Category Uncategorized

Babar extends his record as tournament’s leading scorer with characteristically classy 63

David Hopps24-Aug-2019Only one county, Derbyshire, has ever gone through a T20 season in England without a victory and Glamorgan now have two matches left to avoid the same outcome. They came to Taunton in the nick of time for Somerset’s quarter-final ambitions and obliged by conceding a 25-run victory that never looked in doubt.Somerset’s defeat against Gloucestershire in the West Country derby in Bristol on Friday night had undermined their prospects of a top-four finish, and with it a quarter-final place, but thanks to Middlesex’s defeat against the leaders Sussex at Uxbridge earlier on Saturday, Somerset sneaked ahead of them on run rate and returned to the top four with two matches remaining.They owed much once again to their opening pair of Babar Azam and Tom Banton, who front loaded their innings with a stand of 61 in 5.4 overs. Babar, the leading scorer in the tournament, led the way with 63 from 42 balls. He now has 541 runs at 60.11 and few, if any, players anywhere in the world approach T20 with such a combination of ambition and security.Glamorgan deserve sympathy for the four washouts that have afflicted their season, and understandably they are now blooding youngsters in what skipper Colin Ingram termed “a hostile environment”, but they have been poor for all that and any prospect they had of nailing Somerset’s 177 for 8 perished for within nine balls with the departure of their two gun batsmen, Shaun Marsh and Ingram himself.Marsh, playing only his second match for Glamorgan after breaking his arm, damaging his shoulder and then being called up for Australia’s World Cup squad, edged Jerome Taylor’s ball to first slip as it left him off the seam.As for Ingram, his demise for 1 from the only ball he faced owed everything to Nick Selman’s accident-prone first T20 match of the season. His run out of Ingram was the accidental saw-off the summer as he pushed the ball to extra cover where Tom Abell, tight in the circle, threw down the wicket, Ingram having long abandoned all hope. Soon afterwards, Selman had to dive for the crease to avoid being run out himself and was clanked on the helmet by the throw. He needed to go through concussion protocols, although he appeared more in need of them when he ran out Ingram.As Glamorgan collapsed in front of a capacity crowd, confounded by Max Waller’s googly (oh, the irony that Cardiff is a venue for The Hundred when Taunton is not), and as David Lloyd put up single-handed resistance with a plucky 63 from 37 balls, discussion also turned to the performance of the experimental hybrid pitch, interwoven by up to 5% polyethylene yarn.This was the third hybrid pitch that has been openly revealed in the Blast this season, but that does not necessarily mean there have not been others, or whether they have all been identical, such is the ECB’s habitual secrecy, especially when something untested is the order of the day. This one appeared to have less natural grass than the one at Old Trafford and may have been all the worse for it.But over-analysis of Glamorgan’s second-innings crawl is best avoided. Lancashire also made 189 for 3 against Durham at Old Trafford earlier in the tournament, with Durham collapsing to 117 in reply, but in both cases the inferior side batted second.It is also true that, from 86 for 1 at midway, Somerset would have had designs on 200, which encourages the suspicion that the pitch died somewhat, but that start was courtesy of Banton and Babar. Tom Abell, Somerset’s captain, identified their partners hip as the place where the match was won – and he will hope the same is true of the tournament.Come to Taunton these days and a spectator yearns to be assured by Babar and electrified by Banton, the next England T20 batsman off the rank, most probably against New Zealand later this year. Banton plays contemptuously, strikingly so for one so young, whether he intends to or not. Babar’s talent, which has him ranked as the No. 1 T20 batsman in international cricket, is more understated and as yet much less susceptible.Banton’s imperious innings was halted by T20 debutant Roman Walker, an England under-19 from Wrexham, who had him dropped first ball at 45 attempting a reverse lap and dismissed him with his fourth as he holed out to deep square.That signalled a loss of momentum for Somerset as the next six overs yielded just 28 runs. Unable to break loose against spinners Andrew Salter and Callum Taylor, the seasoned campaigner James Hildreth scored at less than a run a ball in contributing a clarty 22 before he was run out by Ingram’s direct hit from mid-off.At 114 for 2 with six overs remaining there was work to do, but Glamorgan were inhibited by an intercostal injury for their seamer Dan Douthwaite which ended his stint after two overs.Babar’s perfect straight six as he hit Ruaidri Smith into the Sir Ian Botham Stand signalled a change of pace. By the time he holed out at deep square, Somerset were up and running again. Marchant de Lange, hitting speeds above 90mph, struck the stumps three times in the final over as a trio of batsmen made room without effect, but even allowing for Taunton’s short boundaries, the late rush of wickets already felt like a consolation.

Fast bowler Sohail Tanvir and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul claimed five wickets between them to help set up a seven-wicket victory for Guyana Amazon Warriors against Jamaica Tallawahs in a top-of-the-table clash at Providence on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFast bowler Sohail Tanvir and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul claimed five wickets between them to set up a seven-wicket victory for Guyana Amazon Warriors against Jamaica Tallawahs in a top-of-the-table clash at Providence. After skittling Tallawahs for 100 in 18 overs, Amazon Warriors got to the target with 12 balls to spare on a typically slow surface. Guyana now have three wins in three matches, having already beaten St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders.Tanvir laid down the marker, having Chris Gayle, who smashed 108* in his previous match, lbw with an inswinger off the first ball he faced. Permaul then struck twice in two balls, in the fifth over, removing Kumar Sangakkara and Chadwick Walton. Tallawahs crawled to 29 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay, having scored only two boundaries during that period.Three boundaries then came in the space of eight balls as Rovman Powell and Shakib Al Hasan threatened a recovery. They lofted Australia legspinner Adam Zampa for sixes down the ground, after Powell had hit a four over Permaul’s head.But then Shakib holed out to deep midwicket off Permaul. Zampa also struck, undoing Nkrumah Bonner – who had come into the XI for Andre Russell – and Andre McCarthy for ducks to leave the visitors at 80 for 6. The lower order folded, and Powell was the ninth batsman to be dismissed, for 38. Barring Powell, only Shakib managed to pass 20.The chase wasn’t easy for Amazon Warriors. They fared worse in the Powerplay than Tallawahs, scoring 13 while losing captain Martin Guptill and Dwayne Smith to Pakistan left-arm spinner Imad Wasim, who finished with figures of 2 for 6. Chris Lynn and Jason Mohammed, however, settled Amazon Warriors with a 42-run partnership for the third wicket in 9.2 overs. The stand ended when Mohammed was pinned lbw for 22 by Shakib. The wicket hardly dented the hosts though, with Lynn and Anthony Bramble teeing off for 48 in 4.4 overs to seal the chase.Permaul bagged the Man-of-the-Match award for his career-best T20 figures of 3 for 20. After the game, he said he had focused on bowling a tight line. The two wickets that I picked up earlier really set up Jamaica and we kept bowling consistently, picking up wickets at the crucial stages of the game,” he said. “It is important to bowl wicket-to-wicket [in Providence]; we know the conditions very well. It [The pitch] is a bit two-paced and keeps low.”Amazon Warriors have a day’s break before taking on Patriots at home on Saturday, and Knight Riders on Sunday. Tallawahs have three days to regroup before facing Barbados Tridents in Bridgetown on Monday.

Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who finished the Ranji season with 645 runs including four successive fifty-plus score in the knockouts, has been named as the captain of the 15-man Rest of India squad

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2016Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who finished the Ranji Trophy season with 645 runs including four successive fifty-plus scores in the knockouts, has been named as the captain of the 15-man Rest of India squad. They will play 41-time Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the Irani Cup at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, starting March 6.The squad, which was announced shortly after the Ranji final, featured two Saurashtra players – Sheldon Jackson and Jaydev Unadkat. Jackson tallied 538 runs in 10 matches at 57.41, while Unadkat had a breakthrough season after injury, taking 40 wickets at 20.12.The squad also included the top two wicket-takers of the season – Jharkhand left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and Assam pacer Krishna Das. Punjab pacer Barinder Sran, who recently made his international debut in Australia, and Vidarbha offspinner Akshay Wakhare were also in the bowling mix.Karun Nair, who scored 500 runs this season compared to last time’s 709, was one of the two Karnataka players in this year’s Irani Cup squad, along with Stuart Binny. Vidarbha’s Faiz Fazal and Jammu and Kashmir’s Ian Dev Singh add more weight to the batting line-up. Andhra’s Srikar Bharat was the other wicketkeeper in the squad apart from Ojha. Assam’s Arun Karthik, who was the third highest run-getter this season behind Shreyas Iyer and Akhil Herwadkar, and allrounder Jalaj Saxena, who piled up 588 runs and 49 wickets, didn’t find a place in the squad.Rest of India squad: KS Bharat, Faiz Fazal, Karun Nair, Sheldon Jackson, Naman Ojha (captain), Stuart Binny, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Nathu Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Barinder Sran, Krishna Das, Sudip Chatterjee, Ian Dev Singh, Akshay Wakhare.

Preview for the match between Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors in Raipur

The Preview by Rachna Shetty in Raipur27-Apr-2013

Match facts

Sunday, April 28, 2013Start time 2000 IST (1430 GMT)Mahela Jayawardene will hope a change of scenery will bring good fortune to Delhi Daredevils•BCCI

Big Picture

With the tournament only half complete, the match between Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors is not quite the battle of the wooden spoons. But both teams will be looking to haul their sputtering campaigns back on track after poor shows in their last respective games.Daredevils squandered any confidence gained from beating Mumbai Indians by losing to Kings XI Punjab. It was a showing consistent with their other six losses in the tournament so far, making the win seem an aberration. The team is still hopeful but their poor run has put them in a place where they have to win each remaining match.Daredevils will be hoping there will be some serendipity for them in Raipur, which hosts its first IPL match. The stadium had hosted one stage of the BCCI’s Corporate Trophy earlier in the year, and the batsmen did well on the surface.For Warriors, the game will be an indicator of whether their players have recovered from the mauling they received from Chris Gayle in their last match. Coach Allan Donald spoke about the mental scarring, but the team has had a few days off to rest and pick up the pieces. Their mix-and-match captaincy formula has hurt them but against Daredevils, their bowling will have a chance to make an impact early on.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils LWLLL (most recent first)
Pune Warriors LLLWL

Players to watch

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the only bowler spared from the hammering that Chris Gayle meted out. The youngster has impressed throughout the tournament, picking up early wickets, with his swing bowling. He has plenty of skill to trouble Daredevils’ fragile top order.Mahela Jayawardene has always led from the front and his stint as captain with the Daredevils is no different. He’s taken the flak for some under-par performances and his own batting has been poor. Daredevils need an inspirational performance from him to improve their sinking chances.

Stats and trivia

• Daredevils have won two of the four games they played against Warriors, with one being a no result
• Virender Sehwag is the seventh highest run-getter in the IPL, with 2051 runs from 71 matches at an average of 31.07.
• Yuvraj Singh needs 13 runs to reach 2500 T20 runs.
• Ross Taylor needs 42 runs to reach 1000 IPL runs

West Indies opener Chris Gayle scored an unbeaten 65 to take his side to a comfortable eight-wicket win against Afghanistan in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWest Indies opener Chris Gayle scored an unbeaten 65 to take his side to a comfortable eight-wicket win against Afghanistan in Colombo. Gayle, who averages 64.30 in all international matches this year, and 70 in the three T20Is, took his time to get going, but accelerated later as West Indies reached the modest target of 123 with more than five overs to spare.Gayle and Dwayne Smith put on 29 runs in the first five overs for the first wicket, before Smith was dismissed. Gayle started to hit a few boundaries, and with Johnson Charles added 59 runs in the next six overs, which diminished Afghanistan’s hopes of an upset. Offspinner Karim Sadiq, who gave away eight runs in his three overs, and seamer Shapoor Zadran were economical, but the West Indies batsmen scored off other bowlers to secure their chase.Unlike West Indies, Afghanistan couldn’t accelerate their scoring when required. Asghar Stanikzai scored his second half-century in two matches, guiding the innings for the most part. But before he could boost Afghanistan’s scoring at the death, he departed in the 18th over to leave them at 100 for six. A couple of sixes towards the end took them to 122, pegging the required run rate at just a little more than six runs per over – that wasn’t enough. West Indies bowled well collectively: none of the bowlers went for more than 6.50 runs per overs, with four of them being among the wickets.Afghanistan face India in their first World Twenty game on September 19 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, and West Indies face Australia at the same venue three days later.

First blood in the NatWest series went to England, but the match felt closer than the final 15-run margin would indicate

The Report by David Hopps29-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEoin Morgan struck four sixes during the latter part of the England innings•Getty Images

This is surely one of the most inconsequential England v Australia series in history, but it did not lack for intensity or entertainment for all that and long before the end the Lord’s crowd was relishing the renewal of old rivalries. First blood in the NatWest series went to England, but the match felt closer than the final 15-run margin would indicate.Australia’s chances departed with their captain, Michael Clarke, who had made 61 from 67 balls when he walked across his stumps, not for the first time, and was aghast to fall plumb lbw to a swinging, low full toss from Tim Bresnan.It aggravated the hurt of the previous over when Australia lost Matthew Wade to a run out. Wade had just lifted James Anderson into the Mound Stand, Clarke had deposited Graeme Swann’s offspin into the Tavern and another 69 from 49 balls felt just about gettable. Then Wade pushed Swann into the leg side, did not share his captain’s enthusiasm for the single and barely got halfway down the pitch when the stumps were broken.England have now won seven successive ODIs, and they have taken the last six home series in this format, but their record against Australia over 50 overs has been discouraging. Statistical talk of a 5-0 series win which would make them the first side in the world to be No. 1 in all three forms of the game is regarded even by England’s most optimistic fans as a late-night pub fantasy. It has the makings of a tight series.England were under pressure after losing the toss on a drizzly morning, but they avoided the early tremors that Australia must have felt were within their grasp on a pitch that the groundsman, Mick Hunt, accepted had more moisture in it than would normally be expected at Lord’s at the end of June. Much of the rest was down to Eoin Morgan, who roused the innings with 89 from 63 balls and for the first time for a while had that assassin’s look again.Morgan has had an unsettled time since his return from an inactive season with Kolkata Knight Riders at IPL. His technique has been under scrutiny, particularly the adoption of a squatting stance, he has been omitted from the Test side as a result, and he has dared to tell the ECB that England’s domestic Twenty20 tournament has fallen hopelessly behind the times.It was dangerously late in the day for England when he finally broke Australia. His first six came in the 38th over when Pat Cummins spilled 13 in the middle of England’s batting Powerplay. England then made 46 from the last 20 balls, Morgan responsible for 34 of them, including three sixes. If the first blow, a scythe over long on, was encouraged by Brett Lee’s full toss, the follow-up was special as Morgan, back leg bent almost to ground level, swung a near yorker into the crowd. Shane Watson was also swung over the square-leg boards.An opening stand of 74 in 17 overs between Alastair Cook and Ian Bell quietly batted England into good shape. Neither looked secure; it was not the sort of morning to expect that. Cook’s first boundary took 11 overs and, on 28, he was dropped down the leg side by Wade off Watson before Cummins, as mature as you like as he experienced the Lord’s slope from Nursery and Pavilion ends, had him caught at the wicket, driving at a wide one.

Smart stats

• England’s total of 272 is their second-highest score against Australia at Lord’s and the highest since 1989. On the previous occasion they passed 270 against Australia at Lord’s (1997), they won by six wickets.

• Of England’s 21 wins in home ODIs against Australia, only five have come when they have batted first. The 15-run win is England’s fifth win against Australia at Lord’s.

• Eoin Morgan’s 89 is the third-highest score by an England No.5 batsman in ODIs against Australia. Paul Collingwood is on top with 120 at the MCG in 2007.

• Morgan’s strike rate of 141.26 is the third-highest for a fifty-plus score by an England batsman against Australia. Ian Botham is on top with a strike rate of 174.35 in Perth in 1987.

• The partnership run-rate of 8.44 during the 83-run stand between Morgan and Craig Kieswetter is the best for the fifth wicket (fifty-plus stands) for England against Australia and their sixth-highest overall for the fifth wicket.

• When he picked up Ian Bell’s wicket, Brett Lee equalled Glenn McGrath’s record of most ODI wickets for Australia. Lee now has 380 wickets at 23.17 with nine five-wicket hauls.

Bell, whose introduction to the opener’s role after the retirement of Kevin Pietersen had brought a century against West Indies at West End, had an eventful and not-altogether convincing stay. He marched off when Brett Lee’s lbw appeal was answered in the affirmative, but the Hot Spot cameras these days could probably spot the friction of a fly on a teacup and TV replays as he unstrapped his pads suggested that he had managed the faintest inside edge.He had already reviewed successfully, on 3, given out caught at wicket of Clint McKay only for replays to show that the ball came off his trousers. Trott was left to guide England through the middle overs before being bowled for 54 as he failed to work Doherty through the leg side.Australia repeatedly faltered just as they threatened to break the target. Anderson bowled throiugh a strained groin and looked as if life was hanging heavily upon him, but he found something to cheer him as he removed George Bailey and David Warner in the space of three balls.Warner’s belligerence was growing on a sound Lord’s surface, with Steven Finn cudgelled through the offside twice in an over when he strayed in line, but when he had made 56 from 61 balls Anderson exposed a lack of footwork by shading a delivery away from him and the nick was well held by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter. Bailey chopped on in Anderson’s previous over.Then Australia’s chase foundered again during their batting Powerplay. Clarke called it at 131 for 3 after 28 overs to enliven the innings, but things went awry as they lost both David Hussey and Steve Smith in five overs while adding 17 runs.Hussey was bowled by Finn as he tried to hook and, if there was an element of ill luck as the ball dropped onto the bails off shoulder and helmet, he got in a tangle playing the shot. Smith felt for a wide one from Bresnan and was caught at the wicket. Australia could also have lost Clarke, on 16, but Bresnan failed to hold a relatively simple return chance.As for DRS, it again proved its value, not just with Bell’s successful review, but with Watson’s dismissal as the much-improved Hotspot cameras showed a thin edge.Time and again in this England cricket season, technology has improved the standards of decision making, supporting good umpiring and sparing bad. It has not achieved perfection – nobody has ever claimed that – but it has moved closer towards it. Those who continue to question the merits of DRS are either too wedded to tradition, too busy or simply too wilful to recognise the facts.

Gautam Gambhir could miss the limited-overs leg of India’s tour of the West Indies next month following the aggravation of a shoulder injury that was sustained during the World Cup final

Nagraj Gollapudi25-May-2011Gautam Gambhir could miss the limited-overs leg of India’s tour of the West Indies next month following the aggravation of a shoulder injury that was sustained during the World Cup final. Gambhir, named India’s captain for that part of the tour, has been advised four to six weeks’ rest by Andrew Leipus, the Kolkata Knight Riders trainer, and could even miss the subsequent tour of England.If it comes to pass, Gambhir’s absence will leave India without their three best specialist openers – Virender Sehwag has recently undergone shoulder surgery and Sachin Tendulkar has been rested for the short-format games. It will also fuel the debate over the importance given to the IPL vis-a-vis international cricket, and – given that Sehwag also played through the IPL with his injury – raise questions over the responsibility of the BCCI, the IPL franchises and the players.Gambhir played the IPL Eliminator on Wednesday, the same day Leipus wrote to the BCCI. However, Kolkata’s loss to Mumbai Indians has saved Gambhir and the franchise from having to decide on his further participation in the tournament.In his letter, addressed to BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, Leipus – a former India physio – said the player felt acute pain in his right shoulder while landing on it in the field at one point during the World Cup final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede stadium on April 2. Subsequent scans have now revealed a serious injury that would require him to avoid throwing or batting for four to six weeks.”Gautam arrived in Kolkata at the start of the IPL complaining of a ‘sore shoulder’, the onset of which occurred during the World Cup final,” Leipus’ letter said. “He clearly recollects a fielding incident where he landed on an outstretched arm and felt a catch deep in the shoulder. In the euphoria at the time, his attention was deservedly elsewhere and he didn’t bother telling anyone about it.”

… And a groin injury too

Andrew Leipus’ note to the BCCI also mentioned a chronic groin injury Gambhir has been carrying for two years and suggested the player underwent rehab for both the shoulder and groin problems simultaneously but stressed that he needed “active” and “daily” attention. “Both injuries are chronic and ideally require time away from the stresses of international cricket in order for them to settle and rehabilitate properly. I emphasise, however, that such rehabilitation is active … he would require almost daily professional supervision in order to provide both hands-on manual treatment in addition to the rehabilitation programme.”

Gambhir, he said, informed him of the shoulder pain when he arrived to play the IPL. “His initial complaints were pain in the shoulder and significant reduction of power in his throw. The clinical findings supported the mechanism of the onset of the acute injury, however, he did report having corticosteroid injections on two occasions over the previous few years,” Leipus stated in his report, a copy of which is available with ESPNcricinfo. “Knowledge of this history leads me to suspect that any internal derangement may have been pre-existing and this recent incident (World Cup final) only served to aggravate or progress the injury (i.e. acute on chronic),” Leipus wrote.Accordingly, Leipus said, he initiated a plan for management and rehabilitation, post which Gambhir only reported pain “intermittently”. But during Kolkata’s final group match at Eden Gardens on May 22, against Mumbai Indians, Gambhir winced in pain immediately after sending back a throw to the wicketkeeper from the deep. Leipus confirmed that the throw had “aggravated” the pain. The team then travelled for the Eliminator to Mumbai, where Gambhir consulted a prominent Mumbai-based surgeon and had an MRI scan taken.”Both the doctor and myself believe that he should follow an intensive, supervised and conservative rehabilitation pathway. But for the best outcome, he will need to avoid both throwing and batting for a period of 4-6 weeks. In this regard I would expect that the BCCI medical committee would need to consider the ongoing management of Gautam’s shoulder injury beyond the IPL and the possibility of his missing any immediate future tours until the shoulder is fully rehabilitated,” Leipus said.If Gambhir does indeed sit out that tour, Suresh Raina, appointed vice-captain, is likely to take over the leadership role.

Close but no cigar for New Zealand. They needed 118 from a minimum of 23 overs to win the series but rain forced a draw

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera15-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
BJ Watling gave New Zealand hope before rain had the final say in Napier•Getty Images

Close but no cigar for New Zealand. They needed 118 from a minimum of 23 overs to win the series, BJ Watling was leading the chase with a spirited half-century and no Pakistan bowler looked threatening when the rain came down in Napier to kill the contest. The target looked within reach but the steady shower ensured that an absorbing series ended 1-1.New Zealand were set a target of 208 in a minimum of 43 overs and, when Watling opened with Tim McIntosh, the most likely result appeared to be a draw, given how slowly these openers batted in the first innings. Watling, however, played an innings of character to send a shiver down Pakistan’s spine. It was high-drama in overcast Napier: The fielders continually looked at the clouds, Mohammad Yousuf kept nudging the umpires to stop play, the batsmen were trying not to look concerned and moods in the dressing rooms were of stark contrast.Watling, after a sedate first innings on debut, was serenely destructive in the second. There wasn’t a single shot that was out of the book and he took few risks, yet runs came at a brisk pace. He played a pull and a cover drive but it was the cut that really caught the eye. The shot that really got him going came when he was on 11: The ball from Gul was short of a length and there wasn’t much width on offer but Watling played a delicate late cut to the third-man boundary.Gul tried to intimidate with two bouncers but Watling delicately side-stepped to unfurl upper cuts and collect fours. Pakistan attacked with spin from Danish Kaneria but Watling refused to be contained. He counterattacked with a stunning slog-swept flat six and a delicate paddle-swept four. With McIntosh rotating the strike adeptly, Pakistan were beginning to run out of ideas when rain came to their rescue.New Zealand’s brisk batting was in contrast to Pakistan’s slow approach in the morning. Their batsmen were playing a game that doesn’t come naturally to them and it made for absorbing viewing.The moment that captured their dilemma came when Kamran Akmal hit a four and shook his head, seemingly unhappy with his shot selection. It was a stunning hit over extra cover; he had knifed through the line of a length delivery from Chris Martin but when the camera panned on him, he was shaking his head and admonishing himself. It was a risky shot in the context of the game, with the team trying to secure a safe lead before thinking of anything beyond, and he knew it. However, the shot was a natural, almost reflexive, reaction from an attacking batsman and it was that kind of a battle that Umar and Misbah too fought without success.Misbah’s failing was greater than that of Umar for he was not only more experienced but also someone who can, in theory, play the patient game. And he had started well, nudging, pushing and leaving anything that he didn’t have to play. However New Zealand suffocated him with their relentless discipline and a feeling of claustrophobia set in. And the brain freeze eventually came when Misbah faced up to Daniel Vettori for the first time in the day. He went for an almighty heave – his critics would call it a dirty slog – missed it completely, and was quickly stumped by Brendon McCullum with his back foot still on the line.Umar, unlike on the fourth day, was more sedate this morning. Iain O’Brien and the close-in fielders teased him to have a go but he continued batting defensively. Occasionally, though, the impishness in him threatened to crack open the lid of self-control. There was a hoick against O’Brien and a couple of plays and misses but no damage was done till he came up against the new ball, when he feathered an edge off an attempted cut shot to McCullum. A brain freeze by Mohammad Aamer, who had played out 52 balls with caution, threw open all possibilities yet again as Pakistan were bundled out soon after the break. The rains, however, came down to douse a cracker of a contest.

Despite a raft of stars absent with injury, Liverpool triumphed after extra time at Wembley courtesy of a towering header from the Dutchman

Virgil van Dijk's extra time header secured Liverpool their first trophy of the season in their bid to win the quadruple as they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup final.

In a game where Van Dijk and Raheem Sterling had goals ruled out for offside in either half, the Dutch defender would not be denied a second time as he guided a header into the corner just before the game went to penalties.

After beating the Blues on spot-kicks in 2022 at this same stage, Jurgen Klopp's youthful side heaped more misery on Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea on Sunday.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Wembley…

• Getty
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Caoimhin Kelleher (8/10):

  Superbly denied Cole Palmer from point-blank range, was so quick to smother Conor Gallagher's late effort, and put in an impressive all-round display between the sticks.

  Conor Bradley (7/10):

  Looked lively from the get-go in attack and outshone opposite number Ben Chilwell. Even when he was booked in the first half, the Liverpool fans sung his name in appreciation of his performance.

  Ibrahima Konate (8/10):

  Had a couple of good tussles with Raheem Sterling but seemed to more often than not win that battle. Showed great pace to hold up Nicolas Jackson when through on goal and pulled off some great last-ditch challenges.

  Virgil van Dijk (9/10):

  Looked imperious in Liverpool's backline at times and the totemic figure thought he had scored a superb header only for it to be ruled out for offside in the build-up. The Dutch rock would not be denied, however, and scored the winner at the death to cap off an imperious performance.

  Andrew Robertson (7/10):

  Swung in some dangerous crosses in the first half, the best of which found the head of Cody Gakpo, whose header hit the post, and then for Van Dijk's disallowed goal. Had some trouble with Palmer at times, though.

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• Getty/ GOAL
  

  Midfield

  Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):

  Marshalled the midfield well, showed plenty of energy, got stuck in, and wasn't afraid to try his luck at goal from range. Tired a bit towards the end of his outing.

  Wataru Endo (7/10):

  Was like a pitbull terrier in the early exchanges and pressed Chelsea's players into mistakes. Was, perhaps, unfortunate to be offside moments before Van Dijk looked to have given Liverpool the lead.

  Ryan Gravenberch (4/10):

  Looked a little off the pace in the game's opening stages but before he could make an impact he went off injured following a late challenge by Moises Caicedo.

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  Attack

  Luis Diaz (7/10):

  Seemed to be the biggest threat in Liverpool's more makeshift front three as his pace and trickery caused Chelsea's defence a few issues.

  Cody Gakpo (6/10):

  Went oh so close to breaking the deadlock but his header cannoned off the post. Was a bit rash with some of his finishing and needed to lead from the front more as one of the more senior players.

  Harvey Elliott (6/10):

  Showed some neat touches and interplay and while he perhaps didn't provide enough substance in attack in normal time, grew as extra-time wore on.

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  Subs & Manager

  Joe Gomez (6/10):

  Was caught out a couple of times in defence when he replaced the injured Gravenberch.

  Bobby Clark (7/10):

  Came on for the marauding Bradley in the second half and looked bright when given a chance to shine.

  Konstantinos Tsimikas (7/10):

  Slotted in nicely for Robertson when called upon and also produced some teasing deliveries into the box. Got the assist for the winner at the death.

  Jayden Danns (8/10):

  The youngster looked to run at Chelsea's defence from the moment he came on and directed a well-placed header at goal, that was well saved by keeper Djordje Petrovic. Nearly won it in extra-time, too.

  James McConnell (7/10):

  Settled into the game nicely when he was introduced.

  Jurgen Klopp (9/10):

  Was hamstrung by a raft of injuries and a youthful, inexperienced bench but was brave to trust his young charges in such a big game. He was more proactive than his managerial counterpart Pochettino. In his last season as manager, the German will now try and win the Premier League, Europa League, and FA Cup, too.

Cristiano Ronaldo Junior got to watch his dad fire Portugal to Euro 2024, with the youngster mesmerised by a giant ‘200’ tifo prior to kick-off.

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All-time great in Euro 2024 qualifying actionRecord acknowledged prior to kick-offSecured place at another major finalsWHAT HAPPENED?

The youngster was in attendance for a qualification clash with Slovakia that saw his father bag another brace. Ronaldo senior was once again the star of the show for his country as he dominated proceedings before, during and after.

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Ronaldo continues to rewrite the record books, becoming the first player in the history of men’s international football to reach 200 caps. That achievement was recognised prior to kick-off in Porto on Friday.

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Cristiano Jr sat in the stands – proudly wearing a Sporting jersey at the home of their arch-rivals – and looked on with glee as the efforts of his father were acknowledged. Georgina Rodriguez posted a video on her Instagram account of the 13-year-old taking everything in.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Portugal are now guaranteed to take part at next summer’s European Championship in Germany and it is likely that Cristiano Jr and Georgina will be in attendance again at that event. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, who is playing his club football in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, is reportedly looking to prolong his career through to the 2026 World Cup finals.