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Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, wanted to pull out of the fourth one-day international at Lord’s on Monday following Ijaz Butt’s claim that England took money to lose the previous match at The Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2010Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, wanted to pull out of the fourth one-day international at Lord’s on Monday following Ijaz Butt’s claim that England took money to lose the previous match at The Oval. It was only after extensive negotiations between the ECB and the players that the game went ahead, but Swann has revealed the players were ready to take drastic action.Andrew Strauss was involved in meetings that went into the early hours of Monday morning with the board and the Professional Cricketers’ Association before the decision was taken to continue the one-day series. The ECB issued strongly worded statements in response to Butt’s outburst and are still set on pursuing legal action against the Pakistan board chairman unless he makes a public apology for claiming England took “enormous amounts of money” to lose at The Oval.”I couldn’t wait for those games to end and get the hell out of there. It was a dreadful experience and one I never want to experience again,” Swann told . “In fact, I didn’t want to play at all in the one-dayer on Monday. I won’t lie about that – I was dead against playing. And I wasn’t alone, plenty of other players had strong reservations.”But Straussy, who has been brilliant throughout this episode, persuaded us the best thing we could do was get on with it as a team and make sure we won the series. He was proved to be right.”Swann, who took 11 wickets at 19.00 during the series which England won 3-2 with a 121-run success at the Rose Bowl, insisted it was no empty threat from the players about taking Butt to court over his claims.”I want to say I agree 100 per cent with the decision to send a letter on behalf of the England team demanding an apology from PCB chairman Ijaz Butt. If we do not receive a satisfactory response, we will start legal proceedings,” Swann said. “Mr Butt’s comments about bookmakers claiming we deliberately lost the third one-dayer in return for ‘enormous amounts of money’ were as offensive as they could possibly be. They went against everything I stand for as a professional sportsman.”We felt powerless as players because as soon as somebody says something like that and it is read by cricket followers, our name is sullied. You can’t go around accusing people and pointing fingers with completely unsubstantiated claims. In the civilised world, it is not something that should happen. I hope Mr Butt sees sense and retracts his claims or there must be severe consequences for him.”

Premier League giants Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal along with Barcelona are reportedly ready to fight for €50 million-rated Benjamin Sesko.

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Sesko's stock is on the rise in EuropeSeveral European elites vying for his signatureHas an exit clause worth €50m (£43m)GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Although the 20-year-old RB Leipzig striker has a contract running until June 2028, it has an exit clause, valued at €50m (£43m/$54m), which will become active over the upcoming summer transfer window, according to While the price tag may seem steep for a player of Sesko's age, his recent performances suggest he could prove to be a valuable investment.

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Despite a slow start to the season, Sesko has adapted well to life in Germany and has begun to shine on the pitch. In his last three Bundesliga outings, Sesko has showcased his goal-scoring prowess and inspired Leipzig to a victory over Union Berlin while his heroics fetched a point against Augsburg. Moreover, his performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League highlighted his potential as he found himself knocking on Andriy Lunin's goal on several occasions during the Champions League fixture. He did manage to put the ball into the net early in the match only to be denied by VAR.

DID YOU KNOW?

Scouts from Liverpool, City, and Barcelona believe that once Sesko consistently finds the back of the net in both domestic and European competitions, he could establish himself as one of Europe's most lethal strikers. They understand that the striker has the potential to exceed a valuation of £100m in the future, and then the initial investment of £43m could prove to be a bargain.

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Sesko would face stiff competition for playing time at clubs like Liverpool and City, who already boast established strikers in their squads in Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland. However, the pair may not want to let such a promising forward slip through their fingers. Meanwhile in Spain, Barcelona are looking for Robert Lewandowski's replacement and the Slovenian perfectly fits the bill.

Between playing with the boys' teams at an MLS Next side and training with an NWSL team at 17, the young full-back has had quite the journey already

It's the week before the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship and GOAL is chatting to Gisele Thompson, the United States' promising young full-back, about how she has been preparing for the tournament. While almost all of her team-mates are playing for college teams across the country, Thompson has been training with an NWSL side in Angel City, one that missed out on the play-offs by just four points in its inaugural season last year.

When Thompson explains that participating in practise sessions with seasoned stars, players who have been to multiple World Cups for their countries, has been really "helpful" in preparing her for the trip to the Dominican Republic with the U20s, GOAL can't help but laugh a little and note that very few players across the tournament will have had that same preparation. The teenager lets out a giggle in response, a shy one, almost to deflect the praise insinuated by the point.

Her addition to Angel City's pre-season roster in January was the latest milestone in the exciting yet unorthodox path the 17-year-old has taken to date. Like her sister, Alyssa, who was picked at No.1 in the NWSL Draft earlier this year, Thompson has spent the last few years at Total Futbol Academy, a boys' club that competes in MLS Next.

"They are my first and probably my last girls I'll coach," Mario Gonzalez, their coach at TFA, ponders, with a little laugh. His musing is a good indication of just how rare that path is for girls in the U.S to take. Gisele has been playing with the U17 boys' team and the experience has paid dividends. Gonzalez believes she's ready for the NWSL already. Though there is no rush, it only feels like a matter of time until that step is taken.

With Alyssa shining so brightly in the top league in the U.S. since she herself signed for Angel City this year, of course there is a lot of excitement about her younger sister and whether she can follow in her footsteps. But that excitement should be because Gisele is a huge talent in her own right, not because of anything else.

So, who is this teenage defender and what makes her future so bright?

• Nike
  

  Where it all began

  Both Gisele and Alyssa, with just 13 months between them, were introduced to all kinds of sports from a young age, with their parents putting them in sessions for basketball, gymnastics and “everything you can think of”, Gisele recalls.

  “My parents thought that we weren't going to be that tall, because my parents are pretty short, so they put us in soccer and we were pretty good at it,” she explains. “We also had speed from my dad's side of the family, so they knew that was a big part in how we played and I think just from there, we kept going.”

  The pair bounced around a number of different teams in the Los Angeles area before settling at TFA. It made both of them glad to have each other. “It was really hard to keep a friend in those groups because we'd stay at clubs for short amounts of time so having [Alyssa] there was just so much easier and just like a built in friend," Thompson adds.

  “You always have her there and we always go through the same experiences, so we always talk about how we feel. We understand each other so well, better than anyone could ever understand.”

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  The big break

  Last year was a big one for Thompson, who represented her country’s U17s at both the CONCACAF Championship and the World Cup that followed. The U.S. were champions on the continent again but suffered a disappointing quarter-final exit on the world stage, knocked out on penalties by Nigeria.

  Still, it was at these tournaments that Thompson really announced herself to a wider audience with her ability to be effective on both sides of the ball in her right-back role.

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  How it's going

  Fast-forward a few months and the teenage defender is now training with Angel City – when her school hours don’t clash – while still playing for TFA. She’s moved up to the U20 national team, too, representing them at the CONCACAF Championship, where they have reached the semi-finals and are one win away from qualifying for the 2024 U20 World Cup.

  “It's definitely very helpful because they're fast-paced and they're grown women, so they expect a lot from me, too,” Thompson says of practicing with an NWSL side. “They're very physical and they're looking for perfection, which is very hard but also, you expect that from yourself, too.”

  It’s given her an opportunity to watch and learn from a lot of top pros, with New Zealand captain Ali Riley, a veteran of four World Cup tournaments, a player she picks out as one who has given her a lot of advice.

  “She communicates with me very well,” Thompson explains. “She's always bringing me into conversations and just trying to be like an older sister to me, which has been very helpful in making me more comfortable in the situations that I've been in. Whatever I need, she's always there to help me and whenever I'm working on defending or anything in that realm, she's always there to help and give me advice.”

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  Biggest strengths

  In the modern game, it’s hard to find a full-back who has a well-balanced game. There are those who are defensively strong but don’t get forward and support attacks enough, while there are others who excel in the final third but neglect the other side of the game. Thompson, however, is very good at both.

  In fact, when she first arrived at TFA, it was her aggression, her fearlessness in a tackle and her will to throw her body on the line to defend that stood out to Gonzalez. “Obviously, after that, I started noticing her speed, her agility, her technical ability,” he remembers. “I was like, 'Wait a minute. There's more'.”

  Her attacking contributions have developed well alongside that because of how coachable and willing to learn Thompson is. "I think what makes me, me, is my attacking ability," she says. "My getting up the field and my speed to track back or get forward fast."

  “She's really fast, she's super smart, very technical, very aggressive. She’s going to develop into a really good player,” Gonzalez adds. But the coach's favourite aspect of Thompson’s development is in her personality, with him recalling how shy she was upon arrival at TFA.

  “She's transitioned into more of a comfortable role talking, coaching, demanding the ball from players,” he says. “I think that transition has been the one that I've kind of enjoyed the most in terms of just her coming out of her shell and being more confident.

  “Most of it has been through these national team call-ups. Every time it happens, I get her with all the boys and I make the announcement and they get all happy and give her a high five and it kind of triggers her to see that they're very excited for her and she's one of them. I think that's helped her transition to have more confidence.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta quinta-feira termina o prazo para que conselheiros do São Paulo que ocupam cargos remunerados decidam se mantêm esses cargos ou se ficam no Conselho Deliberativo do clube. A decisão vai acarretar mudanças significativas no quadro diretivo tricolor após mudança estatutária sacramentada em 2019.

Em maio do ano passado, foi incluída no estatuto uma resolução que impede que um conselheiro do clube assuma um cargo remunerado, seja ele qual for. Naquele momento foi dado prazo até o dia 2 de abril (esta quinta-feira) para que os nomes que se encaixem nesse perfil tomem a decisão de abrir mão do Conselho Deliberativo ou abrir mão da posição que ocupam na direção.

Márcio Carlomagno (assessor da presidência), Eduardo Rebouças (diretor de infraestrutura), Elias Albarello (diretor financeiro), Paulo Mutti (superintendente de gestão de contratos) e Mauro Castro (gerente de estádio). Esses quatro últimos têm a particularidade de serem conselheiros vitalícios, mas precisarão abrir mão da cadeira mesmo assim caso decidam seguir em seus cargos.

-Até ontem (terça-feira) eu tinha tomado a decisão de permanecer na diretoria executiva. Em função de algumas mudanças de ontem para hoje (quarta-feira), alguns fatos novos, ainda é uma decisão que eu não posso mais falar que está pronta e acabada. Amanhã devo ter uma resposta – disse Elias Albarello em entrevista ao canal do jornalista Jorge Nicola, no YouTube, nesta quarta-feira.

Outro nomes como Rodrigo Gaspar, que foi demitido do cargo de diretor administrativo, e Leonardo Serafim, que se demitiu do cargo de diretor jurídico, já estão com o destino resolvido e voltam ao Conselho Deliberativo do clube.

Em dezembro deste ano haverá eleição para a presidência do Tricolor. Leco deixará o cargo após seu mandato desde 2017, mas já administrava o clube desde 2015, quando assumiu após a saída de Carlos Miguel Aidar. Os candidatos ao cargo ainda não foram definidos.

RelacionadasSão PauloDiniz fala em acolher Gonzalo Carneiro: ‘Quero conhecer melhor’São Paulo01/04/2020São PauloAntony revela dicas de Lucas e de elenco do São Paulo sobre EuropaSão Paulo01/04/2020São PauloSão Paulo confirma férias de 20 dias e orienta elenco a ‘se cuidar’São Paulo01/04/2020

MatériaMais Notícias

A compra do atacante Gabigol pelo Flamengo renderá uma quantia ao Santos. O clube carioca desembolsou cerca de R$ 76 milhões para comprar o jogador da Internazionale (ITA).Como clube formador, o Santos tem direito a cerca de 3,5% desse valor, somando R$ 2,6 milhões. O clube deve receber o valor até 30 dias após o pagamento feito pelo Flamengo à Inter de Milão.

A porcentagem se deve ao mecanismo de solidariedade da FIFA para transferências internacionais. De acordo com a norma, o clube formador do atleta tem direito a 5% do montante de alguma negociação. A FIFA leva em conta onde o atleta atuou entre as idades de 12 e 23 anos. Vale lembrar que Gabigol chegou ao peixe antes da idade mínima do mecanismo, e só saiu do clube quando tinha 19 anos.

A conta é feita da seguinte forma, de acordo com a FIFA:0,25% por ano entre os 12 e 15 anos, e 0,5% por ano entre os 16 e 23 anos. Nesse período, o Santos conseguiu juntar 3% do mecanismo de solidariedade. Em 2018, o Peixe conseguiu mais 0,5% ao trazer o atleta de empréstimo, quando ele já estava no futebol europeu.

Em situação financeira delicada, o dinheiro será recebido em boa hora pela diretoria santista. A grana deve ser utilizada para acertar salários e direitos de imagem dos atletas. Reforços, no momento, não devem pintar na Vila Belmiro.

RelacionadasSantosPará destaca ‘garra’ do Santos e crê em evolução durante o PaulistaSantos27/01/2020SantosJesualdo prega calma: ‘Você não me conhece há um ano, só quinze dias’Santos27/01/2020SantosSeis problemas em dez dias: Lesões no Santos voltam a virar rotinaSantos27/01/2020

ScorecardFile photo – Mithali Raj’s 52-ball 51 resurrected India’s chase•ICC

Mithali Raj anchored India Women’s chase with a steady fifty and lifted them to an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series against Sri Lanka Women in Ranchi. Chasing 108, India were reduced to 27 for 4 in the seventh over before Raj and Anuja Patil combined for a 77-run stand to rescue the hosts.India lost Vellaswamy Vanitha, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma in successive overs, before wrecker-in-chief Inoka Ranaweera trapped Veda Krishnamurthy in the seventh over to leave India reeling. Patil and Raj then took India to the brink of victory, before Patil was caught and bowled. However, Raj went on to bring up her half-century and take India home with an over to spare. Left-arm spinner Ranaweera took 3 for 10 from four overs.Earlier, Sri Lanka got off to a slow start after opting to bat. Shikha Pandey removed Yasoda Mendis, who made an 18-ball 3, in the sixth over. Chamari Atapattu (22), Dilani Manodara (27) and Shashikala Siriwardene (26) all made contributions to help Sri Lanka reach a decent total.India’s bowlers pulled things back towards the end to keep Sri Lanka to 107. Ekta Bisht took 3 for 22, while Poonam Yadav claimed 3 for 17, all her wickets coming in the penultimate over.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between England and New Zealand at Headingley

The preview by Alex Winter28-May-2015Match factsMay 29-June 2, 2015
Start time 11am local (1000 GMT)4:02

‘England should stay aggressive’

Big PictureEngland’s week couldn’t have gone better at Lord’s. It was was a major surprise to everybody that they turned things around in such dramatic fashion having slipped well behind in the game. It was reckoned to be their greatest victory since the India tour of 2012 and a style of cricket not seen since the great days of Michael Vaughan’s captaincy. Suddenly people are giving the England cricket team a second glance.England have a new man to empty the bars. The new Botham, the new Flintoff, the new Pietersen, whoever you reincarnate in Ben Stokes, his draw was on show to the wider British public for the first time. They may have slept through his hundred in Perth; probably didn’t even realise a match was on when he hammered Notts in last season’s Royal London Cup semi-final; but here was his ability displayed on the grandest stage (and in glorious high-definition in a limited number of living rooms).They have even sat up and taken notice at Headingley. It has been the chilliest of Springs in northern England, hardly weather to encourage a big turnout, but Yorkshire have sold 5,000 tickets since Moeen Ali’s springing catch brought England victory and, with almost 40,000 sold in all, have reason to join the Stokes fan base.The challenge for England now is to keep entertaining. Will they continue to play aggressive cricket? Brendon McCullum wondered. His New Zealanders are committed to taking the game to the opposition, in any situation it would seem following some of the final afternoon dismissals at Lord’s, but England may have stumbled across a strategy that paid off handsomely and largely thanks to one man.McCullum said New Zealand themselves had to decide what brand of cricket they wanted to play when he took charge. His uber-positive style has seen them go undefeated in their last six Test series but now they need victory at Headingley to keep that run going. McCullum regards New Zealand as the “authentic” believers in aggressive cricket and pointedly wondered if England, traditionally more conservative, had just stumbled across such an approach. Under Headingley’s tyrannical skies, there will be times when a spot of conservatism might not go amiss..Form guide(last five matches, most recent first)
England WLWDW
New Zealand LWWWDThings went better for Alastair Cook at Lord’s than he could have expected•Getty ImagesIn the spotlightLord’s can be a difficult place for opening batsmen, particularly on debut, and Adam Lyth made just 7 and 12 in his first Test. He should feel more relaxed on his home ground and it was during this Test last summer that the man he replaced, Sam Robson, made a century. Unfortunately for Robson it could well be his only Test hundred. Lyth, more used to the demands caused by Headingley cloud cover, will hope a solid showing here will lead to bigger things.Questions were asked of how well New Zealand’s IPL contingent would cope with the quick turnaround to Test cricket and Tim Southee did not appear to have made the switch seamlessly, looking a little jaded having sent down 58 overs, taken three wickets, and conceded 266 runs at four-and-a-half an over. Will he have recuperated in time for a better showing at Headingley?Teams newsEngland are likely to be unchanged from Lord’s. James Anderson and Mark Wood were both reported to be a “bit sore” but are both anticipated to be fine.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonNew Zealand have two injury worries. BJ Watling, who missed the second Test on the last tour, is still struggling with his knee that saw him not able to keep wicket for most of the Lord’s Test. His exclusion would rob New Zealand of an influential player in their run of six undefeated Test series. Corey Anderson also has a back problem; if he plays he is likely not to bowl. His injury concerns will be felt at Somerset, where he has signed up for the NatWest Blast. Luke Ronchi, for his Test debut, and Doug Bracewell are in line to replace the injured pair.New Zealand (possible) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 Mark Craig, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultPitch and conditionsHeadingley generally comes up with a good Test wicket and the bigger influence on conditions will be the situation overhead. It has been a cold spring in Yorkshire and the weather is forecast to be unsettled throughout the match, particularly on Sunday. “We still scored over 730 runs and took 20 wickets at Lord’s,” McCullum reflected. “On most occasions when you out those sorts of numbers on the board you would probably say you’d win the Test match.” It probably would be at Headingley.Stats and trivia Alastair Cook needs 32 runs to surpass Graham Gooch as England’s leading Test runscorer.James Anderson is just one wicket away from becoming the 12th bowler to take 400 Test wickets Brendon McCullum needs 88 more runs reach 6000 in Tests: he would be just the second New Zealander to reach the mark after Stephen Fleming New Zealand’s first Test victory in England came at Headingley in 1983Quotes”It is a balancing act – maybe there have been times when I have been too conservative in the past.”
“We went down the other day but I thought we played some pretty good cricket during that Test. I make no apologies for how we play. We need to play an aggressive and innovative form of cricket. It gives us our greatest opportunity.”

Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan has been ruled out of the World Cup after marginally failing a fitness test

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-20151:05

Junaid joins growing list of Pakistan bowlers who will miss the World Cup

Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan has been ruled out of the World Cup after failing a fitness test. Junaid had already pulled out of the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand due to a thigh injury sustained in training and despite undergoing a rigorous rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, he is believed to have failed his test marginally. Pakistan will announce a replacement in their 15-man squad tomorrow.Junaid had originally sustained a “Grade-3 osteochondral” fracture in his knee last October, ruling him out of Pakistan’s entire international winter season in the UAE, against Australia and New Zealand. He recovered from that injury to make the World Cup squad, but had a fall while bowling in the nets during training at the Gaddafi Stadium on January 15 and was sent to Pakistan’s medical staff with pain in his right thigh and elbow.Initial tests reported a Grade-1 injury, which Junaid was expected to recover from in a couple of weeks, with the PCB’s doctors recommending that he take thorough rest and avoid travelling. However, Junaid went on a long journey by car last month to his home-town Swabi, which is believed to have aggravated his injury.The PCB’s medical panel concurred that he had not recovered sufficiently from “the traction injury of the nerve in the posterior right thigh” and recommended recuperation at the NCA. Junaid was subsequently withdrawn from the New Zealand tour and Bilawal Bhatti was picked as his replacement for the two-match series.

Hamilton Masakadza smiled brightly at one point during the pre-match press conference but his message wasn’t pretty. With Zimbabwe going into the fifth ODI against Bangladesh with the prospect of their ninth 5-0 defeat in an ODI series, he was asked if this was the worst phase of his career.”We have had worse,” Masakadza said. “It has been really difficult for us but we have had worse.”Masakadza’s smile would have lit up any room, but it was a wry one from a man who has not done justice to his international experience in this series, scoring only 82 runs in the four ODIs so far. Still, his tone remained confident of a turnaround, at least to take some solace back home after six weeks of losing constantly.Zimbabwe were swept 3-0 in the Test series, but the first Test in Dhaka could have gone either way. The visitors have had moments where they were in control in all four ODIs so far, but they simply haven’t grabbed them and finished the job.Masakadza said Zimbabwe had what it takes to beat Bangladesh, despite the physical and mental baggage they are under, provided both the batting and the bowling click in the same game.”I think we got a few games where we have been really in the game,” he said. “We were outplayed in a couple of the games but in the other two we came up with something. We didn’t pull it through in the end. I think the boys still have it in them.”I think it’s just a question of getting both disciplines right on the day, because most of the time we had one side working and the other side not working. When we bowled well, we batted badly; when we batted badly, we bowled well. I think if we can get into a position where we can push through the end, then we can come through.”Two of the better performers, Solomon Mire and Tafadzwa Kamungozi, have caught the eye and have won the appreciation of Zimbabwe’s senior players. Masakadza said he was looking forward to seeing Mire in the World Cup since he has spent time playing grade cricket in Australia.Kamungozi has taken six wickets and has bowled with impressive control, giving away just 4.05 runs per over. He has bowled full spells in three of the four matches, and has finally nailed down a spot in the starting line-up. Mire has been even more of a revelation, having just made his international debut in this series. He has struck two fifties, and took three wickets in the fourth ODI with his medium-pace.”Definitely, [Tafadzwa] Kamungozi is someone who made his debut quite a while ago, but he has been in and out of the team,” Masakadza said. “He has come back strong now. He is definitely a big positive for us.”I am also looking forward to him [Solomon Mire]. Those conditions [in Australia and New Zealand] will favour him as well. He has been away playing in Australia, he has only come back now to play with us again so that’s another big positive for us. He has had a very good start in his international career, looking forward to him.”

Asad Shafiq will enter the first Test in Dubai full of confidence after scoring a breezy century to take Pakistan A to 305 for 8 in 90 overs against the Australians on the first day of their tour match in Sharjah

The Report by Brydon Coverdale in Sharjah15-Oct-2014
ScorecardAsad Shafiq’s footwork was impressive, especially against spin•Getty ImagesAsad Shafiq will enter the first Test in Dubai full of confidence after scoring a breezy century against the Australians on the first day of their tour match in Sharjah. Steve O’Keefe took 3 for 76, helping his case for a Test debut in what will probably be a twin-spin attack with Nathan Lyon.There was barely any turn in the pitch, and the fast men were only able to extract pace, bounce and movement with the new ball. The match does not have first-class status and both teams agreed to use all the players in their squads, with a limit of 90 overs per innings. At stumps on day one, Pakistan A had made 305 for 8 from their limited allotment.Shafiq reached his hundred, from his 148th delivery, with a pull to the midwicket boundary off Peter Siddle. He followed it with a six down the ground. The strokes were typical of the confidence shown throughout the innings by Shafiq, who finished the day with four sixes and was the only Pakistan batsman to carry on after a start.Many of his early runs came at the expense of Australia’s spinners as he looked dangerous in the second session. He smashed O’Keefe for six over long on and was also keen to use his feet against Lyon. When Glenn Maxwell was given three overs shortly before tea, he was struck for a pair of fours.Shafiq was happy to swing the bat as the last of Pakistan’s overs approached, with a couple of one-day style fours down the ground off Mitchell Johnson, and finished the day unbeaten on 108. The Australians will be acutely aware of his form when the first Test arrives next week.Australia spread the bowling workload throughout their squad, with Ben Hilfenhaus and Maxwell used from outside the XI who started the day. Lyon was the only member of the likely Test attack who did not claim a wicket, apart from the allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury and will not bowl until the second innings.The most notable feature of the day’s play for Australia was the work of O’Keefe, who initially bowled quicker and flatter to keep runs down, but later began to toss the ball up a little more and encouraged some shots. Although that at times cost boundaries, including consecutive sixes over long-on when Shafiq used his feet, it also brought wickets.Babar Azam, who had compiled a patient 40, ran at O’Keefe for a loft down the ground, but found the safe hands of James Faulkner at mid-on. O’Keefe’s second wicket came when Haris Sohail, who had just cracked him over midwicket for six, was beaten next ball which drifted across him, straightened and took the off stump.It was the end of an entertaining innings of 43 from Sohail, who had struck two fours down the ground in one over from Lyon and frustrated the Australians in a century partnership with Shafiq. As Pakistan’s overs began to run out, O’Keefe picked up a third victim when Adnan Akmal was defeated by a little extra spin and steered a catch straight into the hands of Michael Clarke at first slip.That left O’Keefe with 3 for 76 from 23 overs, a rewarding analysis given the lack of assistance in the surface. Although Australia have plenty of bowling options, the likely Test attack appears to be O’Keefe joining Lyon in a spin pairing, with Johnson and Siddle as the two frontline fast men and Marsh as the seam-bowling allrounder.Siddle and Johnson found hints of movement and left Pakistan A at 11 for 2 after they chose to bat. Johnson had Shan Masood caught behind in the third over with a fullish ball that moved away slightly, and Siddle struck in the next over when No.3 Israrullah got a thick edge to third slip, where Steven Smith took a sharp catch to his left.Johnson’s pace was impressive early and after a long rest through the middle of the day, he returned with a few sharp bouncers to add some zip to proceedings later in the afternoon, including one that brought Shafiq has half-century when it flew over the slips for four. However, it was Siddle who claimed a second wicket when Raza Hasan was lbw for 5 as the shadows encroached, and Smith also chipped in with a late wicket.Shafiq was still at the crease having steered the innings after several of his colleagues made starts but failed to go on and post a big score. Opener Ahmed Shehzad took 12 balls to get off the mark but gradually began to find his touch with a boundary off the back foot through point off Johnson and an outstanding six pulled over midwicket when Siddle dropped short.Shehzad also enjoyed going after Lyon and used his feet well against the spin, lofting him over long-on for six and back over his head for four. But shortly after lunch, Shehzad fell for 55 when he played on to Hilfenhaus, who effectively performed the third seamer role that could be filled by Marsh in the Test match.Pakistan A went to stumps having used their full 90 overs, meaning the second day will begin with Australia’s openers Chris Rogers and Phillip Hughes at the crease.