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Nottingham Forest are a club in a real precarious situation at present, with the situation on and off the pitch ultimately being at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Sean Dyche’s men have now lost four games in a row in the Premier League, which has seen the side drop to just one place and four points above the relegation zone.

However, it was announced on Monday morning that Evangelos Marinakis and the board had submitted plans to go ahead with the proposed expansion at the City Ground – taking the capacity to 50,000.

Such a move will likely cost the owner hundreds of millions of pounds, but it could be a mammoth financial mistake if the club drop down into the second tier at the end of the campaign.

As a result, the recruitment team have wasted no time in identifying potential options to strengthen the manager’s first-team squad for the immediate and long-term future.

Nottingham Forest make approach to sign PL talisman

The centre forward position at Nottingham Forest is one that has troubled various managers this campaign, with last season’s top scorer, Chris Wood, massively struggling with injuries.

Igor Jesus has been the go-to man of late, but whilst his all-round play has been impressive, he’s only managed to net one goal in England’s top-flight to date.

Taiwo Awoniyi has also failed to deliver when called upon, whilst summer addition Arnaud Kalimuendo looks set to join German side Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

As a result, the recruitment team have been on the hunt for a new talisman this January, leading to rumours over a potential move to land Wolves star Jorgen Strand Larsen.

According to TEAMtalk, the Reds have already reached out to Rob Edwards’ side over a deal to land the Norwegian international who’s only scored one league goal to date.

The report also states that Newcastle United are still monitoring the situation, despite spending upwards of £110m on the services of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa last summer.

However, any deal is set to be a club-record for Forest, with his current employers currently demanding a fee in the region of £40m for his services this winter.

Why Strand Larsen would be the perfect Kalimuendo replacement

Back in the summer window, many Forest fans thought they had their long-term centre-forward in the form of Kalimuendo, but his spell in the East Midlands has been one of limited opportunities.

The Frenchman talisman joined from Rennes for a fee in the region of £26m, but he’s failed to start a single Premier League game to date – only featuring for a total of 89 minutes.

His only starts for the Reds have come in the Europa League, where the 23-year-old has been in impressive form, as seen by his tally of two goals in three starts.

However, the approval of his loan-to-buy move to join Frankfurt has frustrated a lot of fans, especially when players like Awoniyi remain on the books despite failing to score in the league in exactly 12 months.

When the move does go through, Dyche will desperately desire another option to fill the void and catapult the club away from a relegation battle in the months ahead.

Strand Larsen would prove to be an expensive addition, but one that would hand the side the needed goal point and clinical option that has been lacking in recent months.

When comparing his stats to those of Kalimuendo, the Wolves star had dominated in numerous key areas, showcasing why he would be the perfect replacement for the Frenchman.

Strand Larsen, who netted 14 league goals last season, has achieved a higher shot on target accuracy rate than Kalimuendo in the Premier League this campaign.

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His higher tally of goals scored, coupled with his accuracy in front of goal, showcase his clinical edge – which could hand Dyche the talisman he’s been lacking since taking the reins.

How Strand Larsen & Kalimuendo compare in the PL (2025/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Strand Larsen

Kalimuendo

Games played

18

9

Goals scored

1

0

Shot on target accuracy

30%

25%

Passes into the final third

1.2

0.9

Take-on success rate

40%

5%

Aerials won

3.8

2.6

Duels won

5.8

3.4

Fouls won

1.6

0.8

Stats via FBref

The Norwegian has also completed more passes into the final third, whilst also completing more of the take-ons he’s attempted – subsequently highlighting his all-round quality in attacking areas.

However, the biggest selling point is no doubt his aerial prowess, with his tally of 3.8 aerials won per 90 allowing him to seamlessly fit into the manager’s long-ball system.

Strand Larsen’s physical nature has seen him draw more fouls than Kalimuendo, which could allow for threatening opportunities in front of goal, whilst also offering an outlet when leading games in their hunt for survival.

£40m would be yet another statement of intent from Marinakis, with a marquee centre-forward addition desperately needed to help beat the drop come the end of May.

Whilst the departure of Kalimuendo is certainly an unpopular one, the arrival of Strand Larsen would certainly soften the blow and hand the side a more suited option to the manager’s tactic.

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Leeds United are flying high in the Premier League and could now be set to launch an effort to land a star who is attracting attention from several clubs due to an impressive run of performances this campaign.

Daniel Farke looks to continue Leeds redemption story

Even a few weeks ago, Daniel Farke was under an immense amount of pressure at Elland Road and appeared to be close to being sacked after his side slipped into the Premier League relegation zone.

However, their last few results have formed a five-match unbeaten run in the top flight, reflecting their improved performances under the former Norwich City coach, who will be desperate to prove he is capable of leading the Whites to Premier League survival.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin secured a valuable point at Sunderland last weekend amid an excellent run of goalscoring form. With that in mind, Farke made it clear that his side has improved considerably to ward off detractors who have at times questioned their mentality this season.

He said: “(We showed a) great mentality to come back out of a losing position. Then of course, another point on the table. For the table, we have improved our situation further on in a difficult away game.”

Farke may have proved wrong some of his doubters. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of work to be done at Elland Road before survival is a reality.

January will be an essential month to add depth to his squad, with concerns over the level of incomings in Yorkshire becoming a common theme during the summer window.

Either way, signings are necessary and there is no time to waste with the window now around the corner, hence why Leeds may now look north of the border for their next acquisition.

Leeds set sights on versatile Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan

According to Mailsport, Leeds are now plotting a move for Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan, who can feature in a central engine room role, as a wing-back or as a right-sided defender.

Celtic are the latest club to put their name in the hat for his signature, while Nottingham Forest are also keeping close attention after his return of three goals and three assists in 26 matches this season.

Related Fewer touches than Perri & 7 duels lost: Farke must finally bin Leeds flop

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Labelled “outstanding” by Simon Ferry, Mulligan earned his maiden Scotland call-up earlier this year and was an unused substitute in their 2-1 victory over Belarus in World Cup qualifying.

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Previously linked with Rangers, the Dundee native is under contract at Easter Road until 2029 and Hibernian hold leverage over his situation, meaning they may be more likely to retain his services until the summer before initiating a sale.

With Leeds on course to cement their status as a Premier League club, it remains to be seen whether Mulligan would be tempted by the attraction of playing in the top-flight.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was ecstatic after leading India to victory in his first engagement as a captain © AFP

Shoaib Malik has admitted Pakistan had been unaware that their match against India would be decided on the basis of a bowl-out in case of a tie. “When the match ended in a tie, only then we came to know that this [bowl out] would happen,” he said at the post-match press conference. “I just told my bowlers not to take pressure and try and hit the wickets but they were not successful”.When Misbah-ul-Haq was run out off the last ball with the scores level, some confusion prevailed among the players with regard to the result of the match. The bowl-out followed, which India won 3-0.”The match ended in a tie, so none of my players should be blamed [for losing],” Malik said. “He also dismissed the notion that Pakistan would have been better served using the big-hitting Shahid Afridi higher up in the order. “We needed one off the last two balls. Anyway he’s more useful to us after 12 overs.”Meanwhile, Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he doesn’t want to see matches ending in a bowl-out though the concept helped him win his first international match as captain.”I won’t want to see a cricket match decided on a bowl out,” Dhoni said. “The team plays so hard to get a result and it should always be decided on the field.”Dhoni wasn’t expecting the match to end with a football scoreline of 3-0. “It really amuses you. Winning a cricket match 3-0, it doesn’t happen every time,” he said. “But it is in the record books now. I can tell my friends, when I was captain my team won 3-0.”The choice of using three slow bowlers for the bowl-out, including two part-timers, Dhoni said, was made based on the players’ performance at bowl-outs during team practice. “Whatever they [the bowlers] did, they were picked for that. They had practised a lot for such an eventuality,” he said. “Actually, Rohit Sharma is the best when it comes to bowl-out, he has a 100% record – but since he was not playing we had to rely on the other specialists.”Asked what advice he gave Sreesanth before the last ball of the match, Dhoni said, “I told him to be free, and control his mind. He’s like a computer, he just has to bowl one ball but he might be thinking of bowling 100 different deliveries.”Dhoni said he was pleased that India kept up their record of never losing to Pakistan in a World Cup match. “We might have to play them again in this tournament but, if we do, we would like to keep that record going.”As for the pressure of a match against arch-rivals Pakistan, he said, “I never take pressure whether it’s India-Pakistan or any other game.” He also had words of praise for his team-mates’ performance in the crunch match. “As for my players they responded well. They were determined. They were focused. The intensity was good.”Dhoni praised his bowlers for defending a low total. “We needed a good start with the ball. The bowlers kept getting wickets at regular intervals. In the end, they managed to push the run-rate up to 12 per over and that is not easy.” He also felt the Indian batsmen should have taken a more circumspect approach as the wicket was helping the Pakistan bowlers initially.India’s next engagement is their Super Eights match against New Zealand on Sunday at Johannesburg. Pakistan play Sri Lanka at the same venue on the following day.

There appears to be little sign of a thaw in the decidedly frosty relationship between the ICC and the Indian board.The BCCI has opted to play a game of brinkmanship over the Members’ Participation Agreement by waiting until the last minute before making noises that it might not sign, and now it emerges that its representatives failed to turn up to a meeting in Delhi which it had requested to discuss the likelihood of its bid for broadcasting rights to ICC events for the next eight years being accepted.Newspaper reports this weekend indicated that Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, told the BCCI that it was free to make a bid, but warned that it would first need to overturn a recent decision by the commercial arm of ICC, ICC Development International (ICCDI).The ICCDI decided to restrict bids for the eight-year contract to “broadcasters and agencies”, thus removing the BCCI from the list of those who might lodge a bid.If any doubt about the power of the BCCI were needed, it is likely to come when the ICC meets in Mumbai in early November to discuss removing this restriction.It would require seven of the ten votes to overturn the ICCDI ruling, and Cricinfo believes it has those. Recent meetings made clear that the BCCI can rely on the other three Asian countries to back it, and West Indies will almost certainly be onside after covert agreements made – but denied by both parties – at the time of the decision to award the 2011 World Cup to Asia. An insider said that Zimbabwe and South Africa, for different reasons, are also likely to vote with the BCCI.Other parties thought to interested in the rights include Global Cricket Corporation, whose existing seven-year deal ends after the World Cup, and India’s Zee TV.

Scorecard
England U19 continued to be the dominant force in this Test series as they cemented a strong position on the second day of the final match at Headingley.After reaching 298 yesterday, they bowled Sri Lanka U19 out for 155, before reaching 203 for 4 in their second innings. This gives them a commanding second-innings lead of 346 with six wickets remaining.The opening attack of Mark Footitt and Tom Smith took five wickets among them to reduce Sri Lanka to 99 for 5. Ben Harmison took the next wicket, then Mooen Ali added to his first-innings fifty by tearing through the tail to take 4 for 29.Varun Chopra and Chris Thompson, who was promoted to opener, gave the home side a strong platform, putting on 94 for the first wicket, with Chopra just missing out on a second fifty this match. He made 46. Thompson went on to strike 60 and there was a half-century, too, for Kevin Latouf.

Sri Lanka will host the six-nation Asia Cup, to be staged from July 16 to August 2, it was announced today after they signed a hosting agreement with the Asian Cricket Council.Mohan de Silva, Sri Lanka’s president, told reporters: “We are pleased to announce that we have come to an agreement as to the details of this tournament, and we are looking forward to staging it in this country.”Jagmohan Dalmiya, chairman of the Asia Cup organising committee, and Ashraful Huq, the chief executive of the ACC, flew to Colombo to meet with Sri Lanka officials. The pair also met with the Sri Lankan prime minister to confirm government support for the tournament.The Asia Cup, last played at Dhaka in June 2000, has been reintroduced after the resumption of bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan. The ACC expects the tournament to now be staged every two years in addition to the Asian Test Championship.”Cricket in Asia was suffering because India and Pakistan were not playing,” said Dalmiya at a media briefing. “We need the four main teams in Asia to be playing against each other if we are to develop cricket in the region. We are confident that the tournament can be played every two years, but the current ICC 10-year plan leaves us with a very heavy schedule. This must be revised and we will be taking up the matter during the ICC board meeting in June.”The tournament will include two round-robin stages, starting with two groups of three. This will be followed by a Super Four stage, and then the final. A total of 13 one-dayers will be played, with nine matches to be played under lights. Three venues are to be used: Sinhalese Sports Club, Premadasa International Stadium and the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.Schedule
Group A – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong
Group B – Sri Lanka, India, UAE
Fri July 16 – Bangladesh v Hong Kong (SSC), India v UAE (Dambulla)
Sat July 17 – Pakistan v Bangladesh (SSC), Sri Lanka v UAE (Dambulla)
Sun July 18 – Pakistan v Hong Kong (SSC), Sri Lanka v India (Dambulla)

Wed July 21 – A2 v B2 (SSC), A1 v B1 (Premadasa)
Fri July 23 – A2 v B1 (Premadasa)
Sun July 25 – A1 v B2 (Premadasa)
Tue July 27 – B1 v B2 (Premadasa)
Thu July 29 – A1 v A2 (Premadasa)
Sun Aug 01 – Final (Premadasa)
Mon Aug 02 – Reserve day

“Who cares about the rest of the games. We have already won the real World Cup,” claimed one face-painted, blue-clad youth, obviously more fond of his drink than cricket, in the glare of the television cameras.At distant Marina Beach in Madras, meanwhile, fire-crackers were set off not because India has made it to the Super Sixes but because Pakistan had been beaten. “Fifty years ago Pakistan were separated from India, now India have separated Pakistan from the World Cup,” said a delirious youth, obviously oblivious to the facts as they really are.

© Reuters

Naturally, celebrations are in order. India won a spectacular game of cricket thanks to one of the best innings you’ll ever see. Bring out the bubbly, give in to your most base desires and yell your guts out. But please, please show some taste in the manner in which you do so.Reporters with their ears to the ground in South Africa, filed their dispatches before the start of the India-Pakistan clash. Win, or else… That was the mood in both camps. With political tensions simmering at unacceptably high levels the encounter took on more ramifications than a cricket match ever should.Sure, the atmosphere of these games is terrific with fans from both sides being among the most boisterous. There’s drum beating, flag waving, slogan chanting and even desperate praying. But then there is also the tear gas and lathi charges.At least one person was killed in police fire in Ahmedabad as tensions boiled over after India’s six-wicket win over Pakistan. The police have confirmed that 49 tear-gas shells were lobbed and three rounds fired in the communally sensitive areas of Shahpur, Rakhial and Gomtipur in Ahmedabad.In the city of Baroda, three cars and a restaurant were torched by mobs after the win and the police had to patrol the streets till the wee hours.Elsewhere, groups of youths took to terraces of buildings and pelted revelers with stones, causing more violence to break out.In bizarre incidents down South in Karnataka, one person in a dairy was killed as a boiler exploded. Anxious to watch the match, the worker apparently cranked up the heating to dangerously high levels in order to speed up production.In a Bangalore suburb, two people were killed and at least five injured as enthusiasts piloting an auto-rickshaw drove recklessly through the streets, crashing into a lorry.

© Reuters

In Kolkata, probably the most fanatic of all Indian cities, groups of youths burnt midnight bonfires on the streets and amazingly enough, raised the slogan “Ganguly should be immediately dropped from the team!” and “Ganguly Down! Down!” Sure, Ganguly got out for a first-ball duck, but then again he also led India to one of its most significant victories in recent times.If these are the reactions in India, one can only imagine the mood in Pakistan. And that’s a sobering thought.A quick look at the points table tells you that Pakistan, despite the defeat, are still very much capable of qualifying for the Super Sixes. This means that an India-Pakistan semi-final is very much on the cards. What happens then to these revelers if India loses in that game and gets knocked out of the World Cup? Will they burn more buses, break the windows of cricketers’ cars, like they did at the Dravid residence in Bangalore? Will they tar players’ houses, as they did to Mohammad Kaif’s home in Allahabad? Will they burn effigies of Sourav Ganguly?You can be sure they will. And that’s the tragedy of it all.Before the start of the India-Pakistan match, dubbed `the mother of all matches’, Indian vice-captain Dravid spoke to the press, assuring fans that the game was just another one: that the cricketers were all professionals and tried their best against every team, not just Pakistan. Soon after, the captain echoed these thoughts and for good measure the Pakistan camp too agreed.Not because this was necessarily the whole truth, but because this is only a game. And cricketers learn to accept victories with losses, bouquets with brickbats, and the more philosophical, joy with sorrow. It’s high time the average Indian fan did the same.

A pathetic batting display by Zimbabwe, all out for 155 in 59 overs on anideal batting pitch, has almost certainly condemned them to heavy defeat atQueens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The manner of their demise, against goodbut not lethal bowling, will elicit no sympathy from their long-sufferingsupporters, as one soft dismissal followed another and fighting spiritseemed an altogether foreign quality. At the close West Indies had run upexactly 100 without loss and could anticipate rich pickings on day two.It was another sunny winter’s morning as play began in the First Test of the two-match series. It looked a beautiful pitch for batting, unlikely to give the bowlers too much early assistance, and Heath Streak was eager to bat on winning the toss.Zimbabwe gave Craig Wishart one of his irregular Test caps as a battingreplacement for Andy Flower, deciding to risk a four-man bowling attack.Wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu made his Test debut at the age of 18. WestIndies included Pedro Collins, who has not played on tour since his arrivala few days ago, in preference to Corey Collymore, after assessing the two inpractice.The match started late for perhaps a unique reason: bowler Reon King complained about difficulty in starting his run-up from the sponsor’s logo on the outfield. About five minutes were lost until it was decided that nothing could be done about it and he would have to make do. He took it out on Dion Ebrahim, who survived a hostile opening over.Zimbabwe had moved Alistair Campbell up to open for the first time in Tests,restoring Guy Whittall to the middle order, a commendable gamble as neitherhad scored runs in their former positions against India. Collins, arare West Indian left-arm-over paceman who has not played first-classcricket for a year, had the hapless Ebrahim, who has rarely been happy as anopener, trapped lbw playing round a ball of full length without scoring.Both Campbell and Stuart Carlisle came close to giving catches early on asthe bowlers looked impressive when they pitched the ball up. Slowly,though, they found their confidence, until Carlisle (10), as so oftenhappens once he has appeared to settle in, lost his wicket, driving atCollins to edge a catch to second slip.Campbell (21) has the same problem, as he demonstrated in the next over, as he went after a very wide ball from King and gave the ‘keeper a presentation catch. Zimbabwe were once again throwing away their chances in fine batting conditions at 31 for three. One technically incorrect stroke was followed by two gifted wickets.Craig Wishart and Guy Whittall now had to repair the damage, with Wishartdominating and occasionally breaking through with a superb boundary,including a straight six off Neil McGarrell, in a manner perhaps reminiscentof Robin Smith. But he also fell to a soft dismissal on 36, driving Colin Stuart uppishly to backward point. At 85 for four at lunch, Zimbabwe had quite squandered their advantage, and would have done even worse had Whittall succeeded in his effort to run himself out off the last ball before the interval.Grant Flower (6) fell soon after lunch, caught at the wicket pushingdefensively at an excellent leg-cutter from King. Whittall, batting withdiscrimination against good bowling, gradually found his fluency, but Streakscored only five before cutting left-arm spinner McGarrell to backwardpoint, where Shivnarine Chanderpaul took a sharp low catch. Zimbabwe werenow 119 for six.Whittall and, uncharacteristically, Andy Blignaut dug in defensively, whileCollins added to the West Indian injury worries by limping off with a hurtleg. He was replaced by Stuart, who dismissed Whittall (42), flashingoutside the off stump to be caught by first slip off the rebound fromsecond.Taibu’s first Test runs came from a one-bounce four, a hook off Stuart, justbefore tea, but was out shortly afterwards, easily caught in the covers offa leading edge for six, trying to turn Stuart to leg.Following this, Blignaut (21) became the third batsman to hit an offering to backward point, King being the lucky bowler, and Raymond Price fell lbw second ball.Zimbabwe were dismissed for 155 in one of their most spineless displays on abeautiful batting pitch. One can only assume that their morale has beenshattered by the political shenanigans off the field and they lack theprofessional qualities to play above that.Chris Gayle was soon timing the ball with exquisite sweetness, determined todominate from the start, as West Indies began their innings. The threat ofthe world-class Streak or the accuracy of Bryan Strang had no effect on himas he treated both roughly, but left-arm spinner Price put a brake on thescoring. Daren Ganga, although overshadowed, batted soundly on the whole,as usual at about half the scoring rate of Gayle, with the odd miscue fromthe batsmen not going to hand.Gayle reached his fifty off 68 balls, and at the close was 52 not out, withGanga, who hit freely in the dying overs of the day, 44.

ScorecardParthiv Patel struck his third score of 50 of more in three innings•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Parthiv Patel recorded a second century for Gujarat in the match. Venugopal Rao could have upped that count, but his 95 was part of six scores of fifty or more in Mohali. Punjab legspinner Sarabjit Ladda did his best to restore parity though with 5 for 138 and forced the visitors from 432 for 4 to 467 all out.Much of that vast total was the result of the 188-run partnership between Parthiv and Venugopal. They were together for almost 50 overs even as Punjab dipped into every resource they had. Including the part-time spin of their opening batsman Jiwanjot Singh. And the tactic worked. Venugopal was stumped after 187 balls, 12 of which were hit to the boundary. Parthiv, however, went on to make 113 to add to his 122 and 50* from the last match against Andhra.Just when it looked like Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh was running out of options, Ladda had Parthiv caught for his first wicket of the match, and proceeded to demolish the tail with his third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, completing it in his 43rd over. That runs remained on the pitch was made clear when Punjab batted. Jiwanjot cracked 51 off 75 balls, with six fours, but was dismissed in the 27th over. His partner at the top, Manan Vohra is not out on 50 off 112 balls as Punjab negotiated the remaining 11 overs without any further trouble.
ScorecardSwapnil Singh had finished five runs shy of his half-century at stumps in Vizianagaram. Baroda were 234 for 7 as Andhra kept true to their pre-season plan of giving their seamers the best chance of picking wickets. CV Stephen, one of four specialist seamers, led the way with 4 for 72. Notably there have been 147.2 overs of play, spin was used for only 13 of them and has not yielded a single wicket yet.Part of the reason might be down to the Baroda tail’s resilience. Swapnil made 74, led an eighth-wicket stand of 78 – the visitors’ best – and was the final wicket to fall with the score on 302. He struck four fours and three sixes. But Andhra’s openers Srikar Bharat (50 off 127) and DB Prashanth (38 off 102) provided a very solid start, taking their team to 96 for 0 in 38 overs.
ScorecardA collapse that began in the wee hours of play yesterday continued for Railways. They were 304 for 3 with just under five overs till stumps on Thursday, which had been enough for Uttar Pradesh to snag two wickets. On Friday, Railways resumed today on 316 for 5 and finished on 375.Praveen Kumar, the UP captain, struck the first blow in the sixth over of the day and 89th of the innings to have his opposite number Mahesh Rawat lbw for 7. Karn Sharma was caught behind in the 94th over off Ankit Rajpoot. Nine balls later, the specialist batsman Arindam Ghosh was dismissed for 50 and Railways finally succumbed in the 102nd over. Their first five wickets had given them 305 runs. The last five only 70 more.The lift provided by the UP bowlers – all five specialists used were among the wickets with left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav taking 3 for 64 – seeped into the batting as well. Opener Tanmay Srivastava has recorded his third fifty-plus score in as many matches and is not out on 75. His partner Almas Shaukat cracked 10 fours and two sixes in his 76 and UP finished the day at 169 for 2 in 71 overs.Mumbai v Tamil Nadu – Dinesh Karthik 167 deflates Mumbai

An outstanding, unbeaten century from AB de Villiers enabled South Africa to become just the fourth side to come from 2-0 down to win an ODI series after defeating England by five wickets in another enthralling, if error-strewn, match in Cape Town.On a couple of occasions, first as Reece Topley claimed three wickets in nine deliveries and then as England’s spinners provoked a hiccup in mid-innings, it seemed South Africa may buckle under the pressure of chasing their modest target in the fifth and final game.But, in the end, the class of de Villiers, proved decisive. The South Africa captain, playing his 200th ODI, made a sparkling century – the 24th of his career – to lead his side to victory with 36 balls remaining and ensure they did not lose the ODI and Test portions of a home season to the same opposition for the first time since 2001-02.It was not just de Villiers’ extravagant ability to put away the poor ball that made the difference. It was his composure. In a match characterised by missed opportunities and reckless batting, de Villiers was one of the few to combine restraint with his natural positivity.So while England were, for the second match in succession, bowled out within their 50 overs as punishment for some reckless batting, de Villiers attacked with discretion. And while Farhaan Behardien was lured into clubbing to mid-on and Rilee Rossouw, who replaced JP Duminy in the South Africa side, drove to short cover, de Villiers waited for the poor ball and was happy to play out a few dot balls safe in the knowledge that his side had plenty of time.That result – both of the game and the series – represented scant reward for Alex Hales. After four half-centuries – including an innings of 99 at Port Elizabeth – in the first four matches of the series, Hales became the fifth England player to register five successive scores of 50 or more in ODI cricket. The previous four were Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch, Alec Stewart and Jonathan Trott. None of them had managed it in the same series.Here Hales, with his second and highest ODI century, was the only man to reach 30 as England failed to exploit a frenetic display in the field from South Africa and failed to show the composure required on a pitch offering the bowlers some assistance. It helped Hales finish the series as the leading run-scorer on either side (he amassed 383 runs at an average of 76.60) but he lacked the support to earn England a commanding position.The frustration, from an England perspective, will be that South Africa did not bowl especially well. With de Villiers winning an important toss – rain had kept the pitch under covers until about 30 minutes before the start of an overcast morning – the bowlers benefited from some assistance.AB de Villiers recorded his 24th ODI hundred•Getty Images

But instead of maintaining a tight off stump line and full length, they instead unleashed a barrage of short deliveries and struggled to maintain the tight line that might have brought them greater rewards. Chris Morris, while the quickest of the attack, also conceded four of the 11 wides.Imran Tahir, introduced into the attack in just the fifth over, trapped Jason Roy – beaten a leg break that gripped and hit him on the back leg – with his sixth delivery, while Joe Root was unable to punish Hashim Amla for dropping him on 12 and was adjudged leg before, after a review, when he missed an attempted sweep against the same bowler. Eoin Morgan’s modest series with the bat – he averaged 12.80 – ended when he gave himself room and could only edge a wide delivery outside off stump.While Ben Stokes and Hales were putting on 70 in 11 overs, it appeared South Africa may have squandered their opportunity. But when Stokes, moving across his stumps, was bowled round his legs by Kagiso Rabada, it precipitated a decline that saw England lose five wickets for 37 runs in nine overs in mid-innings.Jos Buttler, beautifully set up by a field that suggested a short ball, was slow to react to the full ball that followed from Rabada and played on, before Moeen Ali, attempting to hit over the top when the situation – with more than 15 overs remaining – required retrenchment, was brilliantly caught at cover. Chris Woakes chipped a half-volley outside leg stump directly to the fielder on the fine leg fence and Adil Rashid then attempted to clear the in field – an unnecessary risk with so much of the innings remaining – and gifted a simple catch to mid-off.Not for the first time, the thought occurred that, for all England’s admirable dynamism and boldness in recent times – and it is worth remembering that is exactly 12 months since they produced a timid performance in their opening match of the World Cup – it might prove rather more successful if it was allied to some common sense and match awareness.On this surface, a total of 280 may well have proved enough, but in attempting to score 320, they left themselves requiring a miracle. They were, once again, the Blackjack player that keeps saying ‘hit me’ until they have a perfect 21. A more sophisticated approach may serve them better.Hales, once again showing the maturity to complement his natural positivity, put away the wayward deliveries – and there were many – with customarily sweet timing to keep his side in the game. Strong off his legs, strong on the cut and pull, he also drove fluently. The on drive that brought up his century, a beautifully timed shot, was reminiscent of the stroke that brought Boycott his 100th hundred.He enjoyed some fortune. He utilised a review, on 20, when umpire Johan Cloete thought he had edged a delivery off Morris – reward, as much as anything, for Hales persuading Roy not to squander the review on his leg-before dismissal – and reached his 50 with an inside edge that flew perilously close to the stumps on its way to the fine leg boundary. Twice more he was slightly late on yorkers, but got enough bat on the ball to squirt the ball past the stumps or slips.Within eight overs of the South Africa reply Topley had three wickets and South Africa were 22 for 3. Quinton de Kock was caught behind – England reviewing a decision that was originally given as not out – before Faf du Plessis was beaten by a beautiful inswinging yorker first ball and Rossouw mistimed a slower ball to cover.But first with Amla and then with David Wiese, who took the pressure off his captain with a thumping 41 off 32 balls, de Villiers kept his head when all others were losing theirs and saw his side to a victory that should restore some confidence going into the T20I section of the tour and the World T20 that follows.