Kovacic, Keita and the top 20 transfers of English summer market

With the Premier League transfer window now closed, Goal ranks the completed deals based on value, quality and potential improvement to teams involved

Getty Images20Adama Traore: Middlesbrough to Wolves (£18m/€23m)The former Barcelona man was unquestionably one of the most exciting forwards in the Championship last season and it proved only a matter of time before he was again handed an opportunity to perform in the Premier League. Newcomers Wolves added the explosive winger to their squad ahead of the new season for a club-record £18 million and will be sure the 22-year-old will finally leave his mark in the top flight.AdvertisementGetty19Bernd Leno: Bayer Leverkusen to Arsenal (£19m / €22m)Veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech has held the title of first-choice shot-stopper at Arsenal for three seasons but is now 36 years of age and often faced widespread criticism last season. As a result, the Gunners penned a deal to sign the Germany international. Cech may be afforded the start of the season to prove his worth but Leno's technical ability and composure on the ball will ensure he will immediately be on his team-mate's toes.18Riyad Mahrez: Leicester City to Man City (£60m/€68m)Pep Guardiola required minor tweaks to his Manchester City squad this summer, with Riyad Mahrez again being a target to strengthen his attacking options. The £60 million switch from Leicester City was duly completed and the Algeria international took to the field in his new colours during the International Champions Cup and in City's 2-0 Community Shield victory against Chelsea, immediately impressing his manager. While the price is perhaps a touch heavy, Mahrez's arrival ensures City's strength in depth in attack is unrivalled.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images17Felipe Anderson: Lazio to West Ham (£33.5m/€37m)The 2018-19 Premier League season stands as a decisive one for West Ham, with the relationship between the club chiefs and fans strained. The financial backing Manuel Pellegrini has received as manager offers hope of improvement for the Hammers, with Felipe Anderson's arrival a particularly exciting one. The 25-year-old can be inconsistent but has incredible talent, with brilliant dribbling qualities and lightning pace – and he was one of the best players in the Europa League last term.

Afzal to lead Hong Kong in World T20 Qualifier

Tanwir Afzal named captain as Hong Kong announce squad for 2015-16 season and ICC World T20 qualifiers

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2015Fast-bowling allrounder Tanwir Afzal has been named captain of Hong Kong and allrounder Mark Chapman Afzal’s deputy for the upcoming ICC World T20 qualifiers. Afzal replaced Jamie Atkinson who resigned from the post earlier this month. .Squad for the ICC World T20 qualifiers

Tanwir Afzal (capt), Mark Chapman (vc), Aizaz Khan, Anas Khan, Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Ehsan Nawaz, Haseeb Amjad, Irfan Ahmed, Jamie Atkinson(wk), Kinchit Shah, Nadeem Ahmed, Nizakat Khan, Waqas Barkat, Waqas Khan

“The selectors have had a tough job, however, this would have to be one of the strongest squads we have ever had,” Charlie Burke, the director of Hong Kong cricket, said. “The T20 format best suited us and I’m confident that we will qualify for the World Twenty20 again. The tournament requires us to play our best cricket from the first match, hence we are going to the venues earlier to prepare and get the right balance in the team.””It’s great to have the likes of Anshuman (Rath), Chappy (Mark Chapman) and Kinchit (Shah) back as they are quality batsmen and very good fielders. The focus for the coming weeks will be fielding and game plans.”Hong Kong are drawn in Group A and will play Ireland, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, USA and Jersey. The top four teams in each of the two groups will progress to the quarter finals, and the top six qualify for the group stages of the ICC World Twenty 20 to be held in India in 2016.The HKCA have also announced the full squad for the 2015-16 season and named seven development playersThe full squad: Tanwir Afzal (captain), Adil Mehmood, Aizaz Khan, Ali Skhawat, Anas Khan, Anshuman Rath, Baber Hayat, Ehsan Nawaz, Haseeb Amjad, Irfan Ahmed, Ishtiaq Muhammad, Jamie Atkinson, Kinchit Shah, Manjinder Singh, Mark Chapman, Nadeem Ahmed, Niraj Patwari, Nizakat Khan, Waqas Barkat, Waqas KhanDevelopment squad: Awais Mohammad, Cameron McAulsan, Giacomo Lamplough, Karan Shah, LI Kai Ming, Nick Way, Raag Kapur

Trevoh Chalobah transfer latest: Chelsea eager to sell homegrown star in January as Tottenham and Bayern Munich hand Blues transfer blow

Chelsea have suffered a major setback in their attempt to make a profit from academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah during the January transfer window.

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Chelsea looking to sell Chalobah in JanuarySale will allow club to make signingsWill indicate profit as defender is an academy graduate(C)GettyImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

After a poor start to the season, Mauricio Pochettino has had an eye on the market, with the Blues looking set to sign a striker in January – but they will need to free up some of their budget before they can sign a number nine. Chalobah, who hasn't played in a league game under the Argentine, is one of the players rumoured to depart the Blues.

However, the 24-year-old's prolonged absence has presented Chelsea with a serious challenge. reports that Tottenham and Bayern Munich have now both cooled their interest in the versatile centre-back and are actively looking at other signings, as Chalobah's injury will rule him out until 2024.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

RB Leipzig, AC Milan, and Inter Milan have all expressed an interest in signing Chalobah in the past and are still keeping a close eye on his situation – although they could be put off by his injury record. Chelsea may lower their asking price if there is no interest, but this would obviously have an effect on their budget. The report by also suggests that Newcastle may be interested, as could West Ham, who are looking for cover for Nayef Aguerd when he leaves the club in January for the African Cup of Nations finals.

DID YOU KNOW?

Since he graduated from Chelsea's Cobham Academy, as any sale for Chalobah would represent entire profit for the club, which would be favourable in light of Financial Fair Play rules. As a result, his sale is something that the Blues find appealing internally.

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WHAT NEXT FOR CHALOBAH?

The team is still optimistic that Chalobah will finalise his departure in the upcoming months since he is eager to take on a new challenge. But, in order to find a buyer, they might have to lower their asking price.

Counties benefit Ireland World T20 bid

Ireland captain Will Porterfield has praised the impact of county cricket on his side ahead of the World T20 qualifiers.

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2013Ireland captain William Porterfield has praised the impact of county cricket on his side ahead of the World T20 qualifiers.Porterfield brings his side to the tournament as favourites and near-certainties to claim one of six places available at the World T20 in Bangladesh next year, and Porterfield said opportunities in county cricket have been of great benefit to Ireland.Seven of Ireland’s 15-man squad have a county deal, including Porterfield who is contracted to Warwickshire until 2015 and the chance to play regular high-quality cricket, including in the Friends Life t20 against many of the world’s best players, has gone a long way to helping Ireland develop into the leading Associate nation.”You can go through our side now and there is a high percentage that has played in county cricket at a very high level,” Porterfield said. “That does help in terms of playing cricket day in day out and being competitive. It helps certainly in performing well as a cricketer.”Much criticism has been levied at England for selecting players who have cut their teeth in international cricket with Ireland but, with an absence of a first-class system in Ireland, the English domestic game has been a leading factor in Ireland’s improvement.And in Tim Murtagh, Ireland have been able to attract an English-born player who has made his name in international cricket. Since making his debut in June 2012, Murtagh has established himself with the new ball for Ireland.”Tim has come in and played really well,” Porterfield said. “He’s had a fantastic start to his international career with Ireland, and long may that continue. He’s been a seasoned county pro in the UK and churns out wickets and overs year in year out for Middlesex.”Other members of the Ireland squad with county contracts include Gary Wilson, who enjoyed an excellent season at Surrey including his second first-class century, George Dockrell, often playing as Somerset’s specialist spinner, Sussex captain Ed Joyce and Leicestershire wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien.”Gary Wilson has had a great year with Surrey,” Porterfield said. “He has broken into the first team and held his position in the side as a batter with Steve Davies retaining the gloves. To play the whole season as a batter is a great effort for him.”Two other players with vast amounts of county experience were described as “big players” by Porterfield in T20 – Middlesex’s Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien, who has enjoyed spells at Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Surrey.”In terms of Twenty20, the two big players for us – it has to be Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling, they’re two lads who can play the ropes at will and can score you hundreds off very little balls in this format so they’re going to be two massive players for ourselves.”Porterfield said qualification for the World T20 is “non-negotiable” for Ireland and his players, many of whom can draw on their experiences in the Friends Life t20 in England, should see them safely through to Bangladesh.

Utseya cleared, but can't bowl offspin

Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya can resume bowling in international cricket, but he still won’t be allowed to bowl his offbreak

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2014Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya can resume bowling in international cricket, but he still won’t be allowed to bowl his offbreak. Utseya’s slow and medium-paced deliveries were found to be legal by the ICC, but his offspin deliveries were still measured to be above the permissible limit.Utseya, who had gone undergone remedial work after being banned from bowling in October, had identified his offspin and a variety of slow and medium deliveries as the type of deliveries he would be bowling during the ICC retest. All his slower deliveries were measured within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions, but not his offspin deliveries.During matches, the umpires will still be at liberty to report Utseya if they believe he is displaying a suspect action and not reproducing the legal action that was analysed during the retest. To assist in comparing the action used in the lab to the action used in upcoming matches, umpires have been provided with images and video footage of Utseya’s remodeled legal bowling action.

Johnson injury compounds Kings XI's bowling worries

Kings XI Punjab are potentially the most fearsome batting side in the Champions League T20, but their thin bowling attack has been dealt a blow with an injury to Mitchell Johnson

Karthik Krishnaswamy17-Sep-2014How they got to the CLT20Without Mitchell Johnson and Sandeep Sharma, Kings XI will hope Akshar Patel will carry on his form from the IPL season•BCCIAbu Dhabi, April 18, 2014. When they let Chennai Super Kings hammer their way to 205, it appeared as if Kings XI Punjab had made another disappointing beginning to another disappointing IPL season. What followed was mayhem. Glenn Maxwell smacked 95 off 43 balls, David Miller an unbeaten 54 off 37, and Kings XI won with seven balls to spare. It set the template for their season, and an awe-inspiring batting line-up, led by Maxwell and Miller, powered Kings XI to top of the IPL league table, with 11 wins in 14 games.They lost the first Qualifier to Kolkata Knight Riders, but reached the final on their next attempt, by brushing Super Kings aside with another brutal batting display, led this time by Virender Sehwag’s 58-ball 122. In the final, Knight Riders proved they were a better-balanced side than Kings XI, beating them for the third time in four meetings by chasing down 200.StrengthsKings XI made the four highest totals in the 2014 IPL, emphatic proof that theirs was the most potent batting line-up in the tournament. And it wasn’t about one or two individuals. Maxwell and Miller hogged most of the attention in the league stages, and the others put their hands up in the knock-out matches. Sehwag was the game-changer in the second qualifier against Super Kings, while Wriddhiman Saha set them up in the final with an unbeaten 115 of 55 balls. Looking through the other batting line-ups in the tournament, it’s hard to see any that can match Kings XI for relentless explosive quality.WeaknessesIf Kings XI were the best batting team in the IPL, they were also the most suspect bowling attack. Though they posted four of the nine 200-plus totals in the 2014 season, they conceded four of the other five. One of these instances, crushingly, came in the final. With Mitchell Johnson missing at least the first half of the tournament with a rib injury and Sandeep Sharma sidelined until December, their bowling stocks look pretty bare.Player to WatchHaving begun the IPL season looking absolutely unstoppable, Glenn Maxwell tailed away towards the business end of it. He had a similarly mixed tri-series in Zimbabwe last month, starting with a bang – a 46-ball 93 in the first game against Zimbabwe – but scored only 22 runs in his next four innings. Kings XI, and a lot of neutral fans, will hope to see the inventive, thrill-a-minute Maxwell rather than the indifferent Maxwell.Newbie to Watch Out ForIn a team that leaked runs copiously through the IPL season, Akshar Patel gave Kings XI control with his left-arm spin, picking up 17 wickets and conceding only 6.13 runs an over. Not bad for someone who considers himself a batting allrounder. A calm, unbeaten 42 to steer Kings XI to a four-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils also bolstered his resume and Akshar gained selection for India’s ODI tour of Bangladesh. But the selectors weren’t impressed enough with his performances there to retain him for the England tour. Akshar will want to show everyone he can sustain the level of performance he maintained during the IPL.Past RecordKings XI are making their first appearance in the Champions League T20 tournament

BCCI objects to South Africa tour itinerary

The BCCI has objected to the itinerary of India’s tour to South Africa starting in November, which was announced by Cricket South Africa on Monday

Amol Karhadkar09-Jul-2013The BCCI has objected to the itinerary of India’s tour to South Africa starting in November, which was announced by Cricket South Africa on Monday. According to the BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel, CSA announced the schedule without obtaining the BCCI’s consent.”We have written to CSA mentioning that while we have been discussing the tour itinerary, nothing had been agreed upon (before they announced the schedule). The discussions are on and a consensual decision will come soon,” Patel told ESPNcricinfo. Jagmohan Dalmiya, who has been in charge of the BCCI’s day-to-day affairs with N Srinivasan having stepped aside as president, confirmed that the BCCI had raised “concerns” with CSA.While Patel refused to elaborate on those concerns, Dalmiya said the BCCI had issues with the scheduling of the Tests. At the moment, the tour comprises two Twenty20 internationals and seven ODIs, followed by three Tests.”We have some concerns over the gap between the last two Tests of the three-match series,” Dalmiya told reporters in Kolkata. “We have informed this to our South African counterpart (CSA) and the two boards are trying very amicably to sort out the matter. The new schedule will be announced soon.” *The present schedule has an eight-day gap between the second and third Tests. Earlier this year, when South Africa hosted Pakistan, there was a similar eight-day gap between two Tests. The BCCI prefers to play three-Test series with a three-day interval for home series. The last time India toured South Africa (in 2010-11), the biggest gap was five days – between the first Test at Centurion and the Boxing Day Test. This time, the gap between the first two Tests is just two days, with CSA deciding to reinstate the Boxing Day and New Year Tests to Durban and Newlands respectively.It is learned that the new BCCI administration has concerns with the “number of matches and the itinerary” for the tour. The tour is scheduled to end on January 19, just before the start of the New Zealand tour, though the schedule for that tour hasn’t yet been finalised.The BCCI feels that seven ODIs are “too many”. “If we have five ODIs, perhaps the tour can get over a week early and the boys can have a week-long break before flying to New Zealand,” a BCCI insider said, preferring anonymity. He also revealed that the board has been consulting the players on whether they would prefer to play the Tests before the ODIs.CSA, however, has claimed that it has not received any formal complaint from the BCCI and that they have followed all the correct protocols. “If the BCCI has any concerns they can raise them with us and we will sort them out amicably as we have always done in the past,” Michael Owen Smith, CSA media consultant, said.* – July 9, 2013, 1815 GMT – story updated with Dalmiya quotes

Champions League Power Rankings: Who will take Liverpool's crown in Lisbon?

Europe's premier club competition heads to Portugal with eight of the continent's biggest sides still in with a chance of lifting the trophy

After its unplanned, coronavirus-enforced hiatus, the Champions League is back.

After the culmination of the last 16 saw heavyweights Juventus and Real Madrid eliminated, the competition is down to its final eight sides.

The quarter-finalists have travelled to Lisbon for the final stages, all of which will be played as one-legged matches rather than the normal double-headers.

With the draw all mapped out, clubs know who their prospective opponents could be all the way through to the final. But who are the favourites, and which teams still have work to do?

Goal has ranked the runners and riders to work out who is in the best shape to lift the famous trophy on August 23…

Getty8Lyon

Despite holding a narrow advantage from the first leg, very few observers believed an undercooked Lyon side would have enough to knock Juventus out in Turin.

Rudi Garcia's side, however, stunned the Bianconeri as they just about held off Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. to seal their place among the quarter-finalists.

There they will face an in-form Manchester City, and as the clear underdogs on their side of the draw, it is difficult to see them progressing much further.

But then we said that before the last round, so…

AdvertisementGetty Images7RB Leipzig

They may not be able to call upon talisman Timo Werner in Portugal after he opted out of playing following his move to Chelsea, but RB Leipzig's chances may actually have improved over recent days.

Their quarter-final opponents, Atletico Madrid, have been thrown into chaos this week after two players tested positive for Covid-19, and Julian Nagelsmann's side will hope they can take advantage in Lisbon on Thursday.

Getty Images6Atalanta

Despite the three-month break from football, Atalanta have shown no signs of slowing down since football's resumption, with the free-scoring Bergamo outfit setting Serie A alight on their way to a third-place finish.

They now return to the Champions League with a quarter-final against PSG awaiting them and a potential path to the final which is far less daunting than what faces more established sides on the opposite side of the draw.

Josip Ilicic, who scored five goals across the two legs of their win over Valencia in the last 16, will miss the mini-tournament due to personal reasons, but Gian Piero Gasperini's side still have plenty of firepower to cause opposition defenders problems.

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Getty5Barcelona

It was far from a vintage performance from Barcelona, but Quique Setien's side got the job done against Napoli to book their place among the final eight.

This is where things get difficult though. A quarter-final meeting with many people's favourites, Bayern Munich, awaits them on Friday in a match some are predicting could get ugly for the Blaugrana.

Manchester City are also in their half of the draw, and thus Lionel Messi will likely have to be at his very best for Barca to even have a chance of reaching the final.

However, if any player can single-handedly drive his team forward through adversity, it is the Argentine magician.

Johnson happy to be the intimidator

Mitchell Johnson is pleased to be considered Australia’s enforcer ahead of the Test series against South Africa, but he is conscious of the way his career nosedived after he was in a similar situation in South Africa five years ago

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2014Mitchell Johnson is pleased to be considered Australia’s enforcer ahead of the Test series against South Africa, but he is conscious of the way his career nosedived after he was in a similar situation in South Africa five years ago. This time around, Johnson has landed in South Africa as the reigning Allan Border Medallist and having just been Man of the Series in Australia’s remarkable Ashes clean-sweep.In 2009, he flew to South Africa having just broken Graeme Smith’s left hand with a vicious, spitting delivery in the final Test in Sydney. Johnson responded with another outstanding display against the South Africans and was Player of the Series in the return contest in South Africa, and remarkably managed to break Smith’s other hand during the Durban Test with another fast, rising ball.However, the Ashes tour of England that followed later that year began a slump for Johnson, who struggled to replicate his exploits against South Africa. Now, more mature at 32, he hopes that he will again be able to cash in on his confidence and form against a team that has brought him some of his best memories in Test cricket.”I’m happy to be the intimidator and to be talked of like that,” Johnson told reporters in South Africa on Monday. “I’m coming over here after a great series being the intimidator against England. They’ve obviously seen all that, and I think they [South African spectators] are excited about seeing that as well”I had a lot of English [supporters] come up to me after the series, and even through the series, and they were just saying how good it was and how it brought Test cricket back to life. It’s great to hear those words. But I know I’ve been in this situation before. In ’09, everything was going really well [and then declined], but I’ve learned from that. I’m not going to underestimate anything – I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”Johnson said his past success against Smith – as well as hitting him a number of times he has also dismissed him five times from eight Tests – should hold him in good stead on this tour.”That stuff can be in the back of their minds, definitely. You hope so,” Johnson said. “I’ve played against Graeme Smith a few times now and I’ve hit him a couple of times. I’m hoping that’s still in the back of his mind. That hopefully gives you a bit of an advantage.”But it is a new series and they are a tough opposition. They’re very strong mentally and they’re the No.1 side for a good reason. Once that Test series starts, we’ve got to start from scratch. We’ve got to keep improving as a cricket team. Our goal is to take them over, so it’s a really important series for us.”Johnson’s Ashes series has rocketed him up to No.8 on the ICC’s Test bowling rankings, which means that the upcoming three Tests will feature the five best fast bowlers in the world based on those rankings. Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 and Ryan Harris is third. Peter Siddle sits sixth on the ICC list but all the rest of the bowlers in the top eight are spinners.However, the Australians will have to enter the series without match practice in the South African conditions after their four-day warm-up match in Potchefstroom, which was due to start on Wednesday, was cancelled due to persistent wet weather. Instead, they will have to train in Centurion and hope for some outdoor practice in the lead-up to the first Test.

Chandimal, Mendis edge home in thriller

Dinesh Chandimal chose a thriller to end his half-century drought, guiding Sri Lanka home in the last over in the company of Ajantha Mendis

The Report by Abhishek Purohit27-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLasith Malinga took 4 for 57 to keep Pakistan to 232•AFPIt had been widely noted that Dinesh Chandimal hadn’t made an ODI fifty in nearly a year. He chose a thriller to end the drought, guiding Sri Lanka home in the last over, with the No. 10 Ajantha Mendis for company. Sri Lanka went into the Tests with a scoreline of 2-3, but it could easily have been 1-4.Pakistan made the target of 233 look like 333, despite Kusal Perera’s quick 47 at the start. They absorbed those early blows, and came back with venom, their spinners tying Sri Lanka down and their fast bowlers taking crucial wickets. Chandimal and Mendis battled through all that pressure to engineer a win from 195 for 8, their unbroken stand of 40 coming in only 4.1 overs.It had looked all but over for Sri Lanka when Pakistan nipped out three wickets in three overs, and 38 were needed off 27 balls. Saeed Ajmal, who took two of those three wickets, then seemed to have effectively ended the game when Mendis was given out leg-before first ball in the 46th over. But even as Mendis started to walk away, Chandimal persuaded him to review. Over half of the ball was shown to have landed outside leg stump, and Mendis survived.Sri Lanka then took nine off Junaid in the 47th over, Chandimal continuing to hustle between the wickets and pulling a four. Next up was Ajmal’s last over. Sri Lanka could have opted to play safe and targetted the last 12 deliveries, but Mendis went after Ajmal. And then came the moment where Pakistan let it slip. Mendis hit an airy drive to cover’s left, but Sohaib Maqsood could not hold on to the sharp chance. Not only did Mendis escape a second time, he ran two. He then opened up and cracked a reverse-sweep for four off the last ball of the over.Sri Lanka still needed 18 off 12, but the issue was sealed in the penultimate over. Chandimal got underneath Umar Gul’s first delivery and swung it for six over deep midwicket. Not to be outdone, Mendis stepped out and lofted Gul for six over extra cover three balls later. Game over. With two needed off the final three balls, Mendis hit the winning runs with a slap over extra cover and let out a scream.The match seemed heading for an early finish when Perera pulled four sixes in Sanath Jayasuriya style on his way to 47 off 41. His opening stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan was worth 75 in 12.2 overs but Pakistan got the opening when Perera tried a reverse-sweep Mohammad Hafeez and was lbw.The spinners found turn and the runs dried up. Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara tried finding release against the pace of Junaid but succumbed. When Junaid pulled up to leave the field, Gul arrived to complete the 31st over, and induced Ashan Priyanjan to edge to the wicketkeeper first ball. Angelo Mathews was given caught behind as well, on review off Anwar Ali, with replays not indicating an inside edge onto pad but the two sounds settling it for third umpire Richard Illingworth.Sri Lanka teetered on the brink of defeat losing a clutch of late wickets, but Chandimal kept knocking the ball around and held his nerve along with Mendis.It was a gutting end for Pakistan, especially for Anwar. Drafted in for the final match, he clubbed an unbeaten 41 off 38 to lift Pakistan to a fighting 232 after they had slipped to 194 for 8.Sri Lanka’s attack finally turned up in the series, Lasith Malinga picking up four wickets. Barring the end, Pakistan rarely got going and when they did, they lost wickets to lose whatever momentum they had managed to build.Misbah-ul-Haq’s departure came the next ball after he had swung Malinga for six over deep midwicket to reach his 15th half-century in 32 innings in 2013. The leading ODI run-getter of the year had just showed signs of kicking on from a watchful start but his dismissal and Umar Akmal’s in the next over, meant Pakistan’s long tail had to bat out the last ten overs.Coming in at No. 7 in the absence of Shahid Afridi, Anwar managed to do that. He was on 7 when he was put down at slip by Mathews off Mendis in the 42nd over. He was then given out lbw in the 47th over off Malinga, but reviewed successfully, the ball shown to be missing leg stump on replays. He responded by lofting Malinga for successive boundaries in the 49th over, which went for 16.The late push meant Pakistan had a reasonable score to defend on a track that Mathews, at the toss, had expected to play slow. He had read the pitch superbly, for he opened the bowling with his medium-pace and went on to concede just 26 off ten overs, also dislodging the seemingly irremovable Hafeez for 41 with an incutter.Hafeez, the Man of the Series, hit back with the ball by removing Perera, but Chandimal, after quite some time, showed again why he is considered such a bright prospect.

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