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England captain Harry brook rued the team’s lack of application and rash shots against Australia in the quarter-final

Shashank Kishore in Queenstown23-Jan-2018It was a forgettable shot, one that his captain Harry Brook described “out in a silly kind of way.” Little would have Tom Banton realised when he looked to reverse sweep legspinner Lloyd Pope that Australia would be able to crack open the game. Up until then, England were fairly comfortable at 71 for 3 chasing 128 with the lunch break imminent. That could have disturbed Australia’s momentum, but Banton’s wicket after he raced to a sparkling half-century exposed a lower order that panicked at the first hint of pressure.You didn’t need to look at Brook’s face to say how distraught he was. Repeated references to “the day goes on” were enough indication of his hurt. “Getting through to the quarter-finals is a great achievement, but I am not the kind who likes second place,” he said. “I am pretty disappointed. I don’t think it hurts more because we lost to Australia. Losing to any team is the same.”Brook found it hard to digest that his team, that he felt had played spin “exceptionally well” throughout the tournament, would throw their wickets away to lack of application and rash shots in a game that was superbly set up by their bowlers.”I think we played spin exceptionally well throughout the tournament,” Brook said. “Pope just bowled very well and got some turn off the pitch, but we also played a few bad shots, but the day goes on. The pitch wasn’t that bad really, both sides didn’t bat well. You can’t really fault the pitch. After a defeat like that, we’ll have stuff to say about everything and hopefully the lads will buy into it. I am sure Lewi (Jon Lewis, the head coach) will have a lot of things to say to us.”At lunch, England needed 49 and had five wickets remaining. Brook talked up England’s batting depth in the build-up to the game. This was an opportunity to prove it under pressure. “We didn’t really need to say much at the break,” Brook said. “We had to go at 1.5 an over or something, so all we needed to do was knock it around for a few overs and if we still had wickets in hand, knock them over with ease. We lost some wickets quickly after the break – that didn’t help. There was a lot of pressure. The run out was quite panicky. That’s what happens in big collapses.”Lewis was understanding of his team and the effort they had put in to prepare for the tournament, and hoped the bitter pill would only help them channel the hurt better and become world beaters in the future. “I already spoke to the guys about their journey towards becoming great sportsmen,” he said. “You win some, you lose some, but you learn from dealing with pressure situations and how you react when put under pressure in front of everyone. The captain has been outstanding, he didn’t get runs today but he’s played superbly.”All these players are nowhere near being finished players. They are all still developing and for them to experience the joy of playing in a World Cup for the country will be an experience to cherish. The way this group gets on is brilliant, both on and off the field. I know they will stick together. Yes, we have taken a big knock. This will be tough for them. It won’t feel nice now, it won’t feel nice when they reflect on this three or four weeks later, but this will spur them on to even greater heights in the future.”

Aston Villa marked their return to European football with a bang on Wednesday night, demolishing Hibernian at Easter Road.

Unai Emery’s side were dominant victors in Scotland, brushing their opposition aside in a 5-0 away win in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs.

The Villans hadn’t competed in Europe since 2010 before the fixture, and all but confirmed themselves as being a strong part of the competition to come with the second leg still to play.

Who scored for Aston Villa against Hibernian?

It took Ollie Watkins 17 minutes to open the scoring for Emery’s team, in a header that marked his and Villa’s first of the night.

The Englishman added to his tally just after the half-hour mark, with the visitors' lead extended to three before half-time through Leon Bailey.

The first few minutes of the second half began encouragingly for Hibs, in which they pressed to gain some possession after what was a dominating first-half display by Villa, however, their feat only lasted minutes, as Watkins sealed his hat-trick after just 48 minutes.

Douglas Luiz capped off the five-star performance with Villa’s fifth through a penalty, after Bertrand Traore was pulled down in the area.

A completely one-sided affair ended with the visitors having 18 shots on goal to Lee Johnson’s side's five, with Watkins leaving with the match ball on his European debut, although he wasn’t Villa’s primary shining light.

How did Lucas Digne perform against Hibernian?

While the Villans’ talisman did what he did best in making himself a nuisance in the box, the 27-year-old wouldn’t have found the net without the brilliance of left-back Lucas Digne.

The Frenchman joined Watkins in registering a hat-trick, assisting all three of the striker’s goals, earning himself a stellar 8.7 Sofascore match rating.

The 30-year-old, who has been getting the headlines due to rumours of his potential exit from Villa Park, set up three goals, as well as showcasing a solid defensive display.

Recording as many as 86 touches from the left side of the defence, the former Everton man gave Emery a taste of just what he could be missing if he is to depart, performing to the highest standard in all areas of his game on the night.

Registering one clearance, one block and winning six out of nine duels (66.6%), as per Sofascore, the versatile defender was lauded as a “machine” by journalist Ty Bracey during the fixture.

The Frenchman seemed to be everywhere, especially in the final third in which he provided three sublime crosses for Watkins to dispatch, registering a total of four key passes in the 90 minutes he played.

Digne also stole the show from Hibernian returnee John McGinn, who was given a mixed welcome back to Easter Road five years after his departure, with the Scotsman not getting a look in due to the 30-year-old’s dominance on the left.

The most crucial part of the night was that Villa gained a healthy lead to take back to the Midlands in preparation for the second leg, with Digne’s performance bound to give Emery a headache as speculation remains over his potential departure.

Sri Lanka competed hard on a bouncy Wankhede Stadium deck, but India pulled ahead at the crucial moments to wrap up a five-wicket win

The Report by Shashank Kishore24-Dec-20172:40

We showed glimpses of where we’re heading – Pothas

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFor the first time in the series, Sri Lanka were genuinely in the contest. The bounce at the Wankhede Stadium gave their seamers some zip that they couldn’t quite manage to generate in Cuttack and Indore. In defence of 136, they dismissed the rampaging pair of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, who walloped joint-fastest T20 hundred two nights ago, inside seven overs. India’s asking rate climbed to close to 8.5 per over with eight overs left, a genuine test for a middle order that hasn’t had too much batting time of late.This was Sri Lanka’s best opportunity to close out the game. But India had MS Dhoni in the middle at the end along with Dinesh Karthik. Nuwan Pradeep only conceded six runs off the first five balls of the penultimate over, leaving India nine to get off the last seven balls. At that point it was Pradeep who cracked under the pressure; he sent down a friendly full-toss that Karthik swatted into the stands beyond deep midwicket. That, right there, was the knockout punch with one full over to play. A heady climax eventually turned cold right at the end, but not before India had been given quite a scare.Lack of scoreboard pressure early in the chase gave India some leeway as Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey overcame early struggles against the moving ball to add 42 in 6.2 overs to put India back on track. But the match swung again when Iyer was run-out at the non-striker’s end, Akila Dananjaya’s fingertips intercepting a flat-batted strike from Pandey and deflecting it into the stumps.The wicket may have not come about had Thisara Perera not thrown himself to his left to stop a single at cover off the previous delivery. Clearly, Sri Lanka were in the game, waiting to grab at any opportunity. When they sent Iyer back, India needed 55 off 40. This was precisely the moment when Pandey, largely subdued until then, decided to cut loose, hitting three fours off the next five balls he faced. India were back in it.But Sri Lanka weren’t giving up. Hardik Pandya feathered an attempted ramp to the wicketkeeper, leaving India four down with 37 to get off the last five overs. When Pandey was bowled by one that jagged back in to beat his inside edge – the dismissal coming about largely because of his style of playing beside the line – it came down to 28 off 23.Up against Chameera with no slip in place, Dhoni managed to find a thick edge that beat the diving wicketkeeper and ran away for four. In the same over, there was more drama when Sri Lanka reviewed a not-out lbw decision, the tense crowd roaring in unison as the giant screen showed the ball missing the stumps. Dhoni would eventually hit the winning runs.The architects who masterminded Sri Lanka’s downfall after they were sent in to bat were Washington Sundar and Jaydev Unadkat – two bowlers who had been at the forefront of Rising Pune Supergiant’s magnificent run to the IPL final earlier this year.Washington, India’s youngest T20I debutant, bowled three overs of no-frills offspin upfront, often varying his pace between fast and faster, his length between good and full, and strangulated the largely left-handed top order. He finished with figures of 4-0-22-1. Unadkat, IPL 2017’s second-highest wicket-taker who also finished the tournament with an economy rate of 7.02, cramped the left-handers early on and was rewarded for his accuracy. Washington and Unadkat prised out Sri Lanka’s top three inside four overs to set off a procession.It needed Asela Gunaratne’s industrious 37-ball 36 and Dasun Shanaka’s 29 off 24 to haul Sri Lanka to 135 from a precarious 85 for 6.India suffered a few early jitters in their chase. KL Rahul was the first to fall, given out lbw while trying to heave Dushmantha Chameera’s indipper across the line. Rohit too was shaky to begin with, and was saved by the bounce in the first over when he played down the wrong line of a Dananjaya googly that sneaked between bat and pad. Two balls later, he was deceived in flight and nearly chipped a return catch.Rohit broke the stranglehold by disturbing Dananjaya’s length – slog-sweeping him to midwicket and then stepping out to hit him straight down the ground for six. But unlike in the previous two games, Sri Lanka managed to sustain the pressure with Shanaka nibbling away in the off-stump channel and getting the ball to jag both ways.A miscued pull to a ball that skidded on faster than Rohit expected resulted in a simple catch to deep square leg. This left the middle order in the spotlight, and they were able to steer India to their target, with some help from Sri Lanka’s nerves and the dew, and bring a memorable home season to a winning end.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp needs to sign a new midfielder this month following the sales of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian sides.

James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also all left the club upon the expiry of their contracts in June while Fabio Carvalho has joined German side RB Leipzig on loan.

Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have signed, two very exciting midfield signings, but following the failure to sign Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia – losing out on both to Chelsea – desperation mode is seeping in.

Who are Liverpool going to sign?

As recently reported by ESPN, Liverpool could be poised to meet PSV Eindhoven star Ibrahim Sangare's £32m release clause after missing out on their primary targets.

However, they will face fierce competition with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also interested, as per the report.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

Liverpool drew their Premier League season opener against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but the absence of a natural No. 6 was alarming, with The Athletic's James Pearce saying, "the lack of both control and protection in front of the back line was glaring."

How good is Ibrahim Sangare?

The acquisition of a sturdy, assiduous defensive midfielder may well have a transformative effect on Liverpool's midfield.

It's been a problem for some time, but they say those who live near a waterfall often fail to hear its surge, and now the dereliction of incisive action could plunge the Merseyside outfit into murky waters once more.

Sangare, aged 25, was once hailed as "one of Ligue 1's best midfielders" by talent scout Jacek Kulig before signing for PSV from Toulouse for €9m (£8m) in 2020, playing 136 matches, scoring 14 goals and supplying ten assists.

If he is to sign for the Anfield side, it would be the second time Klopp has raided the Boeren this year, having completed the £35m signing of dynamic forward Cody Gakpo in January.

Gakpo has plundered seven goals from 27 matches for the Reds and ranks among the top 11% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 10% for progressive passes and the top 12% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, leaving Fabrizio Romano heralding him as "something special".

Swooping for another highly-rated PSV talent could pay dividends for Klopp's team, especially considering that Sangare fits the profile and is a "dangerous" force in the centre, as stated by analyst Aad de Mos.

He ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Men's Next Eight divisions for goals, the top 18% for passes attempted, the top 13% for successful take-ons, the top 18% for blocks, the top 12% for clearances and the top 14% for aerials won per 90.

This is an impressive and all-encompassing skill set and something that Liverpool would immensely benefit from, having such a ubiquitous and tenacious force in the middle.

Gakpo and Sangare's link-up could also prove a success story for Liverpool, with Gakpo also ranking among the top 1% of positional peers for tackles per 90, which alludes to a workrate that could ease Sangare's workload and consequently improve the collective efforts and cohesion of the squad.

There is understandably some malaise painted across the Liverpool support right now, but with over two weeks until the closing of the summer transfer window, technical director Jorg Schmadkte has time to ensure a successful finish to the summer plans is achieved.

And given the relative astuteness of Sangare's price tag, his evenly-spread skills and the rival interest from top European outfits such as Bayern and PSG, it might not be a bad move to make at all.

Neil Wagner said he had bowled a lot better on other days but Friday ended up being his day in Wellington as he finished with a career-best 7 for 39

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2017There are days when bowlers bowl their hearts out on flat pitches and don’t get the rewards they deserve. And there are other days when a bowler doesn’t bowl close to his best on a green pitch but things fall into place for him. It was the second kind of those for Neil Wagner on Friday when he ripped through the West Indies line-up with a career-best 7 for 39, despite not feeling in great rhythm when he started bowling. West Indies had started well with an opening stand of 59 before Wagner picked six of the first seven wickets to fall and reduced them to 97 for 7. Wagner, despite sending down a barrage of short balls like he often has in the past, called it a “bizarre” day.”At the start, I didn’t really feel like I had a great rhythm,” he said. “I obviously first tried to pitch the ball up to see if there was any swing or movement and adjust my lengths a little bit. I struggled for a bit of rhythm and felt I had to try and find a way of adapting pretty fast. So myself and Kane [Williamson] spoke in the middle and I tried to work that wind, when there was a bit of a stiff breeze and eventually worked towards the plan and it came off. It was just one of those bizarre days when things sort of happen your way. I think I’ve bowled a lot better on other days and not get a wicket and then you get days like this. I guess it’s cricket.”I wouldn’t say it was one of those days when you felt a 100% perfect and everything is just coming out sweet and the way you want to. I felt I had to work really hard and find a way to be consistent and it’s just one of those days. I recall a couple of weeks back in a Plunket Shield game where I felt a million dollars and couldn’t get a wicket. And then you go out there today and things don’t really tick but wickets just keep falling. As I said, bizarre sort of a thing when you get in a bit of a zone and it works and ends up being your day.”Certainly, got a bit worried at one stage; they were looking quite comfortable and played really well. We had flashes of the Bangladesh game. I thought they started really well and obviously implemented their plans pretty well and then we had to find different ways and ask questions and hopefully get rewards and it helped. In the end, it worked out our way.”The New Zealand bowlers went wicketless for nearly 22 overs despite expectations of a seamer-friendly track in Wellington. However, when Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Colin de Grandhomme could not taste success in their opening spells, Wagner was introduced in the 18th over with three slips and a gully. It was in his third over, though, that he changed tactics after realising there was no lateral movement on offer. New Zealand placed a forward short leg, a leg gully and a deep square leg as Wagner peppered the batsmen with his short balls.”The pitch was not doing as much as we expected it to do. As soon as you pitched it up, I think the ball went out of shape a little bit and got quite soft,” Wagner said. “And there wasn’t really a hell of a lot of movement off [the] wicket, it was quite breezy and windy so wasn’t quite swinging conditions. And then we obviously had to adapt our plans and try and find different methods to try and stop the scoring rate. That eventually worked out in wickets for us which was pretty pleasing and worked out well.”Wagner was on a hat-trick twice in the innings. The first instance could have easily gone unnoticed when he dismissed Shai Hope on the last ball of the 28th over and then saw debutant Sunil Ambris step on his stumps on the first ball of his next over. Four overs later, Wagner had Roston Chase caught at leg slip before sending down a yorker to dismiss Jason Holder for a golden duck. Wagner later said he wasn’t aware of one of the instances until he saw it flashed on the scoreboard.”To be honest, at that stage I don’t think too much about something like that,” Wagner said of missing out on both hat-tricks. “I think in one instance – I can’t remember which one it was, it all seems like a bit of a blur now – it was on the last ball or something and I knew Boulty is bowling from the other end and I knew I wanted to keep that guy on strike as well so get him off strike to get one and then Boulty has a crack through him as well. So if he got on, it wouldn’t have been too bad a result.”I think at one point I saw on the scoreboard I was on a hat-trick and I didn’t even know. I think it was on the first ball of the next over, so I didn’t even know. It’s just the cherry on top at the end of the day if it happens.”

The opener struck his second hundred of the season, an unbeaten 135, as he steered them to stumps with six wickets in hand

The Report by Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Alur11-Nov-2017
Scorecard
Gautam Gambhir plays through the off side•AFPGautam Gambhir became the third centurion in as many days of Delhi’s Group A Ranji Trophy clash against Karnataka at the KSCA Ground in Alur. But the home team’s bowlers, for the first time in the match, ensured relative parity between bat and ball. Delhi made a determined response to Karnataka’s monumental 649, but lost four wickets in their bid, ending on 277 for 4 before bad light forced stumps 11 overs early. Importantly, though, Gambhir, their seniormost batsman, was still around, having looked steadfast for his unbeaten 135.Gambhir was assured in his footwork and solid in defence as he set about trying to blunt the new ball. He had to double down, with Unmukt Chand nicking behind after Stuart Binny replaced R Vinay Kumar for the 10th over of the morning, and got one to nip away just enough to break the opening stand. Gambhir was intensely focused as he left deliveries away from his body before gradually beginning to lean into his drives.The first session itself did not exactly make smooth progression owing to numerous delays, with people walking around behind the sightscreen despite repeated requests from Karnataka’s fielders. As a result, only 12 overs were sent down in the first hour.The heat of the past few days subsided to make way for a more misty and breezy morning, and the sun came out only an hour into the session. Shortly thereafter came the first arrival of spin as Shreyas Gopal replaced Vinay after an expensive second spell for the captain. Gambhir got his fifty with a neat push through midwicket off the legspinner.He was his usual skillful self against the spinners, stepping out to them confidently and rocking back to cut with ease. Dhruv Shorey was an able ally, and together they hauled Delhi to 126 for 1 at lunch.Shorey raised his fifty in the first over after the break, but Mithun then went past his defences. Shorey, who had looked assured until then, indecisively brought his bat down to a pacy delivery. That marked the end of a neatly and diligently-compiled innings, and the start of a riveting passage of play.Nitish Rana was dropped first ball, flicking uppishly to midwicket, where Manish Pandey was caught napping. That only fired Mithun up more as he steamed in and hit the deck forcefully. Gambhir, however, was unshaken, sussing out the lengths early and comfortably leaving outside the off-stump.At the other end, Rana made up for his first-ball lapse with two pristine cover-drives. Mithun sent down some more chin music; Gambhir responded by pulling boldly, first uppishly behind square, barely dissecting keeper and leg slip, and then a more controlled shot through midwicket. Karnataka squandered a chance to run Gambhir out when he set off for a single after Rana tapped to point. R Samarth was in position but failed to pick the ball up. Gambhir was on 76 at that stage, and Karnataka 166 for 2.Mithun followed up his fiery spell with a spectacular catch at the deep square leg boundary, running to his right after Rana top-edged a pull and getting down just in front of the ropes. Rishabh Pant lived up to his erratic reputation, trying to sweep his first ball – a length delivery – and nearly losing his stumps. Pant kept Karnataka on their toes, checking a pull to a short delivery from Binny but wide enough of midwicket.Gambhir, meanwhile, showed he had oodles of time to respond to pace, and handled the short balls without fuss. Pant then switched modes to put his head down and wait for the bad balls. Gambhir earnestly pursued the hundred, stepping down the track on 98 and finding the fielder, before unleashing a cut off Shreyas to the point boundary. In a reinforcement of his popularity, his effort was acknowledged by the heartiest of cheers for a non-Karnataka player.With Gambhir and Pant settling into a partnership, Vinay decided to rest his frontline bowlers and turned to the part-time offspin of Karun Nair. He nearly shaved Pant’s outside edge when the batsman came forward too early, but was deposited over midwicket for six next ball. Pant saw Delhi through to tea with Gambhir, taking them 234 for 3.He flicked Mithun for another six in the third over after the break, before poor shot selection cost him his wicket. Having been narrowly beaten outside off by K Gowtham off an attempted cut, Pant repeated the same stroke to a delivery that came in with the arm and flattened his middle stump.Milind Kumar survived an appeal for a bat-pad at silly point, shortly after Delhi raised their 250. Karnataka even went so far as to celebrate only for umpire Stephen Harris to merely return Gowtham his cap.Gambhir, meanwhile, continued to middle the ball magnificently. Perhaps the only drawback from his knock was his placement, as he often found the fielders at the covers with well-timed punches and drives. Nevertheless, he continued to grit it out tenaciously.With the sun having only occasionally peeked through the clouds, the umpires drew their light meters out at 4.20pm. Ten minutes later, they strolled off with Delhi 372 behind.

Following the arrival of Wataru Endo, Liverpool are reportedly still in the market for another central midfielder this summer, as they look to end their crisis in the middle of the park once and for all.

Their problems were evident on the opening day of the Premier League season, as they drew 1-1 against Chelsea with new arrival Alexis Mac Allister playing out of position in defensive midfield.

Now, Jurgen Klopp could reportedly turn to Wolverhampton Wanderers to solve his midfield issues.

What's the latest on Mario Lemina to Liverpool?

The Reds are in the picture to sign Wolves midfielder Mario Lemina this summer, according to Foot Mercato, via Sport Witness, after the 29-year-old impressed despite suffering a 1-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford to open the season.

If Liverpool are to push ahead for his signature, they will have to fend off interest from Saudi Arabia, however, with several clubs reportedly interested in making their move for Lemina this summer.

Of course, Klopp's side are in this mess thanks to departures to Saudi Arabia in the first place, after both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson made moves earlier in the transfer window.

Now, they may hope that Lemina doesn't follow suit, potentially allowing them the chance to welcome the Wolves man to Anfield.

Should Liverpool sign Mario Lemina?

At this stage of the window, Liverpool can ill-afford to get things wrong, especially when it comes to midfielders. That said, signing Lemina – a player with plenty of Premier League experience – wouldn't exactly be a piece of bad business at Anfield.

During his Wolves spell, which only got underway in January, the Gabon international has left many impressed, earning plenty of praise in the process, including from former Wolves player Andy Thompson.

After the Midlands club defeated Liverpool 3-0 in emphatic fashion, Thompson said, via the club's official website: “He was very effective in the way he played. Wanting the ball, dropping into the backline so he could receive it.

"He was outstanding, especially in the first half. He got around and made it difficult for Liverpool. Liverpool found it hard to get passing going because we kept blocking things off and he was the influence in there.

"He’s got mobility in the midfield area, to give them problems getting about the pitch. We start one of the things we needed was legs in there and we’ve got it with him. He can play, he can break things up and it’s refreshing to see.”

With that said, it's fair to say that Klopp got a solid first impression of Lemina a few months ago, perhaps giving the German plenty to think about this summer.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

Having already lost Ruben Neves this summer, though, it remains to be seen whether or not Wolves would be willing to bid farewell to Lemina on top of that earlier departure.

If Liverpool do come knocking, it will certainly be interesting to see what those at Molinuex choose to do, as Premier League games come thick and fast and the transfer window edges closer and closer to slamming shut.

Sri Lanka fought desperately despite a spectacular collapse lit up by a Faheem Ashraf hat-trick, and held the ascendancy right until Shadab Khan smashed a six with Pakistan needing eight from three balls

The Report by Danyal Rasool27-Oct-2017AFPThere was a hat-trick from Faheem Ashraf, and a Sri Lankan collapse that saw them lose eight wickets for 14 runs. That might suggest another rout of the hapless visitors, but nothing could be further from reality. In the game of the entire tour, Pakistan edged home with one ball to spare, with only two wickets in hand when the winning runs were struck. They were struck by none other than golden boy Shadab Khan, who smashed a six off the game’s penultimate ball to wrench victory from Sri Lanka’s desperate, clawing hands.This was a complete T20 game, beginning with intelligent batting by Sri Lanka, put in after Pakistan won the toss. That was followed by a remarkable collapse from 106 for 1 to 120 for 9. Pakistan looked like they were cruising early on, before an excellent spell by captain Thisara Perera dragged Sri Lanka back. From there, they held the ascendancy right until the last three balls. Pakistan needed eight off them. Shadab hit a straight six and a couple off the next delivery denied Sri Lanka’s valiant young side victory in an astonishing contest.It was Sri Lanka’s best game of the limited-overs tour. The batsmen early on deprived Pakistan of wickets while keeping the score ticking. A 63-run second-wicket partnership between Gunathilaka and Sadeera Samarawickrama set Thisara’s men up for a score above par, with fast bowlers Hasan Ali and Usman Khan expensive in the early overs.Shadab was the only bowler in the middle overs able to rein in Sri Lanka. At one point, they might have been eyeing 150, but a superb spell from the teenager prevented them from cutting loose. He has added another variation, a quicker one that can reach 120kph, and it removed Sri Lanka’s top scorer Gunathilaka amidst their late collapse. Shadab might not have taken heaps of wickets, but his figures of 4-0-14-1 were to prove crucial.In the madness of Sri Lanka’s final overs, Faheem Ashraf emerged as the hero with a sensational hat-trick, removing Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana and Mahela Udawatte off the last three balls of the 19th over. It was Pakistan’s first T20I hat-trick and, in truth, couldn’t have come from an unlikelier source.Poor running and brilliant fielding hurt Sri Lanka’s innings: there were three run outs, The wickets that crumpled in a heap towards the end crushed their hopes of a late charge, and while it was still an improvement on yesterday, they still finished with a below-par 124.Pakistan were tentative in their approach to the chase, almost as if they had forgotten what to do when a match become mildly competitive. Fakhar Zaman was run out after miscommunication with Ahmed Shehzad, before Babar Azam fell victim to an incorrect lbw decision. But skipper Perera rose to the occasion, giving his side a real chance of victory, accounting for both Shehzad and Shoaib Malik in his first two overs.For a while, Mohammad Hafeez and Sarfraz Ahmed looked in control, never letting the asking rate get out of sight. But once Hafeez holed out to long on with Pakistan still requiring 31, panic set in. Perera returned for his final over and got rid of Imad Wasim, and terrific fielding in the deep saw Pakistan’s captain run out three balls later. Twenty-one were still required off 14, and with three wickets remaining, Sri Lanka were firm favourites.Udana conceded only four in a brilliant penultimate over, but the drama all lay in the last over. Faheem was caught at long-on off the first ball of Vikum Sanjaya’s over, and with 11 needed off four, Pakistan were up against it. It looked even graver for them when Hasan sliced one straight to long-off, but was reprieved by a crucial dropped catch, allowing Pakistan to scramble three. That brought on strike Shadab, a young man whose honeymoon with cricket simply refuses to end. Two balls and eight runs later, the contest was suddenly over, and Shadab’s joy, as well as Abu Dhabi’s, was unconfined.

Everton will host Fulham in their Premier League opener at Goodison Park this afternoon and Sean Dyche will be hoping to spark a new era on the blue side of Merseyside after a difficult campaign last season.

The Toffees finished 17th in the top-flight table with just two points to spare on the final day, with Abdoulaye Doucoure's strike against Bournemouth saving them from a spell in the Championship and relegating Leicester City instead.

Now the Everton boss will be hoping that his team can stage a comeback to comfortably compete in the Premier League this season, to avoid a third consecutive relegation scrap at the bottom of the table.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

What's the latest Everton team news?

In terms of injuries, Dele Alli has had a set-back following his hip surgery, club captain Seamus Coleman remains in recovery with a knee injury and Dwight McNeil will be out for weeks with an ankle injury, meaning all three will be unavailable for selection for today's fixture.

Both James Tarkowski and Arnaut Danjuma have been confirmed as available for selection after suffering knocks and fitness issues during pre-season, however, there is uncertainty surrounding Dominic Calvert-Lewin's return to action.

Dyche took to his pre-match press conference to deliver an update on the striker's availability:

"He just needs game time, Dom. Unfortunately the games have just ran out in pre-season, if he had a few more weeks he may have been able to play more. He’s fit and well, just finishing off the games programme at the moment."

"We’ll have to make a call on that [whether Calvert-Lewin can play]. I’ve spoken to him anyway on how he’s feeling, we’ll have to make a call on that."

Will Arnaut Danjuma start vs Fulham?

Whilst Everton are still active in the market this summer with new additions on the agenda, the club have already snapped up the services of three fresh faces who could make their debut in the first few fixtures of the season.

Both Danjuma and former Aston Villa stalwart Ashley Young could make their Goodison Park debut this weekend, whilst ex-Sporting Club de Portugal striker Youssef Chermiti may not feature due to only putting ink on his four-year contract yesterday.

Dyche will be keen to set high standards and expectations in the opening clash, so unleashing Danjuma in the final third this afternoon would be the perfect opportunity to prove Everton's ambition and determination to change the trajectory of their fate.

The Villarreal star has joined the Merseysiders on a season-long loan and was a much-needed addition following the departures of Anthony Gordon and Richarlison, so there will be huge expectations for the Netherlands international to make an instant impact.

The £52.5k-per-week winger – once hailed "exceptional" by former Bournemouth boss Jonathan Woodgate – has scored 75 goals and registered 36 assists over his club career so far with a goal contribution every 128 minutes, a consistency in front of goal that could be highly valuable to Everton if he can continue to score frequently on Merseyside this season.

With that being said, Dyche must unleash Danjuma in Everton's forward line this afternoon against Fulham, as he could be a game-changer in securing all three points at Goodison Park.

David Warner scored the slowest hundred of his career in an uncharacteristic manner and says it gave him the confidence to score more runs in Asia

Brydon Coverdale06-Sep-2017If you were told that one of Australia’s openers had spent six hours at the crease for 123 runs, painstakingly accumulated from 234 balls, with only seven boundaries, you would have complete confidence in declaring that the man in question would be Matt Renshaw. But you would be wrong. This was David Warner posting most un-Warner-like numbers in the first innings in Chittagong, where he put Australia into a strong position with two days to play.This was Warner’s 20th Test century – more than were made by Mark Taylor, or Michael Hussey, or Doug Walters, or Bill Lawry, or Ian Chappell, or Michael Slater, or Adam Gilchrist, all of whom played more Tests than Warner’s current tally of 66. It was also the slowest hundred of his Test career, completed from his 209th delivery, and in extreme heat. And his patience has brought Australia back into the series.”You pretty much felt in from ball one with the fields that they set, they didn’t really have any attacking men around the bat compared to last game,” Warner said after the day’s play. “It allowed me just to rotate the strike and not really have any need to leave your crease all the time.”At the end of the day, they try and shut down the scoreboard. They try and cut your boundaries out and play that way, try and get you caught around the crease and obviously look for that lbw dismissal or bowled through the gate. If you can negate that and you can manipulate the field, you’re going to be facing a lot of balls and you’ve got to be prepared to bat long periods of time.”It was also Warner’s second consecutive century, after his fourth-innings 112 in Mirpur last week, which he described at the time as his best innings. But for sheer single-mindedness and adaptability from his usual verve, this hundred must also be up there. “I think from a patience point of view, definitely,” Warner said. “I always talk about trying to bat long periods for time in these conditions and by far that’s the hottest I’ve ever played in. It was quite challenging to be out there. Coming off yesterday, it was every minute that I was out there.”We were out there for 100 overs the day before. A lot of credit has to go to the two fast bowlers as well. The amount of work that they’ve put in, I think they’ve both bowled 20 overs apiece in this heat. It takes someone with some good fitness to bowl through that, definitely.”Warner’s productive tour has boosted his record in Asia – he arrived for this series with only one century from 26 previous Test innings on the continent. Now, Warner believes that he might finally have found a method that can bring him success in Asia more generally.”It’s a tough environment to come out and try to play your shots and play your natural game,” he said. “You have to find a way and for me it’s taken almost 16, 17 Tests in these conditions to work out what my game plan is and stick to it. As I said before, they play on your ego a little bit, they shut down your runs, they shut down your boundary options, and you’ve got to milk the ones.”You’ve got to be prepared to bat time and you’ve got to have the fitness edge as well to do that. That’s probably the thing that’s going to keep motivating me more now to show to myself that I’ve done that, and now moving forward I can achieve the same success that I’ve had so far over here moving down the line.”Warner’s innings helped Australia gain a 72-run lead by stumps on the third day, though with only one wicket in hand they will aim to bump that advantage up a little further on the fourth morning. There remains plenty of work if Australia are to achieve the victory needed to level the series 1-1, but the batting work led by Warner has at least given them hope.”It’s crucial that we try and put as many runs on the board as possible,” he said. “I wouldn’t say the wicket is deteriorating, there’s a little bit of rough out there created from the bowlers. The middle of the wicket is still nice and true. But as the spinners do, they’ll work out what they need to do and hit those rough areas.”