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Manchester United are interested in bringing a former employee back to Old Trafford in an off-field role, according to an update from reliable journalist Alan Nixon.

Man Utd transfer news

The Red Devils have found some positivity of late, both on and off the pitch, with Thursday night's 4-3 win away to Wolves in the Premier League a thrilling victory. There is also a feeling that things are changing for the better away from the action, not least since making Omar Berrada their new chief executive, stealing him away from rivals Manchester City.

Man Utd planning to bring in new director of football who Gary Neville loves

The former right-back recently praised the target.

By
Charlie Smith

Feb 2, 2024

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has seemingly come in and made his presence felt straight away, and it is imperative that a new era dawns as soon as possible, following years in the wilderness by United's high standards.

New signings may be being looked at during the January transfer window, and Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi is one player who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, with Arsenal also showing an interest. Juventus centre-back Gleison Bremer is also believed to be another target, with Erik ten Hag keen on acquiring his signature.

Man United want Sam Williams return

According to Nixon on Patreon [via The 72], Manchester United are eyeing a return for Sam Williams, who is currently head of recruitment at Ipswich Town, as the Red Devils look to put together a new-look scouting team.

He is impressing in his current role at the high-flying Championship side, masterminding some signings and helping the Tractor Boys sit fourth in the table currently. Ratcliffe appears to be the driving force behind the decision, following his recent 25% shareholding in the club, as the Red Devils look to nail key appointments behind the scenes.

This is another really encouraging update to hear from a United perspective, suggesting that lots of work is being done to change things for the better, with fans not impressed under the Glazers. The lack of a sporting director is a perfect example of that, but Ratcliffe appears to see the importance of making sure such positions are filled.

The fact that Williams has worked at United before means he could also slot back in straight away – he was a scout and an analyst before Ipswich snapped him up in 2022 – and he is only 36 years of age, so he could represent a young appointment with fresh ideas.

You only have to look at how much Ipswich have excelled since he arrived to see how good the job he has done is, with the Tractor Boys earning promotion from League One last season and now threatening to go from the Championship to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Man Utd could’ve signed “monster” Casemiro replacement to partner Mainoo

Erik ten Hag missed out on the opportunity to strengthen his midfield.

By
Tom Lever

Feb 3, 2024

That points towards Williams having a keen eye for talent, bringing in the right players to suit Kieran McKenna's system, and it looks as if he could be wanted to do a similar job back at United, working alongside Ten Hag and helping bring the good days back.

England captain forever grateful to Stokes for his efforts in both the run chase and the Super Over that helped England secure their first World Cup

Andrew Miller at Lord's14-Jul-2019Eoin Morgan hailed England’s heart-stopping victory in the World Cup final at Lord’s as the culmination of a four-year journey, and singled out Ben Stokes for particular praise for the manner in which he carried the team’s hopes in both their faltering run chase and then the Super Over.Stokes top-scored for England with 84 not out from 98 balls in their regulation 50 overs, having rescued the team from 86 for 4 in the 24th, and then – while battling fatigue – added a further eight runs from three balls in the Super Over.”To come through it is extraordinary,” said Morgan. “He’s almost superhuman. He really carried the team and our batting line-up. I know Jos [Buttler] and his partnership was extraordinary, but to bat with the lower order the way he did I thought was incredible.”The atmosphere, the emotion that was going through the whole game, he managed to deal with that in an extremely experienced manner. And obviously everybody watching at home will hopefully try and be the next Ben Stokes.”It was particularly sweet for Stokes to be England’s hero in light of what happened to him on the last occasion that England reached a world final, the T20 World Cup in India in 2016, when he was hit for four consecutive sixes by West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite.”I have said this a number of times about Ben, I think a lot of careers would have been ended after what happened in Kolkata,” Morgan said. “Ben on numerous occasions has stood up individually and in a unit for us. He leads the way in training, in any team meetings we have, and he’s an incredible cricketer. And today he’s had a huge day out and obviously we are thankful for that.”Speaking with the World Cup trophy sitting next to him at Lord’s, Morgan joked that he was carrying it around with him as much as he could because he still could not believe the extraordinary circumstances in which his team had inched over the line, beating New Zealand on boundary countback after they could not be separated on the field.”To me and to the team, and everybody who has been involved over the last four years, it means absolutely everything,” Morgan said. “The planning, the hard work, the dedication, the commitment and the little bit of luck today really did get us over the line.”It’s been an absolutely incredible journey to everybody around the country and around the world who has followed us and supported us, thank you so much. It’s been phenomenal.”

For the most part this season, Arsenal fans have been able to enjoy watching their side.

They cruised through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, they were top of the Premier League at Christmas, and while they have yet to be quite as lethal going forward, their defence has looked a lot sterner this year.

While back-to-back league defeats since Christmas day have soured the mood somewhat in N5, the side's new-found defensive solidity is still a real strength, a strength Mikel Arteta and co could be about to further improve with the latest player touted for a move to the Emirates, a player that could be the next Jurrien Timber – Jorrel Hato.

Arsenal can sign the perfect Jesus replacement in £50m "goal machine"

The 23-year-old could fire the Gunners to Premier League glory.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jan 4, 2024

Arsenal transfer news – Jorrel Hato

According to Sam Dean of the Telegraph, Arsenal are currently "plotting a move" for Ajax's young star, in a transfer that would parallel the signing of Timber last summer.

The 17-year-old only made his debut for the Dutch giants in January last year, but has truly established himself as an essential first-teamer this season, starting 100% of the side's Eredivisie games.

As if his rise wasn't already impressive enough, he was also given the captain's armband against AEK Athens last month, making him the youngest starting captain in Ajax's history.

With such an impressive reputation at such a young age, it is unlikely that a transfer would come cheap, with journalist Suleyman Öztürk telling Dutch website SoccerNews that he expects the youngster to be sold for around €100m, which is about £86m.

While paying that much for a 17-year-old is unprecedented, it might just be worth it to sign a player talent scout Jacek Kulig described as "one of the most talented CBs of his generation in Europe."

Jorrel Hato could be the next Jurrien Timber

It might seem premature to compare a teenager just making his way in the game to a 22-year-old who has just moved to the Premier League before suffering a severe injury, but the similarities are certainly there.

The first two are undeniably surface-level but hard to ignore; they are both Dutch defenders who would be leaving the biggest club in the Netherlands to join an Arsenal side on the hunt for domestic and continental supremacy.

Following that, they both share a trait that Arteta has shown an evident appreciation for during his time in N5: positional versatility.

During his time in the Netherlands, Timber was deployed as both a centre-back and right-back while also playing as a left-back for the Gunners against Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.

Similarly, the "insane" Hato, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has been used as both a centre-back and left-back in his short career thus far.

So, how do their underlying numbers compare, then? Is there much overlap between Hato's numbers this year and Timber's last year in the Netherlands?

Well, while there are some slight differences in certain areas of their respective games, there are also plenty of areas in which the pair are incredibly close.

For example, their goal and assist output is almost identical, as are their shots on target, ball recovery numbers and passing accuracy. While their tackle and interception numbers aren't exactly the same, they are remarkably close.

Ultimately, Hato looks like he will be a fantastic player in the future, and a team with him and Timber could cause some real problems for opposing forwards and defenders.

كشفت تقارير صحفية أن رودريجو بينتانكور لاعب توتنهام، مهدد بعقوبة كبيرة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بسبب زميله في الفريق، سون هيونج مين.

ووجه الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم اتهامًا إلى بينتانكور، بسبب تعليقاته حول زميله سون.

وجاء في بيان رسمي: “تم توجيه اتهام إلى رودريجو بينتانكور بانتهاك مزعوم لقاعدة الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم E3 بسبب سوء السلوك فيما يتعلق بمقابلة إعلامية”.

وأضاف: “يُزعم أن لاعب خط وسط توتنهام هوتسبير قد انتهك قاعدة الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم E3.1 حيث تصرف بطريقة غير لائقة أو استخدم كلمات مسيئة أو مهينة أو أساء إلى سمعة اللعبة”.

وتابع: “ويُزعم أيضًا أن هذا يشكل انتهاكًا مشددًا كما هو محدد في قاعدة الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم E3.2، حيث تضمن إشارة، سواء كانت صريحة أو ضمنية، إلى الجنسية أو العرق أو الأصل العرقي”.

اقرأ أيضًا | آرسنال يتلقى ضربة قوية قبل مواجهة توتنهام في الدوري الإنجليزي

وبحسب ما أفادت صحيفة “ذا صن” البريطانية، لدى بينتانكور مهلة حتى اليوم للرد على التهمة، وقد يتم إيقافه من 6 إلى 12 مباراة.

وإذا ثبتت إدانته بالتهمة واعترف بها، فسوف يتم إيقافه لمدة 6 مباريات على الأقل، وأسوأ عقوبة يمكن أن يتلقاها هي الإيقاف لمدة 12 مباراة.

ويعود الأمر إلى أنه خلال الصيف، سئل بينتانكور في إحدى القنوات التليفزيونية التابعة لأوروجواي عن قميص أحد لاعبي توتنهام وأجاب :”سون؟ قد يكون ابن عم سون أيضًا لأنهم كلهم متشابهون”.

ولاحقًا اعتذر بينتانكور عن الأمر، وقال سون عن زميله إنه ارتكب خطأ.

Zimbabwe Cricket donating towards rescue and relief efforts following cyclone in which estimated 2.6 million affected

Liam Brickhill26-Mar-2019Zimbabwe’s cricketers have joined the response to the devastation of Cyclone Idai, which ravaged eastern Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi last week causing widespread damage. Hundreds have been killed, with an estimated 2.6 million affected by the cyclone across the region. Zimbabwe Cricket has been one of a huge number of organisations to donate to the rescue and relief effort.Batsman Brendan Taylor also had a personal connection to the disaster. His father Graham witnessed the aftermath of the cyclone first hand, becoming stranded in the flooded area around Beira, Mozambique’s second largest city and the place hardest hit by winds of up to 115mph/185kph, huge swells and more than 150mm of rain in the first 24 hours.”My old man had a torrid couple of days on his way back from Beira helping my older brother out, who took some damage with his properties there,” Taylor told ESPNcricinfo. “He witnessed a lot of chaos, carnage and death. And a lot of destruction. We didn’t have signal or contact with him for 48 hours. He did a lot of walking, covered a lot of ground, and saw a lot of things you don’t want to see. It was a pretty humbling experience for him. But he’s safe. He’s fine.”

I urge all @ZimCricketv player's to come together. We can make a huge impact to those affected! #cycloneidai

— Brendan Taylor (@BrendanTaylor86) March 19, 2019

Graham Taylor described a scene where communities were “absolutely, totally obliterated”, telling the : “Any roof that was left, and old eucalyptus plantations and any cashew tree, any tree had four, five, six, seven people in it. People were trying to wade across – I think 95% of the houses were obliterated.”Having also caused deadly flooding in Malawi, the cyclone moved inland to Zimbabwe, washing away roads and bridges, and causing landslides that destroyed entire villages in the Chimanimani area. As the army and police aqua units moved in to help those affected, ordinary Zimbabweans and local businesses also rallied and organised a response to the emergency.”It’s been good to see the way the whole country’s come together and contributed as a whole,” Taylor said. “It’s been fantastic. I think ZC has reacted really well. And the players have been on board, so that’s great.”

DISASTER RELIEF: @ZimCricketv today handed over blankets and groceries to assist survivors of the Cyclone Idai disaster that ravaged the eastern parts of Zimbabwe and left dozens dead, hundreds missing and thousands homeless #CycloneIdai pic.twitter.com/e31jf03W1y

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) March 21, 2019

National men’s captain Hamilton Masakadza said that the followers of cricket in the country are many, and that these followers share in moments of both joy and sorrow with the team, and hence ZC also shares in the grief of the victims of the cyclone. Women’s captain Mary-Anne Musonda wrote on Twitter: “We are all affected by Cyclone Idai. They are us, we are them.”ZC made an official donation of blankets, clothing, cooking oil and sugar beans, among other supplies, to be sent to communities in the Eastern Highlands affected by the cyclone, which has been described as possibly the worst weather-related disaster ever to hit the southern hemisphere.”It is a call that us as Zimbabwe Cricket feel demands every institution to play its part in ensuring the [country’s] president’s call for assistance is fulfilled, hence our small gesture towards supporting victims of Cyclone Idai,” ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukhuhlani said.Sikandar Raza donated his entire match fee and winning bonus from the domestic Twenty20 final won by his team Matabeleland Tuskers to the effort. “The cyclone has definitely hit Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique quite badly,” Raza told ESPNcricinfo. “But what it’s also done is brought all the communities together.””It was hectic last week,” Peter Moor said. “But what was amazing was how the whole Zimbabwean community just came together. On my way home from training I drive past Nazareth House and Highlands Presbyterian Church and these places, and they were just ram-packed with people. Volunteers helping out, food packs, blankets, everything. And it was very special to see how, despite everybody’s political differences and what have you, and even different economic backgrounds, everyone was just helping out and it was really special.”

We are all affected by Cyclone Idai. They are us, we are them. @ZimCricketv Lady Chevrons this afternoon showed up at the Highlands Presbyterian Church to help out with packing provisions going to our family in Chimanimani/Mutare. #CycloneIdai #LadyChevrons #Zimbabwe pic.twitter.com/noP7rTTgNS

— Mary-Anne Musonda

The club's new overlords INEOS are planning a massive revamp of the squad in this summer – but who should they prioritise getting rid of?

Manchester United are close to bidding farewell to one of their worst ever seasons in the modern era but soon they will be looking towards their next big battle, the one that takes place in the transfer market.

After a harrowing campaign in which the Red Devils crashed out of the Champions League group stage and failed miserably to mount a challenge to finish in the top four, it has become glaringly obvious that several players are no longer up to the standards United should aim for.

And while standards had been allowed to slip by a board that often took its eye off the ball, the club's new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS colleagues will not stand for it any longer. It was reported last week that United are ready to listen to offers for almost the entire squad, with only young stars Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo protected from the clear-out.

It is also believed that Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana are extremely unlikely to leave, but every other player, including Marcus Rashford, could potentially be up for sale.

Here are the players United should be prioritising getting rid of when the transfer window opens in June…

• Getty Images
  

  10Christian Eriksen

  Christian Eriksen was a transfer that made a lot of sense at the time, a technically adept and highly experienced player on a free transfer. He contributed a lot last season, even if he did tire in games and rarely lasted 90 minutes.

  He has struggled much more in his second campaign at Old Trafford and despite remaining fit since the turn of the year, he has started just two games in all competitions since a concerning performance against Tottenham. The Dane has only one year left on his contract and even a free transfer would make sense, given how little Ten Hag has trusted him recently.

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• Getty
  

  9Aaron Wan-Bissaka

  Wan-Bissaka's time at United can roughly be summed up in three stages. At first he looked to be a costly mistake due to his £50m ($62m) transfer fee and the fact he contributed very little in an attacking sense. But then last year he rediscovered his knack for one-v-one defending and usurped Diogo Dalot as the team's first-choice right-back.

  But this season Dalot has re-established himself as Ten Hag's best right-sided defender and Wan-Bissaka has looked increasingly vulnerable, almost costing United their place in the FA Cup final with a disastrous display against Coventry.

  The club triggered his one-year contract extension clause in January and his new deal expires in 2025. It means United have one more chance to recover some of the money they spent on him and they need to take it.

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  8Anthony Martial

  The Frenchman has turned into a laughing stock in the last couple of years, incapable of staying fit for even a handful of games and often struggling to make any impact when he does play, except to rile the fans.

  The good news for United is that this one takes care of itself, as Martial's contract with the club expires in June, bringing his at best disappointing and at worst exasperating time at the club to an end.

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• Getty Images
  

  7Sofyan Amrabat

  Perhaps United should have realised that the Morocco international was not up to Premier League standard when they faced barely any competition to sign him and were able to negotiate a loan with Fiorentina. He has looked woefully off the pace in most games and Ten Hag has clearly noticed, starting him just once in all competitions in 2024.

  United paid Fiorentina a loan fee of €10m (£8.5m), which includes a purchase option set at €25m (£21m). They would be fools to trigger it and at least this transfer can be written off as a mistake that only haunts them for one year, unlike some other players they tied down to long contracts.

The Riders decimated the Victorians batting line-up for the second time this season, and also displaced them at the top of the table

The Report by Sruthi Ravindranath02-Feb-2019How the game played outRangpur Riders decimated the Comilla Victorians batting line-up for the second time this season and also displaced them at the top of the table with a crushing nine-wicket win in Dhaka. Victorians put up a reckless batting display as they folded for 72, which AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle then chased down within 10 overs.Victorians, who made as many as three changes to their side in their last game ahead of the play-offs, lost five wickets inside Powerplay, mainly due to poor shot selections by their top-order batsmen. A mini revival was scripted by Ziaur Rahman, before he fell flat-batting a Ravi Bopara full toss to a leaping Rilee Rossouw at long-on in the 12th over. Bopara was on a hat-trick at the end of the over after castling Abu Hider with a yorker, leaving Victorians reeling at 56 for 7. It did not take much time for Riders’ bowlers to clean up Victorians’ tail after that.Riders lost opener Mehedi Maruf early in the small chase, but a 67-run stand between de Villiers and Gayle took them to a thumping win. Bopara was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his incredible figures of 3-0-7-3.Turning points Riders’ disciplined bowling was backed by some brilliant effort by their fielders. Rossouw’s brilliant catch at long-on to dismiss Ziaur thwarted Victorians’ attempt to recover. Following his maiden over to Gayle, Afghanistan’s 17-year-old Waqar Salamkheil was punished by the big-hitter for two sixes and a four in his third over.Star of the dayAB de Villiers, who will not be a part of Riders’ play-offs campaign, finished his BPL stint on a high. Apart from his 22-ball 34, his efforts on the field during Victorians’ innings – two catches and electric fielding – added to Riders’ collective performance.The big missVictorians batsmen’s poor shot selection. There were four ducks in their innings. Even their senior batsmen played impatiently, with Tamim Iqbal falling for a mistimed loft and the captain Imrul Kayes throwing his wicket to a miscued pull.Where the teams standA dead rubber it may have been, but the Riders will walk into the play-offs with confidence, finishing on top of the table having displaced Victorians.

أعلن نادي الزمالك رسميًا عن التعاقد مع حارس كرة اليد، كريم هنداوي، في خطوة تأتي تتويجًا لمسيرة حافلة بالإنجازات مع القلعة البيضاء.

ووقع اللاعب على عقود الانضمام لنادي الزمالك، عقب الجلسة التي جمعته بالكابتن هشام نصر نائب رئيس النادي، ونيرة الأحمر ورامي نصوحي، عضوي مجلس إدارة القلعة البيضاء.

ويعتبر هذا التعاقد بمثابة رسالة قوية تؤكد التزام النادي ببناء فريق قوي قادر على المنافسة على جميع الألقاب، والحفاظ على مكانته كأحد أبرز الأندية الرياضية في مصر والمنطقة.

طالع أيضًا | “بطولات” يكشف تطورات أزمة محمد عدلان بعد الانضمام إلى الأهلي والتوقيع لـ الزمالك

ويشتهر هنداوي بقدراته الفنية العالية، وسرعة بديهته، وقدرته على التصدي للكرات الصعبة، مما جعله أحد أبرز حراس المرمى في مصر.

ويأتي التعاقد معه في إطار سعي نادي الزمالك لتكوين فريق مستقر وقادر على تحقيق نتائج إيجابية على المدى الطويل، ويعتبر الحارس هو العمود الفقري لأي فريق.

ويُعتبر انضمام هنداوي هو خبر سار لجماهير الزمالك، وخطوة مهمة في مسيرة النادي نحو تحقيق المزيد من الإنجازات.

The South African will slot into a batting line-up that already includes Chris Gayle and Alex Hales

Mohammad Isam27-Oct-2018

How the BPL squads look before the draft

Rangpur Riders: Chris Gayle, Mashrafe Mortaza, Nazmul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, AB de Villiers, Alex Hales
Dhaka Dynamites: Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Hazratullah Zazai
Sylhet Sixers: Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Liton Das, Sohail Tanvir, David Warner, Sandeep Lamichhane
Khulna Titans: Mahmudullah, Ariful Haque, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Carlos Brathwaite, Dawid Malan, Ali Khan
Comilla Victorians: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoaib Malik, Asela Gunaratne, Liam Dawson
Rajshahi Kings: Mominul Haque, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Zakir Hasan, Qais Ahmed, Christiaan Jonker
Chittagong Vikings: Sikandar Raza, Luke Ronchi, Najibullah Zadran, Sunzamul Islam, Mohammad Shahzad, Robbie Frylinck

Rangpur Riders have signed up AB de Villiers for the 2018-19 BPL season as their second signing outside the player draft, which is set to take place on Sunday. It sets up the mouthwatering prospect of a Rangpur batting line-up that also includes Chris Gayle, whom the franchise retained after his fireworks in last year’s final, and Alex Hales, whom they signed earlier this month.Apart from de Villiers and Hales, other prominent recent signings in the BPL include David Warner for Sylhet Sixers and Andre Russell for Dhaka Dynamites. There was interest shown in players from Associates nations too, with Sylhet roping in Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane and Khulna signing USA fast bowler Ali Khan, who impressed in the CPL this year. Dhaka have picked up Hazratullah Zazai, who recently hit six sixes in an over in the Afghan Premier League.Each team has six players in their squad ahead of the draft. In all, each team can sign a maximum of 12 local and nine overseas players. Every side must include four overseas players in their playing XI this season.Dhaka already have five overseas players among their current squad of six, which means they will focus mostly on local players in the draft. Rangpur could add allrounders and spinners to their squad to complement their star-studded batting line-up and a bowling attack containing Mashrafe Mortaza and Nazmul Islam. Sylhet have their top four sorted with Warner, Liton Das, Nasir Hossain and Sabbir Rahman, so they would look to strengthen their lower middle order and bowling attack which already includes Sohail Tanvir and Lamichhane.In the draft, the A+ category (USD 200,000) will include Shahid Afridi, Imran Tahir and Evin Lewis, while category A (USD 150,000) will include Mohammad Hafeez, Faheem Ashraf, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga and Darren Bravo.The BPL which is scheduled from January 5 to February 8, will clash with the UAE T20x and the Big Bash League in Australia.

On the heels of becoming the joint second-fastest Pakistani to 50 Test wickets, fast bowler Mohammad Abbas has risen 11 places to No. 3 in the bowling rankings. That leaves only James Anderson (899 points) and Kagiso Rabada (882) ahead of him.Abbas played a starring role in Pakistan’s 1-0 series victory over Australia. He picked up 17 wickets at an average of 10.58, which is the best for any Pakistan bowler with 15 or more wickets in a series. More astoundingly, his career average of 15.64 is the best for any bower with 50-plus wickets in the last 100 years.The top three on the ICC Test bowler’s rankings•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The 28-year old has only just started playing Test cricket. He made his debut in in April 2017 and 10 matches into his career he already has four five-wicket hauls. During the course of his match-winning 10 for 95 against Australia in Abu Dhabi, he was tipped by Dale Steyn to become the No. 1 bowler in the world.While that is yet to happen, Abbas, who worked in a leather factory, earning his livelihood through welding work and working as a helper in a law firm in Sialkot, might not find too many reasons to complain. He was named Man of the Match and Man of the Series after Pakistan recorded their biggest ever Test victory in terms of runs this week.