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Chelsea remain one of the most inconsistent teams in the Premier League this season, but that's also what makes them so exciting to watch, for a neutral, anyway.

Mauricio Pochettino's side are capable of taking a point off of Manchester City at the Etihad and drawing with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, but they can also fall to a 4-1 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This topsy-turvy nature of the team should perhaps be expected, given the number of young and relatively inexperienced players in the squad, but that just makes you wonder how good the team could be with a few more experienced names in there.

In fact, there is one former Blues star who was let go for free a few years ago who has outscored Mykhaylo Mudryk this season, a player Poch would surely have loved to have in the side.

How Mykhailo Mudryk has performed this season

Now, where the young Ukrainian was an unmitigated disaster for the Blues last season, registering just two assists for the Blues in 17 games, he has been reasonably okay this season.

In his 25 games for Pochettino so far, he has scored four goals, including a particularly odd one against Arsenal, and provided three assists.

While it's still not quite the return you'd want from a £62m player, it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

He also seems to have the backing of his manager, who said, "He's already an important player, but he's going to improve a lot because the potential is massive."

However, while he could be a world-beater a few years down the line, Chelsea are in need of game-changers today, which is why it must be somewhat frustrating to see Willian tearing it up for Fulham just down the road.

How Willian has performed this season

The former Brazilian international spent a tremendously successful seven years at Chelsea between August 2013 and 2020, in which he made 339 appearances, scored 63 goals, provided 62 assists and won practically everything there was to win – bar a Champions League.

He signed for Arsenal on a free after leaving the Blues but quickly returned to Brazil a year later when it was clear it wouldn't work out in north London.

He was only in Brazil for a year before returning to English football, joining Chelsea's next-door neighbours Fulham on a free transfer in September 2022.

In his first season with the Cottagers, he managed an impressive return of five goals and six assists in 30 appearances from the wings, which was enough to make him the joint-second-highest scorer at the club.

Impressively, he has maintained that form into this year, and despite turning 35 at the start of the campaign, the "outrageous" winger, as described by Chelsea content creator Alex Goldberg, has bagged five goals and two assists in just 27 appearances.

Now, he obviously wouldn't be a regular starter under Pochettino this season, but he would undoubtedly be a valuable squad player both for his on-pitch output and his off-pitch guidance for Chelsea's promising crop of youngsters.

Chelsea must rue selling "special" ace with more PL goals than Drogba

The brilliant dynamo has gone on to become one of the all-time greats.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Feb 21, 2024

Who knows, when Willian's contract runs out with Fulham in the summer, he might opt to have one last go of it at the Bridge.

Ever since the heroics of Brice Samba during Nottingham Forest’s promotion-winning journey, the Tricky Trees have failed to recruit a permanent replacement at the City Ground.

The goalkeeper will always be remembered as a hero for saving three penalties in the 2022 play-off semi-final, and keeping a clean sheet in the subsequent showpiece as Forest defeated Huddersfield Town.

Matt Turner, Odysseas Vlachodimos, and recent signing Matz Sels have all attempted to live up to the standards of the French shot-stopper in Nottingham, yet they haven’t reached his level.

However, the Reds have had a keeper since Samba’s exit that had the potential to become their number one for years to come, but he is no longer at the club.

Matz Sels' start at Forest

Sels only moved to Forest last month for a fee of £5m, in what was a busy month for the club, both on and off the field.

The Belgian star in between the sticks has had a tough start to life in Nottingham, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s side drawing 1-1 on his debut against Bournemouth and losing 3-2 to former club Newcastle United at the weekend.

Against the Cherries, Sels didn’t have a save to make, and his saving ability wasn’t tested at all, however, he was proactive and made two clearances. That said, the downside to his game was his passing, with the former Strasbourg ace having 59% pass accuracy.

On his City Ground debut, the keeper did make two saves in the game, but what will concern the Forest faithful is the fact that his goals prevented was -1.98, meaning that he should have dealt with the attempts for the goals much better.

How Dean Henderson compares to Samba

In the summer of the 2022/23 season, Dean Henderson joined Forest on a season-long loan from Manchester United, in the hopes that the shot-stopper would give them a better chance of survival.

Over the campaign, the 26-year-old played 18 matches for Steve Cooper’s side, however, he missed the second half of the season through a torn thigh injury, which he picked up at the start of January.

It’s normal for a keeper to have matches where they can’t do much to prevent goals, especially when playing in a side that faces plenty of shots, that said, he only conceded 1.7 goals per game during his spell at the club, with a saves per game of 3.1.

Henderson is a keeper who can keep his side in a game just via his saving ability, with his performance against Brighton & Hove Albion last season being one of his most memorable in a Forest shirt.

This is exactly what the club has been missing this season, with even former Spurs boss Antonio Conte labelling the former United man “incredible.”

It’s the match-defining moments, like saving two penalties last season, that he can pull off without breaking a sweat and what will make the Forest fans wish they had him back, but they failed to make the move permanent in the summer, with Henderson switching to Crystal Palace instead.

That move for the Englishman – who has now started eight successive league games – has certainly paid off, having arguably outperformed Sels in certain metrics across the last 365 days.

In comparison to his peers in Europe's top five leagues, Henderson notably ranks in the top 11% for average distance from goal for his defensive actions, meaning his regularly willing to act as a sweeper keeper, while Samba, by contrast, is far more rooted to his line as he ranks in just the bottom 33% for that same metric.

Nottingham Forest star who left in 2022 has been on fire this season

He’s scored 8 goals in 16 games so far this season.

By
Ethan Lamb

Feb 14, 2024

Equally, unlike Samba – who has never played in the Premier League – Henderson is a proven talent in England's top-flight, with former Blades teammate Sander Berge describing him as "insane" as he is "like having two goalkeepers in goal".

Such praise is indicative of the talent that Forest let slip from their grasp, with the jury out on whether Sels will be able to make his mark during what is a pivotal next few months for the club.

He anchored the chase after the Bangladesh bowlers restricted New Zealand with regular wickets

The Report by Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom06-Feb-2020Mahmudul Hasan Joy ended his run of poor scores with his fourth Youth ODI century to secure Bangladesh’s maiden World Cup final – across levels and genders – for the Under-19 tournament against India on February 9. Joy’s hundred helped Bangladesh chase down 212 with six wickets in hand and nearly six overs to spare, after the bowlers restricted New Zealand to 211 for 8 in Potchefstroom.Joy had a best score of 38* in his last eight innings and the early departure of Bangladesh’s openers on Thursday didn’t make things any easier for him. He still anchored the chase by striking 13 fours in his 127-ball innings of 100 and was assisted by No. 4 Towhid Hridoy, who made a brisk 47-ball 40, and the No. 5 Shahadat Hossain, who stayed unbeaten on 40. Captain Akbar Ali scored the winning runs with a drive past mid-on in front of a sizeable Bangladesh-supporting crowd that had come from cities near and far.That Bangladesh chased a total under 250 was courtesy of their all-round bowling performance that continuously pegged New Zealand’s scoring rate. Asked to bat, New Zealand struggled with their tempo and if it wasn’t for Beckham Wheeler-Greenall’s 83-ball 75, they would have finished with a much smaller total, having been reduced to 142 for 6 at one point. Left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam took 3 for 45, right-arm quick Shamim Hossain ended with 2 for 31 and left-arm orthodox spinner Hasan Murad finished with 2 for 34 under overcast conditions in the morning.The sun then baked the Senwes Park deck as the chase began, making batting much easier. Joy and Hridoy added 68 for the third wicket to take Bangladesh to 100. Once Hridoy was stumped off Adithya Ashok, Joy dominated a 101-run stand with Shahadat to take Bangladesh past 200. He reached his hundred by sweeping Jesse Tashkoff for four in the 43rd over but fell on the very next delivery by handing a return catch to the bowler.Only 11 runs were left for Bangladesh then, and Ali finished the chase to send the crowd into a frenzy. Ali pumped his fist after hitting the winning runs while his team-mates from the dugout ran onto the field with the green-and-red Bangladesh flag to spark the celebrations off.Bangladesh began their choke of New Zealand’s batting right from the first over when Shoriful began the day with a maiden. The following over from Shamim yielded the wicket of opener Rhys Mariu, who edged a drive to slip. Rakibul Hasan then removed the other opener, Ollie White, who edged a drive to the wicketkeeper in the 12th over.While the third-wicket partnership lasted nine overs, New Zealand added only 28 runs in that period, after which Fergus Lellman and Tashkoff fell in quick succession, leaving them at 74 for 4 in the 26th over. Wheeler-Greenall then turned aggressive after a sedate start to push New Zealand towards a respectable total, but wickets around him forced him to rein his stroke-play on some occasions. He reached his second fifty of the tournament – by hitting two fours off Murad in the 44th over, and helped New Zealand collect 19 in the last over to stretch the score past 200. Wheeler-Greenall was a class apart on the day. He scored his 75 runs at a strike rate of 90.36, while the other nine batsmen scored their 122 runs at a strike rate of 56.”The toss played a big role today,” New Zealand coach Paul Wiseman said after the game. “Bangladesh had a good start with the seamers. The spinners got the ball to grip, and after that, we were always scrambling.”When we were 75 for 4, we would’ve probably taken 210-220. But obviously fantastic effort from the Bangladesh batsmen. [A] very mature innings by the centurion; he played us with ease. That took the game away from us.”New Zealand now face Pakistan in the third-place playoff on February 8.

Arsenal boss Mikal Arteta has revealed that he could field centre-back Jurrien Timber in a new position this season.

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• Timber fit to start for Arsenal
• Arteta suggests new position for Timber
• Dutchman could play in midfield or as a left-back

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Timber joined Arsenal from Ajax last summer in a highly anticipated move for the Dutchman. However, just two games into the season, Timber suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear and was only able to return for the Gunners' last game of the season. The 23-year-old is now fully fit and in contention to start games again.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, Arsenal have seen the rise of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Slaiba as a centre-back pairing, as the duo led Arteta's side to the most clean sheets in the Premier League as the Gunners conceded only 29 goals in 38 league matches. The return of Timber and the signing of Riccardo Calafiori has now brought upon the question as to where the Dutchman will fit in. Arteta has now suggested that Timber could ply his trade in midfield.

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  WHAT ARTETA SAID

  When speaking to the media, Arteta was asked whether Timber is in contention to play in midfield, to which he said: "Yeah, he is. He can play in various positions. His versatility is one of his biggest strengths. We missed him for 11 months. It’s great to have him back. He played some quality minutes the other day. Like Alex [Zinchenko] did too. I think Alex [Zinchenko] was really good in the first 60 minutes against Wolves. Having that capacity to find what the squad needs in that minute is really valued."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR TIMBER?

  The Dutchman has only made four appearances so far for Arsenal and he will be hoping that he can get a start from Arteta when the Gunners take on Aston Villa on August 24.

Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior have been warned that Manchester City star Rodri is “head and shoulders above them” in the Ballon d’Or race.

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• Real Madrid stars had led Golden Ball battle
• May have been overtaken by Euro 2024 winner
• Midfielder considered to be part of global elite

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  That battle appeared to be a two-way fight at one stage, with Bellingham and Vinicius helping Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League titles in 2023-24. Neither, however, were able to claim international honours when representing England and Brazil respectively in European Championship and Copa America competition.

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  Rodri – who steered City to a fourth consecutive Premier League crown last season, a year on from savouring a historic Treble triumph – did inspire Spain to Euro 2024 glory. He is now very much in the Golden Ball picture, with one former City star considering the all-action midfielder to be deserving of the ‘best player in the world’ tag.

• WHAT DICKOV SAID

  Quizzed on whether Rodri can upset the odds and walk away with the 2024 Ballon d’Or, ex-City striker Paul Dickov – speaking in association with – told GOAL: ”I think so. Not just last season, his performances over the last three or four seasons, he has by far been the best midfielder in that position in the world. Winning the Treble the season before last, four-in-a-row last year, winning the Euros with Spain – where he was arguably their best player. [Kylian] Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude are always going to be up there in the mix, mainly because of the club that they are at. But I look at Rodri and don’t think there is a more deserved winner of the Ballon d’Or than he will be.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Dickov – who remains a cult hero on the blue half of Manchester after featuring in back-to-back promotion-winning campaigns that lifted City out of the third tier of English football and into the Premier League – added on Rodri: “He’s not just a defensive midfielder now. If you look at Man City, how successful they are, you only have to take Rodri out of that team to see how much they struggle – and that’s with players like [Kevin] De Bruyne, [Phil] Foden, Bernardo Silva, [Erling] Haaland. All of these wonderful players that they have got in the team, if they are injured or suspended then there is like-for-like to come in and it doesn’t really effect the set-up of the team. But if you take Rodri out of the team, as we saw last season when he missed three or four games, City didn’t win. It just shows you what a huge influence he is. For me, I look around all these wonderful players that we have got in Europe, but Rodri is head and shoulders above them all.”

West Ham United are approaching the culmination of the January transfer window having signed Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City, but David Moyes is not finished yet.

With the market shutting this evening, the Hammers are pushing to complete deals across multiple fronts, and while much of the chatter has surrounded the attacking ranks, reports suggest that the Irons are closing on an exciting defensive prospect.

Who West Ham could sign today

With Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals both touted for an exit from the London Stadium today, Moyes have been in pursuit of new attacking options such as Al-Ittihad's Jota and teenage whiz Ibrahim Osman.

West Ham could forget Jota with D-day move for “electric” Benrahma upgrade

David Moyes is eager to strengthen before the market shuts this evening.

By
Angus Sinclair

Feb 1, 2024

Eager to strengthen in other areas too, a recent report from Football Insider suggests that Le Havre central defender Arouna Sangante is closing in on a loan move to east London, in advanced talks to bring the 21-year-old in before the deadline.

The suggestion is that the Hammers are closing in on a deal with negotiations said to be at an 'advanced stage'.

Arouna Sangante's style of play

Described as a "star" by journalist Pete O'Rourke, Sangante has been in fine fettle for Le Havre this season and would represent a shrewd piece of business to strengthen West Ham's backline, especially at this late stage.

While he is still young, Sangante could prove to be an instant upgrade on Konstantinos Mavropanos, a £19m summer signing from Stuttgart, who has only started six Premier League matches so far.

A creative and robust defender, the 5 foot 11 Sangante ranks among the top 4% of centre-halves across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 1% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref, with such attributes attractive for a Hammers side reliant on progression through transition-based swiftness.

Mavropanos, by comparison, also offers a modern and progressive skill set but ranks only among the top 37% of defenders for shot-creating actions per 90, also, to his credit, among the top 13% for progressive carries, the top 3% for interceptions and the top 15% for aerial duels won per 90.

In Ligue 1 this term, Sangante, who captains Le Club Doyen despite his relative youth, has started 16 times in the French top division this season and has completed 84% of his passes, averaging 0.6 key passes, 2.5 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 5.2 ball recoveries, 2.9 clearances and 4.8 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.

Mavropanos has only completed 76% of his passes in the English top-flight and while he is seeking to be enterprising with his distribution, 0.1 key passes per outing highlights the lack of success in this regard.

The 24-cap Greece international also averages 1.3 interceptions, 1.0 tackles, 3.1 recoveries and 4.0 clearances per game, so Sangante could certainly emulate and perhaps even surpass the 26-year-old's activeness in his defensive duties under Moyes' wing.

It's a move that Moyes has to complete, with the business end of the campaign tantalising riches but also calling for sturdy support to help realise the Scotsman's ambitions.

Batsman set to resume partnership with Tom Banton in next summer’s Vitality Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2020Babar Azam, the Pakistan batsman, has signed a deal that will see him return to Somerset as the club’s overseas player for five weeks next summer.Babar, who scored 578 runs at an average of 52.54 to finish as the leading run-scorer in the Vitality Blast last summer, will be available for 12 T20 group-stage games and County Championship fixtures against Gloucestershire and Kent.He will replace Matthew Wade as the club’s main overseas player, and will depart in time for Pakistan’s tour of the Netherlands, which is followed by two T20Is in Ireland, and three Tests and three T20Is against England.Babar is likely to resume his partnership with Tom Banton at the top of the Somerset order, which saw the pair finish as the competition’s top-two run-scorers last summer, with interest in them so high that the county was forced to upgrade its website as the traffic from Pakistan had caused it to crash.”I really enjoyed my time at Somerset, and I look forward to coming back next year,” said Babar. “Somerset has a very good squad and the supporters made me feel very welcome. Hopefully I can help the Club reach the knock-out stages of the Vitality Blast and contribute to winning matches in the County Championship.”Andy Hurry, the club’s director of cricket, said: “Babar Azam is the best IT20 batsman in the world and his return will be a major boost for us. He played a significant role for us in the Vitality Blast last year and his stats speak for themselves.”He made a number of match-winning contributions and he fitted seamlessly into the dressing room. You can’t ask more from your overseas players than that. His batting is so easy on the eye and he is so hungry to evolve his game. He will add significant value to the team, both with his batting and leadership.””He was extremely popular with our members and supporters but also with our playing squad. He is a truly world-class talent and we look forward to working with him again in 2020 in both the Vitality Blast and the County Championship.”

Speaking to Football FanCast, in partnership with NetBet Online Casino, Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has shared his thoughts on a possible signing the north Londoners could make.

Edu and Arteta reportedly targeting midfielder

According to recent reports, both sporting director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta have set their sights on a new central midfielder and potential replacement for Thomas Partey.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

By
Luke Randall

Feb 1, 2024

The Ghanaian's injury problems, coupled with some claims that he is open to leaving the club, have been an issue for Arteta this season as he seeks to guide Arsenal to a first Premier League title in 20 years.

Mohamed Elneny and Jorginho are also out of contract at the end of this season, which would leave Arsenal pretty short of midfield options later this year if they don't elect to bring one in.

As the north Londoners face a triple midfield exit in 2024, Arsenal have been linked with the likes of Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz, who is a long-term target for Edu and co.

Another player attracting interest from the title contenders is Everton star Amadou Onana, with Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri sharing news of Arsenal's advances for him earlier this month.

The Independent and journalist Miguel Delaney also claimed late last month that a centre-midfielder is one of Arteta's personal transfer wishes alongside two new full-backs and a goalscoring striker. Onana, however, could cost in the region of £60m.

Parlour backs 2024 Arsenal swoop for Onana

While FFP restrictions and a limited January budget make a move for the likes of Onana hard to pull off this month, Parlour has told FFC that a 2024 move is still very much possible.

The ex-midfielder believes Arsenal could swoop for Onana later this year to solve Arteta's midfield conundrum.

"If Partey leaves, then Onana has been the one Arsenal seem to have identified to come in and be the boss in that holding area of the pitch," said Parlour.

"But in January, Everton will want too much money and are in a relegation battle, so won’t sell him. In the summer, Onana could be the one Arsenal will go for as he is impressing. On Havertz, he is working well in the side, but Arsenal need to convert the chances they are creating."

The colossal 6 foot 4 midfielder, who also featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has made 17 league appearances as a star mainstay under Sean Dyche this season.

Facundo Buonanotte has been added to Chelsea’s Champions League squad following an injury blow to another of the Blues’ summer signings. Highly-rated midfielder Dario Essugo has been forced to undergo surgery on a thigh problem. That has left the door open for Buonanotte to be drafted into Enzo Maresca’s plans ahead of a return to elite European competition.

• Trophy hunt: Blues won two last season

  Chelsea savoured continental glory in the Conference League last season, before going on to lift the FIFA Club World Cup. A promising start has been made to their 2025-26 Premier League campaign, with attention now switching to Champions League matters.

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  Kane reunion: Familiar foe to be faced

  The Blues are preparing for a trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday that will see them line up against former Tottenham striker Harry Kane. Buonanotte could figure in that contest after becoming the beneficiary of a recent rule change.

• UEFA rule: Changes allowed to European squads

  UEFA now allows clubs to make changes to their European squad lists if serious injuries are suffered. Essugo falls into that category, with the 20-year-old Portuguese set to spend several weeks on the sidelines after undergoing an operation.

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  Initially overlooked: Chance for Buonanotte

  Chelsea have confirmed that Buonanotte has been added to their squad. He was initially overlooked on the back of completing an initial season-long loan move to Stamford Bridge from Brighton on transfer deadline day.

Buttler says England must learn from New Zealand’s approach to first Test

George Dobell in Mount Maunganui24-Nov-2019Jos Buttler believes England must learn from New Zealand’s approach in the first Test in Mount Manganui.While England were kept in the field for more than 200 overs as New Zealand amassed more than 600 runs, Buttler felt it was England’s batsmen who had most to learn from New Zealand’s disciplined approach to the game. England were dismissed for 353 in their first innings; a score that looks ever more below par the longer the match progresses.”If we’re really critical, it’s the first-innings runs with the bat [which have cost us],” Buttler said. “New Zealand played a very patient game with the bat. They showed the value of that patient game of batting on flat wickets and setting your sights very high. BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner really set their stall out and batted for a long time. They put a lot of overs into our legs and built that score.”We have to learn to be able to do that. You look at the top sides around the world on flat wickets and they get very, very big scores and bat for a very, very long time.”That’s a big learning point for us. With the bat, just when you think you’re getting to a place where you need to be, there’s a lot more hard work to come to build those big scores.”You can’t fault the bowlers’ efforts. I thought the effort of everyone was outstanding.”Also read: Watling knock raises questions on England’s gameWhile Buttler accepted England had struggled to adapt from the “fast-forward cricket” played in England in recent times, he rejected the suggestion the Kookaburra ball should be adopted in Championship cricket. Instead he insisted the Dukes ball, which generally provides bowlers with more assistance, created more entertaining cricket but suggested the pitches in county cricket should be improved.”Test cricket with a Dukes ball in England is fantastic,” he said. “It’s very watchable. It’s a good contest between bat and ball. I think most people talk about introducing a Dukes to the rest of the world as opposed to the other way around.”The product we have with Test cricket in England is up there with the best product in the world so I wouldn’t want to tamper with that very much.”One thing potentially we can do in England is play on better batting wickets. The Dukes ball still offers the bowlers enough, especially in England if you get the overhead conditions. But we could look at playing county cricket on better batting wickets.”But we have played a lot of Test cricket in different conditions over the past year where it’s been fast-forward cricket. We have to be adaptable. There’s some education for all of us as batters.”What had looked a docile pitch when New Zealand batted suddenly looked full of danger when England began their second innings. But Butter suggested that was a reflection of the match situation and the pressure England were under as much as it was anything to do with the pitch. And, he said, it was another area England had to learn from New Zealand.”We have to learn about scoreboard pressure as well,” he said. “If you have got those runs on the board, if you have put miles into the legs of batsmen who have to field for 200 overs, it puts those guys under a lot of pressure when they come out to bat 10 minutes later.”Scoreboard pressure is massive. If we had made 450-500-plus in the first innings, it would have been a completely different outlook for the team batting second.”Buttler also defended Jofra Archer from any criticism, providing a reminder that he is only five Tests into his career.”I think you all forget Jofra is very new to international cricket,” he said. “It’s his first overseas tour and the first time he’s bowled with a Kookaburra ball. He is a very special talent but he is only five games into his Test career. You can’t ask too much of him too soon.”He’s a very special talent and we’ve got to look after him. He’s a fantastic guy and has a great attitude as well. He’ll learn from this and he’s a great attribute to us.”