled out for Pakistan’s lacklustre performances, with his selection forensically scrutinised. There were calls for Sarfaraz to replace him in the side – though Sarfaraz would never have opened the innings, so that problem still remained. Either way, Rizwan walked out on Tuesday with a target on his back – and not just from the opposition.Things didn’t look much better when he struggled for fluency in the Powerplay, unable either to get his shots away or get the more belligerent Haider Ali on strike – the 20-year old faced just nine balls in the first five overs. When he did bring up his half-century off 40 balls, he had picked up the pace, but the asking rate kept mounting.Rizwan powered Pakistan’s chase with 89 off 59•AFP/Getty ImagesRizwan, however, is a patient man. He had spent two years out of the side, often not even deemed necessary to be part of the travelling contingent as the second-choice wicketkeeper, given how nailed on Sarfaraz was as captain. Some might have complained – Pakistan cricketers are not especially famous for taking prolonged exclusions in good grace. Rizwan kept his head down and trusted the process, and that, it appeared, is what he was doing for the first half of the chase.With the asking rate hovering above ten and Hafeez – the likeliest to win this match for Pakistan given his sparkling 2020 – gone, it is worth reminding oneself this is very much not Rizwan’s game. A man who wasn’t even trusted by his PSL franchise, the Karachi Kings, to so much as play for them had been was being asked to open the innings for Pakistan in New Zealand, negotiate Boult, Southee and Jamieson in the Powerplay while keeping the asking rate down, and finish off by blitzing said good bowlers at the death.Check, check, check. Half an hour later, Rizwan would walk off the Napier field having just played a T20 knock for the ages. In one of Pakistan’s finest away chases, he took just 18 balls to score his final 38 runs, all the while negotiating a steady trickle of Pakistan wickets from the other end that threatened to make things interesting again. He was unfortunate not to hit the winning runs, but it’s unlikely Iftikhar Ahmed would have had the confidence, or the opportunity, to finish things off with such aplomb had it not been for Rizwan’s unlikely, analytics-defying knock.It doesn’t take long to chip away at a player’s confidence, and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq was particularly cognizant of that in the post-match presser. “It’s always very encouraging to see Rizwan respond like that just after finding out he will be the Test captain. We know that in these conditions, that series is going to test us. But Rizwan’s own confidence will go a long way to helping the Pakistan team in the Tests.”I think it was a tough series for us in terms of preparation, the way we got only six days to prepare for such competitive cricket. It was a bit tough on the guys, but the responded well and tried their level best. We finally got a much needed win today. I’m happy with Rizwan’s performance, who was under pressure from the previous two games today. “Very pleased with this performance, and hopefully he, and all of us, can take this confidence into the Test series. It’s a great morale boost for him to be the one that gets these runs, setting an example for the team now that he’s captain.”This was a team Rizwan wasn’t a part of for several years, one that, had most had their way, he might not have been a part of even today. Perhaps there’s a case to be made this performance will end up as more an outlier than anything suggestive of a fresh trend for Rizwan’s T20I career, and time will certainly tell. But you might excuse Rizwan for not being too fussed about that one just yet. The statistics may not support him, but as Rizwan prepares to take charge of a Pakistan Test side, he may feel he has little use for likelihoods and probabilities.