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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that it will oppose the ICC’s proposal to allow teams to appeal against decisions made by the on-field umpires during the annual ICC meeting in London on July 2.The ICC’s cricket committee made a recommendation last month that both teams be allowed three appeals to the third umpire if they feel there is doubt about a decision of the on-field umpires. If approved, it would be tried out on an experimental basis in the Champions Trophy in India in October.But the PCB, after conducting their own survey, fear that such an innovation could have a negative impact on the Spirit of Cricket.”We are opposed to this proposal and we will put across our point of view strongly to the ICC,” Shaharyar Khan, PCB chairman, told Reuters. “We conducted a survey of 35 of our players and umpires and 33 of them are opposed to this law. They feel it will undermine the spirit of the game and the umpire’s authority even if it is experimented with in the Champions Trophy.”Incidentally, Javed Miandad has also voiced a similar opinion on the issue, saying that it would make a mockery of the game.Meanwhile, Shaharyar also told Reuters that they intend to push for six-day Tests during the winter season for matches held in Punjab. The proposal is meant to compensate for time lost due to bad light mostly to fog during the season in that region. Play was lost on a daily basis in Faisalabad and Lahore when Pakistan hosted England and India last winter and the PCB made a request to extend play by a day, which was initially rejected.”The ICC rejected our earlier request but we have not given up and we think we might get a chance to go for bilateral arrangements,” he said. “If the ICC does not allow six-day tests nor floodlights then they must come up with a viable solution because this is a real problem for us in winter.”

Group II

Multan‘s lower-order collapse on the final day, triggered by pacer Mohammad Saeed’s four-wicket haul, resulted in an eight-wicket rout at the hands of Lahore Shalimar, who brushed aside a 76-run target and moved to second place in Group II.Lahore Shalimar won the toss and chose to bowl, and were handed an immediate advantage when Mohammad Bilawal took seven wickets to dismiss Multan for 69.In spite of a shaky start, Lahore Shalimar grabbed a substantial first-innings lead, posting 282, built around Mohammad Saeed’s maiden first-class hundred. The No. 9 batsman scored 113 off 114 balls with 16 fours and four sixes. Offspinner Haziq Habibullah was the pick of the Multan bowlers, returning first-innings figures of 4 for 81.Faced with a 213-run deficit, and with a risk of an innings defeat at 117 for 4, Multan staged a recovery led by Ahmed Rasheed. Rasheed’s 170-ball 89 had 11 fours and contributions from Abdul Rehman Muzammil (47) and openers Usman Liaqat and Ahad Raza helped Multan clear the deficit. However, Mohammad Saeed struck with a four-wicket haul to skittle Multan out for 288 as the batting side lost its last six wickets for 38.The Lahore openers put on a 55-run stand in pursuit of the 76-run target and the side needed just 18 overs to complete an eight-wicket win. Mohammad Bilawal finished with match figures of 10 for 111, his maiden first-class ten-wicket haul, while Saeed added to his first-innings tally to finish with a seven-wicket match haul.A high-scoring match between Islamabad and Hyderabad petered out in a draw in Islamabad.Put in to bat first, Islamabad scored 303, helped by contributions from all batsmen, including a fifty from Moed Ahmed. Fast bowler Farhan Ayub picked up six wickets for 106, but regular partnerships between the Islamabad batsmen ensured they reached a solid score.In reply, Hyderabad, powered by fifties from openers Zeeshan Gul and Darya Khan eked out a slender 17-run lead. The openers added 113 for the opening stand to notch up important innings where other Hyderabad batsmen failed to convert their starts. Gul fell for 50, while Darya Khan missed his maiden first-class hundred by five runs. Hyderabad’s bowlers then gave their side a solid shot at victory, reducing Islamabad to 56 for 5 in the second innings, before a lower-order rally saw Islamabad climb to 200.Set a target of 184 runs, and running out of time, Hyderabad stuttered to 41 for 5 in 21 overs by close of play. Shehzad Azam, the Islamabad fast bowler, picked up 4 for 29 in 11 overs.

Group I

Abbottabad and Sialkot held each other to a high-scoring draw, which featured three centuries at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.Mohammad Ali (133) enjoyed a memorable debut as he rescued the home side from 38 for 2. Ali, whose innings included 19 fours and lasted just a shade under six hours, and 18-year-old Kamran Ghulam (157) carried Abbottabad to a daunting 513 for 7, before the declaration . Ghulam, though was the more aggressive of the two centurions, as his 23 fours helped him maintain a strike rate over 80. Another debutant, Baber Khan, came in at No. 9 and struck 54 off 55 balls. Hasan Ali, 19, was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 133.In reply, opener Majid Jahangir (107) and Naved Sarwar (80) stabilised Sialkot after quick wickets. A brief collapse in the middle order hurt Sialkot’s momentum but No. 8 Nabeel Malik arrested the slide – three wickets for 36 runs – with his second first-class fifty. The rest of the tail, however, could not muster similar resolve and Sialkot lost their last four wickets for 13 runs to finish at 360.Abbottabad’s second innings lasted for nine overs in which the openers hit 64 runs before the match was drawn.It was a case of first-innings blues as Rawalpindi met Peshawar in the Quaid-e-Azam tournament at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both teams put in strong performances in their second innings, with Isarullah scoring the only century of the match, as it ended in a draw.Seamer Azam Khan snared four of the top-five Rawalpindi batsmen, including opener Shoaib Nasir, whose 38 remained the highest score of the innings. Azam’s new-ball partner Afaq Ahmed chipped in with three wickets as Rawalpindi benefited from lower-order contributions – the last four wickets added 117 runs – to reach 180.Peshawar’s steady start was interrupted when Ashfaq Ahmed was forced to retire with the score on 42. Iftikhar Ahmed’s 92 was the saving grace after the top-order could not consolidate on their starts. Striking 15 fours in his 107-ball innings, his counterattack helped Peshawar claim a 63-run lead, which proved vital in their claiming three points off this match.Rawalpindi’s solid start was dented when their first two wickets fell within four runs. The score was 99 for 2 and by the time they had added five more runs, another wicket had fallen. Regular wickets became the order of the day until Zahid Mansoor (91) and wicketkeeper Talha Qureshi (45*) steadied the innings, taking Rawalpindi from 186 for 6 to 278 before the partnership was broken. Qureshi remained unbeaten until the end of the innings, taking his side to 384.Azizullah, the 21-year-old fast bowler, toiled away for 42.4 overs and reaped good rewards as he claimed his maiden five-for in first-class cricket.Chasing a target of 322 runs, Isarullah’s ton helped Peshawar set a good pace as they made 181 for 2 in 51 overs, but in the end the honours were shared.

The tickets for the World Twenty20 are likely to go up for sale by the end of this week, with the BCCI saying it doesn’t think it is too late for the tickets to be made available.The first qualifier starts on March 8, but the Indian board is happy to have the tickets up for grabs a little under two months from the first match of the “main” tournament on March 15. However, when the schedule of the World Twenty20 was announced, the ICC insisted that the qualifying part of the tournament be called the first round of the tournament.At any rate, India have set the record for putting the tickets up for sale with least amount of planning time available for the fans when it comes to world events.For the World Cup co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in February-March 2011, tickets went up for sale on June 1, 2010. In 2012, Sri Lanka offered World T0 tickets six months before the event. The West Indies provided a five-and-a-month notice for the World T20 in 2010. Bangladesh, who hosted the World T20 in March 2014, started the sale of tickets on November 7, 2013. Even South Africa, who hosted the first World T20, put up tickets for sale three months in advance.The ticketing process is always the host board’s responsibility. In an emailed response, the ICC has refused to be drawn into any criticism of the ticketing process. “It will be inappropriate to compare the ICC WT20 India 2016 with any previous event as the preparation for every event is different,” the ICC said.However, a source in the ICC, closely involved with the organising part of the event, told ESPNcricinfo that everything from announcing venues to making tickets available has been handled in the usual ad-hoc manner. “The BCCI pays no heed or provides reasons for delays,” the source said.That the venues were announced only three months before the event were already a source of frustration for the travelling fan who usually looks for bargains by booking air tickets and accommodation well in advance. The fans looking to travel to India will be left even more frustrated because the tickets are not readily available, especially for an event in India, and you ideally don’t want to make travel plans before securing tickets for the matches you wish to attend.The BCCI, though, doesn’t feel it is late. A BCCI official said the dynamics of hosting an event in India were different, and it shouldn’t even be compared with the 2011 World Cup, which was co-hosted by three nations. “There is still two months to go,” he said, “The first match of the main tournament is on March 15. And it works differently in India anyway. The anticipation in the public only builds up closer to the event, but if the tickets are made available well in advance, those asking for complimentary passes make your life difficult.”Tickets in India generally go up for sale less than a week before international bilaterals or smaller tournaments. A huge chunk of the tickets is anyway not put up for sale with local associations handing them out for free to their members and influential people in their constituencies.

Rafiqul Alam, the former Bangladesh batsman, has replaced Faruque Ahmed as Bangladesh’s new chairman of selectors, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced today. Naimur Rahman, Bangladesh’s first Test captain, is the other change in the selection panel and he replaces Athar Ali Khan.The new selectors were appointed by a panel appointed by the ad-hoc executive committee of the board and will begin their duties from September 1. Akram Khan continues as selector. The changes were necessitated as the contracts of Athar Ali Khan and Ahmed expire at the end of the month.”We commended the previous selectors’ work over the past four years but we thought that there was a need for change,” Shafiqur Rahman Munna, the head of the sub-committee that appointed the selectors, told . “I think we have selected two competent individuals for the demanding job because they not only played for the national side but have adequate knowledge of the domestic and international cricket.”We will maintain the same salary structure for the selectors, something that was made by our previous committee, but there will be some changes in the terms and conditions. We met with both the new selectors before finalising their names. We want hundred per cent commitment in the job because now it is no more an amateur duty.”Alam said the focus will be on improving Bangladesh’s Test record. “I would not like to comment on the previous committee. What I must say is that we are quite a handful side in one-dayers now but are far, far behind in Tests and our focus should be on the longer-version.”Alam played two one-dayers during the tour of Sri Lanka in 1986. He is also a match-referee with the board and has been involved in coaching as well.Offspinner Rahman led Bangladesh in its first ever Test, against India in Dhaka in 2000. He played eight Tests and 29 ODIs and was the first Bangladesh bowler to take a five-wicket haul in Tests, incidentally in their maiden Test.

Division One

Lancashire put the seal on a one-sided win against Surrey at Old Trafford, wrapping up proceedings in the afternoon session. Glen Chapple prised out two wickets; Tom Smith removed James Benning who had resisted to make a top-score of 36, and then Oliver Newby bowled Jimmy Ormond for 20 as Surrey subsided for 120. Lancashire were in a brief flicker of trouble at 8 for 3, but they powered to their target of 90 without further alarm.Younis Khan struck a magnificent unbeaten 202 as Yorkshire piled on the runs on the third day against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl. Younis and Matthew Hoggard, who made an obdurate 61, put on 152 for the third wicket before Gerard Brophy hammered a brisk hundred from just 113 balls, with Yorkshire declaring on 439 for 4. Chasing 443 Hampshire lost Michael Brown just before the close and trail by 427 going into the final day.Graeme Hick and Ben Smith both struck two fifties each, on the third day against Warwickshire at New Road, but Worcestershire still trail by 171 with seven second-innings wickets left in hand. In their first innings Hick struck a forceful 91, receiving good support from Smith (50), but there was little resistance from the middle and lower order who collapsed to 288 all out. Capitulation was in store second time round, too, with Dale Steyn rocking their top-order with two quick wickets. But Hick and Smith again combined to stave off a collapse and remained unbeaten going into the final day.

Division Two

Charlie Shreck’s six wickets for Nottinghamshire rocked Glamorgan at Trent Bridge, dismissing them for 205 to win by an innings and 8 runs. Resuming on 14 for 2 they were reduced to a perilous 57 for 5, with Shreck removing all five. Ben Wright (66*) and David Hemp briefly delayed the inevitable but Shreck returned to pick up his sixth, before Paul Franks and Graeme Swann chipped in to sink Glamorgan midway into the afternoon session.A disciplined display from Northamptonshire’s bowlers left Essex limping on 180 for 8 on the third day at Northampton. Johan van der Wath (94) and David Wigley (53) took their stand to 110 but, shortly after lunch, Steven Crook removed Alastair Cook for 37 to start Essex’s slide, but it was Jason Brown who did the damage with four late wickets, causing a slump in which Essex lost 6 for 56 before bad light stopped play. Essex lead by just 98 going into the final day.Cameron White’s 138 and good support from Somerset’s lower middle-order staved off a slide on the third day against Derbyshire at Taunton, though they went to stumps on 497 for 9, still trailing by a mammoth 304. White’s hundred came off 158 balls with 13 fours and a six, and there were fifties for Craig Kieswetter, Wes Durston and Peter Trego. Unless the pitch begins to break up tomorrow, this match is heading towards a draw.Tom New fell two short of a fine maiden hundred as Leicestershire conceded a first-innings deficit of 131 on the third day against Gloucestershire at Bristol. Marcus North took 3 for 53, and Steve Kirby 3 for 75, to dismiss Leicestershire for 376. Though the visitors hit back with two quick wickets, Gloucestershire extended their lead to 277 going into the final day.

Sharad Pawar, the Indian board (BCCI) president, insisted that the BCCI is against “money-making” ventures and will only support series that promote Test cricket. Refusing to back down from his stance against the Indian Cricket League (ICL), Pawar again scoffed at the recently floated Twenty20 series proposed for October.”Test cricket is the real thing. It is the top level of the game and brings out the best in the players. We would be only happy if anyone does something for the sake of Test cricket. We will encourage it,” Pawar told PTI. “But Twenty-20 is for glamour. It can only bring in money.”On August 6, Digvijay Singh, general secretary of the Congress, the biggest party in the ruling federal coalition in which Pawar is a cabinet minister, wrote a letter to the latter requesting the BCCI to give up its “confrontationist” attitude against the ICL. “Instead of taking a confrontationist stand, you should act as a facilitator for the ICL to succeed,” Singh wrote. “I am sure the objective of the BCCI is not to make the millions but to popularise the game of cricket. I am sure you will prevail upon the hardliners in the Board and make them understand the sentiments of millions of cricket lovers in India.” Pawar chose not to comment on this.The BCCI secretary, Niranjan Shah, recenty said that players who take part in the ICL will never be eligible to play for India and would also be banned from domestic cricket in the country. Pawar maintained, however, that the BCCI would not interfere if retired players chose to associate themselves with the game: “I had said in Bangalore a few days ago that those who have retired from the cricket and pursue the game in whichever form and we won’t come in the way.”

In the men’s game, Sachin blinks and it’s front-page news. For the women, seismic shifts are underway, but they barely register on the Richter scale of media – and world – attention. Keen eyes, though, would have been scanning the developments following last year’s merger of the ICC with the IWCC. And those followers won’t have been disappointed.While some countries whose boards merged years ago will see only marginal benefits – Australia and England, for example – for the rest it’s like all their Christmases, Diwalis, Eids, and birthdays arrived at once, in a big bundle labelled “Cash”.India are already benefiting from huge improvements – getting to play in better stadiums, with better facilities and vastly increased match fees. As if to celebrate, they lifted the Asia Cup again, and even won a Test against England for the first time, just their third ever victory – and it was achieved on English soil, too, as they won the two-Test series 1-0. They did, however, fall to the Australians in the one-off Test earlier in the year.Women’s cricket in Africa is taking shape, too. For the first time there was a set of Africa pre-qualifiers for the qualifying tournament in Pakistan in 2007. Zimbabwe, in their first ever one-dayers, swept aside all opposition to storm into the next round, winning 3-0.Something for Zimbabwean cricket as a whole to cheer about, as their male counterparts (and in some cases brothers – Julia and Chamu Chibhabha, Ed and Yvonne Rainsford all play at the highest level) slid into further misery on the international stage. Zimbabwe women will now join South Africa, who are still kicking themselves after narrowly missing out on automatic qualification in the last tournament, which they hosted, in 2005.And it’s not just cash: the ICC put their mouth where their money is. There was a big stride forward on the awards stage when Karen Rolton became the first ICC Female Player of the Year after three years of ICC Awards. It was fitting that Australia’s captain should lift the award, after Anjum Chopra and Katherine Brunt were the others on the shortlist.So the women are finally mixing it with the big boys like fellow Aussie captain Ricky Ponting and on the pitch there will be more mixing – with the announcement of a women’s Twenty20 preceding a men’s for the first time, when South Australia and Queensland head to the Adelaide Oval on January 10 in Australia. The idea is to showcase the women’s matches, at no extra cost, to a ready-made audience. If it is deemed successful, the format could extend to international matches, an idea which has already been mooted informally in England.

Recognition came for one woman at Lord’s. England returned to the home of cricket for the first time in five years and Claire Taylor graced the occasion with a flowing 156 from 151 balls against India, the fastest one-dayer at Lord’s in history, eclipsing Viv Richards’s effort in the World Cup final in 1983. She was rewarded with an honours board at the ground and that achievement, along with the admirable conduct of both sides in front of a crowd of 6000, will have done wonders in helping to convince the decision makers to stage another women’s match at headquarters soon.Another psychological boost came when Somerset offered Taunton as the home of women’s cricket in England. For the first time the women will be considered alongside the men when it comes to having the pick of the fixtures. The more cynical may say this hints at Somerset bidding for Test status – if they can prove they can stage internationals and are seen to be promoting all forms of cricket, but they’re showing their commitment in other ways, with an enviable women’s set-up. They’re even funding a girl, Anya Shrubsole, on the Academy at a cost of around £15k per annum and other counties, such as Lancashire, are following suit.Attention, then, is being paid to the women’s game. Sky covered some more one-dayers once again, if only to cover their contractual obligations. And unfortunately, despite some compelling cricket, the cameras also captured great swathes of empty seats, as matches still failed to large crowds.India’s captain Mithali Raj, though, is confident that with the new cashflood, the women can up their game to play more exciting, attacking cricket. Tests in particular need an injection of excitement. Scrapping them altogether may be more feasible. Tests are thin on the ground as it is – there were only three Tests played all year – and the players don’t even practise playing this form of cricket leaving England, for example, to rely on their coach, the former first-class player Richard Bates, to talk them through session by session, as the games unfolded.New Zealand refuse to play this form of cricket – and, with low attendances and little incentive to play, perhaps other countries should follow suit. Although two-day cricket is being introduced to India that makes them the only country to play anything above one-day cricket at domestic level. And of course two-day cricket is still vastly different from four days, as played in Tests.Women’s cricket, then is heading in the right direction. But while there’s light, it’s still a very long tunnel.

Haroon Lorgat, the South Africa selection convenor, plans to “look beyond colour” when picking the team for the crucial second Test against Australia at Melbourne on Monday. South Africa chose four black or coloured players for the opening match at Perth, but the places of Ashwell Prince and Charl Langeveldt appear in doubt with the expected returns of Jaques Kallis and Nicky Boje.The United Cricket Board’s constitution says South Africa must be a “team of colour”, with an unofficial component of at least two non-white representatives in each side. However, Lorgat said in Sydney’s the second Test squad would be “a pure cricket selection”.”We have to look beyond colour with this,” Lorgat said. “That won’t be an issue in our deliberations. Of course one of our duties and responsibilities is to provide opportunities for black players but cricket is doing enough at all levels.”Makhaya Ntini and Herschelle Gibbs would cover the “target” system’s requirements, but halving the team’s non-white representation could attract large amounts of political criticism from South Africa. Boje, the left-arm spinner, appears to be a certain selection while a top-order batsman will make way for Kallis if he recovers from an elbow injury. Prince has said the quota or target systems are wrong because they “mess with the minds of both white and black players”.

Doug Bollinger has been included in Australia’s Test squad to tour the West Indies as a replacement for Ben Hilfenhaus, who is suffering from a recurrence of a stress fracture in his lower back. Bollinger will make the trip as part of the 15-man squad as long as he can prove he has recovered from a broken foot he sustained in February.The news came while Bollinger was on his honeymoon, and barely a week after he was offered his first Cricket Australia contract. “I’m just wondering if they might bump me up to first class,” Bollinger told AAP before leaving Sydney for Honolulu. “It’s probably been the best week of my life. I’m so happy that it’s happened and I’m just so excited at the moment.”Bollinger, who was married to Tegan Sutherland on Friday, was unlucky not to be chosen in the original group for the Caribbean campaign following a breakthrough Pura Cup season. He topped the wicket tally with 45 at 15.44 despite missing the last three games with the injury.”I’ve had a bit of a bowl,” Bollinger said. “I’ve been running and I’ve been in the gym, so I feel really well at the moment.”Alex Kountouris, the Australia team’s physio, said Bollinger should be fine to make the trip. “Doug has recovered well from his fractured foot,” Kountouris said. “He has been bowling for the last couple of weeks with no complaints and, as long as he completes the final fitness test, we believe he will be fully fit to take part in the Test tour of the West Indies.”Hilfenhaus’ injury means he cannot bowl for several months, which rounds off a disappointing year after he collected 28 Pura Cup wickets at 43.82 and struggled to have the same impact as in his outstanding 2006-07. However, he did retain his Cricket Australia contract and the selectors said he would remain in the frame for future series.”Obviously this is very disappointing for Ben,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “However, given the amount of cricket facing the Australian side in all forms of the game over the next 18 months, a conservative approach to the management of his back injury is best to ensure he makes a full recovery.”Kountouris said the aim was to have Hilfenhaus fit and fresh for the start of 2008-09. “Ben had some lingering back pain towards the end of the Pura Cup season and recent scans have revealed a possible recurrence of an old stress fracture to the vertebrae,” he said.”His recovery will involve not bowling for the next few months but continuing on with a rehabilitation and strength program. We believe this will be his best preparation for the beginning of the 2008-09 season.”The squad gathers in Brisbane for a training camp in early May ahead of the three-Test series against West Indies. Five ODIs and a Twenty20 international follow before the players return to Australia in July.

Post-match press conferences, at the best times, are a good study in contrast, the winners on the day beaming away, chattering excitedly, and the vanquished, heads down, answering in as few words as possible. But the second game of the Champions Trophy saw a particularly bad mismatch, on and off the field. Handed a sound thrashing, the Zimbabwe captain, Prosper Utseya, who might well consider a name change if he stays in his current profession, could only say, “We didn’t apply ourselves when we were batting. We tried to play too many shots early on. And at the same time there was some poor shot selection.”Brian Lara, of course, was meeting questions with a booming bat. “We came here to win this game emphatically, and we did that,” he said. “The bowlers had to get a run and they got five-six overs under the belt and performed well. We did well in the field too. It doesn’t matter what the opposition got – we went out and batted with purpose, which was important.”Lara didn’t have much work to do, only 16 minutes at the crease, but even in that he managed one classy square-drive, and put the last nails in the coffin with two big sixes. “I asked [Ramnaresh] Sarwan if I could have a knock, because I didn’t play in the practice game. I just wanted to hit a few balls with the middle of the bat, and I was happy to do that,” insisting that he didn’t come out to bat planning to finish the game off in style. “It just happened. I just thought I should play each ball on its merit. I took the field into consideration as well. Yes I could have gone out there and blocked a few. But I get more confidence from my innings if I approach it the way I did.”At the same time, Lara was not ungracious in defeat. He did concede that “something like 200-plus was definitely on the cards for a team like Zimbabwe,” on this pitch, but would not be drawn into suggesting that one-sided matches like this took the sheen off this tournament. “I think it’s very important to encourage the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and other lower-ranked teams. They want to get out there and play against the best teams in the world and it’s an opportunity for them to spring a surprise on anybody,” he said. “If Zimbabwe was not here for this tournament you might say Bangladesh shouldn’t be here as well, but they’ve beaten Pakistan and Australia and you have to give them the opportunity. It’s good for cricket on the whole and we just have to accept that.”Sandwiched between the strident Lara and the crestfallen Utseya was a jocular Chris Gayle, the Man-of-the-Match for his breezy 41. “I was feeling a bit weak so I started slowly, and later I tried to be a bit more positive and get it over as quickly as possible,” he said, not trying to be politically correct. When asked why he went for the third big hit, and was caught, despite being dropped twice, he choked down a chuckle and said, “It was a bit entertaining as well. You know Chris Gayle already. I like to entertain and be positive and play a few shots. I wasn’t taking anything for granted, though, just playing each ball on its merits.”But there was little merit in Zimbabwe’s cricket on the day, and Utseya was resigned to this. “It is quite difficult because the morale and the confidence of guys goes down,” he said. “To be honest we didn’t play to the best of our ability today. I’m sure we can do better in the matches to come.”