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Afghanistan will want to fix gaping holes in their batting

Mohammad Isam27-Feb-2022

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Bangladesh have an opportunity to keep their top position in the ICC ODI Super League. However, given two of their upcoming series against England and Ireland aren’t set in stone yet, it is best to grab points when they’re in form, like they are currently.Bangladesh will be buoyed by how their less-experienced players have stood up in the previous two games. First, Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz engineered a magnificent turnaround from the depths of 45 for 6 in a chase of 216. Then, Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed rose to the occasion to seal the series.That said, they have a few things left to do, like ensure captain Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah to get that one big score. As such, they’ve all been in form. Why just them? Newcomer Yasir Ali too needs a big knock too, to give him a head start.The visitors have a consistency problem with the batting. So far, neither Ibrahim Zadran nor Riaz Hassan have contributed significantly, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz has a knee niggle. Much of the work has been left to the middle order. They’ve all had starts, but no hair-raising contribution. Najibullah Zadran has two fifties, Rahmat Shah one. If allrounders Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan can chip in big, they will have ticked off a box.Bangladesh have negated their spin threat pretty well, with some assistance from the surface. Left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi has been one of their standout performers. Having come off a four-for in the first game, the Bangladesh batters treaded with caution against him. Can he get some support from the others?

Form guide

Bangladesh WWWWW
Afghanistan LLWWW

In the spotlight

Najibullah Zadran’s two fifties has shown his importance in the middle order. He is the glue that holds the batting, especially when they falter. But now there’s a simple matter of moving on from the starts and converting them into big scores t have a greater impact.Taskin Ahmed bowled the most economical 10-over spell in his ODI career in the second ODI. Najibullah’s scalp at a vital time helped Bangladesh surge. Although he took just two wickets in the game, the performance underlined his growing improvement in skill and fitness in his second coming as a fast bowler.

Team news

Ebadot Hossain will be in line for an ODI debut if one of the regular pacers are rested. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mahmudul Hasan Joy are the two batting options Bangladesh may consider if they want to make a change.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das, 2 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Yasir Ali, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanGurbaz is an injury concern. This would mean a forced change at the top. Among the ODI squad members, only the left-hander Shahid Kamal is the only one yet to get a go.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Riaz Hassan, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fareed Ahmed, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi

Pitch and conditions

Expect another batting surface where the ball will skid on late in the evening because of dew. No rain is forecast.

Stats and trivia

• Litton’s 136 is the highest at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The 129* by Sean Williams in 2018 was the previous best. Soumya Sarkar’s 117 against Zimbabwe in the same ODI series was the previous best by a Bangladeshi here
• Bangladesh made 300 plus against Afghanistan for the first time two days ago. The 279 for 8 they made at the 2015 World Cup was their previous best.
  

Sunil Narine was met with a definite plan by Bangladesh. Three wickets at 114.33 later, he is having to instruct himself into becoming a bowler who has more dimensions and not just the mystery

Mohammad Isam28-Nov-2012There was nothing mysterious about West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine’s returns of 3 for 343 in the two-Test series against Bangladesh. He was met with a definite plan by the home batsmen, and most of it was based on attack. He was hardly given time to settle down into a rhythm and let his mystery dictate terms during most of his spells in the series.The starts of his spells were given an early setback with a charge and a boundary, or a string of boundaries sent him out of the attack. Three wickets at 114.33 later, Narine is having to instruct himself into becoming a bowler who has more dimensions and not just the mystery.West Indies captain Darren Sammy and coach Ottis Gibson have been staunch in defending Narine but are aware of the challenges that face a bowler who has entered the team as the main spinner with little experience in the longer format. Gibson would like him to be a lot more accurate while at the same time believing that he needs more time in the middle.”The key, whether there is mystery or not, is to be accurate with whatever you deliver,” Gibson told ESPNcricinfo. “Shakib Al Hasan tied us down with accuracy though the ball wasn’t spinning massively. It made batsmen work hard for runs. That is something Sunny [Narine] has to learn and he will over time because he works very hard on his cricket.”The greatest skill you have is accuracy because you have to know how to tie the batsmen down. The mystery will always be there, but you back it up with accuracy. Then you are a weapon.”Bangladesh understood Narine’s inexperience. Their tactic against Narine was born out of the threat he poses with his finger-work. His ability to spin the ball both ways with the same wrist position is part of his mystery. Shakib, his Kolkata Knight Riders teammate, could have picked up his tricks while bowling together in the nets. Shakib definitely had a big say in the mode of attack against Narine.Had they let Narine settle down, Bangladesh would have been in more trouble as they had been already succumbing to West Indies’ pace and their own flamboyance. Narine took three wickets in his fifth spell after Bangladesh had lost six wickets in the first innings of the first Test. He went wicketless in the second innings. Narine also had no success in the second Test, a game in which the West Indies attack dominated Bangladesh. He gave 91 runs off 19 overs in the first innings as Bangladesh took comfort in seeing him come on after the quick bowlers troubled them. The ineffectual performance resulted in Sammy using Narine sparingly in the second innings – nine overs, which went for 48.”The Bangladesh players have gone after him a bit,” Gibson said. “It’s not a massive concern but it is obviously something we keep an eye on. We are not really concerned at this stage.”I think he’s got a unique sort of action. His mystery is with his fingers. He has to continue to believe in that because this is what got him here. The learning for him is how to take Test wickets.”And to learn how to do so, Narine has to go back to his roots and play first-class cricket for Trinidad & Tobago which begins in February next year. “He hasn’t played lot of first-class cricket either, so that’s some place he’d have to go back and play some games, find out what it’s like to take wickets in first-class cricket and the patience you need to play in Test cricket,” Gibson said.Narine is very much like Veerasammy Permaul at this stage of his career, according to Gibson. The left-arm spinner took eight wickets at 31 apiece in the first two Tests of his career. Narine is merely five Tests old. But he has to carry the added tag of being the main spinner, one that has stuck to him because of his reputation as a deadly Twenty20 bowler.”He’s new to international cricket, especially the Test format,” Gibson said. “He’s played a lot more white-ball cricket than he has red-ball. He got picked for his exploits with the white ball. He came into the team as the main spinner. [Veerasammy] Permaul was making his way in the game, so was Sunny. He’s a young kid, only playing his fifth Test match.”Sammy is quite sure Narine will bounce back, as early as the ODI series against Bangladesh. He believes the pressure of scoring runs quickly plays into the hands of Narine, who has more wicket-taking deliveries than the orthodox slow bowlers. “I am not worried about his form going into one-day cricket because I know that’s where he is made his name, in one-day internationals and Twenty20s,” Sammy said. “He’s at his best when there’s scoreboard pressure. I know he is a very good spinner in limited-overs cricket, so hopefully he could improve in the Test arena.”Ajantha Mendis has found it hard to adapt to the longest format, especially building spell after spell with accuracy, and hasn’t figured in a Test since May 2011. Narine could take lessons from Mendis’ career. Bags of wickets in the Twenty20 leagues have brought Narine fame but as Bangladesh have shown and seen, mystery can be conquered in a short time but accuracy has to be mastered.

Hansi Flick appears to have become the latest Barcelona boss to fall victim to the lunchtime curse, something Jurgen Klopp knew a lot about.

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• Barcelona lose to Las Palmas
• Suffer another early bad result
• Klopp knew this well at Liverpool

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Following Barcelona's shock 2-1 loss to Las Palmas on Saturday, Mundo Deportivo highlighted the Blaugrana's recent struggles with playing at 2pm in La Liga games. They pointed out that their 1-1 draws with Cadiz, Espanyol, and Rayo Vallecano in 2020-21, 2022-23, and 2023-24 respectively also took place at that time.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barca have gone from appearing to be runaway La Liga leaders to being hauled in by the chasing pack. They have lost two of their last three matches and are just one point ahead of Real Madrid – and their bitter rivals have a game in hand. They need wins and fast.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  During Klopp's Liverpool tenure, he had a win percentage of just under 61 but that dropped to under 50 per cent when his side played games on a Saturday at 12.30pm. Back in 2018, he referred to it as the "breakfast" slot.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Barcelona will look to return to winning ways when they travel to Mallorca on Tuesday, before visiting Real Betis four days later in two big La Liga games.

Left-arm seamer Usman Shinwari called up as cover

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2022Karachi Kings’ floundering PSL campaign has been dealt another blow with the withdrawal of Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Ilyas because of injuries. This robs the 2020 champions of two key bowlers, as they look to recover from three straight losses as a start to their season, and move off the bottom of the table.Amir had yet to play a game in PSL 2022. “Mohammad Amir, who was nursing a side strain for the past week or so, has aggravated his back injury during the rehabilitation process and shall also no longer be available to participate in the remainder of the season,” a franchise statement said.Ilyas had played in all three games, but conceded 71 runs across the six overs he had bowled. He hurt his shoulder in Karachi’s last game, a six-wicket loss to Lahore Qalandars, but returned to bowl again. Now that he’s out of the tournament, Usman Shinwari has been drafted in to replace him.”Mohammad Ilyas, who had a severe shoulder injury, despite which he came back after receiving treatment to bowl two overs in the last match,” the statement said. “MRIs have confirmed the worst and he has been advised rest for the next six weeks or so, and shall be leaving for his home in Peshawar tomorrow evening.”Karachi’s next game is against Peshawar Zalmi on Friday.

Manchester United supporters would have been eagerly tuning into their side's last pre-season friendly to see how Leny Yoro fared in a Red Devils strip for the first time, having just signed for a bumper £52m from French titans Lille.

The 18-year-old will be expected to perform valiantly in the heart of defence for Erik Ten Hag's men next season, despite only still being a teenager, and impressed for the most part against the test of Rangers up in Scotland.

INEOS won't be done there with expensive new summer recruits, as a move for his stunning Euros star is pondered over, who could shine next to fellow lavish purchase Joshua Zirkzee.

Manchester United attempting to seal move for electric Spaniard

According to Spanish outlet AS, via Sport Witness, Man United are attempting to seal a move for standout RB Leipzig man Dani Olmo this summer, having entered the race 'with force'. However, they could be facing a losing battle to try and sign the 26-year-old.

Further reports in Spain are now claiming that Barcelona have even made a bid for Olmo, who is an in-demand figure after starring for his nation on their way to Spain lifting the Euros trophy aloft at the expense of England.

Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has added further fuel to the fire by stating Bayern Munich and a host of Premier League outfits are also interested.

Mason Mount's now expected departure from the Theatre of Dreams camp will also open up more space for the top-flight giants to add new attacking midfield talents to their growing team, with the current Leipzig man potentially excited by the prospect of linking up with Zirkzee up top soon.

What Olmo can offer Man United

Olmo was a key player for Luis de La Fuente's victorious group in Germany this summer, scoring three goals and assisting two strikes, which has led to many a suitor's interest being piqued, including that of Man United's.

The 26-year-old would have been relieved to have had such a dazzling time with Spain, having just been fresh off an injury-ravaged campaign in the Bundesliga, where he made only 21 appearances.

Still, even with his presence finding him regularly in and out of the Leipzig treatment room, Olmo would still tally up nine goal contributions in league action, with Marco Rose predominantly fielding him down the right wing.

Olmo's flexibility to either play centrally or down the flanks will also be useful to the Red Devils, where he could compete with the likes of Antony and Amad Diallo – who scored in pre-season versus Rangers – down the right channel.

Likewise, Zirkzee's addition to the squad will also give Ten Hag more options in his lone striker spot, with the two-time Netherlands international bagging 11 league goals for Bologna last campaign before Man United swooped in.

He could even strike up a lethal partnership with Olmo in the process, with the Leipzig number seven picking up 34 assists from 148 games playing in Germany to date.

Yes, United have the mercurial Bruno Fernandes who would no doubt create chance after chance for their new Dutch summer signing, but just imagine Olmo – a regular curator of goal-scoring opportunities at Euro 2024 – thrown into the mix too. Both Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund will be licking their lips with delight.

Once described as being an "incredible" talent by rival manager Pep Guardiola, it could be the case that Olmo lines up for the red side of Manchester this coming campaign, as opposed to being snapped up by his vocal admirer at the Etihad Stadium.

Man Utd pushing for "a younger Kante" who'd have been perfect for Pogba

This one’s creeping toward the finish line.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 19, 2024

The Australia captain does not expect many players to withdraw but will support anyone who does

AAP13-Jan-2022Pat Cummins believes the vast majority of Australia’s Test squad will travel to Pakistan but the skipper fully understands if any team-mates opt out of the tour.Cricket Australia is yet to press players for a final decision regarding the multi-format series in Pakistan, which is slated to begin on March 3 with a Test in Karachi.But selectors have started to thrash out plans for a busy couple of months, when Australia’s white-ball series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka will be quickly followed by the Pakistan tour then the IPL.Players and staff have been given a preliminary briefing about security measures in Pakistan before Australia’s first tour of the nation since 1998.Related

• Ramiz Raja to propose Pakistan involvement in annual four-team series including India

• Need to be 'kind and patient' with Australia players who opt out of Pakistan tour

“Still a bit to work through…but at this stage it’s all looking really positive,” Cummins said. “The amount of work the PCB has put into it is fantastic.”It’s shaping up as, I think just about everyone – if not all – will go. If some players need to make a choice, it’s absolutely fine that they won’t be there. Still got a bit of water to go under the bridge, a bit more info to gather and get around to everyone.”In February, Australia’s best players will likely be split into a white-ball squad at home and a Test touring party in Pakistan. Cummins is concerned about bubble fatigue, knowing freedoms for players will likely continue to be restricted because of Covid-19.”We’re two years in, so we’ve learned a lot,” he said. “But it also means probably some players are further along their tether. It’s unprecedented times, we just have to make sure we look after each other. Conversations are happening. The selectors have been great along with the coaching staff.”This summer marks the first time Cummins has donned the baggy green since losing to India a year ago, while it is the first five-Test series during the Covid-19 era.Cummins said he doubted whether the rivals would get through five Tests, especially after Travis Head contracted coronavirus.”And just about everyone I know in Sydney has Covid,” Cummins said. “We’ve been tested just about every day for the last 20 days. It’s just been fantastic that we’ve got through the series.”

Ipswich Town have been credited with an interest in a one-time Real Madrid target this summer as they look to build a squad capable of Premier League survival.

Ipswich Town busy ahead of Premier League return

Kieran McKenna's side were one of the stories of the 2023-24 season as they confirmed back-to-back promotions and ended a 22 year wait for Premier League football, beating Leeds United and Southampton to the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship.

Such was the impression made by the Tractor Boys that McKenna was chased by both Manchester United and Chelsea over the summer, only to pen a new deal at Portman Road, much to the joy of the Ipswich Town faithful.

Now though, attention has turned to the transfer window as the club look to make their stay in England's top division longer than just a single season, and have been snapping up some of the hottest young talents this summer.

They have already broken their transfer record to sign Omari Hutchinson from Chelsea after he enjoyed a fabulous loan spell with the Tractor Boys. Meanwhile, they are also working on a deal to sign Liam Delap from Manchester City in a deal which could reach £20m.

He could be joined at Portman Road by two of the Hull City players he played with on loan last season. Jacob Greaves is in talks to move to East Anglia from the KC Stadium in a bid to bolster Town's backline, while they are also in the race for Jaden Philogene, but Aston Villa's decision to enter the race may have dealt a blow to their chances of landing the young winger.

Now, the Suffolk outfit have been credited with an interest with an altogether more experienced head.

Ipswich eye Morsy upgrade

That comes with reports in Peru crediting Ipswich with an interest in veteran free agent Renato Tapia. The midfielder saw his contract with Celta Vigo expire this summer, bringing to an end a four year stint in Spain which saw him make 120 appearances across all competitions.

Such was his form that he was even linked with a move to Real Madrid to provide cover for Casemiro, though it never materialised for the 28-year-old.

After Philogene: Ipswich also in talks to sign “incredible” Hirst rival

Ipswich Town could be close to signing this striker who has been praised by Pep Guardiola.

By
Kelan Sarson

Jul 9, 2024

He has turned out 85 times for Peru in his career to date, though he was left out of their most recent Copa America squad. Now, he is hunting for a new challenge, with Peruvian outlet Depor [Via Sport Witness] claiming that Ipswich are 'one of several sides' chasing the veteran.

Tapia would certainly offer some improvement on Morsy in a defensive sense, with the Peruvian more active in front of his defence than his counterpart, something that may be required for Ipswich in their return to the top flight.

However, they may have some work still to do to land the midfielder, with the report adding Tapia would prefer to stay in Spain if possible, though no offer has been forthcoming as of yet.

With Tapia happy to wait and assess his options, the report suggests that a deal may not take shape until later on in the transfer window, which may force Ipswich to be patient to land their man.

ESPNcricinfo revisit some of the most memorable individual performances at the World Twenty20 2012

Nikita Bastian09-Oct-2012Brendon McCullum, 123 off 58
Bangladesh v New Zealand, Group D
Group D, comprising New Zealand, Bangladesh and Pakistan, was one of the tougher groupings in the tournament, making a winning start that much more important. New Zealand also had to contend with question marks over their ability to cope with the Bangladesh and Pakistan spinners. Brendon McCullum did not waste time wresting the initiative for his team with a brutal ton – his second in T20 internationals, he being the first player to score a second in the format – that came at more than two runs a ball. It was not just about big-hitting though. Instead, it was a lesson in how to pace a T20 innings: coming in to bat in the fourth over, he had a look early on, getting nine from his first 10 balls before picking up the pace with a six over cover off Shakib Al Hasan’s left-arm spin. From there on, McCullum interspersed the regular flow of boundaries with quick, well-placed singles, all the while priming for the final assault. That was launched in the 17th over, McCullum blasting 53 off his final 17 deliveries to lift New Zealand to 191. After the game, McCullum said he had played enough T20s to “get the pattern of how to play”. And it is the near-perfect pattern of play for Twenty20 batsmen, indeed.Jacques Kallis, 4 for 15
South Africa v Zimbabwe, Group C
Yes, this performance came against lowly Zimbabwe. Still, there was little Jacques Kallis could have done better with the ball in hand. He got the ball to move away slightly, he got it straight and full to cramp the batsmen, he got the ball to bounce at awkward heights, he followed the batsmen who tried to make room. All in a tidy 24-ball package, during the course of which his figures read 2.4-1-5-4. And Kallis struck just as Zimbabwe were looking to rebuild after a poor start, having gone from 16 for 3 to 51 for 3: he came on in the 11th over and removed Stuart Matsikenyeri and Elton Chigumbura with consecutive deliveries in a double-wicket maiden. Zimbabwe finished with 93. For Kallis, it was his best bowling performance in T20 internationals; for South Africa, it was an ideal start to the World Twenty20.Shane Watson, 3 for 34 and 72 off 42

Australia v India, Super Eights
Shane Watson has the most Man of the Match awards in T20 internationals: eight. He won half of those in the World Twenty20, in consecutive games. One of the award-winning performances, and perhaps the most dominating of the lot, came against India at the beginning of the Super Eights. Watson had a poor start to the match, being taken for 13 runs in an over by Virat Kohli and Irfan Pathan. Far from falling to pieces though, Watson struck with the first ball of his second over, bouncing out Yuvraj Singh. He also got rid of Pathan in that over; India were 70 for 2 after 10, 74 for 4 after 11 and from there Australia did not cede control of the match. Chasing 141, Watson, with some help from David Warner and the India bowlers, orchestrated a massacre. He had six sixes before hitting his first four. The smooth brutality of the innings could be captured in one shot: a flat, pulled six over midwicket off Pathan, which landed just above the Australian dugout. The chase was over with more than five overs to spare. So commanding was Watson’s performance, and subsequently Australia’s, that suddenly they became hot favourites.Chris Gayle, 75* off 41
Australia v West Indies, semi-final
If Australia were the team to beat, Chris Gayle remained the wicket to claim. Australia couldn’t get him out, and he made them pay in the semi-finals. The most striking factor of this knock, though, was Gayle’s willingness to be watchful. There was no big hundred, despite him batting through the innings, but that was mostly down to him gaining only a fraction of the strike: 41 balls. Some of those 41 he faced in discomfort, with an apparent abdominal muscle strain; most of them he faced with caution overriding aggression as he pushed Australia to the brink. With Kieron Pollard joining Gayle for the final push, West Indies cleared 200, a total that proved way beyond an out-of-sorts Australian line up.On cue, Ajantha Mendis mystified on his international return•Associated PressMahela Jayawardene, 42 off 36
Sri Lanka v Pakistan, semi-final
Remember Mahela Jayawardene’s silky century in the final of last year’s ODI World Cup? This was another one of those masterful innings. But this one included a lot more battling, for it was not on that kind of pitch. In place of the placid Wankhede pitch, was a powdery, crumbling turner at Premadasa: one of the toughest pitches you’d come across in the shortest format. Of course, in such conditions, you’d expect to fall back on Jayawardene and he didn’t disappoint, crafting a skilful, gutsy innings that proved to be the difference between the two sides. As Sohail Tanvir kept it in the channel outside off, he made sure he played with soft hands and, with the ball spinning square for the slower bowlers, brought out an array of sweeps and reverse-sweeps, with the odd fine glance and lap shot. A classy display from Jayawardene, which went a long way in putting Sri Lanka into yet another big final.Ajantha Mendis, 4 for 12
Sri Lanka v West Indies, final
Ajantha Mendis had already showed glimpses of what he could do in his first match back in Sri Lankan colours in eight months, when he took two wickets in two balls in his first over against Zimbabwe in the group stage, on his way to figures of 6 for 8 – the best in Twenty20 internationals. On biggest night of the tournament, he would deliver again. West Indies seemed overawed by the occasion, poking their way to 12 for 1 in five overs when Mendis came on. It took him four balls to trap a tentative Chris Gayle, the player many said West Indies’ hopes rested on – one ball was swept at and missed, and two produced shouts for lbw, the second of which was upheld. He went on to rip the heart out of the West Indies line-up with the wickets of Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell. At one point, he was on a hat-trick, and was denied only by an inside edge from Darren Sammy that narrowly missed the stumps. By the time Mendis was done, he had reduced West Indies to 89 for 5 in 16 overs.Marlon Samuels, 78 off 56

Sri Lanka v West Indies, final
A knock of 78 at a strike rate of 139 in a T20 game might not seem like much. You’d have to factor in that it was the World Twenty20 final, that West Indies had scored 32 off 10 overs and the opposition attack included Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis to better understand the significance of this Marlon Samuels’ special. Sample this: never before in T20 internationals had any batsman hit Lasith Malinga for more than one six during the course of an innings; Samuels hit Malinga for three sixes in an over, clearing the midwicket, extra cover and long-on boundaries. Two more sixes followed in Malinga’s next over, the final one being a monster 108-metre hit onto the roof of the R Premadasa Stadium. The world’s best Twenty20 bowler dealt with, Samuels had reignited West Indies self-belief and put them on their way to a famous win.

Robert Lewandowski expressed his jubilation at becoming only the third player after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to score 100 UCL goals.

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• Lewandowski scored twice in 3-0 win over Brest
• Notched up his 100th and 101st goals in UCL
• Expressed happiness at joining elite company

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski was over the moon following his team's resounding 3-0 win over Brest in the Champions League on Tuesday evening as the evergreen Polish striker struck twice to become only the third player in the competition's history to score over 100 goals.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 36-year-old joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in elite company as the only players to have more than 100 goals in the Champions League.

  Lewandowski scored in the 10th minute against the French outfit to bring up a century of goals in Europe's most prestigious club competition, and then made it 101 goals by scoring in stoppage time. However, he is still some way off catching up to Ronaldo and Messi, who have 140 and 129 goals respectively.

  Lewandowski's 101 goals, though, have come in just 125 games, which makes him the player with the best goals-per-game ratio among the trio. He scored 17 goals for Borussia Dortmund, 69 for Bayern Munich, and has 15 for Barcelona. With seven goals, the Barca No. 9 is the leading goal scorer in the ongoing campaign.

• WHAT ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI SAID

  Speaking to the press after the game, Lewandowski said: “Years ago I didn’t think I would reach my 100th goal in the Champions League. It’s good to have your name next to Cristiano and Messi. I’m very happy, I didn’t think I would score this many goals in the Champions League."

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  With the win over Brest, Barcelona climbed to second spot in the Champions League standings. Their next game in the competition is away at Borussia Dortmund on December 11. However, they have a cause for concern domestically, as a loss against Real Sociedad and the draw against Celta Vigo last weekend sees them just four points clear of Real Madrid having played one game more. Flick's troops will face Las Palmas next on Saturday, November 30, in LaLiga.

Bavuma also cognisant of SA’s advantage of playing after Australia v West Indies

Firdose Moonda05-Nov-2021South Africa will look to “add an extra five per cent” in all their departments, as they seek to beat England for the first time in six T20Is and topple one of the tournament favourites in a bid for a semi-final spot.”We want to play our best cricket tomorrow,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s captain said on the eve of the game. “It’s just to find a way to add an extra five per cent in all our departments. It’ll just be us trying to find a way to improve in every department. I think the bowling has been really good. The fielding, as well, has been really good. The batting, as well. But let’s just find a way to just improve in every department of our game.”That is as much as this South African side can do against a side that has had the better of them, and most others, recently. England have only lost once in their last 10 T20Is. They’ve also won the last three T20I series against South Africa, dating back to 2017, which is about the time South Africa’s decline began.That year, they were booted out of the Champions Trophy early, lost a Test, ODI and T20I series in England and have been fairly inconsistent ever since. Though Bavuma was talking about more recent times when he said, “obviously the team has gone through a lot,” it applies over several years and particularly in this tournament where issues of team culture and race were in the spotlight. “I think we’ve learnt a lot about each other. We’ve grown a lot as a team in finding ways to get through all the tough times that we’ve gone through collectively,” Bavuma said.Related

• SA are not perfect, but they are getting comfortable about it

• Last chance for South Africa to stay alive as they come up against formidable England

And so, the match against England is an opportunity, albeit a very difficult one, to start proving the tide has properly turned. While South Africa have showed signs of improvements, with successful winter tours, and plucky performances in the tournament so far, they lack out-and-out superstars in the AB de Villiers mould. The closest candidates are Kagiso Rabada, who started this competition slowly, and Quinton de Kock, who has yet to make a significant contribution, but that doesn’t bother Bavuma. “Every game we speak about going out and fighting it out as a team. We don’t leave it to individuals,” Bavuma said. “We don’t rely on individual brilliance to bring it home for the team, but it’s all about us as a team giving everything that we’ve got. Tomorrow it won’t be any different. We’ll still be showing the same character, the same fight that we’ve shown while in this tournament.”South Africa’s muscle has come mostly in the field, with their bowlers undoubtedly their strongest suit. Their top-heavy and relatively slow-scoring line-up have just about kept their heads above water, which Bavuma backed as being good enough.”Looking at the conditions, it’s not free-flowing type of cricket. We’ve really, really had to craft as a batting unit,” he said. “We’ve always spoken about being flexible as a batting team, as individuals, and looking at the players that we have in the team, I felt that I could do a role up front, but I could also do a role within the middle.Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen will play key roles at the top of the order•AFP/Getty Images

“We’ve had guy like Rassie van der Dussen go in earlier because we know if he has the opportunity to face a considerable amount of balls, he’s a guy that can really put a bowling attack under pressure. You have a guy like Reeza Hendricks, as well, who’s come off good recent form at the top of the order. So trying to utilise that form at its best. For me it’s just playing the conditions really. We know within our batting side we need someone to kind of hold things on one end to allow all our big hitters, if I could say, to get into the game. But that’s what we’ve seen has worked at this World Cup. That’s not to say going forward that’s going to be our strategy, but for now, that’s what we feel is best.”Bavuma expects Sharjah to be slow and low, and hopes that South Africa can bat quicker than they did against Sri Lanka at the same venue, where they made hard work of chasing 143. “We knew that the wicket would be on the low side. With the batting, we did take it quite deep, and I guess the learning from that is I guess maybe we’ll have to pull the trigger a bit earlier,” he said.Their scoring rate could be key if Australia beat West Indies and the semi-final berth will depend, not just on South Africa winning, but securing a higher net run-rate than Australia. “What’s happening with Australia-West Indies, what helps us is that their game happens before our game, so we’ll kind of get a better sense or understanding as to how we need to approach the England game,” Bavuma said. “If Australia win, then it’s going to come down to net run rate. We’ll have an opportunity somewhere along our game to control our net run rate or alter our approach.”At the least, then, South Africa will take on England knowing if five percent more will be sufficient, or if they need even more than that.