Liam Plunkett’s four wickets enabled Yorkshire to edge a tense quarter-final against Kent on a dead Canterbury surface

Paul Edwards at Canterbury18-Aug-2016
ScorecardLiam Plunkett pulls off a vital return catch to dismiss Darren Stevens•PA PhotosThere is an old cricketing saw that if you want to know how good a pitch is, you need to wait until both sides have batted on it. Like most proverbs, this is a useful saying only when used carefully; trotted out uncritically, it is tripe. This close and noble match, which ended with Yorkshire looking forward to a home semi-final against Surrey, illustrated the point.Between the two innings, as a St Lawrence ground which had brimmed with afternoon sunshine gave itself over to the gentler grace of evening, Kent’s supporters had reason to be optimistic. A Yorkshire side containing seven Test cricketers had managed no more than 256 in their 50 overs, a good score to be sure but self-evidently not the 300-plus the home fans may have feared.Kent skipper, Sam Northeast, may even have half toyed with notions of a Lord’s final. That would have capped a great season for the still youthful-looking Northeast, who has scored runs for the fun of doing so in the Championship. He has also been appointed club captain in succession to the slightly aldermanic figure of Rob Key. Sam Weller has taken over from Mr Pickwick.Eighteen overs into their innings the mood in the home dressing room was probably considerably less sanguine. Although 64 runs had been scored, four prime wickets had been lost, including that of Daniel Bell-Drummond, leg before to a David Willey yorker in the second over and Sam Billings, lbw on the front foot to Steve Patterson when he had made a mere single. Sandwiched between these dismissals, Northeast had gone, too, when he chipped a catch to Gary Ballance at midwicket.Thus did one Old Harrovian send another packing, although this very posh dismissal was moderated a little by the involvement of the bowler, Liam Plunkett, he of Nunthorpe Comprehensive. Maybe we should have known then that it would be Plunkett’s night, just as it had been against Essex at the same stage of the same competition a year earlier.

Alex Lees, Yorkshire captain: “I thought we were 20 runs or so light at the end of our innings, although Adam Lyth played quite beautifully, because we lost our way a bit after he got out. It is such an asset having someone like Liam who takes wickets in the middle overs, because in one-day cricket that is so important. Adil, at the end, bowled with great skill and it was testament to his ability that he got us wickets just when we needed them.”
Sam Northeast, Kent captain: “We lost too many wickets in the first 20 overs. We made a good show of it in the end but we were just not good enough overall today. We pegged them back really well on a pitch that was slower than we expected. Rashid bowled really well at the end, and we came up short.”

Faced with Kent’s grim situation, Darren Stevens and Alex Blake resolved to die with their boots on and their magazines empty, if necessary. The fifth-wicket pair took 61 runs off the next seven overs, most of the damage being done to the spinners, Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq, both of whom were lifted for sixes into the crowd sitting in front of the mustard-coloured crane on the Old Dover Road side of the ground.The pair had added 86 in 13 overs when Blake was caught behind by Jonny Bairstow for 50 when attempting to pull a bouncer from Plunkett but only edging a catch. Nevertheless, the later Kent batsmen took their cue from this stand and it needed some outstanding cricket from Plunkett to prevent them winning the game.Northeast’s men needed 109 off 20 overs when Blake was out and the rate was not to drop much above or below five an over for the rest of the innings. Crucially, of course, though, wickets were to fall, the first of them that of Stevens, whose leading edge was clutched one-handed with supreme athleticism by the diving Plunkett. Will Gidman gave the same bowler a much easier return catch two overs later but Kent battled on and the crowd warmed to themMatt Coles took a four and two sixes off a Rafiq over before being stumped off a Rashid googly – his foot raised just for an instant, but exposed by Bairstow’s fast work.Charlie Hartley and James Tredwell maintained a rate of five an over and 37 were needed off the last 48 balls. Yorkshire’s bowlers became nervous, then irritated. But with only 16 needed, Hartley was leg before to Rashid and his 29-run stand with the calm Tredwell was ended. Then a borderline lbw for Willey finally killed Kent’s chances when 12 runs were required, 13 balls were left and most in the 6000 capacity crowd were beginning to think that, just for once, hope was not going to betray them.All this floodlit tension followed a Yorkshire innings which had been dominated more by accumulation than the artillery which Blake and Coles favoured. Although Adam Lyth hit two fours and a straight six in his first 15 balls, the boundaries were not to flow with comparable frequency until the final over of the innings, when Rashid drove successive balls from Mitch Claydon to the Nackington Road for four and over midwicket for six. Claydon had been the early sufferer, too, when he pitched the ball up rather too far to Lyth, who rarely passes up such pleasant opportunities, especially when the deep field is as empty as a gambler’s wallet.But this early fun more or less marked the end of the visitors’ big shots. After Alex Lees had pulled Claydon straight to Blake on the square leg boundary, Lyth and Joe Root added 90 for the second wicket in 19 overs by pushing the ball into gaps, working it around and scampering twos.Root’s innings exemplified the few problems Yorkshire’s batsmen encountered on this pitch. England’s finest batsman is so well balanced at the crease that he is almost incapable of inelegance, yet the accuracy of the Kent attack and the apparent slowness of the wicket prevented him playing any of his straight drives or signature back-foot forces. Instead he and Lyth were content for the most part to milk Tredwell, the off-spinner conceding 52 runs off his ten overs.Root and Lyth’s partnership was by far the best of Yorkshire’s innings. Three other pairs added 27 runs apiece, a statistic which itself rather reveals the absence of rhythm in the visitors’ innings. The batsmen’s problems were caused – some would say merely exacerbated – by the accuracy of Kent’s bowling. The pick of the attack was the medium-pacer, Hartley, who was playing just his fourth List A game and will dine out on his removal of Root, well caught at deep midwicket by Blake for 45, and Bairstow, who drove too soon and chipped a catch to Bell-Drummond when he had only 9 to his name.Although Gidman later removed Tim Bresnan and Willey in the same over, the latter departing to a contentious leg-side catch by Billings when the ball appeared to have hit only the pad, the most successful Kent bowler was Coles. Like Chaucer’s Miller, “a stout carl for the nones” Coles has plenty of pace and perhaps more variations than is sometimes assumed. “Ful byg…of brawn, and eek of bones” he may be but there is craft there, too, and in this game, it was sufficient to account for Lyth for 88 when edging a drive and both Plunkett and Rafiq late in the piece. Coles finished with 3 for 39 and maybe he, too, was pondering spending a September Saturday in St John’s Wood as he ate his tea.Instead it will be Yorkshire’s players who have that chance when they play Surrey in a semi-final at Headingley a week on Sunday. Having set up one semi-final Lees and his players can now travel to Edgbaston to play in another. Kent’s players were left with deep disappointment and the ink-blue glory of a Canterbury night.Matt Coles dismisses Yorkshire’s top scorer Adam Lyth•PA Photos

Everton are interested in completing a summer deal to sign West Ham United defender Ben Johnson, according to reports.

What's the latest on Johnson to Everton?

The Irons right-back is an academy graduate at the London Stadium having worked his way up through the youth ranks to become a regular feature of David Moyes' first-team squad, recording 83 senior appearances to date. However, the 23-year-old will be out of contract at the end of next season, meaning that he will become a free agent should he not be offered fresh terms to extend his stay by this time next year.

Claret and Hugh has reported that the E20 outfit were looking to negotiate a new deal with the Premier League starlet last Christmas, but decided to hold off due to the poor form he was displaying at the time in the hope that things would change for the better. But with that not being the case, the hierarchy are now open to offers during the upcoming window.

The Toffees were credited with a strong interest in the England U21 international back in January, with Sean Dyche claimed to have personally green-lighted a move, and despite a deal failing to materialise at the time, it sounds like the boss is ready to take a second bite of the cherry in the weeks and months ahead.

According to Football Insider, Everton remain "keen" to wrap up a deal with West Ham and secure the services of Johnson ahead of the 2023/24 season. The Merseyside outfit are set to enter the market for defensive reinforcements and have identified the £20k-per-week ace as a "top target".

Everton, who are "still in pursuit" of the full-back, believe that he is a "top-class operator" whose ability to play on both flanks makes him an "attractive" option for the board.

Should Everton make an offer for Johnson?

Johnson hasn’t featured in any of West Ham’s last seven Premier League games – being completely omitted from the squad for four of those, showing that he’s perhaps not good enough to warrant a place in the first team. Therefore, we think Everton should avoid this move at all costs.

The Europa League participant has made just 20 tackles since the start of the season, ranking him the tenth-lowest player for the Hammers, and going forward, he has recorded only one shot, which is the lowest of any of West Ham's outfield players to have featured this term, as per FBref.

With a meagre three goal contributions to his name in 83 senior appearances under Moyes, Johnson’s display against Brighton & Hove Albion last month saw him labelled “appalling” and “so far short of the quality required” by talkSPORT broadcaster Tom Rennie, and we do not believe he is the profile of player that Dyche should be looking to sign come the summer, regardless of the club’s league status.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has lauded captain Kane Williamson’s demeanour and work ethic for the team’s seamless transition from the Brendon McCullum era. Hesson also felt McCullum and Williamson brought a largely similar approach to their leadership styles.”Kane captained, I think, 36 games before he took over full-time. Even during the time that Brendon was captain, for a number of tours or part of the tours, Kane came in and it was a very seamless change,” Hesson told reporters after New Zealand arrived in New Delhi.”I think the key to any captain-coach relationship is to making sure that we use each other’s strengths. Kane is very thoughtful, methodical, [as a] player likes to plan well, but also likes his own time.”Brendon wasn’t hugely dissimilar to that; he prepared really well. He was probably a little bit more of a high profile, sort of ‘out there’ character, especially in New Zealand. As you see, Kane is probably slightly more of a backseat [type] but within the team they operate in a very similar fashion.”Williamson, for his part, is well aware of the importance of compartmentalising his twin roles as leader and premier batsman. Although he comes on the back of a good run of scores – Williamson finished as the team’s second-highest run-getter in New Zealand’s recent tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa – he recognises the need to pull his weight as one of the team’s better players of spin bowling.”I suppose you take that [captaincy] hat off and you are very much a batsman and you have a role to play in the team. I see them as slightly different things, so that to me is the focus,” Williamson said.”India is a tough place to play, particularly, in more recent years where the pitches have been very tricky. I guess [when] you throw in world-class spinners, the challenges are very tough but at the same time we see it as a very exciting opportunity. [The] previous series’ here, certainly spin played a huge part, and at times batting was difficult.”Hesson said playing on the dry pitches of Bulawayo during the Zimbabwe tour was a useful preparatory exercise ahead of the India series. Both he and Williamson agreed their players had to draw upon whatever past experiences they had of playing in India – either during the IPL or in past tournaments like the World T20.”That [Zimbabwe tour] was very much a spin-dominant series and conditions,” he said. “Although it didn’t spin as much, it certainly was slower and probably similar pace that we are going to face in India. The week between the series has been about rest really and recovery, and obviously the next week-to-ten days is going to be critical to be really specific around individual game plans.”Hesson was upbeat about New Zealand’s “gifted” spin trio – Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and the returning Mark Craig – making a mark despite their relative inexperience: they have a combined tally of 98 wickets from 34 Tests.”In the last couple of years, a number of overseas spinners have done well, so we certainly back our spinning group [which is] young and inexperienced but gifted,” Hesson said. “The challenge for us is firstly in adjusting to the different ball – the SG Test is going to be completely different to what we have been operating with the Kookaburra. So, there is a little bit of change there, a little bit of changing around seam angles, which are different over here than they are in different parts of the world.”Even though we are not going to bowl like sub-continental bowlers, we do have to make sure that we find a way to create opportunities. All those three are keen learners of the game and certainly we are going to put a lot of faith in them over the coming weeks.”Hesson also believed that the seamers, Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, would put to good use the time they spent working on reverse swing in Zimbabwe. “It is a huge component of playing cricket overseas,” he said. “We have obviously spent a lot of time in Zimbabwe where we got the ball to reverse, and on surfaces that aren’t responsive in terms of seam movement.”There are many different methods [of getting the ball to reverse] and we certainly are going to have to be working on that over the coming days.”

Liverpool's pursuit of Alexis Mac Allister has certainly been no secret, and manager Jurgen Klopp is now homing in on his first major signing of the summer.

What's the latest on Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool?

According to Football Insider, Brighton & Hove Albion's imminent capture of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud indicates that Mac Allister's transfer to Liverpool is approaching completion.

These claims are bolstered by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who recently tweeted to say that the Reds have a full agreement on personal details with the Argentine, with a deal expected to be concluded in June.

Arsenal and Chelsea are also keen on a deal for the 24-year-old but with Liverpool moving swiftly and with conviction, the Seagulls ace's signature should be shortly secured, with fees as high as £70m being touted.

How would Mac Allister do at Liverpool?

Mac Allister has enjoyed something of a meteoric rise since arriving in England to sign a deal with Brighton, leaving his homeland and club Argentinos Juniors in 2019, where he made 83 appearances, scored 12 goals and provided nine assists.

Last season, he played an important role for Albion and found success in the Premier League, scoring five times and earning 22 starts as he grew into his skin on the English south coast.

And now, the £50k-per-week star is flourishing with unrelenting might, having scored ten goals from 33 matches in the top-flight and playing an important role in Argentina's monumental triumph in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was heralded as "sumptuous" by Gary Lineker.

As per FBref, the dynamo ranks among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 20% for progressive carries and the top 17% for successful take-ons per 90, indicating he possesses a robust core and is willing to seek out offensive openings through his driving presence on the ball.

This progressive element to his game is something that could bode well for Klopp's stratagems when considering how the midfielder would link up with Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose superlative ball-playing skills from deep could benefit Mac Allister when making surging runs into the final third.

Liverpool's £180k-per-week right-back ranks among the top 12% of positional peers for rate of assists, the top 4% for shot-creating actions, the top 2% for passes attempted and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90, recently hailed as a "genius" by Goal's Neil Jones.

The 24-year-old's newfound success following a tactical tweak, inverting from his usual marauding up and down the wings to occupy a role within the half-spaces and inflicting creative damage from deep could also be of interest to Mac Allister.

Indeed, he would find Alexander-Arnold in closer proximity and able to pick exquisite passes from behind as he makes his darting runs into danger areas, becoming the Reds' "golden boy" – as he was hailed by Albion-focussed content creator Ryan Adsett.

While Liverpool may not qualify for the Champions League this season, bolstering the middle of the park with Mac Allister will only enhance the intensity and verve of Klopp's outfit, and with Alexander-Arnold returning to his best after a lacklustre campaign, it could be a devastating concoction that truly takes the Liverpudlian to the next level.

West Indies legspinner Samuel Badree has described Pakistan as a “very, very dangerous team” which can “demolish any opposition.”

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2016Legspinner Samuel Badree has described Pakistan as a “very, very dangerous team” which can “demolish any opposition.” West Indies face them in three T20Is from Friday in the UAE and Badree insisted his side was”wary of the challenge” posed by Sarfraz Ahmed and his men despite the gap in rankings. West Indies, having won the World T20, are at No. 3 and Pakistan are No. 7.”On their day, they can demolish any opposition, and we are wary of that challenge,” Badree said. “We respect every opposition that we come up against, and we are going to do the same against Pakistan. We are going to prepare well, knowing that Pakistan are a very, very dangerous team.”The responsibility of living up to that reputation has fallen on a few rookies, and Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur gave them a glowing recommendation. “The players we have brought in – Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Sohail Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz – they take the game on. They don’t fear failure, which is fantastic. They are the guys we want to build this one-day cricket brand around.”West Indies, however, would have to find a way to cope without two of their best T20I players. Chris Gayle is injured and Andre Russell withdrew from the tour for personal reasons.”It’s a different team from the team that won the World T20,” Badree said. “We have a lot of new guys, a few players who are making their debuts on this tour. A number of our guys have been here before – the likes of [Sunil] Narine, [Dwayne] Bravo, [Kieron] Pollard. So we are looking forward to some very good games of cricket and, of course, we’d like to win the series and remain as one of the best T20 teams in the world.”One of the newer faces is opening batsman Evin Lewis, who made his maiden first-class, List A and T20I centuries in 2016 and has been named player of the year by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board. That maiden T20I ton came against India in Florida in which Lewis and Johnson Charles shared a 126-run opening stand to lay the platform for a match-winning total of 245.”I said [to myself] that this could be my opportunity to put myself on the world stage and I went out there and played positively and it paid off for me so I was happy about that,” Lewis said of the knock. “Johno [Johnson Charles] is a pretty attacking batsman like myself so there is less pressure on me. When he scores, it makes it easier for me to score also.”A factor that could make this series, which also includes three ODIs and three Tests, compelling could be the mercurial nature of both sides.”Pakistan are very similar to us in terms of their consistency – or lack, thereof,” Badree said. “One day they will give a brilliant performance, just like us, then the next, they leave a lot to be desired.”West Indies begin the tour with a warm-up match against Emirates Cricket Board XI on September 20. There is a day-night Test in the schedule as well.

Chelsea's new manager Mauricio Pochettino is believed to be pushing hard for his board to secure a deal for the Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

How old is Manuel Ugarte?

The west London side have had a season which they will want to forget in a hurry having finished 12th in the table and on just 44 points.

Failing to even break the 50-point mark is an indication of how much work is needed behind the scenes at Cobham this summer and they have set the wheels into motion already.

Indeed, Pochettino has finally been announced as their new manager and the Argentine is likely to have some huge decisions to make on who will make his squad for the new campaign.

Under Todd Boehly's ownership, the Blues have developed a bloated squad which has proven difficult for Graham Potter and Frank Lampard to manage.

And it seems as if this summer will see a number of players allowed to move on as the Argentine looks to thin out his squad and put his time into the players he actually wants.

However, this is not to say Chelsea will not be looking to bring in some new players with the Uruguayan midfielder believed to be high on their radar.

Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano has provided an insight on just how much Pochettino is believed to be wanting the 22-year-old:

"Also for Chelsea, important to say that they are still pushing to sign Manuel Ugarte from Sporting. Chelsea and PSG there is a big fight between these two clubs.

"PSG are prepared to pay the €60m (£52m) release clause with different payment terms. Chelsea are offering the same."

"So the discussion is ongoing but Chelsea are really pushing for Ugarte and, from what I understand, Mauricio Pochettino is really pushing internally to sign him he considers him as a benefit player for their idea."

How much does Ugarte earn at Sporting?

Midfield is by no means an area which Chelsea are short in numbers considering they added the £106.8m Enzo Fernandez in the January window.

However, if the likes of Conor Gallagher are to move on over the summer, then perhaps this is an area which has to be addressed.

And it is not just Gallagher who has been linked with a potential exit, Romano has also claimed Manchester City have been granted permission to discuss a potential move for Mateo Kovacic.

Adding to all of this, the future of N'Golo Kante also remains up in the air with the Frenchman coming to the end of his contract in a matter of weeks.

Pochettino's time at Tottenham Hotspur showed the league what he could achieve with young players and this could be a promising indication for Boehly.

Although there is a lot of work to be done at Chelsea to reduce the size of their squad, it will surely be apparent to the owners that they need to provide their new manager with some players of his choice.

Adding the £18.8k-per-week Ugarte to Pochettino's options will be a promising start to his return to England, however, it will likely be just one of many additions he will be aiming for.

A round-up of the second day of Group B matches in the second round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2016R Samarth’s maiden first-class double-century was the highlight of Karnataka’s dominant batting performance against Jharkhand in Greater Noida. Karnataka had gone into stumps on the opening day on 248 for 3, with Samarth on 118 and Kaunain Abbas on 28. On Friday, Samarth scored 235 and Abbas made 55, while every batsman who followed came good as Karnataka piled on 577 for 6 before declaring. Jharkhand ended the day on 9 for no loss, trailing by 568 runs.After the Samarth-Abbas stand ended, having realised 115, Samarth and Stuart Binny (97) added 185 for the fifth wicket. Samarth added another 46 with CM Gautam, the wicketkeeper, before being dismissed. Gautam remained unbeaten on 36, and Shreyas Gopal was 21 not out when the declaration was made.Rajasthan came up with a strong reply to Assam’s first-innings total of 195 to gain a 13-run lead in Visakhapatnam. Rajasthan had bowled Assam out for 195 after Pankaj Singh’s 24th five-wicket haul on the opening day.Starting their innings afresh on the second day, Rajasthan ended on 208 for 3, with Mahipal Lomror unbeaten on 84. Rajasthan lost Manender Singh with just 8 on the board. Lomror and Vineet Saxena then joined hands for a 76-run second-wicket stand. Lomror added 75 more for the third wicket with Ashok Menaria (44), before taking the side to stumps in the company of Rajat Bhatia (28 not out). Arup Das, Abu Nechim and Pallavkumar Das took a wicket apiece.At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Odisha’s bowlers combined to give them the first-innings lead, bowling Saurashtra out for 186. Odisha had been bowled out for 228, despite opener Sandeep Pattnaik’s century, after which Saurashtra had gone into stumps on the first day at 4 for no loss.New-ball bowlers Basant Mohanty and Suryakant Pradhan and left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh took all 10 wickets to keep Saurashtra to 186. Mohanty took 4 for 58, while Pradhan and Dhiraj took three each. Jaydev Shah, the Saurashtra captain, top-scored with 64, and Chirag Jani scored 45, but there was no other contribution of note. Although Dharmendrasinh Jadeja resisted with an unbeaten 28 at No. 10, it wasn’t enough to give them the lead.Odisha lost first-innings centurion Pattnaik and their captain Govinda Poddar early in the second innings, and went into stumps on 62 for 2, leading by 104 runs.

Manchester City are plotting to try and snap up Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea this summer, according to Football Insider.

What is the latest on Mateo Kovacic to Man City?

Pep Guardiola's side have surged to the top of the Premier League table once more and are also challenging in the Champions League still – they also have an FA Cup final against Manchester United to contend with in June.

It's the strength of City's squad that has allowed them to compete on all fronts but the side could be set to take a hit this summer, with some potential exits on the horizon. One such departure could be experienced midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who the club feel might leave when his contract comes to a close. Kalvin Phillips is another midfielder who could leave, with West Ham one of the latest to register an interest in the player – although reports have suggested he may opt to stay at the Etihad Stadium.

City have already looked towards Jude Bellingham as a potential reinforcement in the centre of the field for them but with no offer made and the Borussia Dortmund man also wanted by Real Madrid, it means the side may have to look elsewhere.

It appears that instead, Pep Guardiola could launch a move to bring in Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. Football Insider reports that Pep Guardiola is a "big fan" of the former Real Madrid player and is prepared to try and lure him away from Stamford Bridge during the upcoming transfer window. The Blues haven't got him to put pen-to-paper on a new deal yet and it means he could now depart the club in the summer.

Should Man City sign Mateo Kovacic?

The 29-year-old has struggled more than usual this season, managing only 16 showings in the Premier League and producing a rating of just 6.52 via WhoScored this campaign. However, this has come as part of a Chelsea side that has toiled at times in the top flight this year and away from the Blues, he has thrived.

For Croatia, he was a first-team regular and stood out for his country too, with a rating of 7.00. When given the chance to shine on a European stage too in the Champions League, his rating increases to 6.73.

The talent is still there from Kovacic then and that is also apparent when you consider how he has been praised by other footballers in the game. Declan Rice called him "incredible" speaking to BT Sport (via 101 Great Goals), and added that his dribbling ability is "unbelievable."

The midfielder then could find his best form again at a new team like Man City. He could be given the chance to not only feature more regularly but to bring his game up to the highest level because of the ability of the rest of his teammates – and when at his best, he has already proven he can be outstanding for a club.

The pervading opinion is that Manchester City will cruise to victory in Istanbul, but their Italian opponents lack neither quality nor character

According to , Inter have "no chance" in the Champions League final against Manchester City, and while one should never really pay much attention to some of the English tabloids, it's noteworthy that even the is calling Saturday's showdown in Istanbul "Mission almost impossible" for the Italian team.

There has even been some debate over whether this is, on paper at least, the biggest mismatch we've ever seen at this stage of the competition. In Italy, everyone from Fabio Capello to Antonio Cassano acknowledges that City are the best team in the world right now, the clear favourites to take home the trophy. In England, Jamie Carragher has claimed that Inter are "levels below" their treble-chasing opponents, while Michael Owen is adamant that not a single member of Simone Inzaghi's squad would get in Pep Guardiola's starting line-up.

Fair to say, then, that Inter are under no pressure, but are they feeling any fear? After all, Inter are not only going up against Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Ilkay Gundogan, they must also somehow stop the most terrifying forward in football right now – Erling Haaland.

"I'm scared of murderers and thieves," centre-back Alessandro Bastoni told reporters on Monday, "not guys my own age! We need to go out on the pitch and play football, with a clear mind."

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  Quietly confident

  Which, in fairness, is exactly what they've done nearly all season long in the Champions League, most notably in the semi-finals against AC Milan. In 'the derby of derbies', Inter rose to the occasion; their city rivals appeared overwhelmed by it.

  There is, then, a quiet confidence about Inter right now. They have defied the odds before; they understandably see no reason why they cannot do so again. Remember, nobody expected them to even get out of their group. Having been bracketed with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, it was thought that Inter's most realistic goal was qualification for the Europa League. However, despite losing their tournament-opener, at home to Bayern, they qualified with a game to spare after taking four points off Barca alone.

  And several players have stated this week that the 1-0 win over the Blaugrana at San Siro on October 4 was the key moment in their European campaign. Barca had all the ball that night, but Inter held firm, producing an impressively disciplined defensive display to keep Robert Lewandowski & Co. quiet. Something similar may well be required on Saturday night…

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  Underestimated attacking threat

  Inter can play, though. It's obviously very easy to bill this as the irresistible force against the immovable object, given City are the tournament's top scorers (31 goals), while Inter boast the best defence, with eight clean sheets. But it's a little more nuanced than that.

  Inter certainly do not lack attacking quality, as they proved in the group stage. Barcelona's Liga title triumph was founded upon their excellent defensive work, yet Xavi's side was repeatedly ripped to shreds in a 3-3 draw at Camp Nou that effectively sealed Inter's place in the last 16. Indeed, they dominated the majority of that game, which they also should have won right at the death to completely kill off Barca's faint hopes of qualifying for the next round.

  City should, therefore, be wary of not only star striker Lautaro Martinez, Inter's big-game player who has hit a career-high 28 goals in all competitions this season, but also a resurgent Romelu Lukaku and an evergreen Edin Dzeko.

  Elsewhere, dead-ball specialist Hakan Calhanoglu is a dangerous long-range shooter, while the brilliant box-to-box midfielder Nicolo Barella is always capable of making something happen with his surges into the area (even if he should score more than he does).

  And then there is the threat out wide.

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  'How are City going to open up that back five?'

  After the second-leg win over Milan, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard highlighted the problem posed by Federico Dimarco to opposition defences. The Italian has arguably been the revelation of Inter's entire season, with five assists in the Champions League, and fellow wing-back Denzel Dumfries can also do damage. The Dutchman may be maddeningly inconsistent, but he is capable of getting in behind defences, as he illustrated to impressive effect at the World Cup in Qatar.

  Indeed, while discussing the final immediately after Manchester City had routed Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium, Thierry Henry said the aspect of the final he was most looking forward to was seeing how Guardiola tackles Inter's 3-5-2 formation.

  "Dumfries and Dimarco will be quicker to arrive on his wingers than usual, because they will already be there, out wide, in more advanced positions," Henry told . "So, now, how are [City] going to create that overload? How are [they] going to open up that back five? Because it will become a five-man defence in the final because City will have all the ball and Inter will be low. It's easier to kill a back four with how City plays, so Pep might come up with something. I don't know what but I want to see that tactical battle."

  Former Italy international Cassano is just as intrigued, pointing out that Brentford, the one side to do the double over City in the Premier League this season, "play with the same formation as Inter".

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  'We have what it takes to beat City'

  Inter are, of course, acutely aware of the size of the task facing them. Earlier this week, Bastoni dismissed the idea that they will need a miracle to win in Istanbul, but conceded that victory would require a "perfect game from everyone that sets foot on the field".

  However, the ball-playing centre-back – who, contrary to what Owen might think, would slot seamlessly into City's defence – promptly added, "We know our value." And they do.

  Every single player who faced the press on Monday was at pains to point out that while they hold City in the highest esteem, they are no mugs themselves. They may have been somewhat fortunate to find themselves on the right side of the draw, but they have not made it to Istanbul by chance. They deserve to be in the final.

  "We earned this opportunity on the pitch," Robin Gosens declared in an interview with . "We're going there to win. We know it'll be a struggle, but we have what it takes to beat Manchester City."

  The Daily Mail may disagree, of course, but as Dimarco argued, "Inter's history speaks for itself." A childhood fan of the club, he has been rewatching the 2010 final win over Bayern Munich for the past decade. He knows that such historic triumphs have as much to do with character as quality.

Mitchell Johnson at the WACA. For the better part of a decade, this was one of the most watchable parts of Australia’s home summer. Johnson was quick anywhere, but something about Perth brought his threat to a new level, even in the years when the WACA’s typical pace and bounce suffered a lull. Nowhere did he take more Test wickets than the 45 at 22.77 he claimed in Perth, and his best work there came against South Africa.Johnson was back at the WACA on Wednesday, 50 days out from the ground hosting South Africa for the first Test of the Australian summer. But this year, South Africa’s batsmen will not have to worry about the threat of Johnson running in on a zippy pitch with a breeze to help him swing the ball. And yet another left-arm danger could be just as effective, if not more, when the home summer begins: Mitchell Starc.Johnson’s retirement during last season stripped 313 wickets from Australia’s Test attack, but the transition to a post-Johnson era has been smooth. That is largely thanks to Starc, whose swing, pace and mastery of the yorker have made him one of the most challenging fast bowlers in world cricket at the moment. If Australia’s recent series in Sri Lanka was a disaster it was not because of Starc, who topped Australia’s wicket list with 24 at 15.16.It was the highest series tally ever by a visiting fast bowler in Sri Lanka, and it was followed, in the one-day series, by Starc breaking the world record for reaching 100 ODI wickets in the fewest matches. Australia will be greatly looking forward to seeing what Starc can achieve during the six home Tests this summer, after he missed the second half of last season due to an ankle injury that required surgery and a long recovery.”It was really exciting to see Mitch Starc perform well,” Johnson said in Perth on Wednesday. “I thought he was really close when we went over to England for that last Ashes series, and wasn’t quite there. But he’s shown that after his injury he’s really committed to working really hard and did all the work. I’ve kept in touch with him and he was really positive going into that series. To be the leading wicket-taker in Sri Lanka in those conditions was a real positive and a good step forward.”He can dominate again [at home] on wickets that are going to provide bounce, and with his height, it’s going to be very difficult. He bowls the fuller ball, gets the ball up there, and especially on a wicket like the WACA where it can get good bounce, it’s really vital to be up there. He’ll swing the ball when he pitches the ball up.”That yorker he’s got is very dangerous. He’s always working to improve his game. He’s still pretty fresh in Test cricket. He’s only going to get better. He’s going to keep breaking records, I think, as well. It’s really exciting to see him play really well.”The first Test against South Africa will be Australia’s first in Perth since Johnson farewelled Test cricket there last November. The three bowlers who rounded out Australia’s attack alongside Johnson in that match – Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon – have continued to steer Australia’s Test bowling with success since then.”It’s nice to be able to finish and have him performing in the line-up that Australia have,” Johnson said of Starc. “It’s a pretty inexperienced bowling line-up. They’ve got Nathan Lyon there, who’s got plenty of experience spin-bowling, and Josh Hazlewood is still trying to find his feet. There’s always going to be pressure on him to be like a [Glenn] McGrath.”But I think we’ve got a really good bowling line-up at the moment, and it’s really well-balanced. Those guys are really tall as well, so in these conditions they’re going to be really difficult to play. Coming up against South Africa at the start is really going to test Australia. But the bowling is really good at the moment. I’m really happy where it’s placed.”Johnson, like the current Australians, is less happy with where the team is placed on the Test rankings – No.3 after losing top spot in Sri Lanka – but it is also a time of change for South Africa, who are currently ranked fifth.”South Africa are going through a bit of a change at the moment but there are a few guys that have just come into really good form,” Johnson said. “Dale Steyn’s back in form, Morne [Morkel] is floating around there as well, and they’ve got a great batting line-up as always. Australia have always competed very hard against them.”