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After failing to welcome a single senior reinforcement in the January transfer window, Leeds United have now already reportedly opened talks to sign a summer addition in central midfield.

Leeds transfer news

Clear at the top of the Championship, Leeds’ lack of January business would have split opinion at Elland Road. Whilst some may have been happy with Daniel Farke’s squad, given where they find themselves, others may have preferred that they don’t leave things down to any chance and instead solidify their title push through fresh faces.

Ultimately, however, not a single addition arrived and the focus will now shift back towards sealing promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking under Farke.

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Leeds have been a consistent force under Daniel Farke this term.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Feb 7, 2025

It could be argued that the Yorkshire club are even now at a stage in which they should be considering fresh faces for the Premier League. Planning ahead, the Whites must ensure that, if they do go up, they have a squad capable of maintaining their Premier League status.

It’s something that several sides have failed to ensure in the last two seasons, with Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town all on course for an instant return to the Championship this season.

Those at Elland Road, meanwhile, perhaps attempting to learn from others, have already set their sights on one signing. According to Football Insider, Leeds have already opened talks to sign Eduard Spertsyan from Krasnodar this summer.

The club captain at 24 years old, Spertsyan could yet find himself on his way to the Premier League in the near future should Leeds earn promotion and come calling for the attacking midfielder.

It would certainly be a step up but one that the Armenia international seems capable of making, having scored six goals and assisted another three in all competitions so far this season.

"Intelligent" Spertsyan could provide instant boost

Whilst he is not Premier League proven, the numbers suggest that Spertsyan is worth taking a gamble on at the right price this summer – particularly if Leeds add experience around the attacking midfielder.

Recently speaking about the prospect of the 24-year-old making his way to Elland Road, former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson was full of praise – telling Football Insider: “24-year-old Armenian international, played most of his career from all of it in Russia, at Krasnodar.

“[He’s] played over 100 games for Krasnodar. I was looking at him I’ve seen a couple of clips of him. He’s versatile, attacking midfielder, can play anywhere, left, right or in the number 10 role.

“He’s a talented player, there’s a lot of clubs that have looked at him and when you do watch his clips and you see how he plays, he’s a very creative, intelligent player going forward.”

Before Leeds can even think about how Spertsyan would perform in England’s top flight, they have plenty of work to do of course. It must be said, however, that their push for promotion has looked strong and they should be firm favourites to seal a place in the Premier League come the end of the season.

MatériaMais Notícias

Bem colocado na tabela do Brasileirão com 16 pontos conquistados, o Palmeiras não ostenta um bom aproveitamento no Allianz Parque em jogos válidos pela competição. Em busca da liderança, contra o Botafogo, o time de Abel Ferreira tenta conquistar apenas a segunda vitória na casa palestrina no torneio.

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GALERIA
> Veja 15 jogadores do Brasil que devem agitar a janela europeia
>15 jogadores que estão na reserva e poderiam até trocar de clube

TABELA
> Que tal simular todos os resultados do Brasileirão? Clique aqui!

A jornada do Verdão no campeonato nacional começou no próprio Allianz Parque, contra o Ceará, em abril. Na ocasião, derrota por 3 a 2. Os jogos seguintes, sendo dois empates diante de Goiás e Flamengo, aconteceram nos estádios dos times em questão.

Já o clássico contra o Corinthians, pela quarta rodada do Brasileiro, no dia 23 de abril, foi realizado fora do estádio palmeirense, na Arena Barueri. Isso se deu por conta da realização de um show, organizado pela WTorre, empresa responsável pelo Allianz, na data da partida. Sendo assim, a goleada por 3 a 0 sobre o rival não entra nas estatísticas em questão.

De volta ao estádio localizado na Rua Palestra Itália, o Verdão buscava o primeiro triunfo diante de sua torcida na competição. Contudo, a partida contra o Fluminense acabou em empate por 1 a 1.

A primeira vitória aconteceu já no mês de maio, no dia 14, sobre o RB Bragantino. O jogo terminou com o placar de 2 a 0 favorável ao Verdão. Já em outros dois confrontos fora de casa, contra Juventude e Santos, mais vitórias para o time de Abel que, na última rodada, dentro do Allianz, apenas empatou sem gols com o Atlético Mineiro.

O aproveitamento total do clube alviverde em quatro jogos disputados dentro do Allianz Parque é de aproximadamente 41,6%, sendo uma vitória, dois empates e uma derrota.

Agora, no duelo contra o Botafogo, o elenco palestrino busca se agarrar nas estatísticas gerais como mandante na temporada para garantir mais uma vitória. Dentre os times que disputam a Série A, o Palmeiras está na liderança com cerca de 88,4% de aproveitamento sob seus domínios.

continua após a publicidade

Relembre todos os jogos do Palmeiras no Allianz pelo Brasileirão 22:

Palmeiras 0 x 0 Atlético Mineiro – 05/6
Palmeiras 2 x 0 RB Bragantino – 14/5
Palmeiras 1 x 1 Fluminense – 08/5
Palmeiras 2 x 3 Ceará – 09/4

عاد حسين لبيب، رئيس مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، إلى القاهرة مساء الثلاثاء، قادمًا من فرنسا بعد رحلة علاجية قصيرة خضع خلالها لفحوصات طبية للاطمئنان على حالته الصحية. 

وكان حسين لبيب قد غادر إلى فرنسا قبل أيام في زيارة طبية مجدولة، أجرى خلالها سلسلة من الفحوص الدقيقة، ضمن متابعته المستمرة لحالته الصحية، وسط اهتمام ومتابعة من أسرته ومجلس الإدارة.

أحمد دويدار: عبد الله السعيد يستحق عقدًا أفضل من لاعب الزمالك.. ولجنة التخطيط تقلل من نفسها

ومن المقرر أن يستكمل لبيب الفحوصات داخل مصر خلال الأيام القليلة المقبلة، حيث يواصل الأطباء المتابعون لحالته الاطمئنان على بعض المؤشرات الصحية، التي تحتاج إلى متابعة دقيقة قبل العودة الكاملة لممارسة نشاطه داخل النادي.

وأعرب مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك عن تمنياته الصادقة بالشفاء العاجل للكابتن حسين لبيب، مشددًا على تقديرهم الكامل لما يقدمه من جهد وتضحيات في سبيل استقرار النادي وتقدمه، رغم ظروفه الصحية.

وأكد أعضاء المجلس دعمهم المتواصل لرئيس النادي في هذه المرحلة، متمنين عودته قريبًا إلى مزاولة مهامه اليومية داخل القلعة البيضاء، لما يتمتع به من حضور قيادي وخبرة إدارية كبيرة تخدم مصالح الزمالك في مختلف الملفات.

Rachin Ravindra, Joe Carter score fifties but find little support from others as India A romp home with 16 overs to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2022

Kuldeep Yadav’s four-wicket burst, which included a hat-trick, backed up by Prithvi Shaw’s 48-ball 77 headlined India A’s comfortable four-wicket win over New Zealand A in the second unofficial ODI in Chennai. With this win, India A took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Batting first, the visitors lost Chad Bowes in the sixth over to Umran Malik. Dane Cleaver fell soon after, but Rachin Ravindra held fort with a 65-ball 61. Rishi Dhawan then got into the act sending back Ravindra and captain Robert O’Donnell in the space of three balls as New Zealand A slipped to 106 for 4 that soon became 133 for 5 with Raj Bawa removing Tom Bruce.Joe Carter, who has been excellent all through this tour, kept fighting. He struck one four and three sixes in his 72 off 80 balls but found little support from the other end. He added 57 runs for the sixth wicket with Sean Solia, but once Carter fell to Rahul Chahar in the 42nd over, New Zealand A folded quickly. Kuldeep claimed a hat-trick, removing New Zealand A’s last three batters – Logan van Beek caught by Shaw, Joe Walker caught behind by Sanju Samson and Jacob Duffy out lbw – to wrap up the innings on 219.Already behind in the game, New Zealand A suffered even further as Shaw came out swinging. The opener smashed 11 fours and three sixes during his knock, adding 82 runs for the first wicket with Ruturaj Gaikwad, and 49 more for the second wicket with Rajat Patidar.India A did lose their way a bit in the middle, slipping from 131 for 1 to 134 for 4 with Patidar, Shaw, and Tilak Varma falling in the space of nine balls. However, Samson and Dhawan took the hosts forward with a 46-run stand before Shardul Thakur’s 24-ball 25 not out provided the finishing touches.The third and final game of the series will take place at the same venue on Tuesday.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras deve entrar em campo nesta quinta-feira, contra o Atlético-GO, com seu time titular, o qual não é possível imaginar sem a presença de Zé Rafael, um dos principais pilares do esquema de Abel Ferreira e que ganha cada vez mais importância no grupo. Neste ano, além de ser fundamental taticamente, ele tem ampliado a sua influência para o número de participações em gols da equipe.

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> Confira os públicos do Palmeiras no Allianz Parque em 2022

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> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2022 clicando aqui

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

Contratado em 2019 para reforçar o Verdão, Zé chegou como um meia, disputando posição com outros nomes que já estavam por lá, como Lucas Lima, Raphael Veiga e Gustavo Scarpa. Em sua primeira temporada, a mais “artilheira” e influente de todas, ele marcou sete gols e deu cinco assistências em 38 partidas, ou seja, 12 participações em 105 tentos da equipe, o que significa 11,43% do total do time.

A partir de 2020, com Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Zé Rafael passou a jogar como um meio-campista, ou como volante mesmo. Somando esse período e também a parte em que Abel Ferreira assumiu o comando, o camisa 8 marcou cinco gols e deu seis assistências no ano, totalizando 11 participações em 49 jogos. Em relação ao total de gols do elenco, isso significou 11,11% dos 99 gols do Verdão.

Em meio a isso, Zé começou a ganhar importância taticamente, como um dos pilares do meio-campo de Abel Ferreira, bicampeão da Libertadores, campeão da Copa do Brasil, da Recopa e do Paulistão. Se esses títulos vieram, certamente passaram pelo que o “ex-meia” tem feito, mas de uma forma silenciosa, sem muito alarde.

Tanto é que em 2021 os números não foram expressivos em termos de gols e assistências. Zé Rafael marcou três tentos e deu somente três passes para os companheiros balançarem a rede, ou seja, seis participações em 61 jogos, o que significou somente 4,4% dos 135 gols que a equipe marcou ao longo de todo o ano passado.

No entanto, as coisas mudaram para este ano, e Zé tem retomado aquela fase mais participativa nos gols de 2019 e 2020. Até o momento, o meio-campista fez 33 jogos, com seis gols (segundo ano mais artilheiro) e três assistências, somando novo participações em tentos palmeirenses, 11,11% do total de 81 gols marcados em 2022.

Isso sem contar a ajuda de Zé Rafael naqueles lances “pré-assistência”, como na partida do último domingo, contra o Coritiba, em que ele puxou o contra-ataque e deu um passe primoroso para Gabriel Veron deixar Rony na cara do gol para marcar o segundo tento do Verdão na partida e selar a vitória por 2 a 0, fora de casa.

Se ainda há algum do torcedor do Palmeiras descontente com Zé Rafael, será preciso muito mais argumentos para criticá-lo e pedir sua saída do time. Atualmente, não há como pensar em uma equipe titular sem a presença do camisa 8, que mais uma vez é fundamental na busca do clube por mais títulos, recordes e marcas históricas.

Confira os números de Zé Rafael nos últimos anos:

– 2019 – 12 participações (7 gols e 5 assistências) em 38 jogos – 11,43% dos 105 gols do time no ano

– 2020 – 11 participações (5 gols e 6 assistências) em 49 jogos – 11,11% dos 99 gols do time no ano

– 2021 – 6 participações (3 gols e 3 assistências) em 61 jogos – 4,44% dos 135 gols do time no ano

– 2022 – 9 participações (6 gols e 3 assistências) em 33 jogos – 11,11% dos 81 gols do time no ano

In the 2024/25 summer transfer window, Chelsea spent €261m (£216.2m) on transfers, making €198m (£164m) in sales, in order to fund much of this business. A large majority of those sales included academy graduates, being sold in order to comply with PSR.

Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall and Omari Hutchinson were all sold after either coming through the Chelsea academy or being initially signed for the academy, meaning all of these sales constitute as “pure profit” for the club – and owner Todd Boehly – on their books.

Chelsea 2024/25 summer sales

Player

Fee (£)

Ian Maatsen

£36.8m

Conor Gallagher

£34.7m

Lewis Hall

£27.3m

Romelu Lukaku

£24.8m

Omari Hutchinson

£19.4m

Angelo

£19m

Diego Moreira

£1.6m

Hakim Ziyech

£0

Thiago Silva

£0

Tino Anjorin

£0

Malang Sarr

£0

Stats taken from Transfermarkt

Whilst most of the sales were players on the fringes of the squad, Gallagher – who captained Chelsea for the majority of last season in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell – made 50 appearances for the Blues, scoring seven goals, providing nine assists and totalling 4,036 minutes played.

The sale of the Englishman may now look to be something of a mistake, considering his soaring market value, although the Blues may well have struck gold with another high-profile sale in the summer.

Chelsea's key academy sales

Gallagher came through the Chelsea academy, going on to make 95 senior appearances, scoring ten goals, providing ten assists and totalling 6,061 minutes played.

The English midfielder was viewed as “priceless” by Mauricio Pochettino, being a clear favourite of his throughout his season in charge.

The 25-year-old midfielder was sold to Atlético Madrid in the summer for a fee of around £35.8m, making 30 appearances so far this season for the Spanish giants, scoring two goals, providing three assists and totalling 1,633 minutes played.

Whilst the Gallagher sale wasn’t the best value, selling him for what is now seen as under his current value, there was another sale in the 2024 summer window, which perhaps was more on the side of a good sale price, with Boehly and co extracting a fee higher than his current valuation.

Chelsea struck gold with 2024 exit

Moving on academy talent like Gallagher has been a common theme in recent years at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues having also cashed in on the likes of Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham and Marc Guehi, among others.

Another among that list is the aforementioned Maatsen, who Chelsea sold to Aston Villa ahead of the current campaign, with the 22-year-old signing a six-year deal for the Villans, costing them around £37.5m.

The left-back has made 30 appearances this season, providing one assist, contributing to five clean sheets and totalling 1,029 minutes played.

Since being sold, Maatsen’s value has decreased according to Transfermarkt, now being valued at €32m (£26.5m).

This would suggest Chelsea made the right decision at the time, selling Maatsen off the back of a strong loan spell with Dortmund, despite Pochettino being “so happy” with the Dutch full-back in the 2023/24 pre-season:

That being said, Maatsen, being 22 years old, still has plenty of time to fulfil his potential, and in years to come the Blues could look back on this deal differently.

But as of right now, Chelsea will be happy with the timing of this sale, and the value extracted from it.

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Durham announced all-time leading wicket-taker’s departure for “personal reasons” last week

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2022

Chris Rushworth has set his sights on winning a second County Championship title after making a surprise move to Warwickshire on a two-year deal, which features an option to extend for a third depending on performances.Durham announced last week that they had “reluctantly agreed” to let Rushworth, their all-time leading wicket-taker, leave the club. He clarified in a statement that he had made his decision due to “personal reasons alone, and not cricketing reasons”.He has now been unveiled by Warwickshire as a new signing, who are looking to add depth to their seam attack after the loss of Olly Stone to Nottinghamshire ahead of the 2023 season.Related

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Mark Robinson, their coach, said: “I’m delighted Rushy has chosen to join us. He’s keen to make a fresh start, hungry to succeed and will give us some real quality and obvious experience which at times we lacked last year.”With the injuries we had last season our depth of bowling couldn’t cope so it’s important we are able to add some more quality and deepen our resources. He’s a wicket-taker, make no mistake. He has 603 first-class wickets to his name.”Rushworth, 36, took 54 wickets during Durham’s title-winning 2013 season and Robinson said that he is determined to add a second. “He has told me he wants to come because he wants to win another County Championship before he retires,” Robinson said, “which is exactly the language you want to hear.”Warwickshire were county champions in 2021 but survived relegation by the skin of their teeth in 2022, beating Hampshire on the final day of the season to confirm their Division One status. They are in the process of recruiting a new director of cricket after Paul Farbrace’s departure.

توج المهاجم كيليان مبابي بجائزة أفضل لاعب في موسم 2024/25 داخل نادي ريال مدريد، بعد أدائه الاستثنائي رغم الفشل في حصد أغلب الألقاب مثل الدوري الإسباني ودوري أبطال أوروبا.

سجل مبابي 43 هدفًا في 56 مباراة خلال الموسم، وكان له دور بارز في فوز ريال مدريد بلقب كأس إنتركونتيننتال وكأس السوبر الأوروبي، كما اختتم الموسم كهداف الدوري الإسباني برصيد 31 هدفًا، محققًا جائزة البيتشيتشي والحذاء الذهبي الأوروبي.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشابي ألونسو يتحدث عن استعدادات ريال مدريد لـ كأس العالم للأندية.. ويوجه طلبًا للجماهير

وعبر مبابي عن سعادته بالجائزة، قائلاً عبر تصريحات لموقع ناديه الرسمي: “إنه لشرف كبير ولحظة مميزة بالنسبة لي، أشكر جميع جماهير ريال مدريد وكل من صوت لي، أول موسم لي في إسبانيا كان تجربة جديدة ومثيرة على الصعيدين الشخصي والمهني”.

وأضاف: “كان علي التكيف مع الفريق، البلد، اللغة والثقافة الجديدة، لكني الآن أشعر بالراحة وهذا ينعكس على أدائي داخل الملعب، أنا سعيد جدًا في ريال مدريد”.

وبخصوص بطولة كأس العالم للأندية المقبلة، أكد مبابي: “ستكون المرة الأولى لنا في مسابقة من هذا النوع، ونحن متحمسون للغاية، هذه فرصة لتحقيق لقب أبطال العالم مع النادي، المنافسة ستكون قوية في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، والجميع سيراقبنا، وهدفنا هو الفوز بالبطولة”.

أوضح السلوفيني جراديشار مهاجم الأهلي، كواليس انضمامه للقلعة الحمراء، كما تحدث عن مشاركته الأولى أمام بيراميدز، مؤكدًا أن كأس العالم للأندية أحد أسباب موافقته على الانتقال للأحمر.

وقال جراديشار في تصريحات عبر قناة “الأهلي”: “سعيد بتواجدي اليوم في قناة الأهلي، بدأت رحلتي في كرة القدم عندما كان عمري سنتين وكنت ألعب في كل مكان كرة القدم، منذ اللحظة الأولى كانت لدي تسديدات قوية، وأبي علمني الكثير من المهارات، وبعد ذلك ذهب بي إلى أحد الأندية”.

وتابع: “قبل انضمامي للأهلي كان لدي عدد قليل جدًا من المتابعين، وبعدها أصبحت من المشاهير، ولدي عدد كبير جدًا من المتابعين، والسبب في ذلك أن الناس في مصر يتابعون كرة القدم بشكل كبير وعرفت كيف يحبون الأهلي”.

طالع أيضاً.. كهربا: إمام عاشور بكى بسببي مرتين.. ولاعب الأهلي “سالك”

وأضاف: “المنتخب السلوفيني لديه تطور كبير مع المدير الفني الحالي، هو رائع واستطاع رفع الروح المعنوية للاعبين، وسنرى منتخب سلوفينيا كثيرًا في الفترة القادمة، ولم يتم استدعائي حتى الآن”.

وعن كواليس مفاوضات الأهلي معه: “كنت مع فريقي وأشاهد مباراة، ووكيلي اتصل بي وأبغلني بعرض الأهلي، وقال لي إنه نادي القرن في إفريقيا وريال مدريد الثاني، لم أكن أعرف من هو الأهلي وبعد أنا علمت بمكانته قررت الانضمام بعد ثلاثة أيام فقط، وهو من أهم الفرق التي لعبت لها”.

هل هذه أول مرة تأتي فيها إلى مصر؟: “نعم كانت أول مرة، كنت في المجر وقمت بعمل الفحص الطبي، وجئت بعد ذلك إلى مصر للمشاركة في مباراة بيراميدز، هذا ما تم إخباري به، لم أتوقع أن القاهرة كذلك، هي رائعة جدًا وبها ملايين من الناس”.

وعن لحظة مشاركته في مباراة بيراميدز: “كان الأمر رائعًا والجماهير كانت رائعة، كنت متفاجئاً من شدة حب الجماهير للنادي الأهلي، وتعليمات مارسيل كولر لم تكن كثيرة، ولم نتحدث كثيراً في يوم المباراة، لكنه أخبرني أنه يريد التوفيق لي، وفريق بيراميدز قدم مباراة جيدة، ونجحت في تسجيل هدف، رغم أنني لم أعرف الكثير من اللاعبين ولا أسمائهم”.

وواصل: “هدفي مع بيراميدز عزز ثقتي بنفسي في الفريق، وساعد في تقريب المسافات داخل الأهلي، ورامي ربيعة أول مم جاء إلي وهنأني بالهدف”.

وعن المنافسة مع وسام أبو علي: “المنافسة كبيرة، ووسام مهاجم كبير جداً، وأحرز العديد من الأهداف، كما أنه جيد جداً في المران، أنا أتمرن بشكل جيد وأحزن عندما أجلس احتياطيًا، لكنني أحترم قرار المدير الفني، في مباراة بيراميدز وسام نصحني كثيرًا”.

هل شعرت بقلق بعد رحيل مارسيل كولر؟: “نعم قلقت قليلاً، لكن هذه هي كرة القدم، كان الأمر صعبًا بالنسبة لي، لكن كان يجب أن أحصل على فرصتي في المشاركة مع المدير الفني الجديد”.

ما رأيك في ريفيرو؟: “أشعر أنه سيطور الكثير من الأمور، هو يحب تسجيل الكثير من الأهداف ويعتمد على اللعب الهجومي”.

واستكمل: “عندما خسر بيراميدز مباراتين متتاليتين، شعرت أن الدوري اقترب من الأهلي، رغم أن بيراميدز قدم أداءً رائعًا هذا الموسم”.

وبشأن بطولة كأس العالم للأندية: “أحد الأسباب التي جعلتني أوافق على عرض الأهلي هو المشاركة في كأس العالم، ونحن في مجموعة صعبة وسنواجه لاعبين كبار، وأعتقد أننا لدينا فرصة كبيرة في التأهل، وأتمنى أن أقدم أداءً جيدًا في البطولة”.

Kane Williamson, meanwhile, felt New Zealand’s bowlers could have been more disciplined against Pakistan’s openers

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2022

Coming into their semi-final against New Zealand at the SCG, Pakistan had one of the worst powerplay records of any batting team at this World Cup, with a scoring rate of just 5.93 in that phase – only Zimbabwe and Netherlands had done worse. Their openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were under pressure both individually and as a combination, with numerous experts including ESPNcricinfo’s Robin Uthappa suggesting that one of them move down the order, with Mohammad Haris promoted to open.On the big day, however, Babar and Rizwan delivered, scoring brisk fifties and putting on 105 off 76 balls to put Pakistan on top in a chase of 153. They scored 55 of their runs in the first six overs – it was Pakistan’s best powerplay of the tournament, bettering their 42 for 3 against South Africa by a fair distance.Related

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Rizwan was the early aggressor, hitting five fours in the first five overs to race to 26 off 13 balls. While receiving the Player-of-the-Match award for his 43-ball 57, Rizwan said it had been a deliberate ploy from Pakistan to go hard in the powerplay, with the awareness that batting would get harder against the older ball on this used pitch at the SCG.”When we crossed the boundary line, me and Babar decided that we can attack the new ball, because we knew that the pitch was tricky, a little bit difficult, and 150 [153] was a good target on this pitch,” Rizwan said. “We decided we’re going to do hard work and attack these guys, and when we finish the powerplay, one of the guys will go deep, because obviously pitch was tricky, and , Allah helped us and we succeeded.”Kane Williamson felt New Zealand’s bowlers could have been more disciplined with their lines to Babar and Rizwan•AFP/Getty Images

There was clear aggressive intent in a number of Rizwan’s early boundaries, most notably when he swung across the line to belt good-length balls from Tim Southee into the leg side. But some of Pakistan’s early running was also helped by loose bowling from New Zealand’s quicks. Trent Boult, in particular, had an off day – he found Babar’s edge early, only for wicketkeeper Devon Conway to put down a diving chance, but he also offered the batters width on several occasions.New Zealand captain Kane Williamson admitted that his bowlers could have made it harder for Pakistan’s openers.”Fielding was okay,” he said, when asked about New Zealand’s uncharacteristic lapses on the field. “Yeah, look, Babar and Rizwan, at the top of the order, put us under pressure and played really nicely. If we’re honest with ourselves, we wanted to be a little bit more disciplined with our areas, and make that a little bit more difficult to get away on, if we were able to just keep it nice and straight.”Having said that, there’s always different parts of the game you want to touch on to do a little bit better, but at the end of the day Pakistan certainly deserved to be the winners.”Like Rizwan, Williamson also felt New Zealand had posted a fairly challenging total given the conditions.”I thought we were put under pressure early,” he said. “Pakistan bowled really nicely, and we managed to sort of wrestle back some momentum. Unbelievable knock from Daryl Mitchell [53 off 35 balls], and at the halfway stage we were all feeling like that’s a competitive total.”We knew the wicket was a little bit tough, a used surface, and yeah, very disappointing to not make Pakistan work a lot harder for that. They were outstanding, we were outplayed today. Credit goes to their quality – they certainly deserved their win. A tough pill for us to swallow, we certainly pride ourselves in a number of areas, strengths of ours, and didn’t quite do that today.”