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West Indies have made an unpromising start to their preparations for the tri-series with Australia and South Africa, as they were beaten twice in the space of three days by Barbados Select in a pair of practice matches

Daniel Brettig28-May-2016West Indies have made an unpromising start to their preparations for the tri-series against Australia and South Africa, as they were beaten twice in the space of three days by a Barbados Select XI in a pair of practice matches.Thrashed by 50 runs in a day-night encounter at the Kensington Oval on Wednesday, West Indies lost again by four wickets in Cave Hill on Friday. These were the first fixtures for the team since their World T20 victory in India, with the squad comprising of some T20 players mixed with younger names.While the main priority for the team was to gain match practice in a variety of conditions ahead of the tri-series, the fact that they were unable to defeat a side composed of some players with limited international experience and Barbados’ fringe players does not bode well for harder assignments ahead.In the first match, half-centuries from Shai Hope and Omar Phillips led the way for Barbados Select in compiling a tally of 290 for 8 from 50 overs. Offspinner Hayden Walsh (3 for 17) and seamers Kevin Stoute (2 for 28), Tarik Shorey (2 for 33) and Dario Seale (2 for 50) then rounded West Indies up for 250 in 47.1 overs.Conditions were lower and slower in Cave Hill, and West Indies scrapped their way to 200 for 9 from 45 overs after choosing to bat. No player was able to make a half-century, while medium-pacer Kyle Mayers scooped 4 for 47.In reply, Barbados Select cruised to the target with seven overs to spare, helped by 49 from Aaron Jones and 48 from Hope. West Indies’ opening match of the tournament is against South Africa in Guyana on June 3.

HLTCO presenter Dan Cook has praised Steve Cooper amid talk that he could end up replacing Roy Hodgson as Crystal Palace manager.

What's the latest on Steve Cooper to Palace?

Earlier this month, the Eagles made the bold call to sack Patrick Vieira with the club in poor form and edging closer and closer to the relegation zone.

It's now been announced that former coach Hodgson will take charge until the end of the campaign, tasked simply with keeping Palace in the Premier League with 11 games left to play.

In the summer, however, they will likely be on the hunt for a new manager regardless of whether they stay up or not – and it seems as though Nottingham Forest boss Cooper is a primary candidate.

Indeed, as per the Daily Mail, the 43-year-old is someone the club will hope to target at the end of the season.

While talking about all this on HLTCO, Cook offered his opinion on the matter, saying: "You look at Steve Cooper, a man at Nottingham Forest who is seemingly on the verge.

"I mean, I've heard different reports about Nottingham Forest being prepared to part ways with Steve Cooper. I'm not sure how solid those rumours are.

"But of course, he was a manager that was previously linked with Crystal Palace prior to our decision to go with Patrick Vieira.

"And he knows Marc Guehi very, very well from their time together with the England under-17s setup.

"He is, for my money, a fantastic coach and someone that I wouldn't necessarily be against getting in as the new Palace boss for a long-term process."

Would Cooper be a good fit as Crystal Palace manager?

As Cook alludes to, Cooper could soon be leaving Forest. However, it's not necessarily because he's done a poor job there but more because he's a wanted man.

The Daily Mail claims a number of Premier League clubs have been impressed by the work he's done at the City Ground and so he is "currently under consideration" for at least two unnamed sides in the top flight.

With that in mind, it might not be easy for Palace to land him even if they want but perhaps his past relationship with key man Guehi could help in convincing Cooper to join – after all, the 22-year-old centre-back has played 59 times for his former England youth coach already in his career.

This certainly looks like one rumour to keep an eye on.

England’s 189-run defeat in Hamilton leaves them at their lowest point of Michael Vaughan’s captaincy and there are precious few signs that they are capable of turning their form around

Andrew Miller in Hamilton09-Mar-2008

	Captain of a sinking ship: Where does Michael Vaughan turn after England’s humiliating defeat in Hamilton? © Getty Images

When he finds a moment of solitude at the end of an abject day for English cricket, Michael Vaughan will no doubt reflect on everything he has endured to bring him to this moment. The pain, the defiance, the soul-searching. The sheer bloody-mindedness that enabled him to fight his way back from the brink of retirement and resume his leadership of the national side. It’s taken three knee operations and countless false comebacks since his demise in Lahore in December 2005. Now, he must surely be asking himself, has the sacrifice been worth it?This is not the Return of the King that Vaughan’s mind’s eye would have envisaged. In his first incarnation, he was the captain of a side that knew no bounds to its ambitions. The Ashes victory in 2005 was his sixth series win in a row, and Vaughan was as adored for his enterprise as Kevin Keegan at Newcastle. But now he’s the helmsman of a ship that’s being splintered on the rocks. Nothing he can say or do can makes the slightest bit of difference to England’s course. As Keegan would testify, second comings aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be.The looks, the mannerisms, the forthright attitude is the same, but it is as if Vaughan is the leader of a team that he has never before clapped eyes upon. He has no “go-to” bowlers now that Steve Harmison is a busted flush, he treats Monty Panesar as if he was a less reliable version of Ashley Giles, and though his batting has flourished intermittently since his return, he’s found no way of shaking his top six out of a lethargy that Mahela Jayawardene pinpointed as early as the Colombo Test last December, and that has now proven to be terminal.”With the talent we have, to get bowled out for 110 isn’t acceptable,” said Vaughan. “We hold our hands up and admit we haven’t played a good game at all.” If it was an anomaly, there might be more forgiveness, but this standard of performance is currently the norm for England’s batsmen. Only two innings have elapsed since they were bundled out for 81 by Chaminda Vaas at Galle, and when they’ve not been getting out, they’ve been getting bogged down instead, as their disgracefully slow first innings testifies.Once upon a time, Vaughan presided over a side that delighted in rattling along at close to four an over. He had men such as Marcus Trescothick, the real Kevin Pietersen (not the one-paced impostor who turned up for this match) and of course, Andrew Flintoff, whose uncertain fitness casts a shadow almost as gloomy as the one caused by this defeat. Until his future is mapped out once and for all, it’s hard to see how England can possibly progress.Now, England’s agenda is set by men such as Ian Bell, who once again flourished when the pressure had ebbed away, and the overall atmosphere is defeatist. Vaughan’s new England can’t better such aggression, so they don’t even try to match it. “The plan was to bat big in that first innings, bat a number of overs and take the game deep,” said Vaughan of England’s 11-hour first-innings crawl. “Yesterday our target was to bat to tea, because then only one team could win.” It was an incredible admission of impotence, especially in light of what actually transpired. Far from batting until tea, England lost their last three wickets in a clatter, which in turn gave Ryan Sidebottom time to work his mini-miracle.

	England have three days in which to put their fears to one side and find faith in themselves again, but there’s no quick fix where matters of the heart are concerned

Vaughan used to click his fingers, post a few gullies, and create such sessions on demand – New Zealanders will doubtless recall the dramatic fourth-day turnaround at Headingley on the 2004 tour. This time Vaughan never even considered such a collapse to be a possibility. “There is a little bit of a lack of confidence in that dressing room,” he said. “If the players out there believed we could win the game, we could go and take it. We just didn’t give ourselves anywhere near the chance to take that opportunity.”England have three days in which to put their fears to one side and find faith in themselves again, but there’s no quick fix where matters of the heart are concerned. And Vaughan was in no doubt that that is where the problem lies. “It’s not a matter of hard work, it’s a matter of asking yourself questions and looking within,” he said. “It’s all down to the inner strength of the individual to come out and perform.”Which brings us back to the eternal conundrum of Harmison, whose efforts in this contest have been little short of pitiful. He was anodyne in the first innings, and no better second-time around, when he entered the attack after Paul Collingwood, and served up four half-cock overs for 24 runs. “It is a worry because I want to see Steve back to what we all know,” said Vaughan. “Eighty-five mph-plus, getting the ball going away from the right-hander, and getting the ball in decent areas. He’ll be the first to admit he hasn’t done that in this game. The sooner we can get Steve to do that, the better.”Time, however, is clearly running out for Harmison. A Sunday Times report has revealed that he earned close to £10,000 for each of the 24 wickets he picked up in 2007, the sort of figures that back up the evidence that he no longer has any hunger for the game. More troublingly, his fecklessness seems to be infectious. Vettori’s cheeky declaration means that it is now been seven consecutive Tests since England took 20 wickets in a match – the pre-requisite for victory. Harmison is not a strike bowler in any sense of the word any more, and if he has no faith in himself, what hope his team-mates?All this and more Vaughan will take on board between now and the Wellington Test. He of all people knows how to dig deep, and fight back from the brink of oblivion. The trouble is, does he really know the calibre of the men with whom he is entrenched?

Liverpool are unlikely to do anything drastic in the January transfer window after such heavy spending in the summer, with Jurgen Klopp's side firing on all cylinders and performing admirably despite several setbacks to key members throughout the campaign.

The Premier League pace-setters saw numerous changes to the midfield before the start of the term after finishing fifth last year and consequently missing out on the Champions League.

Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez had arrived over the previous three windows to strengthen the offensive ranks in what facilitated full focus on the engine room.

But with Joel Matip's season-ending ACL injury in December, the long-discussed concerns regarding Liverpool's defence were heightened, and now bolstering the backline is surely the imperative.

That said, Jarell Quansah's rise to first-team prominence this season has eased fears in the short-term and the 20-year-old looks fit for purpose under Klopp's wing for many years to come – as such, a new centre-back will probably arrive at the end of the campaign.

Liverpool transfer news – Jean-Clair Todibo

According to Friday's edition of French newspaper Nice-Matin – via Paisley Gates – Liverpool have the 'advantage' over Manchester United in the race to sign OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, with Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain also interested in the player.

Todibo is considered to be the Red Devils' No. 1 defensive target but will require a €60m (£52m) outlay to welcome him to the squad this month, which has dissuaded the named suitors from making their move thus far.

Having wedged his way into the France national set-up ahead of the European Championship this summer, Todibo might prefer to stay put for the time being, which would allow Liverpool to swoop in after the season's conclusion.

How Jean-Clair Todibo compares to Virgil van Dijk

It's believed that Todibo, aged 24, views Liverpool as the most attractive option, should he leave Nice in 2024, with a legendary manager in Klopp, the prestige and awe of Anfield and a first-class playing squad seemingly convincing the player of his preferred destination at this stage.

But Man United have links to Les Aiglons following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS affiliation with the French side; simply, United have technical means to edge the race and Liverpool will need to rely on the allure of the club to prevail.

There's a reason that many top European outfits are fighting for Todido's services, with the Frenchman described as a "Rolls-Royce" defender by journalist and U23 scout Antonio Mango, kickstarting his career across 117 appearances with Nice after a failed spell as a youngster with Barcelona.

This season, with Nice second in Ligue 1 after 17 matches and boasting the division's best defensive record (nine goals conceded), Todibo has been a rock in the defence, starting 14 matches, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 1.3 tackles, 3.2 clearances and 7.9 ball recoveries per game while succeeding with 71% of his dribbles and 65% of his aerial duels, as per Sofascore.

Making a frankly obscene rate of recoveries each outing is an illumination of the player's remarkable skill set, and it is not surprising at all that a player of his protean ability is now destined for a move to the Premier League.

Klopp could ruin Endo with Liverpool move for £30m "monster"

Jurgen Klopp may well return for this former target in 2024.

ByAngus Sinclair Jan 12, 2024

As per FBref, the 6 foot 3 titan ranks among the top 15% of centre-halves across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and progressive passes, the top 6% for passes attempted, the top 7% for successful take-ons, the top 16% interceptions and the top 10% for tackles per 90.

Let's explicate: the metrics above highlight the two-cap Les Bleus star's eye-catching ball-playing ability while simultaneously underscoring the robustness and athleticism that has been so important to his game.

#

Player

Club

1

William Saliba

Arsenal

2

Pau Torres

Aston Villa

3

Ezri Konsa

Aston Villa

4

Gabriel Magalhaes

Arsenal

5

Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool

*Sourced via Football Transfers

Moreover, he is tenacious in his defensive duties and protects his goalkeeper with an iron-clad resolve in the rearguard, as shown through his tackling statistics.

With such a rounded skill set, it's no wonder that Liverpool are interested in landing the colossus, especially given the likeness he shares with Virgil van Dijk – just imagine having a new version of the Netherlands captain welcomed to the fold.

Imagine Jean-Clair Todibo & Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool signed Van Dijk from Southampton for £75m in December 2017 and he revolutionised Klopp's squad, instilling confidence, cohesion and security across the backline and beyond, utterly magnificent in his duties and integral to the silver-laden successes of the past years.

The 32-year-old flattered to deceive last year but has returned to his apex since the summer, now donning the captain's armband, and has been immense in the English top-flight, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 5.0 ball recoveries and 4.5 clearances per fixture and winning 78% of his duels – which, to be honest, is absurd.

Todibo is not at Van Dijk's level and it would be foolhardy to assume that he could perform at the same imperious standard, but that's not to say that he couldn't reflect some of the skipper's glowing qualities and even make improvements to edge toward a similar level in the future.

Stat (per 90)

Todibo

Van Dijk

Matches played

14

18

Goals

0

1

Pass completion %

90.5%

90.5%

Tackles

1.99

1.50

Blocks

1.47

1.39

Interceptions

1.32

1.39

Clearances

3.31

4.74

Aerial success %

62.5%

82%

Progressive passes

4.85

5.43

Progressive carries

0.74

0.98

Successful take-ons

0.74

0.06

Shot-creating actions

1.47

1.68

*Sourced via FBref's player comparison tool

At a glance, the table above suggests that Van Dijk towers over the Nice ace, and while he bests him across many qualities, both are crisp and creative in possession and progressive with their ball-carrying.

Todibo's stunning ratio of successful take-ons (which means how often a player beats an opponent while in possession of the ball) is also a singular and distinctive quality that only deepens the argument that he should be signed.

With improvements over the coming years, Todibo's already impressive metrics across the park could gain even more merit and allow him to perform at the same level as Van Dijk.

And with both titans performing alongside each other under Klopp's guidance, who knows how mighty Liverpool's defence could be.

Michael Beale was backed by the Glasgow Rangers board throughout the summer transfer window as nine new signings came through the doors at Ibrox.

How much are Rangers' summer signings worth?

The Light Blues have attempted to bolster their side with a number of additions across the park to bounce back from their failure to win a single trophy during the 2022/23 campaign.

Leon Balogun

£213k

Jack Butland

£1.3m

Sam Lammers

£1.7m

Kieran Dowell

£1.7m

Dujon Sterling

£2.4m

Cyriel Dessers

£4.3m

Abdallah Sima

£5.1m

Danilo

£5.6m

Jose Cifuentes

£10.3m

Valuations via Transfermarkt.

Eight of those players arrived on permanent deals, whilst Abdallah Sima joined on a season-long loan – with no option to buy – from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, and they have an average value of £3.62m.

As with any transfer window, supporters may, however, look back at the summer and wonder what could have been with some of the players who were linked with a move to Ibrox before eventually moving elsewhere.

One reported target who could have been an excellent signing by Beale for the Scottish giants is Ross Stewart, who was playing for English Championship side Sunderland. Indeed, he may well have been a better option than Sam Lammers.

Were Rangers interested in Ross Stewart?

At the end of July, TEAMtalk named Rangers as one of a number of clubs interested in signing the Scotland international from the Black Cats.

The report claimed that the forward had turned down offers of a contract extension with Tony Mowbray's team, which made him an attainable target as his deal was due to expire in the summer of 2024.

Championship sides Stoke City, Middlesbrough, and Southampton were also touted as possible destinations for the 6 foot 3 marksman, who appeared to be on his way out of the Stadium of Light.

However, Rangers seemingly decided against a deal for the 27-year-old as they ended up signing Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, and Lammers before Stewart eventually joined Southampton.

They had reportedly been battling the Light Blues for his signature earlier in the summer, but he stayed south of the border, moving to St Mary's for an initial fee of £8m that could rise to £12m with add-ons.

How many goals did Ross Stewart score for Sunderland?

The Scottish finisher, who was reportedly on £2.7k-per-week at the Stadium of Light, racked up an outstanding 40 goals in 80 competitive matches for the Black Cats before his move last week.

He proved himself to be a consistent and reliable scorer for the club at League One and Championship level during his time with the English outfit.

Stewart spearheaded their promotion to the second tier during the 2021/22 campaign with an exceptional 26 goals and three assists in 49 matches, which included three play-off appearances.

The towering centre-forward averaged a sublime Sofascore rating of 7.25 in that time and created nine 'big chances' for his teammates, suggesting that the creative number nine was let down by his fellow attackers at times as he only ended up with a minimal number of assists.

No Sunderland player averaged a higher Sofascore rating than him, indicating that he was the team's top performer as they won the play-offs.

Stewart was able to carry this form over to the Championship as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.40 across 13 appearances in the division last season, whilst only two players – Ryan Manning and Oliver Norwood – averaged a higher rating within the entire league.

The 27-year-old racked up a phenomenal ten goals and three assists during those 13 games, which only included 11 starts, highlighting his impressive ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.

How many goals has Sam Lammers scored for Rangers?

Stewart's statistics suggest that he could have been a far better option than Lammers, who has scored onlt one goal and provided one assist in nine matches for the Light Blues since his summer switch from Atalanta.

The 26-year-old has also failed to create a single 'big chance' for his teammates in four Scottish Premiership outings and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.92 – the just 14th-highest within the team.

His lack of an end product in the final third should not come as a surprise, though, as Lammers has not scored more than two goals in a league season since the 2018/19 campaign.

The Dutch attacker, who also stands at 6 foot 3, managed four strikes in 50 Serie A matches for Atalanta, Empoli and Sampdoria combined during his time in Italy and endured a difficult spell in Germany as he produced two goals in 22 matches on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Should Rangers have signed Ross Stewart?

The numbers prove that a mistake may well have been made here by not signing the now-Southampton star. Indeed, their respective records show that Stewart would have been a far better option than Lammers.

Stewart, whose Sofascore rating of 7.40 would have placed him third within the Gers squad last term, would have offered far more than the former PSV prospect at the top end of the pitch and could have adapted quickly as a Scotsman who has already played Premiership football.

The Scotland international, who was once dubbed a "revelation" by former teammate Alex Pritchard, is currently out of action with an Achilles injury that was sustained earlier this year but despite that, it could have been better for Rangers in the long term to take the short-term hit with regards to availability.

There is little sign of the summer signing from Atalanta producing anywhere near the level of form that Stewart did for Sunderland in recent seasons meaning Beale dropped the ball by deciding to pursue other targets.

Leah Williamson is back in Arsenal’s starting XI, but the Lionesses star had little to celebrate after seeing the Gunners suffer defeat at West Ham.

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• Defender recovered from ACL injury
• Eased back into the Arsenal team
• Shock loss suffered at West Ham

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Euro 2022 winner has endured close to 10 months of injury hell after damaging knee ligaments that led to her Women’s World Cup dream being dashed. After making her way to the end of a load road to recovery, Williamson has been eased into the Arsenal fold during the 2023-24 campaign.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Following outings from the bench, the 26-year-old defender was included from the off in a WSL clash with West Ham. With no risks being taken on her fitness, Williamson was replaced at half-time in that contest with the Gunners leading 1-0.

• WHAT WILLIAMSON SAID

  A slow start to the second half led to them suffering a shock 2-1 defeat, with Williamson’s mood being soured as a result. She posted on social media alongside an image of her back on the field as a starter: “Not a good day. Big week ahead now. Travelling support was a joke again.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR WILLIAMSON & ARSENAL?

  Arsenal supporters will be hoping to have plenty to cheer before Jonas Eidevall’s side return to WSL action, with their next two fixtures set to come in knockout competition – away at London City in the FA WSL Cup on Wednesday and at home to Manchester City in the FA Cup fifth round next weekend.

Left-arm medium-pacer Tangeni Lungameni’s List A career-best 3 for 6 helped dismiss Kenya for 83, but heavy rain just five overs into the host’s chase, forced an end to play with no result

The report by Peter Della Penna in Windhoek10-Feb-2018Match abandoned
Peter Della Penna

Left-arm medium-pacer Tangeni Lungameni’s List A career-best 3 for 6 propelled Namibia’s bowling attack to wipe out Kenya for 83 at United Cricket Club Ground, but heavy rain just five overs into the host’s chase forced an end to play with no result. According to tournament rules, the match is now set to be replayed from scratch on the next tournament reserve day on Tuesday.The match had originally been scheduled for Friday but never got started due to damp bowler’s run-ups forcing tournament officials to push the match back into Saturday’s reserve day. Though the outfield dried up by Saturday morning, sweat from the pitch covers resulted in a slightly damp pitch that caused a 90-minute delay and a reduction to 45 overs.After losing a crucial toss and being sent in, Kenya struggled throughout the Powerplay to survive the generous movement on offer. Craig Williams finally made the first breakthrough three balls into his first-change spell in the ninth over, getting Alex Obanda to loft a drive to long-off.Lungameni replaced Smit at the opposite end for the 10th over and had Irfan Karim edging into the slips for his first wicket. Across his next four overs, Lungameni conceded just one run. Dhiren Gondaria drove to mid-on for Lungameni’s second wicket before Collins Obuya’s painstaking innings of 2 in 27 balls ended when he charged in frustration only to drive a bullet straight to Gerhard Erasmus at short extra cover.Captain Sarel Burger continued to set attacking fields, with no less than two men catching behind the wicket throughout the innings to the medium-pacers, as the final four men out were caught behind the wicket. After bowling out Kenya in 38.5 overs, Namibia had just under a half-hour to bat before lunch but thunder began to rumble across the field as the opening pair of Stephan Baard and Lohan Louwrens took the field. A steady drizzle came down throughout their short chase before it worsened into a downpour, robbing Namibia a golden chance of two points and a much-needed net run rate boost.

Troy Deeney has been sacked by League Two side Forest Green Rovers after just six games in charge of the club.

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• Troy Deeney sacked after just six games
• Led Forest Green Rovers to zero wins
• Club sit pinned to the bottom of League Two

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Watford striker has been sacked from his duties as player-manager by the bottom side in League Two after he failed to lead them to a single win. The side accumulated only two points throughout Deeney's tenure. The sacking comes just days after his rant towards his player after a loss to Harrogate Town. The 35-year-old's bizarre rant included calling his own players "babies" and telling Fankaty Dabo that he was "not good" in front of his teammates.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  On December 20, Deeney was named Forest Green's manager following the club's dismissal of David Horseman. The striker, who is a UEFA A licenced coach, joined the League Two side from Birmingham City to serve as a player-manager.

• Getty Images
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  On Thursday, in what turned out to be his final involvement with the club, Deeney was fined £1,500 and given a four-game touchline suspension for swearing at an official after getting sent off in a League Two clash against Swindon Town in December.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Forest Green Rovers' players will not have a lot of time to reset from the major change in the club as they will face off against Gillingham, who sit in eighth in the league, on Saturday, January 20.

The Zimbabwe opener revived his team with Peter Moor, who was “quite surprised to be in the XI” after Sean Williams pulled up unwell

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo29-Oct-2017Hamilton Masakadza and Peter Moor’s 142-run stand revived Zimbabwe on the first day of the second Test in Bulawayo, but while Masakadza was pleased to finally convert a good start, Moor was surprised to be batting at all.”It was great to manage to convert,” Masakadza said, who made scores of 42 and 57 in the first Test. “I had been thinking about those starts [in the previous test], and I was just hoping that if I did get another start I would push through. I’m happy to still be out there.”Moor only found out that he was playing when he arrived at the ground, coming in to the team for Sean Williams, who was reportedly “unwell”.”To be honest, this morning when I pitched up I was quite surprised to be in the XI,” Moor said. “So, everything caught me a bit by surprise. I just knew that I’ve got a chance now, I’ve got to try to make the most of it. I think maybe that’s why I was a bit more reserved today. Trying to fight for that position and get a more regular spot.”The situation required me to be a little bit more reserved,” he said. “And Hamilton was scoring much faster than I was, so that took some of the pressure off.”Moor may also have benefited from watching the way West Indies’ batsmen went about their work in the first Test, displaying both patience and a penchant for keeping his shots in the V. “Definitely [watching West Indies helped] in terms of hitting a lot straighter. We played a lot of cross-bat shots, and I know that’s the way we play, but in my mind I was thinking let me try and play a bit more straight. And it worked for me.”Moor also had the advantage of batting with a veteran of 262 international matches at the other end to offer advice. “We spoke about tactics, discussing what the bowlers were trying to do, what we were trying to do to counter it,” Masakadza said. “I actually had quite a bit of fun batting with PJ today, because he brought a lot of energy and he was very positive. I fed quite a bit off that. Between overs I had to stay calm, and keep us both focused.”Masakadza was fortunate early in his knock, when he was caught off a Shannon Gabriel bouncer, but reprieved by a no-ball. Masakadza had started to walk when West Indies asked for a review, despite being given not out.”The boys were laughing at me in the changerooms for that,” Masakadza said. “As it hit me, when it looped up I said to myself ‘please don’t carry’. When I saw it carry to the fielder I said to myself ‘please don’t give it’. When they didn’t give it, I was saying ‘please don’t review’. And then when they reviewed I thought, ‘ah, they’re obviously going to see it on TV, I might as well go’.”Masakadza’s continued contribution on the second day will be vital to Zimbabwe’s hopes of levelling this series. “I’ll try and build another partnership with Raza and see how deep we can take it,” he said. “It’s going to be very important to get whatever amount of runs we can get in the first innings, so without looking too far ahead I think anything over 350 will be good for us. I think it is still going to turn, much like the last Test, so it’s going to be very important to score big in the first innings.”

Shadab Jakati and Amit Yadav helped Goa cling on, while Himachal were thwarted by Punjab debutant Abhishek Gupta’s double-hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2017

Prashant Chopra was adjudged Player of the Match for his triple-hundred•Shailesh Bhatnagar

Scorecard
A 239-run partnership between debutants Abhishek Gupta and Abhishek Sharma narrowed Punjab’s overnight deficit of 245 to 128, before they were bowled out for 601 in response to Himachal Pradesh’s 729. Himachal offspinner Gurvinder Singh finished with a career-best haul of 6 for 162. Himachal then batted out 40 overs in the second innings play as the match ended in a draw in Dharamsala.Having begun the day on 484 for 6, the overnight pair were separated when Sharma fell six short of a century, managing to add only 13 to his overnight score of 81. Wicketkeeper-batsman, Gupta, however, converted his overnight score of 129 into a near run-a-ball 202 on debut. He hit 24 fours and five sixes in his knock to left-arm spinner Akash Vashisht.Handed a lead of 128, Himachal wobbled early in their second innings, losing six wickets for 81 by the 22nd over, with medium-pacers Sandeep Sharma, Manpreet Gony, and Barinder Sran taking two wickets each. Paras Dogra and Vasisht then put up an unbroken 64 runs for the seventh wicket to take Himachal through to stumps. They picked up three points for their first-innings lead, while Punjab took home one point.Prashant Chopra was adjudged Player of the Match for his triple-hundred for Himachal in the first innings.
ScorecardA half-century from Vikas Hathwala ensured a draw for Services against Bengal in Delhi. Bengal’s second innings declaration at 161 for 5 left Services with a target of 355 but the latter kept losing wickets to give Bengal a glimmer of an outright win.Wickets from the pace-bowling line-up of Ashok Dinda, Mohammed Shami and Kanishk Seth had left Services at 124 for 5, before Hathwala and Muzzaffaruddin Khalid battled in a 75-run sixth-wicket partnership. Where Hathwala was brisk, scoring 64 off 71 deliveries with nine fours and two sixes, Khalid played out 99 deliveries to remain unbeaten on 9 at stumps.
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Goa scrambled for a draw on the final day in the face of Chhattisgarh left-arm spinner Sumit Ruikar’s first 10-wicket match haul in first-class cricket. Following on after conceding a 181-run lead in the first innings, the home team averted a loss after the eighth-wicket pair of Shadab Jakati and Amit Yadav played out 80 balls to force a draw.An early collapse on the final day saw Goa lose six wickets for 54 runs, having finished on 223 for 4 overnight. Ruikar started the collapse with the wicket of Reagan Pinto in the third over of the day, and ran through the line-up with thereafter. He’d begun the day with only one wicket to his name.In their second innings, Goa’s resistance came from opener Sumiran Amonkar and Darshan Misal’s 54-run stand for the fourth wicket, before No. 6 batsmen Saurabh Bandekar and wicketkeeper Samar Dubhashi made scores in excess of 20 to keep them alive.