Among Australia’s new targets is the record of 21 consecutive ODI victories held by the men’s team

Daniel Brettig23-Sep-2020Beth Mooney’s focus on greater self-belief and quicker adaptation to specific sets of conditions and match scenarios underlines why she will enter Australia’s first international assignment on home soil since the onset of Covid-19 as the world’s best T20 batter.Far from sitting back contentedly on a dominant T20 World Cup, capped by the perfect anchor innings in Australia’s triumphant final against India at a packed MCG in March, Mooney has spent the intervening months working to build on her own levels of assurance and versatility when confronted by different situations at the top of the order alongside Alyssa Healy.This emphasis was encouraged by the fact that, apart from the final itself, Australia’s road to the T20 World Cup was anything but smooth, with early struggles followed by an anxious passage through a rain-hit semi-final against South Africa and the looming threat of coronavirus before the competition decider ultimately played out as if in a dream.ALSO READ: Alyssa Healy aims to develop 360-degree strokeplay”It’s not so much technical sides of my game but more the way I think about it,” Mooney said. “I’ve been working on that really closely with Shelley Nitschke up in Brisbane and [former Australia coach] Mark Sorrell, so that’s been really cool to work with different people and get different perspectives of what they think where I’m at, compared to what I think. Given we’ve just been training for four to five months I’m really excited about being able to put some things into fruition out in the middle and hopefully take the game on.”There’s usually times when I’m pretty unsure of myself out in the middle and not necessarily backing my decision-making and the situation in the game. But to be put under different scenarios on the wickets at training and I guess learning to adapt quicker to what the wicket’s doing and what the situation might be. They’re only scenarios but to get some feedback from the coach directly is pretty important.”I guess I needed a little bit more data to collect that what I was thinking was pretty accurate with whatever was happening with the wicket or the situation. That’s been really nice to be able to have those conversations and working closely with people who are highly respected helps as well.”Beth Mooney was the leading run-scorer at the T20 World Cup•Getty ImagesMemories of those hectic days in February and March, particularly after an opening loss to India in Sydney and then a nervous chase against Sri Lanka in Perth, where the team looked briefly to be on the cusp of elimination, have bolstered Mooney’s belief that the group led by Meg Lanning is not just a collective of frontrunners, but also fighters.”We got ourselves in positions where we were put under the pump a lot more and I feel like we came out on top in a lot of those situations,” Mooney said. “We’ll be able to look back on that tournament when we’re under the pump or feeling under pressure and be able to get through those situations pretty nicely.”It was a different tournament for us in the sense that we were challenged and put under pressure a fair bit, but at the same time that’s a really good indicator of where the game’s at around the globe, people are investing in women’s cricket. To be able to have contests like we did at the World Cup means this series against New Zealand will be no different and they’ll be really tightly fought.”More broadly, Australia’s next major ambition is to reclaim the ODI World Cup, after they were eliminated in the semi-finals by India in 2017, leaving England to lift the trophy at Lord’s. “The easy part about playing in this team is everyone has a drive and ambition to be better and continually improve,” Mooney said. “We’re ranked No. 1 in the world and we have big ambitions to stay there for as long as possible and be one of the greatest teams that’s ever played.”For us, we won the T20 World Cup so there’s a bit of a target on our back now, but New Zealand are a class side and this will be the first challenge that we have in making sure we can be as consistent as possible in these T20s, and then the one-day series, the carrot dangling for us is that world record of 21 straight ODI wins.”

Top-scorer in the final

Top scorer in the #T20WorldCup

Most runs in any T20 World Cup ever

Beth Mooney is the Player of the Tournament pic.twitter.com/Ny10TqFpis

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 8, 2020

As for the changes forced by Covid-19, Mooney said there had been plenty of sobering moments during the six months since the T20 World Cup final, all of which made the team’s first all-in training sessions since that tournament feel like even more of a privilege than usual.”The biggest one for me is seeing the humans being impacted, whether it’s their job situation or challenges they’re facing in their families, being stuck in isolation down in Melbourne, it is pretty easy to be empathetic for humankind at the moment because everything’s difficult for everyone,” Mooney said. “There was a really great vibe at training yesterday because it was the first time we’d all been back together since that World Cup final, so to be able to do something we love and do it in the current climate is something we’re really excited about and passionate about and grateful as well.”Among numerous adjustments for Mooney to make this season is the fact that, after making a significant move to the Perth Scorchers ahead of this year’s WBBL, she will turn out for the Perth team without ever setting foot in the west due to the state’s current hard border.”I’ll just stay in Brisbane post this series and probably train with Shelley Nitschke and obviously Sophie Devine’s over here with New Zealand, so there’ll be a couple of us training up here in Brisbane,” she said. “Obviously we can’t get over to Perth, and we’ll join up with the squad in Sydney before we get stuck into that tournament.”

Aston Villa are at a critical juncture in their journey under Unai Emery. Now that the dust has settled following the euphoria of qualifying for the Champions League with a fourth-place Premier League finish, the hard graft must begin.

Of course, competitive club football will not be contested until mid-August, but the interim must see some shrewd and purposeful work conducted in the transfer market.

Ross Barkley is closing on a shrewd return to Villa Park after spending a season on loan under Dean Smith in 2020/21, but Monchi is moving swiftly and has entered the race for an exciting attacking talent.

Aston Villa transfer news

As per Spanish sources, Aston Villa are in the mix to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha. The La Liga giants would be reluctant to part ways due to concerns about finding a replacement, though he is valued at €60m (£52m) and such a bid could be too tempting to ignore.

Emery's team are up against Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Manchester United, though both superpowers fail to offer something that Villa have in their clutches: Champions League football.

How Raphinha could fit in at Aston Villa

Signed from Leeds United in a deal worth up to £55m in 2022, Raphinha has scored 20 goals and added 25 assists from 87 matches for Barcelona, winning the 2022/23 La Liga title.

He has, however, only started 43 league matches across the two campaigns, and at 27 years old he will be eager to play a prominent role that reflects his patent quality, described as a "magician" by former Whites teammate Dan James.

Raphinha might not have had the easiest time in Catalonia but he has maintained an impressive level of potency throughout, ranking among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 1% for assists and the top 12% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

If the Brazilian can translate such qualities back to the Premier League, Villa would land a real asset to aid them as they take a seat among Europe's elite.

1.

Bukayo Saka

Arsenal

2.

Cole Palmer

Chelsea

3.

Phil Foden

Manchester City

4.

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

5.

Eberechi Eze

Crystal Palace

The 5 foot 9 winger's stylistically similar Premier League players would certainly speak of a tailor-made ability for Emery's squad, with Raphinha scoring 11 goals and adding three assists from 34 Premier League starts for Leeds during his last campaign in England.

Principally, Raphinha would sit on the right and look to maximise his playmaking skills by hitting winding balls above hapless heads and threading surgical passes through to the forward-surging Ollie Watkins, Jhon Duran.

But to achieve this, he would find a brilliant partner from deep in the aforementioned Barkley, who was remarked to be "not far off Player of the Season" by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson after his excellent campaign with Luton Town.

As per Sofascore, Barkley posted five goals and four assists from 32 top-flight appearances in 2023/24, completing 85% of his balls and averaging 1.5 key passes, tackles and clearances, 2.1 dribbles, 6.3 ball recoveries and 6.1 successful duels per game.

The 6 foot 2 Englishman ranks among the top 15% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, effectively using his pace and power to plough forward and rent open midfield structures, freeing up space for Raphinha.

A dynamic and creative new partnership could be formed with these signings, allowing Emery's system to shift through the phases and fire on all cylinders next season, both domestically and overseas.

Aston Villa eyeing "special" signing who'd be more exciting than Barkley

Aston Villa are close to signing Ross Barkley but another exciting talent could be on the way.

ByMatt Dawson May 27, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois da vitória sobre o Sport por 1 a 0, no Campeonato Brasileiro, o São Paulo se distanciou da zona de rebaixamento e agora mira o objetivo de se classificar à Libertadores da América.

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O zagueiro Miranda, capitão da equipe, falou sobre o momento do time na competição, que chegou a sua terceira vitória consecutiva. Para ele, é hora de olhar com mais carinho para a parte de cima da tabela da competição e conseguir o objetivo de se classificar à Libertadores.

– Nosso objetivo é uma classificação para retornar à Libertadores. A equipe fez um bom jogo, apesar da dificuldade, terceira vitória no Brasileiro. Acho que está de parabéns, difícil depois de um mata-mata – disse Miranda ao ‘Premiere’, após a partida.

ATUAÇÕES: Volpi, Nestor e Pablo levam as maiores notas na vitória do São Paulo diante do Sport

VEJA A TABELA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO!

O defensor também falou sobre o confronto contra o Fortaleza, na próxima quarta-feira (25), às 21h30, no Morumbi, pela ida das quartas de final da Copa do Brasil.

– Nossa equipe fez um bom jogo, agora é pensar no próximo, com mais um mata-mata contra o Fortaleza pela Copa do Brasil – finalizou.

أعلن الفرنسي هيرفي رينارد، المدير الفني لمنتخب السعودية، عن تشكيل الأخضر لمواجهة اليمن، اليوم الأربعاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الخليج “خليجي 26”.

وانطلقت بطولة كأس الخليج “خليجي 26″، في الكويت يوم 21 ديسمبر الجاري، وتستمر حتى 3 يناير المقبل.

ويقع منتخبا السعودية واليمن، ضمن منافسات المجموعة الثانية، والتي تضم أيضًا منتخبا البحرين والعراق.

وخسر منتخب السعودية في الجولة الأولى أمام نظيره البحرين، بنتيجة 3-2، وتلقى المنتخب اليمني هزيمة أمام العراق بهدف دون رد. تشكيل السعودية أمام اليمن في كأس الخليج “خليجي 26”

في حراسة المرمى: محمد العويس.

خط الدفاع: سلطان الغنام، حسان تمبكتي، علي البليهي، نواف بوشل.

خط الوسط: محمد كنو، ناصر الدوسري، عبدالإله المالكي.

خط الهجوم: سالم الدوسري، عبدالله الرديف، مصعب الجوير.

طالع أيضًا | هيرفي رينارد: نتفهم خيبة أمل جماهير السعودية.. وعليكم عدم الاستسلام

وفي الإطار ذاته، أعلن الجزائري نور الدين ولد علي، عن تشكيل منتخب اليمن لمواجهة السعودية، في المباراة التي ستنطلق في تمام 4:25 مساءً بتوقيت مصر. تشكيل اليمن أمام السعودية في كأس الخليج “خليجي 26”

في حراسة المرمى: محمد أمان.

خط الدفاع: رامي الوسماني، هارون الزبيدي، حمزة الأربعي، رضوان الحبشي.

خط الوسط عمر جولان، أسامة عنبر، عبد المجيد صبارة، المطري، ناصر محمدوه.

في الهجوم: ممدوح بن عجاج.

After kicking their summer business off with the arrival of Tosin Adarabioyo, Chelsea are now reportedly closing in on another signing who has passed his medical.

Chelsea transfer news

The Blues swooped in to land Adarabioyo on a free deal following the end of his contract at Fulham in a wise first move of the summer transfer window. The defender counts towards Chelsea's homegrown player count due to his English nationality and should go a long way to helping solve the problems within their backline.

Speaking for the first time since putting pen to paper, Adarabioyo told the official Chelsea website: "Chelsea is a huge club and this is a full-circle moment for me. I was born three miles away from Stamford Bridge and made my professional debut there. I’m very excited and looking forward to helping push the club in the direction we want to go."

Todd Boehly has wasted no time before searching for Enzo Maresca's second fresh face, however, and it now seems as though a deal to welcome a future star is closing in on completion.

According to The Evening Standard, Estevao Willian has passed his Chelsea medical ahead of completing a move worth an initial £30m, which could rise to over £51m to make the 17-year-old the most expensive South American teenager in history.

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In a move that follows the Chelsea trend of welcoming young South Americans, Estevao will certainly have pressure on his young shoulders to eventually hit the heights he's been signed to reach. Joined by the likes of Deivid Washington and Angelo, the young Brazilian will be part of a young contingent that Boehly will be desperate to see thrive in years to come in quite the long-term plan.

"World-class" Estevao will need time

Whilst it's easy to look at Estevao's price tag and assume that this is a player ready to make an instant difference for Chelsea, he is still just 17 years old. This is a deal that could prove to be a stroke of genius and a bargain in a few years, rather than one that Maresca's side will likely benefit from as soon as next season. That said, even at a young age, Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig has already deemed Estevao "world-class".

Patience will be needed on the young winger's side too. Chelsea find themselves back to square one this summer after parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino and appointing Enzo Maresca from Leicester City.

In desperate need for things to go right, the Blues will hope to return to Europe's elite in time for Estevao to be in his prime and proving exactly why Chelsea have splashed the cash so early into his career.

A Tottenham star praised by Ange Postecoglou is in contact to leave the north London club this summer, according to reports.

Tottenham transfer rumours

Tottenham endured a mixed 2023/24 Premier League season. They began the campaign with a 10-game unbeaten run and there was even early talk of a potential title challenge. However, a mix of injury issues and poor form eventually led to the Lilywhites securing 5th place and a spot in next season's Europa League.

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Spurs are ready to negotiate terms.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 8, 2024

Now, after a solid debut season in the dugout, Postecoglou must turn his attention to the soon-to-be-open summer transfer window as he attempts to build on last season's 5th-place finish. Despite not having Champions League football, the Londoners have already been linked with some big names.

Tottenham are believed to be preparing a personal terms package for Brentford's Ivan Toney, while Sevilla hitman Youssef En-Nesyri has also emerged as a potentially serious target for Spurs. There are also links to Eberechi Eze, with it reported last week that Spurs are expected to initiate discussions with Crystal Palace within the next two weeks regarding the potential signing of the Englishman.

£70k-a-week Tottenham ace in constant contact to leave

For all the potential incomings, however, a number of names are expected to leave north London over the coming months. It was reported in May that 11 Spurs players could be sold this summer and now, an update on one of those names has been provided. The player in question is Giovani Lo Celso, who was on the fringes of Spurs' team for much of the 2023/24 campaign.

Appearances

22

Minutes played

492

Goals

2

Assists

2

Postecoglou was quizzed on the Argentine's lack of minutes back in April and had this to say: "Look, he's a fantastic player, but with all these things you've got to keep the perspective that we're at a big club, we're going to have a big squad and if it is not Gio, it will be someone else that will play that role next year."

The boss continued: "If they want more game time, there are other clubs where they can do that and I'm looking at contribution. With someone like Gio, like I said he has contributed to us this year and that's been the most important thing for me."

Now, reports in Spain [via Sport Witness] claim that Real Betis, who sold Lo Celso to Tottenham in 2019, have remained in constant contact with the 28-year-old since his departure from the club and are now looking to resign him. However, the Spanish outfit may have a hard time affording Lo Celso, who currently earns £70,000-a-week in the English capital.

As a result, it is understood that Betis will have to lower their wage bill to secure Lo Celso's return. To do this, they plan to sell a few of their highest earners, with the likes of Nabil Fekir, Willian Jose and William Carvalho all named as potentially sellable assets.

No transfer fee is mentioned in the report but as the South American has just one year left on his contract and is not a regular starter under Postecoglou, the figure required for Tottenham to agree a sale is unlikely to be too high.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has not ruled out discussing the England job with the FA as he continues to weigh up his future.

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• FA contact Guardiola over England job
• Man City contract expires in the summer
• Catalan likes England and its current squad

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Guardiola's future remains up in the air after he admitted during a recent TV appearance that he's yet to make a decision on his plans. The 53-year-old's contract with Manchester City runs until the summer and while the Premier League champions are keen for him to stay on, a number of interested parties have already began to enquire about his availability. That includes the English FA, who contacted Guardiola at the start of the season.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to the Telegraph, Guardiola has not ruled out talking to the FA about the role. He has admitted in the past that he would like to manage at the World Cup, and reportedly likes England and its current squad. England are one of three national teams that have approached the Catalan, however, as the battle to convince him to leave City hots up.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Guardiola has plenty of options on the table, and he may even decide to take another sabbatical like he did when he left Barcelona in 2012. But sources claim that the most likely outcome is that he will sign a new one-year deal to remain at City for a 10th year. He has guided the club to six Premier League titles and the opportunity to bring even more silverware to Etihad Stadium may be too difficult to refuse.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GUARDIOLA?

  It's not yet clear when Guardiola will announce his intentions. He's currently in the early stages of what looks like being another exciting title race, with Arsenal and Liverpool both attempting to topple City. Guardiola's side face Wolves on Sunday.

Manchester United have been dealt a blow as it has emerged that one of the targets that they have been pursuing for months now won't be arriving at Old Trafford.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe targets change

Since his arrival at Manchester United at the turn of the year, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has promised change. Backroom alterations have been made, but he opted to keep Erik ten Hag in charge after two weeks of interviewing other candidates.

Now, he has urged patience, telling fans that it will take time to complete the changes at the Theatre of Dreams and have the club challenging for the Premier League once more. It will take 'two or three summer transfer windows to get to a better place', he explained in a recent interview.

"Good" chance Man Utd hijack big striker transfer after agent talks

The Red Devils are now working on an agreement.

ByCharlie Smith Jun 19, 2024

There have already been reports that almost all of the squad is up for sale this summer, while high-earning pair Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial have announced they will leave at the end of their contracts this summer. Casemiro is another player who seems set to depart, with Saudi Arabia interested in the Brazilian despite his tough end to the season in Manchester United red.

There is a desire to sign a defender too amid ongoing speculation around the future of Victor Lindelof, with the club having seen an opening offer for Jarrad Branthwaite turned down last week. Now, they have been dealt another blow.

Defender not moving to Old Trafford

This comes as Manchester United have been ruled out as a potential destination for OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo as a result of UEFA rules. Todibo, who has rebuilt his career in the south of France following a failed spell at Barcelona, appeared 30 times in Ligue 1 for Nice last season.

Todibo's Ligue 1 season

Appearances

30

Pass accuracy

89.6%

Tackles and interceptions per 90

3.25

Errors leading to goals

1

Yellow Cards

2

The Frenchman still has three years left to run on his £20,000 a week deal in Nice, but has been linked with a move away in recent months amid interest from the Premier League.

Manchester United were touted as a potential destination in a deal that seemed easy to do given INEOS' ownership of both the Red Devils and OGC Nice. However, Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that a deal is "currently off" and now "highly unlikely" because of UEFA rules, despite talks between all parties having been "advanced" for "months".

So what is this UEFA rule? Essentially, because both Nice and Manchester United are in the same European competition next season and run by the same owners, player trading between them is not permitted, something that Ratcliffe himself has since confirmed.

“They’ve said we can sell him to another Premiership club, but we can’t sell to Manchester United,” the United chief said in an interview with Bloomberg. “But that’s not fair on the player and I don’t see what that achieves".

That news also rules the Red Devils out of a move for Todibo's team mate and one-time rumoured target Khephren Thuram, who was thought to be of interest to the Red Devils and available for around £20m.

It comes as a blow to the Red Devils, though it does beg the question why they negotiated for months with the defender when the rule was already in place.

Celtic look set to be active in the market during the summer transfer window, which officially opened earlier this month, as they look to improve their playing squad.

A goalkeeper, after Joe Hart retired at the end of last month, is on the agenda and the Hoops were recently linked with an interest in Bournemouth stopper Mark Travers.

The Scottish giants also appear to be eyeing up a new left-back as Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney has been touted for a return to Parkhead.

Brendan Rodgers is seemingly looking to provide current first-choice Greg Taylor with competition for his place, which could help him to improve his own game by working harder to keep his slot in the XI.

The Scotland international has been a solid performer over the years and his soaring value since arriving at Parkhead shows that the club hit the jackpot when they signed him in 2019.

Greg Taylor's market value in 2019

When Celtic swooped to sign the full-back from Scottish Premiership rivals Kilmarnock in the summer of 2019, Transfermarkt valued him at just €1.25m (£1.05m).

The young defender had come up through the ranks with Killie and produced ten assists in 131 appearances for them in all competitions before his move to Parkhead.

He had just made his debut for Scotland in June, before joining the Hoops in September, and this shows that the Bhoys were bringing in a promising talent who was on his way up.

The signing has proven to be a big success as he has established himself as a regular for the Premiership champions and his market value has soared over the years.

Greg Taylor's current market valuation

At the time of writing (25/06/24), Transfermarkt values Taylor at €7.5m (£6.3m) and that is a significant increase on the €1.25m he was valued at in 2019.

This means that his market valuation has soared a staggering 500% in his five years in Glasgow, and he still has room to improve and develop further at the age of 26.

Back in 2022, Taylor claimed that he had improved "insane amounts" throughout his spell at Paradise, which is backed up by his skyrocketing value.

The Celtic dynamo has racked up eight goals and 25 assists in 173 matches for the club in all competitions in that time, making at least 30 league appearances in each of the last two seasons.

Starts

35

Goals

3

Assists

4

Big chances created

11

Ground duel success rate

57%

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old star showcased his attacking quality in the Premiership whilst remaining dominant in duels on the deck against opposition attackers.

Only Luis Palma (14) and Matt O'Riley (14) created more 'big chances' for Celtic in the division, which illustrates how impressive the left-back's creativity was last term.

Rodgers could land his next Tom Rogic in Celtic swoop for 10-goal star

The Hoops are reportedly interested in signing the Premiership midfielder this summer.

ByDan Emery Jun 24, 2024

Overall, the Scottish giants hit the jackpot when they signed the young defender from Kilmarnock in 2019 as they landed a creative left-back whose value has soared over the years, making him a valuable asset for Rodgers in the present day.

Chigumbura – who has past personal success in Pakistan to draw from – also says Super-League points are on Zimbabwe’s mind

Danyal Rasool21-Oct-2020

The last time Elton Chigumbura was in Pakistan, he was in the form of his life: here he celebrates his maiden ODI ton, in Lahore•AFP

For much of the first decade of his career, Elton Chigumbura was among the first names on the Zimbabwe team sheet. Known for his power-hitting at a time when Zimbabwe lacked players with that attribute, and crucial to balancing the side thanks to his ability to bowl medium pace, Chigumbura seemed to be the full package. But, over the past five years, people’s patience with the 34-year-old, no matter how decorated his CV, has seemingly begun to run thin.There was forensic scrutiny in Zimbabwe after Chigumbura kept his place in the side for the upcoming tour to Pakistan. For one, he’s no longer a bowler, just a middle-order batsman. And one who has scored a grand total of one half-century in ODI cricket in the past five years, and managed a T20I score higher than 35 in just one innings since May 2015.Speaking to the media after the Zimbabwe team landed in Pakistan to play three T20Is and three ODIs, and having begun a six-day quarantine period, Chigumbura said injuries had played a part in the drop in his performance, but he was raring to go once more.”I have struggled with my form,” he said. “I had a couple of injuries that put me away for quite some time. So it was down to my injuries I was out for almost a year, not playing international cricket. And when I came back again, I got another injury, for which I had to go and get surgery done. Right now, I’m looking forward to this series, hopefully to get back to where I was. And these wickets in Pakistan are good wickets to bat on. So hopefully I can carry on from last time when I was in Pakistan.”I am fully fit now. I got an Achilles injury last year. When I was about to just start playing again, then the Covid-19 pandemic happened. So I’m happy to be back in the squad. Hopefully we get a chance to enjoy every moment.”Chigumbura has reason to be optimistic about his prospects in Pakistan. When Zimbabwe became the first side to visit the country after the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan team, the-then 29-year-old was the star of the visiting side. He struck a career-best 54 in the first T20I, before going on to smash a 95-ball 117, also a career high, in his only ODI innings as the visiting side posted 334 in their 50 overs. He would carry on that form, making it back-to-back hundreds by hitting an unbeaten 104 against India six weeks later. He was in the form of his life, before it all suddenly slipped away.But when you’re around the Zimbabwe set-up for as long as he has been, you’ll likely have seen enough rough times to understand there is a way to come out of it.Elton Chigumbura winds up for a big hit•AFP

“We have to try and start winning games. Everyone is really focused. It’s not just the series that will determine our future – every game that you play in the [ODI] Super League is very important for the team so that we qualify for the next World Cup overseas. And we take it one game at a time, but everyone in the team is very ready and eager to go.”It’s important that we have to play to win, not to just compete. So all those mindsets are things that we have spoken about in training and everyone is aware of what we need to do as a team and as individuals when it comes to these international games. And hopefully we start on a good note.”I believe we can be competitive. We came here to win. Everyone, they’re willing to go out there and express themselves. Everyone is raring to go, especially after being out of cricket for almost six, seven months.”Chigumbura insisted the absence of their head coach, Lalchand Rajput, would not have an adverse effect on the side. Rajput, a former Indian cricketer, pulled out of the tour of Pakistan after the Indian High Commission in Zimbabwe wrote to Zimbabwe Cricket requesting he be exempted from touring Pakistan. As a result, bowling coach Douglas Hondo took over full coaching duties for the tour, and Chigumbura said the side would be in regular touch with Rajput online.”Nothing’s going to change. The same system, same system coaches that were under him are the ones that are leading the team. So all the values of the team are still the same. We’re having a meeting over a conference call and I’m sure he’ll be part of the strategy. So it’s just a matter of us as players to carry on and make sure that we implement what he always emphasised to us.”Chigumbura said the mood in the camp this time was worlds removed from when they last visited in terms of Zimbabwe’s outlook on security in Pakistan. “Obviously it’s good to be back in Pakistan. The first time we came here five years ago, everyone was a bit scared. But I think the way they hosted us last time, we are confident that we are in safe hands and so far everyone is comfortable. And after having our first training session today, we are looking forward to the matches.”Much has changed in Pakistan and elsewhere in the five years since Zimbabwe arrived on these shores in May 2015. But when he steps out in the middle, Chigumbura will be hoping things go back to the way they were when he last felt ball on bat in Pakistan.