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A career best 73 for Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman set Pakistan up for a convincing win over Australia in Harare

The Report by Daniel Brettig05-Jul-2018
Pakistan gained a mental advantage over Australia by dominating Aaron Finch’s team in a match that served as a dress rehearsal for Sunday’s Twenty20 triangular tournament final at the Harare Sports Club.Having beaten Pakistan comfortably in their first meeting, the Australians put in an unfocused performance, dropping far too short with the new ball after Finch sent Sarfraz Ahmed’s side in to bat to allow Fakhar Zaman to fire off a succession of pull shots on his way to the highest score of the match. They then lost a series of early wickets to the late moving ball in the hands of Faheem Ashraf and the 18-year-old left-armer Shaheen Afridi.Having slid as low as 75 for 5, Australia never looked likely to get close to their target, though the wicketkeeper and vice-captain Alex Carey played another intelligent innings down the order. Pakistan’s victory also served the purpose of preventing Australia from taking their place at the top of the ICC’s T20 international rankings.Both sides had already qualified for Sunday’s tournament final, making this game chiefly a chance to gain information and psychological high ground. Australia kept the same side that delivered comfortable wins over Pakistan and Zimbabwe to be the first team to reach the decider. Pakistan included the youthful Afridi for his second T20I in place of Hasan Ali, while Usman Khan came in for Mohammad Nawaz.4:18

‘Steven Smith is the toughest batsman to bowl to’

On a cold morning in Harare, Billy Stanlake failed to induce the sort of early collapse he had been responsible for in Monday’s match. While Jhye Richardson enjoyed the good fortune of having Haris Sohail clip his first delivery straight to square leg to depart for a golden duck, the Pakistan top order were able to feast on a generous helping of short stuff.Fakhar was the major beneficiary, flashing nine boundaries and a trio of sixes on the way to the highest score of his T20I career thus far – he is Pakistan’s leading run-maker in this tournament by a distance, and will require far more careful planning by Australia’s pacemen and coaches ahead of the decider.They reached 80 inside nine overs before Hussain Talat was cramped for room by Glenn Maxwell’s off-breaks and bowled, and from there a series of nifty partnerships ensured that Finch’s side was unable to restrict the run rate. A particularly heavy toll was taken from the bowling of Ashton Agar, while 18 runs from the final over rather disfigured Aaron Tye’s previously excellent figures.Needing a rapid start given the task they were facing, Finch and D’Arcy Short were instead confounded by Pakistan’s fast men pitching the ball much further up to the bat and finding movement both in the air and off the seam. Finch was cornered by an Afridi delivery bending back at him and was caught behind off the inside edge, then Travis Head’s minimal footwork was exposed when Faheem Ashraf seamed one back to pluck out middle stump.Maxwell managed a pair of boundaries before he played around a late inswinger from Afridi that pinned him in front of middle stump, and the innings of Nic Maddinson – who made the squad despite being cut from the New South Wales contract list – lasted only eight balls before he misread a well-pitched wrong’un from Shadab Khan and was comfortably stumped.Short had persevered without timing the ball with anything like the power of which he is capable, but was well and truly beaten by the yorker Afridi served up on his return to the bowling crease. From there it was largely a matter of damage limitation for the Australians, as Carey knocked the ball around with the sort of resourcefulness that is quickly becoming his trademark without ever looking likely to threaten a distant target.Pakistan will now go into the final with plenty of confidence, while the Australians must face Zimbabwe before reconsidering their approach to Fakhar, Afridi and the rest of Sarfraz’s team.

After winning three MVP awards in the past four seasons, the fact that Shohei Ohtani is a tough hitter to face on the mound is not a shocker.

But hearing from one of the players stuck going up against him, the challenge of taking on Ohtani becomes a whole lot clearer, and much more fascinating.

San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King spoke with Rob Friedman (known as @PitchingNinja across baseball social media) and broke down in detail how hard it is to get an out from Ohtani.

“You have to be able to command all four quadrants. You can’t sit on a certain area, even if you’re throwing multiple pitches in that area, he’s going to get you,” King said. “The scouting report that I had on him was that we had to get in on him. I threw a first pitch four-seamer, up and in, dotted up and in, and he ripped it 110 MPH down the right field line.”

King also praised Ohtani’s ability to make adjustments mid-game, citing a battle between him and Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes. After Skenes got the better of Ohtani in their first matchup, Ohtani made him pay.

While taking on Ohtani is one of the toughest assignments King gets as a pitcher, it’s one he faces with pride.

“It’s a good challenge. I’d much rather face the best of the best and hopefully dominate the best of the best,” King said. “It’s a blessing and a curse to be able to face guys like that, because they’re definitely going to get you, and they definitely got me last year. But it’s a really fun kind of cat and mouse game, and it’s my favorite part of pitching.”

Intent aplenty from England’s bowlers, but four catches go astray to derail their efforts

Alan Gardner10-Jun-2022In the 44th over of the first day’s play at Trent Bridge, James Anderson sent down a slightly overpitched delivery in the channel outside off stump. After a morning session in which England’s bowlers had striven largely in vain to find lateral movement, despite some encouraging cloud cover and a grassy pitch, the ball started to do something for them mid-afternoon. Anderson gave this one every opportunity to swing, but it was a touch too full and Tom Blundell crashed it through point for four.In times gone by, this shot would have trundled out to the fielder in the deep, and Blundell would have got off the mark with a single rather than a boundary. The strategy of “bowling dry”, of keeping things tight and waiting for the opposition batters to make a mistake, underpinned England’s rise to No. 1 in the rankings back in 2010-11. But that is not the way they roll, not anymore.Anderson, at the time, was bowling to a 5-4 field – with four of the five men on the off side positioned either in the slips or at gully. The only time his captain, Ben Stokes, considered posting a cover sweeper was when the spinners were bowling during late afternoon, as Blundell and Daryl Mitchell settled into a significant stand together for the second Friday running.Under the guidance of new head coach Brendon McCullum, this England Test team is all about packing the cordon, putting men back on the hook, and bringing in a leg gully (extra points if you can do all three at once). As Stuart Broad put it before the first Test of the series: “The mindset is how we get the batter to make a mistake quicker: how do we apply pressure quicker? If we can bowl a team out in 85 overs going at 3.3 an over, compared to 120 at 2.5 … that’s a better option as it speeds the game up for our batters.”The potential drawback, of course, is that speeding up the game can invite a loss of control. Tearing around the supermarket trying to chuck all of your shopping in the trolley at once, in order to maximise time spent drinking piña coladas by the barbecue afterwards, might sound like a good idea but will probably lead to a call over the tannoy for a clean-up on aisle five.Cleaning up is what England were hoping to do after Stokes won the toss and asked New Zealand – a team shorn of their captain and best batter, Kane Williamson – to bat first. Instead, their plans were left in something of a mess as New Zealand marched past 300 for the loss of just four wickets.Stuart Broad had a frustrating day in what might be his final Trent Bridge Test•PA Photos/Getty ImagesJon Lewis, England’s bowling coach, summed up the thinking afterwards: “I think the most important thing about the toss was that it was the aggressive play. We were coming out to try and bowl New Zealand out, put them into bat and make the aggressive play after last week.”Attack, never mind the neat aphorism, is not usually the best form of defence. But attack is the best form of attack, and that is what McCullum’s England are into. Their first day of Test cricket under the new regime had brought 17 wickets at Lord’s – and darn tootin’, the carnage might just as well continue here, on a ground that has a reputation as one of England’s most swing-friendly.But then… the Dukes barely budged off the straight for the first couple of hours, and New Zealand rattled along at around four an over for much of the day. The opening partnership was worth 84, and England had barely created a chance, before Stokes brought himself on and finally produced the breakthrough. Anderson struck next ball, although the embarrassed grin told you plenty about the half-tracker Tom Latham had just swatted to midwicket.Perhaps it is wrong to focus on England’s intent, when in reality it was simply their execution that was off. Broad seemed to realise this when starting up a new spell from the Radcliffe Road End after lunch. New Zealand had scored 20 boundaries during the morning session, and Devon Conway stroked a couple more through the covers as Broad floated up the drive ball.Playing on his home ground, potentially for the last time in an England shirt (there is no Test scheduled for Trent Bridge next year), Broad realised a more disciplined approach was in order. The gap at cover point was plugged and he settled into hammering away on a length outside off, deliberately geeing up the crowd once again and setting the tone for England’s best spell with the ball.Unfortunately, England’s best spell with the ball was accompanied by their first blemishes in the field – at Lord’s, remember, they didn’t put a chance down. Broad should have been rewarded with the wicket of Henry Nicholls, but Zak Crawley threw himself across Joe Root and palmed away what would have been a straightforward catch for first slip. Nicholls also got away with gloving a Matthew Potts short ball in front of leg gully, Stokes the man who wasn’t quite able to get to the chance.Related

• No let-up in prospect as England, New Zealand lock horns again at Trent Bridge

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But Stokes once again brought himself on to good effect, as England’s aggressive harrying briefly looked like tipping the contest back their way. Nicholls and Conway fells to catches behind the wicket, and Stokes was able to bowl to Mitchell with five slips in the cordon. Had Root held on to a regulation outside edge when Mitchell had made just 3, with the debutant Michael Bracewell and a fairly long tail to come, England might well have carried the day.”We’re choosing at the moment to take the aggressive option, and be courageous with what we do,” Lewis said. “At times in games, you’ll see with bat and ball, we might come up against a period of time when it doesn’t go quite our way. But what I did like about today was the areas the guys bowled, especially after lunch, I thought we looked a real threat in that middle session. As the day went on, I thought we worked incredibly hard to get the wickets we deserved, and we could easily have bowled them out for 250.”Shortly after tea, Potts pitched the ball up outside off and Blundell again went for the drive: this time a thick outside-edge flew through the vacant third slip for four. Stokes reinforced the cordon two balls later, but the chance had gone. Later, Blundell edged Broad neatly between the unmoving Crawley and Jonny Bairstow at second and third slip, to the bowler’s evident displeasure. England’s positive talk is laudable, but backing it up with action will be key to the McCullum blueprint’s success.

أسدل قبل قليل الستار على مباريات الدور الـ8 لبطولة كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين، ليحسم أربعة فرق صعودهم إلى نصف نهائي البطولة.

افتتحت مواجهات المرحلة بفوز الرائد على الجبلين بركلات الترجيح بنتيجة 4-3، بعد انتهاء اللقاء بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لكل فريق.

وفي ثاني المباريات تأهل الشباب على حساب الفيحاء بفوز بهدفين مقابل هدف، ثم فاز القادسية على التعاون بثلاثية دون رد.

واختتمت المواجهات بمباراة ماراثونية بين الهلال (حامل لقب البطولة) والاتحاد التي حسمها الأخير بركلات الترجيح بعد انتهاء الوقت الأصلي والإضافي بنتيجة 2-2.

تشكيل مباراة الهلال والاتحاد في ربع نهائي كأس خادم الحرمين

وكان فريقا النصر والأهلي قد ودعا البطولة، إذ خسر العالمي على يد التعاون في دور الـ16 بهدف دون رد، لاحقًا بالفريق الجداوي الذي خسر أمام الجندل في دور الـ32.

ومن المقرر أن تقام مباراتا الدور نصف النهائي لبطولة كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين يومي 1 و2 أبريل المقبل، على أن تقام قرعة المواجهات خلال الساعات المقبلة. المتأهلون إلى نصف نهائي كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين

الرائد

الشباب

القادسية

الاتحاد

Chelsea will be disappointed as to how their season is unfolding again, staring at a mid-table spot in the Premier League on Christmas Day to the dismay of everyone connected with the Blues.

An inconsistent December to date has seen wins usually followed up by losses, unable to string together a positive sequence of results in order to propel them up the division and compete with the likes of fellow London clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at the top-end of the table.

Chelsea have given a number of their young talents a go this campaign in one positive, out with the old and in with the new very much the overriding mantra at Stamford Bridge now with the likes of Malo Gusto and Cole Palmer benefitting from this change of approach.

Chelsea could look to sign a promising young left-back to further delve into the market of promising gems if rumours are correct, the player in question a major upgrade on an ageing Ben Chilwell.

Chelsea transfers latest – Chilwell upgrade

Past rumours have suggested that Chelsea are keen on signing Barcelona hot-shot Alejandro Balde this January, with a report in one Spanish publication last month stating that the Blues and Manchester United are both actively pursuing the 19-year-old talent to persuade him to come to England.

This has further been backed up by FootballTransfers, who state that the rich west London outfit could play on Barcelona's current financial instability to land the Spanish prospect next month.

It's a position Chelsea do need to strengthen in soon, lacking numbers in the left-back spot with both Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella sidelined with injury.

Even if both options were available, Balde would walk into the side on his arrival to west London as a fresh and exciting defender more in-keeping with the forward-thinking Blues side still being constructed.

Alejandro Balde's style of play

Balde is the definition of a modern-day full-back, adept at venturing forward with blistering pace to burn and weaving runs as much as he is competent in tracking back and showing defensive grit.

The statistics are overwhelmingly in his favour on FBRef, which showcases his prowess in attack, receiving a staggering 9.56 progressive passes per 90 minutes over the last year at the Camp Nou.

In stark contrast, when Chilwell has been fit and selected by Chelsea over the same time period, the 27-year-old falls short of Balde's ridiculous total with 7.41.

In other comparisons, Balde continues to blow the ex-Leicester City man out of the water.

The teenage Barca sensation has averaged 4.69 progressive carries to Chilwell's inferior 2.74, further adding insult to injury by trumping him again with 2.09 successful take-ons to his Chelsea counterpart's weak 0.70.

Balde's exuberant performances this year have seen his current La Liga club slap an extortionate £865m (€1bn) release clause above his head, in an attempt to detract a suitor coming in and stealing a player that could be a future icon at the club.

Referred to as a "gem" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – who has further showered the 19-year-old with outlandish labels such as Balde being "one of the best left backs in Europe" in the past – Chelsea should go all in on signing the hot property in January.

Not quite the finished article by any means – falling short of Chilwell in tackles just with 1.43 compared to 1.46 – Balde will hope he can learn and grow at Stamford Bridge alongside his rough around-the-edges team to then go on and achieve greatness together.

Newcastle United are reportedly battling two Premier League rivals for the signing of a "very interesting" player who has been dubbed a "great" in his position.

Newcastle suffer Nick Pope injury blow

The Magpies look like a team on their last legs at the moment, with so many tired performances on show, especially in Sunday's 4-1 defeat away to Tottenham. Eddie Howe has been dealt some terrible luck in the injury department since August, with so many key players unavailable throughout the campaign, making it hard to rotate and keep everyone fresh across various competitions.

Perhaps the most damaging injury setback of the season to date has been the one suffered by Nick Pope, with a serious shoulder issue expected to keep him out of action for many months. The Englishman has been a huge influence since arriving from Burnley, proving to be such a reliable figure between the sticks, and Martin Dubravka's uninspiring performance against Spurs arguably highlighted the need to bring in a new 'keeper during the January transfer window.

Former Manchester United stopper David De Gea has been linked as a target for Newcastle, with the Spaniard currently a free agent, while Crystal Palace's Sam Johnstone is also considered an option for the Magpies. Now, another name has been thrown into the mix, with an exciting young 'keeper believed to be on Howe's radar ahead of the January transfer window.

Newcastle want Giorgi Mamardashvili

According to a fresh transfer update from Spain, Newcastle are interested in completing the signing of Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The Magpies are not the only Premier League club who are keen on snapping up the 23-year-old, though, with Manchester United and Tottenham also believed to be admirers of his. Mamardashvili could be precisely what Newcastle are looking for to make up for the costly absence of Pope, with the Georgian a highly-rated player with most of his career still ahead of him at 23 years of age.

This season, the Magpies transfer target has started 16 matches in La Liga, winning one Man of the Match award from WhoScored in the process, and he is also a 14-time capped Georgia international, showing that he is an important player at international level, too. Legendary former Spain and Valencia 'keeper Santiago Canizares has heaped praise on him in the past, saying:

"He’s a great goalkeeper, he’s a very high-level player. And then in addition to that he’s very young. Goalkeepers improve year on year, so I couldn’t tell you what level he could reach. If he keeps improving at the current rate, it’s impossible to say how good he could get. He could be a very interesting target for any European club. And then the position that his club are in mean that it’s natural that he’d be on the transfer market."

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The lure of the Premier League could be great for Mamardashvili, and Newcastle could appeal the most, considering he would be almost certain to go straight into the side without Pope around, with Dubravka a step down in quality.

Ipswich Town cemented their stronghold on the automatic promotion positions with a 3-2 home win against Swansea City just before the International break, eight points now separate Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys and their nearest challengers Leeds United who occupy third.

Scoring a league-best 36 goals for the Championship, Ipswich have been enthralling to watch going forward – forwards such as Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin unnerving second-tier defences with their potency so far this season, whilst other unexpected figures in the first-team set-up have also chipped in with goals to give Ipswich a continued element of surprise in attack.

Omari Hutchinson has helped when needed too, the Chelsea loanee joining Portman Road in the summer in the hopes of learning the ropes at senior level fast and excelling with the Tractor Boys.

The 20-year-old has two goals and three assists from 19 games in all competitions since making the short-term switch from Stamford Bridge, one of those goals helping his new employers overcome Southampton 1-0 away at St Mary's.

Ipswich will hope they can add to their squad with more useful loanees if possible, even going back to Chelsea and potentially recruiting another couple players from the Blues when the transfer window re-opens.

Here are three Chelsea players that could follow in Hutchinson's footsteps in relocating to Suffolk…

1 Jamie Cumming

Ipswich could do with adding fresh blood into the goalkeeper positions at the club, first-choice shot-stopper Vaclav Hladky underwhelming in between the sticks with 21 goals conceded from the 16 Championship games he's featured in.

Goalkeeper Jamie Cumming could well be a welcome addition from Chelsea on a loan deal for the Tractor Boys therefore, who do already have Cieran Slicker as a young back-up purchased from Manchester City this summer.

But, the Blues keeper is far more experienced figure than his ex-Man City counterpart – the 24-year-old a recognisable figure to EFL fans at this point in time, featuring for Stevenage, Gillingham and MK Dons out on loan.

The 6 foot 2 goalkeeper would even win Player of the Year whilst at Milton Keynes in League One, Cumming keeping 14 clean sheets in total across all competitions last season.

McKenna could look to the 24-year-old as a useful utility figure to sign if Hladky continues to leak goals at his current rate, the Chelsea man eager to get back out there and gain more experience with a new club.

2 Josh Brooking

Named on the bench in the Premier League against Fulham in October, 21-year-old Chelsea talent Josh Brooking could be ready for his first loan move ever away from Stamford Bridge to get a taste of senior football.

Brooking has amassed 75 appearances as a centre-back for both the Chelsea U21s and U18s, helping himself to two goals from the back along the way.

McKenna could swoop in for the young English defender to bolster his centre-back positions and give first-teamers Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess some friendly competition, both players in question always guaranteed starters under their manager.

When the fixture schedule becomes congested towards the end of December, Brooking's potential addition could prove to be a masterstroke and allow the Ipswich manager more freedom with his line-up selection in the New Year.

3 Leo Castledine

The standout performer for Chelsea U21s from this current Premier League 2 campaign, Leo Castledine could be in line for a loan move away to an EFL club soon to show off his talents at a senior level.

Casteldine's numbers for the youthful Blues are staggering, contributing to ten goals this season for Chelsea from only eight games played – scoring four times and assisting a further six goals, the attacking midfielder arguably outgrowing his current age bracket.

McKenna's side could do with some reinforcements in central attacking midfield, Chaplin is operating there at this current point in time in a second striker style role but Castledine would – much like Brooking – keep another first-team figure on his toes if he was signed.

The 18-year-old is tipped to have a very bright future in the game, Ipswich Town in their current free-flowing state going forward also a perfect environment for the teenager to come into and grow from.

Sunderland will be eager to win away at Plymouth Argyle this Saturday in Championship action, a potentially pivotal three points for the Black Cats could be secured at the expense of Carlos Corberan's West Bromwich Albion if the Baggies slip up versus Ipswich Town in the evening.

West Brom are directly below Tony Mowbray's playoff chasers at the moment in seventh spot, only behind Sunderland on goal difference at this moment in time with the Black Cats' potency in front of goal giving them a slight edge in this early season butting of heads for the final playoff position.

6th – Sunderland: 26 points, GD: +10

7th – West Brom: 26 points, GD +9

8th – Hull City: 26 points, GD +3

Plymouth are an opponent Sunderland cannot take lightly this weekend, however, especially with the Pilgrims hosting the contest at Home Park – Steven Schumacher's men picking up four wins from eight home games in the Championship so far after lifting the League One title at the end of last campaign.

A selection conundrum that Mowbray will contend with prior to this game in Devon will be who starts in the centre-back positions, with young defender Jenson Seelt underwhelming in the 3-1 home win over Birmingham City despite the positive result.

Jenson Seelt's numbers vs Birmingham

The 20-year-old, who was a summer buy from PSV Eindhoven to add some more bodies defensively, has shown signs of nerves when fielded by Mowbray in the starting line-up this season.

This was particularly evident against Birmingham, but his poor showing didn't derail his side at all to the relief of the die-hard Stadium of Light faithful watching on.

Seelt was weak when it came to asserting himself up against the Blues attackers, only winning half of his overall duels, as per Sofascore.

Whereas, his defensive colleague Trai Hume won six of his nine ground duels on the day to make up for Seelt's below-par display.

It led to Roker Report journalist Andy Tomlinson giving Seelt a 5/10 rating in an article after the game, saying the pace of the game was 'too much' for the 20-year-old to cope with.

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The former PSV youngster could well be dropped from Mowbray's first team for the trip down to Devon as a result, especially with the news that senior centre-back option Luke O'Nien will be back and ready for action after serving a suspension.

Luke O'Nien as Seelt's replacement

Predominantly playing as a defensive midfielder or central midfielder throughout his career, O'Nien has excelled under Mowbray this campaign featuring even further back in the heart of defence.

O'Nien's own hot-headedness can be his undoing – picking up his fifth yellow card of the season already against Swansea meant he was unavailable for the Birmingham win – but the commitment and determination shown by Sunderland's number 13 on a regular basis when picked is a trait the Black Cats masses can't help but love.

Winning four out of his five aerial duels in that Swansea 0-0 draw, O'Nien's ability on the ball – which has seen him play centrally under Mowbray – also shone even from the back.

Sunderland's captain was accurate with both of his crosses into the Swans area on the day, attempting to unlock a dogged defence all afternoon, even whilst carrying out his standard defensive duties.

For a tough test away at the Pilgrims, Mowbray could well opt to start the former Wycombe Wanderers man over his promising Dutch defender to give Seelt a breather and to ensure Sunderland are rock solid up against Schumacher's Argyle.

Kylian Mbappe was on fire for Paris Saint-Germain as he scored three and set up another goal in a 6-2 annihilation of Montpellier on Sunday.

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PSG smash six past MontpellierMbappe involved in four goalsNow 12 points clear in Ligue 1GettyTELL ME MORE

The French forward's importance to the team was on show throughout the game as PSG, despite their dominance, let Montpellier back into the match in a shaky spell late in the first half.

It looked like it was going to be an easy day for PSG when they opened the scoring inside the first quarter of an hour. Mbappe worked the ball to Vitinha outside the box and he easily stepped beyond one Montpellier player before unleashing a strike from the edge of the area to send his team into the lead. PSG then hit Montpellier with a rapid counter attack that ended with Mbappe combining with Randal Kolo Muani before the former rolled into the net from a tight angle.

Montpellier managed to pull a goal back through Arnaud Nordin and Wahbi Khazri had a great chance to score an equaliser but his effort was cleared by Danilo. They did not have to wait much longer to get the equaliser, though, when Danilo's awful pass back put Gianluigi Donnarumma under pressure and he collided with Tanguy Coulibaly and the referee pointed to the penalty spot, which Teji Savanier blasted into the top corner.

Mbappe came to the rescue early in the second half when he received the ball outside the box, had a glance at goal and then smashed it over Dimitry Bertaud and in off the bar. Right after it, Lee Kang-in issued a challenge to Mbappe for the best goal of the game when he played a one-two with Kolo Muani and curled in a beauty from outside the box.

Outgoing talisman Mbappe took back the limelight from his Korean co-star, however, when he raced through to complete his hat-trick. After Montpellier were denied a penalty through VAR, Vitinha teed up Nuno Mendes for a fantastic goal to finish the game off at 6-2.

AdvertisementGettyTHE MVP

At his illustrious best, Mbappe showed the quality that PSG will sorely miss when he leaves on a free transfer. He was tremendous from start to finish and showed his individual brilliance in all three of his goals after helping spark the team into life with the assist for the opener.

GettyTHE BIG LOSER

PSG centre-back Pereira had a role in both of Montpellier's goals. He tried to meet a cross and ended up knocking it to Nordin for a simple header from close range. Despite his vital clearance to prevent Khazri from equalising, the Portuguese defender's awful pass to Donnarumma caused the penalty.

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WHAT COMES NEXT?

PSG are now 12 points clear of Brest at the top of Ligue 1 and will hope to protect that lead when they return to domestic action against Marseille on March 31.

Vice-captain sees the absence of key names as an opportunity for new faces to stake their claim

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-20181:37

‘Need to play as much as we can’ – Finch

Aaron Finch says that the inexperience in Australia’s one-day squad could prove to be a blessing in disguise as they finalise their preparations for next week’s first ODI against England at The Oval, and beyond that, next year’s World Cup.Finch made a solid 78 on Thursday night to set up Australia’s hard-earned 57-run win against Sussex at Hove, which was also their first outing in national colours since the end of their seismic Test tour of South Africa in April.The Australia squad was forced to lie low for a few months after returning home from South Africa, as the ball-tampering scandal erupted around them, but Finch said that he could feel an eagerness to get stuck in in the new-look squad, adding that “there’s only so many laps of ovals you can run before you start to go crazy”.

Australia ready to ‘cop some banter’

Australia’s match against Sussex on Thursday was their first encounter with English crowds since the ball-tampering scandal broke, and Finch admitted that their jibes were something that the team would have to take in its stride as the tour progressed.
“I think anytime you are touring you’re going to cop some great banter,” he said. “The chants and the songs and the stick that they give us in all in good fun, but you’re going to keep copping it if you don’t interact with them, if you don’t get on board with them and have some fun. It’s a part of playing over here, you expect that, and it’s all in good jest most of the time.”

“There’s a lot of excitement around, any time you bring young guys into the squad for their first or second tour, it brings a lot of energy around the group,” Finch said. “A lot of the guys have had time off over the last couple of months, the guys who weren’t in the IPL, so it’s a great chance to get stuck into cricket.”Australia will begin next week’s contest as rank outsiders against England’s No.1-ranked ODI team, but Finch sees the absence of so many first-choice candidates for next year’s World Cup squad as an opportunity for some new faces to stake a claim. In so doing, they may also lift Australia’s standards in a format in which they have lost each of their last three bilateral series, against New Zealand, India and England, as well as suffering an early elimination in the Champions Trophy.”There’s a few guys here that it’s the first time I’ve toured with,” he added, “and I’ve been around a little while now. But our one-day cricket hadn’t been that great over the last 18 months to two years, so who knows, if we give these young guys a few opportunities, they can do some wonderful things. There are some guys in this squad who are going to be great players.”Finch is Australia’s vice-captain on this tour, and will also captain the T20 team in the absence of David Warner, but he didn’t envisage a sea-change to the role that he has played for Ausralia since cementing his spot in the limited-overs team five years ago.Aaron Finch plays into the leg side•Getty Images

“Being vice-captain you lead by example on and off the field, but I think that, being an opening batter, you have the opportunity to set the tone for the team, so that’s not much of a change,” he said. “But with a young group, there’s not a lot of experience, so it’s about helping them as much as I can, along with Tim [Paine], Glenn Maxwell and other guys who’ve been around for a time.”The tour is also Justin Langer’s first as Australia coach, and Finch admitted that, while Langer’s first press conference had been full of smiles and jokes as he set about reframing the debate over sledging, Finch admitted that the new boss had a steely side that few players would want to encounter.”When we got to Brisbane for our training camp. it was the first time that JL had had a chance to address us all together,” said Finch. “He just laid down what he expected of the Australian cricket team, and how he sees the team going forward. There wasn’t anything that you wouldn’t expect a new coach to do.”But you don’t want to be in his glare!” Finch added. “I’ve been there before, not on this tour, but in the past. There were some easy comments you could make to him when he was coach of Western Australia. It was easy to wind him up.”Finch played most of his Australia career to date under the gaze of Darren Lehmann, who resigned from his post on the eve of the Johannesburg Test in March. “They are both great coaches in their own right. We’ve had a lot of success with [Darren] as an Australian coach, and JL I’ve no doubt will have a lot of success. With Perth, he’s done some wonderful things. And at the end of the day, whoever is coach of the side has the opportunity to mould the culture the way they want it.”