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The Netherlands defender has arrived at Arsenal and signed a long-term contract with the Gunners after moving from Ajax.

Arsenal's summer has got off to a busy start. After missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City last season, it was quickly identified that the first-team squad needed more depth if the Gunners were ever going to return to the summit of English football.

The headlines have largely been dominated by the club's pursuit of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz in recent weeks. However, quietly in the background, Arsenal have been working hard to hammer out a deal to sign Jurrien Timber from Ajax.

That deal has now been agreed, with the Gunners sealing a transfer worth €46 million (£40m/$52m) to bring the Netherlands international to north London and add to Mikel Arteta's options.

The only question now he's officially through the door is how Timber will slot into the Arsenal backline. There are a number of different options, which GOAL takes a look at below…

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  The story so far

  Timber is not a new face on the scene. Despite being just 22 years old, he has already made well over 100 appearances for Ajax and earned 15 caps for the Netherlands.

  Continuing a fine tradition of world-class youth development in the Dutch capital, Timber flew through the age groups at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, before making his senior debut in 2020. He has scarcely been out of the starting XI since, helping Ajax to Eredivisie titles in 2021 and 2022.

  While the 2022-23 season was a torrid one for the Amsterdammers, Timber's reputation remains sky high. No one in the Ajax squad made more appearances than him last campaign, and he was picked in various outlets' Eredivisie team of the season.

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  A blow for Manchester United?

  Timber had long been expected to turn up in the Premier League at some point. However, Manchester United had always seemed like his most likely destination. It was under Erik ten Hag at Ajax that Timber developed into a top-class defender, and the United boss made no secret of his desire to bring him to Old Trafford last summer. “I think that all top clubs in Europe have Timber in their sights," he said.

  This kickstarted a frantic few months of rumours, but in the end the two clubs could not agree a deal. Louis van Gaal, a huge fan of Timber, might have played a role in the move failing to materialise, as he seemed to warn his golden boy off joining the Red Devils in June.

  Regardless of whether Van Gaal influenced proceedings, Ten Hag's hopes of signing Timber have now been extinguished.

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  The details of the deal

  That's because Arsenal have swooped in to secure Timber's services this summer. Personal terms were not an issue, due to the player's enthusiasm for the move and the Gunners' generous offer.

  Reaching an agreement on a transfer fee has been significantly harder, though. Timber has two years left on his deal, so Ajax could feasibly have held onto him for another season before selling him on.

  That is likely why they rejected the Gunners' initial bid of £30 million ($38.1m) in June. However, a deal has now been struck, and Timber has now signed a long-term contract in north London.

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  What will Timber bring to Arsenal?

  So, why exactly have Arsenal been convinced to spend all that money on Timber? His greatest attribute is his zen-like composure on the ball. Following in a long line of Dutch defenders before him, Timber is superb technically, with no Eredivisie player completing more short passes than him during the 2022-23 season.

  For a possession-heavy side like Arsenal, this will be a priceless asset. It's worth noting that Timber's 74.7 completed passes per 90 minutes was comfortably higher than what any Arsenal player managed last campaign too, though this should be taken with a pinch of salt, considering how dominant Ajax are in the Netherlands.

  In addition, his patience on the ball should suit him well to the Gunners' style of play. As Timber is so confident retaining possession he often waits until the opposition has committed as much as possible before firing his pass through the lines.

  Arsenal lit up the Premier League with their lightning-quick transitions last term, and it's easy to see Timber playing a quarterback-like role from the heart of the defence.

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly was spotted picking his nose and then eating it as he watched LA Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres.

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• Boehly spotted at MLB opener
• Cameras spot him picking his nose
• Proceeds to potentially eat it

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In Major League Baseball's season opener, Boehly's Dodgers started their Shohei Ohtani era with a 5-2 win against the Padres in a historical event for the sport. The match was played at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, creating history as the first MLB main-season game played in South Korea. Boehly was also present for the event and his actions disgusted fans as they watched the 50-year-old in the background.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In 2022, Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over at Chelsea Football Club after the former owner, Roman Abramovich, had his assets in the United Kingdom seized due to his involvement with the Russian government during the Soviet nation's attempted takeover of Ukraine. Since then, Boehly and co. have pumped in a lot of money into the Stamford Bridge side, however, the results have not followed the trail of money for the Blues as they have struggled to compete.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR BOEHLY?

  The American is not only the owner of Chelsea and the Dodgers but he also owns a majority stake in Ligue 1 side, RC Strasbourg. He will likely remain with the Dodgers for some time with Chelsea not in action until March 30 when they take on Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

Virat Kohli steered his side to 175 in Bengaluru, but the KKR top order fired collectively to win with five balls to spare

The Report by Nikhil Kalro29-Apr-2018
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Agarkar: KKR doing the basic things better than RCB

Kolkata Knight Riders gained two significant advantages even before a ball was bowled in Bengaluru. First, Dinesh Karthik chose to bowl at a favourable chasing ground. Then, Knight Riders found out that AB de Villiers was out with a viral fever. Both those factors had a decisive impact as Knight Riders chased down a target of 176 with relative ease, with five balls to spare, consigning Royal Challengers to their fifth loss in seven games.Without their highest run-scorer of the season, Royal Challengers had to employ a less attacking approach, aiming for par instead of a 200-plus score, like the one they got in the previous game against Chennai Super Kings after losing the toss. All they could manage was 175 – the par score in day-night games at this ground in the IPL since 2015 has been 172 – even with a terrific, 44-ball 68 from Virat Kohli.Even on a pitch that was turning appreciably, Knight Riders had too much firepower. Led by Chris Lynn’s 62, along with rapid cameos from Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik, Knight Riders cruised home against a bowling attack that lacked penetration and sufficient defensive skill.Sussing out conditionsBrendon McCullum was brought into the XI due to de Villiers’ sickness. Quinton de Kock, despite coming off a half-century in the previous game, hadn’t quite found his fluency. For Royal Challengers’ batting line-up, already weakened significantly, a strong start was imperative.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

McCullum and de Kock scored 40 runs in the Powerplay, 11 runs below their average score in the period this season. McCullum soon found his hitting rhythm, though, with two fours and two sixes in two overs after the Powerplay, lifting the scoring rate to over eight.Soon after the time-out, however, Royal Challengers lost their way. De Kock holed out to deep cover. McCullum toe-ended a pull to the keeper. Two balls later, Manan Vohra was bowled off the inside edge. A score of 67 for 0 quickly turned to 75 for 3.Kohli owns the deathDe Villiers’ absence also hampered Kohli’s scoring template. Aware that his presence in the death overs could marginally increase the utility of Royal Challengers’ score, Kohli was cautious early in his innings. He took 18 balls to score 20, but with Royal Challengers at 100 for 3 in 14 overs at that point, Kohli couldn’t wait any longer.Royal Challengers hit nine boundaries in six overs thereon; Kohli hit six of them. Royal Challengers scored 75 from there; Kohli hit 48 of them. His innings included three sixes, two of which were a direct result of a strong bottom hand through the line of the ball, hit in the arc between long-on and deep midwicket. Royal Challengers had 175, a score that seemed below par given the ground dimensions.Theatrics of T20sBefore the start of the chase, Knight Riders’ target of 176 – one less than the score Royal Challengers needed to beat Delhi Daredevils earlier this season and one more than the score Knight Riders needed in the reverse fixture against Royal Challengers at the Eden Gardens – seemed insufficient.Lynn and Narine made a strong start before a rain interruption that lasted 30 minutes. Then, with Knight Riders seemingly in control, the game drifted on with the illusion of control. Royal Challengers made a strong comeback in that period, including having Andre Russell caught for a golden duck on his 30th birthday.The equation by then came down to 43 off 24 balls. But just when the game seemed in the balance, Knight Riders broke the chase open, much like those two previous games Royal Challengers were involved in.

Leeds United have now been provided with an injury update on a key player, who manager Daniel Farke has previously described as “unbelievable”.

Leeds already struggling on the injury front

With three games played of the new Premier League season, Leeds are likely to be happy with the start they’ve made, having collected four points and kept clean sheets in both of their games at Elland Road.

That is despite the fact two first-team players have already suffered injury setbacks, namely Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu, who are set to spend a little while longer on the treatment table due to MCL issues.

Losing Tanaka will be particularly frustrating for the manager, as the midfielder made a fantastic start to the campaign, being voted Player of the Match for his performance in the 1-0 victory against Everton.

With the international break now upon us, the most important thing for Farke will be all his players returning to Elland Road unscathed, but there has already been a cause for concern.

As reported by the BBC’s Adam Pope, Joe Rodon has withdrawn from the Wales squad ahead of their matches against Kazakhstan and Canada, but thankfully it is not thought to be a major issue.

Pope added: “I’m told it’s not serious & he should be ok to face Fulham.”

It has since been widely reported that concussion protocols meant Rodon couldn’t be called up for his national side, which will no doubt be frustrating for the 54-time international, but it is a boost for Leeds that he should be fit for the trip to Fulham on September 13th.

"Unbelievable" Rodon has made impressive start to the campaign

Getting a positive result at the Emirates Stadium was always going to be a tall order, and the Whites struggled as expected, but otherwise they have made a promising start to the new campaign, and the Welsh defender has looked impressive.

The 27-year-old has started all three games, most recently putting in a solid display to keep Newcastle United at bay, with a point against a Champions League side certainly not to be sniffed at.

Farke has also made it clear just how highly he rates the defender, who is widely reported to pocket £40k-a-week, saying: “He has unbelievable pace and it is good when we have to defend that high in the field, it helps.

“He brings also aerial threat into our game, we have many smaller, not the tallest players, (it’s) also important for us in terms of set-pieces he is strong in duals and build up passes in his technique.”

As such, the Leeds boss will be grateful Rodon’s injury is likely nothing to be worried about, ahead of their trip to Craven Cottage in just over one week.

The pitch was as bare as any in the preceding matches in the tropical Caribbean and just as heartbreaking for the bowlers

Tony Cozier at Chester-le-Street15-May-2009It might be the Test match ground nearer to the north pole than any other, with the corresponding chill in the air, but the opening day of the Test between the teams at the Riverside Ground was the Antigua Recreation Ground, Kensington and Queen’s Park Oval all revisited.The pitch was as bare as any in the preceding matches in the tropical Caribbean and just as heartbreaking for the bowlers. There was no bounce, no pace, no movement and, consequently, no excitement.The batsmen, in this instance Alastair Cook and the eager Ravi Bopara, gathered their runs with no fuss, just as Andrew Strauss had done with his three consecutive first innings hundreds in Antigua, Barbados and Trinidad.Ironically, while Strauss went cheaply this time, Cook and Bopara advanced past their hundreds, Bopara joining the elite company of Herbert Sutcliffe, Denis Compton, Geoffrey Boycott and Graham Gooch as the fifth English player with three in a row.The slowness of the surface curbed their more adventurous strokes, except for one over when Bopara lofted Sulieman Benn for four, six and four to move to within two of his landmark. He then apparently recalled Kevin Pietersen’s extravagance in the Sabina Test back in February when he hit four, four, six, also off Benn, and went for the glory of a six next ball to raise his hundred, only to lob a catch to the keeper. Bopara bided his time and got there with a single a few balls later.Even England’s first day scores were almost identical to those in the Caribbean – 301 for 3 at both the ARG and Kensington; 258 for 2 at Queen’s Park; 302 for 2 here.To their credit, the West Indies bowlers were undeterred by this continuing unfairness and plugged away all day, supported by enthusiastic fielding. One chance was missed, a difficult leg-side deflection off Lionel Baker when Bopara was on 51. A few edges were found and passed but there was nothing for the bowlers.More like this and, just as Chris Gayle
has warned, they will all be trooping off to the IPL and other Twenty20 events where four overs is the extent of their allotment. The main point of Gayle’s controversial and widely discussed comments before the match was that, as far as he was concerned, there is now so much cricket that he soon has to make a choice as to what to give up.As one tournament has followed another -Test, ODIs, Stanford, IPL – he, and a few others in the West Indies team, haven’t had a reasonable break for two years now.Gayle himself has been increasingly sidelined by injuries. Not unexpectedly, he said his choice would be for the shortest form of the game which just happens to be the most lucrative.
That inevitably is a threat to what the administrators refer to as the “primacy of Test cricket”, but pitches that contribute to give such bland, uneven contests such as this and those recently in the Caribbean and elsewhere, do so equally.A 101 reasons were put forward for the few thousand spectators sprinkled around stands yesterday – the early scheduling, the cold, the sporting public’s interest in the climax of the football season (in this neck of the woods, especially Newcastle United’s fight to remain in the Premiership), the recession and so on.More days like this, without any drama or tension, and with batsmen indulging themselves, will ensure that crowds, and television viewers, diminish even further.

Cristiano Ronaldo's late efforts were not enough to save Al-Nassr, who were eliminated from the AFC Champions League by Al-Ain on penalties.

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• Teams play out insane seven-goal thriller
• Ronaldo takes match to shootout with 118th minute penalty
• But Al-Ain progress with victory on spot-kicks

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  TELL ME MORE

  At 1-0 down on aggregate and with home advantage on their side, the onus was on Al-Nassr to make a strong start in front of an expectant crowd. But the hosts were haunted by a familiar face in the first-half, with Soufiane Rahimi adding to his decisive goal in the first leg by scoring a scintillating first-half brace. Three goals down on aggregate mere minutes from the break, the writing appeared to be on the wall – until Abdulrahman Ghareeb's effort in first-half stoppage time gave Al-Nassr life. The 26-year-old winger turned home from close range after Sadio Mane had capitalised on some bizarre decision-making from Al-Ain 'keeper Khalid Eisa.

  Hope turned into optimism in the second half when Otavio helped make it 2-2. Eisa was again at fault as he somehow managed to turn the ball into his own net from a tight angle from the Portugese's shot. Al-Nassr pushed late in regulation time and should have gone ahead earlier than they did. Another mistake from Eisa saw him spill the ball directly into Cristiano Ronaldo's path mere yards from goal, but the Portuguese somehow fired wide. His blushes were spared moments later when Alex Telles' cross-cum-shot from a free-kick bamboozled Eisa, who again didn't cover himself in glory as Al-Nassr made it 3-2 to take it to extra time.

  The home side's efforts to push for a winner turned on its head when substitute Ayman Ahmed was sent off for a rash challenge following a VAR review. Mere minutes later Al-Ain scored again through Al Shamsi, but this time it was Al-Nassr 'keeper Raghed Najjar who was at fault. He clawed at a tame cross and fumbled it onto his own bar, leaving an easy tap-in for the substitute. The topsy-turvy tie wasn't done there, though. Ronaldo finally had his say, scoring a penalty in the 118th minute to make it 4-3 on the night and send the game to a shoot-out. However, those efforts weren't enough as Otavio missed the vital spot-kick, as Al-Ain progressed 3-1 on penalties.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Monday's defeat means Al-Nassr are knocked out of the AFC Champions League at the quarter-final stage for the first time since 2018-19.

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  THE MVP

  While Otavio missed the crucial kick, this was Rahimi's match – and tie. The Moroccan forward scored the vital goal in the first leg and his brace in the second should have put Al-Ain in cruise control headed to the semi-finals. But Eisa's errors proved costly and the away side had to do it the hard way, as Rahimi's fine individual efforts were cancelled out as Al-Nassr nearly completed a memorable comeback. With eight goals to his name in the competition – one behind Ronaldo after his late effort on Monday night – Rahimi has emerged as one of the AFC Champions League's standout performers this term.

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• THE BIG LOSER

  What a horrible night for the goalkeepers. Ronaldo's miss was a dreadful one but it was handed to him on a plate by Eisa, who had a game to forget for Al-Ain. He rushed out of his goal for no apparent reason for Al-Nassr's first, leaving himself horribly out of position, before turning home a completely misdirected shot by Otavio for a dreadful own-goal. Eisa also should have reacted quicker for Telles' strike for Al-Nassr's third, even if it was well hit through a crowd of players.

  That said, Eisa was ultimately let off the hook – unlike Najjar. The Al-Nassr goalkeeper made some good saves in the match but choked at the crucial moment. He snatched at a seemingly harmless cross in extra time and was unfortunate for it to bounce kindly off the bar into Al Shamsi's path. Not one he'll want to see back, and he couldn't make amends in the penalty shoot-out.

Jon Lewis, the former Gloucestershire and England fast bowler, has been named as the head coach of the ECB’s Young Lions programme

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2018Jon Lewis, the former Gloucestershire and England fast bowler, has been named as the head coach of the ECB’s Young Lions programme, following his interim role at the recent Under-19 World Cup.Lewis, who had previously been assistant coach at Sussex, will take up his new position in April, at the start of the English domestic season.He succeeds Andy Hurry, who returned to Somerset in December as Director of Cricket after three years in the U19 role. Lewis’s first engagements will be two youth Tests and three ODIs against South Africa this summer.David Parsons, the ECB’s performance director, said: “After a full and open recruitment process, Jon was an outstanding candidate for the role after his work on our International Pathway over the last couple of years, most recently as head coach at the ICC U19 World Cup in New Zealand. We’ve been impressed by his leadership, his ability to build relationships, and the high standards and expectations he sets.”We should also recognise Sussex’s considerable contribution to English cricket through the development opportunities they have provided to coaches such as Jon, Carl Hopkinson, Mark Robinson and Peter Moores.””I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities given to me by Sussex since I joined in 2013,” said Lewis. “Sussex will always have a special place in heart.”Since taking on the fast-bowling coaching position in 2014, I am very proud of my achievements, from helping grow million-dollar cricketers in [Jofra] Archer and [Tymal] Mills, to developing a youth pathway so our young fast bowlers can see a way to become future Sussex and England cricketers.”Looking ahead, the Young Lions position is a great opportunity for me to lead my own programme and work with the best young cricketers in the country, whilst continuing to develop my fast bowling and head coach skills within the England pathway.”

That the visitors failed in their quest can be explained by the team-spirit and collective will of a Kent team who are enjoying a lovely season

Paul Edwards at Tunbridge Wells23-Jun-20182:01

Kent squash Warwickshire’s hopes of record chase

ScorecardIf you are attempting to beat a 93-year-old record which was set, in part, by the future Baron Aberdare of Duffryn, your efforts could have no finer setting than Tunbridge Wells. Hosting county cricket at the Nevill Ground appears not to be a priority for its owners, the local council, but this sacred field has long been ennobled by cricket lovers. And when they gathered, on a morning of high clouds and sweet scents, spectators wondered if they might see Warwickshire score 519, thus achieving the highest successful fourth-innings pursuit in the history of the County Championship, a mark set when Middlesex scored 502 to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1925.That the visitors failed in their quest, albeit by only 73 runs, can be explained by the team-spirit and collective will of a Kent team who are enjoying a lovely season. And perhaps that determination should now be matched by the executives responsible for keeping four-day county cricket at Tunbridge Wells. If the will is strong enough, the aim can invariably be achieved.Such longer-term considerations must of necessity be far from the minds of the Kent players as they reflect on their fourth Championship win in six games, a victory which leaves them only eight points shy of Warwickshire at the top of the table. But the will of Joe Denly’s players needed to be very strong indeed on a Saturday when the growing humidity reflected the match’s progress towards its climax. Not until Denly ended the game by taking three wickets in six balls, the first two of them lbws, did wickets fall in clumps; and until Adam Hose was ninth out for 65,  his team retained a sliver of hope.That hope was rather stronger at the start of the day, when Warwickshire resumed needing 290 to win with nine wickets in hand. But a game we had expected might be decided by one of its matinee idols eventually starred a cricketer who has served his time in repertory. While on Middlesex’s books, Harry Podmore went out on loan to both Derbyshire and Glamorgan. They are both fine counties but they were not places where Podmore could hang his hat. Now at Kent, the seamer  is hoping to play in next Saturday’s Royal London Cup Final at Lord’s and has probably helped his chances by returning career-best match figures of 8 for 110 in this gameHarry Podmore made key breakthroughs•Getty Images

Podmore took the two wickets to fall in the morning session and both were significant. Having made his first century of a tough season, Dominic Sibley nicked him straight to Heino Kuhn at slip and departed for 112. Two overs later Jonathan Trott edged the same bowler to Adam Rouse, whose delight when he hurled the ball into the air probably reflected his relief that his dropping of Ian Bell on 148 an over or so earlier might not be too expensive in the broader sweep of things.Ah yes, Ian Bell at Tunbridge Wells. Sometimes this game writes its own poetry. Even in a first half hour marked by nothing more than diligent accumulation and the odd alarm. Bell was as easy on the eye as one remembered from his great seasons. Few players invest a forward defensive shot with quite so much grace and precision. The ECB can negotiate broadcasting deals until their flipcharts fall off the walls but if England’s middle-order comprised Bell, James Vince and James Hildreth, BBC4 would cover Test matches.And thus it was when Bell was leg before to Ivan Thomas in the seventh over of the afternoon that Warwickshire’s chances diminished markedly. Bell had batted for a minute over six hours and stroked 24 fours in his 172 runs. But the ball jagged back and pinned him; and in that moment the game turned. Perhaps Kent’s players knew it, for their joy was illimited.Warwickshire lost three more batsmen in the afternoon session and took tea on 414 for 7. Five overs after Bell’s dismissal Tim Ambrose had his off stump knocked askew by a fine ball from that Stakhanovite labourer, Matt Henry. In the next hour Keith Barker and Jeetan Patel fell to slip catches. At no stage did Warwickshire crumple but their grip on the game was loosening.Less than an hour after tea and just when some spectators were pondering the time and overs left in the game, Denly deployed his legspin. He bowled 19 balls and three of them took wickets. Middlesex’s record was safe. One hopes the future of county cricket at Tunbridge Wells is even safer.

The former Afghanistan coach is on a three-month deal, which might be extended based on results

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2018Former India batsman Lalchand Rajput has been appointed Zimbabwe head coach on a three-month deal, which might be extended based on the results.Rajput replaced Heath Streak, who, along with the entire coaching staff, was sacked in March after the team failed to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.Rajput’s first assignment will be a rather challenging one, with Zimbabwe set to play a home T20I tri-series against Australia and Pakistan in July.Rajput had also coached Afghanistan in the last two years. “They [Zimbabwe Cricket] called me up and showed an interest in me. For now, the deal is for three months. After that, if both parties agree, it will be extended,” Rajput told the ICC. “I am really happy with this, because this is what I was looking for after the job with Afghanistan.”Afghanistan did exceptionally well when I was the coach there, so the people in Zimbabwe must have seen something that impressed them. But yes, it’s a challenge. Challenges get the best out of me. I think people know me for that.”Zimbabwean cricket has been marred with crises in the last few years, especially on the financial front. In the current climate, Rajput said he needed to ensure the players playing as a unit.”My first job will be to get the players ready for the triangular series. I have not yet met the players; I will go there and slowly find out everything, meet them, understand them, motivate them,” he said. “There is a lot of talent there, but I need to turn things around quickly and hopefully take them to the next level. The main thing is to get the players together and get them to perform as a unit.”Rajput also coached India U-19s previously, and was the senior team’s manager at the inaugural World T20 in 2007, which they won. He has also coached IPL team Mumbai Indians. Rajput was in the race to become the India coach in 2017, before Ravi Shastri was appointed.

A look at security arrangements ahead of Karachi’s biggest cricket event in nearly a decade

Umar Farooq in Karachi24-Mar-2018After nine years with no cricket of comparable magnitude, Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, is gearing up to host the Pakistan Super League final. This is the second major venue after Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium to host a high-profile game in recent years, and it is considered a crucial step on the long road to reviving international cricket in the country.The final between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi will be played at the National Stadium and the entire route from the hotel to the stadium will be lined with guards from Pakistan’s paramilitary force, the Rangers, and the Sindh police. A full house (around 33,000) is expected, with tickets sold out hours after they were released. There is a three-tier security layer, heavily guarded by security forces. Deputy Inspector General Traffic Imran Yaqoob Minhas, while addressing a press conference, said a total of 8500 police personnel will be deployed around the stadium for the match.The landscape of the city has changed drastically over the last nine years and the law and order situation has improved significantly. Karachi still remains the venue of the last completed Test match in Pakistan, a few days before the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.Karachi is generally viewed as a more challenging city in terms of its law-and-order situation, and providing a complete security plan, what with the nearest hotel being at least 12 km from the National Stadium, is harder than it is in Lahore.The stadium is situated in the centre of the city, and all major routes from all four directions that connect with the stadium will be closed for the general public. The two biggest hospitals of the city, Agha Khan and Liaquat National, are located close to the stadium, but the roads leading to them will be open. A shuttle service will be in place to take fans from the parking area to the stadium gates. The flow of traffic is likely to be reduced, but a strict directive has been issued to follow the day’s plan to avoid congestion. The fact that the game will be held on Sunday will help.”It’s a big occasion for Karachi and the whole country,” said Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper who is now team director at Karachi Kings. “I am very much thankful to the PCB for making this possible. This was a much-needed step because you cannot revive cricket by playing at one venue. It’s important to involve at least three or four cities to get this going. Otherwise, you cannot have a positive impact. Karachi is a huge city and I cannot explain in words how big this would be for us and for this country.”We have played a month in Dubai and Sharjah but we actually felt the intensity when cricket came to Lahore for the playoffs. We realised how people are hungry for cricket and how desperate they are to have cricket back in their stadiums. This is huge for fans; they are really passionate about the game and during isolation we have suffered a lot in world of cricket.”I think the security is somewhat overdone. I don’t want to be critical but I feel security should be given to the foreigners only, not to us. When we were in Lahore for playoffs, even local players and officials were restricted from going out freely. So this shouldn’t be the case because this will give off a bad impression among the overseas players.”The security protocols are being overseen by international security consultant Reg Dickason who has praised the “remarkably thorough” security arrangements for the final, saying they were “as good as I have seen in all my years”.The PCB plans to bring a major chunk of the next edition of the PSL to Pakistan, with at least three venues hosting more than 15 games in total. “We plan to have half of the PSL next year in Pakistan,” Najam Sethi, the PSL chairman, said on Friday. “But for that, we need four stadiums. As of now, we have Lahore, Karachi and Multan ready to host big matches, so now our focus is on preparing the stadiums of Rawalpindi and Peshawar. We’ve been working day and night to bring international cricket back to the country.”