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ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the final one-day international in Dubai

George Dobell20-Nov-2015Shot of the dayThere is footage of Viv Richards during his innings of 189 not out against England at Old Trafford in 1984 – sometimes referenced as the greatest ODI innings – where he steps outside off stump and whips a perfectly respectable ball at least a yard outside off stump through square leg for four. While it would be pushing it to claim Jos Buttler is in that class as a batsman – not many have been – there were moments in his extraordinary century which evoked memories of Richards. One stroke, in particular, brought back memories of that century at Old Trafford: stepping across his stumps, Buttler somehow flicked a full ball from the distinctly swift Mohammad Irfan through square leg with a power and timing that grew gasps from the crowd. There were many impressive moments during this innings, but this was a shot that to all but a few would have been all but impossible.Near miss of the dayJason Roy had scored just seven when, drawn into pushing away from his body at a delivery Anwar Ali, he saw a thick inside edge pass perilously close to his off stump and away to the fine leg boundary. Roy went on to register his maiden international century and set the platform for Buttler’s outstanding blitz at the end of the innings. It so nearly didn’t happen.Catch of the dayEngland were growing just a little nervous. Pakistan were up with the rate and, despite the fall of wickets, their batsmen just kept coming. But then Alex Hales, who had earlier made a horrible hash of a catching opportunity from Hafeez on 26, pulled off an outstanding effort to dismiss Shoaib Malik and the chase fizzled away. Malik had thrashed a full toss from Reece Topley towards the midwicket boundary, but Hales, rushing in, threw himself forward and clung on to the ball inches from the ground in an admirably committed move. Even in a game stuffed with outstanding moments, it was an exceptional effort.Run out of the dayIf Pakistan were to have any hope of overhauling their monumental target, it was always likely that one of their top order was going to have to make a substantial contribution. But while several made a decent start, none of them were able to go on and mirror the scores made by Roy or Buttler. While it was understandable that batsmen would fail taking chances – the required run-rate gave them little other option – the dismissal of Hafeez was far more frustrating. After three damaging run-outs in Sharjah, Hafeez fell the same way here after pushing a ball into the off side and setting off for a sharp single. Babar Azam had other thoughts, however, and while he stood in his crease, watching the ball, Hafeez tried desperately – and in vain – to regain his ground.Change of the dayIt didn’t take long for Pakistan to benefit from the recall of Ahmed Shehzad. Fielding at backward point, he pulled off a couple of outstanding stops to frustrate England’s openers. But it was his presence at the top of the order that allowed Pakistan to look a far more coherent batting line-up. It allowed Azam to move into the middle order, where he looked far more comfortable and, for the first time this series, gave a hint of a Pakistan side that could improve the side’s ODI fortunes in the months and years ahead.

Also, lowest totals to include fifty partnerships, match awards in your final Test, most five-fors without reaching 100 Test wickets

Steven Lynch12-Aug-2014India were 8 for 4 in the fourth Test. How many worse starts than this have there been? asked Krish Menon from India
There have been only eight worse starts in Tests than India’s 8 for 4 at Old Trafford (by which I mean the score at the fall of the fourth wicket). India were famously 0 for 4 at Headingley in 1952, thanks to Fred Trueman and Alec Bedser, and later in the same series were 6 for 4 (and then 6 for 5) at The Oval. England were 2 for 4 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1999-2000, in Michael Vaughan’s first Test, almost a century after being 5 for 4 against Australia in Melbourne in 1903-04. There have been four instances of a Test team being 7 for 4: by Australia against England at Old Trafford in 1888, at The Oval in 1896, and again in Brisbane in 1936-37; and more recently by Bangladesh against India in Mirpur in 2007.There were six ducks in India’s first innings at Old Trafford – is this a record? asked James Mewshaw from England
The six ducks in India’s first innings at Old Trafford equalled the Test record, set by Pakistan against West Indies in Karachi in 1980-81, and matched by South Africa against India in Ahmedabad in 1996-97, and Bangladesh against West Indies in Dhaka in 2002-03. India’s eventual 152 was the highest total to include four ducks (Pakistan made 128, South Africa 105 and Bangladesh 87). There have been 11 instances of a match featuring a total of 11 ducks.Cheteshwar Pujara collected his first Test duck at Old Trafford. How many people had more innings – or more runs – before their first blob? asked Henry McKinnon from England
Cheteshwar Pujara’s first duck, in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, came in his 39th innings, putting him level with Mark Taylor. Some 21 players had more innings before their first duck, including James Anderson (54) and Alastair Cook (39). Top of the list is AB de Villiers, who had 78 innings before finally succumbing for a duck, just ahead of Aravinda de Silva with 75 (Clive Lloyd is next, quite a long way back with 58). De Villiers scored 2958 Test runs before registering a duck, and de Silva 2779 (Pujara had 1840 runs before his first one).Was India’s 152 the lowest all-out Test total to include two fifty partnerships? asked Luke Bull from England
India’s 152 at Old Trafford was actually the second-lowest completed Test innings to include a pair of fifty partnerships: in the second Test of the Bodyline tour, in Melbourne in 1932-33, England’s second innings of 139 started with an opening partnership of 53 between Herbert Sutcliffe and Maurice Leyland, and later Bob Wyatt and Gubby Allen put on 50 for the seventh wicket. There was a recent near-miss: in Providence in Guyana in 2011, Pakistan’s 160 against West Indies included two half-century stands.Jason Gillespie won the Man of the Match award in his final Test. How many others have done this? asked Arnold Sathasivam from Sri Lanka
Excluding current players, only six other players won the match award in what turned out to be their final Test: Ian Redpath (1975-76), Greg Chappell (1983-84), Sarfraz Nawaz (1983-84), Sunil Gavaskar (1986-87), Murray Goodwin (2000) and Shane Bond (2009-10). Jason Gillespie, of course, famously won the award for his unlikely double-century after going in as nightwatchman against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2005-06. He’s the only man to be dropped for good after winning the match award: the others above all retired. Among current players, Pat Cummins has not appeared for Australia since winning the match award on his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011-12, while India’s Pragyan Ojha hasn’t featured in a Test so far this year.Venkatesh Prasad had seven five-wicket hauls in Tests, yet he didn’t reach 100 wickets. Has anyone else got more? asked Mohit Patney from India
The only man who fits the bill here is the lion-hearted old Surrey fast bowler Tom Richardson, whose 88 wickets in just 14 Tests for England in the 1890s included no fewer than 11 five-fors (and four matches with ten). Two old Australian bowlers matched Venkatesh Prasad’s record of seven five-wicket hauls: Fred “The Demon” Spofforth, whose 94 wickets in 18 Tests also included four ten-fors, and Albert “Tibby” Cotter, who took 91 wickets in 21 Tests before his death in the First World War. The England slow left-armer Colin Blythe finished with exactly 100 Test wickets, with nine five-fors, while two more recent left-arm bowlers – India’s Irfan Pathan and Mohammad Rafique of Bangladesh – took 100 with seven five-wicket bags.

Does Pakistan cricket need to introspect

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013

The PCB’s punishment reeks more of a diversionary tactic© AFP
Cricinfo, as far as I can tell, isn’t the place to vent one’s frustrations. At the very least, one can outline valid reasons in an organized, mature manner. And that’s why Samir Chopra’s latest post “Should any ‘family’ be this tolerant?” strikes me as, in the author’s words, “patently offensive”.I do agree with Mr. Chopra in one regard – that we should stop with the increasingly grating cliches of wonderfully unpredictable, charmingly volatile, and capable of spectacular blows both to itself and to its on-field opponents. It sounds entertaining enough, but it’s not helping Pakistan cricket. A far more agreeable term for all concerned would be quietly clinical, thoroughly professional…but Pakistan isn’t anywhere near that. The board, in my opinion, has exacerbated matters.Yes, Pakistan suffers from too much player power and yes, it needs to be checked. But what exactly the bans slapped on two of the team’s veterans, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, are supposed to achieve is anybody’s guess. Younis, by all accounts a dignified and sincere member of the side, has been one of Pakistan’s most stalwart performers over the years. His results may not impress in terms of Standard Deviation – a first-baller can be followed by a match-winning century, or some-such, but, in general he gets the job done. So he didn’t particularly take to captaincy. He was certainly taking Pakistan in the right direction when political interference into over-hyped defeats in the Champions Trophy insulted his integrity. Few players have had so ill-deserved a send-off.Yousuf, whose easy, graceful strokes could melt butter on a frigid winter day, was perhaps Pakistan’s best performer of the topsy-turvy 2000s. A fluent, dashing stroke-player to begin with, he then displayed an increasing tendency to fight it out at the crease, culminating in a record run-tally in the calendar year of 2006. An undignified off-field spat with Shoaib Malik and some tactless comments during a disastrous captaincy aside, he hardly deserved so wretched a punishment.The punishment reeks more of a diversionary tactic. In the aftermath of a disastrous Australian tour, the PCB needed to be seen as doing something. Like the shameless politicians before them, they tried a cheap distraction. And the sad thing is it’s not the first time, either. Of course, as Chopra says, it would not be surprising if these banned players made a comeback. Pakistan has a history, not just in cricket, of confounding comebacks. And instead of affectionately oozing over the glorious uncertainties, Pakistan would do well to pick itself up and try to instill some consistency and accountability into its cricket.But Mr. Chopra, with all due respect, seems to have taken this latest twist as an opportunity to vent a lifetime of misgivings. He has his right to, of course, and I hope he won’t begrudge me my right to respond, but the stream of “endemic indiscipline” and “stunning lack of professionalism” seems to strike me as somewhat one-eyed. Yes, Inzamam-ul-Haq once lost his temper with a Toronto spectator. Shameful, and not pretty to watch. But it’s all too easy to forget Khalid Latif’s prudence when confronted with a worse situation just over a month ago. Those volatile Pakistanis, indeed. And not to make this a slanging match, but when accused of “Test-match forfeits”, it’s too easy to point out Bishan Singh Bedi and Sunil Gavaskar’s tantrums against West Indies and Australia respectively; when accused of crying “racist”, it’s too easy to recall Indian fans’ recent fits against an admittedly suspect Australia in 2007-08, as well as the infamous Mike Denness Affair of 2001-02; when accused of crying “umpiring conspiracies”, it’s all too easy to recall the Indian media’s public mangling of Steve Bucknor, who admittedly had a terrible Sydney match, in 2008.Yet Indian cricket, largely to its credit but also due to the sometimes ill-disguised indulgence of other nations, has emerged stronger. Mr. Chopra’s lambasting of Pakistan cricket is correct in theory, not method, much as the Australian media months ago laid into a supposedly haphazard West Indies and were called to show some decency by an unusually-stirred Joel Garner. Does Pakistan cricket need to introspect? You bet. Is such open contempt and disrespect necessary for that to happen? Probably not. Perhaps Mr. Chopra’s truest statement is “We could all do with a little tough love.” Quite. Pakistan, much like West Indies and Zimbabwe, is in some strife at the moment. Hanging out all misgivings to dry is hardly an appropriate response. (P.S. I understand this post may be slightly inflammatory. No personal attack on Mr. Chopra is intended and I hope the editors understand.)

A statistical review of Edwin Boaler Alletson’s great innings for Nottinghamshire against Sussex at Hove in May 1911

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2011Edwin Boaler Alletson’s great innings was for Nottinghamshire against Sussex at Hove in May 1911.First a brief recap of the match: Notts won the toss and batted first. Though the captain A.O. Jones and George Gunn (stumped for 90) batted well, Nottinghamshire totalled only 238 all out. Ted Alletson scored 7. Nottinghamshire were undone by the “occasional” bowling of Killick (5-14). Sussex spent the rest of the first day and most of the second establishing a commanding 176 run lead.When Nottinghamshire went in again, Jones was out immediately but his opening partner Iremonger and George Gunn put together a good partnership until Gunn was stumped again at 129. Before long, Hardstaff, John Gunn, Payton, Whysall and Iremonger were out; Nottinghamshire were 185 for 7 and lletson was in. His partner was Lee, another allrounder in name, if not in practice. Together, they put together a bright 73 runs for the 8th wicket in 40 minutes when Lee was dismissed. In the very next over the new batsman Oated was bowled and lunch was taken at 260-9. Alletson had compiled 47* at lunch, at a rate which was as brisk as he ever had scored.During lunch Alletson was heard to ask his skipper Jones if, with one wicket left and only 84 runs on, it really mattered how he now played. Jones said he thought not. In that case, said Alletson, he was going to go for Tim Killick. What happened in the next 40 minutes made the No. 9 batsman famous.The figures tell the tale:Edwin Boaler Alletson: 189, Notts vs Sussex, May 20, 1911Whole Innings After Lunch
——————————–
Runs 189 142
Time (min) 90 40
Balls 106 (approx) 51
6’s 8 8
4’s 23 18
3’s 4 2
2’s 10 6
1’s 17 4
Balls not scored off 44(approx) 13
Scoring rate (runs/hr) 178 278
Runs scored by team 227 152
% of total runs scored 83.26 93.42
Balls bowled by Sussex 156(approx) 68
Runs/over by Notts 8.84 13.81
Runs/100 balls by Notts 146 213Scoring after lunch:(Balls faced by Riley in parentheses; * = no score)Killick * 4 4 1 (*)(1) Leach (1) 2 4 2 * 1
-do- 6 * 4 2 4 6 -do- (*)(3) 4 * 6 3
-do- 4 4 * 2 1 (*) -do- 4 6 * 4 3 (*)
-do- 4 6 6 * 4 4 4 6 Relf (1) * * * * 4
Cox (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(3) -do- (1) 4 2 2 6 1
-do- 4 4 outTim Killick’s last over (which included 2 no balls) yielded 34 runs to a rampant Alletson (the record until Sobers smashed 36 off Nash). However, the two new bowlers introduced immediately after the over, Cox and Relf did seem to contain Alletson a bit, but Alletson was beginning to hit them as well when he was caught at the boundary (all reports say that the fielder was actually outside the boundary). In the course of 5 consecutive overs- 3 from Killick & 2 from Leach, Alletson scored 97 runs out of a 100. Notts was all out for 412 & nearly won the game as Sussex hung on for a draw at 213-8, needing 237 to win.Alletson never played as devastating an innings again, though he did manage 60 in 30 minutes in his very next innings and 88 in 40 minutes two years later, an innings in which he hit the great Wilfred Rhodes for 3 consecutive 6’s.

Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie mounted the most monumental of fightbacks on the fourth day at Lord’s. Even if South Africa do lose the Test, they wouldn’t have gone down without a fight. And more than anything else, Test cricket is alive and well, argues

Sambit Bal at Lord's13-Jul-2008
A rare stroke of attacking intent from Neil McKenzie, whose hundred came from 307 balls © Getty Images
Seen in isolation, this was a pitifully dull day, the kind that can be used to illustrate why the longer form is an anachronism in these pacy times. Runs were scarce, wickets scarcer. Fifty-four runs came in the first session, 61 in the second; fours were occasional and there was no hint of a six. But Test cricket is all about context, and in the context of this match, and the series, it was a compelling day: slow, but always simmering; lacking in action, but not plot and intrigue. It was just the kind that makes watching Test cricket a varied, rich and rewarding experience. If South Africa manage to draw this Test, it will be counted among the greatest of escapes in the history of the game, and this seemingly dull day will be regarded as the one that made it possible.Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie mounted the most monumental of fightbacks. The wicket remained benign but the pressure was so enormous that it tested the character of these batsmen to the limit. Batting is only half about skills; it was the mental aspect that made the contribution of the opening pair remarkable. All through their vigil, they played with the knowledge that their team was only a mistake away from disaster, and they fashioned their response accordingly.Smith’s application was particularly remarkable. And in some ways, he owed it to his team even more than what would be expected in normal course. He would have consulted the team management for sure, but ultimately, the decision to insert England was his; and his captaincy on the second day, when he didn’t choose the right bowlers or place the best fields, had been diffident and tentative. South Africa didn’t merely need runs from Smith: they needed him to bat and bat.Smith is no stranger to long innings. He batted for more than five hours while scoring each of first four Test hundreds, three of which were doubles. In fact, two of those were back-to-back doubles scored on his first tour to England and on both occasions he batted for more than nine hours. But he had then batted imperiously, repeatedly muscling balls from on or outside off-stump to the midwicket boundary and scoring virtually four runs an over throughout. The situation today demanded him to bat against his natural instincts and he tempered his game admirably. The product was an industrious hundred, and perhaps the most valuable of his career.Smith had spoken of his maturity before the start of the Test, and this innings stands as an eloquent confirmation. Last evening, he even exchanged a smile with Kevin Pietersen after Pietersen, in his new role as England’s opening bowler in the dying light, had cheekily appealed for a catch off Smith’s pad. And he was still smiling when he walked off the ground in the dying light, his side with a mountain left to climb. The image was of a man who had come to terms with his job and to the realisation that life doesn’t begin and end on the cricket field.So out of character was his innings today that it shone with character. Against the quicker bowlers he resisted playing across the line, focussing on scoring his runs square of the wicket on the offside, watching the ball late. But against Panesar, who was turning the ball sharply into him from the rough outside the offstump, he was quick to jump outside the line, almost exposing all three stumps to negate the possibility of a leg-before. Most of his runs against Panesar came on the leg-side. But more than scoring runs, his innings was about denying England a breach, and Smith stuck to task with the solemnity it demanded. The stroke – a cross-batted swat against the new ball — that brought about his dismissal didn’t do justice the rigorous application that preceded it.Smith was only half of the story though and mercifully for South Africa, the other half is unfinished yet, and in a sense, it is even more stirring. Turning 33 later this year, few would have blamed McKenzie had he taken the easy route to join the multitude of South Africans in taking the Kolpak route to England after four years of wilderness. But, as demonstrated by his latest hundred – the third since his comeback seven Tests ago – patience is a quality he has in abundance.And on the evidence of his run so far, it would seem he was an opener trapped in a middle-order batsman’s role. Sometimes, awareness of one’s own strengths eludes you until an unfamiliar challenge presents itself. McKenzie now resembles the classical Test opener, an endangered tribe in a world enamoured by breathtaking starts. In fact, despite all the evidence pointing against it, there was a degree of consternation in the South African media about the absence of Herschelle Gibbs in the squad.The image was of a man who had come to terms with his job and to the realisation that life doesn’t begin and end on the cricket fieldIn spite of three difficult days, Graeme Smith has showed his maturityIt was self-evident that South Africa needed McKenzie’s watchfulness today. He possesses more strokes than he allowed himself, relying instead on the compactness of his technique to see the day through. For a Test opener, his manner of leaving the ball – drawing the bat inside the line of the ball – might project a lack of assuredness, but it is clear that McKenzie has keen awareness of his offstump. Though he did edge the ball once while playing a defensive stroke, his judgement was impeccable throughout the day.When the ball reverse swung for a short period after lunch, James Anderson induced a degree on uncertainty, and even a wild swipe, by moving the ball both ways, but composure never deserted McKenzie. Michael Vaughan pried on his nerves by setting fields that denied him the drive, his most preferable scoring option, but McKenzie wouldn’t be driven to distraction. Nor did he allow the slow clapping from an impatient crowd to disrupt his resolve. It was a slow and low pitch, and the situation demanded watchfulness, which McKenzie supplied unwaveringly.South Africa aren’t out of it yet, but they can now be called the favourites to draw the Test. Of course, it’s a comedown from the pre-match hype, but it is a huge turnaround from the hole they had dug themselves in three successive days of under-performance. Even if they do lose the Test, they wouldn’t have gone down without a fight.And more than anything else, Test cricket is alive and well.

Also backs the retired Imad Wasim to make Pakistan comeback ahead of T20 World Cup following his stirring run in the PSL playoffs

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2024

If Shadab Khan came across as slightly unsure about receiving the Player of the Tournament award after the PSL final on Monday night, he certainly didn’t feel undeserving. Quite the opposite in fact.” (Nothing like that, I deserve it),” he quipped after leading Islamabad United to their third PSL title.It’s difficult to argue. Captain of the title-winning team, joint fifth-highest wicket-taker with 14, ninth-highest run-getter with 305 runs at a strike rate of 142.52 (neck and neck with Babar Azam’s strike rate), eight catches and a couple of run-outs.Related

Imad Wasim the hero as Islamabad scramble to two-wicket win in epic PSL final

PSL 2023-24: Babar, Imad and Naseem headline star-studded team of the tournament

Shadab was instrumental in the thrilling final-ball win over Multan Sultans in Karachi in the PSL final, picking up 3 for 32 including the wicket of his Multan counterpart, Mohammad Rizwan. It made Islamabad the most successful PSL franchise, with a third title, and Shadab’s second after the 2018 win. There was little doubt which triumph was more memorable.”This title is the really big one,” Shadab said. “In 2018, it was only my second season. I had had success very quickly in my career. This one has been a lot of hard work, and built on the belief of a lot of people, including our owners, Rehan ul Haq (the team manager) and the other management. Our belief as a team is such that we never let any doubt in. That is how you recognise a good team, because it doesn’t let in any doubt. So very satisfied that we’ve won.”It wasn’t a straightforward campaign for Islamabad by any means. They stuttered early on with three consecutive losses after a season-opening win. That included an almighty collapse against Peshawar Zalmi when they fell from 181 for 3 to 191 for 9, also losing four wickets in an over.But belief in their ways and methods remained firm and some old hands came good, not least Faheem Ashraf and the player of the final – and the playoffs – Imad Wasim.”The way we started, then lost three consecutive games, our belief remained the same. The matches we lost were close ones, last-over games, or we controlled games and then lost. Cricket doesn’t let you relax,” Shadab said.”From the Karachi [Kings] game, it had become knockout matches for us, and we took it one game at a time. We’ve always had the belief in our group that we have players who can win us games from anywhere.”Imad Wasim was Islamabad’s main man in the PSL playoffs•Pakistan Super League

Imad’s return to form was especially critical, a series of match-winning performances starting from the must-win group game against Multan. After a torrid start to the tournament, Imad won the Player of the Match award in every game in the playoffs, taking wickets and finishing games with the bat.The run has been accompanied by increasing chatter to get him back into Pakistan colours, Imad having retired last November from international cricket, not entirely content. Shadab was unequivocal in his support.”He must have had some issues to take such a big decision [when he announced his retirement],” Shadab said. “It’s his own decision if he wants to take it back. If someone talks to him about it, I think he might return. It is a World Cup season. Our best players, and those in the best form should play. That’s my wish that he plays. What his own thinking is, that’s different.”Indirectly, part of the reason for the clamour for Imad has been Shadab’s own form for Pakistan. After a disappointing Asia Cup and ODI World Cup at the end of last year, he was not picked for Pakistan’s T20I series in New Zealand at the start of the year. As such, his performances and form in this PSL have served as an audition for a return, even if he hasn’t seen it as such.”Whatever team I play for, I want to help them win,” he said. “Even this tournament, I wasn’t playing so that it would get me back in the Pakistan side. My effort was just to improve and do the things I can do. Playing for Pakistan is not in your hands. Your discipline and process is in your hands. Sometimes you’ll perform, sometimes you won’t, sometimes you’ll be in the team, sometimes out of it. But if the process is consistent you will improve. Everybody wants to play for Pakistan and in a World Cup, that is my wish too. But it’s not in my control.”I understand criticism on performances, but when it becomes personal then it is difficult. We are a one-sport nation, so everyone wants the team to win, or players to perform. That pressure is there every day you have to perform.”I believe in the process, if that is good, then results will come. When you don’t do well, you have to accept it. You can’t deny that. If your attitude is 100%, that’s it, you can’t control beyond that. If there is too much focus on results, then that process suffers.”

Hakim Ziyech could join Sevilla as a free agent, but the Andalusian outfit will need to offload an out-of-favour goalkeeper to free up the funds.

• Ziyech could join Sevilla for free
• La Liga side eager to offload a player to free up salary space
• Moroccan last played for Al-Duhail in Qatar

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Despite the transfer window being closed, speculation continues at Sevilla, largely due to the lingering possibility of signing former Ajax and Chelsea star Ziyech. The Moroccan winger and playmaker remains a free agent, and his name resurfaced at the end of August as a potential target, reports.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, Sevilla’s hands are tied financially, mainly due to their inability to offload goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez. The out-of-favour shot-stopper, renewed by former sporting director Victor Orta shortly before his dismissal, continues to train separately as head coach Matias Almeyda has excluded him from his plans. Efforts to negotiate a transfer or terminate the 27-year-old's contract have stalled, preventing the club from freeing up salary space. A loan to Deportivo La Coruna with an option to buy was on the cards, but the one-cap Spaniard has now been registered in La Liga instead.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ziyech joined Galatasaray on loan from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, before his move was made permanent in May 2024. However, just six months into his second season in Istanbul, he publicly stated that he "didn't want to play here anymore" in a sensational outburst. His contract was terminated on January 29, 2025, which allowed him to sign for Qatari side Al-Duhail on undisclosed terms. Within four months, though, his contract was terminated by mutual consent. Reports indicated that Serie A side Fiorentina expressed interest in signing him on a free transfer over the summer, but a move never materialised.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR HAKIM ZIYECH?

  Sevilla's new director of football, Antonio Cordon, hinted that Ziyech's arrival was not off the table when providing his thoughts at the end of the transfer window. "We've left a small budget, just in case, at the last minute, some player decides to significantly lower his salary and demands to come to the club. We've left it there," said Cordon. Ziyech has, so far, rejected all offers that have come his way, which could point towards his desire to arrive at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

استعرض الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، رؤيته للتشكيل المتوقع لمنتخب مصر في مواجهة إثيوبيا ضمن التصفيات، مشددًا على ضرورة احترام المنافس وعدم الاستهانة به، مستشهدًا بتجارب كبرى المنتخبات العالمية التي تعرضت لمفاجآت بسبب الاستهتار.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع إثيوبيا، في العاشرة مساء يوم الجمعة المقبل 5 سبتمبر باستاد القاهرة في إطار مباريات الجولة السابعة للتصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لنهائيات كأس العالم 2026.

وقال الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عبر إذاعة “أون سبورت إف إم”: “تعالوا نستعرض معًا أسماء المنتخب، ومن خلالها نحاول نتوقع التشكيل في اللقاء المقبل”.

وأضاف: “في حراسة المرمى محمد الشناوي، مصطفى شوبير، محمد صبحي، وعبد العزيز البلعوطي. في تصفيات كأس العالم يكون عادةً حارسان احتياطيان، وبالتالي أتصور أن الكابتن حسام حسن سيفضل الخبرة باختيار الشناوي أساسيًا، على أن يكون مصطفى شوبير وصبحي على دكة البدلاء”.

طالع أيضًا | منتخب مصر يخوض مرانه الأول على استاد السلام استعدادًا لمواجهة إثيوبيا

وتابع: “في خط الدفاع هناك رامي ربيعة، خالد صبحي (المصري)، عمرو الجزار (البنك الأهلي)، حسام عبد المجيد (الزمالك)، محمد ربيعة (زد)، محمد هاني (الأهلي)، أحمد عيد (المصري)، محمد حمدي (بيراميدز)، وأحمد نبيل كوكا (الأهلي). ومن وجهة نظري، رامي ربيعة وحسام عبد المجيد سيكونان أساسيين، ومحمد هاني كظهير أيمن، ومحمد حمدي كظهير أيسر”.

وواصل: “قد يلعب حمدي فتحي في مركز قلب الدفاع إذا احتاج الجهاز الفني لذلك، وفي الوسط هناك نبيل عماد دونجا، مروان عطية، محمود صابر، مهند لاشين، إضافة إلى زيزو وتريزيجيه اللذين يعتمد عليهما حسام حسن دائمًا كأساسيين”.

وأوضح شوبير: “تصوري أن التشكيل سيكون بوجود حمدي فتحي، تريزيجيه مع أدوار دفاعية، زيزو، عمر مرموش ومحمد صلاح، وفي الهجوم مصطفى محمد بجوار مرموش وصلاح”.

واستطرد: “المباراة ليست سهلة كما يتصور البعض. إذا لم نحترم منتخب إثيوبيا قد تحدث مشكلة، والتاريخ مليء بالأمثلة. منتخب إيطاليا مثلًا خرج من تصفيات كأس العالم أمام مقدونيا الشمالية، رغم الفارق الكبير في الإمكانيات، وذلك بسبب الاستهانة بالمنافس”.

واختتم شوبير: “لابد من احترام منتخب إثيوبيا بشكل كبير، حتى نضمن أن تسير الأمور بصورة جيدة واحترافية”.

Sunrisers made 277, the highest ever total in IPL history, and Mumbai, just as incredibly, fell only 31 short

S Sudarshanan27-Mar-20241:43

Moody: Head set the tone, and Sunrisers just didn’t look back

Sixes were being hit for fun. Runs were flowing at a breakneck pace. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking you were watching a video game. The carnage in Hyderabad resulted in an 11-year-old IPL record falling, RCB’s seemingly insurmountable total of 263 from 2013 falling by the wayside thanks to a breathtaking, collective show from the Sunrisers Hyderabad batters. They notched up the highest total in the 16-year history of the IPL – 277 for 3 – but then, just as incredibly, Mumbai Indians almost paid them back with the same coin, their batters coming out with a nothing-to-lose attitude. Eventually, they ran out of steam and finished on 246 for 5, the highest IPL total in a losing cause.Travis Head set the pace on the night, striking an 18-ball half-century, the fastest for SRH in the IPL. His record lasted roughly four overs, Abhishek Sharma slamming a 16-ball fifty to relegate him to No. 2. An hour after that, Heinrich Klaasen cut loose to seemingly bat MI out of the contest. But the sixes kept rolling off the Mumbai bats too, helping them keep up with the asking rate for most of the chase, eventually falling only 31 short.Related

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Never were more runs scored in a men’s T20 match (523). Never were most sixes hit in a men’s T20 (38). At the end of the close to four-hour six-fest, only two bowlers returned with an economy rate of under ten an over.The perfect Head-startHead, in for Marco Jansen, continued from where he had left off on his previous tour of India. He was off the mark with a four off IPL debutant Kwena Maphaka, the 17-year-old who played for South Africa at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year. Head was given a life when Tim David dropped him at mid-off off Hardik Pandya’s first ball. But there was no looking back from there.Head smacked two fours and two sixes in a 22-run Maphaka over before hitting two fours and a six off Gerald Coetzee in an over that went for 23 to end the powerplay. Head had scored 59 of the 81 SRH made in the first six overs. In his next over, though, Coetzee bowled a short and wide one, which the batter could only carve to deep backward point.Abhishek shows his mettleHead’s inclusion in the XI meant Abhishek had to move down the order, and he walked in at No. 3 after Mayank Agarwal fell in the fifth over. Abhishek got going with a pull off Coetzee and then meted out a special treatment to the legspin Piyush Chawla, hitting him for three sixes in an over. That helped SRH notch up their 100 in just seven overs, their second-fastest in the IPL.Abhishek also tore into Maphaka’s third over, hitting him for a sequence of 4, 6, 6, 4 to complete his fifty and snatch the record from Head. The key was how early he picked the length of the bowlers. He hit seven sixes in his 23-ball stay for 63 runs, before heaving a half-tracker that Chawla fired in seam-up at 112.8kph straight to deep midwicket.Heinrich Klaasen hit another rampaging half-century•AP Photo / Mahesh Kumar

Klaasen, Markram add finishing touchesWith nine overs to go and two right-hand batters in the middle, Hardik Pandya sensed an opportunity to get left-arm spinner Shams Mulani in the game. That played into the hands of Klaasen, though, who is a spin-basher. In T20s since January 2022, no batter who has faced at least 500 balls had a higher strike rate against spin than Klaasen’s 174.38 before the start of the game.True to form, he smacked Mulani over long-off to get his rhythm going. Klaasen then hit a six each off Hardik and Jasprit Bumrah as SRH crossed 200 in the 15th over. Aiden Markram, at the other end, hit a six and a four but was happy to give the strike to his South Africa team-mate. Klaasen brought up his fifty off 22 balls, which was only the third quickest on the night.Klaasen hit two successive sixes in the last over bowled by Mulani to take Sunrisers past RCB’s record score. SRH added 63 in the last four overs to post the fourth-highest total in all men’s T20s.Mumbai lose their fizzRohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan kicked off Mumbai’s reply in fine fashion. Rohit muscled Bhuvneshwar Kumar down the ground before hitting Jaydev Unadkat – brought in for T Natarajan, who had a niggle – for back-to-back sixes. Kishan meanwhile took 23 off Bhuvneshwar’s second over, hitting him for a four and three sixes. Kishan then slogged Shahbaz Ahmed to deep midwicket, but Rohit kept going.He whipped Pat Cummins’ second ball over midwicket before miscuing a pull to fall for 26 off just 12. Only twice in the IPL has Rohit scored more – 37 in April 2015 vs RCB, and 27 in May 2015 vs Chennai Super Kings – off the first 12 balls he faced.Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma also kept Mumbai abreast with the required rate. They found boundaries regularly, with Tilak leading the charge, and added 84 off 37 for the third wicket. But once they fell within 21 balls of each other, MI lost momentum. David managed to hit a few into the stands, but by then it was too late.

The start of the second session on the third day was held up in unusual circumstances

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2023

Play was held up in bizarre circumstances during the second Australia-Pakistan Test at the MCG because the third umpire Richard Illingworth got stuck in a lift.Players returned to the middle after the lunch break on Thursday, in time for the scheduled 1.25pm start to the second session. But in unusual scenes, the two central umpires wouldn’t allow a ball to be bowled because Illingworth was unable to return to his post in the grandstand.It left Australian batters David Warner and Steven Smith waiting to resume, with the hosts stuck on 6 for 2 in their second innings with an overall lead of 60.After a few minutes the fourth umpire, Phil Gillespie, ran from the boundary into the third umpire’s box so that play could resume and Illingworth made his way a few moments later, giving a light-hearted wave as he sat down. Cricket Australia and the MCG both produced light-hearted responses to the peculiar delay, which lasted seven minutes.”The game is delayed because the third umpire…is stuck in the lift,” Cricket Australia’s social media arm posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.The MCG was quick to reply: “Sorry.”Channel Seven host Mel McLaughlin was also in the lift that became stuck and said that it took about 10 minutes for them to be left out.Meanwhile, a busy afternoon for fourth umpire Gillespie continued later in the session when he was briefly called on to stand in the middle alongside Michael Gough when Joel Wilson needed to leave the field for an over.