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Mikel Arteta's side were well beaten at the London Stadium as they fell to their first domestic defeat of the season

Arsenal slumped to a miserable 3-1 defeat at West Ham on Wednesday night as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup in tame fashion. Mikel Arteta made six changes from the team that saw off Sheffield United 5-0 at the weekend, but his fringe players were unable to make any sort of impact during a hugely disappointing evening in east London.

The visitors probably just about shaded the first half, but went into the break a goal behind after Ben White headed into his own net. Arteta's side were abject after the interval, however, as strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen saw the Hammers stretch their advantage.

Substitute Martin Odegaard did pull a goal back for Arsenal in stoppage-time, but but by then the damage had been done.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the London Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Aaron Ramsdale (4/10):

Unlucky with the own goal as he was clearly having his shirt pulled. Looked edgy with the ball at his feet and West Ham tried to target that. Made a good save to deny Bowen early in the second half, but should have done better with the third goal despite the deflection.

Ben White (5/10):

Got his near post header all wrong as he gifted West Ham the lead with an own goal.

Gabriel Magalhaes (5/10):

Could have done better with the second goal in terms of trying to block the shot. Turned his back a bit for fear of handling the ball.

Jakub Kiwior (6/10):

Started the game well and was always looking to defend on the front foot. Had a good battle with Bowen.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (3/10):

Not at his best. Switched off in the passage of play that led to the corner that saw West Ham go in front. Defensively he still looks suspect, which showed on the second goal as well.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Jorginho (4/10):

It always looked like he might find himself a bit isolated in this starting XI. Got caught on the ball a few times, with very little support. Looked very sluggish. No surprise when he was replaced early in the second half.

Fabio Vieira (3/10):

Disappointing. He would have been hoping to make an impression having been handed a rare start, but had no real impact on the game. It just passed him by completely.

Kai Havertz (4/10):

Actually started the game well and looked hungry to make his mark. Went close with an early header which was saved, but faded as the match wore on. Another lacklustre display.

Getty ImagesAttack

Leandro Trossard (4/10):

Couldn't get into areas that could really hurt West Ham. Was often getting the ball wide out on the touchline and couldn't really impact the game like Arsenal would have wanted.

Eddie Nketiah (4/10):

Couldn't repeat his heroics from the weekend. Sent one header wide in the first half and scooped another effort over just before half-time. Barely touched the ball after half-time.

Reiss Nelson (6/10):

Probably the brightest of the three Arsenal attackers who started the game. His trickery caused West Ham some problems and he saw a couple of shots blocked.

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Declan Rice (5/10):

Was the pantomime villain on his return to the London Stadium. Brought on at 2-0 and could do little to turn things round.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (5/10):

Brought on to replace the struggling Zinchenko. Looks a certainty to start at Newcastle on Saturday now.

Bukayo Saka (5/10):

Felt like a risky decision to send him on at 3-0 down. Did nothing to alter the trajectory of the contest.

Gabriel Martinelli (5/10):

Similar to Saka. The game was done when he was introduced. Would have been better to give him the night off completely.

Martin Odegaard (6/10):

On for the final 10 minutes and scored a consolation in stoppage-time.

Mikel Arteta (3/10):

Made plenty of changes as expected and they didn't work out. Midfield always looked a bit lightweight at that's how it proved. Felt like a strange decision to risk Saka and Martinelli when the game was already over at 3-0.

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes joked he wasn't impressed by Alejandro Garnacho's wondergoal against Everton, which earned him Man of the Match.

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Article continues below

Garnacho scores screamer vs EvertonBut Fernandes unimpressedJoked Argentine didn't deserve MOTMWHAT HAPPENED?

The Argentina starlet scored a Puskas winner-worthy bicycle kick in the opening stages of Sunday's Premier League fixture. Garnacho rose acrobatically to scissor home Diogo Dalot's overhit cross, before a Marcus Rashford penalty and a customary Anthony Martial strike sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory over the Toffees. The goal earned the young forward MOTM courtesy of – although captain Fernandes didn't quite see it that way.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT FERNANDES SAID

Asked about his thoughts on Garnacho's wonderstrike, the Portugal midfielder joked: "Ah, so-so! I'll give him a good note just for the goal. But that's because he knows I have big expectations for him. He's not a great player yet, but he has a big future ahead. We expect a lot from him. He knows that, even more from me – I'll always be behind him asking for more. Amazing goal though."

Fernandes also offered a sly dig when asked to present the Argentine with the MOTM award, adding: "I don't think he deserves but okay…"

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Garnacho's strike is only his first Premier League goal of the season after an inconsistent start, as both manager Erik ten Hag and United supporters will hope this can kickstart a solid run of form in the first team. It certainly set the tone for what turned out to be a comfortable victory at Goodison Park, though, as Ten Hag's side proved they could stand firm against a virulent atmosphere and win despite multiple injury setbacks.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?

Both Fernandes and Garnacho will hope to feature when the Red Devils travel to Galatasary on Wednesday in what is a crunch match for their Champions League aspirations. Both teams sit outside the automatic qualification spots in Group A – United in rock bottom – meaning Ten Hag's side need nothing less than three points if they are to stay in the hunt for a place in the knock-outs.

Darren Bravo powered Red Steel to an imposing total, and then Dwayne Bravo and the spinners dismissed all the Tridents batsmen before they made 20 to secure a 72-run win

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDarren and Dwayne Bravo added 59 runs in 2.4 overs•Caribbean Premier LeagueDarren Bravo’s late flourish converted Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel’s middling score into an imposing one, and then his brother Dwayne and the spinners dismissed all the Barbados Tridents batsmen before they made 20 to secure a 72-run win at Queen’s Park Oval. The result improved Red Steel’s standing at the bottom of the league: they are now two wins away from catching Tridents at the top, with two games in hand.Red Steel had started steadily after choosing to bat, but with no great acceleration, and that platform eroded when Cameron Delport and William Perkins fell in the space of four balls. From 50 for 2 in 8.1 overs, Jacques Kallis and Darren Bravo built steadily, adding 75 in 9.1 overs. However, when Kallis lost his off stump to Ravi Rampaul for 49 off 43 deliveries Red Steel, at 125 for 3 with 16 balls left in the innings, needed a special finish.Darren Bravo was on 36 off 32 balls at the time but now he went into overdrive and smashed 44 off his last 12 deliveries, nearly a boundary a ball. He targeted the area between square leg and long-on and finished with seven sixes, adding 59 with his brother Dwayne, who scored 14 off the four balls he faced. Rampaul conceded 16 runs in the 18th over and 25 in the 20th, while Jason Holder went for 22 in the 19th over.The Tridents chase never took off. Misbah-ul-Haq was their top-scorer with 19 and their highest partnership – between Misbah and Shai Hope for the fourth wicket – was 26. They collapsed from 65 for 3 to 85 for 8 and were eventually dismissed for 112 in 18.4 overs. Dwayne Bravo claimed figures of 3 for 16 in 3.4 overs, and spinners Samuel Badree, Derone Davis and Johan Botha had combined figures of 11-0-64-5.

MS Dhoni has called for vast improvement from his fast bowlers after their inability to exert any pressure on New Zealand, with 278 on the board, led to a 0-3 series defeat with a game to go

Abhishek Purohit in Hamilton28-Jan-20140:00

‘We don’t have our fast bowlers set for the World Cup’ – Dhoni

MS Dhoni has called for vast improvement from his fast bowlers after their inability to exert any pressure on New Zealand, with 278 on the board, led to a 0-3 series defeat with a game to go. India’s failure to contain the opposition has been a major factor in their run of six successive overseas ODIs without a win, and Dhoni said he had no clarity at the moment on which fast bowlers he could take with him to the 2015 World Cup.”When it comes to the bowling department, we are still in the same phase wherein we are still looking at who our permanent bowlers are,” Dhoni said. “We know the spinners and they look good and we know they are the ones who will carry on until the World Cup provided there are no injuries. Fast bowling, we are still not sure who our choices are and what individuals we are looking forward to.”Back at home we talk about pace and bounce. We get bowlers who can bowl quick but they end up giving more runs without even bowling at the slog. So we have to find a fair balance.”We need a fair amount of improvement especially in our bowling department. If the batsman is playing good shots, you accept it but it is important that we bowl according to what the plan is and not go off it. To some extent it was quite a disappointing bowling performance from the fast bowlers. But the positive is the spinners bowled really well.”Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin slowed New Zealand considerably after the first ten overs, giving away just 30 runs in the next ten. But on either side of that period, boundaries flowed off the fast bowlers, nullifying the pressure the spinners had been able to create. Dhoni said the quicks had been unable to stick to what had been planned.”It was a wicket where you would like the bowlers to hit the back of length mark close to the off-stump area but right from the start we gave away too many boundaries,” Dhoni said. “We gave too much width to the batsmen and the balls were quite short, which meant they could freely score off them. So we didn’t start off well. Not only that, after the 10th over when we initiated the spinners to come and bowl, they bowled quite well and then when we again asked the fast bowlers to come back and bowl, they gave away the runs freely, which means we weren’t able to hang on to the pressure created by the spinners.”MS Dhoni said that bowlers like Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar needed to learn how to improvise according to situations•Getty ImagesJadeja and Ashwin troubled Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor with turn and bounce during that initial ten-over period. A wicket at that point could have meant a different game, but Dhoni took both spinners off after five overs each. He did not have faith in his fast bowlers after seeing their opening spells and decided to hold back his spinners for the latter stage of the chase, by when he expected the asking-rate would have climbed.”I saw the first ten overs how the fast bowlers bowled. I wasn’t sure they would be able to keep the pressure on. So I personally thought that it was important to keep the spinners, especially Jadeja, and use them later to some extent when they [New Zealand] had to go for the big shots. But the way the fast bowlers bowled in the middle overs, it meant that they never really had to play those big shots. That was a crucial phase where, with the open field, we should not have given away too many runs. But we were giving a boundary every over and we were not able to build any pressure.”Dhoni said he was happy with the talent pool of fast bowlers within the side but stressed that the bowlers needed to learn how to improvise according to the situation.”When it comes to the talent part, we definitely have bowlers who can bowl well,” Dhoni said. “But at the same time they will have to start using their brains more and improvise themselves what needs to be done. This is one area where we lack when it comes to the fast-bowling department. But if you just see the talent aspect definitely we have got bowlers who can do well.”Shami is someone who has been quite consistent apart from this series. Bhuvi has been off this series but he has been good overall. If you look at the whole pool of bowlers, we can keep working on them, but at the end of the day they need to push themselves because with rule changes it is going to be quite tough. But it hasn’t been rule changes in this series, it has been bad bowling. We have to keep it tight, but we have a pool of bowlers when it comes to talent.”

Jamie Cox has been dismissed from his role as South Australian Cricket Association’s (SACA) general manager, high performance

Daniel Brettig23-May-2014Jamie Cox has become the first major victim of Cricket Australia’s recently strengthened integrity unit, dismissed from his role as South Australian Cricket Association’s general manager, high performance after the SACA was made aware of an investigation into his recruitment activities.According to a SACA statement, Cox was fired after failing to comply with its code of conduct, by supposedly violating the Big Bash League player-recruitment regulations. CA’s integrity unit is currently investigating recruitment activities carried out by SA and its BBL team the Adelaide Strikers during the BBL embargo period.Keith Bradshaw, SACA’s chief executive, said the association had followed up a visit by the CA integrity unit with its own investigations, including checks on telephone and email communications made by Cox.”We were visited by the CA integrity unit [on Tuesday], they interviewed myself and Jamie Cox and alerted us to the fact there was an investigation they were undertaking regarding some possible breaches of BBL guidelines,” Bradshaw said. “We’ve co-operated with them fully throughout the process and that inquiry is still ongoing.”At the same time because I was obviously concerned to hear that news from the integrity unit, we initiated a review of our own, forensic work in terms of electronic communications and the like. We also interviewed several staff, one of which was Jamie, I have to say too that he co-operated with us fully and honestly.”Then it became apparent there were some serious breaches of our own policies, procedures and standards. So I was really in a position on Friday to call a board meeting and I reported those breaches to the board. The recommendation that followed of course was dismissal.”Last year Cox was among numerous SACA staff warned about abiding by recruiting guidelines after the state was fined $15,000 for making “improper” approaches in an attempt to lure the young legspinner James Muirhead away from Victoria.”That was certainly taken into consideration because we did incur a fine, which we were very disappointed in,” Bradshaw said. “We certainly made it very clear to people who were involved in that particular incident to reinforce the rules and regulations that needed to to be complied with. So yes that did come into consideration when we were deliberating on Jamie.”From my perspective and from SACA’s perspective I have an expectation that they will be complied with 100%. That’s a message I’ll be reinforcing to all my staff, that applies to myself and to everyone who works here.”CA’s integrity policies and procedures were the subject of a review undertaken by the former AFL executive Adrian Anderson last year, leading to the creation of a separate integrity unit within CA in December. The new unit was placed in the hands of the governing body’s senior legal counsel Iain Roy.BBL recruiting has been an area of considerable disquiet for sometime, with accusations of salary cap breaches commonly slung between teams while the bundling of BBL and state deals to attract players has been a common, though technically forbidden, practice.In April, four BBL teams – the Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades, Perth Scorchers and Brisbane Heat – were fined by CA for failing to complete their contract reporting duties. Their $10,000 sanctions will now appear minor next to the removal of Cox, an outcome noted by CA.”Cricket Australia (CA) acknowledges the admissions made this evening by the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA),” A CA spokesman said. “In doing so CA confirms that its integrity unit is investigating the SACA for potential breaches of CA regulations relating to the contracting of Big Bash League players ahead of BBL04.”The CA Integrity Unit will hold further meetings with SACA officials next week to further investigate the matter. No further comment will be provided until that time.”Bradshaw said he expected the CA investigation to conclude by the end of the month, but could not comment on what further sanctions may be imposed or whether other members of the SACA’s high performance department, including the coach Darren Berry, will be implicated.Cox was appointed South Australia’s high performance manager in July 2008, and was also on the national selection panel from 2006 to 2011. He is yet to speak publicly about his dismissal or whether he intends to dispute the SACA’s decision.

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir’s prospects of making an India comeback are all but over, as the pair stayed away from selection for the 15-member North Zone squad for the Deodhar Trophy

PTI18-Nov-2014Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir’s prospects of making an India comeback are all but over, as the pair stayed away from selection for the 15-member North Zone squad for the Deodhar Trophy. The team will be led by Harbhajan Singh, and the North Zone selection committee, headed by national selector Vikram Rathour, decided to reward all those who had performed well in the North Zone leg of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.It is believed that Sehwag had told some of the top DDCA officials that he did not want to block the road of promising juniors from Delhi, while the reason for Gambhir opting out is still unclear.”Today, at the start of the selection committee meeting, the chairman Vikram Rathour intimated us that Viru [Sehwag] has specifically told him that he doesn’t want to play Deodhar Trophy,” a member of the North Zone selection committee told PTI. “He has insisted that some of the promising juniors may be picked. Gauti [Gambhir] has also decided against playing but I have no clue about why he pulled out.”There are enough indications that Sehwag and Gambhir are fully aware that there is very little chance for either of them to make the World Cup squad, as India’s three first-choice openers are all in good form, with M Vijay available as cover. In any case, Sehwag and Gambhir’s selection would have come under scanner, as the pair tallied just 122 and 178 runs respectively from five matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, although they did share a 144-run stand to power Delhi to victory against Haryana.The only experienced members in the North Zone side are Harbhajan, Yuvraj Singh, Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra, with most of the team comprising of youngsters. Former India Under-19 captain Unmukt Chand has also been selected despite a poor run of 36 runs from five matches due to his “promise”. Unmukt had recently scored a century for India A against West Indians in a warm-up game, and is considered to be one for the future, as is Manan Vohra.Pacer Vikas Tokas and batsman Milind Kumar are the other two players from Delhi to make the squad. Punjab youngsters Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Mandeep Singh, and Jammu and Kashmir’s Parveez Rasool have all been selected based on their recent performances. With none of the wicketkeeper-batsmen doing particularly well, Services’ Nakul Verma pipped Nitin Saini and Puneet Bisht to a place in the team.North will meet East Zone in the semi-finals on November 29 in Mumbai.Squad: Harbhajan Singh (Captain), Unmukt Chand, Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Rishi Dhawan, Amit Mishra, Parveez Rasool, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Nakul verma (Wk), Taruwar Kohli, Vikas Tokas.

David Warner confirmed himself as a certain starter for the opening Ashes Test with a dynamic century on the second day against Victoria at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2013
ScorecardDavid Warner raced to 104 from 87 deliveries•Getty ImagesDavid Warner confirmed himself as a certain starter for the opening Ashes Test with a dynamic century on the second day against Victoria at the MCG. Warner and fellow Test incumbent Steven Smith both scored hundreds as New South Wales comfortably claimed first-innings points, but it wasn’t such a good day for baggy-green aspirant Fawad Ahmed, who struggled in taking 1 for 91 from 21 overs.Warner was one of the disappointments of the Ashes tour of England for the Australians, averaging 23 in his three appearances, but three hundreds in the Ryobi Cup last month suggested he was starting to see the ball a little better. Red-ball form was what the selectors were most keen to see from Warner, who began briskly on the second morning against Victoria and struck 16 boundaries in his innings of 104 from 87 deliveries.Warner found his runs all around the ground and bettered the score of his Test opening partner Chris Rogers, who on the previous day had ground out 88 for Victoria. The runs kept flowing for Australia’s Test cricketers after Warner pulled a catch to wide mid-on off Scott Boland, as Smith compiled a classy 107 from 169 deliveries.A centurion in the final Ashes Test at The Oval and the incumbent No.5 in the national side, Smith struck 13 fours and two sixes in his impressive innings before he was caught off the bowling of John Hastings, who finished with five wickets. Michael Clarke also spent some time at the crease, scoring 43 and contributing to a 104-run third-wicket stand with Warner.Hastings was the best of the bowlers, while Test spearhead Peter Siddle collected 2 for 66. The chances of Ahmed usurping Nathan Lyon in the Test outfit appear slim after Ahmed battled to find his rhythm, picking up only the wicket of Sean Abbott for 9. The Blues were dismissed just before stumps for 353, giving them a 117-run first-innings lead.

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As Sky Sports report, West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini has returned to training after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last summer which ruined his World Cup campaign with Argentina. The news is surely a huge boost for Manuel Pellegrini, but how will the midfielder’s availability – once back to full fitness – change the way the Hammers look?

On the chalkboard

A clever creator, Lanzini can be likened to David Silva in his ability to get himself into and find others in pockets of space and he has done so for two-and-a-half years in claret and blue.

Capable of playing all across the midfield but at his best as a number 10, the 25-year-old would feel like a new signing once match fit considering that the Hammers have been plagued by injuries this season and that the diminutive playmaker himself has been out for almost eight months.

The thought of Lanzini linking up with summer signing Felipe Anderson is a mouthwatering prospect, but who does the former Al-Jazira man replace?

Sorry, Samir

Unfortunately, Samir Nasri’s run in the starting XI could soon be over before it has truly begun; even if the 31-year-old was surprisingly impressive in his Prem debut against Arsenal, he would have to do put in some special performances to keep Lanzini warming the bench.

Anderson is undroppable and Lanzini won’t be playing up front any time soon, so the only other potential victim of the latter’s return would be Michail Antonio – the former Nottingham Forest man is industrious but extremely wasteful sometimes – it would depend what Pellegrini wants from his wide-man as to whether Antonio or Lanzini plays out wide.

However, if the Chilean does indeed opt for Lanzini on the right wing, there is now doubt that would be a waste of his talent as he is one of the best central attacking-mids outside the top six – Nasri must be dropped.

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video above and they didn’t disappoint…

Preview of the second match of the Champions Trophy, between West Indies and Pakistan

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya06-Jun-2013Match factsFriday, June 7, The Oval
Start time 9.30am GMTICC Champions Trophy 2004: West Indies seal a famous victory at The Oval•Getty ImagesBig PictureWest Indies have fond memories of playing in the Champions Trophy, famously winning the tournament in 2004 at The Oval, the venue where they will be beginning their campaign on Friday. Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, and Ramnaresh Sarwan played that game almost nine years ago and are part of a side that can go all the way in this competition. West Indies seemed to gel well under the leadership of Darren Sammy, who led them to the World Twenty20 title, but poor returns in the ODI format meant Bravo was appointed his replacement as captain in 50-over cricket. This Champions Trophy will be his first major assignment, starting against opponents who have consistently been strong contenders in ICC tournaments.Even though Pakistan are missing players who’ve been key members of their side in the past, and just barely managed to beat Ireland ahead of the Champions Trophy warm-ups, they’ve grown accustomed to the conditions and have a strong bowling attack to defend competitive scores. Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan have been dropped; Umar Gul is out due to injury; Mohammad Hafeez has been solid at the top of the order; there’s the experience of Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq in the middle, and Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan have been impressive as seamers.A defeat is a significant setback in a short competition such as this, so expect both sides to be high on intensity, also in part because of the support they are likely to receive at the ground. West Indies, in their pomp, were best supported at The Oval when they played in England, and Pakistan are never short of followers wherever they go.Form Guide(most recent first)
Pakistan: WTWLW (last five completed games)
West Indies: WWWLL
Watch out for…Ramnaresh Sarwan was once the most important member of West Indies’ top and middle orders, but didn’t play ODIs for almost a year-and-a-half until his return against Australia in February this year. Though that series was a disappointment, he struck a century in the three-match series against Zimbabwe, followed by a stint with Leicestershire, which would have helped him get used to the conditions.Wahab Riaz could be a handful in favourable conditions in England. He bowls with pace, can swing it and can be effective in the shorter format with his ability to bowl the yorker on target. He is more than handy with the bat, having played a key role in Pakistan’s close victory over Ireland followed by a three-for in the warm-up win over South Africa.Team newsWest Indies could have some tough choices to make. They have plenty of depth in their batting, and it’ll be interesting to see if they pick Sammy in the playing XI. They opened with Sarwan in the ODI series against Zimbabwe in February, but Johnson Charles is fresh from two straight half-centuries in the warm-ups. Would they prefer going in with an extra specialist batsman?West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Kemar Roach/Tino Best.Pakistan played just one warm-up game (their first was washed out) and gave Umar Amin a go in the middle order, but it remains to be seen if he’s picked tomorrow.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Saeed Ajmal, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Asad Ali/Ehsan Adil.Pitch and conditionsOn a sunny day, The Oval track could cater to a high-scoring game, and take a bit of turn. The conditions may not support much swing. There hasn’t been an ODI played at The Oval in almost 10 months; scores of 238 and 252 were chased down comfortably by West Indies and England there last year.Stats In ICC ODI tournaments, Pakistan have beaten West Indies on four occasions and lost eight times. They won the last two encounters between the teams in ICC tournaments – in the 2009 Champions Trophy in South Africa and the World Cup quarter-final in Dhaka. Chris Gayle has scored 840 runs against Pakistan in ODIs, at 31.11. Sarwan has a good record against Pakistan in the format, scoring 514 runs in 14 games at 46.72.Quotes”The plan should be that Imran Farhat plays as an anchor and last for 40 overs or so and the boys around him play freely but sensibly. Pakistani batting always comes under pressure if the openers fall early.”

Hiken Shah hit a career-best 170 to take Mumbai to a powerful 501 for 9 before declaring their innings. Gujarat finished at stumps on 79 for 3

Devashish Fuloria in Mumbai15-Dec-2013
ScorecardHiken Shah hit a career-best 170 against Odisha•FotocorpAfter scoring a tentative 67 on the first day in the shadow of Wasim Jaffer, Hiken Shah had said that scoring opportunities were rare as Odisha bowlers stuck to their lines. On the second day, there wasn’t much of a change from Odisha, but Shah infused his game – and Mumbai’s innings – with much-needed positivity as the home team declared the innings on 501 for 9, 16 minutes into the third session, before their seamers carved up the visitors’ top order.Shah outscored Jaffer comfortably in the 50 runs the two batsmen added together on the second morning. During this period, the batsmen maintained the defensive approach from yesterday as the pair trudged towards 300. Jaffer survived the second chance in his innings when he edged a Biplab Samantray delivery between the wicketkeeper and first slip fielder to move to 143. However, in the next over, he casually cut a short and wide one from Deepak Behera, straight into the hands of the deep point fielder, bringing an obdurate stand of 222 to an unexpected end.At 292 for 3 and without the comforting presence of Jaffer, Mumbai were still far from safety. Shah’s change of approach from there on, however, was remarkable. He was on 98 when Jaffer was dismissed, but in the same over, he drove uppishly to the cover boundary to register his sixth first-class century and his first of this season. The aggression that had remained hidden till then started oozing out, and it left Odisha dazed.In the 13.1 overs after Jaffer’s dismissal and till lunch, Mumbai’s total inflated by 86 runs, with Shah scoring 65 of them. Suryakant Yadav, known for his attacking strokeplay, was a mere spectator, scoring only 19 in that period. Shah drove on the up off the back foot and front foot and started playing aerial shots too. In one Suryakant Pradhan over, he picked up a boundary and a six in the midwicket region off identical balls.Just like Jaffer though, Shah also fell against the run of play, trapped lbw by an otherwise profligate Dhiraj Singh after hitting a career-best 170. The 99-run stand for the fourth wicket had only taken 95 balls and changed the momentum for Mumbai. The value of those runs became obvious as the rest of Mumbai’s innings meandered aimlessly till the declaration came.In between, Pravin Tambe, walking in at No 7, confirmed Jaffer’s pre-match faith in his batting ability with two crisp drives through cover, holding the pose after the second one, but his long awaited debut with the ball came late in the day when the outfield had been entirely engulfed by the shadows.Odisha had 21 overs to survive till the end and Tambe was called in to bowl the 19th. His first ball was a long hop, possibly a manifestation of his nervousness, but he had a loud appeal for lbw turned down off his third ball after bowling a skidder. He bowled a steady second over and all eyes will be on him when Mumbai take the field on the third day.Mumbai’s seamers had already ensured that Odisha will have a tough time. Javed Khan charged in with a run-up almost twice as long as Basant Mohanty’s and reaped immediate rewards too. Girjia Rout belatedly tried to take his bat out of the way of an outswinger, but the ball skimmed the face to end up at first slip. Four overs later, Aditya Tare pouched a catch off Javed as a bouncer flicked the gloves.Shardul Thakur inflicted further damage, removing Govind Podder – caught by the keeper down the leg side – before hitting Samantray on the head with a bumper. The Odisha captain asked for the physio, but then decided to leave the field.