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While the Albiceleste captain is an automatic choice for his nation, there is fierce competition to accompany him in Russia

JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images1Dario BenedettoIf it were not for a cruciate ligament tear suffered back in November, Benedetto would have had a real chance of making Argentina's World Cup list. The Boca striker had netted 12 goals in as many games prior to his injury, and also featured in the Albiceleste's last four qualifiers, albeit without hitting the net. Even if he does beat the odds and make it back to competitive action before June, however, his World Cup dream is effectively over.AdvertisementGetty2Cristian PavonThe Boca Juniors star joins Martinez in the squad as one of Sampaoli's picks from the Argentine Superliga. Pavon made a huge impression in his international debut back in November, laying on two goals for Sergio Aguero in clashes against Russia and Nigeria, and his prowess down the right marks him out as a useful option in Argentina's star-studded attack.Getty3Lautaro MartinezAt just 20, the Racing Club wonderkid's name is on everybody's lips. Sampaoli has already visited the Cilindro on no less than three occasions to watch Martinez, who obliged the Argentina coach with an incredible seven goals to earn his first call up to the senior Argentina side. The World Cup may be arriving just too soon for the striker, but his talent is undeniable and a strong showing in this double-header might just tip the balance and see him make Russia as a wildcard pick.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty4Angel CorreaWhen injury forced Aguero out of March's clashes, Sampaoli turned to an unexpected face in order to fill the gap in his squad. Atletico Madrid's Correa got the nod ahead of both Icardi and Dybala to join the squad, a chance he has richly earned thanks to his excellent performances at the Wanda Metropolitana. The 23 year old offers depth both through the middle and out wide in the Argentina attack and will be eager to add to his collection of seven caps against Italy and Spain.

Inter Miami teenager Tyler Hall admits he was left feeling “like I was in a video game” after being joined in Florida by all-time great Lionel Messi.

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All-time great now in the United StatesImpressing all of those around himCatching the eye on and off the pitchWHAT HAPPENED?

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner linked up with the MLS outfit over the summer, with a remarkable move to the United States being completed after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. Messi made an immediate impact in Miami, as he helped to deliver a historic Leagues Cup triumph, and still has a number of team-mates pinching themselves.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Hall falls into that category, with the highly-rated defender telling FIFA’s of what it is like to work with Messi on a daily basis: “The first day Messi came, it didn't feel real. It was like I was in a video game or something! It hits me once in a while that he's right next to me. He's a very approachable guy. He is always smiling and always comes over to shake my hand. He is a great guy and is so good with all the young players.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Facing Messi in training is helping Hall to improve his game, even if he admits that the Argentine icon can prove impossible to stop at times. The 17-year-old, who is yet to make his competitive debut for Inter Miami, added on lining up against Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba: “I’ve played 11v11 against them. It’s crazy. They just think faster, they play faster. It's amazing to have them on the field next to you at this young age. Messi actually played on my side [of the pitch] and was up against me. If you watch Messi's games, you see him walking around, scanning the field, then all of a sudden he checks his shoulder and then he's just gone! He moves so quick and it was hard for me to keep up. I was frustrated, even knowing he's one of the best players in the world, because I want to be able to guard him. I want to better myself and be able to defend him really well in the future.”

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Few defenders have been able to contain the obvious threat that Messi poses down the years, with the 36-year-old superstar having reached 726 goals through 899 appearances at club level while also hitting the target on 106 occasions in 178 outings for his country.

Pep Guardiola has explained how being a “handsome man” helps him to get his message across during short training sessions at Manchester City.

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Catalan coach one of the best in the businessDoes not push players hard before gamesIs still able to deliver positive resutlsWHAT HAPPENED?

With so many games being packed into a hectic schedule, the Catalan coach is wary of pushing his players too hard behind the scenes. That means he can spend as little as 25 minutes working on upcoming fixtures, but he is still able to impart wisdom and ensure that his star-studded squad are ready for whatever challenge awaits them.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

Quizzed on how he is able to achieve that, former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has jokingly said: “Because I'm really good. I'm a handsome man and I seduce them and we did it. So, I'm really good. Today we have the TV, the images, and we talk individually, and moving that way. I spoke with Ruben (Dias) with what happened at Chelsea, I spoke with Kyle (Walker) with what happened at Chelsea. I talked about it in this specific was after they made mistakes, they just understand.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Revealing that he has never been one for long practice sessions, Guardiola said of the limited time that he spent with his players prior to a 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium: “In seven years, I don’t train. Maximum 35 minutes. We don’t train. They started pre-season 15 days before. Do you know what 15 days is? We played the FA Cup final and then the Champions League final. They had 15 days more with the new players. We didn’t do one day of tactical. It's the same for Jurgen [Klopp], I’m pretty sure. The day before this game, we did 10-15 minutes with the ball and 10 minutes defensively. Before Tuesday it will be 10 minutes on the pitch, moving in that way. We cannot train. If we train, we don’t have players for the next game. We don’t have them. That’s why we have to learn from the past: just understand what you have to do. The press, who jumps. This is what we absolutely rely on.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR GUARDIOLA?

City, who claimed a historic treble triumph last season, will be back in Champions League action on Tuesday when playing host to RB Leipzig. The Premier League title holders are nursing a number of injuries at present, which is further preventing Guardiola from pushing aching limbs towards breaking point.

The future of the Bangladesh Premier League as a reputable international tournament is now in serious doubt after FICA, the international players’ federation, advised against future participation

George Dobell26-Mar-2014The future of the Bangladesh Premier League as a reputable international tournament is now in serious doubt after FICA, the international players’ federation, advised against future participation because of prolonged non-payment of fees.ESPNcricinfo understands many players are still awaiting full payment for the 2013 edition of the BPL, with FICA – the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations – now stating it has “no choice” but to “recommend players don’t participate.”FICA’s condemnation of BPL comes at a bad time for Bangladesh as it concentrates on staging a successful World Twenty20 tournament.”Whilst a few players have received full payments from their participation in the 2013 BPL, the vast majority haven’t and payments are now months overdue,” Paul Marsh, chairman of FICA, said. “This is a repeat of the issues we saw in 2012.”Unfortunately this is an outcome FICA predicted and we advised players prior to the tournament of our concerns. We were hoping the BPL would prove us wrong and deliver an event that addressed our concerns.”It didn’t and going forward we are left with no choice but to recommend players don’t participate in an event that doesn’t respect players’ basic contractual rights.”The latest player chasing payment is Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan. He claims he has been paid only 21 per cent of the fee promised to him for representing Dhaka Gladiators. Although he was promised a second instalment immediately after the tournament, this payment never reached his bank account. The franchise owners insist they owe him nothing.The Bangladesh Cricket Board, who originally said they would act as guarantors in the event of non-payment issues in the BPL, are now claiming it is not their responsibility to pay the fees incurred by franchises. Sri Lanka Cricket have made representations to the BCB on Dilshan’s behalf, but to no avail.Tim May, the former chairman of FICA, had warned players against participating in the BPL as early as 2012 due to similar issues.The news comes just days after it emerged that several Chittagong Kings players – England’s Ravi Bopara, Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate, West Indies’ Kevon Cooper, Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor and Surrey’s Jason Roy – had also complained to the BCB that they have not been paid.

Warwickshire were grateful for a ninth-wicket stand between Chris Woakes and Chris Wright for rescuing them from a tough position against Nottinghamshire despite Jonathan Trott’s return to the game

George Dobell at Edgbaston01-Jul-2014
ScorecardChris Woakes claimed the 15th five-wicket haul of his career to keep Warwickshire in the game (file photo)•Getty ImagesChris Woakes may never establish himself as an allrounder in the England Test side but, if he does not, it will be to Warwickshire’s immense gain.Woakes may be the perfect player for a county. Always on the verge of the international side, he remains high achieving and highly motivated. But, crucially, he also remains available for his club.He has underlined his worth in this game. Following his 91 in Warwickshire’s first innings, a contribution that was made with his side under pressure, he claimed five wickets in Nottinghamshire’s second innings to earn an outside chance of an unlikely victory.Woakes’ reputation was built as a swing bowler. But, dangerous as he was in helpful conditions, the suspicion remained that he lacked the ammunition to damage the opposition when the ball did not swing. In short, he has been defined as a fine county bowler, but one lacking the pace to cut it in the conditions prevalent in Test cricket.That is a reputation that may require re-evaluation. Here, in conditions offering him nothing, he claimed a five-wicket haul against a batting line-up containing three of the top four run-scorers in Division One this season (and six of the top 17) to keep his side’s fourth-innings target just within reach. He is now averaging 18.61 with the ball this season.Key to Woakes’ improvement would appear to be increased control and a little extra pace. A combination of better use of his front arm and extra gym sessions has created a bowler with quite an armoury. As Alan Richardson, the Warwickshire bowling coach, said: “He has been able to seam it, swing it and hit good areas all day for a while. But now he can force people on to the back foot, too, he has even more options.”Woakes’ first-class record is exceptional. A bowling average of 24.88 (with 15 five-wicket hauls) and a batting average of 38.50 (with eight centuries) compares favourably with that of Ben Stokes, who has a bowling average of 28.11 (with three five-wicket hauls) and a batting average of 35.17 (with nine centuries). As Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket and England selector put it: “Warwickshire have got themselves a proper good cricketer on their hands. He has terrific stats, especially with the ball.”With little help from the conditions, Warwickshire concentrated on bowling straight and full in the hope of exploiting Nottinghamshire’s impatience and just a touch of uneven bounce in the wicket.While Phil Jaques, playing his final game before returning to Australia, and Alex Hales were together, it looked as if Nottinghamshire would stretch their lead well beyond 300. But with Hales bowled by one that kept low and Jaques playing on as he chased one, the innings began to falter. James Taylor was yorked and Andre Adams and Samit Patel were guilty of frustrated slogs. Jeetan Patel found enough turn to have Riki Wessels caught at short leg off bat and pad and beat Peter Siddle with an arm ball. After losing their last five wickets for 10 runs in the first innings, Nottinghamshire lost their last five for 49 in the second. It meant Warwickshire required 289 to win. It could, should, have been far more.Nottinghamshire will curse themselves if they lose this game. They have had several opportunities to shut Warwickshire out of the match, not least when reaching 338 for 4 on the first day or when Warwickshire were 188 for 7 on the second, but now go into the final day with the game finely poised. Nottinghamshire probably retain the stronger position, but their lack of a frontline spinner may yet hurt them.Indeed, it is a day that could define the Championship seasons of both teams. Win and Nottinghamshire stretch their lead at the top of the top or Warwickshire re-enter the title race; lose and Warwickshire are involved in the relegation battle while Notts would be back among the pack.If Warwickshire do win, they will surely need Jonathan Trott to continue his rehabilitation with a major contribution. He looked admirably composed on the third evening, repelling the inevitable barrage – just as in the first innings, his first three balls, all bowled by Siddle, were bouncers – with relative ease and batting through the last hour of the day. It was, by some distance, the most calm innings he has played since his troubles in Australia.”Everyone wants to see him playing again,” Newell said. “It is great for Warwickshire and it’s great for England. He knows he is going to be roughed up. He knows he will always face a higher percentage of short balls than other batsmen. But he looked the same old Jonathan Trott to me.”While Trott looked comfortable, though, two of his partners squandered their wickets with rash strokes. Varun Chopra, having played himself in, top-edged a pull, while William Porterfield attempted to play a straight ball through square leg. An intriguing final day looms.

India’s team director Ravi Shastri believes “the scoreline does not matter” so long as the team continue to show their attacking intent and push their opponents

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2014Despite India losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy following the draw against Australia at the MCG, team director Ravi Shastri is not too concerned. India made a fighting attempt at chasing 364 in Adelaide, but fell short by 48 runs. Then they lost the Brisbane Test following a second-innings collapse, before holding on for a draw in Melbourne where Australia were on top for several periods of play.Shastri said he does not care “if the scoreline reads 3-0 or 4-0″, as long as India continue showing their attacking intent and push their opponents.”What I am more focused on is the mindset to go out and perform. The scoreline does not matter,” Shastri told after the third Test, with particular praise saved for Ajinkya Rahane and India’s Test captain-in-waiting Virat Kohli, who produced a 262-run partnership on the third day.”Two young turks took the attack to the opposition and Australia took notice. I am happy with the mindset. The batting that I saw on day three was something I have not seen in a long time. The whole of Australia stood up. India have not come out to compete, they are here to win. Mark my words, give this team 12 months and they will be back in the top two.When asked about the areas in which India could do with immediate improvement, Shastri conceded that the absence of a fifth bowler was hurting the team. “What we miss overseas is a batsman who can bowl a bit. When Sourav Ganguly was there, he could bowl 10-15 overs. Combinations have to be tried out that can fit the billing.”If you have three fast bowlers, the workload is hard. One needs a fifth bowler. The way India bowled on the fifth morning, they have the confidence to keep Australia quiet. We will go to Sydney without a care in the world.”

The BCCI today virtually served notice on any ICC Full Members opposed to a makeover of the ruling body, indicating that India’s participation in ICC events was subject to the radical draft proposal being approved by the ICC’s executive board

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-20140:00

Ugra: Cricket gives in to BCCI’s blackmail

The BCCI today virtually served notice on any ICC Full Members opposed to a makeover of the ruling body, indicating that India’s participation in ICC events was subject to approval of the radical draft proposal by the ICC’s executive board. The proposal recommends a structural overhaul of the ICC and proposes bigger revenues and more executive decision-making powers to the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the ECB.The BCCI, in a three-point release following an emergent working committee meeting in Chennai, said the committee had formally approved the proposal, terming it as being “in the interests of cricket at large”. The message as regards ICC events was then sent out to the other members, stating that the committee has “authorised the office bearers to enter into agreements with the ICC for participating in the ICC events and hosting ICC events, subject to the proposal being approved by the ICC board”.The BCCI’s working committee also cleared the way for its leading officer bearers to sign bilateral agreements with all other Full Member boards, including Pakistan. The draft proposal contained commitments from the ECB and Cricket Australia over legally-binding bilateral agreements with eight Full Members. The absence of such a guarantee from the BCCI in the draft document had raised apprehensions among smaller boards who subsist on tours from India. Such a commitment could not have been made by the BCCI without approval of the its working committee, a formality completed on Thursday. While the ECB and CA have committed to undertake tours to the top eight countries, in principle, the BCCI’s proposal covers all Test playing nations.”We have never said that it [the draft proposal] was set in stone or a ‘take-it-or-leave it’ proposition,” a BCCI official said. “It is clear that it is a draft and members can discuss it with their respective boards and it can be discussed in the ICC board meeting.” The draft proposal will be presented to the ICC executive board during its quarterly meeting in Dubai on January 28 and 29.It is also understood that the draft proposal, put together by a working group of the ICC’s Finance & Commercial Affairs committee was open for discussion and amendments as long as the BCCI’s central plank – redistribution of the ICC central revenue being proportionate to the income generated through each member board – was not diluted.The BCCI working committee was insistent on not yielding ground on the matter revenue distribution. The proposal recommends a maximum allotment of 21% of the ICC’s revenues to the BCCI on the grounds that Indian cricket helps generate 80% of ICC’s global revenues. The draft proposal, when handed out to the Full Member nations at a specially called board meeting in Dubai on January 9, did not however contain any supporting documentation for its current revenue distribution percentages or future estimates.The ICC’s current broadcast deal expires after the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but the new tender document for media rights cannot be floated without the all the member boards signing the Members Participating Agreement. The BCCI has made that signature conditional to the re-organisation of the ICC, which automatically implies that no progress on the broadcast deal will be possible till this proposal is cleared.Cricket South Africa is the only board to have publicly opposed the proposal, and the Pakistan Cricket Board have made their opposition privately known. The West Indies Cricket Board is yet to make a statement, but was engaged in a teleconference over the week and has stated that it has “taken a position in the best interests of West Indies cricket”. It is understood to be negotiating a deal with the Big Three. Cricket South Africa argued the idea was “fundamentally flawed” and “in breach of the ICC constitution”, while New Zealand Cricket said it was wrong to jump to the conclusion that the proposal would be bad for cricket. FICA, which represents player associations in seven of the ICC’s ten Full Member countries, declared itself “extremely concerned” with the proposal.One of the key governance changes proposed in the position paper, pertained to the creation of a proposed Executive Committee (ExCo) – a security-council style group with three permanent members, the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the ECB. While the Big Three will insist on being founding members of this committee, the possibility of enlarging it from the recommended four to more could be discussed. “It must be understood however that this another committee just like an F&CA committee that currently works under the IDI (ICC Development International), the ICC’s commercial arm,” the BCCI official said. “It will report to the ICC board, which will have the right to approve or reject its recommendations.” The draft states that the ExCo will act as a “sole recommendation committee … on all constitutional, personnel, integrity, ethics, development and nominations matters”.The BCCI working committee meeting, which took place in Chennai, was chaired by one of the board’s vice-presidents Shivlal Yadav, in the absence of BCCI president N Srinivasan, who could not attend due to the death of his mother early on Thursday morning. It was not Yadav who did the talking, though. Sundar Raman, the IPL chief operating officer, explained the details of the ‘position paper’, outlining the revamp of the ICC and why it was necessary. The proposed revenue model, according to which India stood to earn a bigger percentage of the ICC earnings, was also explained to the members.The other big advantage of the proposal, Raman highlighted, was that India could be more free to negotiate bilateral series with another Full Member instead of being obliged to follow the FTP. The members were also made aware that under the new structure India would host at least one ICC tournament almost every two years, further enhancing its financial strength. Most BCCI members were happy to hear about the move to deal directly with other countries’ boards, which would result in India hosting more international cricket. It was explained to the committee that with this move the BCCI can take even Test cricket to the new stadiums in the country, with one committee member stating that “all the unutilised stadia in the country will be able to host more big matches”.The document was drafted by a “working group” of the ICC’s Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee comprising Giles Clarke of the ECB, Wally Edwards of Cricket Australia and N Srinivasan of BCCI, who were assisted by a clutch of commercial executives: Dean Kino (general manager of legal and business affairs, Cricket Australia), John Perera (commercial director ECB) and Sundar Raman (chief operating officer, IPL). Kino and Raman also form a two-man technical committee in the Champions League T20, one of the world’s wealthiest cricket tournaments. It happens to be one of only three committees listed on the tournament website.

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West Ham will reject a loan bid from FC Schalke for striker Lucas Perez before the transfer deadline, Football FanCast can confirm.

The Irons have thus far adopted a stance that they will not loan out any first-team players in this transfer window.

A BBC report claimed on Wednesday that the German club had lodged a loan offer for Perez, who has struggled for minutes thus far this season in east London.

However, the Irons would prefer to receive a transfer fee for Perez and value him at around £4million.

Perez has played 10 times in the Premier League, per Transfermarkt, but has yet to complete 90 minutes under Manuel Pellegrini in the top flight.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Nevertheless, Football FanCast understands the club intends to retain Perez as cover for Marko Arnautovic, who recently signed a new contract at the London Stadium, and Javier Hernandez.

Andy Carroll is injury-prone and as we exclusively revealed earlier this month, would likely be allowed to leave if a deadline day bid is tabled. However that appears unlikely, given his patchy fitness record and poor form when he has played.

Football FanCast also understand that Reece Oxford has been told that he can leave on loan, having failed to play a single minute for the first-team thus far this season.

It remains to be seen if an offer will be forthcoming that suits his needs, however.

Pakistan will host Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between December 2013 and January 2014 for a bilateral series that includes three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2013Pakistan will host Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between December 2013 and January 2014 for a bilateral series that includes three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s. The series, the second bilateral contest between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the UAE, will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.The T20s and ODIs have been scheduled before the Tests. The T20s will be played on December 11 and 13 in Dubai, while Sharjah will host the first ODI on December 18. The last two ODIs will be played in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in a T20 match before the start of the Sri Lanka series, although the venue for the match has not yet been announced.The first Test has been scheduled for December 31 in Dubai, while Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will host the second and third Tests, from January 8 and January 16.”The tour itinerary has been approved after consultation between Pakistan Cricket Board and its counterpart Sri Lanka,” the PCB said in a statementSince the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, Pakistan have been forced to play their home series overseas, with UAE being the preferred venue. The last time the two sides played in the UAE in 2011, Pakistan won the ODIs 4-1 and won the Test and T20 series 1-0. Pakistan enjoyed little success on their tour of Sri Lanka in June and July 2012 – the last bilateral series between the teams – losing the Tests (1-0) and ODIs (3-1), while the T20 series was tied.Fixtures
1st T20I: December 11, Dubai
2nd T20I: December 13, Dubai
1st ODI: December 18, Sharjah
2nd ODI: December 20, Dubai
3rd ODI: December 22, Sharjah
4th ODI: December 25, Abu Dhabi
5th ODI: December 27, Abu Dhabi
1st Test: December 31-January 4, Dubai
2nd Test: January 8-12, Abu Dhabi
3rd Test: January 16-20, Sharjah

Mumbai may be facing Group C opposition, but recent form and recent history shows Maharashtra can’t be taken lightly

Amol Karhadkar in Mumbai07-Jan-2014One of the basic objectives behind changing the zonal league followed by knockouts format of the Ranji Trophy into a two-tier – now three-tier – tournament was to break the monotony of teams facing the same oppositions. However, with only one team getting relegated from the top groups, the teams started facing more or less the same oppositions, albeit from different zones.What the new format did was to give a new context to intra-zonal rivalries. The annual Maharashtra derby between Mumbai and Maharashtra became a rare proposition, with Mumbai placed in the top tier and an inconsistent Maharashtra languishing in the bottom tier for a better part of the last decade.The rivalry couldn’t have asked for a better stage than the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal to be renewed after a gap of six years. Despite Zaheer Khan’s return to Mumbai line-up, Maharashtra are confident that they can not only compete but overcome their fancied rivals. Considering both the teams’ campaigns so far this season, Maharashtra have every reason to believe it is their best chance to beat Mumbai in a knockout match for the first time.While Maharashtra qualified for the knockouts with a game to spare, though it was from Group C, Mumbai had to overcome Gujarat in a must-win league game last week to make it to the last eight. What’s more, the Mumbai batting line-up is perhaps the weakest and the most inconsistent over the last decade,Maharashtra’s batsmen have been in scintillating form, with Harshad Khadiwale and Kedar Jadhav placed at the top of the list of highest run-getters of the season.And Maharashtra’s only fitness concern was taken care of on the eve of the game as opener Vijay Zol, who hurt his groin while scoring a century against Pakistan in the final of the U-19 Asia Cup last week, was cleared by the team physio.Mumbai on the other hand have been plagued with multiple injuries in the batting line-up, with Siddhesh Lad, Hiken Shah and D Subramanian joining the list last week in Valsad. It has opened the door for Vinit Indulkar, and Zaheer hinted that the middle-order batsman could play for Mumbai colours for the first time in six years.Not just current form, even recent history is against Mumbai. The last two times Mumbai hosted Maharashtra at the Wankhede Stadium, the visitors have got the better of him. While Maharashtra registered only their second outright victory against Mumbai in 2005-06, Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s boys returned to Wankhede in 2007-08 to earn the first innings lead.Both the teams have seen so many changes to their line-ups since then that only four players – Khadiwale, Jadhav and Samad Fallah for Maharashtra and Abhishek Nayar for Mumbai – who featured in the last tie are around this time.Zaheer’s presence, however, tilts the balance in favour of Mumbai going into the match, especially with the Wankhede wicket sporting a tinge of green. If Maharashtra can deal with Zaheer’s bowling, then they can hope to continue their recent trend of having the upper hand against arch rivals Mumbai at the Wankhede.