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Haddin backs Clarke as captain

Brad Haddin spent his first full day as Australia’s vice-captain insisting Michael Clarke, his new master, is the right man for the top job

Peter English31-Dec-2010Brad Haddin spent his first full day as Australia’s vice-captain insisting Michael Clarke, his new master, is the right man for the top job. A new cricket leader is usually a time for celebration in this country, but Clarke’s appointment for Monday’s fifth Ashes Test at the SCG has been greeted with extreme caution.Ricky Ponting is missing the match due to a broken finger and Clarke enters the fixture in poor form and with only pockets of public support. None of that matters to Haddin, who says the team is 100% behind the leader.”He is ready to do this job,” Haddin said at the SCG. “He’d be excited about the prospect of captaining Australia and he will do a very, very good job. We’re 100% behind him and, being a good mate of mine, I’ll support him in any way I can. He deserves to be in this position … he’s the best man for the job.”Haddin, 33, said the public reaction to all the Australian players changed from week to week. However, Clarke’s rating among large sections of the community, particularly in his home state of New South Wales, has been more consistent. His lack of runs in the series – 148 in eight innings – hasn’t helped endear Clarke to the detractors and the lukewarm response adds to the pressure on the country’s 43rd Test captain.”You are one good innings away, or sometimes one good cover drive away, from the support being with you,” Haddin said. “Michael is a very strong character so things will be okay. He has got a very good cricket brain and you saw that through the T20 World Cup [when Australia made the final]. He thinks a lot about the game, he is going to do a very good job.”Haddin, who hopes his elevation is temporary, has played 31 Tests since replacing the retired Adam Gilchrist in the middle of 2008. He has leadership experience with New South Wales and gets a close-up view of the game as wicketkeeper. It will be interesting to watch how he juggles his post as one of the team’s verbal enforcers with his new responsibilities.The first aim for Australia is to show some signs of collective improvement after being thoroughly out-played in three of the four matches. The hosts are upset to have failed in their push to regather the urn – Haddin said the results were “unacceptable” – but they will aim to take comfort in a victory in Sydney.”It’s disappointing we have lost the Ashes and we are disappointed in our own performance, but you have to move on pretty quick in sport,” he said. “We have to win this Test match to make this series 2-all.”

Gusting winds and gutsy knocks

Plays of the day from the third day of the second Test between South Africa and England at Durban

Andrew McGlashan in Durban28-Dec-2009Pietersen cut short
Whatever Kevin Pietersen said beforehand, making an impression in this match, on his former home ground, would have left him with immense satisfaction. He looked primed for the challenge, too, as he concentrated hard at the start of the innings to just about stop himself trying for one of those hairy singles. But it was a pristine straight drive off Jacques Kallis’s first ball of the day that made everyone sit up and take notice. Pietersen stood tall and drilled the delivery past mid-on, the type of shot he plays with regularity when at the top of his game and when he was dropped by Kallis at slip it appeared set for him. Alas, it was a false dawn as he tried to sweep a full ball from Paul Harris and was lbw. It had promised so much.Aleem’s hat trick
The weather has already played a part in this game, but the third day was perfect with clear blue skies. However, there was a strong wind blowing, which was gusting across the ground and causing a few problems. At one point it caught Aleem Dar’s wide-brimmed hat and the umpire had to chase it through midwicket before finally grabbing hold two-thirds of the way towards the boundary. The crowd gave him a hearty cheer and Dar got into the spirit by acknowledging the applause before trying to firmly fix his hat back on.Bowled ‘im…oh, it’s the wind
As well as troubling Dar, the gusts also meant the bails had trouble staying in their grooves and on one occasion struck with precision-like timing that would have done a Swiss-watchmaker proud. As Makhaya Ntini slanted a delivery across Alastair Cook, the left hander shoulder arms and the ball sailed through to the keeper. However, at the exact moment the ball flew past the stumps the bail fell out of its groove. It caused momentary excitement in the crowd and Cook may have thought he’d made a horrid misjudgement. It was all a false alarm.Cook’s reprieve
There may be one England player who’s now a big fan of the Umpire Decision Review System. On 64, Alastair Cook – who earlier confirmed to Pietersen that he was indeed plumb to Harris – prodded forward to JP Duminy and was given out caught at short leg. It was clear Cook wasn’t happy and made the ‘T’ sign which brought Steve Davis into action. The third umpire had a long look and the pictures did suggest that ball had missed bat and glove, coming straight off the pad. Was it conclusive enough? Yes, Cook was saved and went on to reach a gusty hundred. “It’s great, this new system,” he might have said.Bell’s statement
Sadly for Ian Bell his leave against Paul Harris in the first innings at Centurion will be played forever more on blooper videos. It will live with him, but all he can do is try and show what he is capable of. The pressure is certainly on, but he looked far more comfortable as he came to the crease on this occasion – although that may have had something to do with a score that read 297 for 4. After a couple of leaves against Harris (brave boy) he made his intent clear with two steps down the track and a six over long. It’s a shot that will replayed, but still not as much as that leave.And down she goes
It was a tough day for South Africa with just four wickets to show for their efforts, but they could easily have had an extra scalp to take with them which would have made tomorrow morning appear slightly less daunting. Kallis, still not at 100% after his injury, came back for a late spell and forced Matt Prior to defend a ball into his thigh pad that bounced out to Hashim Amla at short leg. Amla is normally very safe under the helmet, but could only palm the chance to ground. It was one of those days.

Rafa Benitez must unleash Rhys Hughes

Everton’s season is in need of an injection of positivity following a poor run of results, and the emergence of a homegrown talent could be the ideal solution.

The Toffees have picked up just one point from a possible 12 in recent weeks as Rafa Benitez’s charges have struggled to cope with a lengthy list of absentees, increasing the pressure on the Spaniard.

A lack of goals following Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s enforced absence has been a constant source of frustration, but the solution could already be within the club.

Rhys Hughes has caught the eye over the last couple of campaigns for both the U18s and U23s, supplying the grateful strikers with a constant stream of quality crosses and through balls from out wide.

Since the start of 2019/20, the 20-year-old has bagged seven goals and provided a further 15 assists in 50 appearances for Everton, highlighting his top-class potential.

His eye-catching exploits for the youth teams led to Hughes signing his first professional contract in January 2020, before U23 manager David Unsworth lauded his technical ability.

“He’s got ability. What we’ve looked at is where do we play him,” said the tactician in a recent interview. “We felt playing off one of the sides, coming into the pockets, getting on the ball on the half-turn, was probably his best opportunity.”

However, Unsworth then suggested that the Wales U21 international needs to spend another 12 months in the youth setup to improve his physicality, although expressed his excitement at the potential of the dead-ball specialist.

“He has to get quicker, he has to get stronger, he has to develop physically, but this all happens naturally.

“He’s got the ability, he needs to build his stamina and his physicality but if you’re talking a footballer, he is an outstanding footballer with great technique and a great set-ball delivery. Those type of players are worth their weight in gold and after another year of development, we’ll see where we are with him.”

With Alex Iwobi still unable to discover his best form on Merseyside, the opportunity for Hughes to impress could be just around the corner, and his breakthrough may well be the catalyst Everton need to resurrect their faltering campaign.

And, in other news…Everton could find a new Holgate in £50k-p/w dud who’s an “accident waiting to happen” 

Man Utd should consider Zidane appointment

Manchester United are currently meandering towards a state of decline and despair after two-and-a-half years of progress under the tutelage of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Norwegian tactician has done a huge amount of good work during his time in the Old Trafford dugout and has brought the club to within touching distance of its former glory.

But the phrase ‘so close yet so far’ couldn’t be more apt for the current state of affairs in the red half of Manchester.

A successful mass overhaul of the first-team squad, consecutive top-four finishes for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and the re-sowing of United’s DNA throughout the club are all tangible marks of Solskjaer’s success.

However, a second-place Premier League finish and a Europa League runners-up medal is all the 48-year-old has to show for his efforts so far.

This season was meant to be different, though. The 2021/22 campaign was meant to be where the excuses stopped, the re-building process ended and the major trophies started to return.

Yet it hasn’t worked out that way in the early stages of the season. In fact, things have gotten considerably worse for Solskjaer and United.

Bar an impressive showing in the curtain-raiser encounter against Leeds United, the Red Devils have failed to put in a convincing display in any of their subsequent fixtures, losing five games in all competitions by the end of October.

Ronaldo’s summer arrival has arguably brought as many questions as solutions, and the Scandinavian at the helm appears incapable of finding the remedy. But one man who may have the answers is Zinedine Zidane.

The former Real Madrid boss was rarely considered for a job in England as it was believed he was holding out for the role of France’s national team manager or Paris Saint-Germain as he looked to return to his homeland.

However, El Espanol (as relayed by The Express), recently reported that Zidane turned down the role of Newcastle United manager as he was waiting for either the Manchester United role or the two aforementioned jobs.

Over his two spells with Los Blancos, the Frenchman won an astonishing three Champions League crowns, two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, two FIFA Club World Cups and two UEFA Super Cups.

The 49-year-old’s astounding achievements with Madrid earned praise from several plaudits, including for United and England defender Rio Ferdinand.

“The guy has incredible ability,” Ferdinand said. “He’s done it in a short time. He’s come in and collected trophy after trophy. Three Champions League titles as a coach? He’s phenomenal.

“He doesn’t have much to say, but he’s never had much to say as a player. He lets his football speak, and he’s doing the same as a coach.”

BT Sport pundit Steve McManaman was similarly effusive in his praise, saying: “He’s done an incredible job,” he said. “If he were any other coach, we’d be exhausted from applauding him.

“The fact that he’s so great, the fact he doesn’t want applause, the fact he’s nice and laid-back, people don’t think he’s a tactical genius, but he really is.”

Although some critics are yet to be convinced over Zidane’s credentials, his CV speaks for itself, and with bags of experience winning football’s most coveted prizes with a team full of superstars, United’s owners must consider his appointment if Solskjaer can’t turn things around in the weeks ahead. He stands a wonderful chance of getting Old Trafford rocking agin.

And, in other news…Man Utd suffer big injury blow ahead of Man City, Ole will be absolutely devastated

Gold shares Ndombele news out of Tottenham

Taking to Twitter in sharing his piece for football.london, reliable reporter Alasdair Gold has shared some exciting Hotspur Way news involving Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

The Lowdown: Ndombele future in question…

Since the club-record signing put pen to paper on a £53.8m move from Lyon in the summer of 2019, his stay at Spurs has been fairly mixed, to say the least.

During Ndombele’s first season in north London, chairman Daniel Levy famously had a sit-down with the 24-year-old to discuss his performances and overall future, as seen on their ‘All Or Nothing’ Amazon Prime documentary.

The following year, he enjoyed a brief resurgence under former boss Jose Mourinho and even earned the ‘unplayable’ tag from his Spurs teammates, according to West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.

However, he then became heavily linked with a move away at the end of 2020/21, apparently informing Spurs chiefs of his desire to leave before August 31 (The Telegraph). His move failed to come to fruition, though, with Antonio Conte now left with the task of getting the best out of Ndombele.

The Latest: Gold drops exciting Spurs claim…

Taking to Twitter in sharing his piece from football.london, Gold has now shared some exciting news as Conte and his staff seek to revitalise the France international’s career at N17.

The club’s sports science staff apparently believe that Ndombele has been in the ‘the best condition of his Spurs career’ in ‘recent weeks’ – surely a big sign of encouragement for Tottenham’s new manager.

“Understand the sports science staff believe the Frenchman has been in the best condition of his Spurs career in recent weeks,” Gold explained on social media.

“Which will help during this boot camp of sorts at Hotspur Way.”

The Verdict: Very encouraging…

Given the consistent question marks surrounding Ndombele’s application and fitness since his arrival at Spurs, this update will undoubtedly come as a boost for Conte.

The midfield maestro has unquestioned ability in his locker but the difficulty has always been unlocking it on a consistent enough basis. He finished the 2020/21 as one of Tottenham’s most threatening players statistically, having completed the most dribbles per 90 (2.2) out of their entire squad (WhoScored).

Lauded as ‘magnificent’ by Mourinho, the former Ligue 1 sensation has what it takes to become a key player for Spurs regularly, and having him in peak condition is arguably crucial to him finally coming good on that club-record outlay from 2019.

In other news: ‘I’m told’ – Tottenham source makes N17 exit claim with contract talks ‘ongoing’, find out more here.

Benrahma lets Moyes down in Brighton draw

West Ham United’s poor form continued in the Premier League on Tuesday night as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion at the London Stadium.

Several of David Moyes’ first-team stars badly disappointed with the side winless in three outings, including leading goalscorer Michail Antonio, who has now scored just one goal in his last nine games across all competitions and has looked completely knackered up top.

That is largely not his fault, however, as the Irons have gone two years without signing a backup or alternative after Sebastien Haller swapped east London for Amsterdam in January 2020.

One Hammers star who failed his manager yet again was Said Benrahma. He has endured a similar run of poor form, providing just the one assist in nine league games, having opened the season with a pair of goals and assists, per Transfermarkt.

Before he was hooked in the 76th minute, the £22.5m-rated lightweight made just 13 passes at an accuracy rate of 57%, the worst of any West Ham player on the night.

And he also failed to provide Antonio with a single accurate cross whilst he was on the pitch.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/west-ham-news-transfer-updates-rumours-gossip-david-moyes-gsb-premier-league” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Elsewhere, Benrahma lost possession a whopping 17 times from 44 touches, meaning he lost the ball once every 2.5 touches, proving to be rather wasteful, per SofaScore.

The Algerian wide man was also rather weak in his battles, winning only 50% of his duels as his disappointing run of form continued at the London Stadium.

Moyes continues to put his faith in Benrahma but it could well be time for a shake-up in the attack as it’s now three successive matches without a victory and the Hammers have looked futile in the final third in all of them.

In the last two games, in particular, Manuel Lanzini has come off the bench to spark some sort of reaction and he hasn’t been afraid to take on his man. He ought to be selected over the 26-year-old this weekend, when the Irons face local rivals, Chelsea.

Forget Antonio, it’s time to get players around him that can help support him, as evident above.

AND in other news, “A definite target”: Ex drops big West Ham transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

Derbyshire batsmen released

Stephen Stubbings, Dan Birch and Dom Telo have been released by Derbyshire to talk to other counties, after a decision not to renew their contracts was made

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2009Stephen Stubbings, Dan Birch and Dom Telo have been released by Derbyshire to talk to other counties, after a decision not to renew their contracts was made.Birch and Telo didn’t feature in any first-class matches this season, while Stubbings dropped out of the first team recently, having scored 296 runs in seven matches, at an average of 29.60.”I would like to thank the three players for their efforts and contribution to Derbyshire County Cricket Club, especially Stephen Stubbings who has been a major contributor over the past 13 years,” said John Morris, Derbyshire’s head of cricket. It is time for us to move forward as a club and give opportunities within the second team to some of the talented young players we have coming through.”Stubbings is a two time winner of the Derbyshire supporters’ club’s Player-of-the-Year Award, and is currently in his 13th season at the County Ground having scored a total of 7557 run at an average of 31.88.

Sanderson could solve Wolves’ biggest issue

While things seem as if they have been starting to click under the leadership of Bruno Lage in recent weeks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers picking up 12 points from a possible 15 over their last five fixtures, the 45-year-old manager nevertheless faces something of a major problem within his Wolves squad.

Indeed, the long-term injury recently suffered by £4.68m summer signing Yerson Mosquera has left Lage with just four fit centre-backs to make up his defensive trio, a number which could be further depleted in January, with both Willy Boly and Romain Saiss likely to be unavailable due to their potential involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations.

As such, much has been discussed regarding Wolves’ need to bring in a new player in the position during the winter transfer window, however, the Portuguese boss could already possess a solution to his centre-back conundrum – in the shape of Dion Sanderson.

“Rolls Royce”

While it is true that the 21-year-old defender is not currently at the club, having been sent to Birmingham City on a season-long loan deal this summer, it would appear likely that Wolves could cancel the centre-back’s temporary spell at St Andrew’s early, should they so wish.

And, considering just how impressive the defender has been for the Blues so far this term, in addition to enjoying an extremely successful spell while on loan at Sunderland last season, recalling the £135k-rated man in January would appear to be a very smart move by Lage.

Indeed, over his four Championship appearances for Lee Bowyer’s side, the centre-back has helped his team keep one clean sheet and has created one big chance, as well as making an average of 0.8 interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 5.5 clearances and winning 3.5 duels per game.

These returns have seen the player who Lee Johnson dubbed a “Rolls Royce” earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.78, ranking him as Birmingham’s joint eighth-best performer in the second tier.

Furthermore, as mentioned previously, Sanderson also impressed over his 26 appearances for Sunderland last season, helping the Black Cats keep eight clean sheets, scoring one goal and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.9 interceptions, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and winning 4.3 duels per fixture.

These metrics saw the 21-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Johnson’s 13th-best player in the third tier of English football – as well as seeing him win the club’s Supporters Young Player of the Year award.

As such, with Lage surely already considering ways to navigate his side away from a potential centre-back selection crisis, the 45-year-old should consider welcoming Sanderson back to Molineux before dipping into the transfer market in January, as the defender certainly has the ability to help to ease what is undoubtedly Wolves’ biggest issue at present.

In other news: “I’m sure of it”: Hatfield drops Wolves January transfer claim, Lage simply must act

A week for the old-timers to savour

Ricky Ponting’s century has completed a week in which other veterans including Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar have starred in ODIs

Alex Brown at Trent Bridge15-Sep-2009In this era of unrelenting schedules, weariness with the 50-over format has become commonplace. Four-innings matches, over reductions and even wholesale scrapping have been proposed as potential solutions to alleviate the tedium and restore context to a game that has fallen victim to money-driven boards and their ravenous broadcast partners.Yet despite the apocalyptic overtones, limited-overs cricket has made a comeback of sorts over the past week. And while it had been suggested in some quarters that the format’s survival could hinge on the skills of a new generation weaned on Twenty20 cricket, it is the current batch of veterans breathing new life into the ODI game.On Saturday, Sanath Jayasuriya smashed a breakneck 98 against India in Colombo. Two days later, Sachin Tendulkar returned the favour with a scintillating 138. Then, on Tuesday, Ricky Ponting notched his first ODI century in more than 18 months, leading Australia to a thrilling victory over England at Trent Bridge with a sterling 126 from 109 deliveries. A week to savour.By week’s end, Ponting could well join Tendulkar and Jayasuriya in the top-three all-time ODI run-scorers. His mesmeric innings on Tuesday placed him within 47 runs of the third-placed Inzamam ul-Haq and, given his current form, few would back against him reeling in his former Paksitani counterpart over the final two matches of the series.Ponting currently occupies third place on the all-time Test run-scorers’ list behind Tendulkar and Brian Lara, and thoroughly deserves the “best since Bradman” tag bestowed upon him by many of his countrymen in recent season. But on a night when his personal achievement overshadowed all others in Nottingham, the Australian captain appeared more interested in discussing his side’s momentum-gathering build-up to next week’s Champions Trophy in South Africa.”I haven’t had much time to think about it,” Ponting said. “The innings kept us on track with the run chase. Michael Clarke and myself got us in a position where it would’ve been disappointing if we hadn’t won the game. I felt like I played well. It was a really good run chase and another good team effort. It just goes to show that we’re heading in the right direction with our one-day cricket leading into the Champions Trophy.”Ponting’s innings, coupled with a half-century to his deputy Michael Clarke, made short work of England’s 299. The Australian captain capitalised on an ideal Trent Bridge wicket and a brisk outfield to raise his half-century in near even-time, then raced to his 27th career ODI century with a combination of withering blows – most notably off Adil Rashid – and judicious placement.As with Tendulkar and Jayasuriya, Ponting’s hunger, timing and reflexes have barely diminished in his twilight years, and his presence in the top order continues to serve as an example for those around him to follow. His sixes struck off Ryan Sidebottom and Rashid were no less powerful than those launched a decade ago; his magnetism at the crease still compelling spectators to watch at a time when saturation scheduling is sapping the passion of even the most devoted of cricket devotees.Perhaps the only sign of Ponting’s advancing age was the stock he placed in his post-Ashes break. The rest, he said, had allowed him to revitalise both body and mind ahead of the final four one-day internationals against England and the ensuing Champions Trophy in South Africa.”I haven’t made a lot of runs in the last few one-day series I’ve played so it’s probably been a while since I’ve gone out there and struck the ball that cleanly from the start,” he said. “The break was nice just to get home and freshen up and free my mind of the Ashes cricket that we’d played. I’ve worked hard on my batting since I’ve been back to get enough volume work to be able to go out there and play like I did today.”

Resurgent England progress with huge win

England beat Pakistan by 48 runs at The Oval to go through to the Super Eights

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan07-Jun-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen was at his explosive best as he lifted England to a decent total•Getty ImagesEngland certainly like doing things the hard way, but kept their ICC World Twenty20 hopes alive with an impressive 48-run victory against Pakistan at The Oval which was so emphatic that they are through to the Super Eights. With the hosts’ hopes hanging by a thread Kevin Pietersen returned and hit a sparkling 58 off 38 balls to lift England to a competitive 185 for 5, and Pakistan never got close against a team desperate to erase embarrassing memoriesPakistan, much like England the other night, were well short of their best especially in the field where they dropped at least four catches and produced countless more sloppy pieces of groundwork. They were terribly rusty during their warm-up games and are still a long way from settling, and maybe suffered from knowing they have a second chance against Netherlands on Wednesday, but this defeat was so heavy that even a win in that game might not be enough.England, as they had to, clearly came out with a point to prove having been rightly criticised for their performance against Netherlands on Friday. Whether Pietersen’s return was a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures, or a case of his injury really improving, he produced what England dearly needed from him with one of his best Twenty20 innings.The innings included six sixes, compared with none two days ago, and Pietersen produced three off his own bat including a monstrous blow into the second tier of the pavilion and a glorious, inside-out, cover-drive off Mohammad Aamer. Pietersen was helped out by two positive innings from Luke Wright, who crunched 34 off 16 balls, and Owais Shah, as he added 66 for the third wicket with Pietersen.Pakistan had the batting fire-power to chase down the target, but never formed a solid base as England produced a disciplined display with the ball and, most importantly, in the field where they were far superior. Paul Collingwood, a reluctant captain with much pressure on his shoulders, set the pattern with a well judged running catch to remove Ahmed Shehzad off the recalled Dimitri Mascarenhas.Mascarenhas had been handed the new ball – the role he plays for Hampshire – and Collingwood rotated his pace options. Broad produced the telling over when his short-pitched tactic worked with Kamran Akmal pulling to deep midwicket and the dangerous Salman Butt top-edging to backward point.From there the innings didn’t gain any momentum as Shoaib Malik struggled to score at a run-a-ball and Shahid Afridi’s poor form continuing with a painful 12-ball 5 before he holed out off Graeme Swann. Adil Rashid bowl four overs of accurate legspin and held his nerve each time the batsmen came after him. Pakistan didn’t manage a six until the 17th over and by then the game was long gone.The atmosphere when play got underway was electric with huge support for both teams. If there had been a roof on the ground it would have come off when Malik pulled off a good catch at backward point to remove Ravi Bopara, handing debutant Aamer his first wicket.That brought Pietersen to the crease early after his return to the side following the Achilles injury that ruled him out against Netherlands and the fact he started by dealing in quick singles suggested the problem wasn’t causing too much concern. Pietersen sparked into life by slamming a waist-height no-ball down the ground and the resulting extra delivery (although not a free-hit) was launched monstrously straight into the second tier of the pavilion. It registered as 104 metres, just a fraction shorter than Chris Gayle’s huge blow yesterday against Australia.It had been Wright who brought the early impetus by taking 14 off three balls against Aamer, including England’s first six of the tournament as the ball flew over deep midwicket. He continued in the next over from Yasir Arafat, but was gifted one boundary when Umar Gul misread the spin at third man and let the ball scoot past him.Pakistan’s disciplines continued to slip when Gul delivered another no-ball, but the question was whether England could keep it going as the crucial phase of the game began with Pakistan introducing their spinners? After a brief look, both men took boundaries off Ajmal and a huge top edge by Pietersen off Afridi carried over fine leg for six. Two more sixes came in the 13th over, bowled by Aamer as the batsmen cut loose.A mini-cluster of wickets, including two in an over to the impressive Ajmal, meant England’s charge wasn’t as destructive as it could have been, but unlike against Netherlands the innings finished with a spark rather than a whimper with Mascarenhas and James Foster adding 29 in 19 balls.It’s little things like that which make the difference in Twenty20, and just 48 hours after their biggest humiliation England are into the next stage. Pakistan, meanwhile, have to win against Netherlands. How quickly things change.

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