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An unbeaten 49-ball 95 from Umar Akmal, and a three-wicket haul from Aizaz Cheema were the cornerstones behind Lahore Lions’ 15-run victory against Multan Tigers in Faisalabad

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2015An unbeaten 49-ball 95 from Umar Akmal, and a three-wicket haul from Aizaz Cheema were the cornerstones behind Lahore Lions’ 15-run victory against Multan Tigers in Faisalabad. With two wins from three matches, Lions are now through to the semi-finals.Lions, opting to bat, were precariously placed at 51 for 3 in the eighth over before Umar and Nasir Jamshed joined hands to launch a late assault. The pair looted 129 off 73 deliveries, helping Lions to 180 for 3. Umar slammed 11 fours and four sixes for his fifty, while Jamshed’s 33 off 27 balls featured two fours and a six.Tigers lost their openers within three overs of the chase – both removed by Cheema – but handy contributions from Kashif Mansha and the captain Gulraiz Sadaf kept the team afloat. Still, Lions ensured that the asking rate remained above 10 an over, putting pressure on Tigers. With 73 required off the last five overs, Naved Yasin went on the attack, blasting 69 off 39 balls, including 21 runs off the penultimate over, but was left with too much to do on his own, as his team could only muster 165 for 5.A three-wicket haul from Mohammad Sami, and a rapid half-century from Shahzaib Hasan powered Karachi Dolphins to a six-wicket win against Faisalabad Wolves. Wolves, choosing to bat, lost their openers inside two overs, but Jahandad Khan’s 54, and his two thriving stands with Misbah-ul-Haq and Asif Ali powered the team to a promising 113 for 3 by the 16th over. However, quick dismissals, including two in an over from Sami, pegged the team back. Wolves lost their last six wickets for just 31 runs to finish on 144 for 9.Dolphins had little trouble chasing down that score, and overhauled the target in 17.5 overs. Shazaib’s 34-ball 59 – a knock which featured two fours and five sixes – set the platform, after which handy twenties from Rameez Raja and Mohamamd Waqas (22*) took the team home.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq believes the Pallekele Test is his team’s best chance to beat Sri Lanka in their backyard, since the hosts will be without both Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara

Umar Farooq in Pallekele02-Jul-2015Pakistan might have been a dominant team in Sri Lanka before 2009, but in the last six years, they have enjoyed little success, having last won a series in the island nation in 2006. This is the first time since then that Pakistan have come close to registering a victory, with the series locked 1-1 ahead of the third and final Test. Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, felt his team had a big chance to create history since the hosts will be without both Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara for the final Test.Misbah felt Pakistan had big chance to create history. “We have the best chance against Sri Lanka because they are without their big players like Mahela and Sanga,” Misbah said. “I think we never will get such a chance to beat them here with a series locked at 1-1, as we’ve never come that close. So we are definitely wanting to win this. That is the only sense in the dressing room.”All the three Tests played at the Pallekele International Stadium thus far have been drawn, with rain affecting substantial chunks of play. Misbah, however, hoped to have five full days play so that Pakistan could force a result.”We will definitely try to have a result as the way cricket is being played, it always gets you a result,” he said. “But at the same time it’s important to have play for all five days so that it gives you a full chance and allows you to produce a result. In the last two Test matches, we lost a lot of time in between five days and hopefully here in Pallekele, we will have a full five days play uninterrupted.”Pakistan’s fine performance in the first Test in Galle was followed by a recurrence of their batting problems in the Colombo Test, where they lost 10 wickets in a day for 138.”Everybody knows our batting didn’t do well in the Colombo Test and still I am hoping they will come hard and score some runs. They are all experienced players and have been scoring runs from three to four series recently, so there isn’t really a worry as each one of the batsmen have ample runs under the belt. Now we are just looking forward to improve our performance with the bat.”What happened in Colombo (batting collapse) was a rare setback. In the last four to five series otherwise, if you look back, our batsmen have been scoring big runs against every team, even against the top sides. These kinds of things do happen sometimes, but hopefully the batsmen have realised their mistakes and learnt from them, and wont repeat them. “While Pallekele is likely to affected by the weather over the next five days, the surface is generally seen as seam-friendly. Pakistan have drafted Rahat Ali into the side to replace the injured Wahab Riaz, but there are chances that Imran Khan might also get a game. Mohammad Hafeez, who will face an ICC test in India on July 6, is likely to be replaced by Shan Masood, who had a good outing in Sri Lanka with Pakistan A in May. He scored 182 against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla.”We understand that the first two-three days are very well suited for the seamers but at the same time, we are lucky to have a legspinner (Yasir Shah) who is very effective in any kind of surface. We felt that in Pallekele, finger spinners are not that much effective and the legspinner is always going to have a role to play here, especially when you have a hard and bouncy pitch. So he is quite useful for us.”I think every player here representing Pakistan is good enough to replace anybody. We are confident and have got good resources. But at the same time, Shan is there and he, with the Pakistan A team last month, had scored a big century. He might get a chance as he is good enough replacement, and also a good batsman who has been knocking well in the nets.”

Kedar Jadhav, who made his maiden century in the third ODI, said he was pleased that he batted through to the end of India’s innings and gave them a match-winning total

Liam Brickhill in Harare14-Jul-2015Kedar Jadhav wasn’t one of India’s debutants in this series – he played his first ODI against Sri Lanka in November last year – but further chances weren’t forthcoming, so his call-up for this tour will have been accompanied by added pressure to make use of the opportunity. A return of 21 runs from his first two innings here only increased that, but Jadhav rode his luck in his third innings to reach a maiden century and set up a series whitewash for India.”It was a great opportunity and that’s what I took it as,” he said of his selection. “I knew it would be challenging here, so I was prepared for that and I always knew it wouldn’t be easy to score in every game. I told myself that whenever I get going, I will stay to the last and make sure that my team wins. I’m happy that today I’ve got in, settled and then carried through to the end.”With this tour billed as an audition of sorts for a slot in the full Indian team’s middle order, Jadhav’s century will have strengthened his case – though Manish Pandey’s 71 on debut will have done him no harm. “Whoever is the best, the selectors will pick. As far as this opportunity, Manish, me, Manoj and Robin got a good opportunity here. Luckily I converted into a hundred so I’m happy for myself.”We never felt that it will be a 3-0 scoreline – we always knew that they would be tough to beat on their home soil. It was challenging, especially batting first in all three games, but our batters did an excellent job to put up a 250-plus score in every game. That’s where I feel we won the games. I feel especially the death bowling is where they need to improve.”Zimbabwe believed they had had Jadhav caught behind when he was in single figures, and he was then granted a clear second life on 41, when Elton Chigumbura dropped a simple chance at backward point. He also had to deal with a pitch that offered something to the bowlers throughout the day. “It’s the luck you need, and obviously I feel thankful to God because it’s a lucky chance,” he said. “Even when I was batting the ball was doing a bit so that is why we couldn’t play our shots early in the innings. But it was good that Manish was going nicely so it gave me some time to adjust to the wicket. Later on when I got set I played some shots.”Jadhav accelerated after reaching his fifty, going from 50 off 64 balls to 105 not out from 87. His century, which he brought up with a swatted six, prompted an exhuberant celebration that included a belt-wiggling dance reminiscent of Salman Khan’s moves in the film Dabangg. Clearly, Jadhav is a fan. “Obviously I’m a big Salman Khan fan so I always dreamed of doing such things. This was the best occasion to let him know. It was from Dabangg the movie – the title track.”

Afghanistan’s six-wicket win was powered by Mohammad Nabi and Mohammad Shahzad as they chased down Hong Kong’s 116 for 6 with two overs to spare

The Report by Shashank Kishore10-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Nabi returned career-best 4 for 20 were also the best figures by an Afghanistan bowler in T20Is•Christopher Lee-IDI/IDIHong Kong tied themselves into knots against Mohammad Nabi, and how. Their lack of application on slow turners, typical of the subcontinent, stood exposed as Afghanistan bossed their way to second successive win, this time by six wickets, to set up a knockout against Zimbabwe which will determine the Group B qualifier for the Super 10s.Hong Kong, who opted to bat, raced away to 40 without loss, before the sight of spin induced a sense of panic and desperation in their ranks. Four wickets in four overs, two of those being Babar Hayat and Mark Chapman, the latter to a superb yorker from Gulbadin Naib, had Hong Kong short-changed even before the halfway mark of their innings. They then huffed and puffed to 116 for 6 on the back of Anshuman Rath’s industry, an unbeaten 31-ball 28, a total that was 40 short of what Tanwir Afzal, the captain, hoped to get.Hong Kong’s slim chances from that point were pinned on regular strikes at the top by their new ball bowlers. Once that didn’t come, the game was reduced to being a cakewalk for Afghanistan. They rode piggyback on Mohammad Shahzad’s 41; a typically robust innings that had all his typical elements as Afghanistan won with two overs to spare.Ryan Campbell, who struggled for timing on his Hong Kong debut two nights ago, went out with a ‘high-risk, high returns’ approach, and found his hitting range early on as he muscled five boundaries. But predetermining his shots came back to haunt him as Nabi’s slow turn beat him in an attempted sweep as the ball bounced back onto the stumps. Two balls later, Hayat was deceived in flight as he chipped a simple catch to cover.The purchase on offer for Nabi forced another change as Rashid Khan, the skiddy legspinner, was summoned, and he made an impact immediately courtesy of his mix of googlies and sliders. Hong Kong’s batsmen suddenly started playing for demons that weren’t there on the surface as the slower men scythed through the middle order, with the continuous loss of wickets making run-making difficult.Amidst the carnage, Rath nudged his way by playing with soft hands, and using deft touches to push his team to where they finished with. Nabi, whose 4 for 20 handed him the best figures by an Afghan bowler in T20Is, led them off the field.The momentum they gained after a top class display of death bowling was carried forward with the bat; Noor Ali Zadran’s straight boundary off the first ball he faced revving up Afghanistan. With little swing or nip off the surface, the pacemen resorted to gentle off-cutters. Afzal then turned to spin in the hope of doing to Afghanistan what Nabi and Rashid Khan did to them. But the batsmen’s application thwarted their designs.For a change, it was Noor Ali who did the early running by showing why a simple approach relying on timing, and not just brute force, can be rewarding in a T20 game, especially in a small chase. But to their credit, both openers didn’t miss out on long hops either as Afghanistan wiped out 43 in the first six overs. With the groundwork done, both batsmen began to express themselves freely, until overconfidence got the better of Shahzad, who holed out to long-off for a 40-ball 41 to give Campbell his first T20 wicket.Nabi and Noor Ali then milked the bowling as the spinners went through their motion, hoping for mishits and poor shot selection to help them pick up wickets. They brought the target down to 22 off 34 balls before an ungainly slog ended Nabi’s stay. Two balls later, Noor Ali was run-out courtesy Hayat’s flat throw from the deep. Having done all the hard work, gloss was further taken away from Afghanistan’s chase as Shafiqullah was out bowled to an attempted slog.But three wickets in quick time did very little to lift Hong Kong, whose muted celebration was a giveaway that it wouldn’t have really affected the big picture. Gulbadin Naib then polished it off with two classical drives and a neat tickle down leg side as Afghanistan completed an easy chase with plenty to spare.

Victoria’s coach David Saker has mounted an impassioned defence of the Sheffield Shield final, saying he would be “shattered” if CA excised the pinnacle of a domestic competition

Daniel Brettig24-Mar-2016Victoria’s coach David Saker has mounted an impassioned defence of the Sheffield Shield final, saying he would be “shattered” if Cricket Australia excised the pinnacle of a domestic competition he rates comfortably ahead of the County Championship after his years as an assistant coach with England.The Bushrangers flew into Adelaide on Thursday ahead of a meeting with South Australia that reflects the increasingly marginalised state of the Shield decider – played at Glenelg rather than Adelaide Oval, clashing with the opening round of the AFL season and broadcast only through a streaming service by CA’s website.Saker, however, argued the Shield final should be cherished as an Australian strength relative to the English game, in that a leaner domestic tournament was taken to an even higher pitch of intensity and therefore learning by staging a play-off match.”It is very important to Australian cricket,” Saker told ESPNcricinfo. “If you take away the Sheffield Shield final you’re taking importance away from the game of Sheffield Shield cricket and if you ask any of the players what they think about it and what they strive to do it is to play in a Sheffield Shield final.”It’s as close to a Test match as some of them will ever get, and the day they scrap that would be a poor day for Australian cricket in my opinion. The people making those decisions are more qualified than me, but I’ve been in the first-class system for a long time and I’d be shattered if that was the case, if we lost the Shield final.”There is a sense of ambivalence at CA about the final, summed up by the former chairman Wally Edwards at last year’s AGM: “I don’t think it plays any real part in our season. When I played Shield cricket, we didn’t have a Shield final. The Shield final, over many years, has proved itself to be a bit of a non-event, to be honest.”The chief executive James Sutherland has said the final could make way for an expanded Big Bash League schedule. Neither Sutherland, nor Edwards’ successor David Peever, will be present for this year’s final, as they will be in India for meetings around the World Twenty20 tournament.More broadly, Saker judged the Shield to be the superior competition to the County Championship, pointing to the number of dead fixtures played out over the lengthy English season. The high volume of matches has been a valuable tool for many players learning their craft, but Saker said the greater intensity of Shield contests was his preference.”I still think the Shield system is as good as you get,” he said. “It’s so competitive and that’s been shown again this year in the last three or four weeks of the competition, so tight and so hard to compete. That’s the one thing we’ve got over the English system with so many dead games in the County system. Since it’s become first and second division it has got better, but the Sheffield Shield is still the pinnacle of first-class cricket in the world.”At the end of his first season back in Victoria after a largely successful stint as mentor to England’s pace bowlers, Saker reflected on a role that has occasionally brought him into conflict with CA. Most notably, he was rebuked by the national team coach Darren Lehmann for taking issue with the handling of James Pattinson at the start of the summer, an experience that left Saker somewhat chastened. He counselled the game’s custodians against hubris.”It has had some hiccups because obviously I’ve said some things in the press that maybe I shouldn’t have said,” Saker said. “Most of the time I’m just trying to support the players in my team and what I think is best for the Victorian team. Not at any stage have I said things to downgrade the Australian team or the system. I think it’s a good system, I think they still need to tinker with some things to a degree.”What you have to be aware of no matter what organisation you’re in, you should never think your organisation does it better than someone else. I think you should always be open-minded to how others do things, and that’s not just in cricket, that’s in life and business. You’ve got to be open-minded enough to take some ideas from other teams and countries and use them, and make sure you’re not blinkered.”A source of tension in recent times has been the introduction of a strategy for CA and the states called One Team, which takes the view that all should be moving in the same direction with the same goals. While Saker agreed with the overall concept, he argued that states should still be allowed to develop their own coaching philosophies and approaches in a truly competitive environment, rather than turning the Shield into a mere greenhouse for emerging talent.”I’m all for this One Team idea, but I also think we should be trying to have our own ideas from our states, so if we want to have our own coaching philosophies or ways of going about it that should be encouraged,” Saker said. “If you have six teams coached in the same way and trying to coach the same way, I can’t see that being a good thing.”One of the beauties of the Shield system is it is usually coaches having control of the team and coming up with their own ideas of how to coach and how to train. Sometimes in my brief time so far back in Australia we’re getting taught how to coach, instead of letting the coaches coach. Of course we want to come together and share our ideas, but in the Shield system and the way we’ve produced players across all the states, they should get a free rein on how they run their system.”I’m sure they [CA] understand that, and I think we’ll eventually get to that stage, but it’s just in its infancy at the moment with One Team so I’m sure it’ll get to that.”

Gujarat Lions allrounder Dwayne Bravo admitted that his side’s batsmen failed to adapt to a slow pitch and the Test-match lines bowled by Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers in Hyderabad on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2016Gujarat Lions allrounder Dwayne Bravo admitted that his side’s batsmen failed to adapt to the swing and a two-paced track, and the Test-match lines bowled by Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers in Hyderabad on Friday. Lions suffered their third straight loss after being restricted to 126 for 6 by Sunrisers, who went on to win the match with five wickets to spare.In conditions that favoured swing, the Sunrisers seam attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Mustafizur Rahman stifled Lions. Bhuvneshwar and Mustafizur prised out Lions’ top order, leaving them at 26 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay, and it was only Aaron Finch’s unbeaten 42-ball 51 at No. 5 that lifted the score to 126. Bravo chipped in with 18 off 20 balls and shared a 45-run fifth-wicket partnership with Finch.”I think we didn’t adjust quickly. When you look at their IPL games, few of the games played here in Hyderabad, it’s always a high-scoring game. It’s a high-scoring venue,” Bravo said after the match. “So I think the batsmen maybe took it in mind that ‘okay, it’s another high-scoring game’, but it wasn’t. It was a different surface, the conditions were more challenging for batting and we, as batsmen, as international players, we didn’t adapt quickly enough.”Instead of trying to get 175-180, we could’ve easily tried to get 135-140 and it could’ve been a winning total. It’s a learning process and definitely we have to regroup as a team and adjust to all these situations because you can’t keep playing like every game you try to get 180 and 190, that’s not going to be possible.”The highest score by a team batting first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal in IPL 2016 so far has been 194, scored by Sunrisers against Royal Challengers Bangalore. In three of the six matches at the ground until now, teams batting first have scored 142 twice and 143 once, and Bravo stated that a total close to 146 would have been a match-winning one.”It was very good bowling. You’ve got to give credit where credit is due. I think the way Bhuvi bowled his first over… we all know once the condition is in his favour, it’s very difficult to play him. He’s one of the best swing bowlers in the world,” he said. “You’ve got to give credit. I think Ashish backs it up very well. They bowled well to us, they bowled Test-match areas.”The ball was doing a bit early on, so it was very difficult to score. To contain Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, two of the world’s most dangerous players, definitely you’ve got to be doing something good. I think it was a very challenging wicket, but at the same time, we’re all professional cricketers, so we can’t give no excuses with our batting display. I think we were 20 runs short.”

Ahead of this weekend's Clasico, Goal looks at the greatest XI to ever play for Barcelona. Find out who made the cut…

Getty ImagesVictor Valdes | 2002-2014The most successful goalkeeper in the history of the club. His first few years were rocky, but he evolved into a shot-stopper who had brilliant reflexes and was comfortable with the ball at his feet. He was the foundation for the tiki-taka football Barca have mastered over the past decade.AdvertisementGettyDani Alves | 2008-2016Signed for €30 million from Sevilla, Dani Alves established himself as the best right-back in the world at Camp Nou. He was a key part of Pep Guardiola's team and his superb athleticism made him an unstoppable force attacking down the right flank.Getty ImagesRonald Koeman | 1989-1995The top-scoring defender in the club's history, he hit a remarkable 102 goals during his six years in Catalunya. He was part of Johan Cryuff's 'Dream Team' that won Barca's first European Cup and he scored the match-winning goal in that 1992 final against Sampdoria.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesCarles Puyol | 1999-2014The centre-back retired in the summer after a career of devoted service to the club. His record with Barca is unlikely to be matched and his trophy haul included six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. A rock at the back and a real leader.

The final day of the Premier League season provided the chance for some unsung heroes to step into the spotlight

Getty ImagesJack Butland | Stoke CityJack Butland made nine saves in Stoke's victory over Swansea; only once before has he made more in a single Premier League match (10 against Arsenal in September 2015).AdvertisementGetty ImagesAaron Wan-Bissaka | Crystal PalaceAs well as completing 34 of his 35 passes in the opposition half against West Brom (97.1%), Aaron Wan-Bissaka made a joint-high eight tackles amongst Premier League players on the final day of 2017-18.GettyDejan Lovren | LiverpoolDejan Lovren's goal against Brighton was his first in a home Premier League game – each of his previous five had come in away games, including one at Anfield for Southampton in September 2013.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesFlorian Lejeune | NewcastleNo Newcastle player made more interceptions (4) or blocked more shots (1) against Chelsea than Lejeune.

Four players from Pep Guardiola's side make the list after they comprehensively beat the Hornets at the Etihad on Saturday

gettyimagesRui Patricio | WolvesThe Portuguese goalkeeper made four saves in Wolves' 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.AdvertisementTrent Alexander-Arnold | LiverpoolAlexander-Arnold netted Liverpool's opener, and also created the most chances of any player for the Reds (2) against Chelsea.Getty ImagesJohn Egan | Sheffield UnitedEgan made 11 clearances and three interceptions as the Blades kept a clean sheet at Goodison Park.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Nathan Ake | BournemouthAke had the highest pass completion rate of any Bournemouth player against Southampton (74%).

Les Bleus may have come up agonisingly short in their bid to defend their crown in Qatar, but their window to challenge is far from being shut

And so it wasn't to be for France. Brazil in 1962 remain the last team to successfully win back-to-back World Cups after Didier Deschamps' team lost on penalties to Argentina in the climax of Sunday's dramatic final in Qatar.

Les Bleus' bid to back up their victory in Russia four years ago with another was a valiant one, but given the recent struggles that defending champions have had at the World Cup, that they even made it out of the groups was a decent achievement!

The good news for France fans is that their conveyor belt of talent is showing few signs of slowing down, and whether it is Deschamps or another manager who takes them forward, they will continue to head into major tournaments among the favourites to go all the way.

The next target will be winning a first European Championship since 2000 in Germany in 18 months' time, but soon enough all eyes will be on the next World Cup and doing it all again in 2026.

But which of the current players will still be around when the World Cup circus descends on the United States, Mexico and Canada? GOAL has had a go at predicting France's line-up for the next global competition…

Getty ImagesGK: Mike Maignan

Hugo Lloris will be 38 when the next World Cup kicks-off, and so the goalkeeper with the most appearances in the tournament's history has likely played his final match on the global stage.

If not for injury, Maignan would have been his primary back-up in Qatar, but the Milan shot-stopper should be elevated to become France's No.1 pretty soon, and at 27, it's a job he could hold down for a decent amount of time, too.

If for any reason Maignan doesn't make it to 2026 as the starter, then alternatives could be Nantes' Alban Lafont, who is uncapped but was called-up to the senior squad in September, or Leeds United's Illan Meslier.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Pierre Kalulu

With Benjamin Pavard and Jules Kounde having shared right-back duties in Qatar, France have shown that they are not afraid of playing versatile defenders at full-back, and that trend could yet continue through to 2026.

Pavard will be 30 and Kounde 27 when the next World Cup gets going, but we're betting on the younger man in Kalulu (22), who continues to impress for Milan and is deserving of a look in at international level in the not-too-distant future.

Another who is likely to come into contention is highly-rated Lyon teenager Malo Gusto, while his club-mate Sael Kumbedi scored twice as France Under-17s won the European Championship during the summer and is a name to watch over the next few years.

Getty ImagesCB: William Saliba

Premier League fans were probably surprised to see Saliba play so few minutes in Qatar, but at just 21, the Arsenal man still has plenty of time on his hands to make himself a regular starter for France.

He faces quite the fight, however, with a number of his team-mates from Didier Deschamps' 2022 squad likely to still be in contention in 2026.

Raphael Varane is perhaps an old 29 given the number of games he's played his career, but the likes of Ibrahima Konate (23) and Axel Disasi (24) should still be pushing for international honours.

RB Leipzig's Mohamed Simakan (22) has, meanwhile, been impressing in the Bundesliga, while both Pavard and Kounde are options at centre-back as well as at right-back.

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Getty ImagesCB: Wesley Fofana

The fight to play as the left-sided centre-back is set to be just as intense as it is on the right, but we're backing Fofana to rekindle the partnership he had with Saliba when both were breaking through at Saint-Etienne.

Chelsea star Fofana may well have been in Qatar if not for injury, but he will still only be 24 when the next World Cup kicks-off, so should have plenty of tournament appearances left in him.

Another who missed the tournament through injury was Presnel Kimpembe, who at 27 does not feel done with the international game, while Dayot Upamecano (24) will fancy himself to justify selection for another World Cup too.

Throw in Monaco's Benoit Badiashile (21), as well as impressive Paris Saint-Germain teenager El Chadaille Bitshiabu (17), and whoever is managing Les Bleus in 2026 will not be short of defensive options.