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Pakistan lose 6 for 38 in small chase before No. 11 debutant Fatima hits boundary off the penultimate delivery to seal one-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2018

ScorecardPakistan women maintained their all-win record on tour in Sri Lanka – they swept the ODIs 3-0 – but endured a fair few nerves en route a chase they looked set to kill very easily in Colombo. Cruising at 89 for 3 in 12 overs chasing 130, they lost six for 38 to set up a thrilling finish. In the end, No. 11 Ghulam Fatima, on T20I debut, hit the penultimate ball for a boundary to help Pakistan record their highest chase in the format.Sugandika Kumari, the left-arm spinner, orchestrated the collapse to pick three wickets, including that of Javeria Khan, but not before she smashed the fastest T20I fifty for a Pakistani woman. By then, Pakistan were within touching distance even though they kept losing wickets.Bismah Maroof, the captain and No. 3, helped consolidate early in the innings with a brisk 31-ball 42 that set the tone of the chase. With these two innings knocking off nearly three quarter of the target, the others needed to just chip in, which they barely managed in the end.That Sri Lanka were able to make a match of this was courtesy Anushka Sanjeewani’s maiden T20 half-century. Playing in just her eighth T20I, she struck eight fours in her 58-ball 61 at the top of the order, even as Sri Lanka endured a top-order collapse that reduced them to 38 for 5 in the ninth over. Sana Mir, the offspinner, and Diana Baig, the medium pacer, picked up four of those wickets between them to maintain a stranglehold over proceedings.Sanjeewani found support from Nilakshi de Silva, the No. 7 batsman, whose unbeaten 34-ball 35 during the course of a 84-run stand off just 11.5 overs helped Sri Lanka stage a remarkable recovery. Sanjeewani looked set to carry her bat through, but was run out off the penultimate delivery of the innings.

After both getting off to strong starts in the new Premier League season, Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United will now cross paths with each other at the Amex Stadium.

This was a Championship fixture just six years ago, and now it’s a regular top-flight fixture with both teams set to enjoy European football this season.

We at Football FanCast have taken a deep dive into the history of this matchup and what can be expected when they go head-to-head.

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has the better head-to-head record?

These two clubs have only faced off in 32 competitive matches dating back to the 1929/1930 FA Cup campaign. Newcastle United prevailed then only to be knocked out by Hull City in the next round and is it Brighton and Hove Albion who have a narrow advantage in this fixture overall.

• Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 12
• Draws: 9
• Newcastle United wins: 11

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has more wins at Goldstone Ground/ the Amex?

Brighton have played their home games at a few different stadiums, it all began with the Goldstone Ground and they were there for nearly a century. More recently though, they set up shop at Falmer Stadium which is more commonly known now as the Amex. Once again, the Seagulls have the slight edge over the Magpies.

• Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 6
• Draws: 6
• Newcastle United wins: 4

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has more wins at St. James’ Park?

Newcastle United have been much less nomadic with England’s ninth most-successful club playing their home games at St James’ Park since day one. It has undergone a lot of changes of course, as has the ownership structure at Newcastle, but is still regarded as one of the best atmospheres in the country. With just one game in at, the Geordies boast the bragging rights when on their home patch against Brighton.

• Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 6
• Draws: 3
• Newcastle United wins: 7

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has the better cup record?

As previously mentioned, the first ever meeting between Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United was in the FA Cup nearly 100 years ago. It was the later who came out on top there by a score line of 3-0, but they haven’t won since.

The 1982/83 FA Cup saw the teams draw after 90 minutes and so it was onto a replay, where Brighton got their first cup win in this fixture. Since then, they have won every time with the most recent outing being a third-round victory in 2012/13 thanks to goals from Orlandi and Will Hoskins.

• Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 4
• Draws: 1
• Newcastle United wins: 1

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: How have the last 5 meetings played out?

Both of these clubs are now established in England’s top flight and so it is no surprise to see that their last 5 meetings have come in the promise land of football. The common pattern is that once again, it is very hard to separate these two!

18th May 2023- Newcastle United 4-1 Brighton and Hove Albion:

The most recent competitive meeting between Newcastle and Brighton took place at St James’ Park back in May and the hosts made light work of it.

They were given the lead by a Deniz Undav own goal only for the German to then score at the right end later on in the game. With it finely poised at 2-1 going into the dying stages, Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes put the game to bed.

13th August 2022 – Brighton and Hove Albion 0-0 Newcastle United:

In the second game of last season, these two went head-to-head on the south coast and there was nothing to separate them. Prior to that, Newcastle got off to a good start with a 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest and Brighton secured a famous victory over Manchester United, so this was a sign of things to come from both sides.

5th March 2022 – Newcastle 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion:

Newcastle’s resolute form on their own patch is there for all to see with another home win over the Albion. Early goals from Ryan Fraser and Fabian Schar were enough for Eddie Howe’s side to get the win against Graham Potter’s Brighton.

6th November 2021 – Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Newcastle United:

Robert Sanchez’s 90th-minute red card is the obvious headline in a game that ended honours even. It didn’t end up costing his side with Leandro Trossard giving them the lead from the penalty spot before Isaac Hayden’s strike cancelled that out.

20th March 2021 – Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 Newcastle United:

Lastly now to a score line that is a record for Brighton against Newcastle and one that has only been managed twice. The game in question was also in Potter’s spell and goals from an attacking trio of Trossard, Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay made sure of a huge three points for Brighton.

Who has played for both Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United?

Steve Harper (Newcastle 1993-2013; Brighton 2011)

Steve Harper is a legend in and around Newcastle as one would expect given that he played there for two whole decades. Despite this perceived loyalty he went on loan to a number of different clubs during his time there, one of which was Brighton, and he actually finished his career with Sunderland of all teams, who he grew up supporting.

Leon Best (Newcastle 2010-2012; Brighton 2015)

Leon Best enjoyed a couple of productive seasons with Newcastle in and amongst the rest of his journeyman-like career as a professional footballer. He was part of the team that lifted the Championship trophy in 2010 and then five years later, he also frequented Brighton, where he made 13 appearances whilst on loan.

Dan Burn (Brighton 2018-2022; Newcastle 2022-current)

Now to the only of these three players who is still active and of course Dan Burn is still a Newcastle player too. He rose to prominence as a Brighton man and his exploits at the Amex earned him an eight-figure move to St James’ Park.

Burn has played as a centre-back and as a left-back under Eddie Howe and he has played all 180 minutes of their season so far.

What is Brighton and Hove Albion’s biggest victory over Newcastle United?

20th September 2020: Newcastle United 0-3 Brighton and Hove Albion

As previously mentioned, 3-0 is the biggest win for Brighton and Hove Albion in this fixture and it has happened twice. What makes it all the more interesting is that both of these convincing victories actually took place back-to-back.

In the 2020/21 season, Graham Potter certainly had the number of Steve Bruce and his side, winning on aggregate, six goals to nil. Maupay had the Seagulls 2-0 up with less than eight minutes on the clock, and then it was a late strike from Irishman Aaron Connolly that struck the dagger blow. In spite of all of this, Newcastle actually finished 4 points ahead of Brighton come the end of the season.

What is Newcastle United’s biggest victory over Brighton and Hove Albion?

21st October 1961: Newcastle United 5-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Newcastle’s biggest victory in this meeting is even more one-sided, and it certainly isn’t as recent. In the first-ever league meeting between the pair, in late October of 1961, the Magpies put their opponents to the sword and came out 5-0 victors.

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Key stats

• This will be the 13th league meeting between the two clubs in the Premier League era
• Newcastle United haven’t lost to Brighton and Hove Albion in their last four competitive meetings
• These two teams were the highest scoring on the opening day of this season, Brighton scored 4 and Newcastle scored 5

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Famous fixture

28th February 2017- Brighton and Hove Albion 1-2 Newcastle United:

Given that they haven’t actually faced each other that many times, there weren’t a plethora of choices for famous fixtures. As a result, there is just one, but it really is quite famous in the grand scheme of things.

In the latter stages of the 2016/17 Championship season, with both teams in the hunt for the title, they met at the Amex on a Tuesday night under the lights. Glenn Murray gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot, a lead they held onto for large parts of the game, but it didn’t last. First Mohamed Diame popped up and then in the 89th minute, Spaniard Ayoze Perez turned the match on its head.

Newcastle went on to lift the title that year with Brighton securing automatic promotion as a close second. When all was said and done, with 46 games played each, only one point separated the pair and so that midweek clash really did have meteoric ramifications.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has been dealt a significant setback to the depth of his squad ahead of the visit to Burnley.

What's the Aston Villa team news?

Villa could be without number one goalkeeper Emi Martinez on Sunday against the Clarets, as per an update from Emery's press conference

"Today (Friday) he didn’t train, and we’re going to wait for tomorrow. He has a small pain in his calf, it’s not big, but we have to take our time. Tomorrow is our last training for Sunday’s match, and it is the day to take a decision if he is going to be ready or not."

The manager will also be without Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings, who are long-term absentees, while Jacob Ramsey is thought to be a few weeks away from full fitness.

According to Football Insider, Philippe Coutinho is also now expected to out of action for a number of weeks, having picked up a hamstring injury in the 4-0 win at home to Everton last weekend, but it may not affect a potential move away this summer:

"Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho is facing three to four weeks out with the hamstring injury he sustained in Sunday’s win over Everton, sources have told Football Insider. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old could complete a move away from Villa Park before the window shuts – with the Midlands giants giving him the green light to do so.

"It is believed a Qatari club is currently leading the race to seal his signature – ahead of competition from sides in the Saudi Pro League. The injury should not prevent Coutinho from completing a medical at a potential new club – and the transfer windows in the Middle East are open for longer than in England."

This is another setback for Coutinho is a career that has nosedived so much since he departed Liverpool for Barcelona in a big-money move in 2018, at which point he was arguably one of the most sought-after players in world football. He flopped badly at the Camp Nou, subsequently being sent out on loan to Bayern Munich, and he has simply been a shadow of his former self for years now, including at Villa.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

That being said, this injury blow still has to be considered a negative for Emery, considering he is match-winner on his day who has been hailed as "world-class" by Steven Gerrard during his time as manager. Having him as an option off the substitutes' bench can always be a handy weapon, so not having him at Turf Moor and beyond is a shame.

How much does Philippe Coutinho earn?

The 31-year-old, who earns £125,000 a week at Villa Park, arrived from Barcelona in January 2022, being seen as an exciting signing who once excelled in the Premier League for Liverpool.

In truth, Coutinho has underwhelmed hugely in a Villa shirt overall, despite a promising start in which he scored against Manchester United on his debut, netting only six times and registering three assists in 43 appearances. More has been required from such a talented player, and his future at the club is up in the air ahead of next week's transfer cutoff.

A move to Saudi Arabia in the summer transfer has been mooted for the 68-time capped Brazil international, but it remains to be seen where he will be plying his trade for the rest of the 2023/24 campaign.

Whether a move away from Villa comes to fruition in the next week or so remains to be seen, but if he does stay put, much more will be required from him upon his return from injury.

Manchester United are in the market to sign a new defender after news that Luke Shaw could miss months of action, rather than weeks.

The muscle injury has left Erik ten Hag without a senior left-back with Tyrell Malacia also out with his own injury problem.

Who could replace Luke Shaw at Man United?

The Red Devils are thought to be considering three options, as per Fabrizio Romano.

The Italian journalist claims that Marc Cucurella at Chelsea is one possibility on a potential loan deal.

However, Sky Sports suggests it is a different Premier League left-back who is the subject of United's focus before the window closes on Friday evening.

They claimed on Saturday evening that Tottenham's Sergio Reguilon is now an option.

The £13m-rated full-back can leave Spurs before the market shuts, but they face competition from Fulham, who would no doubt be able to offer the player more game time in the long term.

How good is Sergio Reguilon?

Now 26, the Spaniard has endured a rough few years after trading Spanish football for the Premier League.

In the 2019/20 season, he played a pivotal role in Sevilla's Europe League triumph but has found consistency rather hard to come by since.

He hasn't played 30 league games once after moving to Spurs and was forced to move to Atletico Madrid last term on a loan deal in order to play more regularly. That said, he could only manage 11 La Liga outings in another difficult term.

That said, if any coach can extract the best from Reguilon, they would be unearthing a fine flying wing-back.

You only need to head back to that Europe League winning season to understand that.

Indeed, during that campaign he was compared, as per FBref, to former Real Madrid superstar Marcelo, and one of the best left-backs in the Premier League now, Pervis Estupinan.

At the time, Estupinan was playing at Osasuna before bursting onto the scene with Brighton a few years later.

That term, Reguilon ranked inside the best 3% of full-backs in La Liga for progressive carries and touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the best 8% for shot-creating actions.

Those metrics paint the picture that the now Spurs man is an incredibly offensive asset on his day, one that would certainly help to fill the void that Shaw will leave behind while on the treatment table.

Estupinan, for comparison, sat inside the best 15% for shot-creating actions that same season, the top 6% for successful take-ons and the best 7% for progressive carries to illustrate their impressive range of similarities.

Of course, the Ecuadorian has been a great deal more impressive in the Premier League after he made his own move to English football, notably registering ten assists in 44 games to Reguilon's nine in 67 outings but the evidence is there that the Spaniard could make his mark in equal manner.

He has never really had the manager to extract the best from him at Tottenham. Antonio Conte's style of play, for instance, was too defensive even if he does prefer wing-backs in his system.

Ten Hag, however, could be a game-changer as far as Reguilon is concerned. It's just whether he sees himself achieving regular minutes once Shaw returns.

نجح فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي في تسجيل الهدف الأول بشباك نظيره الاتحاد السكندري في المباراة الجارية بينهما حاليًا في الدوري المصري الممتاز.

المباراة يستضيفها ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً ضمن مؤجلات الجولة التاسعة من عمر الدوري المصري “النيل”.

تشكيل الأهلي لمباراة الاتحاد السكندري في الدوري.. رضا سليم أساسيًا

وأحرز الأهلي هدفه الأول عن طريق وسام أبو علي في الدقيقة 27 من عمر اللقاء عن طريق ركلة جزاء نجح في تنفيذها ببراعة.

ويسعى الأهلي لاستكمال مشوار انتصاراته بالدوري بعد تحقيق فوزين متتاليين أمام الإسماعيلي والجونة.

أما الاتحاد فقد حقق فوزًا أخيرًا على حساب بلدية المحلة بهدفين مقابل هدف في الجولة 21.

ويحتل الأهلي المركز العاشر حتى الآن وفي جعبته 21 نقطة حصدهم من 11 مباراة، ويحتاج لتحقيق 13 نقطة من الست مباريات المؤجلة بداية من لقاء الاتحاد غدًا.

أما الاتحاد السكندري الذي لا يزال ينافس بقوة على حصد بطاقة الصعود لبطولة الكونفدرالية يملك 28 نقطة، محتلًا المركز الخامس في سلم ترتيب بطولة الدوري المصري. هدف الأهلي الأول أمام الاتحاد السكندري

Arsenal target David Raya 'wants' to move to the Emirates Stadium this summer as his future at Brentford becomes increasingly unclear, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Will Arsenal be signing David Raya this window?

According to The Daily Mail, Arsenal have offered £20 million plus an extra £3 million in add-ons to try and sign Raya this window; however, this bid is expected to be rebuffed by Brentford.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been vocal about his desire to receive a fee of £40 million for Raya, though Arsenal are believed to only want to bid around £30 million at a maximum for the Spain international.

Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano issued an update on the state of play with regard to Raya's potential move to the Gunners on Twitter X, stating: "Understand David Raya has reached an agreement in principle with Arsenal on personal terms. Brentford have been informed by player side that he wants to join Arsenal — and talks between clubs over formula/price are now expected to accelerate.

Last campaign, Raya made 39 appearances in all competitions for Brentford and managed to keep 12 clean sheets in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur have also shown interest in Raya over the course of the window; nevertheless, they were put off by Brentford's asking price, as per The Evening Standard.

Raya won't sign a new contract at Brentford and is said to be on positive terms with Arsenal goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana, who he has previously worked alongside at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that if Raya was to join Arsenal, it would be 'unclear' who Mikel Arteta would fancy as his number one goalkeeper between the 27-year-old and Aaron Ramsdale.

Jacobs stated: "Well, they know that Raya wants the move. Bayern Munich, we're looking more at a loan for Raya and Brentford were not prepared to entertain that unless David Raya first signed a new deal because then his value would have been protected and obviously, had he not done so, then it wouldn't have been a preferable deal from Brentford's perspective. The Bayern talks collapsed and now Arsenal have come, in a bit of a surprise, perhaps because Ramsdale signed a new deal and was thought to be the number one and if Raya comes in, it becomes unclear really."

Who else could Arsenal look to sign this window?

Arsenal are keen on Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia this summer; however, the Belgium international has also attracted attention from the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United this window, as per The Independent.

FootballTransfers report that both Arsenal and Chelsea are in combat to try and secure the signature of Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus and could utilise money gained from player sales to initiate a swoop for the Ghana international.

Kudus is believed to value the opportunity of being able to participate in Champions League competition this term and would favour joining Arsenal as opposed to Chelsea.

Tuttomercatoweb via Sport Witness claim that Arsenal have submitted an offer for Dinamo Zagreb defender Josip Sutalo that exceeds the €20 million mark.

Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo has an "offer from Tottenham" on the table but it is believed he prefers a move to Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco.

Who will Spurs sign?

New manager Ange Postecoglou has already seen a trio of new signings come through the door since the beginning of his tenure, namely goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon.

The three stars join Pedro Porro, who signed permanently from Sporting Lisbon, and winger Dejan Kulusevski who was confirmed as a permanent Tottenham player after 18 months on loan from Juventus.

Spurs are widely believed to be targeting a new central defender next for Postecoglou, with reliable media sources claiming they want two senior stars to bolster that area of the squad.

Postecoglou, speaking to the media recently, even admitted that is something chairman Daniel Levy and co are currently attempting behind-the-scenes.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said the Spurs head coach when asked about new defenders.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

There have been a wide array of centre-backs linked with a move to north London, a long list which includes

Everton may miss out on striker target El Bilal Toure due to tight finances according to Paul Brown.

The club had an offer rejected by Almeria, with the Spanish side wanting the player's release clause met.

Will Everton sign El Bilal Toure?

The Toffees are very interested in signing the Mali international, but face competition from top European sides.

According to reports from Spain, Everton's opening bid was rejected by the Andalusian club, with the side holding out for the players €40m (£34.3m) release clause. The Merseyside clubs opening bid was in the region of €30m to €35m (£25.7m to £30m), however, according to The Daily Mail, that deal was structured as a loan with an obligation to buy rather than an outright sale.

It remains to be seen whether the club will push forward with another bid, with reports recently surfacing that the club are interested in Leeds United forward Wilfred Gnonto, and had seen a £15m bid rejected for the young Italian, with Leeds not wanting to sell the forward whose contract doesn't contain a relegation release clause. However, should the Toffees manage to secure a deal for the youngster who was a bright spark in a disappointing Leeds team, any potential move for Toure could be impossible due to budget restrictions.

Everton also face competition from Italian side Atalanta for the Mali international, with a report stating that the club had already submitted a €25m (£21.5m) offer for the 21-year-old who has only spent one season with Almeria. A factor that could swing the direction of this deal is the ongoing talks between the Bergamo side and Manchester United for current striker Rasmus Hojlund. Should the Danish forward join the Red Devils this summer, that could provide the funds Atlanta need to activate Toure's release clause, which Everton may not be able to match.

Speaking to FootballFanCast, journalist Brown suggested that there may not be much "wiggle room" for Everton in terms of submitting an improved offer due to financial constraints, and that should a deal be completed, it would have to be done for below the players release fee.

What did Paul Brown say about El Bilal Toure to Everton?

When asked about the current situation between all parties, Paul Brown stated: "Yeah, I think Toure's club know what Everton are willing to pay for him and how they're willing to pay for it. I'm not sure if there's much wiggle room really because of Everton's finances to go back in with a much better offer, so I don't think it's one that's going to get done anytime soon because I don't think his club are entirely happy with the bid that Everton made. Also, he's he's got a release clause that Everton don't intend to trigger. So it would have to be a deal that's done below that price."

Would El Bilal Toure be a good signing for Everton?

Toure could be the solution to a real problem that is surfacing at Everton.

The club are currently in the midst of a striker crisis. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has spent the last two campaigns hampered by injuries, with the forward missing 30 games due to three separate injuries across the last two seasons. When he has played, he has struggled to reach the heights he managed under the management of Carlo Ancelotti, scoring only seven goals across 36 games in all competitions since the beginning of the 2021/22 season.

Neal Maupay's move from Brighton has been a disappointing one, with £15m striker managing just one league goal last season. The forward could reportedly depart Goodison Park after one campaign, with Italian side Salernitana hoping to reignite their interest in the 26-year-old. Young Ellis Simms, who scored a memorable last-minute equaliser for the Blues last season at Stamford Bridge has already departed, joining Championship side Coventry City in a deal worth potentially £8m.

Toure meanwhile enjoyed a breakout campaign in La Liga last season, managing seven goals and two assists in just 21 matches. He is also proven on the international level despite his young age, managing five goals in 15 games for Mali. Last summer, Everton were interested in the forward when he was still at Reims, with him being labeled as a "major talent" a year ago, and a strong opening campaign in Spain has only strengthened that belief.

On a pitch that posed very little challenges, both teams were content to play cricket of a rather cautious brand

The Report by Danyal Rasool11-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:29

Reverse swing will come into play on flat pitch – Azhar Ali

West Indies safely negotiated an awkward last half hour to head to stumps without having lost a wicket in response to Pakistan’s first innings total of 376. Kraigg Brathwaite and Keiron Powell were circumspect, eager to bat again tomorrow and technically adept enough to deserve it. That only 14 runs came off the 11 overs they faced will bother no one, considering Pakistan had trudged along in much the same way for almost two sessions.On a day likely to be remembered for the pace, or the lack of it, Azhar Ali got his 14th Test hundred, and was supported by Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfraz Ahmed as Pakistan looked set to bat through the day. However, West Indies bowlers came back into it in the final session as the last five Pakistan wickets fell for only 65 runs.It was hard to clear the infield – Azhar

A slow outfield and a ball that got softer as the day progressed hampered Pakistan’s run-making, according to Azhar Ali. The Pakistan batsman, who scored 127 in his side’s first-innings score of 376, said that run-scoring wasn’t quite as easy on a flat track but was pleased the side had managed to come close to its target score of 400.
“As a batsman you would like to score as fluently as you can but, as you can see, the outfield is really slow and the ball doesn’t really travel and it gets soft,” he said. “It’s hard to clear the infield first and if you do then it doesn’t go far. It’s really hard and sometimes you had to hit a six to get going again. It was tough but we wanted to score 400 runs in the first innings and we got close to that. From now on, we have to dominate the game and try and put pressure on West Indies.”
Azhar was hopeful Pakistan’s three seamers could capitalize on reverse swing on the third day. He singled out debutant Hasan Ali as an exciting prospect to watch.
“I think at some stage the reverse-swing should be coming in to play. They are all good fast bowlers, specially Hasan, who is making his debut. He’s a very exciting bowler to look at and he’s quite skiddy, so hopefully he can get some reverse swing going. They are very capable of picking up 20 wickets on it and it is really important for us to finish off the series.”

All eyes were on Sarfraz after tea, with Pakistan looking to inject some sorely lacking momentum into their innings. However, they were dealt a major setback early on in the session when Jason Holder took two wickets off two balls to send back Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah.With the score on 322 for 8, West Indies would have hoped to run through the last two batsmen and make Pakistan pay for their lack of intent earlier on. But Sarfraz maddened them by bringing his street-cricket skills to the fore. The wicketkeeper batsman basically took guard outside leg stump, forcing the bowlers off their lines, and collected 39 of the 45-run partnership between himself and Mohammad Abbas.Just as Pakistan began to close in on 400, Sarfraz edged one from Devendra Bishoo into first slip’s hands. Hasan Ali came in and was good for a pair of lusty boundaries before Bishoo cleaned him up. Pakistan’s bowlers may still be favourites with a cushion of 376 runs behind them, but a top team should really aspire for more after batting nearly 150 overs.In the morning, taking aim at all those criticising them for batting too slowly on the opening day, Pakistan had a simple response. You ain’t seen nothing yet.There were only nine runs in the first 10 overs – and among them were five successive maidens. The run – if you can call not scoring a run – made an early start by half an hour almost needless. Why bother when the game just struggled to move on?West Indies formed their second guard of honour of the Test as they welcomed Misbah after dismissing Younis Khan lbw for 18 off 75 balls. Then they outdid their generosity by dropping the Pakistan captain, playing his last Test, on 0. Squared up by a ball that shaped away, Misbah looked back to see his outside edge being dropped by Shane Dowrich. It was the wicketkeeper’s second drop of the Test, and it left Holder, the bowler, buckling at the knees.West Indies, for all their struggle to pick up wickets, did keep things quiet with the old ball. Eventually, Shannon Gabriel took the new one in the 89th over, which only provided a fresh signal for Pakistan to retreat further into their shell. Misbah had, at that point, uncoupled batting with scoring runs completely, at one stage having one run off 52 balls. Azhar at the other end finished the morning with 37 runs off 92 balls as Pakistan achieved their objective of not losing too many wickets.After lunch, however, Azhar was undone attempting a rare attacking stroke, a slog sweep over midwicket. He missed the ball by some distance it spun back into his stumps, bringing to an end a grinding hundred that had looked like hard work. Flickering signs of aggression emerged from Asad Shafiq, as he looked to go over the top in a bid to improve his side’s desperately poor run rate. However, he picked out long-on to give offspinner Roston Chase the third of his four wickets.A better side than West Indies would probably have punished Pakistan for their approach on Thursday, and West Indies themselves may yet do so. But, Misbah has made an art of being a contrarian, and as he leaves the Test arena, don’t bet against him proving everyone wrong one final time.

تواصلت الضربات بالنسبة لنادي ليفربول، بعدما تقرر استبعاد أحد لاعبيه من معسكر منتخب بلاده في فترة التوقف الدولي، بسبب مشاكل بدنية.

وتبدأ المنتخبات في خوض المباريات الودية على الصعيد الدولي، خلال فترة التوقف الحالية في شهر مارس.

وقرر منتخب أوروجواي استبعاد لاعب ليفربول، داروين نونيز، من القائمة المستدعاه لهذا الشهر بسبب مشاكل بدنية.

وخاض نونيز 120 دقيقة كاملة في مباراة الأمس أمام مانشستر يونايتد في كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي، حيث صنع هدفين، قبل خروج فريقه في الوقت القاتل من دور ربع الهائي.

وصرّح يورجن كلوب، مدرب ليفربول، أن نونيز يعاني من مشكلة في أوتار الركبة (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وكان من المقرر انضمام نونيز للمشاركة في مباراتين وديتين أمام إقليم الباسك وكوت ديفوار، يومي 23 و26 مارس الحالي.

ولكن المشاكل البدنية، حسب الوصف، أجبرته على الانسحاب حيث سيظل الآن في ليفربول للتركيز على تعافيه.

ولا يُعتقد أن إصابة نونيز خطيرة لكن اللاعب عانى من “مشاكل” في الأسبوع الماضي، حسبما ذكرت صحيفة “مترو” الإنجليزية.