ANÁLISE: Palmeiras de Abel aposta na base e recebe retornos rumo ao título do Brasileirão

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Na noite do último sábado, o Palmeiras venceu o Avaí por 3 a 0, em duelo válido pelo Brasileirão. Um dos gols foi marcado por Vanderlan, que recebeu um belo passe de Endrick. O tento com assinatura das ‘Crias da Academia’ prova que Abel Ferreira e sua comissão técnica apostam na base para garantir o título – e conseguem retornos.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasAbel minimiza ansiedade e prega respeito: ‘Um jogo de cada vez’Palmeiras23/10/2022PalmeirasVanderlan comemora primeiro gol pelo profissional do Palmeiras: ‘Não tem preço’Palmeiras23/10/2022PalmeirasDudu analisa golaço e elogia joia da base após vitória do PalmeirasPalmeiras23/10/2022

>ATUAÇÕES: Dudu faz golaço, Palmeiras goleia e se aproxima do título

O jogo foi favorável ao Palmeiras do início ao fim. O Avaí não chegou a levar algum perigo ao gol de Weverton, e as peças utilizadas por Abel se encaixavam e davam resultados. Contudo, o desgaste do final da temporada se fez presente, principalmente na segunda metade do primeiro tempo, quando o Verdão esfriou o jogo após marcar um gol e esperou ansiosamente pelo apito de Bruno Arleu de Araújo.

Enquanto muitos se perguntavam se o Alviverde iria vencer, mas não convencer, eis que surgem as cartas na manga preferidas do treinador português: as “Crias da Academia”. No segundo tempo, Abel promoveu as entradas de Vanderlan e Endrick, além de Gabriel Menino, um pouco mais veterano.

As mudanças surtiram efeito logo de cara, quando o lateral marcou o terceiro gol do time, seu primeiro como profissional, com um passe da maior joia de 16 anos já vista nos arredores palestrinos. Essa foi a prova de que a base palmeirense se conhece bem, sabe como jogar junto e usufrui disso sem desrespeitar a hierarquia proposta.

> Clique e confira a tabela completa e simulador do Brasileirão!

Os meninos do Palmeiras estavam cada vez mais soltos, tentando ultrapassagens pelas beiradas do campo, arriscando chutes de fora da área e, principalmente, buscando tabelas entre eles para chegarem ao gol adversário. Em uma partida em que Mayke não estava tão bem como ponta, a entrada de Vanderlan se fez importante no setor ofensivo. Ele chegou a aparecer na posição do camisa 12 diversas vezes, inclusive quando enfiou a bola no fundo da rede.

Endrick é um talento a ser lapidado, mas já se mostrou mais à vontade para atuar entre os profissionais do Palmeiras. O garoto chutou de fora da área e demonstrou raça na marcação, dando carrinhos providenciais e sustentando a parede na entrada da área adversária.

A junção entre os principais e as “Crias” faz com que Abel encontre um equilíbrio entre experiência, cautela, e força de vontade, diversão. Essa união entre o melhor dos dois mundos acaba deixando o Verdão mais confiante na reta final do Brasileiro, já que é um time que sabe o que vem pela frente e que pode contar com a prata da casa rumo ao título.

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Morgan says England head coach aspirations 'far-fetched'

Eoin Morgan has described the idea he should replace Matthew Mott as England’s white-ball coach ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup as “a bit far-fetched” and said that Mott should be given the chance to put things right at next year’s tournament.Morgan, who captained England to their first men’s ODI World Cup in 2019, has been working on the 2023 tournament as a broadcaster, either side of a trip home for the birth of his child. Since returning to India last week, he has been highly critical of England’s performance, which has left them on the brink of elimination after five defeats in six games.Mott coached England to the T20 World Cup last year and on Sunday, he denied Morgan’s implication that there are issues in the dressing room. He has come under growing scrutiny from the English press and after England’s 100-run defeat to India in Lucknow, one column in the argued that Morgan should take over in the event that the ECB decide Mott’s time is up.Related

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  • Mark Wood targets 2025-26 Ashes after securing three-year ECB deal

  • England turn focus towards Champions Trophy qualification

  • Matthew Mott dismisses Eoin Morgan suggestion of squad rift as England hit rock-bottom

Speaking on Sky Sports, Morgan said that the column was “a bit far-fetched” and said that he had no intention of becoming a coach in the near future. “Everybody’s entitled to interpretate [sic] my comments,” he said. “I was very clear in what I thought might be a cause to the performance that the England team have produced throughout this World Cup.”Nobody in the changing room – captain or captain, any of the players – can explain the situation that they find themselves in. But I’m very happy and cemented, hopefully, in what I’m going to do for the future. I spend a lot of time at home now with my young family, which is great, and I love watching on.”Eoin Morgan: “The players have to look at themselves and take a bit of responsibility”•Getty Images

Morgan believes that the short turnaround before next year’s T20 World Cup in June will play in Mott and captain Jos Buttler’s favour. “I actually think talk of replacing captain and coach is not a good idea at the moment, simply because of the high turnover of World Cups,” he said. “They’re double world champions for a reason: they’re not a bad team by any stretch.”Matthew Mott is going through his biggest challenge of his England coaching career at the moment, and it’s one that he should be given time to put right, certainly towards the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA,” he added.Mark Wood became the latest England squad member to defend Mott on Wednesday, saying that the players themselves need to take more responsibility for their underperformance. Asked by the BBC if there is still support for Mott among the players, Wood said: “For a [T20] World Cup-winning coach? Support for a World Cup-winning coach? Absolutely.”As a player you have everything you need… you cannot pin everything on the coach. Sometimes, the players have to look at themselves and take a bit of responsibility. I have not performed well enough in this World Cup… I don’t think you can pin it on the captain or the coach. Sometimes you have to look at yourself and say you haven’t been good enough.”England still have plenty to play for in their final three group games, starting against Australia in Ahmedabad on Saturday before fixtures against the Netherlands and Pakistan next week – not least qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy. The ICC confirmed last week that hosts Pakistan will be joined by the other seven-highest finishers at this World Cup, and England sit 10th as things stand.Morgan said that failure to reach that tournament would leave the ECB and men’s managing director Rob Key in a difficult position. “If the England team don’t qualify for the Champions Trophy, the likes of Rob Key and the board at the ECB will come under increasing pressure surrounding his [Mott’s] job,” he said.

Manuel Ugarte reveals relationship with Kylian Mbappe's ex! Man Utd midfielder posts loved-up holiday snap with British influencer Georgia May Heath

Manchester United star Manuel Ugarte has revealed his relationship with influencer Georgia May Heath after months of speculation.

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Ugarte posts loved-up Instagram pictureFans have linked the pair togetherHeath previously dated Kylian Mbappe Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ugarte and Heath have been linked for months, since eagle-eyed fans spotted that the social media influencer had taken a photo in a room resembling one that served as a backdrop to a picture of the United midfielder. Now, the Uruguay international has posted a loved-up photo on Instagram, confirming that the pair are together.

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Heath has previously been linked with Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe, as the pair were spotted having dinner together in Greece, when the striker still played for PSG. Neither of the pair ever confirmed the relationship, however, and it appears she has firmly moved on from that rendezvous.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ugarte and Mbappe were team-mates at PSG but the midfielder has struggled somewhat at United. He has made 29 appearances for the club but was on the losing side in the Europa League final as the club limped to a 15th-placed finish.

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Ugarte will have to tear himself away from his new partner soon, as United face Leeds in a pre-season friendly on July 19.

'This will hurt Pakistan cricket' – Wahab slams Rauf for opting out of Australia Tests

New chief selector accuses player of going back on his word, but it is understood that Rauf views the exchange differently

Danyal Rasool20-Nov-2023Chief selector Wahab Riaz has launched a withering critique of Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf, claiming he had backed out of being a part of the Test squad for the tour of Australia and that it would “hurt Pakistan cricket”.At his first press conference since being appointed to the role, Wahab announced Pakistan’s 18-member squad, but almost instantly, shifted focus towards Rauf’s non-selection, accusing the player of going back on his word. It is a claim that, a source close to Rauf told ESPNcricinfo, the player vehemently denies.”We spoke to Haris Rauf for this tour,” Wahab said. “When we spoke to him two days ago, he gave his consent to play Test cricket for Pakistan. But last night he changed his mind, and now he doesn’t want to be part of this Test series. I’m revealing this because we should be honest with officials, team-mates, and the public. We spoke to Haris and he was worried about his body and fitness, as well as his workload. Mohammad Hafeez and I sat with him and tried to facilitate him in every way. We told him even if he didn’t perform well there, we would accept it.Related

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“Our physio spoke to him and said he wouldn’t expect any issue or injury. Of course there’s fatigue, but we were sure we could have managed that very well. But he pulled out at the last moment and he made himself unavailable. I think this will hurt Pakistan cricket.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Rauf views his exchange with Wahab very differently. A source close to the player revealed that Rauf had never committed to playing the Test matches in Australia, and confirmed his non-availability the previous night. He told Wahab he hadn’t played much red-ball cricket in the build-up, and wanted to work on his white-ball game as well as his fitness.Wahab also mentioned about the other talking points around the selection of the first Pakistan squad since Babar Azam quit captaincy, but repeatedly found himself drawing back towards Rauf.”I just told you a short version of what Haris and I spoke about,” he said. “We spoke to the captain and coach, and we said we view Haris Rauf as an impact bowler. We weren’t demanding more than 10-12 overs a day. The only issue is when you say you’re available for Pakistan, especially at a time when our three main high-pace bowlers, who can bowl over 140 [kph] other than Haris are unavailable. At some point, you need to sacrifice to play for your country. Haris was committed to us, and pulled out after two days.”In his first press conference as Pakistan chief selector Wahab Riaz faced a barrage of questions•Associated PressThat Rauf’s absence provoked such a strong reaction is something of a surprise for cricketing reasons, too. Rauf has only ever played one Test match, the first against England in Rawalpindi last year. He got injured after bowling 13 overs in the first innings, and did not bowl thereafter. He was not a part of Pakistan’s squad for the away series in Sri Lanka, which Pakistan won 2-0. But the conditions in Australia, coupled with the unavailability of Naseem Shah and Ihsanullah, means Wahab appears to have felt strongly about having Rauf on tour.”I’ve played with most of these boys and I have a great relationship with them,” Wahab said. “But when it comes to professionalism, we have to look at what’s best for Pakistan. Haris was unavailable after the England series and not a part of any other Test series. When you are a centrally contracted player, it is your duty to serve Pakistan. I’m not disappointed, but the same players will later complain they weren’t given the opportunity, and people will ask why such and such player wasn’t selected.”Wahab did say it wouldn’t affect his inclusion in Pakistan’s T20I and ODI sides, though, but that he would “respect and value the players who want to be a part of red-ball cricket. Playing red-ball cricket makes you a better player.”The conflict between player and selector sets up a fascinating showdown ahead of the Big Bash League in Australia. Rauf is considered a marquee player for the Melbourne Stars. The league starts on December 13 and runs until February 4, overlapping with all three Tests in Australia, and would have hindered his availability had he been a part of the Pakistan squad.However, ESPNcricinfo also understands there is no guarantee of the PCB issuing a No-Objection Certificate for Rauf to play the BBL while relations between the chief selector and Rauf remain strained. Pakistan’s centrally contracted players did sign recent contracts that saw the PCB agree to permitting players to take part in two foreign T20 leagues, but how that plays out in practice remains to be seen.

Patricia Guijarro strike helps Spain complete comeback victory as Italy squeeze through to Euro 2025 knockout stage despite defeat

Patricia Guijarro and Esther Gonzalez's goals helped Spain beat Italy, who sneaked through to the Euro 2025 knockout stage despite a 2-1 defeat.

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Spain completed a perfect group stage campaignProgressed to the knockouts as group toppersItaly also proceeded with four points from three matchesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPTELL ME MORE

It was a clash of two contrasting philosophies when Spain took on Italy. The reigning world champions were, as usual, dominant on the ball, enjoying 77 per cent of possession in the first half. Whereas Italy stuck to their direct and counter-attacking football, which surprisingly caused enough trouble to La Roja.

In fact, the Italians hit the crossbar and a few moments later took the lead in the tenth minute when Oliviero struck home from close range. However, their joys were short-lived, as Spain took fewer than five minutes to equalise. Del Castillo played a measured give-and-go with Alexia Putellas to unlock Italy's defence and then rifled a shot into the top-left corner to get back into the match.

The goal lent them a spring in their step, and soon the Italians were chasing shadows. In the second half, they took just four minutes to get in front, and once again, it was Del Castillo who was in the thick of things. She skipped past four to five blue shirts before Martina Lenzini finally shook her off the ball. But her half-hearted clearance fell kindly for Guijarro, who swivelled her right foot on the ball to find the bottom-right corner.

Italy showed patience and tried to hit back with the few opportunities they carved out on the counter, but the gulf in quality between the two sides was too big to bridge. In the final few minutes, it looked inevitable that the third was coming, and Esther Gonzalez hit the final nail in the coffin with a typical poacher's finish after connecting to an inch-perfect cross from Putellas. It was her fourth goal in three matches in a wonderful tournament so far.

Nonetheless, Italy were through to the quarter-finals with four points from three matches, as Belgium finished third with three points after beating Portugal 2-1.

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Del Castillo was taken off at the hour mark, but the damage had already been done. She scored the first, set up the second and if she had stayed on for the 90 minutes the Real Madrid forward could have perhaps taken home the match ball.

THE BIG LOSER

Italy were still in the game at 1-1, but after Spain took the lead, Montse Tome's troops did not give them another opportunity to sniff a comeback. And for the second, Lenzini must shoulder the blame. The defender should have cleared her lines, but a meek effort saw the ball fall for Guijarro, who was ready to take a mile given an inch.

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WHAT COMES NEXT?

Spain and Italy both progress from Group B. The 2024 World Cup winners will take on Switzerland in the quarter-finals on July 18, whereas the Italians will face Norway two days earlier in Geneva.

نجم ريال مدريد يتحدى ألونسو قبل بداية الموسم

دخل نجم نادي ريال مدريد في تحد كبير خلال الفترة الماضية، من أجل إثبات نفسه للمدرب الشاب تشابي ألونسو، والذي سوف يخوض موسمه الأول مع الميرنجي كمدير فني للفريق.

وعاد لاعبو ريال مدريد إلى التدريبات من جديد يوم الإثنين الماضي، وذلك بعد فترة راحة استمرت لقرابة الثلاثة أسابيع، حيث يستعد الفريق الملكي لبداية الموسم.

اقرأ أيضًا .. بعد رفض رودريجو.. توتنهام يحول أنظاره لمهاجم آخر من ريال مدريد

وتحدثت صحيفة ”آس” عن صانع ألعاب نادي ريال مدريد، أردا جولر، وتميزه الكبير مع الفريق الملكي خلال الفترة التحضرية وعلى مدار الفترة الماضية كذلك.

وأضاف المصدر قائلًا، أن جولر تحدى ألونسو ونجح في إثبات نفسه للمدرب الإسباني، حيث اكتسب الدولي التركي كتلة عضلية بشكل ملحوظ على مدار الفترة الماضية.

وأوضح المصدر، أن سر تغير بنية جولر الجسمانية هو ذهابه إلى صالة الألعاب الرياضية، حيث اكتسب ابن ال20 عامًا حوالي 18 كيلو جرام من الكتلة العضلية ، مما جعل وزنه يزداد من 62 كيلو جرام إلى 70 كيلو جرام.

وأردف المصدر، أن جولر يمضي الكثير من الأوقات مع جهاز العلاج الطبيعي ومدرب اللياقة البدنية وذلك من أجل وضع نظام صحي خاص به، للعمل على تحسين بنيته الجسدية.

ألونسو سبق وأن أشاد بقدرات جولر في أكثر من مناسبة، حيث تشير الأنباء إلى أن المدرب الإسباني يعتبر التركي الشاب حجر أساسي في مشروعه مع ريال مدريد خلال السنوات المقبل.

É Hendeca! Jogadores do Palmeiras comemoram título do Brasileirão

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O Palmeiras é campeão do Brasileirão-2022!Com a derrota do Internacional por 1 a 0, na tarde desta quarta-feira, o Verdão garantiu o título antecipadamente. Pensando nisso, os jogadores do time de Abel Ferreira já iniciaram as comemorações do Hendecacampeonato!

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoPalmeiras é campeão após derrota do Inter e web reage: ‘Nem precisa entrar em campo’Fora de Campo02/11/2022PalmeirasJoia do Palmeiras, Endrick é escolhido entre os melhores sub-20 do mundo por jornal italianoPalmeiras02/11/2022PalmeirasCom tropeço do Inter, Palmeiras é campeão do Brasileirão pela 11ª vezPalmeiras02/11/2022

>Conheça o Estádio Ahmad Bin Ali, “portão do deserto” na Copa do Mundo do Qatar

Nas redes sociais, Piquerez e Gustavo Scarpa fizeram vídeos ao vivo com toda a delegação palmeirense comemorando. Já Raphael Veiga, que se recupera de uma cirurgia e está afastado dos gramados, fez postagens com “emojis” de taças.

O perfil oficial do Palmeiras, por sua vez, fez questão de comemorar a conquista dos 11 títulos logo após o apito final do jogo do Internacional.

> Clique e simule os resultados da reta final do Brasileirão!

– EM MAIS UMA TEMPORADA HISTÓRICA, O MAIOR CAMPEÃO DO BRASIL AGORA É HENDECA! SOMOS OS CAMPEÕES BRASILEIROS DE 2022! – escreveu o perfil em uma rede social.

Agora,não será mais possível alcançar o Verdão na tabela, que matematicamente garantiu a taça da competição nacional. Portanto, o duelo com Fortaleza, às 21h30, será de comemoração, uma vez que nem uma derrota fará diferença.

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Bavuma: India's bowling attack 'nullifies the advantage' we have

With the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi and Shardul Thakur – especially after his last series here – in the mix, you would expect the series between South Africa and India to be headlined by bowlers. But South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma has a different idea.”We understand conditions a lot better so you’d expect us to adapt a lot better but their bowling is quite strong,” he said in Centurion, where the first Test starts on Boxing Day. “The fact that they’ve been able to achieve such success is because of their bowling attack and that kind of nullifies the advantage we have. It’s more between the batters and how the batters take on that challenge.”And it could make one of the most interesting storylines of the series, even if it does not seem so at first glance.Related

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  • Rahul's chance to master two formats at the same time

Four of India’s likely top six of Rohit Sharma, Yashavi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer average over 40. Not one of South Africa’s batters in the squad has numbers that high. At the outset, India appear to have a clear advantage. But dig a little deeper and you will find that of the players with those impressive numbers, only Virat Kohli maintains it in South Africa. He averages 51.35 here while Rohit, whose overall average is 46.54, only averages 15.37 in four Tests in South Africa. Jaiswal is new on the scene even though he scored big runs in the West Indies, and Shreyas Iyer has not yet played a Test in South Africa. There’s an argument to be made that since Rohit’s last trip to South Africa in 2018 – he missed the 2021-22 series with a hamstring injury – and his move up the order the following year, he is a much-improved Test batter and we will see that this time, there are still statistics that skew the batting South Africa’s way.Two of South Africa’s top six – Dean Elgar (46.16) and Aiden Markram (43.92) – average over 40 at home, and another, Bavuma, is only a shave under at 39.11. David Bedingham, who could be in line to debut, has a first-class batting average of 49.51 and in South Africa, averages 47.28 in red-ball cricket. Consistency has long been a recent issue for South Africa’s batting – and it is worth remembering that it was just a year ago that they were dismissed for under 200 in seven successive Test innings – so this is the series to demonstrate if any real progress has been made since the Australia series last summer. South Africa only played West Indies after that and won fairly easily, so this is their first big challenge since Bavuma took over the captaincy and Shukri Conrad was named coach.Both have spoken about the significance of maintaining South Africa’s unbeaten home record against India, and Bavuma expanded on that by referencing the unique pressures that come with playing India.”There’s a lot of pride attached to that – that we’ve been able to keep that record intact as a South African team… all of us as players also feel that,” he said. “But we understand playing against India comes with certain challenges and it’s those types of challenges we would like to focus on. Playing against India comes with a lot more eyes and a lot more scrutiny in terms of everything we do. So it’s accepting that. And the other, more obvious one, is the skill factor on the field. For me as a batter, the bowlers are going to put you under pressure and their batting line-up as well, they’ve got renowned Test players and guys who performed in all conditions. They are a determined team as well, who want to be able to say they’ve won a Test series here in South Africa so with that extra bit of drive and motivation, we’ll really need to be at our best.”And for Bavuma himself, the last part of that sentence rings particularly true after a tough World Cup, where his form was under the microscope. He has not had any game time since South Africa’s semi-final loss to Australia more than a month ago so it’s difficult to say what kind of touch he is in. He was due to play in a first-class match from December 14 to 17 but withdrew to attend a funeral, which means he has not played any long-format cricket since March.In the time since, he has become a father, led South Africa at a World Cup, and will now take up his position as skipper and middle-order batter against India. Is he ready? “Mentally I am as fresh as ever,” he said. “I didn’t get any red-ball cricket. Things happened with a bereavement at home. But I’ve enjoyed the time being at home, with the wife and the little one but I missed the cricket and was watching the guys in T20Is and ODIs. We don’t usually get breaks this long, especially in-season so I’ll take the break.”And from here on, it’s a full summer and a busy 2024, in which South Africa will play ten Tests and Bavuma will look to create history with the red-ball side.

Australia end the day 300 ahead with Nathan Lyon stuck on 499 Test wickets

Shahzad reduced the hosts to 5 for 2 after they were 216 ahead on first innings, before Smith and Khawaja added an unbroken 79

Tristan Lavalette16-Dec-2023

Nathan Lyon is one short of 500 Test wickets•Getty Images

Offspinner Nathan Lyon remained tantalisingly on 499 Test wickets before Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja survived hostile bowling from Pakistan’s improved attack late on day three as Australia built a big lead in the first Test at the Optus Stadium.After expectedly not enforcing the follow-on having spent 101.5 overs in the field, Australia slumped to 5 for 2 in their second innings after the wickets of David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne. But Smith and Khawaja steadied them with an unbroken 79-run partnership as Australia reached stumps with a lead of 300 runs.Related

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Labuschagne returns to the nets after blow on the finger

The pitch started to show more bite as the day wore on, with Smith having to endure a short-pitched assault from spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi. Smith needed medical attention just before stumps after an Afridi delivery whacked into his forearm. Nevertheless, Pakistan face a daunting task to avoid a 15th straight Test defeat in Australia.Trailing by 216 on first innings, Pakistan’s slim hopes were briefly raised after inspired new-ball bowling in contrast to an underwhelming effort in Australia’s first innings. Afridi shrugged off an erratic display earlier in the match as he settled into a consistent line and length, although his speeds only nudged the mid-130kph mark.But it was debutant quick Khurram Shahzad who summoned extra spice from the surface with the wickets of Warner and Labuschagne from short-pitched deliveries in the opening eight overs. Having made an emphatic century on day one, Warner fell for a duck when he miscued a pull to midwicket.Steven Smith was hit by Shaheen Afridi just before stumps•Getty Images

Shahzad continued his impressive debut with a rearing delivery jumping at a length to slam the finger of Labuschagne, who sought medical attention immediately. Labuschagne appeared rattled after that, and it may have contributed to his ungainly dismissal when he fell to backward square. Australia scored only seven runs in the first ten overs in a major contrast to scoring over four runs an over during their first innings, but Khawaja and Smith settled to thwart Pakistan’s long haul back into the series opener.Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s batters succumbed to Australia’s formidable attack, and they scored at just 2.66 runs an over. It was a major contrast to the proactive brand of batting promised ahead of the match by new captain Shan Masood. But Pakistan’s struggle was also testament to the quality of Australia’s bowling during batting-friendly conditions early on day three.Showing no signs of fatigue after a taxing year – and less than a month since Australia’s World Cup triumph – quicks Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc claimed five wickets between them. Cummins and Hazlewood, particularly, were tireless but also luckless as wickets were distributed among all the six bowlers used. Starc was erratic at times, but clean bowled wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was retained in the team over Mohammad Rizwan, with an astounding swinging delivery that knocked over off stump.Before that, the first hour of play was dominated by a riveting battle between Cummins and talisman Babar Azam in a pivotal phase of the match. Babar was pinned down by typically accurate bowling from Cummins, and the former did not get off the mark until his 13th delivery when he blasted a full delivery through the covers for a boundary.Imam-ul-Haq took 199 balls to score 62•Getty Images

But he had to endure several nervous moments when an inside edge narrowly missed the stumps, leading to a frustrated Cummins resorting to a bouncer that flew over wicketkeeper Alex Carey, and to the boundary. Babar survived Cummins’ onslaught, and built a blossoming partnership with opener Imam-ul-Haq, who notched a gritty half-century to help banish the ghosts of a double failure in Adelaide four years ago in his only previous Test in Australia.But Babar on 21 fell to a superb delivery from allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who continued his stellar performance on his home ground after making 90 in Australia’s first innings. Babar’s dismissal rattled Pakistan, with Imam’s 199-ball defiance ending in ugly fashion when he charged down the pitch to Lyon on 62, but failed to make contact and was stumped.Having taken three wickets in the innings, the tension was palpable as Lyon tried to claim his 500th Test wicket late in the second session, and wrap Pakistan’s first innings up. But he was thwarted by Salman Ali Agha and Afridi, who ultimately holed out to part-time spinner Travis Head as the fans in the terraces groaned.Lyon, who made his return from a calf injury that had cut his Ashes campaign short earlier this year, will have to wait just a little bit longer to become the eighth bowler to reach the landmark, and join Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne as the only Australians to do so. His impending milestone adds some intrigue to a match that appears headed for an inevitable Australia victory.

'We don't want a fighting game' – Lionesses urged to keep composure by Sarina Wiegman ahead of Euro 2025 clash with Wales

England head coach Sarina Wiegman has provided her pre-game thoughts ahead of a do-or-die encounter against rivals Wales at the Euro 2025.

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  • Wiegman speaks on the eve of Wales clash
  • Wants to avoid a 'fighting game'
  • England need a win to progress to the next round
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    England head coach Wiegman spoke to the reporters ahead of her side's crucial Euro 2025 group stage encounter against rivals Wales, with a spot in the quarter-finals at stake. The former Dutch footballer stated that she doesn't want her troops to play a "fighting game" and demands that her players should control the game to have better control over the outcome.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Wales, surprisingly, do not find themselves out of contention for a spot in the last-eight, despite losing their opening two games in Group D. On Sunday, they will take on rivals England, who are the overwhelming favourites to progress to the knockouts. However, should Wales win, and France defeat Netherlands in the other group game, they could still qualify at the expense of both the Lionesses and the Leeuwinnen.

  • WHAT SARINA WIEGMAN SAID

    Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Wiegman said: "I hope we will see a game where we have a lot of the ball and we play very well in possession, so we don't let it become a fighting game.

    "I am not worried [that it will be that kind of game]. I think Wales are very compact and they can fight and are really together, but also they can play direct. We are trying to prevent that, and the best way is to be on top of things yourself. and exploit the spaces."

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    WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

    A win will be enough for England to go through, regardless of the result in the other Group D game. However, a draw would mean that they will have to rely on France defeating Netherlands. In the case of a loss, Wiegman & Co. will hope for France to do them a favour by beating Netherlands by a heavy margin.

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