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Test captain says team can “make amends” after 2-1 defeat in 2017 and hold on to Wisden Trophy

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Apr-2020

West Indies Test captain Jason Holder wants his team to “make amends” for their 2017 defeat in England, should their planned Test tour for this summer go ahead. Holder is confident that he and his men now have the experience as well as confidence to win a Test series in England, a feat last achieved in 1988 when Viv Richards’ team blanked the hosts 4-0 in the five-Test series.This year, West Indies were due to arrive for three Tests in June, but the series is likely to be postponed due the UK government’s directive against social gathering to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 1.6 million people have been infected by the coronavirus worldwide, with the UK recording so far close to 9000 deaths (in hospitals only).Both the ECB and CWI are scheduled to discuss various options based on when the series could be played during the English season, which was meant to commence on Sunday. Originally the West Indies were scheduled to play three warm-up matches with a preparatory camp at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl, but those plans would now have to be reworked.ALSO READ: ‘I see light at the end of the tunnel for WI’ – HoldingNonetheless Holder said he would remain upbeat if the tour did happen. Joe Root and his team must take Holder seriously also because England lost the Test series 2-1 in the Caribbean in 2019. Although West Indies lost the final Test in St Lucia, the series was a dead rubber by then after Holder’s men had registered emphatic wins in the first two Tests. In the first Holder had recorded his personal best of 202, which set up an innings win.”Yes, very, very confident,” Holder told the podcast on talkSPORT, asked about the scheduled England tour. “This series will be tougher than the one in the Caribbean because we are obviously going in their backyard. England are very, very good team in their backyard. Even although we beat them in the last series I’ll still England will start as favourites.”According to Holder another advantage West Indies would have this time was the added experience some of the players had gained playing in England, with himself and Kraigg Brathwaite having played county cricket. Holder did not expect the “nucleus” of the Test squad to change “drastically”, which meant most players would know what to expect from the conditions.Holder termed the 2017 result was also a “success” after his team recovered from demoralising defeat at Edgbaston in the pink-ball Test in the series opener to level the series in the next match by scripting history at Headingley – their first win in England for 17 years. Although they lost the decider at Lord’s, they were well-prepared when England toured 18 months later.”I am looking forward to it personally,” Holder said. “You’ve got guys like Kraigg Brathwaite who has played county cricket as well and international cricket there. Shai [Hope] has played enough international cricket and did really well as well. So we have some guys going back there with a vengeance.”If you speak to a lot of guys who were on that tour in 2017 everybody will say they can’t wait to go back and probably just make amends for what would’ve happened in 2017. We believed personally in our abilities, it is just a matter of understanding the conditions and now that we’ve had that experience I should only hope that we should be able to then put into practice and make a better show than we did last time.”Holder said he had confidence in the West Indies bowling attack and was hoping Shannon Gabriel would be feature in the England Test series if it goes ahead. Gabriel underwent ankle surgery in November last year and has been in rehab since then. But Holder had spoken to Gabriel and assured him of lending him ample rest time for him to be completely fit for the England tour.”I’ve spoken to Shannon personally a few times over the last couple of months. He is confident that he will be ready for the England tour. Obviously he hasn’t had the chance to play any cricket and he’s just trying to get himself back to a reasonable level to get back on the field.”I’ve said to him and to the management staff as well – I don’t think we should be pushing him to force him to play cricket before England. We just need to be very, very patient with him. He’s been a senior member of our team for a number of years and I would think that we would express that luxury to him to give him as much time as he needs to recover and make sure his recovery process is carried out properly before rushing him back onto the park.”

يستأنف فريق ريال مدريد مواجهاته في بطولة الدوري الإسباني لموسم 2024-2025، اليوم الأحد أمام خيتافي.

ويستقبل ريال مدريد خضمه خيتافي في مباراة بالجولة الخامسة عشر من الدوري الإسباني “الليجا”، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”.

ويحتل ريال مدريد المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 30 نقطة، وله مباراة مؤجلة أمام فالنسيا.

طالع.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة ريال مدريد وخيتافي في الدوري الاسباني.. إعلان التشكيل

وتراجع ريال مدريد للمركز الثاني بعدما تمكن أتلتيكو مدريد من الفوز أمام بلد الوليد بخماسية دون رد.

ويتصدر برشلونة جدول الترتيب وتوقف عند 34 نقطة بعد تعرضه لهزيمة أمام لاس بالماس بثنائية لهدف، بالجولة ذاتها. موعد مباراة ريال مدريد وخيتافي

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة الخامسة والربع مساءً بتوقيت مصر، السادسة والربع مساءً بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة ريال مدريد وخيتافي

تذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN sports HD3. معلق مباراة ريال مدريد وخيتافي

يعلق على المباراة، خليل البلوشي.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

After parting ways with Gary Rowett after an unsuccessful interim period in charge, Birmingham City have reportedly added a fresh face to their managerial shortlist in case Tony Mowbray does not take the reigns next season.

Birmingham manager news

Birmingham's season ultimately ended in Championship relegation in what represents a disaster considering where they found themselves earlier in the campaign. Under John Eustace, they were on course to compete for a place in the play-offs, but opted to hire Wayne Rooney nonetheless in a decision they quickly regretted.

Then turning to Mowbray after Rooney's disaster, the former Sunderland boss was forced to make way for Rowett, so the Blues find themselves back at square one.

Left in search of a new manager, Birmingham have already been linked with the likes of former boss Steve Bruce, who has more than enough experience to guide them back to the Championship at the first time of asking. But now it seems as though the club are aiming for a younger candidate.

Related Report: Birmingham hierarchy have changed their mind about Rowett’s future

A twist has emerged from what club chiefs were initially hoping for.

Posts ByHenry Jackson May 3, 2024

According to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Birmingham have shortlisted Liam Rosenior for their managerial role following his shock departure from Hull City. Rosenior was nominated for the Championship's Manager of Season award but, ultimately, his failure to secure a place in the play-offs led to Hull's decision to sack him much to the surprise of many.

The 39-year-old would have to get off to a quick start at St Andrew's to avoid any Rooney comparisons, however, especially after claiming to have learned from the Manchester United legend during their time in the Derby County dugout together.

Rosenior told Derby's official website: “Wayne is intelligent with people. He cares about them as well and he has been able to show that side to him in such a difficult time.

"He doesn’t change when he’s doing a press conference, when he is doing a team talk or when he is addressing the staff in terms of a tough moment when the club went into administration. I have learnt so much from Wayne in terms of how he has dealt with the pressure of the situation we are in.”

Birmingham must act swiftly to land "superb" Rosenior

The surprise over Hull's decision to part ways with Rosenior paints the picture of the job he was doing for the Tigers, which very nearly led them into the Championship's top six. Sacked nonetheless, Birmingham can now take full advantage to land the type of young manager they believed they were getting when Rooney arrived.

It was during his time at Hull that Rosenior earned plenty of praise, including from former player and Arsenal legend Ray Parlour, who heaped praise on the former full back: "Liam Rosenior is doing a superb job at Hull.

"I actually think he is underrated as a coach – he is certainly getting the best out of the players. You could see last season the players believed in him, but this season they have shown more consistency and quality, and they are now right in the mix to get a play-off spot at the end of this season."

England hand maiden call-up to Ollie Robinson as captain returns from paternity leave

Andrew Miller15-Jul-2020

Joe Denly’s Test career would appear to be over after he was omitted from England’s squad for the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford, while James Anderson has been rested on his home ground alongside Mark Wood, in a rejig of their fast-bowling attack given the short turnaround between contests.Root missed England’s four-wicket defeat in the first Test at the Ageas Bowl, but returns to the fray as captain after attending the birth of his second child, as his team seeks a means to avoid their first home series defeat against West Indies since 1988.England did not confirm their final 13-man squad until late on Wednesday aftenoon, with Anderson understood to be sore after bowling 40 overs in his first match back after injury, and Wood also being monitored given his history of niggles. Sam Curran has been added to the squad, alongside the Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, for whom this represents a first call-up to England’s senior squad.England’s preparations were hampered by rain in Manchester that forced the team to train indoors, and by a lively practice wicket on Tuesday that restricted their opportunities to assess the form and fitness of their quicks, and Root conceded there had been “a few areas to shore up” before any final decisions could be made.”We’ll have to have another look at the wicket, and there’s a few things we have to clear up in-house,” Root said in England’s pre-match press conference, prior to the squad announcement, “making sure everyone pulls up as we would like, and being really clear on what’s the best thing for the team over these five days.Anderson, who turns 38 at the end of the month, needs another 13 wickets to become the first seamer to reach 600 Test wickets. He was the pick of England’s seamers in the first innings at the Ageas Bowl, claiming 3 for 62 in 25 overs, but went wicketless second time around as West Indies sealed victory on the final day.Anderson’s omission for the first of two back-to-back games at his home ground means that he will have missed 10 of England’s last 14 Tests in the last 12 months, dating back to Ireland’s visit to Lord’s last July. Only once in that period has he attempted back-to-back games, the second Test against South Africa at Cape Town, where he broke down in the second innings after claiming 5 for 40 in the first.The situation means a probable recall for Stuart Broad, who expressed his displeasure at being overlooked for the first Test despite having been England’s stand-out seamer in both last summer’s Ashes series and the winter tour of South Africa where he claimed 14 wickets at 19.42 in the 3-1 series win. Chris Woakes could also make his first appearance of the summer, with all 22 of England’s players obliged to remain within the team environment due to the bio-secure arrangements for the series.ALSO READ: Broad ‘frustrated and angry’ at being left out of England side”I think there’s challenges that present themselves in this Covid era,” Root added. “With the games coming around quickly, managing bowlers is going to be quite important. Getting the balance right with a few of them coming back from injury, it’s about making the right calls at the right times. We are blessed with a number of guys who haven’t played or weren’t in the squad who’ve averaged 20 in the last couple of years in English conditions.”Anderson and Broad have played alongside one another for 116 Tests since 2007-08, claiming 883 wickets in tandem out of a combined total of 1072. But as both men approach the latter stages of their careers, Root conceded that their opportunities to extend that joint record could be limited in the coming months.”With Stuart and Jimmy, trying to maximise their careers is really important to make sure they are playing for as long as possible,” he said. “If that has to be slightly different to how it has been over the last few years, then we might have to think outside the box and not play them in every game or not play them together all the time.”That is not to say it won’t happen again. They are two world-class performers and we are very, very lucky to have them. I think to wish that away early or to push them to one side would be stupid, I really do. [But] I think we’ve got to deal with it well and be smart with it and we will find opportunities to play other guys, too.”James Anderson, with England bowling coach Glen Chapple, has been rested for the second Test•Getty Images

Root’s pre-match press conference was pushed back by 90 minutes, partly to enable the captain to have a bat given the weather restrictions, leading to speculation about England’s selection issues. However, all the signs in the build-up to the match had pointed to Denly being dropped. His scores of 18 and 29 at the Ageas Bowl were the 23rd and 24th occasions in 28 Test innings that he has reached double figures, but he has converted those starts to just six fifties in 15 Tests, with a highest score of 94 and an overall average of 29.53.”Over a period of time Joe has done a brilliant job for us,” said Root. “He has helped show the identity of our side, how we want to play moving forward. He has laid the platform for guys behind to go on and make big scores.”I think he’ll be just as frustrated as anyone that he’s not managed to quite convert those opportunities,” Root added. “But certainly the door’s not closed. He’s been a big part of our squad for some time now. He gets if he gets an opportunity to come back again, then I’m sure he’ll be desperate to take it.”Zak Crawley, by contrast, has improved his career-best score in each of his five Tests to date, and top-scored for England in the first Test with a second-innings 76. At 22, he is a full 12 years younger than Denly, and is set to make his first start for England at No.3, having debuted in New Zealand at No.6, featured as an opener in South Africa, and slotted into Root’s No.4 berth at the Ageas Bowl.”You watch Zak’s progression since he’s been involved in the team, his game has continued to get stronger,” said Root.England squad for second Test: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.

أكد محمد الشناوي حارس مرمي النادي الأهلي وقائد الفريق، أن مواجهة أورلاندو الجنوب إفريقي، قوية وصعبة متابعا أن هدفهم دائمًا الفوز وتحقيق الثلاث نقاط.

ومن المقرر أن يلاقي الأهلي نظيره أورلاندو، ضمن مواجهات الجولة الثانية من عمر دور المجموعات لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتقام مباراة الأهلي وأورلاندو، غدًا السبت، في تمام الساعة 3 عصرًا بتوقيت مصر، 4 بتوقيت السعودية.

طالع | كولر: هذا ما طلبته من لاعبي الأهلي قبل مواجهة أورلاندو

وقال الشناوي خلال تصريحات في المؤتمر الصحفي الذي عقد اليوم الجمعة: “تنتظرنا مواجهة صعبة، خاصة أنها تأتي أمام فريق قوي ونجح في الحصول على ثلاث نقاط خارج ملعبه بالفوز على شباب بلوزداد ويتساوى مع الأهلي بنفس الرصيد”.

وأضاف: “الأهلي يستطيع أن يلعب في أي مكان، وسنكون سعداء بتواجد الجماهير في المباراة”.

وأتم: “نحن نحترم جميع المنافسين، ولكن هدفنا دائما الحصول علي الثلاث نقاط، ‏بصرف النظر عن التواجد الجماهيري، ونكون سعداء دائما بتلك الأجواء، ولكن الجماهير لن تشارك في المباراة”.

ويتواجد الأهلي في المجموعة الثالثة لـ بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، مع أورلاندو وشباب بلوزداد الجزائري واستاد أبيدجان.

وكان الأهلي فاز في لقاء الجولة الأولى على استاد أبيدجان، الذي أقيم في القاهرة بنتيجة 4-2، بينما انتصر أورلاندو على شباب بلوزداد في المباراة التي أقيمت بالجزائر بهدفين لهدف.

ويتصدر فريق النادي الأهلي ترتيب المجموعة، برصيد 3 نقاط، بينما يأتي في المركز الثاني أورلاندو بنفس عدد النقاط، ويتواجد في المركزين الثالث والرابع فريقا شباب بلوزداد واستاد أبيدجان بدون نقاط على الترتيب.

MatériaMais Notícias

Defendendo as cores do Vitória, o atacante Paulo Victor segue evoluindo com a camisa do Leão neste ano. Feliz com esse crescimento, o jogador revelou que quer fazer um segundo semestre de muitos gols com a camisa rubro-negra.

Guga, do Galo, é flagrado em festa: veja atletas que aprontaram na pandemia

– Hoje estou muito bem em todos os sentidos e isso me deixa feliz, motivado. Estou trabalhando para buscar o meu espaço no clube para ajudar neste segundo semestre. Tenho me dedicado ao máximo para que as coisas saiam como estou planejando com a camisa do clube. – afirmou.

VEJA TABELA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DO LEÃO NA SÉRIE B DO BRASILEIRÃO

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O atleta destacou, ainda, a felicidade de atuar no futebol brasileiro após muito tempo fora do país.

– Passei muito tempo fora do país e retornar em um clube grande como o Vitória tem sido importante. Senti falta disso. Espero evoluir mais e mais para que eu possa construir uma história no clube. – concluiu.

MatériaMais Notícias

A troca de ofensas nas redes sociais entre a goleira da Seleção feminina, Bárbara, e a atleta paralímpica Andréa Pontes entrou em pauta branco na última entrevista coletiva de Pia Sundhage antes da equipe entrar em campo pelas quartas de final da Olimpíada, com o Canadá. Nesta quinta-feira (29), a comandante, porém, esquivou-se de falar sobre o assunto e frisou que suas atenções estão voltadas para “administrar os obstáculos” antes do jogo com as canadenses.

RelacionadasOlimpíadasÉrika vê Seleção feminina focada para duelo com Canadá e alerta sobre Sinclair: ‘Não podemos errar’Olimpíadas29/07/2021

– É difícil para mim te dar uma resposta sincera sobre isso, poiso psicológico é algo que você trabalha todo dia e juntas. Também é complicado quando vem das redes sociais também, porque eu não estou atualizada, não sou boa nisso. Por isso temos uma equipe com especialistas para me dar informações – afirmou

Em seguida, a treinadora voltou suas atenções para abordar o confronto com as canadenses.

– No fim das contas, estamos nas quartas de finais de uma Olimpíada. Penso que todos os tipos de obstáculos têm de ser administrados. Meu trabalho é dizer e fazer a coisa certa e preparar o time para o jogo. Nestes momentos que antecedem a partida eu vou falar com o grupo sobre o jogo e como criar boas situações contra o Canadá – destacou.

A CBF também se posicionou sobre a situação. A entidade considerou o bate-boca virtual como uma questão de cunho pessoal, segundo “O Globo”.

ENTENDA O BATE-BOCA ENTRE BÁRBARA E ANDRÉA PONTES

A discussão começou quando Andréa, representante do Brasil na Paracanoagem, opinou que a goleira brasileira Babi Arenhart, do handebol feminino, deveria ocupar a vaga de Bárbara no futebol. Titular com Pia Sundhage, ela vem sofrendo com críticas por erros na Olimpíada.

– Galera, uma sugestão: põe a Babi Arenhart – goleira do handebol – no lugar da Bárbara e está tudo resolvido. Brasil campeão! – opinou Andrea Pontes no Instagram. Bárbara então respondeu.

– Por que não vem você no meu lugar? Já já começa a sua competição, será que você tem competência para chegar a menos a conhecer? Tem competência de ir a quatro Paralimpíadas? Porque cada um com suas limitações, né? Vai treinando aí que, assim como eu treino para c…, você vai precisar para tentar estar ao menos em uma Paralimpíada.

A discussão não parou por ai. Internautas viram falas preconceituosas em ambas argumentações.

A discussão entre a goleira Bárbara e a Andrea Pontes, atleta paralímpica da canoagem, é bizarra de tanto preconceito e desrespeito dos dois lados. Duas atletas se expondo dessa maneira e ainda acham ruim que isso seja comentado. Que coisa HORROROSA. pic.twitter.com/m1At25zAsO

— Natália Tristão está Zanerattizada (@natalia_tristao) July 28, 2021

The 2023/24 season has finally come to a close for Chelsea Football Club, and whilst it did not end up as a campaign to remember for Blues fans, they managed to secure European football at the death.

Their form towards the back end of the season was impressive, and manager Mauricio Pochettino helped his side to sixth in the Premier League. They will have European football at the club once again, after a season of just domestic football.

However, despite their positive end to the season, the news broke on Tuesday that the club would part ways with manager Pochettino. The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss signed a two-year deal with the option of a third but was removed from his post following the climax of the season.

Since then, rumours have been flying about who the Blues will appoint as Pochettino’s replacement. They have been heavily linked with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, although he is thought to be waiting for the Manchester United job to become available.

According to The Mirror journalist Darren Lewis, other names on Chelsea’s list are thought to include Brentford manager Thomas Frank and Championship-winning Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca.

However, there is one other name who could well be in the running for the hot seat at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s managerial plans for the summer

The person in question here is former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, who recently left his post with the Seagulls after just under two years in charge at the Amex Stadium.

According to John Percy and Matt Law of The Telegraph, Chelsea’s fourth mystery candidate for the vacant post at Stamford Bridge could well be Italian De Zerbi. An approach for him has not been ruled out, although he is 'considered by sources to be an outlier in the race' to become the new Chelsea manager.

Although the former Sassuolo boss is currently without a club, Percy and Law explain that Brighton would still be owed £5m for any club that wishes to appoint De Zerbi, yet that is far less than the £15m that he would have cost before his decision to leave the club.

According to Italian journalist Daniele Longo of Calcio Mercato, there are other European heavyweights interested in acquiring De Zerbi’s services. Namely, they are Portuguese side FC Porto and French outfit Marseille. However, Longo explains that De Zerbi prefers to wait for a Premier League move, an opportunity which Chelsea could provide him.

How De Zerbi would benefit Chelsea

Chelsea’s owner, Todd Boehly, is an incredibly demanding figure who expects immediate success, which has largely been the downfall of the previous Chelsea managers under him. Take Pochettino as an example; just simply reaching the Carabao Cup final was ultimately not good enough, and he was sacked.

In De Zerbi, they would have a manager who can have an immediate impact. In his first season at Brighton, the Italian coached his side to sixth in the Premier League, earning European football.

Whilst he did not do as well in season two on the South Coast, given the lack of money he had to spend, De Zerbi is someone who could come in and have an instant impact; exactly what Boehly needs from his manager, given the money spent.

De Zerbi's record as Brighton manager

Stat

Number

Matches

89

Wins

38

Draws

20

Losses

31

Stats from Transfermarkt

In fact, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand compared De Zerbi to a very successful Chelsea manager of yesteryear, Jose Mourinho. Like Mourinho, Ferdinand explained how De Zerbi is “making players feel a million dollars”, following a conversation with former teammate Danny Welbeck, who has thrived under De Zerbi at Brighton.

In chatting to Welbeck – and Seagulls teammate Adam Lallana – Ferdinand claims to have “never seen the duo speak in such glowing terms about a manager”, which is impressive given they played under the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp.

Given his charisma, ability as a manager and the potential to have an immediate impact, De Zerbi could be the perfect replacement for Pochettino at Chelsea. Whilst he is not reportedly high up on the list of suitors at the minute, it would be a cheap and easy deal to do, and bringing in a manager so highly thought of, could be a masterstroke for Chelsea.

The previous ownership regime – under Roman Abrahmovic – secured almost immediate success with the appointment of Mourinho, the enigmatic Portuguese winning two league titles in his first two seasons at the club after arriving in 2004.

With the chance to land another relatively youthful, charismatic figure in the form of De Zerbi, the hope will be that similar honours are to follow.

Related Chelsea lodge offer for £85m “monster” who’d be perfect for McKenna

Chelsea have reportedly made an offer for the star.

Posts ByTom Lever May 25, 2024

Shafiq makes an unbeaten fifty for Team Green as Pakistan’s quicks continue to shine

ECB Reporters Network 18-Jul-2020

Team Green 162 for 5 (Shafiq 50, Khan 3-42) trail Team White 249 (Rizwan 54*, Shah 5-55)Pakistan’s bowlers again dominated on the second day of the intra-squad match at the Incora County Ground, Derby. The ball seamed and swung under leaden skies and 17-year-old Naseem Shah took advantage to finish with 5 for 55 as Babar Azam’s Team White were bowled out for 249, Mohammad Rizwan top scoring with an unbeaten 54.Team Green also struggled as the impressive Shaheen Afridi dismissed captain Azhar Ali and it needed an unbeaten 50 from Asad Shafiq to steer them to 160 for 5 before bad light and drizzle forced an early close.The conditions favoured the bowlers from the start with the floodlights on and grey clouds scudding across on a cool breeze. Team Green did not take long to knock over the last two batsmen, both snared by the impressive Shah, who fully deserved his five wicket haul.Kashif Bhatti had signed off the previous evening by driving Yasir Shah over the ropes but he was quickly cleaned up by Shah, which left Rizwan in danger of missing out on a half -century. A wristy cut off Mohammad Abbas brought him his fifth four and an edge through the slips off Shah took the wicketkeeper to 50 before Usman Shinwari edged to second slip.There was little respite for the batsmen as Afridi probed relentlessly from the City End before lunch and his persistence may have helped Sohail Khan claim the wicket of Abid Ali whose glance only found the gloves of Rizwan.Some extra bounce from Shinwari took the left glove of Fakhar Zaman and Ali had to call on all his experience to survive until lunch. His concentration was disturbed by two rain stoppages after the interval but he and Asad were beginning to build a partnership when Afridi came back at the Racecourse End.Ali had shown sound judgement but Afridi drew him into playing at another good length delivery that shaped away enough to take the outside edge and spark wild celebrations from the tall 20-year-old fast bowler.He thought he had Iftikhar Ahmed first ball with an lbw appeal that prompted a humorous review sign from a team mate and Ahmed was badly missed on 7 off Shan Masood shortly before tea.The light deteriorated enough for the umpires to take the players off the field for 25 minutes in the evening session and when they returned, Ahmed was dropped again, this time at second slip, on 24. He celebrated by pulling behind square for four but in Sohail’s next over, he was lbw to one that ducked in and another full length swinging ball had Sarfaraz Ahmed caught behind.Shafiq completed a hard-fought half-century before the weather closed in with the batsmen hoping for sunshine on the last two days.