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Goal looks at the players who have created the most chances in the top five European leagues this season

20Lucas Perez | 77 chances created

Lucas Perez is still technically an Arsenal player, but has enjoyed an impressive season out on loan at Deportivo La Coruna as he waits to learn more about his long-term future after Arsene Wenger's departure from the Emirates Stadium.

AdvertisementGetty Images19Alexis Sanchez | 77 chances created

Sanchez has had his critics this season due to his reduced goal contribution at both Arsenal and Manchester United, but he has created 77 chances this season,

The Chilean also missed nine games in the Premier League, leaving him with one of the best chances created per minute ratios in the entirety of Europe.

Getty Images18Xherdan Shaqiri | 77 chances created

To make this list at a relegated club is some achievement. Shaqiri created 77 chances for Stoke but they couldn’t avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Shaqiri is unlikely to be short of suitors this summer amid expectations he will be sold following Stoke's drop into the Championship.

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Getty17 Aleksandar Kolarov | 78 chances created

The Serbian has been back to his best this season at Roma, assisting eight goals from left-back and creating 78 chances.

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has argued that safety considerations must be balanced with preserving the fabric of cricket, ahead of a wider-reaching NSW Coronial Inquest that will follow Thursday’s release of a CA-commissioned

Daniel Brettig11-May-2016James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has argued that safety considerations must be balanced with preserving the fabric of cricket, ahead of a wider-reaching NSW coronial inquest that will follow Thursday’s release of a CA-commissioned report into the death of Phillip Hughes.The report prepared by David Curtain QC concluded that neither greater head protection for Hughes nor swifter transport from the SCG to the nearest hospital would have prevented his death, while also recommending a raft of changes to head and heart related safety precautions around the game.Curtain’s terms of reference were pointedly limited by CA, excluding the laws of the game and playing regulations apart from those relating to protective equipment. ESPNcricinfo understands that the coronial inquest is likely go significantly beyond those terms, with questions about short-pitched bowling and tactics set to be raised in hearings.While not wishing to presume what will be covered by the inquest, Sutherland said CA would be providing full support to investigators. “It’s through the NSW coroner’s office and very much independent, but at the same time our view is that it is another opportunity to get to an improved position, a safer world,” he said. “Recommendations that come out of that may well enhance this.”This David Curtain review was initiated before there was any suggestion of a coroner’s inquiry and all the information has been made available to the NSW coroner’s office. We’ve offered all our support and co-operation to that office.”Whether it covers any different ground to the brief we have I’m not sure, it’s really something for the counsel assisting to comment on but from that perspective all we can say is that we welcome it. We will be involved in whichever way counsel assisting would like, and we offer all our support to work through that process.”Nevertheless, Sutherland stressed that any investigations of Hughes’ death needed to balance the search for greater safety standards with an understanding of the game and its inherent risks, involving a hard ball delivered at speed.”You’ll see in the brief terms of reference we gave David Curtain that we needed to draw a line about the laws of the game and to have some perspective around that,” Sutherland said. “You can make the game of cricket a lot safer by playing with a tennis ball, but that’s not how Test cricket has been played and it would obviously be a very different game.”We’re not wanting to go there, but we do need to find the right balance in the circumstances to not compromise the way the game’s played and not compromise the way in which the players are best equipped to show their skills.”One of the key findings of Curtain’s report was a recommendation for the use of substitutes in cases where a cricketer has been concussed. CA intend to discuss this regulation at ICC meetings at the end of this month, and Sutherland said its introduction in first-class cricket may lead logically to its use in Test matches. He also opened the possibility of substitutes for other injuries.”One of my observations is that while we support this recommendation being explored it needs to be fully discussed and socialised,” he said. “One of the fundamentals of the game of cricket is that it’s a game of 11 players and a substitute has not been allowed in the past, and we need to work through all the machinations of that possibility.”The fundamental issue here is the desire for medical staff to have the ultimate say in an incident of concussion, to be able to make a judgment and to allow that to be facilitated as easily as possible. It remains to be seen how that discussion will go in May, but it is complicated and it needs to be thought through.”There’s a broader conversation about a concussion substitute, that’s the type of injury that could give rise to a substitution. But there is also instances in the game when other injuries occur that could also give rise to a substitution. I guess that’s part of why this needs to be a broader discussion than just simply about concussion.”Alex Kountouris, CA’s head of sports science, is working with various regulatory authorities about developing hard guidelines for helmets and neck guards, among other things. He said that the possibility of concussion and injuriy substitutes was something that cricket needed to discuss.”We’ve put it to the ICC that we want to trial it and see what sort of impact it has,” he said. “Does it make it that much easier for the medical staff to take a player off the field when they have concussion? We want to give it a go at whatever level possible, whether it’s first-class cricket or white-ball cricket and see whether it has an impact on how we manage concussion.”Players just need time to adapt to these changes. We saw helmets back in the 1980s and 90s, helmets didn’t have a visor, now every helmet’s got a visor. Maybe in 20 years every helmet will have a neck protector and we’ll look back at helmets and say why didn’t they have that back then. It’s an evolution, players have got to get used to wearing the helmets and the materials as well.”

Former USWNT star Sydney Leroux scored an outrageous bicycle kick for Angel City FC as they booked their place in the 2023 NWSL play-offs.

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Los Angeles-based side picked up big winFive different scorers on the dayWill now face Rapinoe & OL ReignWHAT HAPPENED?

The Los Angeles-based outfit never looked to be in any danger of missing out on the post-season, despite leaving it until the final day of regular season action before confirming that their campaign will be extended by at least one more game.

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Angel City proved far too strong for the Portland Thorns as they eased to a 5-1 victory on home soil. The Californian outfit saw five different players get on the scoresheet, with ex-United States international Leroux registering the pick of their goals in a comprehensive success.

DID YOU KNOW?

Angel City were already three goals to the good when they pushed for a fourth in the 51st minute. An opportunity appeared to have passed them by when a drilled cross from the right was parried up into the air by Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby, but Leroux proceeded to produce a moment of magic as she looped a spectacular overhead kick into the back of the net.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Leroux and Angel City FC will now face OL Reign in the NWSL play-offs, with Megan Rapinoe set to figure in that contest having prolonged her own distinguished career by ensuring that retirement plans are put on hold for a few more days.

The PCB has announced a domestic calendar in which the two first-class tournaments willbe conducted simultaneously, with the same structure applying for the List A tournaments

Umar Farooq02-Oct-2013Pakistan’s domestic season 2013-14

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: October 23, 2013-January 28, 2014, 14 teams, two groups, 61 matches

One-day Cup for Regions: October 28, 2013 – January 1, 2014, 14 teams, two groups, 45 matches

President’s Trophy (first-class): October 23, 2013 – February 11, 2014, 11 teams, 1 group, 56 matches

President’s Cup (one-day): October 28, 2013 – February 4, 2014, 11 teams, 1 group, 56 matches

Inter-region three-day Under-19: October 26 – December 9, 23 teams, 4 groups, 58 matches

Inter-region one-day U-19: October 30-December 13, 23 teams, 4 groups, 58 matches

National T20 tournament: November 20-November 29, 17 teams, 4 groups, 35 matches

T20 tournament for departments: February 18, 2014 – February 24, 2014, 11 teams, 2 groups, 28 matches

Patron’s Trophy Grade-II: March 1, 2014 – March 31, 2014, 24 teams, 4 groups, 63 matches

The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced a domestic calendar in which two first-class tournaments – the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and the President’s Trophy – will run simultaneously. The two List A events, like the first-class tournaments, will also be held concurrently. The Super Eight T20 Cup has been scrapped to make way for an 11-team departmental Twenty20 cup. The calendar has been chalked out to make the season financially cost-effective, and regional and department tournaments being played at the same time will allow more young players to feature for the regional teams. In previous years, players from various departments would feature in regional teams, making it difficult for other players to break into the side.The structure of domestic cricket in Pakistan has been inconsistent and revamps have occurred every two years over the last decade. However, this year, the tournament formats have been retained and the schedule adopted to accommodate simultaneous first-class and List A tournaments. The Quaid-e-Azam trophy, the country’s premier first-class tournament will have 14 regional teams, while the President’s Trophy will have 11 departmental teams playing a round-robin league phase. The first round of both tournaments begin on October 23 and the regional and department teams will play a round of one-day matches on October 28. Apart from the senior circuit, the PCB has scheduled inter-regional Under-19 three-day and one-day tournaments between October 26 to December 13. A 10-day National T20 Cup will be played between 17 teams from November 20 to 29, sandwiched between Pakistan’s international series against South Africa and Sri Lanka.One season of domestic cricket costs the PCB approximately Rs 300 million ($2.8m). With the board going through a financial crunch, it plans to reduce the cost by switching to locally made Grays cricket balls, instead of the imported Kookaburra. The department teams, who are expected to bear their own logistical costs and the costs of the ball refused to sustain the Kookaburra idea and the move is likely to help save nearly Rs 10 million. The decision to use Kookaburra balls was taken last year as the board tried to introduce international standards on the domestic cricket circuit.”We believe the season will bring a more prosperous result to our cricket,” Shakeel Sheikh, the head of PCB’s cricket committee, told ESPNcricinfo. “There is a desperate need to unearth the talent from regional nurseries, but for some reason the cycle of getting the quality young cricketers is not working as it should be. We want change and want to have more young legs in the field that will eventually replace players at the department level. Having all tournaments at the same time prevents departmental players from featuring in regional teams.”ESPNcricinfo understands that there are approximately 220 players recruited by the departments. Around 28 of those players will be on national duty during the domestic season; from the main pool, about 65-70 players age between 30 to 40 years while 67 players does not qualify for national selection due to poor fitness and performance.”This is the reason we want to induct a plan to blood youngsters in the pipeline and replace ageing players,” said Sheikh. “We want to encourage the player at the regional level and want to extend the pool of quality players and give them ample opportunity at the domestic level, and create a sense of security for their place.”Former skipper Rashid Latif, the sports head of the department team, Port Qasim Authority (PQA), supported the idea of hosting tournaments simultaneously. “It will be easier for the departments to assemble their teams for these tournaments and will save time and money,” Latif said. “Previously, there used to be a gap of a month or more between one-day and first-class tournaments, which made things difficult for departments. Regions have always been a nursery to produce new talent and hopefully we’ll see new good players coming up this season.”

West Indies allrounder Darren Sammy has been handed the Titans captaincy for the remainder of the South African domestic 20-over competition with the franchise yet to decide who will take over in other formats

Firdose Moonda14-Nov-2014West Indies allrounder Darren Sammy has been handed the Titans captaincy for the remainder of the South African domestic 20-over competition with the franchise yet to decide who will take over in other formats.Sammy replaces Henry Davids, who has been asked to concentrate solely on his batting as the Titans attempt to overturn a poor start to the tournament which has seen them slump to three straight defeats.”This is a tactical decision to see how we can turn things around,” Jacques Faul, CEO of the Titans franchise told ESPNcricinfo. “He is a World T20 winning captain. If you have someone like that at your disposal, you should use them.”Sammy is one of five West Indies players and one of six internationals who have been signed on for the duration of the Ram Slam but the only one who has been given the additional responsibility of leading a team. Ironically, he is the only one who has yet to deliver a stand-out performance for his side.Chris Gayle scored the competition’s first century and also has two fifties to his name for the Lions; Craig Kieswetter is the Warriors’ top-scorer; Kieron Pollard’s 72 off 36 balls helped the Cobras to victory over the Titans; Andre Russell scored 48 off 21 balls and took 1 for 20 when the Knights beat the Titans and Dwayne Bravo’s 43 off 25 balls took the Dolphins to a match-winning total over the Warriors.But Sammy is Titans’ leading wicket-taker with five scalps at 14.60 and Faul believes what he offers behind the scenes will be vital. “We are more than happy with what Darren has brought to the team. He has been inspirational and the guys really respect him,” Faul said. “We want to see what someone else can do to get back to winning ways.”The Titans are traditionally one of South Africa’s stronger teams but have had a difficult start to the season, particularly in limited-overs cricket. They lie fourth on the one-day cup table and fifth on the 20-over standings having suffered from a squad depleted by national call-ups.Currently, both their leading paceman Marchant de Lange and key batsman Farhaan Behardien are in Australia with the South African ODI squad. They were also without David Wiese, who travelled for the T20s and Albie Morkel, who was injured pre-season and is not expected to be back before January after first targeting a December comeback.The player drain has had an impact on both areas of the Titans’ game, with bowlers struggling to contain line-ups and batsmen unable to chase tall targets. The former may be boosted by the return of Wiese but the latter is why Davids, who has played two ODIs and nine T20s for South Africa, has been asked to focus on runs, rather than leading the sideThis is the second time this season that a performance-related demand has cost Davids the captaincy. He was left out of the opening game of the season, despite being announced as the franchise captain over the winter, because of a lean run in the 2013-14 first-class campaign in which he averaged less than 20. Behardien captained the Titans in that match, which they lost by 190 runs. That prompted a change in personnel and Davids was brought back for the next game. He scored 22 and 43 and the Titans beat the Warriors by 170 runs.Davids has led the side since then but there is uncertainty over whether he will continue to do so in future. Sammy will take charge for the rest of the Ram Slam, in a bid to get the Titans to qualify for the final and the Champions League T20.In mid-December, when the first-class competition resumes, the Titans will make another decision about whether to return to Davids or seek someone else. Behardien could be the front-runner, having already done the job this season, or they could look to the experience of Roelof van der Merwe.

Kolkata Knight Riders took their winning streak to 14, the joint second-highest in Twenty20 history, and made it to their first Champions League T20 final

The Report by Sidharth Monga02-Oct-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kuldeep Yadav and other KKR spinners restricted Hurricanes to 140•BCCIKolkata Knight Riders took their winning streak to 14, the joint second-highest in Twenty20 history, and made it to their first Champions League T20 final after the spinners reduced Hobart Hurricanes to 140 for 6. Having lost captain Tim Paine to a stomach bug, Hurricanes had to contend with 16 overs of spin, including the opening spell of Yusuf Pathan. They couldn’t break free of their chokehold, reaching 140 thanks only to Shoaib Malik’s late surge. Knight Riders, however, made a bit of heavy weather of the chase, with Jacques Kallis and Yusuf getting stuck in the end, bringing the equation up to 21 off 13 before finishing it off with five balls to spare.Knight Riders stuck to their winning formula after the stand-in Hurricanes captain Xavier Doherty chose to bat on what looked like a flat hard pitch. By the time Yusuf sent down the first over, it was obvious it was a pitch slower than expected. Andre Russell provided the first breakthrough by latching on to a tough leading edge off his own bowling, with Dom Michael being undone by the slowness of the surface. In the next over, Hurricanes’ batsman of the tournament, Aiden Blizzard got a rough decision, given lbw off a thick inside edge.From then on it was going to be a catch-up game for Hurricanes. Knight Riders made sure they didn’t take too many liberties by bringing on their two attacking spinners, Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav, one after the other. As a result, Hurricanes had to be watchful, crawling to 54 for 3 in 10 overs, their lowest 10-over score of the tournament. Ben Dunk did majority of the scoring in the first half, but Kuldeep accounted for him.It was down to Malik, their best player of the spin, to provide them some sort of fighting total. Malik obliged, taking 21 runs off the 19th over, bowled by Kuldeep, but the support from the other side was hard to come by. Take out 105 from 75 balls scored between Malik and Dunk, you have precious nothing from the rest of the team.However, the rest of the team was spirited in defence of the small target. The fast bowlers, Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger, got stuck into Gautam Gambhir and had him early. An adventurous shot off Doherty accounted for Robin Uthappa, and Knight Riders were 44 for 2 off 44 legal deliveries. Kallis then provided the solidness, and Manish Pandey gave them the impetus by peppering his favourite wide long-on area. Hurricanes didn’t help their own case with three missed run-outs, and Pandey’s wicket off a no-ball.The free hit went for four, followed by another, bringing the equation down to 49 off 42. When Pandey holed out to long-on in the 16th over, he left Knight Riders just 34 off 28. The next 15 balls were mostly yorkers, conceded just 13, drew some frustrated shots from Yusuf and Kallis, and the game was in the balance with 21 required off 13. Ben Laughlin then failed to execute his yorker with the last ball of the 18th over, and Yusuf crashed it through extra cover.Doherty was now left with a big decision. He and Bollinger had an over each left, and he went against the conventional wisdom to bowl the 19th himself. Kallis stepped out first ball, and crashed him for a six first up. That was game done for all practical purposes, but Hilfenhaus provided the finishing touch by parrying off the first ball of the 20th over for a six after having misjudged a catch.

Channel Nine will not be picking Australia’s teams nor dictating their schedule over the term of the network’s new $400 million broadcast deal, James Sutherland said

Daniel Brettig19-Jun-2013Channel Nine will not be picking Australia’s cricket teams nor dictating their schedule over the term of the network’s new $400 million broadcast rights deal, Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland has said.Having been pushed to the top of the market by a bold Network Ten bid for all cricket in Australia, Nine clearly expect value for money. Their managing director Jeff Browne told a business lunch in Sydney on Wednesday that there would be “a lot more discussion” of team selection and scheduling between CA and the broadcaster from next summer, particularly around the matter of player rotation.”I understand why sports want to do that but people at home want to see the best players playing and we urge Cricket Australia to pick the best players every time,” Browne said. “I think we’ve got a better understanding on that. Last year that balance was skewed too much in favour of resting some players so from now on there will be a lot more discussion between CA and the broadcaster about that.”The issue of senior Australian players being rested and rotated during the limited overs portion of the summer was a particular sore point with Nine last season. ESPNcricinfo reported in January that the CA team performance manager Pat Howard had two meetings with Nine’s director of sport Steve Crawley and members of the commentary team during the Sydney Test to explain why Michael Clarke, David Warner and Matthew Wade were to be rested and Michael Hussey dropped.Browne was clearly of the view that such discussions would become more consultative than merely explanatory in the future, but Sutherland was adamant that the national selectors would not be unduly influenced by the commercial demands of broadcasters, no matter how much they were paying to provide television coverage.”Cricket has a long-standing and successful relationship with the Nine Network but team selections and scheduling are matters for Cricket Australia,” Sutherland said. “The National Selection Panel selects the Australian teams. With the volume of international cricket being played, it will continue to be necessary for us to manage player workloads appropriately.”We’ll continue to consult with our broadcasters on scheduling issues. It’s something we have always done. We have a common goal with our broadcast partners to maximise the number of fans watching and enjoying cricket. We’ll consider all ideas and then make the appropriate decisions.”Following the Sydney meetings, Nine and CA were engaged in a public slanging match after the stand-in ODI captain George Bailey responded to suggestions he was leading a “B-team” by contending that it was in Nine’s interests to talk the game down somewhat as it entered broadcast negotiations. This drew a furious response from the network’s executive producer of cricket, Brad McNamara.”Nowhere has Channel Nine ever talked the one-day game down, nowhere have we ever said this is a ‘B team’,” McNamara told an Australian radio station. “It’s rubbish and George should stick to playing cricket and leave rights to the people who know what they’re talking about. I reckon he’s got his hands full as it is. He needs to concentrate on staying in the side.”And he needs to understand where his money’s coming from. Without the TV rights deal, George is probably working in a coal mine or flipping burgers at McDonald’s. All this talk about the death of one-day cricket, it’s not coming from us. Given we were lacking star quality, we were very happy [with the ratings].”At the announcement of the broadcast deal, Nine’s chief executive David Gyngell had rejected suggestions the network would seek assurances that rotations would be reduced. “No, I don’t have those political discussions with James,” he said. “I don’t agree with the rotation policy, but not enough to not buy the cricket. That’s up to James to sort out.”

Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino feels his team have struggled to get going this season because too many changes were made over the summer.

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Chelsea spent big in summerHave had slow start to seasonCoach warned about changesWHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea's difficult start to the campaign has them sitting 11th in the Premier League with just three wins from their first 10 matches, most recently losing 2-0 at home to Brentford.

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The London team's struggles come despite their massive spending since co-owner Todd Boehly took control of the club in 2022. Over the course of the summer transfer window, the Blues splashed out on the likes of Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer and Axel Disasi, among others.

Pochettino feels so many changes have made it difficult for his team to blend together as they prepare for the January transfer window.

WHAT THEY SAID

"At the moment, I think we are a young team, a young team means too many changes in the summer because of the circumstances and we are suffering – sometimes good and bad results, but performances are consistent," he said at a press conference.

The Argentine also urged the owners to learn from "mistakes" they have made since taking over, saying: "Things that go against you, you have to try to resist them and try to survive. You have to be quiet and be strong. And not to lose your balance, because it is easy to blame or say something that is going to affect other people and lead to division in the club.

"The important thing is to trust the ideas, the judgment and analysis of why certain things have not happened. To help the organisation to be better and to improve, and not to make the same mistakes again. The most important thing is to learn from the mistakes."

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Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Chelsea are in action on Wednesday when they face Blackburn in the Carabao Cup. Considering their struggles, it will be interesting to see how much the club decides to spend on the squad in January.

A round-up of One Day Cup games that took place on December 26, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2013Group I
Peshawar Panthers produced a collective batting effort to successfully chase Bahawalpur Stags’ 230 for 7 with five wickets in hand and 39 balls to spare. Adil Amin top scored for Peshawar with 59, and most of their other batsmen contributed useful and brisk performances, ensuring wickets did not fall in a heap and the asking rate was always under control. Their captain Jamaluddin made 43 off only 30 balls. Peshawar’s bowlers had been incisive after they chose to bowl, dismissing the top three Bahawalpur batsmen in single figures to reduce them to 15 for 3. Rehan Rafiq made 80 and the captain Imranullah Aslam made 53 to lift Bahwalpur to 230. Azam Khan took 4 for 20 and Jibran Khan took 3 for 44 for Peshawar.Wicketkeeper-batsman Yousuf Ali smashed a 42-ball 64 on his List A debut as Lahore Eagles beat Abbottabad Falcons by one wicket at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. The left-handed Yousuf walked in at number seven and struck 10 fours and a six as his team pursued a target of 268 from 45 overs. But the game seemed to have slipped out of Lahore Eagles’ grasp when they slid to 250 for 9. Qaiser Ashraf and Ali Manzoor, however, saw them home with an unbroken 19-run last-wicket partnership.Ashraf had taken three wickets with his left-arm spin as Abbottabad Falcons won the toss and posted 267 for 8. It was a good game for wicketkeepers, with Abbottabad Falcons’ Rehan Afridi scoring 80 in just 48 balls – his maiden List A half-century – to make good the platform laid by opener Mohammad Asghar, who had made 71.Group II
The Karachi Dolphins bowlers defended a low score to beat Faisalabad Wolves by 50 runs at the National Stadium. Defending 153, Karachi reduced Faisalabad to 10 for 4, a setback from which they never recovered. Faisalabad were dismissed for 103 in 33.1 overs, with Khurram Shahzad taking 4 for 20. Mir Hamza and Shahzaib Ahmed took two wickets each. Faisalabad’s bowlers had also been effective after they won the toss, dismissing Karachi for 153 in 37.3 overs. Saad Ali was the top-scorer with 46. Naseer Akram, Shehroz Raza and Imran Ahmed took two wickets each for Faisalabad.A disciplined bowling performance by Islamabad Leopards helped secure a 113-run lead over Multan Tigers in Karachi. Islamabad batted first, with contributions from Ali Sarfraz (66), Faizan Riaz (50) leading the way as they racked up 256 for 9 at the end of their quota of overs. Mohammad Waris was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 46. The Multan reply started abjectly as the top and middle order were quickly reduced to 23 for 4. Seamers Shehzad Azam, Hamza Nadeem and Kamran Hussain took eight wickets between them as Multan could not build regular partnerships. The captan, Kashif Naved, struck a 39-ball 55, but didn’t get support from the lower order as Multan were bundled for 143.Lahore Lions’ batsmen produced a power-packed performance to beat Hyderabad Hawks by 44 runs. Umar Siddiq top-scored for Lahore with 74, but it was the fast cameos from Agha Salman, Kashif Masood and Mohammad Ifran that led them to 281 for 6. Hyderabad’s top order made a steady start to the chase, with Shoaib Laghari top-scoring at No. 5 with 94 off 81 balls, but the lower order fell away. Usman Malik and Mohammad Irfan took three wickets each to dismiss Hyderabad for 237 in 44.4 overs.

A score of 137 wouldn’t have appeared a match-winning one at the halfway stage of the match, but Afghanistan’s bowlers made Pakistan fight till the final ball

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAsghar Stanikzai was bowled by Bilawal Bhatti•Getty ImagesA score of 137 wouldn’t have appeared a match-winning one at the halfway stage of the match, but Afghanistan’s bowlers made Pakistan fight till the final ball. Pakistan preserved wickets through their chase and though they lost only four, they were made to sweat against a side brimming with confidence having recently sealed their berth in the upcoming World T20. Mohammad Hafeez kept Pakistan afloat with an unbeaten 42 to set up a six-wicket win in the first ever T20 between the two countries.At the start of the penultimate over, bowled by Hamid Hassan, Pakistan were still comfortably placed needing 16 with a set Hafeez on 32. Sohaib Maqsood’s run out off the fourth ball gave Afghanistan hope but Hafeez calmed the nerves in the Pakistan camp with a streaky, under-edged boundary past the keeper off the last ball to bring the equation down to six from six.Shahid Afridi pushed the first ball by the seamer Dawlat Zadran to midwicket for a single but Hafeez left the next, expecting it to be called a wide. Afghanistan had a chance to run out Hafeez off the third when he took a risky single to cover and nearly gave up. Zadran then employed the bouncer against Afridi but it backfired with the umpire penalising him for height. Afridi slogged and missed the next ball and stole a bye. Hafeez pinched a single to point, levelling the scores before the last ball. Zadran banged in another bouncer but it cost Afghanistan dear as it was signaled a no ball.The finish was an anti-climax from the way Pakistan started. The openers Ahmed Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan had added 49 in 7.4 overs before Shehzad was caught at deep midwicket off Samiullah Shenwari. Shehzad dominated the stand with six fours. Sharjeel, on debut, made a steady 18 before he was caught at point off the off spin of Mohammad Nabi.Afghanistan tightened things up conceding only 15 off the next three overs and no boundaries. Hafeez broke the drought when he launched Shenwari over long-on in the 14th over, leaving Pakistan 49 to get off the last six. Two more sixes, by Umar Akmal, brought the equation down to 27 off 23, comfortably in Pakistan’s favour. However, immediately after launching Dawlat over long-on, Akmal dragged the next ball onto his stumps to give Afghanistan relief. However, Hafeez’s presence meant that Pakistan still held the edge, despite Afghanistan’s comeback.The pressure began to mount with 21 required off 14, but a four to deep midwicket by Hafeez released the pressure and the captain took it upon himself to stay till the end and avoid a repeat of their shocking collapse against South Africa in an ODI at the same venue recently.Earlier, a combined performance by Pakistan’s bowlers restricted Afghanistan to a middling total. Afghanistan struggled to get going at the start, the score reading a sorry 8 for 2 after five overs. Asghar Stanikzai broke the shackles with two sixes in one over off Zulfiqar Babar but he fell soon after, bowled by Bilawal Bhatti.The middle order, led by Najibullah Zadran, made starts but regular strikes kept them in check. Afghanistan had recovered well to score 92 in an eight-over period, ending in the 15th over. However, Pakistan clawed back by dismissing Najibullah for 38 and Afghanistan managed only 37 off the last five overs. In the final analysis, a few more could have made the difference.