In Focus: West Ham fans might be disappointed with January move for McGinn

According to reports in The Sun, West Ham United are lining up a surprise move for £4m-rated Hibernian midfielder John McGinn, who has scored 13 goals in 115 appearances for the club.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun says that Irons boss David Moyes is a big fan of the Scotland international, who has been tipped to be a Premier League success if he moves south of the border.

The Sun says that the 23-year-old would cost around £4m if the Scottish Premiership side decide to cash in on him, with Moyes having identified the middle of the park as an area that needs strengthening during the January transfer window.

How has McGinn done this season?

He has done very well.

Even though he primarily plays as a central midfielder, he has made a big impact in the final third for his team by scoring four goals and providing a further four assists in 26 appearances in all competitions this term – including a brilliant brace against Celtic at Celtic Park in September.

His discipline is a slight issue though, seeing as he has already picked up 10 yellow cards before Christmas.

Would he be a good signing for West Ham?

He certainly would be, especially for £4m.

McGinn has scored 13 goals and provided a further 23 assists in 115 appearances in total for Hibernian, and his impressive performance away against Celtic shows that he can perform on the big stage too.

He would certainly add some bite and aggression in the middle of the park, while he has proven that he can be creative and a goal threat when he needs to be.

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West Ham certainly look as though they need strengthening in central midfield, but Irons supporters may not be so impressed with the addition considering they have been linked with the likes of Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho and Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi over the course of the last few weeks.

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Celtic warn Premier League sides off star man

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has told any interested parties to forget about a January deal for winger James Forrest.

Cardiff are the latest of a number of Premier League sides to have registered an interest in the Scottish international, who has been one of the SPL’s leading names for some time.

The 22-year-old is thought to have ambitions of playing in England, but has elected to remain in his homeland up until now thanks to guaranteed first-team action in Glasgow.

Lennon – who admitted recently that goalkeeper Fraser Forster may be sold – says that he understands why so many clubs are monitoring Forrest, but went on to issue a hands off warning.

“It wouldn’t be a surprised if other clubs were looking at James because he is a brilliant player,” Lennon told Sky Sports.

“But he signed a long-term contract 18 months ago. We are months and months away from the window – he is not for sale.

“We are in a very stable position as a club and that is something which is a rarity in this day and age.

“The players are happy, vibrant and we have a lot to look forward to.”

Forrest is a product of Scottish giants’ youth set-up and is a crowd favourite at Celtic Park.

He made his international debut in 2011, and is believed to be on Malky Mackay’s radar ahead of the New Year.

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Could James Forrest be a Premier League hit?

Join the debate below!

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The 15 ‘Most Annoying’ Footballers on Twitter…well in my view!

Twitter is essentially a glorified Facebook status update, allowing you to share each and every thought that pops into your head with a global audience. In the right hands this can be a very powerful tool but in the wrong hands, it’s just straight up dangerous. Most of us have the foresight to consider our ‘tweets’ before we set them in virtual stone but footballers appear incapable of such logic, instead using the site to offload a few ‘brain dumps’.

The advent of social media has bestowed us with unprecedented access into the lives of our favourite superstars. We’re now all too readily exposed to an unfiltered stream of mundane and trivial information, which serves only to quash our once idolised view of our sporting icons. I’m sure most players don’t set out to infuriate, annoy or ‘wind-up’, some actually share interesting content, but that doesn’t stop them from further enforcing all the negative stereotypes associated with the modern day footballer.

Click on Pele below to reveal my Top 15 most annoying footballers on Twitter

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Sutherland and Day dominate as Stars down Renegades

Annabel Sutherland made 42 not out and took for 3 for 17 while Sophie Day bagged 4 for 19 as Stars routed Renegades in Ballarat

AAP and ESPNCricinfo staff29-Oct-2022Fine bowling efforts from Sophie Day and Annabel Sutherland set Melbourne Stars up for a six-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades, their first victory of the WBBL season.Playing in Ballarat, Renegades batted first and were bowled out for 91 with one over to spare in an innings in which they struck just six fours.Spinner Day and seamer Sutherland were the chief destroyers, setting Stars on the path to their first WBBL win over their crosstown rivals in almost three years. Day returned her best WBBL figures and Australian representative Sutherland bemused the batters with her short balls and changes of pace.Sutherland also played a key role with the bat combining with English batter Alice Capsey in a third-wicket stand of 47. Stars lost both openers inside the first 3.2 overs, but Sutherland and the highly-rated teenager Capsey put their side back in control.Capsey and Kim Garth were dismissed in successive overs, but Sutherland and captain Nicole Faltum steered Stars to victory with 15 balls to spare. They moved off the bottom of the table, jumping above Sydney Thunder and Renegades, with the latter dropping to last.Earlier, Renegades struggled from the start, with captain Sophie Molineux caught behind for a golden duck off Garth off the second ball.A second-wicket stand of 37 looked to have set a decent platform but Renegades lost 3 for 11. Among those dismissed was top scorer Hayley Matthews who looked good until she miscued and gave Sutherland a return catch. Renegades again looked to be rebuilding after a fifth-wicket stand of 25 but lost 6 for 17 with Day slicing through the lower order.Stars suffered a blow in the third over when India batter Jemimah Rodrigues was run out after a mixup with her opening partner Lauren Winfield-Hill. Rodrigues was beaten by a throw over the stumps from Shabnim Ismail, who four balls later had England’s Winfield-Hill caught at second slip.

Pakistan under pressure as Zimbabwe chase history in series decider

After their first T20I win against Pakistan, the hosts now chase their first-ever bilateral series win in the format

Danyal Rasool24-Apr-2021

Big picture

It was about time the chickens would come home to roost on Pakistan’s middle order, but the manner of that reckoning was so grave even those predicting it were taken aback. A first-ever T20I loss to Zimbabwe, and the fourth-lowest total defended against a Full Member saw Pakistan bowled out for 99 in a chase of 119, losing their last seven wickets for just 21 runs. The confidence shot it gives Zimbabwe cannot be overstated as, against all odds, they go into the third and final T20I with a real chance of springing upon Pakistan a chastening series defeat.There is, of course, room for improvement for both sides, especially with the bat. Zimbabwe restricted Pakistan thanks to a combination of a near-flawless performance with the ball, in the field and the total capitulation of the visitors. While stand-in captain Brendan Taylor will want a repeat performance in that respect from his side, Pakistan are unlikely to be that listless two games in a row. To counter that, Zimbabwe could work on the way they paced their own innings with the bat, putting little pressure on Pakistan, almost content to canter along to a sub-120 total.With Craig Ervine ruled out of the series and Sean Williams nursing a hand issue in for the last game, Zimbabwe lost plenty of experience, so the return of the latter might not be a surprise. Taylor did mention after the match that his side might have to approach the powerplay with a touch more positivity, setting the tempo for the remainder of the innings. The pitches here in Harare appear to have plenty in them for bowlers, with both captains agreeing totals around 140-150 were challenging. With Zimbabwe having felt they left runs out there, they go into the decider on equal terms.Pakistan, meanwhile, appear to be on that precipice from which they could lurch either to brilliance or chaos, with no way of predicting which it will be. They were given a nudge towards the latter after the second T20I with Shoaib Malik taking to Twitter to lambast “unacquainted decision makers”. What should have been a series to try out new players and fine-tune certain aspects of their game for the T20 World Cup has instead thrown up a decider of extreme pressure, giving this series a higher profile than most would have accorded it a few days ago.

Form guide

Zimbabwe WLLLL(last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWWL

In the spotlight

Wesley Madhevere was by far the brightest spark of Zimbabwe’s tour of Pakistan a few months ago, but he hasn’t quite lit up this series just yet, particularly with the bat. There have been glimpses of his ability in these two games, but justice to his talent is yet to be done. His dismissal in the previous game was especially disappointing when he attempted a low-percentage reverse sweep and gave away his wicket while Zimbabwe desperately needed him to bat deep. His contribution with the ball, though, has been surprisingly impactful, conceding just 27 runs in five overs and taking two wickets across the two games.Mohammad Hafeez was believed to be a panacea of sorts for the middle order; unlike the rest, he was in excellent form in the lead up to Pakistan’s tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe. He missed South Africa’s T20I series in Pakistan because he was playing the T10 League in the UAE, where he excelled, and went on to distinguish himself with his performances in the PSL. However, that form has not turned into output at the international level in a beleaguered middle order, further amplifying Pakistan’s woes. He had a phenomenally successful 2020, barging his way back into Pakistan’s T20 World Cup plans, but if this barren run continues, he could find himself frozen out in double-quick time.

Team news

If Williams returns, he will add experience to the batting line-up, but it’s unlikely Zimbabwe will wish to make too many changes to the side that helped them win the second T20I.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, 2 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 3 Tadiwanashe Marumani, 4 Wesley Madhevere, 5 Regis Chakabva, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Tarisai Musakanda, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Wellington Masakadza, 10 Blessing Muzarabani, 11 Richard NgaravaPakistan rested Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali for the last two games, but with the series on the line, it would not be a surprise to see them make an appearance.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman 4 Sharjeel Khan/Asif Ali 5 Danish Aziz 6 Mohammad Hafeez 7 Faheem Ashraf 8 Hasan Ali 9 Mohammad Hasnain/Haris Rauf 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi 11 Usman Qadir

Pitch and conditions

The weather is clear again, and with the boundaries as big as they are, a target around 150 should put the side batting first in a decent position. Both sides have fielded first upon winning the toss, but have ended up failing to chase down targets.

Stats and trivia

  • Zimbabwe have never won a bilateral T20I series (they did win a one-off T20I against West Indies in 2010).
  • Williams is 64 away from 1000 runs in T20Is. Taylor is 86 short of the same milestone. For Zimbabwe, only Hamilton Masakadza (1662) has more T20I runs.

Nicholas Pooran's maiden T20 ton fires Guyana Amazon Warriors to victory

Pooran launches ten sixes as Amazon Warriors cruise home in 151 chase

The Report by Matt Roller30-Aug-2020Nicholas Pooran hit his maiden T20 hundred from just 45 balls to lead Guyana Amazon Warriors from 25 for 3 to a seven-wicket win with 21 balls to spare in a chase of 151 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, taking his side into play-off contention after a wretched start to the tournament.Pooran dominated an unbroken 128-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ross Taylor, who was happy to play second fiddle with 25 not out off 27 balls. Pooran hit 10 towering sixes on a tricky Queen’s Park Oval pitch on which St Lucia Zouks had defended 92 earlier in the day, and his hitting was breathtakingly clean as he targeted the Patriots spinners, effortlessly lofting them over wide long-off and heaving through midwicket.After Joshua Da Silva’s 59 had dragged the Patriots up to 150 for 5 and Jon-Russ Jaggesar took two wickets in the final over of the Powerplay, the Amazon Warriors looked in all sorts of trouble, not least with their batting line-up misfiring throughout the season. But Pooran made any suggestions of their demise look startlingly premature.Selection surprisesEvin Lewis looked in all sorts of pain batting at No. 7 after a groin injury on Saturday night, but was named in the Patriots side at the toss, while Sheldon Cottrell missed out due to a niggle. But it was a real shock to see Chris Lynn left out, even after 73 runs in six innings, and fellow overseas player Nick Kelly was also left to carry the drinks.Guyana sprung a surprise too, leaving out Lynn’s future Mumbai Indians team-mate Sherfane Rutherford and dropping Chandrapaul Hemraj after a poor run this season. Their batting line-up looked particular short with Kevin Sinclair – a lower-middle order option for WI Emerging Players in the Regional Super50 last season – as a makeshift opener and Keemo Paul carded at No. 6.Sinclair starsSinclair, the 20-year-old Guyanese allrounder, was handed the new ball as Chris Green opted to bowl six overs of offspin in the Powerplay, and he upstaged his captain with a fine spell. He struck in his second over, as Lewis chopped an offbreak onto his own stumps, and celebrated in style that would make a professional gymnast proud. He continued to keep the Patriots quiet with a combination of arm balls and regulation offbreaks, varying his lines and pace, and conceded only nine runs from his allocation of four overs.Nicholas Pooran frees his arms•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

Da Silva acceleratesDa Silva was a team-mate of Sinclair’s in WI Emerging Players’ improbable run to the Super50 title last year, and despite him impressed with runs in the warm-up games on West Indies’ tour of England, the general consensus was that he was not suited to T20 cricket.He had done little to dispel that idea in the first 12 overs of the innings today, nudging his way to 16 off 26 balls having been dropped earlier in the tournament amid concerns about his strike rate. But after swatting Ashmead Nedd through mid-off, he turned on the style once Guyana threw the ball to a seamer, Keemo Paul, for the first time in the 14th over.Despite struggling in the heat, Da Silva heaved Paul’s slower balls for six, before hitting Imran Tahir for four and then bringing up his maiden T20 fifty, upper-cutting a Naveen-ul-Haq slower ball for three before smacking him for two boundaries to finish the 17th over. He had laid the foundation for late acceleration, with Denesh Ramdin – whom he had dislodged from the Trinidad and Tobago side in first-class cricket last season – whacking two sixes at the death to take the Patriots to 150.King loses his crownBrandon King was the leading run-scorer in the CPL last season but has had a miserable time of it this year. After hitting Alzarri Joseph for two early boundaries – as the Patriots opened the bowling with the only two bowlers to take an IPL six-for – King swatted awkwardly at a short ball, giving Ramdin an easy catch behind the stumps.That left his returns for the tournament at 60 runs at 8.57 from seven innings, and when Jaggesar took two wickets in the final over of the Powerplay, Guyana were in disarray at 25 for 3. But that brought Pooran and Taylor together, who quickly turned the game on its head.Pooran wins it As the required run rate soared to 9.5 runs per over, Pooran decided to take the attack to the Patriots, slapping Jaggesar for two sixes over long-off as Taylor short-arm jabbed Emrit over midwicket. Pooran then attacked Imran Khan, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the 11th over, before adding another towering blow off Jaggesar.Joseph’s return did little to stem the flow, as the partnership ticked up towards the first century stand of the tournament with two boundaries off him and a towering six over midwicket off Ish Sodhi, eventually reaching it with an enormous lofted drive through mid-off from Sohail Tanvir.A maiden ton looked out of reach with Pooran on 82 at the start of the 17th over with only 16 runs required, but he hit each of Sodhi’s three balls over the ropes, roaring in celebration as he sealed the win and made the first hundred of the CPL season in the process.On this form, there is little stopping Pooran, who was brutal down the ground and in front of square on the leg side and calmly ticked over with well-placed singles when his calculations suggested that a boundary wasn’t possible. Tonight will be a huge positive for West Indies, with evidence that he can fire even on difficult, turning wickets ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in India.

I feel like a kid again – Dwayne Bravo revels in WI comeback

The 36-year old allrounder is focused on being West Indies’ go-to man in the death overs of a T20I

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Jan-2020He might be the oldest member in West Indies’ T20 squad for the Ireland series, but Dwayne Bravo feels like a “kid” after getting the national call-up that will mark his return to international cricket after a nearly four-year long hiatus.According to Bravo, the three Ireland T20Is, which begin on January 15, were on his mind when he came out of retirement in December. So when he got a call from Roger Harper, the former West Indies allrounder and current chairman of selectors, last week, Bravo could not hide his excitement.”It’s a great feeling,” Bravo told the Trinidad-based radio station on Sunday. “I feel like a kid again when I first get a call Mr Harper that welcome back to the team and play international cricket and they were looking forward to have me back. It is something that was always on my mind since the change of leadership and stuff. So just happy I get the opportunity to represent the region again and I am looking forward to doing my best.”Bravo had a difficult 2019 after picking up a finger injury that kept him out of the Caribbean Premier League but he bounced back from that to lead the Maratha Arabians to win the Abu Dhabi T10 title last November.Asked if he might be a bit rusty, Bravo disagreed, pointing out fitness was his primary focus during his rehab. “Yeah, (playing) a lot of cricket is important, but for me because of the experience I’ve gained over the years, I am more concerned about my fitness. Obviously, I had this broken finger, (which) kept getting stronger. I started practising, played a couple of games for Queen’s Park (his local club in Trinidad), but over the years, despite not playing not much cricket, I am still able to go there and compete and contribute in a very good way.”For example in the last T10 league, I hadn’t played any cricket in about four months prior to that and still was able to go there and deliver and also win the title. It is just happy time for me. Since I announce my return in December, my mind and my motivation was on this series and now that I’m selected I am very happy.”Bravo added that he is a “smarter” bowler now, even if the pace has dipped. “I’m a better bowler, I’m a better all-round cricketer. Obviously I’m older, so I will not be as quick I used to be before, but I am also very smarter and have a bigger knowledge on the game.”“We lack a proper death-over specialist”
With the T20 World Cup scheduled in Australia in October, Bravo’s return is clearly an indication that Harper’s panel wants to not just blend experience and youth, but also plug holes. Harper had said that Bravo had been brought back with the “specific” intention of being West Indies’ death-overs specialist.Bravo is happy to take up the responsibility. “Death bowling is an art,” he said. “Not many people around the world have really nailed death bowling to the T. If you ask anyone in world cricket to name five death bowlers in the last decade, definitely my name will come along with Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc.Dwayne Bravo celebrates in his trademark style•MSL

“It is not an easy time of the game, that’s why it is called death. A special skill is required to bowl in those situations. Most times, if you have the ball in the death overs, and you don’t win the game, everyone turn to you, and say, “okay, it is because of the last over”. But you don’t win or lose a game in the last over. So many times, I win a game in the last over and no one says anything. I have defended 6 runs in 6 balls. I have defended 11 runs in 6 balls. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. My stats over the years are there for everyone to see. Like I said, if you were to name three or five death-over specialists my name will be there.”According to Bravo West Indies’ bowlers have struggled to close out games, especially during the World Cup and even in the recent series against India in December. Now that he is back, he wants to mentor the other bowlers and teach them the tricks that could deployed at death.”Recently that is where West Indies did falter,” he said. “If you look at the 50-overs World Cup, if you look at the series in India, both in T20s and in ODIs, we lack a really, really proper death-overs specialist.”Again this is my motivation also to try and work with current bowlers. There’s [Sheldon] Cottrell, there’s Keemo Paul, there’s Alzarri Joseph, there’s Oshane Thomas, there’s Kesrick Williams. Collectively all of us have to get better, myself included. But with the experience that I have, I can get them to understand the importance of certain deliveries and when to bowl certain deliveries and work on a better finishing game plan.”Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell shake a leg•Getty Images

T20 World Cup – ‘playing by ear’Bravo said that he and Harper had not spoken about the T20 World Cup, where West Indies will defend their crown. The side still has 18 matches to go before that tournament and Bravo doesn’t want to look too far ahead, though he did reiterate his “full commitment” to the West Indies.”We never discuss anything like that (on T20 World Cup selection). Yes, a World Cup year, but it is only in October,” he said. “There’s this series and there’s a Sri Lanka series right after. I guess if I do well in this series, chances are I might be selected for the next series. It is just a matter of playing it by ear, series by series. Obviously they will be trying players to see what is the best combination and the best squad they that they think and select come October. Starting off with Ireland series is just one step to something positive in the making.”“Looking forward to play with Gayle in maroon”It was in 2013 when the cream of the Caribbean players including Bravo, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine last played together in a West Indies team. Recently Gayle commented that he would keep his options open for the T20 World Cup as he continues keeping himself fit by playing the franchise-based tournaments around the world. Bravo said he still was confident he would link up with Gayle soon.”Well, he hasn’t gone anyway so I don’t think he has to make a comeback. He’s been there all the time as the Universe Boss as we call him. He is our leader. He is our real, real leader after Brian Lara. Yes, there was Chanderpaul and Sarwan, but Chris Gayle is the next real batting icon of the Caribbean that all the players look upto. He’s still playing.”I’m looking forward to playing with him once again in the maroon. That will be good to see the Universe Boss and the Champion on the field again along with Russell and Narine – all these players who we all wanted to play. That’s all we ever wanted to do. The Universe Boss will be there and about. Obviously he is on the other side of 40, so it is just a matter of managing him properly and picking different series to play him.”

'A bit daunting, but security has been outstanding' – WI coach Stuart Law

West Indies coach Stuart Law also said he was impressed by some of the young players despite they 3-0 drubbing they took from Pakistan

Umar Farooq in Karachi04-Apr-2018A three-day cricket feast in Karachi, after nine barren years, came to an end on Tuesday, with over 70,000 spectators having gone through the turnstiles at National Stadium. West Indies – who last toured Pakistan in 2006 – lost all three games heavily, but won lots of goodwill for the part they played in helping return international cricket to the country.”I’m a big fan of Pakistan cricket,” head coach Stuart Law said at a press conference. “The fans here in the subcontinent are pretty passionate. This was the first time I’d been to Karachi and the fans here were outstanding every night. They were very respectful to us. Everywhere we’ve been, we’ve been treated very well. The security has been outstanding, and we haven’t had any problems.”It’s a bit daunting if you’re not used to the set-up. It’s a bit daunting for the people outside but once you get here and see for yourself, you feel more confident. I’m not saying that it will open the floodgates and bring everyone rushing back, but from what I’ve seen here, it’s more than adequate and we should be able to get cricket back to Pakistan. I feel sorry for the Pakistan players who don’t play enough cricket in front of their home fans. Every game for them is an away game so you feel for those boys who can’t play in front of their families week in week out.”West Indies had committed to touring Pakistan last year, but then the series was postponed to April. It suffered another setback with key players including Chris Gayle and captain Carlos Brathwaite pulling out. Their reluctance to tour Pakistan due to safety concerns has been evident with Cricket West Indies even having to offer them USD 25,000 as extra incentive. In the end, a weakened 13-man squad was assembled together, hastily, and they landed in Karachi mere hours before the opening game on Sunday.The difference in quality between the two sides was stark. Pakistan beat West Indies by a record-breaking 143 runs on Sunday. The second T20I was, again, barely a contest and even though the visitors, reduced to 12 men with Veerasammy Permaul’s injury, put up a better fight in the third game, Pakistan romped home in a chase of 153 with eight wickets and three overs to spare.”The positives we can take is that we brought a very young team here with little experience,” Law said. “I’m pretty impressed with Keemo Paul, who I thought stood out. He worked for us in Zimbabwe in the 50 over format too. Another debutant tonight Andre McCarthy showed good intent with the bat. It’s a difficult task coming here and playing in Pakistan. We did lose the series 3-0 but we got better as the series went on and that’s a good sign for us.”West Indies coach Stuart Law addresses the press conference•WICB

West Indies’ schedule was cramped, and they weren’t able to have a conditioning or training session before or during their three days in Karachi. They were driven back to the airport immediately after the final game to fly home and were unable to shrug of the lingering jet lag.When asked if the result of the series could have been different if his side was given enough time to train, Law said, “You never know, we don’t have a crystal ball. But we got better as the tournament went on. The tour was somewhat rushed and the IPL is starting soon. We have a lot of players involved in the IPL and their franchises are pretty ruthless when it comes to player activity. It wasn’t probably ideal timing, but I’m glad for the people here in Karachi. When you look back, yes I’m disappointed with our result, but there’s lot of smiles on faces, and there are lot of people happy out here.”I thought every time we went out we had a more positive attitude towards the game. We probably lacked desire in the first two games whether that was jet lag or whatever, it’s still no excuse playing international cricket and representing your country, your people, your family and yourself. So you shouldn’t have to be up for any contest, it should be automatic. But Pakistan are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment, and playing very good cricket.”

Shahzaib 171 leads Karachi Whites to final

It was tale of two centuries at the National Stadium in Karachi with Karachi Whites opener Shahzaib Hasan’s 171 trumping Islamabad opener Shan Masood’s 136

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Shahzaib Hasan drilled 18 fours and seven sixes during his 171 off 117 balls•PCB

It was tale of two centuries at the National Stadium in Karachi with Karachi Whites opener Shahzaib Hasan’s 171 trumping Islamabad opener Shan Masood’s 136. In a 680-run match, Anwar Ali, who last played for Pakistan in March 2016, also made an impact, sealing Karachi Whites’ place in the final with career-best List A returns of 5 for 49.After being sent in, Karachi Whites lost Arsalan Bashir to seamer
Shehzad Azam in the third over, but Shahzaib and captain Akbar-ur-Rehman lifted their side with a 162-run stand in 27.1 overs. By the time Akbar departed in the 31st over, Shazaib was into the 120s. He pressed onto his 150 off 106 balls, then fell in the 40th over for 171 off 117 balls, including 18 fours and seven sixes.Saad Ali (61), Anwar Ali (45), and Tariq Harron (31*) followed up with late blows as Karachi Whites got their total up to 375.Anwar then sparkled with the ball, slicing through Islamabad’s middle and lower order. At 235 for 3 in the 36th over, Islamabad were in the hunt, but they lost their last seven wickets for just 70 runs. The collapse came after Masood was the architect of a pair of strong stands with Abid Ali and Faizan Riaz, 99 and 91 respectively. Masood went onto hit 136 off 116 balls before he was the fifth Islamabad batsman to be dismissed.

South Africa fined for slow over rate

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been fined 40% of his match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during the first ODI against India in Kanpur, while his team-mates were docked 20%

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2015South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been fined 40% of his match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during the first ODI against India in Kanpur, while his team-mates were docked 20% of their match fees.The charge was laid by the on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Vineet Kulkarni, the TV umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin, and the reserve umpire Anil Dandekar. The fine was imposed by the match referee Chris Broad, who ruled that South Africa were two overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration. De Villiers pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.De Villiers had previously been found guilty of minor over-rate offences on two occasions in the last 12 months, and subsequently served a one-match suspension during the first ODI against Bangladesh in July. If South Africa commit another over-rate breach in ODIs within 12 months with de Villiers as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by de Villiers and he will again face a suspension.South Africa won the first ODI by five runs, thanks to a 73-ball 104 from de Villiers, who was named Man of the Match.

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