Australia’s selectors have made a host of changes for the Adelaide Test, with five men dropped after the loss to South Africa in Hobart

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide20-Nov-20164:23

We were given charter to revamp side – Hohns

Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson have been thrust into the firing line as debut batsmen for an embattled Australia amid a drastically changed squad for the third Test against South Africa.The interim selection chairman Trevor Hohns also included Chadd Sayers as an Adelaide Oval specialist for the day/night match alongside Jackson Bird, with Matthew Wade to retake the gloves in a Test for the first time since the 2013 tour of India.Six changes from one Test squad to another is a figure not seen in Australian cricket history since 1984, when the same number was made between back-to-back Test series against the fearsome West Indies team that ultimately broke Kim Hughes’ captaincy.Joe Burns, Adam Voges (concussion), Callum Ferguson, Peter Nevill and Joe Mennie are the casualties of the innings defeat in Hobart that handed the series to South Africa and also triggered the resignation of the selection chairman Rod Marsh. Hohns spared a thought in particular for Ferguson, dropped after his debut Test.”We were given the charter to revamp the Test match side,” Hohns said. “Sure it may sound harsh but Callum like all of our players except for our bowlers went back to Sheffield Shield cricket, had their opportunity to press their claims for inclusion in this side. Some have, some haven’t and I would suggest that Callum is not discarded by any means. Doesn’t mean the end of the road and we would love Callum to continue to score a lot of runs and belt the door down and demand selection again.”There may have been another change too if not for a calf injury to the left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe, who had up until Saturday been favoured to oust the incumbent the spin bowler Nathan Lyon, who has struggled notably for wickets or impact so far this summer.”Stephen was in serious contention there’s no doubt,” Hohns said. “Nathan as we all know, has over 200 Test wickets, he’s our best off-spinner that we’ve had ever, so it might not be that he’s not taking wickets at the moment, but there’s no indication that he’s bowling poorly. I’m sure if he continues to bowl well as we say in cricket, the wheel always turns.”Hohns spoke strongly of Renshaw as an occupier of the crease, and of Handscomb and Maddinson as aggressive players in the classic Australian mould. Maddinson’s inclusion was somewhat surprising ahead of his fellow New South Welshman Kurtis Patterson, but he has been highly regarded for some time – even playing for Australia A in England in 2013 on the day Darren Lehmann was appointed coach in place of Mickey Arthur. Maddinson is also close to the captain Steven Smith, who will fancy his chances of extracting the left-hander’s best.”We see him as a player of enormous potential,” Hohns said of Maddinson. “He is definitely a game breaker and if we can get the best out of him at that level as I think we can, he could be a very, very important player for us down the track.”Form on the first two [Renshaw and Maddinson] were very important, there was always an area at the top of the order that was in contention. And Peter Handscomb getting 200, he’s been there and thereabouts for a good couple of years now. He’s always been spoken about in our selection meetings, hasn’t quite made the cut recently but now his form can’t be ignored.”Sometimes you do of course go with your gut, as they say. It’s all very well looking at statistics all the time but sometimes, particularly right now, we were asked to go with some players. And we decided to do that of course, because we obviously need to, go with some players that we thought could play for Australia and hold us in good stead for years to come.”Bird and Sayers were included primarily as support bowlers for Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Both had been chosen for the tour of New Zealand earlier this year. “Chadd’s a very good performer, and a very good performer in Adelaide and that’s why he’s been chosen for this Test match,” Hohns said. “He bowls very well here as we all know, it was only two Sheffield Shield games ago he took 11 or 12 wickets here. Hopefully, if he plays, he can continue to perform well.”Wade’s inclusion marks a significant change in philosophy for Australia, rewarding his batting ability and fighting demeanour ahead of the neater gloveman in Nevill. Lyon in particular will have to get used to the change. “[Nevill] very unlucky, there’s no doubt about that, but we consider Matthew Wade’s wicketkeeping has improved to the extent that we’ve gone in that direction,” Hohns said. “There’s no secret Matthew Wade’s batting is very, very good, in fact he’s scored hundreds in Test cricket.”He’s obviously seen as a tough competitor and that is what we’re looking for in our players now, and we want them to get out there now and have a fair crack at this and go forward with that. We don’t expect an immediate turnaround, but we’ve got a bit of faith in these guys now.”Squad David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.

Arsenal deserve huge praise for the way in which they returned to the apex of English football, putting their trust in Mikel Arteta and remaining with him through the good times and the bad.

It is a method that has been so successful that clubs such as Everton, Aston Villa and even Chelsea sought to emulate it, placing their faith in a younger coach to lead them into the future. However, given that Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Graham Potter have now all been dismissed, it is clear that the Gunners invested wisely in their young tactician.

The Spaniard has retained the glorious free-flowing play style that the Emirates had become accustomed to, but finally harnessed some of the solid players to remove the weakness that often plagued the club.

Despite only finishing second, this has been a campaign of rapid progression.

Now, in an attempt to stride into this summer window and acquire more players in this steely yet silky mould, Hakan Calhanoglu has emerged as an outstanding option for Edu. His tireless work rate is paired with unparalleled creativity, making his €40m (£34m) valuation a seemingly fair price.

How good is Hakan Calhanoglu?

The Turkey international's key assets could see the Gunners replicate Manchester United's success with Christian Eriksen, having converted the former number ten into more of a number eight, with his defensive assets called into action.

It did not take long for the 31-year-old to prove his worth, with his debut year in Old Trafford seeing him maintain an 85% pass accuracy, 1.3 key passes and 1.8 duels won per game, via Sofascore. The injection of 12 goal contributions from deep is an added benefit too.

Meanwhile, for Inter Milan, the 29-year-old has maintained a 7.31 average rating this term, bolstered by his 2.2 key passes, 1.4 tackles and 2.9 duels won per game, via Sofascore.

Just last season also saw him record 21 goal contributions of his own, showcasing how these former attacking midfielders have moulded their styles to adapt to the modern game, without losing that touch of offensive class.

FBref serves to support this comparison too, with Eriksen featured among the former AC Milan gem's similar players list.

The latter's tireless nature is further emphasised through the words of his former coach Stefano Piolo, who claimed: "A lot of the credit goes to him, he’s a generous player with high quality, he works for the team."

Clearly a big fan of the Turkish trickster, on a separate occasion he also branded the £155k-per-week star a "leader on the pitch and "an intelligent player".

Calhanoglu clearly has all the assets needed to shine in the engine room, and when partnered with the defensive exploits of Thomas Partey, or even Declan Rice should recent reports come true, his career could reach new heights as Arteta seeks to push even closer to that coveted Premier League title.

Sydney’s Test match has the duality of starting the year but ending the series

The Preview by Daniel Brettig02-Jan-2017

Match facts

January 3-7, 2017
Start time 1030 local (2330 GMT)3:28

Samiuddin: Pakistan could go for two spinners

Big Picture

Sydney’s Test match has the duality of starting the year but ending the series. Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq has certainly been thinking about ending at the start of 2017, even if he’s now retreated somewhat from the openness he offered in the aftermath of the Melbourne defeat. By contrast, Australia would like the end of this series to be the start of the next assignment, as the squad selection for the SCG made patently clear. That being said, the captain Steven Smith isn’t exactly eager to place both eyes on the looming tour of India and its myriad challenges: a clean sweep of Pakistan, having spent much of the past six months pondering defeats rather than victories, would be a welcome outcome.Having spent four Test matches without an allrounder, Australia have returned to Darren Lehmann’s favoured formula, this time with Hilton Cartwright on debut rather than Mitchell Marsh on spec. Cartwright is a batsman first and a bowler later; the question remains whether Smith will fully trust someone who didn’t bowl a single ball at the SCG when he visited for a Sheffield Shield fixture earlier in the season. Instead the match was dominated by spinners – Steve O’Keefe, Will Somerville and Ashton Agar shared no fewer than 27 wickets between them. Agar has not been included in the XI, but can feel relatively secure of his place on the plane to India. Smith and Lehmann will be looking for signs that two quicks, two spinners and Cartwright can do a strong job this week. Also that neither Mitchell Starc nor Josh Hazlewood fall prey to overwork.Pakistan arrived in Australia with plenty of optimism, and had it somewhat bolstered by a resilient display in Brisbane. But the collapse of the team on the final day in Melbourne, after rain had made the draw by far the more likely result, raised plenty of old questions about temperament and consistency. A matter of months after ascending to No. 1 in the world, the visitors are now on the cusp of their worst ever losing streak in Tests. Whether or not Misbah chooses to finish up, he will be aware of the need to finish this series, at least, on a better note than that.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


Australia: WWWLL

Pakistan: LLLLL
As much as he’d like a clean sweep of this series, Steven Smith will also have an eye on the India tour that follows it•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

In the spotlight

No one can doubt Steve O’Keefe’s ability as a first-class performer for New South Wales. Nor can they question the way he bowled for Australia in each of his past two Test matches, one at the SCG last January and then one in Sri Lanka in July. But the fact that it has been close to six months since O’Keefe last played is attributable to a poor injury record, namely with calf and hamstring problems. Durability is a key element to any spin bowler’s career – a large reason for Nathan Lyon’s ability to keep bouncing back from questions about his future is that he is invariably fit and ready to go. O’Keefe offers consistency and craftiness that Smith in particular wants to utilise. But to do so he needs to see the bowler stay on the park.It has been more than 21 years since Mushtaq Ahmed fashioned Pakistan a victory over Australia at the SCG with outstanding wristspin, and Yasir Shah will be aspiring to do the same. For much of this series he has been a curiously muted presence, taking a largely defensive leg-stump line with fields to match. That this appears to have been by design is a pity for Yasir, given his ability to prosper in a variety of conditions in the past. At Sydney he can expect a more attacking commission, and will want to make the most of it.

Teams news

Hilton Cartwright is in for his debut and Steve O’Keefe for his first Test since the Sri Lanka tour. They have been included at the expense of Nic Maddinson and Jackson Bird.Australia 1 Matt Renshaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Hilton Cartwright, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Steve O’Keefe, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan LyonOne of Imran Khan or Rahat Ali can be expected to return in place of Sohail Khan. A second spinner may also be in the mix.Pakistan (probable) 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Rahat Ali/Imran Khan

Pitch and conditions

Sydney’s pitch has been spinning noticeably more this season, necessitating twin spin for the hosts. The weather forecast for the match features some rain, but less than Melbourne saw.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan’s most recent Test victory in Australia came at the SCG in 1995.
• Australia’s captain Steven Smith is playing his 50th Test, having made his debut against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010
• The inclusions of Cartwright and O’Keefe mean Australia have four overseas-born players in thier XI for the first time since their very first Test series in 1876-77 when they fielded five or more
• Pakistan have never lost six Test matches in a row

Quotes

“You want to play well every game you play for Australia. We can’t think too far ahead. The conditions are completely different. It’s a different kind of spin that you get out here than you do in India. We’re just focused on this Test match at this stage and hopefully we can have a clean sweep.”

A round-up of the Ford Trophy matches played on January 18, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2017

Luke Woodcock hit eight fours and a six in his unbeaten 63•Getty Images

Medium pacer Anurag Verma’s career-best 5 for 44 helped Wellington beat Central Districts by four wickets in Napier and remain unbeaten after two rounds of the Ford Trophy, the domestic 50-over competition.Central Districts elected to bat, and made 212 for 9, thanks largely to Josh Clarkson’s 68. They began with a half-century stand between George Worker and Jesse Ryder, before Verma and Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, sliced through the top order. Clarkson then put together 67 for the fifth wicket with Dane Clever to help stablise the innings, before another collapse resulted in them slipping to 167 or 8. Navin Patel’s unbeaten 37-ball 19 helped haul the total past 200.Michael Papps led Wellington’s chase, giving them a solid start with a 55-ball 50. Worker prised out three top-order wickets to leave them in a hint of trouble at 107 for 4 in the 25th over, and Blair Tickner’s double-strike left them 157 for 6 in the 39th over. But Luke Woodcock took over, making 63 not out and sharing an unbroken 57-run seventh-wicket stand with Verma, who contributed 16, to steer Wellington home with eight balls to spare.Northern Districts ran through Canterbury’s batting line-up before their openers made quick work of a target of 136 to complete a nine-wicket win at Hamilton’s Seddon Park. Brett Randell’s medium-pace earned him figures of 4 for 34 while a 131-run first-wicket stand between Dean Brownlie – who remained not out on 55 – and Joe Carter (64) all but took Northern Districts home to a stutter-free win.Choosing to bat, Canterbury lost their first two wickets for 45 runs inside 10 overs. A 35-run stand for the third wicket – the side’s biggest partnership – followed between Jack Boyle (41) and Peter Fulton (26), but the fall of Fulton began Canterbury’s spiral out of control. Brett Hampton took three middle-order wickets, while Randell ran through the tail. Canterbury’s innings only lasted 32 overs.Openers Brownlie and Carter struck half-centuries in Northern Districts’ response, their partnership ending when Logan van Beek dismissed Carter five runs shy of the target. Eventually, they got home with 30.3 overs to spare.Sean Solia’s 73-ball 84 laid the platform for Auckland to beat Otago by 19 runs at the Eden Park Outer Oval. Having chosen to bat, Auckland were 24 for 2 and then 68 for 3 before Solia and Robert O’Donnell (42) added 92 for the fourth wicket. Five wickets then fell for the addition of only 27 runs, leaving Auckland 187 for 8 in the 41st over, before Donovan Grobbelaar (45 off 41 balls) and Lockie Ferguson (24 off 23) revived them with a 57-run ninth-wicket stand. It wasn’t enough for Auckland to last their full quota – they were bowled out in 48.4 overs – but it ensured they finished with a competitive 257. Anaru Kitchen and James Neesham took four wickets each.Otago made a strong start to their chase, with Brad Wilson scoring 40 and adding 54 in 9.3 overs for the first wicket with GW Croudis, before a third-wicket stand of 47 between Ryan Duffy and Neesham left them a solid 121 for 2 in the 23rd over. Both fell soon after, though, and when the legspinner Tarun Nethula struck in successive overs to dismiss Michael Bracewell and Sam Wells, Otago were sinking at 196 for 7. Wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder struck 36 off 32 balls, but it wasn’t enough with wickets falling around him, and Otago eventually folded for 238, with 4.3 overs still remaining.

For anyone not named Sachin Tendulkar, being given an opportunity to play a so-called farewell match is rare at the Test level. At least in a bilateral series among Full Members, there is some flexibility, because, with the exception of ranking points, there are few administrative consequences for a farewell flop. Things like losing ODI status or $500,000 in ICC funding, which accounts for 25% of your operating budget.So in the world of Associate cricket, where virtually all matches have context, in terms of promotion or relegation, securing or maintaining ODI or T20I status, and the ICC funding package attached to it, the farewell match is virtually a non-existent concept. However, the Desert T20 tournament is a rare shift from that on both fronts. Associate teams are always desperate for more cricket, but this tournament comes without the desperate measures attached to it.For former Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal, who announced his retirement at the start of the month, it means he has been afforded the opportunity by the Afghanistan selection – of which he is set to take over the head role – to have a “farewell series” in the words of Afghanistan’s team management. Mangal has been warming up daily with the Afghanistan squad in the UAE and was listed as the 14th man on the team sheets for their wins over Ireland and United Arab Emirates.But, with a semi-final place assured heading into the day, Afghanistan made three changes to their XI to play Namibia including Mangal. It also helped that Namibia were already eliminated from a chance at making the semis, thus taking the edge off the intensity level for both sides.Still, nobody wants to pull a Bradman and go for a duck in what could be their final innings, so the personal pressure remains high. Mangal, though, handled what could be his final moments in an Afghanistan uniform with a calmness befitting a figure who shepherded the national side through their many magical, mercurial and, at times, maddening moments in their ascent up Associate cricket.Nawroz Mangal acknowledges the 3,000 fans who turned out to support Afghanistan•Peter Della Penna

“He played for Afghanistan for a long time and he was the captain,” legspinner Rashid Khan said when reflecting on Mangal’s place in Afghanistan cricket lore after the win over Namibia. “He did lots of good jobs for Afghanistan. He took the team to this level and he has passed all the hard work [on to us]. Now it’s just really for the youngsters to come and play good.”When he first walked out to bat, there were only about 500 fans in the ground. But, in the fourth over, their enthusiasm matched that of a crowd five times as large, as Mangal swept, drove and cut Gerrie Snyman’s offspin for three boundaries in the over. He may be about to leave after 14 years in international cricket, but Mangal showed he still has a little bit of fuel left in the tank. An even bigger cheer came in the next over when he smacked Jan Frylinck down the ground for six.When he fell for 32, after being defeated in flight while charging Bernard Scholtz, he walked off to an ovation. He had set an excellent platform for Afghanistan in tandem with Mohammad Shahzad, adding 56 for the first wicket in an imposing total of 167 for 6. Three overs into the chase, Namibia were 7 for 4 and Rashid says the side’s main source of motivation on this day – and the tournament as a whole – was to send Mangal out a winner.”It’s his last series,” Rashid said. “He already did his retirement and this is his last series and after that he will be our chief selector. We guys all have to perform well to give him a good gift to retire well.”Even though eyes were on Mangal on this day mainly to see him bat, there was still time left for more cheers for the former captain. With the score at 80 for 6 after 16 overs, and the game well out of Namibia’s hands, captain Asghar Stanikzai gave the crowd – which had swelled to 3000 people at this point – a reason to get up out of their seats when he called over Mangal to have a largely ceremonial bowl.He gave up 11 runs in the 17th over, including a six that caused a delay to find the ball in an empty section of the stadium, but still received respectful applause at the end of the over. When the match ended, he showed his respect and appreciation for the fans, calling for his teammates to walk over and wave thank-yous for supporting what could be his last time as a player. The measure of respect for Mangal is still present in the change room and Rashid says the next generation is indebted to him.”When I came to the national side, he has supported me a lot,” Rashid said. “He has shared with me all the experience that he had from the last 14 years. So it was a good experience playing with him and we will miss him because he was supporting us in the ground, in the dressing room, out on the field. He was giving us all those suggestions and ideas which will better us in the future. We will miss him.”

Rain brought day two to an early end after three wickets in two overs from Shakib Al Hasan had left the second Test delicately poised

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy21-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:33

Isam: New Zealand are under fire

Rain brought day two to an early end after three wickets in two overs from Shakib Al Hasan had left the second Test delicately poised. Replying to Bangladesh’s 289, New Zealand had slid from 252 for 4 to 260 for 7 when bad weather arrived some 20 minutes from scheduled close of play, ending a seesawing day in which New Zealand had routinely held the upper hand only for quick losses of wickets to stall their progress.Taylor climbs up the table

3 New Zealand batsmen with 6000 or more Test runs. Ross Taylor got there in this match and only Stephen Fleming (7172) and Brendon McCullum (6453) sit above him on the list.

6 Fifty-plus scores for Tom Latham in his last seven Tests. No other New Zealand player has made more than four such scores in the same number of successive matches.

3/32 Shakib Al Hasan’s figures, his best across four Tests in New Zealand. This was his maiden three-wicket haul in the country, having picked up only five wickets in previous matches. All three wickets came in the space of nine balls after he was used for only four overs in the first 66 of the innings.

2 Fifties for Henry Nicholls in this series; equaling the number of fifties he had made in nine Tests and 14 innings previously.

First, New Zealand had capitalised on two dropped catches and moved to 46 for 0 before Kamrul Islam Rabbi pegged them back with two wickets in three balls. Then a 106-run third-wicket partnership between Tom Latham and Ross Taylor, which rattled along at 4.41 per over, put Bangladesh on the back foot only for both to fall, against the run of play, in the space of 8.5 overs. Shakib’s triple-strike came after another meaty partnership – 75 for the fifth wicket between Henry Nicholls and Mitchell Santner. Nicholls was batting on 56 at stumps, with New Zealand seven down and trailing by 29 runs.Shakib, Bangladesh’s most experienced bowler, had only been used for four overs when he came back into the attack to start the 67th of New Zealand’s innings. His under-utilisation may have had something to do with the fact that left-handers comprised four of New Zealand’s top six, but if that was the case, it reflected one-track thinking from their captain Tamim Iqbal, for within four balls of his new spell, Shakib dismissed a stodgy left-hander.Playing for turn, Santner went on the back foot to work Shakib, bowling from left-arm over, into the leg side. The lack of turn, however, left him in a fully open position and he ended up playing across the line and missing by a long way. The ball hit his back pad in front of middle stump. Reviewing Paul Reiffel’s out decision, Santner had to walk back without technology either upholding or rejecting it, as ball-tracking failed to materialise. Umpire’s call seemed the likely outcome, with the ball looking like it may have gone on to clip leg stump. New Zealand got their review back, but not their No. 6.Bowling with a low arm from around the wicket and getting the ball to skid on towards the stumps, Shakib gobbled up BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme in his next over. Both played for the turn, and both were bowled playing unneccessarily aggressive shots. Watling chopped on an attempted cut, de Grandhomme played a loose drive, leaving a massive gap for the ball to sneak through.If the scorecard at stumps was an indictment of New Zealand’s batsmen for frittering away their starts, it also flattered Bangladesh’s bowlers, who were frustratingly inconsistent for most of the day. They began excellently in the first session, lost their discipline in the second, and seemed to be letting the game drift in the third before Shakib intervened.Shakib Al Hasan removed Colin de Grandhomme for a three-ball duck•Getty ImagesTaskin Ahmed, though, was excellent with the new ball, beating the outside edge four times in his first three overs, and finding Jeet Raval’s edge in his sixth, only for Sabbir Rahman, moving to his right from second slip, to grass a knee-high catch. Taskin troubled the two left-handed openers so frequently because of his line, which didn’t allow the comfortable leave despite his angle across them, his length, which was usually on the fuller side of good, and every now and again a bit of seam movement towards the slips. He did overpitch on a few occasions – Latham in particular capitalised with three splendid, full-faced drives to the straight boundary – but that did not cause him to pull his length back at any point.Mehedi Hasan opened the bowling with Taskin, extracted bounce, and created a chance in his first over, provoking a drive away from the body from Raval that resulted in a low chance that Mahmudullah, rising too quickly at second slip, shelled. Raval didn’t do much with his two lives. The opening partnership had stretched to 46 before Kamrul, coming on as second change, broke through in the 15th over, his first. Trying to pull one that was perhaps not short enough, Raval was cramped for room and only managed a bottom-edge onto the stumps.Two balls later, New Zealand were two down. Kane Williamson may be among the hardest players in the world to dismiss, but even he could do little when confronted with the perfect late outswinger – full enough to draw him forward but not so full that he could get close to the pitch of it, its initial line close enough to off stump to force him to play, and its movement late enough to prevent him from adjusting and withdrawing his bat. Wicketkeeper Nurul Islam tumbled to his right to take his first catch in Test cricket.Latham batted serenely through the first session, never following the ball with his hands even when he was beaten, and had only one real moment of discomfort, when the slingy Rubel Hossain bowled a bouncer that didn’t rise as much as expected. Latham was unable to sway away in time, and the ball crunched into his helmet grille and sent the protective attachment at the back of his neck flying.By lunch, Latham and Taylor had added 23, and had seen out some tight bowling from Bangladesh’s quicks. Their discipline suffered after the break, though, and boundary balls grew frequent. Taylor, who has looked in excellent touch since the series against Pakistan – thanks in part to adopting a consciously side-on approach, with front shoulder pointing down the pitch rather than opening out to mid-on – drove fluently through the covers in addition to showing off his usual strengths of cutting and working the ball off his legs.The first 13 overs of the post-lunch session brought 83 runs at 6.38, including nine fours and two sixes, and New Zealand seemed to be running away with the game, when Bangladesh profited from a loss of concentration from Latham on 68. Looking to cut one that wasn’t quite wide enough for the shot, he top-edged Taskin in the first over after drinks.Taylor could have followed him seven overs later, when he misread the flight of an offbreak from Mehedi and whipped it in the air to deep square leg, only for Kamrul, diving forward, to drop the low chance. He was on 75 at that point, had already brought up one landmark – becoming the third New Zealander to pass 6000 Test runs – and seemed set to bring up another and equal the late Martin Crowe, his mentor, on 17 Test hundreds. But that wasn’t to be; he had added only two runs to his score when he drove too early at Mehedi in his next over and spooned a catch to short midwicket.

Giovanni Reyna's wait for a first Borussia Dortmund appearance of the season goes on after he was left on the bench for Friday's match at Hoffenheim.

Article continues below

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Article continues below

• Reyna left on Dortmund bench
• Has not featured this season
• Visitors beat Hoffenheim 3-1

The United States international watched on from the sidelines as his side picked up a 3-1 win in the Bundesliga.

It is the third time in a row he has been named among the Dortmund substitutes but overlooked by coach Edin Terzic when it came to making changes.

Despite the 20-year-old's absence, Dortmund picked up another three points to ensure they remain unbeaten after six matches in the German top-flight.

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  After missing the first two Bundesliga matches of the season through injury, Reyna has only been called up to take a place on the bench for Dortmund since his return to the squad.

  For the games against Wolfsburg in the league, Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and now the trip to Hoffenheim, coach Terzic has turned to other options when deciding to bring on fresh legs to help his team see out results.

  Reyna could only watch on as the likes of Emre Can, Karim Adeyemi, Marius Wolf, Niklas Sule and Sebastien Haller were brought on as substitutes to help the 10-man Dortmund sealed the win.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dortmund were the dominant force throughout the game and took a well-deserved lead just 18 minutes in when Julian Brandt pounced on a defender's error and fed it through to Niklas Fullkrug to fire home.

  The visitors gave Hoffenheim a way back in less than 10 minutes later, however, as Mats Hummels conceded a penalty and Andre Kramaric blasted it into the net.

  Marco Reus came to Dortmund's rescue just before half-time when Donyell Malen's low cross was knocked into his path by goalkeeper Oliver Baumann and the Germany international seized the opportunity.

  The win was put at risk for the final 20 minutes when Ramy Bensebaini was sent off with a second yellow card but that hardly slowed last season's runners-up down.

  Indeed, Julian Ryerson went on to score the pick of the bunch when he won the ball in his own half and charged forward, eventually smashing it into the net in stoppage time to wrap things up nicely for Dortmund.

• Getty Images
  

  USMNT IMPACT

  Reyna has little chance of persuading Gregg Berhalter that he is worthy of a spot in the next United States squad, let alone that place in the starting XI that his family feels he deserves.

  Dortmund play just two more games before the next international, in which USMNT take on Germany and Ghana.

  Given he has not featured at all this season, it is unlikely that Terzic will trust him to line up against AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, but he could be brought on as a substitute, and he will hope to be given a chance in the subsequent Bundesliga clash against Union Berlin.

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  GOAL'S RATINGS

  Giovanni Reyna (N/A):

  The 20-year-old had to watch on from the bench yet again as his side maintained their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season.

  With Dortmund top of the table – at least until Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen play over the weekend – Terzic may be more hesitant to alter his starting XI over the coming weeks, so it could be some time before the USMNT star gets his first start of the season.

GOAL rounds up all of the completed Bundesliga transfers for the 2023-24 season

Football transfer windows are exciting periods during the sporting calendar every year, with fans drooling at the prospect of a new signing arriving at their club and making an impact. The summer transfer window is an opportunity for clubs to restart and build something new or add to their winning juggernaut.

The Bundesliga is a hotbed of talent and each season witnesses plenty of transfers, with high-potential youngsters arriving and seasoned pros heading off the new pastures.

Reigning champions Bayern Munich are expected to strengthen their side with quality additions while the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig have players with star quality attract interest from everywhere.

GOAL rounds up all of the completed Bundesliga transfers this season so far.

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Transfer INs and OUTs for all Bundesliga clubs

Club

2022-23 position

Bayern Munich

1st

Borussia Dortmund

2nd

RB Leipzig

3rd

Freiburg

4th

Union Berlin

5th

Wolfsburg

6th

Bayer Leverkusen

7th

Mainz 05

8th

Eintracht Frankfurt

9th

Borussia Monchengladbach

10th

Koln

11th

Werder Bremen

12th

Hoffenheim

13th

VFL Bochum

14th

Augsburg

15th

Stuttgart

16th

Darmstadt 98

2. Bundesliga winner

Heidenheim

2. Bundesliga runner-up

AdvertisementGhana Sports OnlineAugsburg transfersNew signings

Player

Nationality

Previous club

Fee

Mergim BerishaGermanyFenerbahce€4.00mTim BreithauptGermanyKarlsruhr€2.50mPhillip TietzGermanyDarmstadt 98€2.20mMasaya OkugawaJapanArm. BielefeldFree transferSven MichelGermanyUnion Berlin€950k

Finn Dahmen

Germany

Mainz 05

Free

Patrick Pfeiffer

Germany

SV Darmstadt 98

Free

Frederik Winther DenmarkBrondbyEnd of loanTim CivejaAlbania/GermanyIngolstandtEnd of loanRaphael FrambergerGermanySandhausenEnd of loanMaurice MaloneGermany/USAWolfsbergerEnd of loanHenri KoudossouGermanyLustenauEnd of loanRicardo PepiUSA/MexicoGroningenEnd of loanFelix GotzeGermanyEssenEnd of loanLasse GuntherGermanyRegensburgEnd of loanJozo StanicCroatia/GermanyVarazdinEnd of loanDepartures

Player

Nationality

New club

Fee

Daniel Caliguiri

Germany

Without club

End of contract

Ricardo PepiMexico/USAPSV Eindhoven€11.00m

Rafal Giekewicz

Poland

Without club

End of contract

Tobias Strobl

Germany

Retired

–

Felix GotzeGermanyRW Essen €100kKelvin YeboahItaly/GhanaGenoaEnd of loanBenjamin LeneisGermanyFSV ZwickauFree transferTim CivejaAlbania/ Germany SaarbruckenUndisclosedLasse GuntherGermanyWehen WiesbadenLoan transferHenri KoudossouGermanyADO Den HaagLoan transferDaniel KleinGermanySV SandhuesenLoan transferAndre HahnGermanyWithout Club-Julian BaumgartlingerAustriaWithout club RetiredMergim BerishaGermanyFenerbahceEnd of loanGetty ImagesBayer Leverkusen transfersNew signings

Player

Nationality

Previous club

Fee

Granit Xhaka

Switzerland

Arsenal

€25.00m

Arthur

Brazil

America Mineiro

€7.00m

Alex Grimaldo

Spain

Benfica

Free

Gustavo Puerta

Colombia

Nuremberg

End of loan

Sadik FofanaGermany/TogoNurembergEnd of loanVictor BonifaceNigeriaUnion SG€20.00mJonas HofmannGermanyBorussia Monchengladbach€10.00mPaulinhoBrazilAtletico MGEnd of loanLennart GrillGermanyUnion BerlinEnd of loanDepartures

Player

Nationality

New club

Fee

Moussa Diaby France/ MaliAston Villa€55.00mMitchel BakkerNetherlandsAtalanta BC€10.00m

Daley Sinkgraven

Netherlands

Without club

End of contract

Sadik FofanaGermany/ TogoNurembergLoan transfer

Karim Bellarabi

Germany

Without club

End of contract

Ayman Azhil

Germany

Without club

End of contract

Andrey Lunev

Russia

Without club

End of contract

Paulinho

Brazil

Atletico Mineiro

Free

Lennart Grill

Germany

Union Berlin

Undisclosed

Callum Hudson-Odoi

England

Chelsea

End of loan

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Bayern Munich transfersNew signings

Player

Nationality

Previous club

Fee

Min-jae Kim

South Korea

Napoli

€50.00m

Konrad Laimer

Austria

RB Leipzig

Free

Alexander Nubel

Germany

Monaco

End of loan

Malik Tilman

USA

Rangers

End of loan

Gabriel Vidovic

Croatia

Vitesse

End of loan

Marcel Sabitzer

Austria

Manchester United

End of loan

Raphael Guerreiro

Portugal

Borussia Dortmund

Free

Bright Arrey-Mbi

Germany/ England

Hannover 96

End of loan

Departures

Player

Nationality

New club

Fee

Lucas Hernandez

France/ Spain

PSG

€45m

Marcel Sabitzer

Austria

Borussia Dortmund

€19m

Alex Nubel

Germany

Stuttgart

Loan (€1m)

Joao Cancelo

Portugal

Manchester City

End of loan

Bright Arrey-Mbi

Germany

Hannover 96

Free

Daley Blind

Netherlands

Without Club

–

Mohammad Hafeez called Pakistan’s series-levelling win at the MCG a “special, special blessing” and said his bowlers accepting responsibility set the tone in the first innings

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2017Pakistan’s stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez called his side’s series-levelling win at the MCG a “special, special blessing”, and said his bowlers accepting responsibility set the tone in the first innings. It was Pakistan’s first victory against Australia in 17 matches across formats since January 2005.”This win was a special, special blessing,” Hafeez said at the post-match press conference. “Everyone took that responsibility to do that job for Pakistan. Last game, we had our moments but we couldn’t continue that pressure. We had a good team meeting and realised the importance of taking responsibility. Stats have changed, history has changed.”Last game, when we had to put the pressure, our bowlers couldn’t respond. In this match, our bowlers didn’t let go of that attacking tendency. For me as a captain, and even the coach, we had to ensure we played attacking and positive cricket. We couldn’t be negative and think about the past.”Hafeez also said his bowlers assessed conditions early and chasing more than 250 would have been “very difficult.””It was important to restrict Australia to a score where we as a batting unit, could chase that: 250 was a par score on this pitch because it was not coming on to the bat,” Hafeez said. “We kept the pressure on and that really worked for us.”If we had to chase a 250-plus score, it would have been very difficult. The bowlers got the wickets at the right time, which gave us the confidence to do everything we wanted to.”Hafeez wasn’t part of Pakistan’s initial ODI squad, but received a late call-up from the team management and the captain, Azhar Ali. “I was never negative, I knew I’ll be back in the team at any stage,” Hafeez said. “My performance was not good at the domestic level, but the management trusted my ability and asked me to come here and add the value to the team.”

The cusp of immortality. A feverish sense of anticipation emanates across East London and Prague as West Ham prepare for one of the biggest games in their history.

They play Fiorentina in the last stage of the Europa Conference League Final – their first European showpiece since 1976.

David Moyes is not a man prone to experimentation, rotation, or romantic storylines – there is no room for error, and his most trusted lineup must start the occasion.

On the final day of the Premier League season, with safety already secured, the Scotsman named a much-changed side.

One of his ever-presents that was rested at the King Power Stadium was Jarrod Bowen, whose recent rise in popularity and stardom has been a fantastic spectacle over the past couple of years.

The 26-year-old cannot contain his excitement for the final and said: “When I first signed, I couldn’t in my wildest dreams have thought about playing in a major European final three years later, so to be here and so close to winning a trophy for all of us and do to it with players who are my teammates and friends for everybody would be so special. That’s what our focus is on.”

Bowen has been an imperious asset for the Hammers, and he could write his name into Irons folklore tonight.

Why is Jarrod Bowen so important to West Ham?

In the last three Premier League campaigns, the former Hull City starlet has registered 49 goal involvements in 112 outings and has been a formidable component of a Hammers side that secured consecutive top-half finishes and has reached this monumental final.

During this phenomenal upsurge, the £60k-per-week man also received his first England call-up in June 2022.

On West Ham’s endearing journey to the verge of glory, Bowen has been at the centre and Moyes has recognised his contribution, saying: “He has been very much part of the journey from a team third-fourth bottom of the Premier League to a team challenging to be fourth-fifth in the Premier League.

“You have all the right characteristics with Jarrod whether it be a starter or a non-starter.”

Although he has endured a quieter season, Bowen has still emerged as the hub of West Ham’s productivity and creativity – he is the club’s joint top-scorer in the Premier League with Said Benrahma (6), without having the advantage of being the designated penalty-taker.

The four-cap international has also averaged the second-most key passes in the squad (1.3), as his effervescence and final ball have been imperative to attacking sequences.

Described as “unbelievable” by Jurgen Klopp, it would surprise no one if Bowen emerged as the hero tonight, and it would be fitting when considering his input across the years.