A consistent team effort by England Lions gave them a 16-run win against UAE in Dubai and with it a 3-0 win in the series

ECB Reporters Network05-Dec-2016
ScorecardJoe Clarke top scored before he was bowled•Getty Images

England Lions completed a clean sweep of their one-day series against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai thanks to the depth of their batting and the quality of their bowling and fielding.The Lions top order failed to fire for the second game in succession after they were put in on a tricky pitch, with only Joe Clarke of the top five passing 30. But they still posted a decent total of 223 for 8, the highest of a low-scoring series, thanks to handy contributions lower down the order, led by 40 for the Surrey allrounder Sam Curran, who later impressed with the ball, alongside Craig Overton and Ollie Rayner, who both took three wickets.The UAE threatened to pull off an unlikely win led by Adnan Mufti, a 31-year-old left-hander from Rawalpindi, on his debut, but Mufti was run out by Liam Livingstone’s powerful throw from the long-on boundary with the UAE still 16 runs short.”I think it was quite good for us to be in a tight game at the end there,” said Rayner. “Their left-hander played really well and we had to work hard to get the win. Through the series we’ve had lots of different guys taking wickets with Stuart Meaker in the first game and Tom Curran in the second, and a few of us shared them out a bit today.”Overton is on his fourth Lions tour even though he is still only 22, and aiming to make up for lost time after suffering injuries in each of the last two winters. “It’s been frustrating with the injuries the last two years, but I had a good season with Somerset and so far things have been going well,” he said.Curran, returned to the team with his older brother Tom rested following his five wickets as the Lions clinched the series on Saturday, made the first breakthrough courtesy of a low one-handed catch by Clarke, who was keeping for the first time on the tour.Ben Foakes, who had worn the gloves in the previous two matches, then showed his ability in the outfield with a sharp catch at midwicket to give James Fuller his first success.Rohan Mustafa, the opener who has been UAE’s best batsman all series, was leading the charge again until he launched Rayner straight down the ground and Overton intercepted just inside the boundary. With the first ball of his next over, Rayner had Mohammed Usman, another left-hander, lbw sweeping, and when Overton claimed a deserved wicket in a probing opening burst of 4-2-2-1, UAE had slumped from 71 for 2 to 81 for 5.Rayner claimed a sharp return catch for his third wicket, and Tom Alsop snapped up Saqlain Haider at point to give Fuller his second. Then Overton returned to collect a couple more, although the Lions were relieved when Livingstone ended the last-wicket resistance.Livingstone had also made an impression with the bat, hitting two sixes in a fourth-wicket stand of 65 in 14 overs with Clarke. But they fell in quick succession to leave the Lions on 115 for 5, and they were indebted to Curran, the youngest member of the squad, for showing maturity as well as ability in partnerships of 45 with Foakes and 34 with Fuller.The Lions must now switch quickly to red-ball mode, with practice at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday before a four-day match against Afghanistan.

The Blues' interim boss has endured a nightmare start to life back at Stamford Bridge – but where does he rank against other disappointing coaches?

This was supposed to be a 'free hit' for Frank Lampard, a job that he couldn't turn down and couldn't be judged upon. However, after he oversaw another Chelsea defeat, this time to Arsenal on Tuesday, it's hard to argue that Lampard hasn't irrevocably harmed his managerial reputation in the short time he's been at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea were warned that he wasn't the man to get a tune out of this failing squad, and aside from a battling performance in their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, his team's displays have been pretty shambolic since he took over.

With a difficult run of games to finish the season, Lampard now faces an uphill battle to avoid ending his interim spell in charge with a win percentage of zero. Should he fail to do that, he is destined to go down as one of the most ill-judged appointments in Premier League history.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time that a club has made a poor coaching decision, far from it. Below, GOAL delves into the history books to rank the other miscued appointments of the Premier League era:

Getty Images13Steve Kean (Blackburn Rovers)

The fact that Steve Kean's next job after being sacked by Blackburn was in Brunei should tell you everything you need to know about his time at Ewood Park. Due to his close ties to Rovers' much-maligned owners, his spell in charge was marred by fan protests, and he didn't much help his cause with some shocking results.

Despite all the opposition, he somehow managed to last newly two years in the hot seat, even surviving Premier League relegation in 2012. Finally, later that year, he was let go in typically-shady circumstances, with the Scotsman claiming he had been "forced to resign".

Win percentage: 28.38%

AdvertisementGetty Images12John Carver (Newcastle)

No one is disputing John Carver's love for Newcastle. We're simply suggesting that he might not have been cut out for life as a Premier League manager. Carver was promoted from his post as assistant manager – initially on a caretaker basis before being handed the reins until the end of the season – after Alan Pardew left the club to take over at Crystal Palace.

Between March and May 2013, Carver oversaw a quite astonishing run of eight successive league defeats that was finally broken by a 1-1 draw with West Brom. Losing to already-relegated QPR then set up a date with destiny on the final day.

The Magpies did triumph in that crunch fixture, beating West Ham 2-0, but the writing was already on the wall and Carver – who once described himself as the "best coach in the Premier League" – was promptly sacked.

Win percentage: 20%

Getty Images11Bob Bradley (Swansea City)

Bob Bradley's woeful spell in charge of Swansea City did nothing to lessen the stigma of American coaches working in the Premier League. Bradley was the United States' cream of the crop, but it just didn't happen for the New Jersey native as he managed to win just two of his 11 Premier League games.

To make matters worse, he was lampooned in the British media for the heinous crime of being an American. He has stuck to coaching MLS sides ever since.

Win percentage: 18.18%

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Getty Images10Tony Adams (Portsmouth)

Before he created waves with his training methods at Granada, Tony Adams' had an ill-fated spell at Portsmouth. He had initially joined the club as Harry Redknapp's assistant, but after everyone's favourite wheeler dealer jumped ship to Tottenham, Adams was handed the top job.

He did not fare well despite possessing a squad that had won the FA Cup the previous season, guiding Pompey to just two wins in his 15 Premier League games in charge.

He left with a Portsmouth side containing Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson and David James sitting just one point above the drop zone. They did eventually stay up, but that was no thanks to Adams.

Win percentage: 13.3%

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has reportedly become the latest target for big-spending Saudi teams, with Al-Ittihad looking to open talks.

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• Egyptian forward has starred in England
• Tied to contract through to 2025
• Wanted alongside Fabinho & Benzema

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The ambitious Pro League outfit have already lured Fabinho away from Anfield this summer, while also tying up deals for the likes of ex-Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante and former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. They are now said to have Salah in their sights.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  reports that Liverpool rejected an initial approach from Al-Ittihad, but are now relaxing that stance as more money is put on the table. The same is said to be true of Salah, who had intended to see out the 2023-24 campaign on Merseyside.

• AND WHAT'S MORE

  The 31-year-old Egypt international is reportedly intrigued by what Al-Ittihad have to say, with further discussions being invited. Salah is tied to a contract through to 2025, but those terms could be broken by a side that is looking to piece together a competitive squad ahead of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup that will be hosted by the city of Jeddah in December.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Salah has spent six memorable years at Liverpool, with his record-setting exploits for the Reds seeing 187 goals recorded through 307 appearances while helping Jurgen Klopp’s side to Premier League, Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Community Shield honours.

Trevor Bayliss has described speculation over Alastair Cook’s future as captain as “a pain in the backside” and insisted that the dressing room is united in its support for him

George Dobell13-Dec-20162:32

Cook form outweighed by spin problems

Trevor Bayliss has described speculation over Alastair Cook’s future as captain as “a pain in the backside” and insisted that the dressing room is united in its support for him.Cook’s future has been called into question since he gave an interview to the magazine on the eve of the Bangladesh and India tours in which he said: “Deep down I don’t know how much longer I am going to carry on. It could be two months, it could be a year.”Suspicions he was preparing to step down only escalated after Cook described Joe Root as “ready to captain” following defeat in the Mumbai Test. That result meant England had lost three Tests in succession, four of their last five and five of their last seven. From a position where England were a result or two from reaching the top of the Test rankings in August, they are now facing the prospect of dropping to fifth if they lose the final Test of the series against India in Chennai.But Bayliss, the England coach, is clearly in no doubt that he wants Cook to continue. Describing Cook’s record as “fantastic”, Bayliss acknowledged that talk of him standing down had become a distraction.”I think everyone, to a man, in the dressing room would be disappointed if he wasn’t captain,” Bayliss said. “But when it’s constantly in the media all the time, it’s a bit of a pain in the backside. Especially when no one around the team believes that or thinks that. It’s a little bit aggravating.”I suppose anyone who’s done the job for that long, there’s always going to be questions towards the twilight of his career. But the job he’s done with the group, I think, has been fantastic.”Bayliss was especially frustrated as talk over Cook’s future had, he felt, detracted from “all the good things” England have achieved on the tour. And it is true that, while the scoreline is grim, England can take some comfort in the emergence of a couple of promising top-order batsmen, in Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed, and the improvement in Adil Rashid’s legspin bowling.”It takes the focus away from all the good things we’ve done on this tour,” Bayliss said. “I think we’ve played some good cricket here. We’ve got to give credit where credit’s due: we’ve played good cricket and they’ve played even better cricket.”Bayliss now plans to speak to Cook and Andrew Strauss, the managing director of the England team, to resolve the uncertainty over the captaincy.”We’ve had some discussions in the past,” he said. “But those two guys – Cook and Strauss – have obviously had a big history. I’m sure we’ll have a chat between the two or three of us.”Bayliss has previously stated that he expected Cook to be captain for the Ashes series in 12 months’ time. “He’s talking about the next Ashes series and being out in Australia,” Bayliss told the BBC last week. “Sometimes there are little comments made along the way and they get blown out of all proportion.”He’s certainly up for the fight. I haven’t had any discussion with him any other way and that’s what we’ve been working towards. I was as surprised as anyone when I saw that in the papers.”

Arsenal have emerged as potential candidates to sign a Premier League star this summer, as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his side in the transfer window.

The Gunners fell just five points short of Manchester City in the race for the title, however, the north Londoners could challenge once more next season should they add more star quality to their squad.

The latest link could do just that, in a player with unquestionable ability and experience in playing in the English top-tier.

What’s the latest on Kai Havertz to Arsenal?

As reported by journalist Alex Goldberg via AFC Stuff, Chelsea ace Kai Havertz could be on Arsenal’s radar this summer.

Goldberg suggested that the German is the Gunners’ ‘next target’ and that the club "really want him", adding that despite such factors, nothing has been formally proposed.

As per The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, Chelsea are ‘likely’ to see Havertz exit this summer with the Blues expected to demand a fee in the region of £75m.

What could Kai Havertz offer to Arsenal?

Hailed as “incredibly talented” by former Chelsea boss Graham Potter, the 23-year-old forward has accomplished heights that many his age could only dream of in his illustrious career so far.

The Champions League winner has been one of Stamford Bridge’s shining lights since signing from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, making 47 goal contributions in a total of 139 appearances in blue as per Transfermarkt.

This season has been tough for the club, however, the German has maintained his ability to impose his talent on the league, scoring seven goals and assisting one in a forgettable campaign for the west Londoners – via Sofascore.

Dubbed as “world-class” by Bundesliga legend Matthias Sammer, there’s little to deny the youngster's talents, and particularly what he could bring to Arsenal.

While the Gunners aren’t particularly desperate for a goalscorer, having scored the second-highest number of goals this season in the Premier League, Arteta could bolster his attacking options by signing the forward.

Gabriel Jesus has led the line for Arsenal for the majority of the season, although hasn’t been as prolific as some may have hoped, scoring 11 goals this campaign.

The Brazilian gifts Arteta’s side with attributes incomparable to others in his position, however, he could benefit from having a strike partner or potentially some competition to boost his performance.

Coincidentally, he is likened to the 26-year-old as per FBref, and Havertz could become a strong force in Arsenal’s silky attack, with his numbers displaying clear similarities between the two.

As per FBref, the 23-year-old averages 3.27 progressive passes per 90 to Jesus' 2.76, as well as getting himself into advanced positions as shown through the 8.27 progressive passes he receives per 90.

Although the Brazilian is more of an out-and-out striker, he prides himself on bringing others into play, something Havertz is well known for too.

The £150k-per-week ace could be a weapon at the Emirates for his ball-playing capabilities, attributable to his versatility in playing as both a forward and creative midfielder in his career.

Still being at the start of his career would allow Arteta to mould the talent into producing his best in Arsenal’s fluid front line, showing glimpses that he could follow in Jesus’ footsteps in the sense of integrating himself quickly into the Gunners’ playing style.

Although it was a poor season for Glasgow Rangers, there were a couple of players who performed well. Todd Cantwell shone after his January arrival, registering ten goal contributions across just 16 Premiership matches, while Nicolas Raskin also enjoyed a solid few months, controlling things from the centre of the pitch by averaging 58.4 touches per game alongside holding an 88% pass success rate.

However, it was American attacking midfielder Malik Tillman who perhaps delivered the greatest performances last season, impressing during a loan spell from Bayern Munich.

The 21-year-old played 28 league matches for the Ibrox side, registering 14 goal contributions – ten goals and four assists – while creating 12 big chances and averaging 1.6 key passes per game, ranking him fifth, third and sixth in the Gers squad, respectively to underline how effective he was in the final third.

The Light Blues had a chance to sign him for £5m from Bayern, however it doesn’t appear as a deal will happen, and Michael Beale will need to find a solid replacement ahead of next season.

Could Parfait Guiagon – included in the Guardian’s ‘Next Gen List’ back in 2018 – be the ideal player to arrive at Ibrox and continue from where Tillman left off?

Could Rangers sign Parfait Guiagon?

According to Israeli outfit One (via Daily Record), the Gers watched the £3m-rated gem's progress during the most recent campaign as he turned out for Maccabi Tel Aviv, yet they could face stiff competition for his signature, with several Greek sides keen and this could tempt Beale into making a move sooner rather than later.

The 22-year-old recorded four goals and two assists across 37 matches in all competitions this term, hardly earth-shattering numbers and some way shy of Tillman’s figures, however, journalist Maher Mezahi claimed that the Ivorian is the ‘creative outlet’ for Tel Aviv, which suggests he could have capabilities to create chances similar to the former Gers loanee should he move to Scotland.

Indeed, Mezahi even stated that the young sensation ‘should be moving to a more prestigious league sooner rather than later’ such is his talent and the Premiership could be an ideal platform for him to take his game to the next level.

Guiagon was even lauded as “one of the most talented youngsters in Israel's premier league” by R.D Football Scout and if given time by Beale, the Gers could soon be forgetting about Tillman.

The 5 foot 7 gem may take time to bed in, especially with the physical demands of Scottish football, yet after a few months, the American managed to get to grips with it and Guiagon should be able to adapt just as easily.

Ajay Shirke, who was removed as BCCI secretary by the Supreme Court of India, had expressed “concerns” to ECB president Giles Clarke over the BCCI’s ability to host the limited-overs series against England, despite no longer holding office in the Indian board. That was the claim made by Clarke in an email to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, in an email seen by ESPNcricinfo.On January 6, four days after the court ordered Shirke and BCCI president Anurag Thakur to give up their posts with immediate effect, Clarke wrote to Johri about a conversation he had with Shirke. In the email Clarke did not indicate when he received the calls from Shirke, but he refers to him as not being secretary any longer. Both Clarke and Shirke, when contacted, chose not to comment on any communication.Johri, in reply, has offered the ECB assurances of the limited-overs series against India going ahead as planned.”I have received calls from Mr Shirke who I understand is no longer the Honorary Secretary of BCCI,” Clarke wrote. “Can you please confirm to me that the England team will continue to be looked after by the BCCI in the usual fashion, with proper security, player daily allowance payments, hotel bills covered and the like, with transport organised at all times.”Obviously it is entirely a matter for BCCI where matches are played, but please advise soonest that the schedule will be adhered to, or any changes.”Johri replied the same day and assured the ECB that the series would go ahead as planned and that the England squad had “arrived and settled well”.”The BCCI has announced the teams for the warm-up matches, the ODIs and the T20 matches, the ticket sales for which have kicked off with the first game sold out, as of last week,” Johri wrote.The venue of the first ODI between India and England on January 15 is incidentally Pune, where Shirke was president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) for more than nine years. Apart from losing his post as BCCI secretary, Shirke was also unable to continue as MCA president after the court order on January 2 because his term had exceeded the Lodha Committee’s nine-year cap on tenure for BCCI and state office bearers.MCA officials confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that tickets had been sold out nearly three weeks before the match.Johri also told Clarke that the remaining five venues had confirmed hosting the matches. His email stated the BCCI was in control of the situation and that he would oversee the process.”The other venues have shown similar uptake in anticipation of an exciting contest between our teams. As you must have followed, the Supreme Court has delivered their verdict early this week, and we are expected to work with the court-appointed administrators, who will be appointed by the 19th of this month and till such time, we are making every effort to ensure that the matches live up to the expectations of all our stakeholders, including ECB.”We have been in touch with all the hosting centres and they have expressed confidence that the games will be managed successfully, just like always, and as on date, we do not anticipate any form of disruption to the series. Rest assured, I will personally monitor the series as it unfolds and will keep you posted on the progress.”In another email on January 7, Johri asked Clarke to divulge what Shirke had “communicated” in his “calls” in order for BCCI to “assuage any other concerns” the ECB may have.Clarke replied: “His concern was the BCCI and relevant association having funds and expertise to manage security and safety of our players, and transport, allowances, all usual issues for a tour.”In the email chain, ECB chairman Colin Graves also acknowledged Johri’s assurances.Clarke declined to comment on the exchange when contacted. “I am not going to make any comment,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t even know what this is.”Shirke would not confirm whether he had made the call to Clarke and did not comment on the email exchange either. “I have no comments to offer,” he told ESPNcricinfo. Shirke said that people with “obvious malicious and vested” interests were trying to suggest that he was trying to scupper the Pune ODI.”I have got messages from some people in the media that we are obstructing the match [from taking place],” he said. “This is a record opportunity for MCA: my gate collection is INR 6.2 crore and my in-stadia sales is INR 2.2 [crore]. So we have got a total collection of about INR 8.5 crore.”With regard to funds for the associations hosting the matches, on December 7 the court had approved a maximum of INR 25 lakh for each state hosting the three ODIs and three T20Is. The court had rejected the BCCI’s request to release INR 3.79 crore as advance for the limited-overs series.On January 7, Shirke along with other longstanding office bearers of the BCCI and state associations who were removed by the court order on January 2, had an informal meeting in Bangalore to discuss their next step. That meeting had been called by former BCCI president N Srinivasan and included about 24 state associations.The Lodha Committee was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.In January 2016, the committee released its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the BCCI’s governance and administrative structures. On July 18, the Supreme Court of India approved the majority of the recommendations and directed the Lodha Committee to supervise the BCCI’s implementations of the same. However, despite the Lodha Committee laying out timelines and other directives, the board did not cooperate because it said that its state associations objected to the recommendations. This impasse eventually led to the Supreme Court removing Thakur and Shirke from office on January 2, 2017.

RB Leipzig are still pushing to complete the signing of Liverpool youngster Fabio Carvalho this summer, journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed.

Is Carvalho still at Liverpool?

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of the 20-year-old of late, following a disappointing first season in a Reds shirt where one may be forgiven for forgetting his existence in the squad.

Carvalho arrived at Anfield from Fulham in last summer's transfer window, with much expected of him, but he ended up being a bit-part player, at best. While a dramatic late winning goal at home to Newcastle United in August was a high point, the £40,000-a-week attacking midfielder only made four Premier League starts.

With new midfield signings expected to come in this summer – Naby Keita has joined Werder Bremen to free up spaces in the squad – and with Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez all strong attacking options, it could be difficult for the Liverpool man to enjoy regular football in 2023/24, so he could depart soon.

A move to Leipzig has been strongly mooted numerous times of late, although it remains to be seen if Carvalho could leave on a permanent or temporary basis.

Are Leipzig signing Carvalho?

Writing on Twitter on Friday, Romano said that Leipzig are continuing to push hard to snap up Carvalho this summer, with negotiations ongoing in the coming days:

"Understand RB Leipzig have had more talks with Liverpool this week over Fabio Carvalho deal — told negotiations will continue over the weekend. Liverpool don’t want to lose the player on permanent transfer, now looking for the best solution."

Losing Carvalho permanently doesn't make a huge amount of sense for Liverpool, considering he still such a young player with a bright future, having been hailed as "unbelievable" by Jurgen Klopp earlier in the campaign.

A loan move is surely the best outcome for all parties, allowing the former Fulham man to enjoy some regular playing time next season, before returning to Merseyside a more mature player.

Should Carvalho then fail to kick on beyond that date, it could be time to simply accept that it is a move that hasn't worked out, but selling a big prospect at just 20 years of age, when he could yet become a huge star in years to come, feels reckless.

It should be stressed that he joined a Liverpool team who have struggled all season long, which won't have helped him settle and pick up confidence, so it is harsh to overly judge the lack of impact he has made.

Assured of winning the ODI series, South Africa captain AB de Villiers said they looked to not miss out on the opportunity at hand to complete a 5-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg05-Feb-20171:52

Target of 250 would have been tough on this pitch – De Villiers

After a few questions about South Africa’s continued swarming of a Sri Lankan side with little sting, AB de Villiers suddenly could not believe where his post-match conversation was actually going.”Guys, we are talking about bees,” the captain balked. And they were.Some asked how de Villiers knew the bees had arrived at the Wanderers? “When the slips went down,” was the answer. Others wondered whether the break in play affected concentration? “It was annoying,” de Villiers said, while Niroshan Dickwella offered a much more stern assessment. “Our momentum was taken away by that break,” he lamented. The rest of the reporters may have opted to skip the player interviews in search of the beekeeper who saved the day. Requests to talk to him were coming in even as play continued.But novelty aside, South Africa had something really sweet to enjoy afterwards.They have now won their sixth successive ODI series at home and have racked up a record 12 wins since beating England last February. Their previous best – 11 victories in a row in their own conditions – came in the 1996-97 season. They are stacking up well ahead of the Champions Trophy and de Villiers’ only hope is that they keep on winning, especially over the next week.Sri Lanka appear unable to keep up, which has given South Africa a chance at a whitewash, even though de Villiers is wary of putting too much pressure on the side too soon. “There were too many 3-2 results in the past and we’ve had many opportunities to win series 5-0 and 4-1. We are all a bit sick and tired of not taking our opportunities and we are sitting here with another opportunity,” he said. “We try to be clinical about every game we play, with a bit more emphasis and importance on getting results in every single game we play and not just trying to win a series. Having said that, I don’t want to mention it too often and I don’t want to make it our main thing that we play for 5-0 whitewashes, because that can backfire quickly.”Dwaine Pretorius, who replaced Wayne Parnell, took three wickets in his seven overs•AFP

As much as winning is a priority, South Africa may also use the next two matches to experiment because “we are trying to give the whole squad a chance of playing,” de Villiers explained. They’ve already been forced to use bench strength in the batting department because David Miller was ruled out of the series with a finger injury. Farhaan Behardien, who replaced Miller, was not needed at the Wanderers but he will hope for some time at the crease in Cape Town and Centurion. The other player South Africa may want to look at is chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who is being kept out by the evergreen Imran Tahir, but has a reputation for being a secret weapon. But the real battle will be between the allrounders.Wayne Parnell, who played in the first two matches and did “fantastically well” according to de Villiers, was left out in Johannesburg in favour of local lad Dwaine Pretorius and de Villiers liked what he saw. “He is pretty accurate. He is consistent in his areas and is open for advice from some of the senior players. It’s an open door to chat to him, I always like to work with bowlers like that,” de Villiers said.Pretorius’ tight line and effective use of the short ball saw him finish with a career-best 3 for 19 and stake a claim for a more regular spot in the XI. It’s little wonder that he, too, could not stop buzzing. “This is the biggest crowd I have played in front of and it was amazing. It was a great atmosphere the whole time. I know there were bees on the field but it sounded like bees were everywhere,” Pretorius said.

The allrounder first paired up with Mehedi Hasan Miraz to limit Dhaka Dynamites to 138 and then eased Rajshahi Kings’ chase with a brisk unbeaten 44

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Samit Patel hit a flurry of boundaries to ease Rajshahi’s chase after they had lost quick wickets upfront•Getty ImagesA robust all-round show from Samit Patel gave Rajshahi Kings their first win of BPL 2016-17, as they trounced Dhaka Dynamites by six wickets. The England allrounder took two wickets to help keep Dhaka to a modest 138 before his flurry of boundaries eased the chase.Patel was unbeaten on 44 off 25 balls, having shared a 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Sabbir Rahman, who was dismissed for 31 after the scores were level. Mohammad Shahid bowled a wide to give Rajshahi the win with eleven balls to spare, symbolic of Dhaka’s indiscipline with the ball – they conceded 15 extras in the match.Rajshahi’s chase began with Rony Talukdar winning the all-Narayanganj battle when he hammered Shahid for a straight six and fours through mid-off and fine-leg. But Talukdar injured his back while hitting the second boundary and that cost Rajshahi two wickets – Mominul Haque was run out in the third over when he tried to get Talukdar off strike, and then Talukdar was stumped for 14 after charging at Shakib Al Hasan. Talukdar’s wicket was Shakib’s 50th in the BPL.Sabbir and Umar Akmal added 38 runs for the third wicket to calm the nerves in the dressing room and both picked up regular boundaries. Akmal fell in the tenth over for 27, but Patel took over the baton immediately.He struck his six fours through and over cover and extra cover, past point and through fine-leg. Patel’s only six was a blast over long-on, which got Rajshahi within 10 runs of the target.In Dhaka’s innings, after they were put in to bat, Mehedi Maruf once again gave them a bright start despite the loss of Kumar Sangakkara in the second over. Maruf slammed four boundaries and a swept six off Mohammad Sami in his 22-ball 25 but fell into the seven-ball hole that resulted in three Dhaka wickets. Samit Patel removed Mahela Jayawardene, on his BPL debut, before removing Maruf two balls later. In the first ball of the next over, Shakib was stumped off Mehedi Hasan and suddenly Dhaka were 43 for 4 in the eighth over.With three of their most senior batsmen back in the dugout, it was easy for Dhaka to slow down but Mosaddek Hossain’s confidence meant that they recovered quickly.During his 54-run fifth-wicket stand with Ravi Bopara, Mosaddek timed the ball well through the off side and found fours with pushes through point and cover. After Bopara fell for 20, Mosaddek carved Sami over point for his only six and soon raised his first half-century in BPL, sharing in a 41-run unbroken stand for the sixth wicket with Darren Bravo.Mehedi and Patel took two wickets each while Hasan, who mixed his pace well, picked up one wicket. Sami was unlucky as he had Bravo and Mosaddek dropped in his last over by the sweeper fielder on either side of the wicket.