Liverpool may consider using Simon Mignolet in a swap deal to sign Roma goalkeeper Alisson, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
What’s the story?
The Merseyside outfit have already made a splash in the January transfer market by signing defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for a reported £75m figure.
It seems that the club are still not satisfied with their defensive attributes as they are now reportedly targeting a new goalkeeper.
Gazzetta dello Sport claims that the Premier League outfit are interested in Roma shot-stopper Alisson, who took over as first choice this season.
The report adds that Liverpool could be open to sending current number one Mignolet to the Serie A club to help sweeten the deal.
Is Alisson better than Liverpool’s current pair?
Mignolet has been the club’s first choice since his switch from Sunderland in 2013, but he has never been able to win over the fans.
The Belgian has made a number of blunders during his time at Anfield, and even though he has the top jersey, there is little confidence in him from the supporters.
Liverpool’s number two Loris Karius has also struggled to impress and does not look close to challenging Mignolet for a spot in the first XI.
Alisson is an attractive prospect for the Premier League outfit given that he has kept the most clean sheets in Serie A so far this season.
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The 25-year-old has often been described as a ball-playing keeper, which would suit Liverpool’s style.
Brendan Rodgers has launched an outspoken attack on Arsenal, claiming the Gunners have “lacked class” over their very public pursuit of Luis Suarez, according to The Guardian.
Arsenal have had two bids rejected for the Uruguayan, one of which they hoped would trigger a release clause in the player’s contract by adding an extra £1 to an offer of £40million.
“I was surprised,” said the Liverpool manager of Arsenal’s second bid for Suárez.
“I’ve got to say I’ve always associated Arsenal as a club with class and so there was a wee bit of a game there. For us, it’s about moving on and doing our own work.
“There will come a point where they understand our position.
“Obviously they have an interest and they put that interest in with two bids which were nowhere near what the player is worth. That’s within their right.
“There is a market in football for players but from us the message is constant. We do not want to sell.”
Suarez played in front of the Anfield crowd as part of Steven Gerrard’s testimonial on Saturday – for the first time incidentally since revealing he wanted to leave the club.
He was rewarded a warm reception from the Liverpool fans, although it seems to have made no difference, with the Uruguayan the only first team player not to attend the captain’s gala dinner afterwards.
Rodgers also revealed he had received encouragement from the club’s owners in his fight to keep Suarez at the club.
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“The owners have been brilliant,” he added.
“If it was another club needing the money or desperate for the money it could have been a different story. But John Henry and Tom [Werner, the chairman] have been first class through the whole process, so there are no arguments there and it gives you the confidence they are not in any hurry to sell because they understand we are trying to build here.”
This weekend should see the long awaited league debut of Spurs’ brand new centre-half, the highly rated Belgian, Jan Vertonghen. A player deemed to be a seemingly perfect fit for Andre Villas-Boas’ new defensive style, Vertonghen was spared a baptism of fire in the 2-1 defeat away to Newcastle for a warmer welcome in the comforts of White Hart Lane. A lot, however, may rest on the former Ajax-man’s shoulders in the coming weeks.
A home fixture against against West Bromwich Albion hardly represents a walk in the park for any team, but resting Vertonghen against the Magpies on Saturday probably wasn’t the worst decision Villas-Boas has ever made.
The Belgian stopper will face tougher challenges, but you would have thought the foraging Shane Long would offer less of a shock to the system than what Demba Ba might. And it certainly proved that much, too. Spurs played well at St. James Park but Ba was always a handful and his superbly taken goal is testament to that. Vertonghen has done well to start against West Brom without the added pressure of an opening day defeat on his resume.
Although it’s been other events since the trip to Newcastle that have conspired to heap a little more pressure on Vertonghen’s shoulders. The debate about Villas-Boas’ perceived willingness to let fan-favourite Michael Dawson go, has rumbled on over the past 48-hours. The majority are sensibly backing their new manager to the hilt, although that’s not to say the expected loss of such a hugely popular central defender hasn’t hurt a little bit.
There is no way that fans would take any possible spite that Dawson’s exit may have left, out on their new defensive rock, although it does mean the spotlight on Vertonghen is going to shine a little bit brighter.
If Dawson’s talents are rendered to not be in fitting with Villas-Boas’ style or that he simply may not fancy the ex-Nottingham Forest man at the back, than that is fair enough for supporters. Although the assumption must be that Jan Vertonghen has been deemed to be a clearly superior choice for the coming season. In some ways, it’s a leap of faith that you’d expect the manager to take. But the fact it is Dawson who is in all likeliness making way, means the expectation is cranked up a little bit higher.
Both Dawson and Vertonghen possess very conflicting styles of defending and it is Dawson’s style that would potentially see him struggle to adapt to Villas-Boas’ new defensive set-up. Although the pressure is on for Jan Vertonghen and he needs to hit the ground running.
Optimism seems to be regaining in spades around N17 at the moment and now is not the time to start bringing it back down. Villas-Boas has faced unfair critique from a very vocal minority recently and this seems to have galvanized supporters, building up to what will sure to be a welcome that Villas-Boas will never have seen before. But the stakes will be high against West Brom. Spurs don’t need a second terrible start in two consecutive seasons- especially not with a manager with as much media heat as AVB.
How Jan Vertonghen copes with the expectation will be key to that. As defenders go, he is an extremely talented footballer and fans should have no fears if the ball falls to him under close quarters. He’s not one to panic and he’s certainly a perfect fit for AVB’s preference for a back four that plays it out. Tactically astute, he has the physicality to be able to adjust to the rigors of English football, although he’ll be sure to face a tough examination against Steve Clarke’s men.
Most prominently to Spurs’ hopes for the season however, will be how the defensive shape adapts. Alan Hansen went far too overboard with his crucifixion of Brendan Rodgers’ defense last weekend, although Tottenham could do well to learn from events during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat.
Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger are superb defenders, but their adoption of a new playing style made them both look pretty average last Saturday. Steve Clarke is no fool and whilst he knows Liverpool inside-out during his spell as assistant manager, he knew that a central-defense adjusting to a new shape harbored an element of vulnerability. West Brom pressed and pressed and Liverpool’s defense ultimately wilted under the pressure. Tottenham’s back four should expect no different.
Playing a high line involves all four defenders to be playing in unison and Kyle Walker, William Gallas, Jan Vertonghen and Benoit Assou-Ekotto will have to begin to develop something of a telepathic understanding- for Saturday, anyway. Younes Kaboul’s knee injury sees him miss the visit of the Baggies and whilst Steven Caulker is a genuine talent, Saturday might not be the time to blood him.
There is already an element of risk, no matter how small, in the deployment of Vertonghen. William Gallas isn’t getting any younger and many fans still wake up in cold-sweats thinking about his performance in the 5-1 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea last season
Although supporters shouldn’t be too adverse to the idea of the Frenchman playing a part this season. He shouldn’t be a starter, but he has been there and done it and there could be few better than a two-time Premier League winning defender to coax Vertonghen through his Premier League debut. Caulker’s time will come, but there is no need to play Vertonghen and Caulker for the sake of it. Villas-Boas doesn’t need and shouldn’t need to be taking any risks at this stage of the season. He just needs wins to get Spurs off to a flying start.
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But Jan Vertonghen has a real platform to get his team and his own Premier League career, off to a flying start. The fixture list hasn’t been too harsh on Tottenham for the season’s opening and a run of West Brom (H), Norwich (H) and Reading (A) isn’t a bad bunch of games for the Belgian to get his bearings in English football. A good, steady start will inspire confidence within the team and perhaps most importantly, the defensive unit. Villas-Boas doesn’t need a repeat of his Stamford Bridge disaster, but the likes of Vertonghen are far, far better equipped for the Portuguese than his Chelsea old-boys.
Tottenham supporters must be patient and they have to recognize how potentially volatile such specific tactical changes can be. All the signs are that Spurs can go on to enjoy a superb season under Villas-Boas. All are hoping for a positive result on Saturday and the prospect of Vertonghen making his league debut will give it an extra buzz. He’ll need time to adapt, but the time for talk is over. Let’s see what Spurs’ new centre-half has to offer.
How do you see Spurs’ defensive set-up panning out this season? Excited for Vertonghen’s debut or worried about Kaboul’s loss? Let me know how you see it on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me all your Tottenham based views.
Cameron Bancroft adds fifty as India’s Siddarth Kaul takes four on Northants debut
ECB Reporters Network10-May-2024Miles Hammond struck a sparkling 112 off 133 balls, his first century in two years to help propel Gloucestershire to 338 for 8 against Northamptonshire on day one of this Vitality County Championship match at Wantage Road.Despite hitting eight fifties last season, and three so far this year, this was the first time Hammond had gone on to reach three figures since making 169 against Hampshire in Cheltenham, the town of his birth, in 2022.While batting was never straightforward with swing on offer throughout the day, Hammond took the attacking route, hitting 17 boundaries and reaching his milestone by swotting Northamptonshire quick George Scrimshaw high over fine leg for a big six. Gloucestershire’s Australian overseas signing Cameron Bancroft also contributed a solid 53 at the top of the order.Indian international Siddarth Kaul meanwhile made an immediate impact on his Northamptonshire debut, taking 4 wickets for 58 in 23 testing overs, including three in the afternoon session. Ultimately though, his new county were unable to press home their advantage of having the visitors 119 for 3 as Gloucestershire made hay in the afternoon sunshine against some loose bowling.Northamptonshire did stage a good fightback, taking three late wickets with the new ball including one for evergreen seamer Ben Sanderson, playing his 100th first-class match for his adopted county.Northamptonshire won the toss and decided to bowl, fielding a largely new look attack, with Scrimshaw playing only his second game for the Tudor Rose, and Nottinghamshire spinning all-rounder Liam Patterson-White coming in on a one-match loan deal.Gloucestershire batted solidly during the morning, Bancroft taking on the extra pace of Scrimshaw, pulling him for four and cutting him crisply for two more boundaries.But it was the former Derbyshire bowler who made the first breakthrough, getting one to lift to Ben Charlesworth (16) who could only edge behind.Northamptonshire continued to apply pressure and create chances in the hour before lunch. New batter Ollie Price took 29 balls to get off the mark and both he and Bancroft edged balls which landed just short of the slips.After the interval, Kaul picked up the big wicket of Bancroft when he fell lbw to the third delivery of the session. The bowler, who is hoping to impress the Indian Test selectors during his Northamptonshire stint, bowled consistently all day, finding plenty of movement to trouble the batters.Kaul then accounted for Price (10) with a peach of a delivery which angled in before swinging away to take the edge, Emilio Gay taking an excellent diving catch at second slip.Hammond though looked in fine form, unfurling two glorious swivel pull shots against Scrimshaw before slapping him square for another boundary and driving Kaul firmly through the covers. He also took on the spin of Patterson-White, twice dispatching him over the infield.He was joined in a partnership of 75 for the fourth wicket by James Bracey (33) who cover drove Sanderson for two fours and hit Patterson-White over midwicket before he became Kaul’s third wicket, adjudged lbw to a full one which shaped back in.Hammond and skipper Graeme van Buuren (46) then put on 67, with runs flowing freely as Northamptonshire failed to capitalise on the movement on offer. Hammond finally fell soon after celebrating his century when he came down the wicket to Patterson-White and chipped the ball to midwicket where Ricardo Vasconcelos held a stunning diving catch.van Buuren brought out the sweep against Patterson-White to take Gloucestershire past 300 before the momentum swung back Northamptonshire’s way.Sanderson had been unlucky not to pick up a wicket earlier in the day, but had been wayward too, leaking runs down the leg side. He finally drew the edge from van Buuren with Vasconcelos taking a sharp catch at third slip. Then Tom Price (23), dropped early in his innings, was finally caught at slip to give Luke Procter a well-earned reward after toiling hard all day.Zafar Gohar became Kaul’s fourth wicket when he edged behind, but the bowler was denied a fifth in the penultimate over when Gay dropped Marchant de Lange in the slips.
“We certainly value contributions of people who’ve been there, and if they’ve missed out due to injury, they deserve the right to come back in”
Karthik Krishnaswamy15-Feb-202310:51
Dravid: ‘Nagpur is done, but we need to keep playing tough cricket’
Shreyas Iyer is set to return to India’s side for the second Test against Australia in Delhi, which begins on Friday, if he passes his fitness assessment on the eve of the match. Iyer missed the first Test in Nagpur with a back injury, and rejoined the squad in Delhi, where he had a long stint batting in the nets on Wednesday.India coach Rahul Dravid has said Iyer will “walk straight into the side” if he feels fine after batting on Thursday as well.”We’ll take a call after a couple of days of training,” Dravid said. “He’s had a long session today in terms of training today, we’ll assess it tomorrow as well, once he comes in for a light hit, and see how he feels in the evening. But certainly, if he’s fit and ready to go and ready to take the load of a five-day Test match, then it is without doubt that his performance means he will walk straight into the side.”Related
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Ever since scoring a century on Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur in November 2021, Iyer has been a key middle-order batter for India especially in Asian conditions, and has been involved in several rescue jobs. Apart from his ability against spin, Dravid identified Iyer’s temperament and ability to find solutions under pressure as assets he brings to India’s line-up.Dravid took the examples of the innings Iyer played in pressure situations in both innings of his Kanpur debut, and the match-winning partnership with R Ashwin in Dhaka last December, which came after India were 74 for 7 in a chase of 145. He indicated that Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 8 in India’s only innings in Nagpur, where he made his debut, would probably make way for Iyer.”Without it being written in stone and without it being a rule, we certainly value contributions of people who’ve been there, and if they’ve missed out due to injury, they deserve the right to come back in, if they’ve performed, irrespective of what has happened in the time that they’ve been injured,” Dravid said.”So yes, it’s something that I can’t answer for everyone, but it’s certainly the outlook of the team management [in this case]. And yes, Shreyas has played well against spin, but what’s really stood out has been his temperament. We’ve been in quite a few pressure situations with Shreyas around, right from the first Test match that he played, his debut game in Kanpur.”We’ve been in some tough situations, and he and Rishabh [Pant] and [Ravindra] Jadeja, really, have been the ones who’ve been bailing us out and playing those critical knocks. His temperament in Bangladesh, when we were under pressure, along with Ashwin. That’s something that’s a really good sign, obviously along with his skill of playing spin really well.”He’s spent a lot of time in domestic cricket before getting in, so he obviously understands how to get runs, but I think at this level, also what really counts is your ability to deal with those pressure situations, that temperament, that ability to find solutions and find answers when we’re under pressure, and from the little sample size that we have, he’s been very good at that.”It’ll be nice to have him back, and he certainly has been one of our better players, he deserves it, and people in the team understand that as well. They know that if they are replacing someone who is injured, that person will probably come back, and the same thing will be followed for them as well – if they get injured, hopefully we’ll be able to give them the same treatment as well.”
Mortaza delighted at pacers stepping up for the team, says BCB could use Mirpur as a venue to develop quicks
Mohammad Isam08-Jan-2022Senior players Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza have praised Bangladesh after their historic Test win against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui a few days ago. Shakib, who withdrew from the tour to spend time with his family, said that the victory proves the visitors don’t have to rely just on the senior players alone.”I don’t think my presence was necessarily important (in New Zealand),” Shakib said. “I am actually happy that they did it without me. Not just me… (but the others too). I think what really delighted me was that the notion, particularly in the media, that not many players apart from the four or five senior ones can win games for the team – that will be changed. If they are handed the responsibility, these youngsters will play better.”Related
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Shakib said that the victory was sweeter coming off a year of disappointing performances. The team endured two winless streaks of 10 matches each in 2021, from February to April and then from October to December.”We made an unbelievable start to 2022. I am very happy. Credit goes to all the players and coaching staff for playing well under so much pressure and in these conditions. Everyone tried hard. This was always going to be a challenging year after a difficult time in 2021 for us. I hope we can continue in this manner. Bangladesh do not play this well all the time”Not everything will change after a Test win. But it creates the opportunity for change. I think if we can hold onto this belief, particularly the BCB, we can do well in the World Test Championship,” Shakib saidMashrafe, who is preparing for this season’s BPL, said that fast bowlers winning a Test match for Bangladesh was their biggest takeaway. Bangladesh pacers picked up 13 wickets at Bay Oval, the most they have ever bagged in a Test match. Their previous highest was 11 against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2013.”Taskin (Ahmed) and Ebadot (Hossain) proved that if they put in the hard work, they can improve. It is good to see the pacers winning a game for us, but this win doesn’t necessarily answer all the questions.”This is not a reply to all the criticism in recent times. Rather, we should learn from this, that we can win matches if we give players the opportunity. Cricket boards should invest and see what’s happening so that it could bring better results in the future,” Mashrafe said.He also heaped praise on Ebadot for being patient and spoke about how the fast bowler has reaped the rewards after being given a long rope in Tests in the last two years.”Ebadot’s improvement isn’t recent. He has been playing for a while and has been kept in consideration in Tests. He must have been given assurance that he will play. He knows this is his career, his future. He has to serve the team.”Ebadot’s wickets [in New Zealand’s second innings] won us the game. It could have been a drawn game. You have to give the player a bit of time. He got set slowly. Rahi has been giving service for a long time (unclear). Giving them a bit of time always brings a good result,” he said.Mashrafe said that the BCB could look at turning one of their major venues to develop fast bowlers. “I think they could look at Mirpur to help the fast bowlers since the ball here goes up and down. It, however, depends on how much you depend on the fast bowlers. So it is good that the pacers won us the game,” he said.
The former Kerala legspinner fills the vacancy left by Nitin Menon’s promotion to the Elite panel
ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2020Former Kerala legspinner KN Ananthapadmanabhan has been promoted to the ICC’s international panel of umpires. Ananthapadmanabhan will be the fourth Indian umpire on the international panel and fills the vacancy created by Nitin Menon’s move to the ICC Elite Panel.The other three Indians on the international panel are C Shamshuddin, Anil Chaudhary and Virender Sharma.Ananthapadmanabhan has officiated in nearly every domestic tournament in India, including the IPL, an England Lions match, and Women’s List A and T20 games.Before moving into umpiring, Ananthapadmanabhan played 105 first-class matches for Kerala, starting in 1988-89, and represented them until 2003-04. He was the first player from his state to achieve the double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, and was briefly in the reckoning for an India cap. Playing for India A against the visiting Australians in 1998, he took the wickets of Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Darren Lehmann.
After leaking 27 in his first two overs, the seamer gave away only ten runs in his last two while claiming the wickets of Rahul and Sarfaraz
Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai06-Apr-20194:42
Harbhajan and Tahir created pressure on Kings XI – Fleming
Scott Kuggeleijn bashed a hard length and cranked it up to 140kph for Northern Districts in the Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition. It was his hit-the-deck bustle that prompted Chennai Super Kings’ coach Stephen Fleming to get him on board as the injured Lungi Ngidi’s replacement.On the eve of the game against Kings XI Punjab at Chepauk, Super Kings received another major blow, with their designated death-overs bowler Dwayne Bravo joining Ngidi on the injury list.Three days after arriving in Chennai and after two training sessions, Kuggeleijn was asked to cut off his pace and, instead, make the batsmen manufacture it in the end overs. Kings XI Punjab needed 46 off the last three overs with eight wickets in hand. On IPL debut, Kuggeleijn was tasked with bowling two of those overs in front of a vociferous Saturday crowd. This, after he had repeatedly missed his lengths and leaked 27 runs in his first two overs.Kuggeleijn turned the tables on Kings XI, giving away only ten runs in his last two overs while claiming the crucial wickets of the well-set KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan, who had put on 110 off 93 balls for the third wicket.Having been punished for bowling too full in the early exchanges, Kuggeleijn dragged his length back and mixed it up with cutters that gripped on a tired Chepauk pitch. The slower balls tricked both Rahul and Sarfaraz into holing out in the outfield.”[Kuggeleijn] interests me because he had some pace and played international cricket,” Super Kings’ coach Fleming said at the post-match press conference. “The thing we can’t understand without working with him is his temperament. He has been here for only three days and to throw him in a big game in a home ground was a big ask and the first two overs was just that.”It was about being firm on what we wanted: hit the middle of the wicket and bowl your cutters which is what we saw a bit during scouting. We were strong with him during that [strategic] break. It was just very instructional so that to take away any doubt from him and just do that and he did that well. Once he had confidence that it was working, he was able to get into that. He was fractionally full [early on] and that can be nerves and the whole environment. I was a bit worried we were going to be putting him in a situation which was going to be tough and he responded well.Fleming believes that Kuggeleijn’s impressive IPL introduction could help fill in the void created by the injury-enforced absences of Bravo and Ngidi, and David Willey, who has withdrawn from the tournament citing personal reasons. Fleming, however, hinted that Willey could return at the fag end of the season.”[We] just have to back him [Kuggeleijn]. MS [Dhoni] is very supportive,” Fleming said. “It is a culture where if it [the plan] hadn’t worked, we are not scathing. We understand how tough it can be. When we bring someone in we look at what skills they bring and try to get the best out of them. Today was a massive step for him to be part of the group and to win a game. To be part of the last part of the game, to make a big contribution goes a long way in making you feel part of the group.”We are a little bit thin; there’s no doubt about it, so that’s why the introduction of Scott was important just to see how thin we were. We have to work hard; at home we can get away with spinners. The bowlers are trying hard to make sure they can contribute and today they did. Keep that in mind that our spinners were outstanding as well. We know we have holes and we’re just scrapping hard to hide them.”
An all-round show from Shane Watson, coupled with a patient kock from Sarfraz Ahmed took Quetta Gladiators to another win in the PSL
The Report by Danyal Rasool10-Mar-2018Quetta Gladiators 158 for 4 (Sarfraz 45*, Watson 37) beat Peshawar Zalmi 157 for 5 (Smith 49, Watson 2-26) by six wickets Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellThe previous few games in the PSL almost made T20 cricket lose its shape. There were one-sided duds, exceptionally low-scoring matches and domino collapses, but this was (if indeed we can begin to call it that) good old-fashioned T20 cricket. Quetta Gladiators chased down Peshawar Zalmi’s 157 with a cold-hearted, ruthless performance, powered to the finish by a world-class 74-run partnership between their captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Rilee Rossouw.Quetta tried to stay on top of the asking rate right from the outset, aided by Shane Watson, whose outstanding form has seen him become the top scorer in the tournament. A 25-ball 37 from him sent Quetta on their way, with a cameo from Kevin Pietersen allowing them to keep the required rate in check. However, Peshawar were clawing their way back in with regular wickets, and when Quetta were reduced to 84 for 4, the importance of the Rossouw-Sarfraz partnership appeared impossible to overstate. Both players rose to the occasion with a professional, dispassionate class, managing to keep the runs ticking in the face of magnificent death bowling by Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali. They took it to the final over, but they never looked like blowing it. The result, however, meant that Lahore Qalandars – like the last two seasons – were out of playoff contention.Peshawar were guilty of a slow start, but Dwayne Smith compensated with a lusty, powerful innings up top, thwacking five sixes in a 33-ball 49. But soft dismissals were the scourge of their innings, and the next four batsmen fell to straight-forward deliveries spooned straight into the air in the inner circle, as Peshawar lost momentum regularly. They only managed to get to above 150 thanks to a brilliant rearguard from Captain Fantastic Daren Sammy – still only partially fit, whose 19-ball 36 powered them to 157. It was respectable, but not quite enough.Where the match was wonMohammad Nawaz has made a bit of a habit of taking early wickets, and the beauty that bowled Kamran Akmal for a golden duck put Peshawar on the back foot straightaway. For the first four and a half overs, they scored at under 5, meaning much of the Powerplay was squandered without runs on the board. Though Smith and Sammy did well to catch up, that early stumble meant a potential total of 180 was confined to merely 157. In a tight, last-over run chase, those extra runs were made to count.The men that won itT20 cricket can have a bit of a reputation as a “hit and hope” sort of format, but the chanceless nature of the Rossouw-Sarfraz partnership was spectacular. When they came together, Peshawar had the edge, but the pair seemed to trust each other, and found reassurance and confidence batting together. A classy inside out cover drive off the left-arm spinner from Sarfraz sent them on their way, and from thereon all they did was nail the basics. They got a boundary an over, kept the strike ticking along, and never gave Darren Sammy any reason to be hopeful, snuffing the fire out of Peshawar. We may not see a better partnership under pressure all season.Fast bowlers in unisonUmaid Asif, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali are all different fast bowlers in their own way, but they all appeared to have the same effect on Quetta. At least, that’s how it appears if all you did was take a cursory look at the scorecard. Each of them took one wicket each; Wahab and Umaid’s figures were indeed identical: 4-0-26-1. Hasan Ali’s numbers read 4-0-25-1. It isn’t often three fast bowlers from one side perform to that level and end up on the losing side, but that only illustrated the fine margins in this game, and the nervy contest it ended up becoming.Where they standQuetta go to the top of the table with 10 points, while Peshawar, with three losses and five wins, are dangerously close to elimination, sitting in fifth place. The result also officially eliminates Lahore Qalandars, who cannot now mathematically finish in the top four.
Peter Handscomb scored his third score of fifty-plus in as many Tests, before Steven Smith hit a hundred to help Australia take the lead against Pakistan on day four
The Report by Daniel Brettig at the MCG29-Dec-2016 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAustralia’s captain Steven Smith beat encroaching bad weather by a matter of minutes to post his 17th Test hundred before a monsoonal downpour all but ensured a drawn Boxing Day Test at the MCG.Moments after Smith reached his 100, the umpires suspended play, a decision followed soon after by a deluge that was more tropical Brisbane than Melbourne’s more typical southerly climate. It would take a pair of highly imaginative declarations from here to manufacture a result, with the hosts likely to be happy to sit on their 1-0 series lead.Smith’s ease at the crease contrasted with two more low scores for Nic Maddinson and Matthew Wade, neither of whom can be sure of their places in the XI, and made life difficult for the visitors who were also inconvenienced when Azhar Ali was helped from the field after suffering a stunning blow to the helmet when fielding at short leg.Usman Khawaja fell three runs short of a century for the second time this summer but the emerging No. 5 Peter Handscomb also made a useful contribution in Smith’s company before the monsoonal rain arrived. Whether either side is inclined to creativity to set-up a final-day run chase from here is a matter for conjecture.As he had done in the Perth Test against South Africa, Khawaja made it to 97 before being dismissed, this time trying to cover drive Wahab Riaz and edging through to Sarfraz Ahmed. He had shelved the stroke when making an excellent century against South Africa under lights in Adelaide.That wicket brought the Victorian Handscomb to the crease on his home ground, and he showed plenty of attacking intent to outpace Smith and close the gap with the visitors’ total. On a pitch offering precious little to the bowlers, Pakistan reverted largely to a short-pitched angle of attack with a leg-side field.Neither Handscomb nor Smith had too many awkward moments before the second new ball was taken, the former passing 50 for the third time in as many Tests. However in Mohammad Amir’s first over with the fresh projectile, Handscomb was beaten by one delivery then, next ball, pushed a difficult return catch back to the bowler, who dropped it.While Amir continued to bowl well, it was Sohail Khan who claimed the wicket, when Handscomb sliced an attempted drive to backward point. Maddinson accompanied Smith to lunch and made it as far as 22 after it, before yorking himself when dancing down the wicket to Yasir Shah to be bowled.Wade connected with several meaty blows, one of which felled the double-centurion Azhar at bad pad, before he edged Sohail Khan to depart for another underwhelming score. It was around this time that the weather began to close in on the ground, and the umpires conferred over the matter of bad light before Smith forced one through an off-side gap for three runs to go to his second century in as many Tests.That, then, was more or less that. A further 42 scheduled overs were lost from the match, meaning a more optimistic weather forecast for day five is most probably a moot point.