خاص.. الأهلي يتوجه بطلب إلى رابطة الأندية حال إلغاء الهبوط

يجتمع حاليًا مجلس إدارة رابطة الأندية المحترفة المصرية، برئاسة أحمد دياب، مع ممثلي أندية الدوري المصري الممتاز، في لقاء مهم يُعقد لمناقشة مستقبل البطولة وتقييم الأوضاع الراهنة للموسم الكروي الجاري، الذي يشهد تحديات وظروفًا غير معتادة.

وجاء الاجتماع بعد دعوة رسمية وجهتها الرابطة إلى كافة أندية الدوري، وقد شارك في اللقاء وفد من النادي الأهلي ضم المدير الرياضي محمد يوسف، وعضو مجلس الإدارة محمد شوقي.

وبحسب مراسل بطولات، فإن الأهلي طلب من مسؤولي الرابطة أنه في حالة صدور قرار بإلغاء الهبوط، يصاحب هذا القرار وضع خطة واضحة عن كيفية العودة للنظام الطبيعي للدوري.

ويتصدر الأهلي جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري برصيد 55 نقطة، بفارق نقطتين عن بيراميدز صاحب المركز الثاني.

وتشير التقديرات إلى أن الموسم الحالي سيُختتم بنهاية شهر مايو، حسب الجدول المعلن من قبل الرابطة.

ويحتل الإسماعيلي ذيل الترتيب برصيد 19 نقطة يليه مودرن سبورت في المركز السادس عشر بـ22 نقطة، مع تبقي جولتين فقط على نهاية المنافسات، ما يزيد من سخونة ملف الهبوط الذي يتصدر أجندة النقاشات.

يُذكر أن الدوري الممتاز هذا الموسم يُقام وفق نظام استثنائي؛ حيث خاضت الفرق مرحلة أولى بنظام الدور الواحد، قبل تقسيمها إلى مجموعتين: الأولى للمنافسة على اللقب من المركز الأول حتى التاسع، والثانية للصراع من أجل البقاء من المركز العاشر حتى الثامن عشر. كما تم تقليص عدد الفرق الهابطة إلى الدرجة الثانية من ثلاثة فرق إلى فريقين فقط.

Joe Leach makes the early inroads as Worcestershire dominate Sussex

Promotion prospects still alive after openers back up strong bowling display

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2022

Joe Leach claimed three early wickets as Sussex slumped at Hove•Getty Images

Worcestershire 87 for 0 (Libby 42*, Pollock 36*) trail Sussex 220 (Carson 58, Coles 54, Hudson-Prentice 51, Leach 4-37) by 133 runsJoe Leach took his 400th first-class wicket as Worcestershire dominated Sussex on day one at Hove to keep their slim promotion hopes alive in the LV= Insurance County Championship.The Pears realistically need to win all three remaining Division Two games and put themselves in a strong position after dismissing Sussex for 220, with Leach claiming four for 37.That modest total represented a recovery by Sussex who had been 23 for five before half-centuries by Fynn Hudson-Prentice, James Coles and Jack Carson revived them.But the pitch held few terrors for Worcestershire’s openers Ed Pollock and Jake Libby who posted 87 without loss before bad light ended play six overs early.After the teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, Leach settled into a probing line to the four left-handers at the top of the Sussex innings, taking three for 16 in his seven-over new-ball spell to leave Sussex in tatters after they had won the toss.Ali Orr played on to his Leach’s fifth ball and he pinned Tom Alsop lbw with the second delivery of his second over, a fullish delivery that swung back just enough. A similar length accounted for Tom Clark in Leach’s fourth over as the batsman played across the line.Dillon Pennington struck with his first ball when he extracted some extra bounce and Oli Carter touched it tamely to the wicketkeeper. Tom Haines, returning from a broken hand, faced 36 balls and batted for 63 minutes for his two runs but the Sussex captain played on to Ben Gibbon’s second ball.But as is so often the case at Hove, batting gets easier once the new ball loses its hardness and Hudson-Prentice, Coles and Carson led the recovery.Hudson-Prentice was dropped at second slip by Jack Haynes on 36 but added 76 with Coles, counterattacking effectively until Pennington found just enough seam movement to have him caught behind for 51 (64 balls, 7 fours) just after lunch.Leach returned and reached his milestone courtesy of a smart low catch by Hayes off Pakistan all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who has joined Sussex for their last three Championship matches of the season. His side were back in trouble at 106 for seven.But Sussex’s last three wickets more than doubled the score, the fightback led by Coles and Carson, who was playing his first match of the season after recovering from knee surgery.Coles progressed to his second half-century of the season, made in a shade under three hours. At the other end Carson was more aggressive as they added 87 in 18 overs. Coles had just reached his second half-century of the season when Pennington dropped short, and he picked out Azhar Ali on the deep backward square boundary for 54 (132 balls, 9 fours).After Henry Crocombe holed out to mid-off, Carson was last out for 58 (74 balls, 9 fours) when he was run out by Libby’s direct hit coming back for a second run.Ashraf has been brought in to bolster a seam attack without Ari Karvelas and Steve Finn, who are out for the rest of the season but both he and the rest of the Sussex seamers struggled to break through.Pollock gave one chance on 34 but was dropped at slip by Tom Alsop off Haines to confirm it was Worcestershire’s day.

Better than Mykolenko: Everton in talks to sign "exceptional" PL star

Everton made the decision to part ways with Sean Dyche earlier this month and that left them in the market to bring in a manager who would be capable of helping them to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Toffees made the relatively swift decision to bring David Moyes back to Goodison Park for a second spell at the club, coming in for their next league clash with Aston Villa, which ended in a 1-0 defeat.

They have, however, won their last two matches in the Premier League and are now seven points clear of the relegation zone, whilst also having the Merseyside derby as their game in hand.

The highlight of Moyes’ return so far has been the 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park, which was his first win back at the club.

Whilst it has been a terrific start for the Scottish head coach, who moved on from West Ham United at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, he could still want to add more quality to his squad in the coming days.

The January transfer window is set to officially slam shut at the start of next week and the Toffees are reportedly looking at possible additions to the group.

Everton considering new Chelsea loan

According to Football Insider, Everton are looking at what they can do with Armando Broja before the end of the window as they consider sending him back to his parent club Chelsea, due to his ongoing injury issues.

The report claims that the two clubs are in talks over the possibility of the Albania international returning to Stamford Bridge, to be replaced by another loanee from the Blues.

It states that left-back Ben Chilwell, and midfielders Carney Chukwuemeka and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are potential options to join the Toffees on loan for the second half of the season.

The outlet reveals that talks are ongoing between the two Premier League clubs to agree a separate loan deal for one of those three players, although it does not reveal whether or not there is a frontrunner at this moment in time.

Football Insider adds that Moyes has targeted several positions that he would like to strengthen before next week’s deadline; central midfielder, centre-forward, and left-back.

Transfer Focus

Chilwell is one of the three players they are in talks with Chelsea over a potential loan deal for, which means that they could fill the left-back position by bringing the former England international to Goodison Park before the end of the January transfer window.

Everton do, of course, already have a first-choice left-back who has been a regular in the team in recent seasons – Ukraine international Vitaliy Mykolenko.

Vitaliy Mykolenko's form for Everton

The 25-year-old defender, who joined from Dynamo Kyiv in January 2022, has had mixed success throughout his three years at Goodison Park so far.

Mykolenko has looked like a competent defender who can provide a solid option down the left flank at times, with 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League this season, but he is also susceptible to poor moments.

The Ukraine international has been dribbled past 0.9 times per match on average this season and has made one error that directly led to a shot for the opposition and given away a penalty, which shows that he has made mistakes and that opposition players have found it too easy to dribble past him.

Along with his defensive liabilities, Mykolenko has let himself down with his lack of quality at the top end of the pitch from a left-back position.

Mykolenko’s creative struggles

Premier League

Big chances created

Assists

24/25

0

0

23/24

2

0

22/23

1

0

21/22

0

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Everton left-back has offered very little in the final third from a creative perspective, with zero assists in his Premier League career, spanning three years to date.

This suggests that the Toffees could improve their team by bringing in a left-back who is less likely to make defensive mistakes, whilst also providing a threat when pushing on into the opposition half.

Why Everton should sign Ben Chilwell

Firstly, it has to be acknowledged that signing Chilwell on loan from Chelsea would be a short-term risk because he missed 33 games through injury last season and has been out-of-favour under Enzo Maresca this term.

This means that Everton would be bringing in a player who has not played much football over the past 18 months. However, that could also be seen as an opportunity for both parties, as the defender would get an opportunity to finally play regular football, and Moyes could look to get him back to his best.

Barrow's Dean Campbell in action with Chelsea's BenChilwell

Chilwell, who was dubbed “exceptional” by Brendan Rodgers, has played 169 Premier League matches in his career for Leicester and Chelsea combined and has been capped 21 times by England, which suggests that the experience is there for him to be able to hit the ground running at Goodison Park.

In his two seasons with at least 20 appearances in the Premier League for the Blues, the 27-year-old ace caught the eye with his play at both ends of the pitch.

Ben Chilwell (Premier League)

20/21

22/23

Appearances

27

23

Goals

3

2

Assists

5

2

Error led to shot/goal

0

0

Penalties committed

0

0

Duel success rate

57%

51%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Chilwell has the potential to offer a threat at the top end of the pitch, having produced five goals and seven assists in those two seasons combined, without making any major errors defensively.

These statistics suggest that he could come in as a big upgrade on Mykolenko, particularly in possession, as the current Toffees defender has offered close to nothing in that regard.

Of course, Chilwell’s lack of game time over the past 18 months, with just 13 Premier League appearances since the start of last term, is a concern and that is why he may be available on loan in the first place.

Romelu Lukaku 2.0: Everton lining up late swoop for "phenomenal" PL star

Everton are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Premier League striker.

ByDan Emery Jan 28, 2025

It is a gamble that could be worth it for the Toffees, though, as he has the quality to come in as a big upgrade on Mykolenko if he can stay fit and hit his stride.

Endrick se destaca, e Palmeiras avança à semifinal da Copa do Brasil Sub-17

MatériaMais Notícias

Na noite desta terça-feira (24), o Palmeiras venceu o Atlético-MG por 3 a 1 e avançou à semifinal da Copa do Brasil Sub-17. Após golear o adversário mineiro por 5 a 0 no jogo de ida, Endrick, Thalys e Estevão deram a classificação ao Verdão, em novo duelo na Arena Barueri.

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As Crias da Academia dominaram a partida do início ao fim e carimbaram o passaporte alviverde para a próxima fase do torneio, onde irão enfrentar o Sport.

Endrick, mais uma vez, foi um dos nomes da equipe palmeirense. Vale lembrar que a joia fechou o seu primeiro acordo com o time profissional do Verdão, o qual só poderá ser assinado de fato em junho, quando o atleta completa 16 anos.

Todos os duelos da Copa do Brasil Sub-17 são mata-mata com partidas de ida e volta, exceto na primeira fase, quando o Alviverde goleou o Sant German, de Rondônia, por 10 a 1.

Nas oitavas de final, diante do Remo, o time comandado por Rafael Paiva derrotou o clube de Belém por 7 a 0 e 4 a 1, respectivamente, para avançar até as quartas.

O Palmeiras volta a campo pelo Paulistão da categoria de base já no próximo sábado (28), na Academia de Futebol 2, em Guarulhos-SP, contra o União Mogi. O duelo acontece às 11h, pela oitava rodada da primeira fase.

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الزمالك يهزم الترجي ويضرب موعدًا مع الأهلي في نهائي كأس الكؤوس الإفريقية لليد

حقق الفريق الأول لكرة اليد بنادي الزمالك، الفوز على نظيره الترجي في المباراة التي جمعتهما اليوم الخميس، ضمن منافسات بطولة إفريقيا لأبطال الكؤوس.

والتقى الزمالك، مع الترجي ضمن منافسات نصف نهائي بطولة إفريقيا لأبطال الكؤوس، ليتأهل إلى المباراة النهائية.

وانتصر الأبيض، على الفريق التونسي بنتيجة 30 – 22 ليتأهل إلى المباراة النهائية، حيث سيواجه الأهلي بعد فوزه على منتدى درب سلطان المغربي.

وكان الزمالك قد تمكن من التأهل إلى نصف النهائي بعد الفوز على رد ستار الإيفواري بنتيجة 40 – 21، في المواجهة التي أقيمت الثلاثاء الماضي ضمن منافسات الدور ربع النهائي.

وفي الجهة المقبلة، وصل الترجي الرياضي التونسي إلى نصف النهائي بعد الفوز على نظيره وداد سمارة المغربي.

طالع.. رسميًا.. الاتحاد الدولي لكرة اليد يُعلن موقفه من مشاركة الزمالك في كأس العالم

في سياق مختلف، تأكدت مشاركة الزمالك، في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية لكرة اليد، ممثلًا عن مصر بعد مشاركة الأهلي ممثلًا عن إفريقيا بعد الفوز ببطولة كأس السوبر الإفريقي.

ويترأس جهاز كرة اليد بنادي الزمالك، حسن يسري، والإسباني فرناندو باربيتو، المدير الفني ويعاونه محمد عبدالسلام ريشة في منصب المدرب العام وماركو ماركيس، مدرب حراس المرمى وأشرف عز، رئيس الجهاز الطبي وأشرف محمد، إخصائي العلاج الطبيعي، وأحمد خشبة المدير الإداري.  

Better than Sesko: Arsenal want to seal late move for "world-class" star

Arsenal have been frustrated once again in their pursuit of a new striker this month, with the club unable to land any of their targets with just a couple of hours left in the window.

Mikel Arteta has constantly been on the hunt for a new talisman to try and aid the Gunners’ chances of catching Liverpool before the end of the season, ending their two-decade wait for a Premier League title.

However, the Spaniard has been unable to identify a player to lead the line, offering that focal point that Kai Havertz has often been unable to do in recent months – as seen with his glaring miss against Manchester City.

Deadline Day

Undoubtedly, the supporters would be delighted if they could land a new forward before tonight’s deadline, but it makes sense not to force anything and just land a player for the sake of it.

However, they haven’t given up hope in landing one player after previously making their interest clear in landing the talent over the last couple of weeks.

Arsenal still interested in a late move for attacking star

According to The Independent, Arsenal are still considering another approach for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins on Monday evening after their first offer was rejected.

It was reported that the Gunners were interested in completing a deal at around the £40m mark, but Unai Emery’s men stood firm on their £60m valuation of the England international.

However, the report claims that the aforementioned fee could be enough to secure a late deal for the 29-year-old, with Villa close to PSR limits, which could aid Arsenal’s pursuit of Watkins.

Villa have lost Jhon Duran to Saudi in recent days, but deals for Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio have boosted their ranks – potentially opening the door for Arteta to make another bid for the lifelong Gunners supporter.

It could allow them to forget about another player who’s appeared on their shortlist in recent weeks, with the Englishman offering the club a better option than the youngster.

Why Watkins would be better than Sesko for Arsenal

Benjamin Sesko is a player who’s constantly been monitored by Arsenal over the last couple of years, but as of now, he remains an RB Leipzig player.

This month has been no different, with the Slovenian international once again appearing on the club’s shortlist as they searched for a new number nine.

However, the Bundesliga outfit were demanding a huge £67m for the 21-year-old, which would undoubtedly be a massive risk given his tender age and lack of Premier League experience.

It would be an addition which could set the club up for the long-term, but ultimately, given the time without a league title at the Emirates, immediate success is needed, with Watkins able to produce just that.

When comparing the Villa ace to Sesko for the 2024/25 campaign, he’s massively outperformed the RB Leipzig man in numerous key areas, showcasing why he’d be a better fit for the Gunners before tonight’s deadline.

How Watkins compares to Sesko in 2024/25 so far

Statistics (per 90)

Watkins

Sesko

Games played

24

19

Goals & assists

15

10

Shots on target

1.4

1.2

Pass accuracy

76%

70%

Shot-creating actions

2.1

1.7

Fouls won

1.4

0.5

Key passes completed

1.1

0.5

Stats via FBref

Watkins, who’s previously been dubbed “world-class” by broadcaster Jack Grimse, has registered more combined goals and assists than Sesko, whilst also registering more shots on target per 90 – highlighting his added clinical edge.

He’s also completed more of his attempted passes, registering more key passes per 90 – subsequently aiding other attackers in the final third and helping them improve their own goalscoring tallies.

The Englishman would be a better fit for the current possession-based philosophy in place at the Emirates, offering Arteta that immediate option to chase down Arne Slot’s side.

With time running out in the window, the Gunners will have to act quickly to make a move for the talisman, with his potential addition arguably the difference between a title fight or not come the end of the season.

Their answer to Tel: Arsenal preparing bid for Arteta's "superstar" target

Arsenal could make a move to land their own version of wanted man Mathys Tel.

1 ByEthan Lamb Feb 3, 2025

Liam Livingstone signals World Cup readiness in thumping England warm-up win

Stokes, Brook and Curran in the runs as Pakistan are beaten by six wickets at Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2022

Liam Livingstone returned to action after ankle injury•ICC via Getty Images

England 163 for 4 (Brook 45*, Stokes 36) beat Pakistan 160 for 8 (Masood 39) by six wicketsLiam Livingstone signalled his World Cup readiness with a comeback cameo of 28 from 16 balls – including one massive six that sailed clean out of the stadium – as England capped their tournament build-up by thrashing Pakistan by six wickets at the Gabba.Livingstone sat out each of England’s preceding 10 T20Is against Pakistan and Australia as he nursed an ankle injury sustained during the Hundred. But in a contest that was reduced to 19 overs a side by rain, he slotted into a middle-order that blazed 12 sixes to Pakistan’s one, to romp to victory with 26 balls to spare.Despite the inconvenience of the fixture – described by David Willey as one they “could have done without”, given they now face a five-and-a-half hour flight to Perth ahead of their tournament opener against Afghanistan on Saturday – England made optimal use of the game-time, not least Ben Stokes, who struggled with the bat against Australia but found his range on this occasion with 36 from 18.Chasing 161 for victory, the contest was sealed in comprehensive fashion by Harry Brook (45 not out from 24 balls) and Sam Curran (33 not out from 14). With Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali both opting not to bat after featuring in the field, the only first-choice batter to miss out was Alex Hales, who made 9 from 13 balls, but Phil Salt, the alternative opening partner to Buttler, managed only 1 from 3 alongside him.For Pakistan, only Shan Masood could match England’s explosive approach with the bat, as he opened the innings in the absence of both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and responded with a hard-hitting knock of 39 from 22 balls.However, from a comfortable 67 for 1 after 6.2 overs, Pakistan lost their next five wickets for 57 to slump to 124 for 6 after 14.4, whereupon only Mohammad Wasim’s 26 from 16 could revive their hopes of a competitive total. England rang the changes in the field with as many as eight bowling options, including a three-over burst from Mark Wood, and two wickets for Willey.Pakistan’s fielding endured an off day, with several dropped chances undermining their prospects, as England completed (albeit in an unofficial capacity) their fifth win in as many completed T20Is, following back-to-back wins to defeat Pakistan 4-3 on their recent tour of the country, and last week’s consecutive eight-run wins over Australia.”I think everything we wanted to get out of today, we did,” Buttler told Sky Sports after the match. “It’s great to see Liam Livingstone back on the field as well after a significant injury, and getting some overs into Chris Jordan as well. He’s coming back from broken finger. Brook and Curran getting some time in the middle as well … we tried a few different things that guys were wanting to experiment with. And this is the perfect time to try to do that.”

Joia do Palmeiras, Giovani passou por cirurgia, mas já está em recuperação avançada

MatériaMais Notícias

Embora o Palmeiras não tenha divulgado à época, o jovem Giovani foi submetido a uma cirurgia, ainda em maio, por conta de um problema no tornozelo. Ele já está em processo de recuperação e respondendo bem ao tratamento no Núcleo de Saúde e Performance do clube. A informação foi divulgada pelo Uol e confirmada pelo LANCE!.

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O procedimento pelo qual a joia de 18 anos passou foi uma artroscopia no tornozelo direito, que havia sofrido uma lesão ligamentar sem muita gravidade. A operação aconteceu no dia 12 de maio, mas não foi informada pelo clube em seus canais oficiais.

Como foi considerada uma intervenção simples, Giovani já está em estágio avançado de recuperação e vem seguindo um cronograma individualizado no Núcleo de Saúde e Performance do clube.

A última vez que Giovani foi relacionado pelo Palmeiras foi no empate em 1 a 1 com o Fluminense, no Allianz Parque, no dia 8 de maio. De lá para cá, ele acabou ficando fora a partir do jogo de volta da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil, contra a Juazeirense-BA, em 11 de maio.

Como de praxe, o Palmeiras não trabalha com prazos de recuperação de seus atletas. A evolução do caso, porém, leva a crer que a recuperação está dentro do previsto pelos profissionais do clube.

تريزيجيه يوجه رسالة لـ الريان القطري بعد رحيله إلى الأهلي

وجه محمود حسن تريزيجيه المنضم حديثًا إلى صفوف الأهلي، رسالة إلى نادي الريان القطري، بعد انتهاء رحلة تواجده في الفريق بنهاية الموسم.

وكان الأهلي قد أعلن عن التعاقد مع تريزيجيه في شهر يناير الماضي، لمدة 5 سنوات تبدأ من يونيو المقبل.

وخسر تريزيجيه لقب كأس أمير قطر مع الريان بعد الهزيمة أمام الغرافة بنتيجة 2-1، في ختام مشواره مع الفريق.

حقيقة مفاوضات الأهلي مع رونالدو.. وخلافات حسام غالي داخل مجلس الإدارة

ونشر تريزيجيه عبر حسابه الرسمي على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “إنستجرام”: “أتوجه بخالص الشكر والتقدير إلى نادي الريان القطري، على كل الدعم والمحبة التي غمرتموني بها خلال الفترة الماضية”.

واختتم: “كان لي الشرف الكبير أن أكون جزءًا من هذا الفريق العريق شكرًا أهل قطر الكرام على حسن الضيافة”.

ومن المقرر أن يتواجد تريزيجيه مع الأهلي في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية والتي تقام بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، بمشاركة 32 فريقًا من حول العالم، خلال الفترة من 14 يونيو 2025 إلى 13 يوليو 2025.

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Near-perfect Pakistan make light work of New Zealand to storm into final

The old firm of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam did the job on the night, after Shaheen Afridi and Co had applied the squeeze on New Zealand

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Nov-20223:19

Mumtaz: Mohammad Haris a free spirit who has been backed by the team

Pakistan, who lost to Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament, who limped into the semis thanks only to Netherland’s unlikely win over South Africa, have stormed into the final of the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup, having executed a near-perfect game.So much that is great about this Pakistan team fell into place in this game. Shaheen Afridi got his first-over wicket, trapping Finn Allen in front with a vicious inswinger third ball. Their seamers locked down the back end of the innings, conceding just 53 runs off the last six overs (this is something they’ve done well right through the tournament).Then, having restricted New Zealand – who struggled to find boundaries – to 152 for 4, their openers returned to dazzling form. Having been dropped in the first over, Babar Azam struck 53 off 42 balls, whipping quicks through square leg, thumping spinners down the ground. Mohammad Rizwan was even more impressive, hitting 57 off 43 as the pair put on 105 for the first wicket.There was a slight stutter towards the end, as Pakistan lost their openers, and slowed down a touch. But Babar and Rizwan had foolproofed the chase. They got there with five balls to spare.Mohammad Rizwan gave New Zealand the charge•Getty Images

Pakistan dominate the death
At 99 for 3 at the end of the 14th over, New Zealand’ weren’t exactly flying, but given the firepower in their middle order, they could have had a score in excess of 160 in their sights. Pakistan’s quicks mixed up their pace, bowled expertly to their fields, and were backed up beautifully in the field, where Pakistan excelled this evening. New Zealand could muster only three fours in the last six overs, relying instead on hard-run twos, Daryl Mitchell taking the lead on those.Rizwan and Babar take New Zealand’s quicks downTrent Boult could have had Babar in the first over, when the batter nicked his first ball. But a diving Devon Conway could only get the webbing of his gloves to the chance, and couldn’t make it stick.In Boult’s next over, Pakistan’s openers kicked the innings up into the high gear at which it would stay for the duration of their stand. Babar crashed Boult through point, before Rizwan glanced him fine, then thumped him square on the offside as well, the pair taking 15 off that over. Off Tim Southee’s second over, they took 15 again, Rizwan slamming him twice through midwicket, before Babar cracked him through backward square leg.The spinners provided New Zealand a little control, but the pair negotiated that period smartly, rarely failing to find the boundary off the bad balls. By the end of the 12th, the required rate was just 6.37.Williamson and Mitchell provide a sliver of hope
If there was one period New Zealand can claim to have been on top, it was likely overs 11 to 14 of their own innings. They’d been 59 for 3 at the halfway stage, desperately needing to get a move on. Mitchell hit two fours off the 11th over, bowled by Shadab Khan. In the 13th over, Williamson hit the innings’ first six, smoking Mohammad Wasim over deep square leg, before Mitchell launched Shadab into the sightscreen in the 14th. All up, they scored 40 runs in those four overs. They did not match that rate of scoring after that period.Haris eases Pakistani nerves
There was a slowdown after Babar and Rizwan were parted, and a slight unease when Rizwan was out at the end of the 17th over, leaving Pakistan with 21 to get off 18 balls. Mohammad Haris put Pakistan back on the smooth road to victory next over, however. He backed away and drilled a Lockie Ferguson yorker wide of mid-off for four, before sitting back to hook him into the stands next ball. He was out before the winning run came, but he’d made the game safe.