Category Uncategorized

A case study for how not to run a football club, Celtic are in such a mess right now, but can Martin O’Neill work his magic again?

From a relative position of strength at the end of last season, having secured a fourth successive Premiership title, the Parkhead hierarchy have made error after error, from failing to strengthen prior to Champions League qualifying, to hiring Paul Tisdale, to appointing Wilfried Nancy.

The only saving grace from that latter decision is that the Hoops have at least had the sense to nip things in the bud, bringing to an end a remarkable car-crash tenure that yielded six defeats in eight games.

The Frenchman might feel hard done by considering the litany of missed chances that he was forced to witness amid that losing run, although such results simply aren’t acceptable in Glasgow.

Nancy is gone then, with O’Neill back to pick up the pieces for the short-term – but what lies beyond for the Scottish champions?

Celtic's long-term managerial target after O'Neill

From seven wins in eight under O’Neill, to the misery of Nancy’s short-lived tenure, Celtic are in some ways back where they started, no doubt thankful that the gap to Hearts remains at just six points.

If the 73-year-old can recapture the magic of his prior interim stint, then this rollercoaster campaign could still end in glory, with the season not a write-off just yet.

Having seen the Nancy gamble backfire, O’Neill was undoubtedly the logical choice, although with such a move merely proving a stopgap rather than a long-term solution.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

Expand Collapse

With a permanent successor needing to be named in the summer, TEAMtalk reported that Motherwell’s Jens Berthel Askou is now a top target, having earned admirers following his fine recent work in the Premiership.

Indeed, the 43-year-old has steered the Silkmen to fourth in the table, just two points behind Celtic, having only taken charge back in June after a string of jobs largely back in Scandinavia.

As per the report, the Dane’s ‘tactical acumen and attractive style align with the club’s vision’, ensuring he is now a ‘strong candidate’ for the post.

Why Askou could be another Brendan Rodgers for Celtic

It would be fair to say that Brendan Rodgers was a symptom, rather than necessarily a cause of the chaos at Parkhead, with the Northern Irishman’s resignation coming after a dismal summer of recruitment that ended without a genuine, proven replacement for Adam Idah and Kyogo Furuhashi arriving.

Rodgers, of course, certainly wasn’t blameless, not least for failing to steer his side past Kazakh minnows Qairat in Champions League qualifying, yet it is hard to doubt his proven record as a Celtic manager.

Indeed, across two spells, the ex-Liverpool and Leicester City man won four league titles, including that remarkable ‘Invincible’ 2016/17 campaign, arguably rivalling O’Neill and Ange Postecoglou for the club’s best modern manager.

Can Askou be the next man on that list? Well, in the view of Tawanda Maswanhise – who worked under Rodgers at Leicester – the in-demand coach is “similar” to both the ex-Celtic boss and current free agent Enzo Maresca.

Maswanhise is currently part of the surprise Motherwell story at Fir Park, with ‘Well only recently securing a 2-0 win over Nancy and co, following another error-strewn display from the visitors.

Jens Berthel Askou – Manager record

Club

Games

PPG

Motherwell

28

1.93

IFK Goteborg

35

1.43

AC Horsens

90

1.39

HB Torshavn

33

2.45

Vendyssel

43

1.21

Stats via Transfermarkt

Askou’s 4-2-3-1 set-up and exciting, attack-minded brand of football has proven a revelation in Scottish football this season, having already won 15 of his 28 games in charge in all competitions.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Celtic managerial insights Subscribing to the newsletter provides in-depth analysis of Celtic’s managerial search, candidate profiles (like Jens Berthel Askou), tactical fit and long-term implications – essential reading for followers tracking the club’s next move.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

It is even more remarkable that he has been defeated on just four occasions too so far in 2025/26, having spent recent seasons as an assistant coach at both Copenhagen and Slavia Prague.

Like Rodgers before him, who had worked at the likes of Reading, Watford, Swansea City and Liverpool before arriving at Celtic at the age of 43, Askou has racked up a fair chunk of experience in Denmark and Sweden.

That ensures the Hoops would be landing a young, hungry coach on the up, but with a proven track record behind him.

Of course, it remains to be seen just how well Motherwell do in the remainder of the campaign, although Celtic would be wise to have their man lined up, ahead of O’Neill’s exit this summer.

Related Celtic sack Wilfried Nancy, Paul Tisdale and three first-team coaches

They’re cleaning house at Parkhead.

Posts 4 ByBen Goodwin

While West Ham United and Nottingham Forest continue to be sucked further into the Premier League relegation zone, Leeds United are aiming to look up the division.

It’s been an unbelievable change of fortunes at Elland Road in such a short space of time, with November standing out as an extremely bleak month when Daniel Farke’s men lost four league games consecutively, leaving the German worrying about his job security.

Now, however, he looks to be just the right man who will guide Leeds to safety, with a draw at Liverpool to start the New Year pushing the Whites further away from their relegation rivals at the foot of the competitive division.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been key to Leeds’ recent uptick in form, with a stunning eight Premier League strikes next to his name.

Still, Farke could look to the January transfer window as a chance to add even more goals to his team’s reinvigorated ranks, as several strikers are now tipped to make the switch to West Yorkshire…

Leeds looking to sign new striker

The ex-Norwich City manager won’t want his team to be over-reliant on the free-flowing number nine as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast.

Recent reports have suggested that the Premier League newcomers have PSV Eindhoven centre-forward Ricardo Pepi on their shopping list in this regard, with a whopping £35m price tag allegedly above the 22-year-old’s head.

Alongside Pepi being chased, Leeds also have AS Roma marksman Artem Dovbyk in mind this January, with a new report from TuttoMercatoWeb stating that a loan departure from the Italian capital looks to be likely, as both the Whites and Sunderland remain interested. If he were to move permanently, then a fee of around £21m may well be needed.

With both Everton and West Ham United also previously noted as being onlookers, this might well be a transfer tussle to keep an eye on as the hectic month develops, with Farke no doubt keen to bring in the Ukrainian as the Serie A attacker’s goalscoring exploits in Italy and beyond make him a very exciting rival for Calvert-Lewin’s concrete starting spot.

Why Dovbyk is good enough to rival Calvert-Lewin

The instinctive centre-forward would surely be licking his lips at the prospect of being a deadly second-in-command to the former Everton marksman, having fired home 19 goals for Gian Piero Gasperini’s men to date.

There is also an arguable hole to be filled, with Lukas Nmecha unfortunately falling victim to some worrying injuries since joining the Elland Road ranks in the summer as another striker option.

Dovbyk’s career numbers vs DCL’s

Stat

Dovbyk

DCL

Games played

286

344

Goals scored

133

97

Assists

33

25

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Of course, even as he was dropped for the Liverpool away clash owing to the congested fixture list, Calvert-Lewin will remain Leeds’ star-man for the foreseeable future, with the Sheffield-born menace now up to 65 Premier League goals off the back of a red-hot streak in West Yorkshire, which has seen him power home eight league strikes.

But the table above backs up the notion that Dovbyk is more than good enough as a lethal finisher in his own right to push the revitalised Englishman all the way, with a standout 43 career goals plying his trade in both Serie A and La Liga.

Farke wouldn’t feel too perturbed by the prospect of a 40-time Ukraine international having to come into the side as his main marksman either, with his insane form for former employers Girona seeing him put away a stunning 24 goals from just 36 La Liga clashes during the 2023/24 campaign, as Dovbyk was even hailed as a “sensational” focal point up top by ex-boss Michel Sanchez.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Leeds transfer insight Curious how Leeds’ January targets could reshape their attack? Subscribe to the newsletter for detailed transfer analysis, rumor tracking, and expert context on Dovbyk, Pepi and other Premier League moves.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

It hasn’t gone Dovbyk’s way entirely at the Stadio Olimpico, with only three Serie A starts coming his way this season so far.

Yet, he knows, when an opportunity comes his way, that he can fire home a chance at a moment’s notice, with a sublime three goal contributions next to his name for Roma this campaign, even as he is primarily utilised as a reserve option.

Leeds will no doubt see how impressive Dovbyk has been during his cameos in Italy as a major reason why they want to secure his loan services, with an added injection of attacking quality in some crucial games to come, making survival feel even easier to clinch.

Calvert-Lewin would be kept on his toes by the Roma number nine, leaving Italy behind for West Yorkshire, as Farke goes about using the full squad available to him, to ensure his troops don’t fall victim to rusty displays.

Related Farke can sign "incredibly prolific" £35m star to end Nmecha's Leeds career

Leeds United could already move on from Lukas Nmecha by swooping to sign this reported transfer target.

Posts ByDan Emery

Tottenham Hotspur have a lot of up-and-coming quality, but it’s up to Thomas Frank to put it into practice after an opening half to the 2025/26 campaign that has left plenty to be desired.

Chelsea are the only team in the Premier League to have a younger average age than their north London neighbours, but ENIC Group appear set on strengthening with further rising stars to create a lasting period of success.

Premier League 2025/26 – Youngest Average Ages

Club

Squad size

Av. Age

Chelsea

31

23.4

Tottenham

29

24.8

Sunderland

34

24.8

Man City

26

24.9

Brighton

26

24.9

Data via Transfermarkt

The likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Mathys Tel have big futures ahead of them, but Spurs are eyeing another rising talent who could surpass them all, and it comes as Brennan Johnson inches toward the exit.

Spurs lining up Brennan Johnson replacement

Crystal Palace have agreed with Tottenham a £35m fee for the transfer of Welsh winger Johnson, who has slumped considerably in Frank’s system.

The 24-year-old is a talented player who scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the Europa League final last season. Last year, he posted 18 strikes in all competitions for Ange Postecoglou, but he hardly looks like matching that this year, and probably needs to move after falling to the fringes.

While Johnson has fallen flat after that hefty £47.5m arrival from Nottingham Forest in 2023, it’s clear that Tottenham cannot sell themselves short throughout the business months of the campaign, and a replacement is needed, with RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande earmarked.

As per TEAMtalk, the 19-year-old winger is open to a Premier League move this winter, and though Spurs are circling, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have all registered interest of their own.

Previous reports suggest that it would cost suitors a staggering £87m sum to prise him away from his German club – but then, he is that good.

How Diomande could improve Spurs

Diomande only joined Leipzig from La Liga side Leganes last summer, but he’s taken to life in the Bundesliga with ease, scoring seven goals and supplying four assists across 16 appearances.

He’s already showing more of a clinical edge than Johnson, and offering more besides.

Hailed as a “generational talent” by journalist Bence Bocsak, the Ivory Coast international ranks among the top 3% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 11% for tackles and the top 1% for ball recoveries per 90, as per FBref.

He plays with an intensity and aggression that can only serve him well down the line, establishing him as one of the biggest and most coveted names on the global stage.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Spurs transfer insight Curious for deeper coverage of Tottenham’s transfer moves and rising stars? Subscribe to the newsletter for detailed analysis of targets, youth prospects and squad strategy, with expert takes on Spurs’ player plans.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Spurs already know a thing or two about plucking an up-and-coming sensation from the German scene, with Tel arriving from Bayern Munich last year.

The versatile forward is still working toward superstardom in the Premier League, but his potential is indisputable, and in Diomande, Spurs could not only repeat the trick but sign an even bigger talent.

Not long ago, coach Harry Brook asserted that he will “be worth £100m plus” down the line. Already, Diomande is nearly there, and Tottenham need to put everything into signing him before things get silly.

After all, they would land an instant Johnson upgrade and another Bundesliga prodigy to rival Tel as the Frenchman cuts his teeth down N17.

Related Big Johnson upgrade: Spurs in talks for "the most direct winger in Europe"

Tottenham have already upped the pace ahead of the imminent January transfer window.

Posts 3 ByAngus Sinclair

An update has emerged on Newcastle United full-back Kieran Trippier and his current situation…

What’s the talk?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has revealed that the defender has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury and will not be back in action on schedule.

The full-back has been out since he broke a bone in his foot in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa back in February and it remains to be seen how much longer he will be on the sidelines following this latest blow.

Howe told The Shields Gazette: “His injury is healing, (but) it’s not totally healed.

“Yeah, I think that’s where it is. I think we’ll be able to start pushing him not maybe as quickly as we initially wanted to, but I still think he’ll come back this season. Again, there’s no definite date on that, but he’s making good progress.”

Gutted

The St. James’ Park faithful will surely be left gutted by this body blow as it is a major setback for the full-back and will be mean that they will not be able to watch Trippier play for a while yet.

Howe needs the defender back as quickly as possible as his other right-back options are, quite simply, not up to the job.

Javier Manquillo put in a dreadful showing against Tottenham in the 5-1 defeat to the Premier League side on Sunday, as he lost all of his aerial duels and only made one tackle, interception and block combined. He also fell asleep at the back post for Matt Doherty’s goal, which opened the floodgates for Spurs and allowed them to go on and thrash the Toon.

The Spaniard and Emil Krafth, the two understudies to Trippier, have averaged WhoScored ratings of 6.48 and 6.45 respectively in the top-flight. Meanwhile, the England international has averaged a score of 7.87 across four outings for the club, scoring twice from full-back.

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

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

He is light years ahead of the pair in terms of the quality he is able to provide on the pitch, which is why his absence is a major setback for him and the club. Fans will want to see him back in the right-back slot sooner rather than later because they are currently suffering with the lack of Premier League class in the two players who have been playing in his place.

This will be particularly frustrating for the supporters as it comes just days after Callum Wilson also suffered a setback in his recovery from injury. The attacker will not be back in action as soon as he was expected to be, with Trippier’s problems now compounding the misery.

AND in other news, Less touches than Dubravka: “Struggling” NUFC flop with 6 passes was useless yesterday…

	Wasim Akram would like to see Pakistan take on Australia at home © Getty Images

Wasim Akram has urged Australia not to pull out of their scheduled tour of Pakistan despite further unrest in the lead-up to next month’s elections. Australia have a tentative plan to play three Tests and five ODIs in Pakistan starting in mid-March but the visit will not go ahead unless a Cricket Australia security delegation decides the players will be safe.Despite further bomb attacks in Pakistan this week, Akram believes Australia’s cricketers would have nothing to fear. “I think everything will be fine after the elections,” Akram told the . “Things will settle down.”Australia should play in Pakistan. They will be safe there, and there will be so much security around them. It is not sporting figures who are being targeted.”After the assassination of the former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto in late December some Australia players were concerned about proceeding with the tour. However, Stuart MacGill was one who remained keen to go ahead with the visit, provided the unrest in Pakistan eased after the February 18 elections.

An artist’s impression of the Providence Stadium in Guyana © West Indies Cricket Board

World Cup organisers have warned of potential chaos at Super Eight matches in Guyana next week because the Providence Stadium is still not ready despite years of planning. The local organising committee and World Cup chiefs are already at loggerheads over the US$25 million venue.On Friday, World Cup organisers relieved the local organising committee of control of the ground, with a British company taking charge in an effort to salvage the project ahead of the match between South Africa and Sri Lanka on March 28. Amongst the myriad problems at the venue, which is the only one on the South American mainland, are failures to provide security and crowd control turnstiles, poor accreditation facilities and video boards. Power shortages are also expected to blight the Indian-built venue.Local media have also reported that Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, which hosted first-round games, and Jamaica’s Trelawny Stadium, where warm-up matches were played, are on stand-by to stage the six matches planned for Georgetown. “We are objecting to them invoking the Host Venue Agreement because we think it was unwarranted and while I cannot prevent them, we are co-operating with them fully,” Karran Singh, chief executive of Guyana’s local organizing committee, told AFP.In a strongly worded e-mail to Singh, and Frank Anthony, the Guyana Sports Minister, Derek Jones, the World Cup’s senior legal counsel, said the decision to take over responsibility for completing remaining aspects of the venue followed concerns that were raised during several weeks about their “failure to proceed satisfactorily or effectively” in relation to the Host Venue Agreement (HVA).”Your failure to deal adequately with these and other areas has resulted in Cricket World Cup 2007 being unable to have confidence in your ability to deliver a fully functional operating Super Eight venue in accordance with your contractual obligations.”Singh assured World Cup organisers that they were working to ensure that the matches go ahead. “We have done what we believe in our opinion is the best we can do to host the World Cup… we will have the World Cup matches here in a few days,” he said. Jones, however, said the World Cup organisers had “lost confidence in the ability of the local organising committee to provide proper site management for the project up to and through the tournament period”.

Guyana 211 ( Arjune 55, Chattergoon 51) v Barbados
ScorecardThe last time Barbados won the toss and sent the opponents in to bat at the Carlton Club, the critics gave them a hard time. Those very same detractors would have been on their case midway into the opening day of the Carib Beer Challenge semi-final at the same venue after Ryan Hinds asked Guyana to bat first. By the close, however, the critics might have changed their tune.To their credit, Barbados managed to convert a Guyana century opening stand to a total of 211 all out. Two months ago they managed to dismiss Trinidad and Tobago for 259, but still lost by the heavy margin of 264 runs when a draw would have assured them of the Cup.For the first three hours, the surface appeared to be lifeless as Krishna Arjune and Sewnarine Chattergoon added 106 for the first wicket with the help of a few missed chances. For the next three hours, the match took a complete swing with Barbados running through the top and middle order.Pedro Collins, making his first first-class appearance in a year following a stress fracture of the back that sidelined him since last September, showed he had lost nothing and grabbed two wickets. One came when he embarrassed Narsingh Deonarine. The left-hander left perplexed after his stumps were hit when he offered no stroke. Collins could have had another two wickets, but catches were missed off him by Smith and wicketkeeper Patrick Browne when Chattergoon was 30 and Arjune 40.Tino Best, hungry to fire for Barbados since he was stung by his omission after a solitary match in January, also created a big impression, generating pace that no one else could, and at times making life uncomfortable for the batsmen. There was one eventful over in which he hit the 17-year-old Steven Jacobs on the helmet, forced him into taking evasive action with another fast lifter and appealed for a bat/pad catch to forward short-leg.It was somewhat of an injustice that Best had no wickets to his name at tea, but he returned in the evening session with just as much life to remove Travis Dowlin with a wonderful, diving return catch, after which he sprinted several yards for his usual animated celebrations, and also dislodged Derwin Christian with a full length ball for an lbw verdict.While Collins and Best were at the forefront, Dwayne Smith’s contribution was not to be underestimated. Used as the fifth bowler in an 11 in which the selectors eventually decided to leave out the recuperating Corey Collymore, Smith claimed three wickets, including the last two. His first scalp, Neil McGarrell, was lbw offering no stroke immediately after Floyd Reifer had put down a relatively easy chance at first slip.Ian Bradshaw also assisted the effort, and even if offspinner Ryan Austin could not sustain the high standards he set in pervious matches, he did enough to claim two wickets.At the close, Barbados would have been the more contended team on a day that was watched by a few dignitaries, headed by Prime Minister Owen Arthur, former Prime Minister Sir Lloyd Sandiford and former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, the new chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board’s Cricket Committee.For the first half of the day, those beyond the boundary might have wondered where the first wicket was coming from.Arjune and Chattergoon buckled down to play solidly in compiling half-centuries, seemingly setting the platform for a middle order that was badly missing captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan.Arjune’s 55 occupied exactly three hours before Bradshaw dismissed him with the help of a good catch by Hinds in the gully, while Chattergoon’s 55, that lasted just shy of four hours, was ended when he tried to heave Austin through the onside and gave a catch to slip.

Scorecard

Michael Bevan: a season to remember© Getty Images

Michael Bevan continued his run-fest this season, scoring a superb 115 as Tasmania made 4 for 248 on the first day of their Pura Cup match against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval. En route to his innings, Bevan set two records – he topped Matthew Elliott to become the leading scorer in a Pura Cup/ Sheffield Shield season, while his eight hundreds for the season was also a record.Bevan’s batsmanship was the highlight on a day in which Tasmania made comfortable progress after choosing to bat. They lost an early wicket, when David Dawson was dismissed for 6, but Bevan joined Jamie Cox (68), and the two added 116 for the second wicket to put Tasmania in charge. Daniel Marsh then chipped in with 35, adding 89 for the third wicket, but South Australia fought back with two wickets late in the day, including the scalp of Bevan, to ensure that they weren’t completely out of the match yet.Bevan’s 115 took his Pura Cup tally for the season to 1420 in his ninth match, bettering Elliott’s 1381 in 11 matches last season. Elliott had made seven centuries in 2003-04, as many as Matthew Hayden had managed in 1993-94. That was a record, till Bevan topped it today.

In our new series, My Australia tour, Indian cricketers of the past describe their experiences while touring Australia. In our first instalment, Karsan Ghavri speaks to Samanth Subramanian about the 1977-78 and the 1980-81 tours.

Dennis Lillee – more frustrated than a medium pacer © Getty Images

There’s so much to see in Australia, so many places to visit, that thetourism alone makes playing cricket there a unique experience. The wildlife was a big draw for me; to go to their well-maintained national parks and wildlife sanctuaries was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s also interesting for the way the Australians play the game on their own turf. They’re always very aggressive and in-your-face, although, as is well known, they never hesitate to be chummy off the field.In 1980-81, we were all – the Indians and the Australians – invited by Sir Don Bradman to his house for dinner. We sat at a huge oval table for dinner, and Dennis Lillee and Kapil Dev happened to be sitting next to each other. So Kapil just asked Lillee: “Dennis, why, every time you bowl, do you swear at the batsmen?”Lillee said: “Kapil, I’m steaming when I bowl express, and I look for a wicket with every delivery.”Kapil: “But I don’t swear at the batsmen, and I look for a wicket with every delivery too.”Lillee: “You’re not an express bowler. You’re just a medium-fast bowler. With express bowlers, the frustration comes out more. When you become an express bowler, you will do the same thing as I do now.”Ironically, Kapil went on to win the match for India at Melbourne. On the fourth day, he did not come on the field because he was injured. But in the last innings, Australia were three down, and I’d picked up two wickets in consecutive deliveries. So on the next day, Kapil came in on painkillers and ran through the side on a pitch of uneven bounce.The 1977-78 series was a very interesting one, because they won the first two Tests and we won the next two, and the fifth one involved us chasing a big target, which we lost by 40-odd runs.During that tour, Ashok Mankad was a member of the Indian team. He and Jeff Thomson were very good friends, always having a glass of beer after the game. Thomson used to give Ashok quite a few gifts, because Ashok was very fond of western music, and Thommo used to provide him with all the latest songs in the evening.On the field, however, the first thing he bowled to Ashok was a bouncer, followed by some colourful swearing. Ashok went down the wicket, tapping the pitch and meeting Thommo on his follow-through. He asked him: “Thommo, we’re friends, man!”Thommo said: “We are friends … but not on the field.”The Australians are aggressive cricketers, and they play hard and fight it out. But off the field, they’re nice guys, friendly and easy-going.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) referee Brian Hastings of NewZealand would see Pakistan opener Shadab Kabir Thursday for showingdissent on the first day of the second Test.”I have asked him (Shadab) to see me and that’s nothing serious,”Hastings said Wednesday.Shadab stood his ground after being given out caught behind byBangladeshi umpire Mahboobur Rahman on the first day of the TestWednesday. “He is a young player and he must learn to acceptdecisions,” Hastings said without revealing further details.Shadab made four in Pakistan’s 99-1 in reply to Bangladesh’s 148. TVreplays showed the ball did elude Kabir’s bat, but the Bangladeshiumpire raised his finger to show him the way.Shadab, dumped after playing three Tests in 1996, is on a comebacktrail after scoring over 700 runs in Pakistan’s domestic tournament.The decision may cost Shadab dearly as he is not likely to get anotherinnings in the Test.Another opener Naved Latif is also waiting on the sidelines and istipped to partner Taufiq Umer in the one-day series that follows thisTest.