Ah, the elusive striker. It’s something Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have been having nightmares about throughout the entirety of 2025.

The Gunners came into this year in desperate need of a new centre-forward to lead the line. That requirement was only heightened when Gabriel Jesus sustained an ACL injury back in January in the FA Cup.

The winter window went by without an addition to the attacking ranks. Lo and behold, Kai Havertz suffered a hamstring in early February, meaning Arteta’s side were in bother.

Leandro Trossard was something of a solution and while the Belgian has come good in 2025/26, he was not the remedy that Arsenal struck gold with. Mikel Merino was.

The Spaniard has had a remarkable 2025. He’s been one of their players of the year and he deserves all of the accolades he’s getting.

At Dortmund, he was used as a makeshift centre-half at times, but Arteta has turned him into a genuine elite number 9. As of Christmas, Merino had registered 30 goal involvements for club and country.

It’s safe to say he’s enjoyed a far better year than a certain Viktor Gyokeres.

Why Viktor Gyokeres has struggled at Arsenal

Arsenal may well have failed to sign a striker last January but they made sure they didn’t repeat that back in the summer transfer window.

The likes of Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko were targeted but spearheaded by Andrea Berta, the Gunners landed upon Gyokeres instead.

On paper, he looked like a solid signing. Arsenal were paying £63.5m for a striker who scored 54 goals in 52 matches last season. It looked like a bargain considering Liverpool signed Alexander Isak for £125m and Nick Woltemade transferred to Newcastle for £69m.

On reflection, however, it feels as though Arsenal may well wasted a bit of cash on the Swedish striker. Why? Well, he’s been a tad underwhelming so far.

What Arteta was in dire need of as they approached the ongoing campaign was goals. Gyokeres was brought to supply that but heading into Christmas, he has only found the net seven times in the famous red and white.

An injury in November did disrupt his progress at a cruel time, however. The former Sporting man had scored against Burnley and appeared to finally be finding his feet in north London. He was forced to come off at half-time and his form since returning from injury has been incredibly poor.

Gyokeres managed a combined touch count of 38 across games with Aston Villa, Club Brugge and Wolves. He also only managed to complete 12 passes throughout those matches.

Now, of course, you don’t need to touch the ball a million times to score a goal. Erling Haaland is evidence of that. Sadly, Arsenal’s own striker isn’t scoring at the same rate as the Norwegian.

He looks frenetic in front of goal and struggles to create goal-scoring opportunities for himself. Arsenal are stuck trying to provide solely for him.

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With Merino up top, he brings others into play and you get a much vaster array of qualities from your striker. Perhaps more worrying, though, is that Jesus has looked more lively and more likely to score in his few cameos since returning from his ACL injury.

That has been the warning sign that’s really sparked fear among supporters. Gyokeres may not be the man who will fire them to the title.

How they must wish they had a former Hale Ender in their ranks.

Hale Ender outperforming Gyokeres after leaving Arsenal

It’s safe to say that Arsenal have produced plenty of incredibly attacking talents from Hale End in the last few years.

Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe stand proud as two talents to have made Arteta’s formative years as a manager easier.

However, we’ve also seen the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman break through. Elsewhere, AS Monaco forwards Mika Biereth and Folarin Balogun have earned their stripes on the continent having decided to flee English football.

The same can be said of a certain Harry Kane. His story has been a remarkable one. From being rejected and spat out of the Arsenal youth system as a boy, he went around the houses to fulfil a number of loans in the EFL before becoming England and Tottenham Hotspur’s record goalscorer. He is now widely known as one of the best centre-forwards in world football.

So, let’s start at the beginning. A boyhood Gooner, how did it come to pass that Kane left Arsenal behind?

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Detailing the events of 20 years ago, Liam Brady once revealed that Kane left for a simple reason: “He was a bit chubby, he wasn’t very athletic.” Brady then admitted: “We made a mistake.”

Harry Kane record @ senior level

Team

Games

Goals

Spurs

435

280

Bayern

121

115

England

112

78

Millwall

27

9

Orient

18

5

Leicester

15

2

Norwich

5

0

In an alternative reality, Kane has enjoyed an incredible career with Arsenal. Sadly, that was not how it transpired for those involved.

It was at their fierce rivals, Spurs, where he became a global hit. He netted 280 goals in 435 games for the Lilywhites, cementing himself as one of the best players we’ve ever seen in this country. At international level, he is an icon and should the Three Lions win the World Cup next summer, he will surely rubber-stamp his legacy as the best player to ever pull on the England shirt.

Gyokeres, the scorer of 50-plus goals last term, did beat Kane to the Gerd Muller Trophy for Europe’s best goalscorer in 2024/25, but the latter has proven during the current season that he is the continent’s best. He’s certainly streets ahead of Arsenal’s new number 14.

While the Swedish powerhouse has only scored six, Kane has been in red-hot form. The 32-year-old may be approaching the latter stages of his career but he is in the form of his life having scored a jaw-dropping 30 goals in 25 outings for Bayern Munich this season.

Following an £86m move from Spurs a few years ago, he has been worth every penny as he continues to cement himself as the best striker in the game. Not even Haaland can match Kane’s numbers this season.

If only Arteta could call upon a striker of their calibre. The title would surely be guaranteed to head in the direction of the Emirates.

Related Arsenal can revive Gyokeres by signing "the best winger in the country"

The international game-changer could be just the player Arsenal needs to get Gyokeres firing.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes

According to Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport, via Tuttomercatoweb, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino wants to sign Sevilla defensive midfielder Steven Nzonzi to replace the outgoing Mousa Dembele.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Corriere dello Sport, via Tuttomercatoweb, says that Dembele could be on his way to Inter Milan – although the Belgium international is also interesting clubs in the Chinese Super League – and that Pochettino has instructed Daniel Levy to bring Nzonzi to north London as his replacement.

Sport Witness report that the France international has a release clause of €40m in his contract with the La Liga side, and there is no doubt that he has become a really key player for them since joining from Stoke City in 2015.

Should Dembele go and he arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he would be competing with the likes of Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier for a spot in the centre of the park.

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Would he be a good signing for Tottenham?

Given he turns 30 years of age at the end of 2018, he certainly wouldn’t have the usual profile of a Spurs signing, which perhaps suggests that Pochettino is looking for results now rather than players who have the potential to make more of a difference in the future.

That said, despite his impressive performances for Sevilla in recent years you do wonder whether he would be able to replicate those showings and be as dominant and influential again in the more physical Premier League, even if he has played in it previously.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Pochettino, who must look to hijack Everton’s bid to sign a highly-rated Barcelona ace, has brought in a lot of quality players during his time at the helm of Tottenham, however he has also endured a fair few disaster additions too with names like Clinton Njie, Moussa Sissoko and Roberto Soldado among others, and Nzonzi would be the next in line to join those names if he did sign.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”269864″ player=”12034″ title=”England v Sweden Five previous encounters”]

A superb spell of off spin bowling by Amol Jichkar (3 for 16) late inthe day saw Vidharba Cricket Association record a 24 run victory overBPL sports club in the Moin Ud Dowla Gold Cup Tournament at the NFCground in Hyderabad on Thursday.Set to score 164 for a win BPL started rather badly losing opener VVinay Kumar (1) in the second over when C Atram trapped the former infront of the stumps. The other opener Dinesh (1) also did not lastlong and in the fourth over of the innings Atram trapped him in muchthe same way as his partner. The BPL captain Yere Goud (19) along withNitin Mulke seemed to be taking his team on the right path before Goudran himself out with his team score on 32.Mulke then kept the battle going and forged a 50 run fourth wicketpartnership along with SR Deepu (15) in 13.3 overs. Then with thescore at 92, Mulke himself departed after a well compiled 46 off 77balls which included four hits to the fence. The new bat Shashi (0)did not last long and with only a run added to the score he departed.At the fall of the sixth wicket at 107 in the 38th over, Vidharbaskipper Manish Dosi brought Jichkar into the attack and the right armspinner responded well. Jichkar gave three vital blows dismissing SShinde (16), Shadab Jakathi (5) and the BPL stumper Prasanna (2).Though the last wicket pair of Sandeep Hebbar (12 not out) and SyedNooruddin (12) added 23 runs BPL were left stranded at 139 in 45.3overs.Earlier, Put into bat, Vidharba Cricket Association managed to put up163 for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 50 overs. Vidharbastarted with a minor hiccup losing opener Adwait Manohar (0) in thesecond over due to a mix-up which resulted in Adwait failing to reachhis crease. Mohd Sabir(7), who replaced Adwait, lasted just 21 minutesin the center before Hebbar shattered his defences.The 12th over saw the departure of Amit Deshpande (17) and three ballslater Ulhas Gandhe (0) gave a simple chance to the wicketkeeperPrasanna off the bowling of Hebbar. This brought in captain Dosi (34)and in the company Parimal Hedaoo (26) took the score on to 74. ThenDosi was joined by C Atram and the two added 44 runs for the sixthwicket in 12.5 overs. It was now left to Atram to hold the fort forVidharba. Though he kept losing partners he took the score on to 163before the overs ran out.

2015August 24
Ugra – The emotional final lap of a 15-year journey
News – Sangakkara’s farewell speech
News – ‘Kumar and Mahela were driven by healthy rivalry’ – Moody
Press conference – ‘When the Indian players shook hands it hit me’ – Sangakkara
Yehali Sangakkara interview – Five-page letters and the Sanga steakAugust 23
Fernando – What’s a final fizzle against a career of fireworks?
August 20
Rahul Dravid – ‘There was not a lot you could throw at him’
Numbers Game – A colossus who ticked all boxes
August 19
Fernando: Sangakkara, putting runs where his mouth once was
Nicholas – Made in Sri Lanka, adaptable everywhere
Ten best innings – Hobart heroics, Durban dominance and a never-ending partnership
Chopra – Sangakkara: a mix of modern and orthodox
Video – ‘There are two sides to Sangakkara’August 18
Gallery – A shaky start, a strong finish
Arnold – ‘Kumar wanted to be involved in everything’
Naqvi – What Sanga means to me
Tributes – ‘Would pick Sangakkara to bat for my life’
Interview – ‘He’s the worst reverse-sweeper I’ve ever seen’ – Jayawardene
Tributes – ‘Hope it’s not the end of Sangakkara’s contributions to cricket’
August 17
News – ‘Kumar the most professional cricketer I have seen’ – FarbraceAugust 12
Poll – Sangakkara voted as Sri Lanka’s bestAugust 11
News – Aggression never about verbals or sledging – Sangakkara
Video – Galle prepares to bid Sangakkara farewell
News – Being relieved of keeping was the best thing – Sangakkara
August 3
Fernando – The cult of Sanga
June 27
News – No sense in extending my career for a year – SangakkaraJune 27
News – Sangakkara confirms international retirement

ScorecardJoyraz Sheik struck six fours and two sixes in his 90•WICB

A 106-ball 90 from Joyraz Sheik and a four-for from captain Mehedi Hasan gave Bangladesh Under-19s a close 22-run win against South Africa Under-19s in Durban. Chasing 267, South Africa needed 26 to win off the last two overs with three wickets remaining, but Mehedi’s double-strike in the 49th over, including the wicket of the set batsman Dayyaan Galiem, effectively closed out the game giving Bangladesh a 5-2 series victory.South Africa began their chase losing opener Matthew Breetzke in the first over and No. 3 batsman Rivaldo Moonsammy 22 runs later. However, Liam Smith’s 89 looked to bring the chase back on track and he shared in partnerships worth 47 and 56 for the third and fourth wickets. He was the fifth batsman to be dismissed, with the score at 159 in the 39th over with South Africa needing 108 in a little over 11 overs. South Africa lost a few more wickets before Galiem(65) with the help of Sean Whitehead (24) shared in a 52-run partnership for the eighth wicket to bring the equation down to 32 off the last three overs. Mohammad Saifuddin conceded just six off his penultimate over before Mehedi capitalised on that pressure with two wickets.Earlier, the Bangladesh openers – Saif Hassan (45) and Pinak Ghosh(31) – got off to a good start after choosing to bat. The pair added 63 before Ghosh was caught off the bowling of Wiaan Mulder. However, partnerships of 60 and 82 for the second and third wickets extended Bangladesh’s ascendancy. Joyraz played the anchor with his 90, which included six fours and two sixes. He started slowly but kicked on towards the end of the innings – scoring 37 runs in his last 17 balls. Brisk cameos from the middle order – with 95 runs coming off the last 10 overs – propelled Bangladesh to 266 for 6. South Africa’s stand-in captain Willem Ludick and Mulder picked up two wickets each.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook has never made a Test hundred against Australia in England. For a batsman keenly aware of his stats, and there is no shame in that, it was an omission to rectify in a career that compares with the best. The third day of the final Investec Test built inexorably towards filling that gap, the anticipated denouement gradually slipping into Sunday morning, until five minutes before the close of the third day the achievement cruelly eluded him.Perhaps the last thing Cook wanted with three overs remaining was the sight of Steven Smith, Australia’s captain in waiting, cranking up his spasmodic legspin. Two rank full tosses were duly delivered before Smith turned his last ball of the over into Cook’s pads and, crouching suspiciously, he inside-edged it to short leg. Smith’s 16th Test wicket came with a story attached. Cook was 15 runs short.Personal achievements, or personal pride, seemed to be all England had left to play for in a Test that has tarnished their Ashes series victory. England, after following on 332 runs behind, still trail by 129 runs with four wickets remaining. The second new ball lies in wait, an over away, to be taken by Australia fast bowlers benefitting from a good night’s rest. They will expect to complete the job before the forecast storm arrives in early afternoon.As defiance goes, Cook’s five-and-a-half hour resistance was more gallant than it was thrilling. Hollywood would have turned to the special effects team for a bit of value added. It is a fair bet that some spectators stared into their pints or did the crossword (the latter a more uncommon sight at The Oval than across the river at Lord’s). But it was a necessary rebalancing for an England batting side that with the Ashes won has become rather too besotted by its love of attacking cricket.He is now an Ashes-winning captain, but when it comes to his most major contributions with the bat, dutiful resistance in the face of adversity has been his lot. His highest knock in this series has been his 96 as England were defeated at Lord’s and he finishes with two half-centuries in a series where his solidity has been meanly rewarded.If The Oval, in the phrase beloved of Henry Blofeld, looked a picture then Cook was the still life at its centre, a study in passive concentration, every movement calculated for maximum resistance in stultifying heat. Batting in an England follow-on seems to suit his stubbornness: on the two previous occasions he has endured it he made a century both times, against Sri Lanka and India.His defensive push could take the force out of a runaway train, not as much a stroke as a buffer, a shot that would be approved even by the most avid proponent of Health and Safety.The internal voice telling Cook it might be time to resign from the captaincy has been banished, but runs for England’s record Test century-maker have been in short supply all the same. His very presence seemed to take the sting out of Mitchell Johnson; he looked willing to bat for a lifetime until the offspinner, Nathan Lyon, offered him one short and wide enough to cut safely; and his match-up with Peter Siddle was that of two old salts revelling in a stalemate.Peter Siddle was rewarded for a testing spell to Adam Lyth•Getty Images

Adam Lyth would have envied his solidity. England’s first wicket to fall, he went in a manner to which he has become sadly accustomed, pushing crookedly at a delivery from Siddle around off stump and caught at second slip by Michael Clarke. His dispirited expression told of a series that has brought only 115 runs for nine dismissals. Siddle, barely touching 80mph, conceded only a single in six overs up to lunch and less than a run an over all day.It has been a tough summer for Lyth, the first player from the seaside town of Whitby to represent Yorkshire, never mind England, and he has become increasingly tentative. Like Gary Ballance before him, he can expect to return to his county for recuperation and reassessment. The faith of England’s selectors has been admirable but unrewarded. They can only console themselves that it has been a case of Lyth, damn Lyth and statistics.In the short term, Moeen Ali is fancied to open the innings against Pakistan in the UAE in October, but the list of potential candidates for the role in South Africa is already being drawn up.Clarke experienced a new sensation in his final Test as Australia captain – enforcing a follow-on for the first time, that 332-run margin offering more than ample security. With the possibility of storms on Sunday, he had little choice, but as he gathered his bowlers together on the outfield to confirm the decision, he would have felt a little trepidation, however illogical, at the novelty of it all.By tea, three England batsmen had succumbed. Lyth departed before lunch, his England place surely leaving with him. Ian Bell, whose statistics mark him down, at 33, as a batsman on the decline, and Joe Root followed on a drowsy afternoon, another England batsman undone by a desire to take on the short ball.Bell, has had a mediocre series, revealing few of the graceful touches that made him the Man of the Series on Australia’s previous visit. He had been dropped by Clarke at second slip, off Mitchell Marsh, before Australia’s captain accepted a simpler opportunity off the same bowler, who has impressed on this dry surface.Root has discovered that elevation to the No. 1 ranking should come with a scrapbook of salivating fast bowlers, eager for a prize scalp. Johnson was eager for the challenge, Root’s attacking inclinations drew him into a hook shot and a top-edge sailed to Mitchell Starc at long leg.Cook, though, looked unconcerned. There were nine fours in his 50, refreshment stops interspersed along his determined plod, three of them, unusually, in one over from Marsh, as he strafed the covers off front and back foot. He was to gather only two more.Nathan Lyon had not had the expected impact, the ball gripping sharply at times, but not all that often. Two wickets in an over were a vital contribution nonetheless, Jonny Bairstow leaving to a cracking catch by Adam Voges at short leg as an inside edge flew there at some speed, Ben Stokes giving Clarke a third slip catch when he pushed at one that turned out of the rough.It was some time later that Bairstow, or anybody for that matter, became aware of TV replays showing the ball had struck the grille of Voges’ helmet. Strictly speaking, he should have been ruled not out. It was a reminder of Bairstow’s fate in Mumbai two years earlier when he was given out at silly point off Gautam Gambhir’s helmet from the last ball of a session and India refused to withdraw the appeal. Bairstow would probably have preferred not to know.

Calling the governance structure of the West Indies Cricket Board “antiquated”, “obsolete” and “anachronistic”, the CARICOM cricket review panel has recommended the WICB be dissolved and all current members resign. It has also recommended that the WICB be replaced by an interim board, which will work with a change management expert to install a new governance framework.The CARICOM panel was appointed by the Prime Ministerial Committee on the Governance of West Indies Cricket in the wake of the crisis that engulfed the board after the BCCI suspended bilateral ties and slapped $41.97 million as damages following West Indies’ decision to pull out midway through their India tour in 2014.Set up to review the governance and administrative structure of the WICB, the panel interviewed various stakeholders including the management of the board, renowned former West Indies players, current players, territorial boards and a host of other key personalities attached to the game in the region. Based on its findings, the panel concluded that the WICB’s governance model had failed to evolve and that it did not prioritise accountability and transparency.”It is now past the time to accept that the current governance structures are obsolete,” the exhaustive report stated. “There is an inherent and as yet unresolved tension between the evolution of the game of cricket into a powerful, professionally driven, entertainment and sporting industry and a system of governance predicated on an earlier, more simplified set of requirements.”In this regard, the Panel strongly recommends the immediate dissolution of the West Indies Cricket Board and the appointment of an Interim Board whose structure and composition will be radically different from the now proven, obsolete governance framework. These two key measures are absolutely necessary in order to transform and modernize the governance, management, administration and the playing of the game.”The five-member panel comprising V. Eudine Barriteau, Sir Dennis Byron, Dwain Gill, Deryck Murray and Warren Smith, concluded its report on October 15 and submitted it to the WICB. Contents of the report were made public on Wednesday at a media conference by the panel. Dave Cameron, the WICB president, has stated that the board would deliberate on the panel’s report and recommendations at the meeting of the directors on December 12 in St Lucia.According to the report, the conclusions reached by the panel were based on the “state and status” of West Indies cricket, which has been in disarray for at least 15 years. Deep divide between players and administrators, constant player strikes, pay disputes, players’ loss of faith in the West Indies Players Association and the languishing of West Indies men’s teams at the bottom of ICC rankings (eighth in Test and only above Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in ODIs) were some of the points highlighted by the report.Two recent examples that exposed the rot, the report said, were: the players’ boycott of the WICB administration during the India tour in 2014, and Phil Simmons’ suspension as coach in September this year. Simmons, who was appointed in March, was penalized for expressing his opinion that he had failed to get the best ODI team for Sri Lanka as external factors meddled in the selection.That the decline has been allowed to foster, the panel said, was only because both WICB as well as its members – the six territorial boards of Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands – had failed to be transparent and accountable, as “they do not respect the basic tenets of good governance” within their operations.Continuing with the extant structure would only marginalise West Indies cricket and reduce its relevance in the “global political economy of cricket”, the report warned. The decline in the quality of West Indies cricket has already forced opponents to reduce the number of matches during bilateral engagements. The panel said the norm now was to offer West Indies two Test-match tours and two to three one-day internationals only because of a developing perception that it is not attractive and lucrative anymore.Consequently the current WICB administration, lead by Cameron, has drawn a lot of criticism over the last 12 months. Incidentally Cameron was re-elected as WICB president for a second term, but his popularity outside the board has dipped. The CARICOM panel, however, pointed out that it was not against any individual per se.”The Panel wishes to state unequivocally it has no issues with the individuals who occupy the leadership and composition of the WICB or the territorial Boards.” At the same time, however, the report said: “The current system of governance is anachronistic; the crises resulting from lack of cricket development, poor on-field performance and our unfavourable international reputation are deepening. We conclude that it is now urgent that a modern, transparent and accountable system of governance replace the existing model.”As a solution, the panel recommended WICB follow the example of Cricket Australia which, it said, had started under very similar circumstances. “They accepted the need for review and change, and produced a revised governance structure that emphasized professional competencies over territorial representation.”The panel also suggested that, going forward, new management and members of the WICB should be chosen based on certain criteria and skill-sets and recruitment should be overseen by a head-hunting firm so that individuals of the “highest calibre” are chosen.Also taking a cue from the ICC-approved interim board that has overseen the Sri Lanka Cricket over the past few months, the panel suggested a nine-member interim board be appointed along with a change management expert until the new board and governance structure were put in place. “The Panel recommends a Board comprising of [sic] 9 members selected on the basis of proven professional competencies. This is a requirement in order to achieve the long overdue shift away from representation to professionalism.”

West Zone won their last league match against South Zone by fourwickets in the Vijay Hazare (Under-16) Trophy Tournament at the SJPublic School ground in Jaipur on Friday. This was West Zone’s onlyvictory in the tournament and they ended with two points from fourmatches, while South Zone finished with two points from four matches.West Zone, chasing a target of 216, were set on course by SP Bagul (73not out of 101 balls) and his third wicket stand with Parthiv Patel(37 runs of 59 balls) which added 48 runs in 11 overs. Bagul was thenhelped by S Kamthe (25 runs of 36 balls) and HD Rawle (25 runs of 23balls) as West reached the target in 46.4 overs.Earlier, winning the toss and electing to bat, South Zone lost twowickets for 20. Y Gnaneswara Rao (21 runs of 32 balls) and AbhinavKumar (40 runs of 67 balls) put on 36 runs for the third wicket off7.5 overs. But South Zone were in trouble at 118 for 6 when MM Mathani(45 runs of 60 balls) joined Stuart Binny (38 runs of 47 balls). Thetwo were involved in a 73 run partnership off 15.2 overs for theseventh wicket helping South Zone to recover and reach 215 for eightin 50 overs.

Port-Of-Spain – The West Indies all but let the first Test slip fromtheir grasp yesterday.Once more obliged to defend an inadequate first innings total, theyhad dropped the opposition’s captain and best batsman twice on thesecond day and proceded to put him down twice more.The left-handed Andy Flower duly made the most of the let-offs – and alucky umpiring break before he had scored on Friday – to accumulate adetermined, unbeaten 113 and lead Zimbabwe to a total of 236 and alead of 49.It threatened to be substantially more until Chris Gayle, an unlikelydestroyer with his steady off-breaksanddrifters, despatched threeof the last four wickets that fell for four runs to round off anotherentralling, if rain-shortened, day reduced to 52 overs by two earlyinterruptions.The pitch, slow from the start, is still in relatively good shape butcan be expected to be increasingly inconsistent in bounce. A winninglast day target of anything over 220 would not be straightforward butit means the West Indies have to total at least 280 batting a secondtime, not a figure they have consistently managed of late.Zimbabwe would have been nowhere without their solid captain and thelargesse of the West Indian fielders.Jimmy Adams at gully and substitute Ricardo Powell at third slip hadmissed just possible chances on the previous afternoon with Flower 14and 38.The morning was only a few minutes old when he had his third life. Awicket had fallen in the first over on each of the first two days butShivnarine Chanderpaul at third slip broke the sequence, missing acatch high to his right off Courtney Walsh’s fourth ball before Flowerhad added to his overnight 52.He had scored only eight more when Gayle at first slip, possibly putoff by wicket-keeper Ridley Jacob’s initial movement, let an easieredged offerring off Curtly Ambrose burst through his grasp immediatelyon resumption from the second break for rain.Flower had also gained umpire Steve Bucknor’s favourable verdict theprevious day on a palpable catch at the wicket off the glove fromWalsh before he had made a run but such alarms never distracted himfrom his purpose.He is by no means a fluent strokemaker and, with its edges and misses,this was a resolute, rather than classical, innings. Yet theZimbabwean’s record cannot be questioned. This was his seventh hundredin his 40th Test and only Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Steve Waughand Saeed Anwar of contemporary batsmen can claim a higher averagethan his 46.Flower’soff-side strength was evident by the accumulation of 11 ofhis 12 boundaries between third man and mid-off.It was, in the real sense of the term, a captain’s innings.He entered just before tea on the second afternoon in the potentialcrisis of 27 for three and shared two vital partnerships.He and the right-handed opener Trevor Gripper extended theirfourth-wicket stand from 82 at the start to 117 before a slip catchfinally stuck, allowing the persevering Curtly Ambrose to dislodgeGripper for 41 that occupied five-and-a-quarter hours and 212 balls.Ambrose immediately found another outside edge on the other side toremove the inform left-hander Alistair Campbell, second ball, toJacobs’ low catch and bowled Stuart Carlisle with a breakback in thelast over before tea with Zimbabwe still 23 short of the modest WestIndies effort.It seemed the West Indies had seized the advantage, especially as thesecond ball was taken immediately on resumption. But they suddenly andinexplicably went flat.Their earlier unstinting efforts had sapped the energy of Ambrose andWalsh, Reon King posed few threats through a spell of ten consecutiveovers and with Franklyn Rose off the field for a treatment to a toeinjury, Flower and Heath Streak were able to bat comfortably in astand of 68 that lasted just under two hours.Faced with such realities, Jimmy Adams opted for defensive tactics andturned to the off-spin of Gayle in the hope of a bonus wicket.The 20-year-old Gayle has proved a valuable find in his debut Test.He batted confidently for 33 on the opening day, seems settled atfirst slip inspite of his miss and now had Streak neatly taken byCampbell at slip, edging a drive at a ball that floated away.In the next over, Rose, back after a precautionary check at a clinic,had a deserving wicket, Brian Murphy lbw, and Gayle cleaned up thingsby bowling Henry Olonga and Pom Mbangwa with successive balls.Flower walked wearily off, disappointed that his dedication had notcreated a more favourable position.He was followed by Adams and his team, all of whom must be aware thatthere is still a lot of cricket left in the match.

The first triple century of the 2000-2001 Ranji Trophy was scored by23 year old Punjab southpaw Dinesh Mongia at Burlton Park in Jalandharon Tuesday. Mongia caned a hapless Jammu & Kashmir attack, finishingwith an unbeaten 308 as Punjab declared at 587/5. Their opponents whotrailed by a humongous 419 on first innings were en route to aninnings defeat at stumps, closing at 118/3 in their second essay.Resuming at 366/3, Mongia and Pankaj Dharmani extended their fourthwicket association to 388 before the latter presented perseveringseamer Surendra Singh with his fourth wicket. Dharmani’s 176 came off253 balls and was studded with 13 fours and 3 sixes. Last season thisIndian ODI discard had hoisted a triple ton against the sameopponents. This time it was Mongia’s turn.Although Mongia lost wicket keeper Harminder Jugnu cheaply, wristspinning allrounder Sandeep Sawal proved to be a more reliablepartner. The duo raised an undefeated 133 run stand for the sixthwicket. Mongia completed his 300 in just over eight hours at thecrease and when he finally trudged off the field, he had 15 fours and5 sixes to his credit in his 409 ball knock. Sawal for his part hadstruck a breezy half century off only 56 deliveries. The only J&Kbowler who escaped the mauling was Surendra Singh who retained therespectable figures of 4/97 in 27 overs.Off spinner Harbhajan Singh, currently out of favour with the nationalselectors, ran rings around the J&K top order in their reply. Hedespatched both openers Vidya Bhaskar and Ranjit Bali and added thescalp of one-drop Kanwaljit Singh, top scorer in the first innings,for good measure to leave J&K at 73/3. Ashwani Gupta (33) and DhruvMahajan (24) perked up the innings with an unbeaten 45 run stand,which left the visitors needing a further 301 to avoid an inningsdefeat.