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With the window now closed, Goal looks back at the best and worst bits of business done over the past month

Getty1Winner: Arsenal

As Tuesday night's dismal loss at Swansea so painfully underlined, Arsenal still have major issues to address in defence, and particularly in between the posts. Indeed, it is worth noting that no goalkeeper across Europe's Big Five leagues has made more mistakes leading to goals (4) than Petr Cech.

However, the January transfer window has gone better than even the most optimistic Arsenal fan could have envisaged.

The Gunners began the month faced with the prospect of losing their two best players, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, on free transfers this summer. 

Sanchez has since defected to Manchester United but that is a positive given how negative an influence he had become on the Arsenal dressing room. 

Furthermore, the Gunners have acquired a potentially excellent player in return, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who should flourish under a coach who affords his attackers greater freedom, particularly as he will be playing alongside his old pal from Borussia Dortmund, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Ozil's surprising but most welcome decision to extend his contract was also clearly influenced by the appetising prospect of providing passes for the Thierry Henry-like Gabon striker.

Of course, the £56 million paid to BVB for Aubameyang’s services constitutes a club-record fee for the Gunners but when one considers that it was partly funded by the removal of some bench-warmers (Theo Walcott and Francis Coquelin, for a combined £37m), then it is impossible to view Arsene Wenger's winter window wheeling and dealing as anything other than a success.

Will Arsenal finish in the top four? That remains to be seen. But have they now a better chance of doing so? Absolutely.

AdvertisementGetty Images2Winner: Jose Mourinho

Given the way in which Jose Mourinho embraces excuses and fabricates facts, it's rare to find oneself in agreement with the master manipulator of the media. 

However, the Manchester United boss had a point when he claimed that exchanging the unwanted Mkhitaryan for the in-demand Alexis Sanchez was a masterstroke. 

"He was cheap, wasn't he?" Mourinho enthused. "Free transfer! He was free. So, for that price, he's fantastic. 

"I think everybody thinks the same. Everyone has to agree that he is a fantastic player and the team that got him has a plus."

No arguments here. Whether he is good enough to shine in spite of Mourinho's trademark pragmatism against the very best sides is open to debate – certainly, the early signs against Spurs were not encouraging – but there is no denying that Alexis is a world-class player.

In addition, the fact that the versatile Chilean attacker was all set to join Mourinho's nemesis, Pep Guardiola, at Manchester City before United hijacked the transfer only made this particular "orange" taste all the sweeter for the preening Portuguese.

LLUIS GENE3Winner: Barcelona

It was only last August that Barcelona defender Gerard Pique mournfully admitted, "In the nine years that I have been here, this is the first time that I feel inferior to Madrid."

Luckily for the proud Catalan, that depressing sensation did not last long. During the first half of the season, the Blaugrana reasserted themselves as the best team in La Liga, even routing a ragged Real side at the Santiago Bernabeu just before Christmas. 

Consequently, if anyone needed a big signing this month, it was los Blancos – and yet whereas there wasn't a single new arrival in the Spanish capital in January, Barcelona have been the winter window's biggest spenders. 

The Blaugrana spent a combined total of €131.8m on Philippe Coutinho and Yerry Mina, boosting Ernesto Valverde's hopes of emulating predecessors Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique by winning a treble in his first season in charge.

The aerially-dominant, all-dancing centre-half Mina should prove an absolute steal at €11.8m and while Coutinho's mid-season arrival for a whopping €120m (which could rise to €160m depending on add-ons) is peculiarly timed, particularly as the Brazilian is cup-tied in the Champions League, runaway Liga leaders Barca are now in a position to rest the likes of Andres Iniesta on a regular basis.  

In addition, Barca have managed to remove a couple of high earners from their wage bill, Javier Mascherano and Arda Turan, while at the same time sending Rafinha and Gerard Deulofeu out on loan.

Madrid, by complete contrast, are now preparing for a must-win Champions League last-16 showdown with Paris Saint-Germain with the same core of group of players that have looked so jaded in recent months.

In short, Pique is feeling superior again…

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Getty4Loser: Liverpool

“Liverpool is not a club that has to sell players," manager Jurgen Klopp declared last summer, after Barcelona upped their bid for Coutinho. "That is set in stone, so what they offer in the end doesn't matter.”

Why, then, did Liverpool agree to sell the Brazilian to the Blaugrana in January, at a time when the Reds are locked in a battle with Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and arguably Arsenal for three of the Premier League's remaining top-four berths, as well as looking forward to a winnable Champions League last-16 tie with Porto?

The money on offer (€120m, and a potential €40m in add-ons) was colossal, particularly when one considers Coutinho could hardly be considered one of the top five players in the world, but would the fee have been much lower at the end of the season?

Furthermore, while Coutinho clearly wanted to leave, would he have downed tools and refused to play in this, a World Cup year? He submitted a transfer request last summer yet still contributed 12 goals and nine assists during the first half of the 2017-18 campaign – would he really have gone on strike again had he been told his dream move to Barca would only be allowed to go through this summer?

Of course, Liverpool's frustration at losing Coutinho has been offset by the belated arrival of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, and the Dutch defender should undoubtedly strengthen the Merseysiders' brittle back four. 

However, when it comes to evaluating a team's transfer window, one must ask oneself if the squad is stronger or weaker than it was at the beginning of the month?

Liverpool are weaker. They were dealt all the aces but ended up splitting the pot.

The centre of defence has been improved but it remains reliant on two of the worst goalkeepers in the Premier League. Indeed, Lorius Karius has now been promoted to first-choice, a staggering decision given that he has the worst save percentage (44.44) of any goalkeeper to have played at least five games across all of Europe's Big Five leagues.

Given Roma were clearly desperate for money in January, Liverpool really should have pushed to sign their current No.1, the excellent Alisson. 

Furthermore, Daniel Sturridge's loan move to West Bromwich Albion means that Liverpool are an injury to Roberto Firmino away from having to turn to Danny Ings or Dominic Solanke – no goals this season – to lead an attack now shorn of the versatile Coutinho.

The pressure on Mohamed Salah, Firmino and Sadio Mane to continue carrying this top-heavy team through the remainder of the season has just got a whole lot heavier.

India’s decision to play five bowlers in the subcontinent has generated a lot of buzz, and now more importantly, some tangible results. Enough for Virat Kohli to maintain his faith in it

Alagappan Muthu in Fatullah14-Jun-20153:43

‘Big fan of playing five bowlers’ – Kohli

India’s decision to play five bowlers in the subcontinent has generated a lot of buzz, and now more importantly, some tangible results. Enough for Virat Kohli to maintain his faith in it.Although the only Test in Fatullah ended in a draw, the additional help had proved useful as R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh combined to take eight wickets to force Bangladesh to follow-on. But with rain usurping a giant chunk of the game, the expected end came to pass. But not before Kohli was able to work out a few more permutations to his strategy.”I would want someone like R Ashwin, who is averaging 40 with the bat in Test matches – you really can’t ask for more from an allrounder – and someone like Harbhajan Singh to step up with the bat, and [Wriddhiman] Saha too,” Kohli said. “If those three start clicking, you literally have eight batsmen, and you can’t really ask for more as a captain. It’s basically up to the first six to take more responsibility and we are confident of doing that.”‘Reserve day in Tests a good suggestion’

Virat Kohli admitted playing against the weather was a futile task, but was intrigued by the possibility of reserve days in Tests matches.
“That’s a debatable question. It could be, I don’t know,” he said. “Say, on the fourth day a team is struggling to save a game, and the next day it rains for two sessions and the game is drawn. The team that deserves to win doesn’t get a win. So yes, there might be a thought there. It’s a good suggestion actually.
“You might want to add another day seeing the situation of the game. If there is a possible result, there is no harm in giving the team that’s winning a fair chance to compete for three sessions. You earn a draw or the deserving team gets a victory. Might not be a bad thing, but I’m not sure how the discussions are going to go.”

Next on India’s docket is a tour to Sri Lanka, before hosting South Africa, who have not lost an away series since July 2006. Naturally, fronting up with a team full of options was a priority for Kohli. Will he retain the present attack with Ashwin and Harbhajan working in tandem?”I would like to have players who can win us games in the bowling unit. And both of them have that ability,” Kohli said. “Especially now that we have a prolonged season in the subcontinent, we need to look at how we can strengthen our team for that as of now. And both of them are good enough to do the same thing when we go away from home as well, it’s just about the mindset I guess. The more confidence we build in this season, we’ll carry it forward to wherever we play in the future as well.”Watching them bowl together in a pair was really exciting as a captain. And I think both of them enjoyed bowling together as well – if one put pressure, the other took a wicket and vice-versa.”Kohli is not known as a man who takes a backward step. And he has a simple reason for playing that way. It’s fun: “We want to play that sort of cricket. When I captained in my first Test in Adelaide too, I had the same thought process, that we should play aggressively and give ourselves a chance to win the game. You enjoy the game when you play like that.”I think, as a team, it’s very important to have that intensity and attitude especially when we are fielding. Because that is the one time when all 11 players are together and you get the true sense of being a team. We have that understanding in the team that we need to maintain intensity in the field at all times, regardless of the conditions, the pitch, or the situation. If your intent is to win, you will always do well in any situation and come out better than the other team more often than not.”That’s my thinking, but the credit goes to the whole team for responding to that. Because I can think something, but if players don’t respond then it’s useless. We are all on one page, and in sync. It’s a good thing and if we keep building that we’ll get even stronger.”Amid India’s push to move onward and upward, there were a few moments to reflect on and Kohli was asked about life after MS Dhoni.”It’s obviously strange,” he said. “The same thing happened when Sachin Tendulkar retired. A few games after that it was a very strange feeling. You suddenly don’t see a very impactful figure in the dressing room. As a cricketer, you always get used to having him around, listening to him, having discussions with him. That voice is always there and it’s a very familiar feeling in the change room.”Now that he’s not there, you sometimes do feel he’s going to pop out of somewhere. Those sort of things happen, it’s a natural process. But now he’s decided to retire from this format and everything moves on. The team wants to continue in the same way, that has done well in the subcontinent in the past as well, so we can take that leaf out of his book. He’s really helped a lot of us youngsters in becoming good international players. He’s given us ample opportunities, so now is the time for us to take up the responsibility and take Indian cricket forward.”

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has apologised to referee Anthony Taylor for his furious outburst after his side's 4-4 draw with Manchester City.

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Pochettino stormed onto the pitchWas fuming at Anthony TaylorAlso apologised to Pep GuardiolaWHAT HAPPENED?

Pochettino stormed onto the pitch after the final whistle of the 4-4 draw with City on Sunday. The Argentine manager has explained that he believed Raheem Sterling could score on the counter-attack but Taylor instead blew his whistle, prompting Pochettino to both snub a handshake from opposite number Pep Guardiola and take his complaints up with the officiating team. For his protests, he was shown a yellow card, and also needed to be restrained by his coaching staff.

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The game featured a variety of controversial calls, as both sides scored penalties, and Chelsea came from behind to draw level on three separate occasions. Their final equaliser came through former City star Cole Palmer, who scored a spot-kick in the 95th-minute.

WHAT THEY SAID

Pochettino apologised for his outburst after the game, saying: "I need to apologise to Anthony and the officials – in this moment, I felt Raheem could go through on goal.

"I deserve to be booked. I want to apologise to him also [Pep], I was focused on the action."

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The international break will give both sides a rest, but Chelsea will return to action with a trip to Newcastle, while City will host Liverpool.

West Indies’ first day of cricket in India was characterised by the batting problems they often encounter when they don the team maroons

The Report by Devashish Fuloria at Brabourne Stadium03-Oct-2014
ScorecardFile photo – Marlon Samuels’ positive strokeplay saved West Indians from embarrassment•Getty ImagesWest Indies’ first day of cricket in India was characterised by the batting problems they often encounter when they don the team maroons. The dual approach of blast out and block out was on show again, which meant there were repeated periods of lull during the innings that allowed the bowlers to dictate. India A’s bowling attack, non-threatening but disciplined, did not have to do anything special as West Indians collapsed to 148 all out within 40 overs. It may be the sign of things to come in the series.The batting performance was being keenly followed in the pavilion by the former West Indies captain and now the chief selector Clive Lloyd and Richard Pybus, the director of cricket. For Lloyd, who had scored 160 runs on his debut Test in 1966, also at Brabourne, it would have been a reminder of the state of affairs.Lendl Simmons was joined by Leon Johnson to open the innings as West Indians chose to bat, but neither looked comfortable against the discipline of Dhawal Kulkarni or against the pace of Jasprit Bumrah. Johnson was the first to depart, outside-edging an angled delivery from Bumrah to second slip in the fourth over. Three overs later, there was more bad news as Simmons trudged off the field with a troublesome back.Darren Bravo had stroked a couple of boundaries but his eagerness to score cost him his wicket. He pushed at a Kulkarni delivery, bowled round the wicket, away from his body only to see his stumps splayed as the ball took an inside edge.Denesh Ramdin, the Test captain, then gave brief support to Marlon Samuels in a fourth-wicket association worth 32 runs. Samuels forced the scoring with powerful shots through off and down the ground, but even then, a big chunk of runs – 21 out of the first 50 – came through extras. Just when the two batsmen appeared to have weathered the initial nerves, Ramdin’s slash at a Stuart Binny delivery was snaffled by a diving Unmukt Chand at second slip.At 70 for 4 in the 17th over, West Indies had plenty of time to build and if a recovery was to come, Samuels, Kieron Pollard, the captain for the game, and Darren Sammy would have been central to it. However, the innings floundered as legspinner Amit Mishra bamboozled Pollard and Sammy with googlies in successive overs to reduce the tourists to 76 for 6.That West Indians were spared some embarrassment was due to positive strokeplay from Samuels. Anything full, and he was prepared to drill it down the ground. He reached his half-century off 53 deliveries and his innings included nine boundaries, two more than the rest of the batsmen combined. Karn Sharma was driven down the ground twice for fours in his first over but he eventually ended Samuels’ stay, trapping the batsman in front.The rest chose the path of least resistance, crumbling against the spinners to be bowled out in the 39th over. Take out the 28 extras and Samuels’ 56 and the contribution of the remaining 10 men was just 64 on a pitch without any alarming turn. The ball did kick from the surface, like it does on all fresh Mumbai pitches, which makes them enjoyable to bat on.The India A batsmen made the most of it. M Vijay and Chand added 71 comfortable runs for the first wicket before Vijay drove Kemar Roach straight to cover. Chand continued to progress without any trouble and reached his half-century off 60 deliveries.”They were quick and one doesn’t get to play 6’6″ bowler like Jason Holder in India, so you have to make adjustments,” Chand said. “I made plans to not go after balls fizzing outside off, or moving away and tried to play only at balls on which I had full control.”One needs to have the right mindset. Initially, I did not go for the hooks and pulls and only when I was settled, I played those shots.”As the target drew near, he opened up and smashed Samuels for consecutive sixes over wide long-on. In company of Karun Nair, he helped India A reach the target in the 26th over.

Jesse Lingard is hoping to land a new contract in 2024, with the ex-Manchester United star promoting himself during solo training sessions in Dubai.

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Released by Nottingham Forest in 2023Ex-England star still without a clubWorking on fitness amid talk of U.S. moveWHAT HAPPENED?

The former England international was released by Nottingham Forest at the end of the 2022-23 campaign and has been without a club ever since. He has taken in trial spells at West Ham and Al-Ettifaq, but no offers have been put to him.

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Lingard is looking to stay in shape, ensuring that he is ready for any call, and has headed to the Middle East for some warm weather work during the English winter. He is putting in the hard yards, with videos posted on social media in a bid to catch the eye of potential suitors.

DID YOU KNOW?

Lingard took in 232 appearances for United during his time at Old Trafford, while earning 32 caps for England, but has found form and fitness hard to come by in recent times. He is, however, still only 31 years of age and believes that he has plenty left in the tank.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LINGARD?

There has been talk of Lingard heading to the United States, where he would join Lionel Messi in MLS, but the 2024 campaign in America is not due to get underway until February so there is more work for him to do behind the scenes before any permanent deal is done. Everton are also said to be mulling over an approach, according to , which could deliver a shock return to the Premier League.

MS Dhoni has dropped strong hints that in order to strengthen their batting India might play with just the four frontline bowlers in the World Cup, with Stuart Binny having to fill in as the third seam bowler

Sidharth Monga in Perth30-Jan-20152:50

Important for the team to have a break – Dhoni

MS Dhoni has dropped strong hints that in order to strengthen their batting India might play with just the four frontline bowlers in the World Cup, with Stuart Binny having to fill in as the third seam bowler. In India’s last two completed games Binny has opened the bowling, which was being seen as a test run for him to be used as more than just a part-timer. Dhoni confirmed that after India lost their final match of the Australia tour.India have gone winless on the tour. They were expected to do better in the triangular ODI series, but their batting has let them down often. With the current ODI regulations – two balls and only four men outside the circle – dictating that teams play five full-time bowlers, India’s batting has suffered on this tour. Dhoni has repeated in almost every press conference that the specialist batsmen have failed to bat with freedom because the hitting prowess after No. 6 is quite thin. To play Binny is an attempt to add some meat to Nos. 7, 8 and 9.Dhoni said that emergence of this new combination was one of the positives to have come out of whatever the think-tank has tried in this series. “With Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] struggling a bit, it just puts that added pressure on the bowling line-up because frankly we can’t really afford to play with three fast bowlers and two spinners because our batting becomes just too light for it,” Dhoni said. “If you lose the toss and you are batting on a surface that assists the fast bowlers, if you lose a couple of wickets, then you are just doing the catching-up job.”If you see the good sides, they bat quite deep. Even with the kind of batsmen that we have, we know they can bat but how they can bat at the first-class level is not how they will bat at the international level. That’s why we gave [Ravindra] Jadeja ample time and now slowly he has graduated to that level where he can do that job to some extent. Axar [Patel], we know he can bat but with more exposure and more matches, he will get better because international cricket is very different compared to the first-class level. We need to get our batting strong. The lower-order contribution is something that is a key factor. We can’t really have four to five batsmen in the lower order that will get out quickly because you want to make the most of 50 overs.”Apart from this “positive”, there have been quite a few negatives, the biggest of which is not getting into a winning habit. More than two months without a win can bring the confidence of a side down, but Dhoni said he wasn’t too concerned about that. “I think from the confidence point of view we are quite good,” Dhoni said. “Because again we try to give more emphasis on what needs to be done as to proper planning and executing. Also we have been in this situation. We know how exactly it feels and how to overcome that feeling. We were able to overcome that in the England series when we came back strongly. It’s something the boys know how to get out of. It’s a bit of a challenge. Yes it is because it has been a long tour so far, but this break now – six to 10 days – will help us.”Dhoni said that the team will stay as far away from the actual cricket as it can during this break. “Lock the kitbag. Keep it somewhere you don’t even want to see it. Completely switch off from cricket,” he said. “What you are asking [how to lift the team] I can’t tell you in the press conference. It will be handled accordingly. It won’t be handled on the cricket field because I feel a break is more important than coming back and doing some practice. Because we have been here for more than two months so we know the conditions pretty well. What is important right now is a break. Completely switch off from the cricket. Just do a bit of thinking on what needs to be done.”India’s batting order has been a bit of a mess with Virat Kohli batting at No. 3 only if a wicket is lost after 10 overs, and with Dhoni himself preferring to come in to bat with about 15 overs left. Too much theorising can complicate matters, but Dhoni said it was something the team needed to do. “Today, Virat was supposed to bat at 3, irrespective of when the wicket falls because with this batting line up – okay, we didn’t score too many runs – but this batting line-up we can afford to have him at 3 because I am there in the lower order, then Binny is there and Jadeja has also come back. Relatively, the lower order also looks quite strong.”You have to see ultimately the whole strength of the squad. I know individuals love to bat at a certain slot. If you don’t have people who can float around in the batting order, it becomes very difficult. I know a lot of teams are not very flexible. They want their respective players to bat at a certain slot but cricket I feel has evolved. It’s the number of overs that is more relative to the game. For example, if you have a Super Over, you don’t really send your openers. In a normal game, you will send your openers but in the Super Over, you will send somebody who can slog and hit the ball. You have to adapt yourself according to the demands of the game.”Dhoni was asked how Rayudu is taking this situation where he is sent to do the hard job, and when the going is relatively easier the big boys come out to bat. “Rayudu is someone who is willing to do that,” Dhoni said. “Not everyone can do that. But ultimately you find a couple of people who are able to do that. It just adds to the strength of the team. It is just easy to say that I can’t bat at that number but ultimately if the team wants you to bat at that number, you will have to.”Also, a lot of players, when you are grooming them, you have to bat them slightly up in the order because when you are playing in the subcontinent, if you are batting 5 and 6, you won’t score 50-60 or 80 runs. He will score 20 not out or 15 out. He will remain that way. It’s important to give them chance at 3 and 4. Some of the experienced players, they will have to take the responsibility of playing 5 and 6. That’s what it’s all about. Ultimately, you have to see the interests of the team.”

Matt Walker, the batsman who enjoyed a 19-year career in county cricket, is returning to his old club Kent as part of their new coaching setup for 2014.

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2014Matt Walker, the batsman who enjoyed a 19-year career in county cricket, is returning to his old club Kent as part of their new coaching setup for 2014.Walker, who scored over 12,000 first-class runs, returns to Canterbury to become assistant coach under Jimmy Adams, leaving Essex where he held the same role for the past three seasons having finished his playing days at Chelmsford.The change comes following a very disappointing 2013 for Kent where they failed to challenge in all three competitions. Walker is one of a number of new personnel at Kent with Dan George stepping up to become first team physiotherapist.Other changes see Michael Najdan appointed analyst and Jon Fortescue, who previously worked with Surrey, Hampshire and Warwickshire, becoming the club’s strength and conditioning coach.”I am delighted to be returning to my roots,” Walker said. “I cannot wait to get back to Kent and get started in helping the club deliver some on field success. A return to my home club is something I hoped for and I aim to help a talented group of players deliver what they are capable of.”I want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Essex. When I came as a player, everyone has made me feel extremely welcome, for which I’m grateful. I would especially like to thank Paul Grayson for giving me the opportunity as a player and obviously as a coach. He put his faith in me as a coach and I am eternally grateful for that opportunity.”Grayson expressed his disappointment at seeing Walker move on: “It is hugely disappointing to lose Matt as he is an excellent coach. He is a super bloke and we’ve enjoyed him as both a player and also coach.”We completely understand his reasons for going. He’s going to leave us with a lot of memories and will be missed but we wish him all the best in his new career.”Walker will be reunited with Essex when they travel to Canterbury for a County Championship match on Saturday, June 7.

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Newcastle were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday, but Ayoze Perez’s performance offered a glimmer of hope about a potentially devastating partnership.

As is always the case when Rafael Benitez takes on the top six, the Magpies made life extremely difficult for Tottenham on Saturday.

The home side were dominant throughout the match, but excluding an absolute sitter for Lucas Moura they never really created any concrete chances.

That was until Martin Dubravka made a horrendous blunder to let Son Heung-min open the scoring, and the Tyneside outfit were out for the count.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

On the chalkboard

Aforementioned, Benitez’s organised approach to big games makes the Magpies very difficult to beat. Unfortunately for the Spaniard though, he doesn’t have the weapons to really make things happen at the other end of the pitch.

Salomon Rondon has had an excellent first season on Tyneside, but the powerful striker is often left isolated up front, with the likes of Perez and Christian Atsu trying desperately to do the busy work behind him.

While many fans saw deadline day arrival Miguel Almiron as the replacement for Perez, who has struggled throughout the season, Benitez must find a way to fit them both in the team.

Changes afoot

Perez has been poor this season, but the Spaniard was much improved in the second half of the last campaign, when he scored several crucial goals to keep the side in the division.

He showed glimpses of his former self on Saturday, producing a few lovely touches and giving the Tottenham defence something to worry about.

If the Spaniard can continue this improvement alongside Almiron, then Rondon would no longer be starved of service.

In Perez and Almiron, Benitez has two players who are quick, agile, able to beat a man and most importantly they have the technical ability to hold the ball and let the team get closer to Rondon.

Whether it means sticking Almiron in Atsu’s spot on the wing or shifting formation to put the record signing in the number ten position, Benitez must find a way to get his two most technically gifted players in the same XI.

Heather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2013
ScorecardHeather Knight and Laura Marsh put on a record-breaking partnership for the seventh wicket•Getty ImagesHeather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley. Knight’s 157 from 338 balls was the seventh-highest Test score by an England woman and she was joined by the equally obdurate Laura Marsh in a stand of 156 – England’s best for the seventh wicket and one run shy of the Test record – that went a long way to staving off the threat of defeat to Australia.With six points on offer in these multi-format Ashes, the incentive to win was clear and evinced by Jodie Fields’ decision to declare with her team six down on the second day. But with the prospect of defeat coming at such a price – a draw will give each side two points – England have knuckled down in an attempt to make sure they don’t lose. Australia had extended their lead to 81 by reaching 64 for 1 by the close, making a draw the most likely result.Resuming on a perilous 172 for 6, still 149 runs behind, Knight and Marsh forged on in the same manner in which they had gone about their business on the on previous evening. The pair soaked up 73 overs of pressure before Knight was run out after being sent back looking for a single.Knight was dropped on 105, wicketkeeper Fields missing a chance down the leg side, but by then she had long-since surpassed her previous best innings, in her only other Test, of 19. She hit 20 fours in all and was particularly strong off her pads in making the third-highest individual total for England against Australia.Marsh, 13 from 114 balls at the start of the day, had progressed to 35 when she lost her partner and Katherine Brunt, who hit her first ball for four, went soon after. But Danielle Hazell stuck around for another 20 overs as Marsh went to her first Test half-century, eventually facing 304 balls for her 55. By the time Australia claimed the final wicket, Erin Osborne finishing with 4 for 67, the deficit was just 17.”I’m really pleased, I think when I went in we were pretty up against it,” Marsh said. “I was just really pleased to be able to hang in there with Heather and support her.”It was the job the team needed and I tried to stick in there and be disciplined with my decision-making. It was really helpful to have Heather at the other end for the vast amount of the time I was there because she just played brilliantly and we kept each other going.”I tried to be positive in defence and approach it that way and pick up runs when they became available.”With a slim lead and a potentially tricky couple of hours to negotiate amid rain showers, Australia’s openers began at a similarly watchful pace, reaching 40 before Jenny Gunn removed Rachael Haynes. First-innings centurion Sarah Elliott accompanied Meg Lanning safely to the close but it will take something special from the usually attacking Fields to force a result.

A round-up of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup matches that took place on February 10

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2014Group AHaris Sohail scored a 44-ball 66 to set up a 72-run win for Sialkot Stallions over Quetta Bears in Islamabad. Sialkot, who chose to bat first, were propelled towards a total of 154 for 8 by Sohail’s 44-ball knock, which included three fours and five sixes, and a 34-ball 33 from Shakeel Ansar. The middle and lower-order didn’t contribute too much, with offspinner Fareeduddin coming on as fifth-change and picking up four wickets in two overs.Even so, a target of 155 proved well beyond Quetta, who crawled to 82 for 9 in their 20 overs. Nazar Hussain, coming in at No. 9, ensured his side wouldn’t be bowled out, scoring a 27-ball 26 with a four and two sixes. Medium-pacer Hasan Ali and left-arm spinner Raza Hasan took three wickets each for Sialkot.Group BKashif Naved scored a 26-ball 44 and took three wickets in two overs as Multan Tigers beat Rawalpindi Rams by 2 runs in a thriller in Rawalpindi.After Naved had had two batsmen stumped with his left-arm spin in the 14th over of the chase, Rawalpindi were left needing 62 runs in 37 balls, with only three wickets in hand. From there, Yasim Murtaza smashed a 12-ball 21 in a partnership of 25 with Mohammad Nawaz before he became Naved’s third victim. This left Rawalpindi with 37 to get from 21 balls.Jamal Anwar then continued from where Murtaza had left off. It came down to 18 from six balls, and, after Jamal struck two fours in Rizwan Haider’s final over, five to get off the last ball. Anwar could only manage two.Sent in to bat, Multan’s openers, Zain Abbas and Zeeshan Ashraf, set them up for a big score by putting on 71 in 9.1 overs. Sohaib Maqsood scored a 21-ball 32, Naved a 26-ball 44 with six fours and two sixes, and Gulraiz Sadaf an unbeaten 11-ball 29 to power them to 183 for five.Group CImran Khan took three wickets to help Peshawar Panthers beat Lahore Eagles by seven wickets in Rawalpindi. After Peshawar elected to field, right-arm seamer Imran dismissed both openers to leave Lahore struggling on 3 for 2 in the third over. Kamran Akmal led a brief recovery, scoring 21 off 16 deliveries, but once he was dismissed, Lahore never quite recovered. They lost regular wickets and were 64 for 7 in the 15th over. Mohammad Khalil, the No. 9, lifted Lahore with 22 in 13 balls, but he was caught behind off Imran. Lahore weren’t bowled out, but finished on a below-par 104 for 9.Peshawar’s chase wasn’t straightforward. They lost three wickets in a hurry to go from 21 for 0 to 30 for 3, but Mohammad Fayyaz and Adil Amin scripted an unbroken 77-run stand that took Peshawar home with 27 balls to spare. Fayyaz was not out on a 38-ball 35 while Amin made an unbeaten 25-ball 40, with two fours and two sixes.Group DYasir Hameed and Younis Khan scored breezy unbeaten half-centuries to power Abbottabad Falcons to a massive 200 for 1, a score that proved well beyond Bahawalpur Stags’ reach. Abbottabad won by 77 runs.Bahawalpur might have regretted their decision to field first, after Hameed and Younis put on an unbroken 169-run partnership for the second wicket. Hameed struck 11 fours and a six in his unbeaten 68-ball 97, while Younis smashed six fours and two sixes in a 47-ball 71 as Abbottabad galloped along at 10 an over.In reply, Bahawalpur never got going. They were 49 for six, before Ansar Javed’s unbeaten 32 and Faisal Mubashir’s 29 helped them cross 100. In the end, they finished on 123 for eight. For Abbottabad, left-arm spinner Khalid Usman took three wickets.