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Erling Haaland missed a penalty but then opened the scoring in Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich which sent them into the semi-finals

Even when he is far from his best, Erling Haaland knows where the net is.

Many players might have let their heads drop after missing a penalty, especially after ballooning the ball over the bar. Not Haaland.

The Norwegian striker dusted himself down and effectively put the tie to bed with a composed finish in the second half before Joshua Kimmich scored late on after a farcical penalty decision which punished Manuel Akanji for the ball striking his arm while he was challenging an opponent.

This was not City's best performance by any stretch of the imagination but they were rarely in any danger against one of the top teams in Europe and are in the Champions League semi-finals for the third year in a row through the 1-1 (4-1 on aggregate) result.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Allianz Arena…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Ederson (6/10):

Was kept on his toes all evening and coped well although didn't actually have to make many saves due to Bayern's wastefulness.

John Stones (6/10):

Less influential in midfield than he has been but very assured in defence.

Manuel Akanji (5/10):

Was stretched a bit by Coman and Leroy Sane. Extremely harsh to have conceded the penalty.

Ruben Dias (7/10):

City's most dominant defender again. Beaten to the ball a couple of times but made some important blocks and kept his head.

Nathan Ake (5/10):

Picked up a booking and struggled to deal with Kingsley Coman on a few occasions. Forced off in second half with a suspected hamstring injury which could be bad news for City.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Kevin De Bruyne (7/10):

Played a wonderful ball to Haaland for the goal and his passing had Bayern on the back foot. The Bavarians should be thankful each and every day that he left the Bundesliga.

Rodri (5/10):

Didn't manage to exert his usual control on the midfield, particularly as Bayern bossed the first half.

Bernardo Silva (6/10):

Played a couple of sloppy passes and did not connect well with his team-mates. But this was not a match in which his playmaking was particularly needed, given the aggregate score.

Getty ImagesAttack

Ilkay Gundogan (8/10):

Not very effective in attack, taking too long to shoot on more than one occasion.

Erling Haaland (6/10):

Far from his best display and as well as skying the penalty he blasted the ball straight at Yann Sommer from a good opportunity. But responded as he knows best, with a ruthless finish. Even his bad days wind up looking pretty good.

Jack Grealish (7/10):

Worked hard in defence and also posed Bayern a few problems when on the ball. His close control and dribbling also frustrated the hosts. Enjoying life on the pitch this season more than his debut campaign with City.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Aymeric Laporte (7/10):

When he was on the pitch Bayern's grip on the game started to fade.

Julian Alvarez (N/A):

Brought on for the final six minutes.

Kyle Walker (N/A):

Only introduced for the final two minutes.

Pep Guardiola (7/10):

Took no chances with his team selection and despite not playing superbly his side were rarely in any serious danger.

The Manchester City striker could break countless records in his career, but what were the current icons doing at the same stage of their careers?

Goal machine, beast, robot, tremendous Nordic meat shield; the descriptions of Erling Haaland get more and more outlandish, but he Manchester City striker has been nothing short of a phenomenal since his summer switch from Borussia Dortmund to the Premier League.

Haaland has scored 17 goals in his first 11 matches for City, and manager Pep Guardiola has warned that his star striker will only get better.

At just 22, Haaland already has 152 club goals and another 21 for Norway, putting him on course to be one of the all-time great goalscorers.

But where exactly does he rank alongside some legends of the game at this point in his career? GOAL takes a look…

Lionel Messi

When it comes to the greatest players he has ever coached, Guardiola never deviates from naming Messi.

"[Haaland] can be a better player [than Messi is], he can have the will do do it," he said after Haaland's Premier League debut. "He likes football, I have never seen a player who is 21 or 22 years old – maybe Messi he was already advanced – but the rest are never finished and always you can improve."

In terms of goalscoring, though, the Argentine was nowhere near close to Haaland's extraordinary figures at exactly the same age.

Messi had scored 44 times from 112 appearances for Barcelona, although he spent much of his time as a winger, and had contributed to three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.

It was also the age when he exploded as a goalscorer, netting a ridiculous 628 goals from his next 666 matches for the Spanish giants, and by the age of 23 he had won the Ballon d'Or.

AdvertisementCristiano Ronaldo

Like Messi, at Ronaldo was a season away from winning his first Ballon d'Or at the age of 22, though he had already finished as runner-up to Kaka in the battle to be named the world's best footballer.

He was also mostly being used as a winger at that time, meaning his 50th career goal came shortly before his 22nd birthday in April, while the wait to score the first of his 50 career hat-tricks would last another six months.

In some ways, however, Ronaldo had a similar career trajectory to Haaland's, as he too decided a move to Manchester was the best way to truly announce himself as a global superstar.

Kylian Mbappe

If Messi and Ronaldo dominated the last decade or more, then Haaland and Mbappe will be the strikers to hog the limelight for at least the next 10 years.

The rivalry has already begun after the Paris Saint-Germain striker mocked Haaland's 'zen' celebration after beating Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in 2020.

Mbappe is 18 months older than Haaland, but won the Golden Boy three seasons earlier than his counterpart following a standout year with Monaco, PSG and France in 2017.

He is currently ahead in terms of total number of club goals, with 208 from 286 appearances at an average of 0.73 goal per game, similar if slightly inferior to Haaland's 0.78.

It is also very similar when comparing this stage of their careers, with Mbappe having just nine goals fewer than Haaland, albeit from 23 more appearances.

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Karim Benzema

The debate over who is the best striker in the world right now is a fierce one, but Benzema's almost-certain Ballon d'Or win in the coming weeks might mean he is best deserving of the crown.

His superstar status has rocketed late in his career, mostly after coming out of the shadow of Ronaldo, although he has always been a consistent performer.

At 21, he was monitored by the top clubs in Europe after 66 goals in 148 appearances for Lyon, and Real Madrid beat off competition from Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United for his signing in 2009.

In his first season at Santiago Bernabeu, though, he managed only nine goals.

That pales in comparison to this past campaign when, aged 34, his total of 44 goals was comfortably the best of his career.

GOAL has put together a stellar line-up made up solely of players from countries that failed to qualify for this year's finals

Qualification is not yet complete for the 2022 World Cup, with three spots still up for grabs, but we already know that some of the game's greatest players won't be travelling to Qatar.

Indeed, GOAL has been able to put together a stellar line-up comprised solely of superstars who will be sitting at home when the tournament gets under way later this year.

You can check out our adventurous 3-4-3 formation below and feel free to post your own selections in the comment box provided….

GettyGK: Gianluigi Donnarumma

It's a real shame that we won't get to see Slovakia and Atletico Madrid ace Jan Oblak at the finals but the absence of Gianluigi Donnarumma is even more shocking.

After all, the giant goalkeeper was named player of the tournament at Euro 2020, after playing a key role in Italy's surprise triumph.

Donnarumma, though, was powerless to prevent the Azzurri from sensationally failing to qualify for Qatar, with Roberto Mancini's side upset by North Macedonia in the play-offs.

The Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper is still only 23 and should get plenty more chances to grace a World Cup but elimination was the last thing he needed right now, given his poor form and ongoing struggle too establish himself at the Parc des Princes this season.

AdvertisementGettyCB: Milan Skriniar

Slovakia may have finished third in their UEFA qualifying group but they didn't really come close to securing even a play-off berth.

It's a shame for Milan Skriniar, who played every minute of his nation's unsuccessful campaign.

The much-coveted Inter defender is widely regarded as one of the finest centre-backs in the game today but the 27-year-old may never get the chance to compete in a World Cup.

GettyCB: Giorgio Chiellini

Giorgio Chiellini was almost at a loss for words after Italy's shock 1-0 loss to North Macedonia, admitting he was "crushed" by his nation's failure to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup.

It's easy to understand why. The veteran centre-back will turn 38 later this year. Chiellini may have played a pivotal role in Italy's emotional Euro 2020 victory but he will never get another chance to take to the game's greatest stage.

That's good news for forwards all over the world, of course, but a blow for neutrals, who felt one of the great defenders of the modern era deserved to bring the curtain down on his international career at World Cup 2022.

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GettyCB: David Alaba

We could have put David Alaba in several positions in this team. The Real Madrid ace is that versatile. And he's that good.

It was tough, then, to see Austria beaten in the UEFA play-offs by Wales, as there is now a very real prospect that Alaba will never play in a World Cup.

At 29, he should definitely have one more crack at qualification, but it's worth pointing out that Austria haven't made it to a finals since 1998.

Mark Robinson, the head coach of the England women’s team, has blamed their five-run defeat against Australia in the World T20 semi-final on the squad’s poor standards of fitness

Andrew Miller in Delhi30-Mar-20161:30

‘We couldn’t run our twos’ – Mark Robinson

Mark Robinson, the head coach of the England women’s team, has blamed their five-run defeat against Australia in the World T20 semi-final on the squad’s poor standards of fitness, and has challenged his players to improve their running between the wickets in particular, after falling short in yet another major global tournament.Speaking alongside England’s beaten captain, Charlotte Edwards, at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Robinson said that the defeat was still too raw to contemplate its full implications. However, he exonerated Edwards herself from any criticism, saying that he needed “a few more warriors like the captain” to take the team to the next level.”We lost by five runs,” said Robinson. “There’s nothing between these two teams. But we’ve got to get fitter. We’re not fit enough. They out-ran us.”Athleticism is something you are given by God, but aerobic fitness is something we’ve got to get better,” he added. “We missed out on twos, and we’ve lost by one boundary. We’ve got to change our mindset a bit, and toughen up a bit.”Not for the first time this tournament, England appeared to be cruising to victory while Edwards and Tammy Beaumont were adding 67 for the first wicket in the space of ten overs. But a familiar middle-order wobble left them with too much ground to make up in the closing overs, as they drifted out to 117 for 7.”Both teams got to similar stages,” said Robinson. “Both teams struggled to get boundaries in the end. It was all about the first 10 overs. The batting will get all the attention but, with big boundaries, slowish bowlers and no one in front of the wicket, it’s hard to find the boundaries.”Since his appointment last summer, Robinson has focused on adding new levels of aggression to England’s batting, which manifested itself in the only three sixes of the day, from Beaumont, Sarah Taylor and Katherine Brunt. However, his call for “360 degree” batting proved less successful, with Taylor in particular guilty of a limp dismissal off an attempted reverse-sweep.Robinson, however, reiterated his original point in defence of such attempts at innovation.”It was a bit of a problem because we couldn’t run our twos,” he said. “It was a catch-22 because, if you can’t get past the boundary and you can’t run twos, you’re starting to struggle a bit. But we hit six sixes in the tournament, so I know they’re going in the right direction.”There’s a lot of potential in the group,” he added. “A lot of girls with a lot to offer, we’ve got to give them belief and stick with the right players as well and accept there will be some bumps. But we’ve got to push them and extend them as well, because there’s a lot more in the tank.”Though Edwards’ place is hardly under scrutiny given her form in the tournament, her 10-year role as captain may yet come under review. Likewise, the place of veteran players such as Lydia Greenway, who played in the 2005 Ashes win, and Jenny Gunn may have to be called into question if the team is to evolve in time for the 2017 World Cup on home soil.”We’re 45 minutes after losing a semi-final by a boundary,” said Robinson. “It’s too early to get into those situations. You’ve got to make sure your base is big enough, you’ve got players to come in, There needs to be competition.”We’re looking for players who can stand up and be counted, and play under the pressure, and have the aerobic fitness to do the job necessary. That will be a necessity for any women’s team going forward.”We need more players like the captain,” he added. “She’s led fantastically well over the years. She’s got a fierceness inside her to keep improving and keep scoring runs. That’s something you want in all your players.”Edwards herself reiterated her desire to continue as England captain. “Absolutely,” she said. “I’ve been challenged pretty hard to expand my game and I feel I’m playing as well as I ever have done. Of course I want to keep captaining England. If I’m not the right person, it’s not going to be my decision. But I love what I do and I hope to keep giving more to this group.”

David Willey’s worldwide reputation has never been higher after his part in England’s journey to the World T20 final in India

David Hopps21-Apr-2016David Willey’s worldwide reputation has never been higher after his part in England’s journey to the World T20 final in India. As England’s leading wicket-taker he displayed an ability to remove top-order players with the new ball and hold his nerve in the closing overs. But anybody casually describing him as a T20 specialist is liable to risk a few home truthsWilley has joined Yorkshire with the opposite intention in mind – the ambition to prove his credentials as a Test cricketer. England might be taking a more relaxed attitude to their best T20 players taking part in IPL and could be expected to be enthusiastic if Willey entered the IPL auction and won a contract.But for the moment he wants no part of it. His eyes are on helping Yorkshire to a third successive Championship and enhancing his reputation as an all-round cricketer in the process.”Test cricket is the pinnacle still – I’ve always wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps and play Test cricket.” said Willey. There is a fierce sense of tradition about him, just as there was in his father, Peter Willey, who played 26 Tests for England before turning to umpiring.”He’s been my main point of call for many years now,” Willey said. “If he can’t give me the best advice after 49 years, I don’t know who can.” With such a family influence, he was never going to be a cricketer obsessed only with the IPL dollar, although he did take the chance to play in the Big Bash League, something he would like to continue if England commitments permit.”I guess over the years I played more and more with Northamptonshire being competitive in one-day cricket. I think if you’re in a successful team, you’re going to get recognised in that format.”I can understand that, and I’ve got a long way to go in Championship cricket to maybe get Test recognition – which I’m aware of – but I hope joining Yorkshire is a stepping stone to doing that.”IPL then will have to wait. “You never rule out any option, but I moved here to play Division One red-ball cricket. If you look at the fixture list, if you go to the IPL and are in the England one-day set-up, you end up only being available for a handful of Championship games, which defeats the object of me moving here.”Maybe down the line, it might be an option for me. But certainly this year, I wanted to come here, settle in, get to know the lads and not only contribute to the one-day stuff but the Championship stuff.”His fiancée is from Bramley, a few miles from his new cricketing home at Headingley. He doesn’t much care for theories, though, that he plays his cricket in a typically aggressive Yorkshire style, something that is bound to endear him to northern crowds. “I think the majority of cricketers play in an aggressive manner,” he said. “I probably get too close to the line at times, but I guess that’s my competitive edge coming through.”David Willey would like the chance to continue opening the batting in domestic T20•Getty ImagesWilley was rested out of Yorkshire’s opening Championship match against Hampshire at Headingley, following his England exploits, and as the first two innings brought more than 1,000 runs over more than three days, it seemed a good one to miss.But Willey does not seem the sort to want to rest out for long. There would be times when his intense gaze would have rested on the tousle-haired Ryan Sidebottom, the former England left-arm seamer, who recorded his 1,000th wicket in all professional formats during the match and who, at 38, is seen as the ideal mentor for Willey over the next two seasons before an envisaged retirement.”He has been successful in all forms so if I can just pick his brains about one-day cricket and four-day cricket hopefully I can improve and play in his wings and in the future lead the attack as he has done quite well here.”It is a very strong squad but there is a lot of cricket to play in the summer so there are going to be a lot of opportunities and I hopefully will play all one-day cricket and, with the other seamers, rotate around so we are all fresh when we play the four-day stuff as well.Rotation was never a possibility at his previous county, Northamptonshire. “You play at smaller counties, you are wheeled out at times to play every game of the season, which is difficult as a bowler.”Here, I’m going to have to push to get a game. But then also, there will be opportunities for me to rest as well. That hopefully means that when I do play my four-day cricket, I’m fresh and can bowl to my potential.”There is no getting away from the fact, though, that Willey’s biggest impact could be in T20, simply because this is where Yorkshire have had glaring shortcomings. He might have batted down the order for England but as well as his bowling duties he has ambitions to repeat his Northants role in the NatWest Blast as an opening batsman – which included hitting a 40-ball hundred in last year’s quarter-final against Sussex. Alex Lees, an opening batsman himself, in his first captaincy season in limited-overs formats, can expect a meaningful conversation.”I’d like to think I’ll open the batting,” he said. “It depends who’s available, and what the captain and coach want to do. But I think I’ve been quite successful opening the batting down at Northants, so I’d like to put my name in the hat to do that here as well.”It certainly helps when you’ve got a consistent 12 or 13 players playing. People then know their roles and how each other plays. When you are having to mix and match because people are dropping out, it becomes very difficult.”It is difficult with guys going in and out of the England stuff to get a balanced, settled side,” he said, “but there are a lot of quality players here and a strength in depth so hopefully it will come together for us to perform in one-day cricket as well.”

Stephan Myburgh’s unbeaten 60-ball 67 laid the platform for Netherlands to pull off an 18-run win over Nepal in the first T20 in Amstelveen

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Stephan Myburgh struck six fours and a six in his unbeaten 60-ball 67•Getty ImagesStephan Myburgh’s unbeaten 60-ball 67 laid the platform for Netherlands to pull off an 18-run win over Nepal in the first T20I in Amstelveen. Myburgh batted through Netherlands’ innings, and struck six fours and a six while guiding them to a total of 134.Nepal kept losing wickets regularly during their reply, with their only partnership of note a 31-run, fourth-wicket stand between Paras Khadka and Rajesh Pulami. Khadka stayed at the crease till the end to finish unbeaten on 45, but he was never able to keep up with the asking rate. Ahsan Malik was Netherlands’ most successful bowler, picking up three wickets while only giving away 23 runs in his four overs.Netherlands had to weather some early trouble after choosing to bat, losing two wickets to run-outs while slipping to 32 for 3 before Myburgh stabilised their innings in the company of Peter Borren – with whom he added 33 for the fourth wicket – and Michael Rippon – with whom he put on an unbroken 63 for the sixth.

Tom Curran returned to the old stamping ground of his father Kevin as he made good use of a rain-wrecked affair at Wantage Road

ECB/PA20-May-2015Surrey 155-3 trail Northamptonshire 309 (Newton 95, Peters 82) by 154 runs
ScorecardTom Curran returned to the stamping ground of his father Kevin•Getty ImagesTom Curran, at 20, made a maiden first-class appearance on the Wantage Road ground where his father Kevin played for eight seasons in Northamptonshire colours during the 1990s – and he made good use of it in a bedraggled match heading for a draw.Curran’s skiddy approach, bearing some similarity in action to his father, dismissed the industrious Stephen Peters and Rob Keogh before lunch in a match that had lost 164 overs to rain on the first two days.Peters, 64 not out, had missed his century and so too did Rob Newton. He begun brightly – dismissing Curran down the ground effortlessly off the second ball of the day – but rode his luck, too, driving over the slip cordon and skying a hook in between fielders.His fifty – the third in the Championship – came off 67 balls, but he fell five runs short of three figures, fifteen minutes after lunch.When Adam Rossington and Josh Cobb added 50 for the sixth wicket, serenity was restored but carnage was soon to descend in the most unthreatening of circumstances after Cobb drove to Batty from Ansari’s left arm spin. David Willey was bowled the very next ball while Steven Crook fell at deep mid-wicket in the following over from Batty, without adding a run himself.With Olly Stone dismissed cheaply too, Rossington could be forgiven for feeling bemused at the other end. He reached 50 off 69 balls and took out his frustrations with a huge blow for 6 down the ground off Ansari which almost took out the windows on the top tier of the Spencer Pavilion.When Rossington chipped back to Ansari for 58, Northamptonshire had lost their last five wickets for 21 and their last seven for 96 – and could only blame themselves.Ansari and Rory Burns showed how the placid pitch was really playing when they opened the Surrey innings and guided them to an uneventful 89 without loss. But Ansari’s edge produced an athletic catch from behind the stumps from Rossington off Mohammed Azharullah and two further wickets quickly followed.The accumulation of bonus points seems likely to be the only meaningful activity on the final day with a draw all but certain.

Ireland hung on like they would for dear life, beating Zimbabwe by five runs in one of the most thrilling finishes in this World Cup

The Report by Mohammad Isam07-Mar-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:28

Holding: Fielding made the difference for Ireland

Ireland hung on like they would for dear life, beating Zimbabwe by five runs in one of the most thrilling finishes in this World Cup. After 657 runs and 17 wickets, a game of fluctuating fortunes came to an end when Ireland’s captain William Porterfield ran hard from long-on to take the final catch of Tawanda Mupariwa, who had almost clinched it for Zimbabwe with two fours and a six in the penultimate over.Zimbabwe, whose campaign is now effectively over, hung their heads low as they walked off, but they would be proud of themselves for almost pulling off only their second 300-plus chase.As for Ireland, they are now fourth in Group B with six points, behind Pakistan on net run-rate, but they would be especially glad that they have found one bowler other than George Dockrell to help out their one-dimensional attack. Bellerive Oval’s first match at the World Cup was a predictable bat-off, but Alex Cusack held his own, taking four wickets and giving away just 32 runs at 3.36 per over.The match was lit by a pair of lively innings from either side. Ed Joyce’s 112 earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, and Andy Balbirnie’s 97 ultimately overpowered Brendan Taylor’s 121 and a heroic 96 from Sean Williams.Set a steep 332 for victory, Zimbabwe looked to be down and out when Taylor exited in the 38th over, but Williams brilliantly orchestrated the chase with Regis Chakabva. He never let the run-rate rise above the nine per over, but once he was dismissed in the 47th over, Ireland once again got one foot on the door.Williams, having survived a run-out attempt already, heaved Kevin O’Brien towards midwicket where John Mooney took the catch over his head. The TV umpires were asked if Mooney’s left boot had clipped the boundary. Eight replays were inconclusive, but by that time Williams had already gone into the dressing room and the umpires signaled the catch stood.Enter Mupariwa. With 26 needed off 12 balls, he hammered two fours and a six, his first since his ODI debut, off Kevin O’Brien, leaving Zimbabwe with just seven needed off the last over.But keeping with the frenetic nature of the last few overs, there would be one final twist. Cusack bowled Chakabva first ball with an off-cutter, meaning Ireland required just one more wicket. Tendai Chatara inside-edged the second ball away for a single, and the equation was six needed off four. Mupariwa was just one big hit away from a famous win, but off the third ball, he could only find elevation rather than distance, as Porterfield successfully held on to his third grab of the game, at long-on, sparking wild celebrations from his team-mates.Not many would have expected such an end when Zimbabwe made a circumspect start to the chase with the openers Chamu Chibhaba and Sikandar Raza falling five balls within each other. Stirling dived to his left to complete an excellent catch at first slip to dismiss Raza, while Porterfield ran back from point to safely pouch Chibhaba’s skier in the ninth over. The Zimbabwe innings fell into more trouble when Hamilton Masakadza tickled to Gary Wilson in Kevin O’Brien’s first over.The experiment of promoting Solomon Mire to No. 3 failed as he was caught at point for just 11, minutes after he was dropped at cover by O’Brien. Zimbabwe’s required run-rate touched eight per over in the 20th over, leaving too much on the plate of Williams and Taylor.When Taylor had gotten off the mark, he became the fourth Zimbabwean to reach 5,000 ODI runs. He kept finding the boundaries from the early stages, striking Kevin O’Brien through mid-off twice, as well as midwicket and mid on. Andy McBrine was cleared over midwicket for the first six of the innings, after which came the slap over midwicket off Paul Stirling’s slow offspin. Taylor reached his fifty in the 24th over, off just 38 balls, and responded with four more boundaries. He followed it up by smacking Stirling just over a diving John Mooney at long-on for a second six.In the 35th over, Taylor reached his seventh ODI hundred, coming off only 79 balls. In Dockrell’s last over, he piled into the left-arm spinner with two sixes and a four through wide mid-on. The 18-run over spoiled the figures of Ireland’s best bowler, who ended his 10 overs giving away 56 runs for just one wicket.Taylor was finally dismissed for 121 when Cusack duped him with a slower ball, which was easily caught by O’Brien. It was only the second time in his ODI career that Taylor was dismissed after making a hundred.Williams remained unfazed and struck seven fours and three sixes in his 83-ball knock, hacking over square-leg and midwicket with equal aplomb. He ran Ireland ragged with his own pace between the wickets, and completed 2000 ODI runs in the 25th over. He ended up making his highest ODI score, but it could have been so much more.Sean Williams’ controversial dismissal for 96 was the turning point of Zimbabwe’s chase•AFPEarlier, Joyce’s well-paced hundred, and the continued good form of Balbirnie helped Ireland’s innings rise to their highest-ever ODI score – 331 for 8. But it was never considered to be safe on a flat pitch, especially with a one-dimensional bowling attack.Joyce came in during the third over and survived an edge that fell short of first slip and a dropped catch when he skied one off Mupariwa on 34. He reached his fifty in the 23rd over, off 62 balls. Ireland’s hundred was up by then too, but the pace of the innings was rather lethargic.The arrival of Balbirnie, following a 63-run partnership between Joyce and Porterfield, changed the complexion of the innings. He added 138 runs off only 18.3 overs with Joyce to reclaim the advantage. Balbirnie was batting at No 4 for the first time, but he was in tune to what was required at the stage. Being new to the crease, he let Joyce do most of the hitting during their partnership, which eventually became Ireland’s highest second-wicket stand in ODIs.Joyce looked more authoritative after crossing fifty, hitting sixes over midwicket, square-leg and long-on. He reached his third ODI hundred (and second for Ireland) off 98 balls and was dropped for a second time on 105 by Craig Ervine at cover. The same fielder, however, caught a simpler catch at midwicket to finally get rid of Joyce, whose 112 came off 103 balls.Balbirnie took over and clattered 58 runs in 5.4 overs with Kevin O’Brien. Taylor, the stand-in captain, made plenty of bowling changes to thwart the onslaught, but Balbirnie kept going at a rapid pace. Ireland took 44 runs in the batting Powerplay before Balbirnie struck Panyangara for 21 runs in the 44th over with two fours and two sixes, one of them flicked on one knee over backward square-leg.Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson struck 24 and 25 respectively but Balbrinie, who was faced very few deliveries after the 45th over, missed out on a century when he was run out in the final over for 97. Williams and Chatara took three wickets each, as Zimbabwe had to make do with only three specialist bowlers and three part-timers.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third Test between West Indies and England in Barbados

The preview by Alex Winter30-Apr-2015Match factsMay 1-5, 2015
Start time 1000 local (1500 BST)1:42

West Indies vow to play ‘more attacking’ cricket

Big pictureEngland are on an upward curve after their final day surge to victory in the second Test and will now look to close out the series for a satisfying victory. After a terrible winter, a series win would be most welcome indeed. Several personnel were in need of a positive result in this series and barring a complete reversal in fortunes – England have dominated most sessions – those under pressure should be able to head home with a little more slack to work with ahead of two tough series against New Zealand and Australia.But they may be without Ben Stokes for the final rubber. Stokes, who has taken five wickets and scored 122 runs in three innings this series, has a sore back and could miss out as he returns to the ground where he punched a locker on England’s last visit in 2014, breaking a hand and missing the World T20.One of those in need of a positive series result is Alastair Cook, who is steadily rebuilding his mandate to rule. Most commentators have observed an improvement in his batting, with the cover drive coming back into his game and more discipline outside off. Two pleasing half-centuries in Grenada boosted his stock further and if he can manage a century in Barbados, any question of his position will surely be put to bed for the summer. Likewise Peter Moores is on the cusp of a series win to shore up his own position but uncertainty will still remain with the restructuring of England’s management ongoing.The recruitment progress to replace former managing director of England cricket Paul Downton has reportedly moved forward since the Grenada Test but Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach who was hired by Downton, has insisted England will not be distracted by the prospect of a former captain entering the fray as Downton’s replacement.West Indies rather reverted to type in the second Test. Having battled well, often in the worst of the conditions, to begin day five in sight of another well-earned draw, the lack of composure that blighted them in South Africa returned. Ridding the side of that tendency is Phil Simmons’s biggest challenge. But elsewhere there is encouragement with younger players showing much potential. If West Indies can at least make life difficult for England once again, Simmons would have a number of ticks in the notebook as he looks to revive Caribbean cricket.Jonathan Trott remains under pressure after an unconvincing return to Test cricket•Getty ImagesForm guideWest Indies WDLDL (most recent first)
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In the spotlightSome pressure has emerged on Chris Jordan who could lose his place in the side. England’s bowling attack is considered too similar and with Ben Stokes a more attractive option with his all-round ability and several sharp spells in the series so far, Jordan may be vulnerable. But if Stokes is unfit, Jordan may be retained. Jordan needs to prove his worth in England’s attack after five wickets at 45.60 in the series. His superb fielding remains a great asset.Shivnarine Chanderpaul has only passed fifty once in his last nine Test innings and questions are beginning to be asked about the stickability of the famous barnacle of the Caribbean. West Indies have missed his lower-order runs and, even as he edges (very slowly on current form) towards Brian Lara’s West Indies Test runs record, Chanderpaul needs a score to prove that he still has a part to play in West Indies’ rebuilding.Team newsJerome Taylor is expected to return, Kemar Roach is likely to make way after five wickets at 53 in the series so far. West Indies played two spinners at this ground in their last Test but have not brought Sulieman Benn back into their squad. Instead they have brought in Veerasammy Permaul, also a left-armer, and he may play because Devendra Bishoo has cut his spinning finger from over-bowling.West Indies (possible) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt/wk), 8 Jason Holder, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Shannon Gabriel, 11 Veerasammy PermaulBen Stokes has a sore back and could miss out. Liam Plunkett or Mark Wood could add pace to the attack, while Adil Rashid, the legspinning allrounder, could be considered having been prevented from returning to county cricket. Stuart Broad’s place may also be vulnerable. Ian Bell hurt a finger and didn’t train the day before the game but is expected to play. After only one convincing innings from four knocks, England could decide that their decision to recall Jonathan Trott was hasty and hand Adam Lyth, the specialist opener, a Test debut.England (possible): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Jonathan Trott, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Jos Buttler (wkt), 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.Pitch and conditionsThe tour returns to a traditional venue and the wicket in Bridgetown is anticipated to provide a bit more pace and bounce, which is good news for everybody. It is also a little drier so spin could play more of a part than the previous Tests of this series. In short, we might have a more sporting wicket. A good crowd is anticipated for the first day with it being a public holiday. The Brits have flocked over too.Stats and trivia There have been 99 Test centuries at the Kensington Oval England have a fair record in Barbados, winning three and drawing seven of their 14 Tests on the island Shivnarine Chanderpaul made his first Test century at the Kensington Oval, 137 against India in 1997 Chanderpaul needs 71 runs to pass Brian Lara as West Indies’ leading Test run-scorerQuotes”We need to come hard at the English. We are one down, so we need to play a little more aggressive and positive cricket.”
“The normal inclination is to go with the same team because you like to give people the confidence that they are not always playing for their place. You get stability when you’re winning and everyone knows their role in the team.”

Abdur Razzak’s five-wicket haul sent Old DOHS Sports Club crashing to an eight-wicket defeat against Kalabagan Krira Chakra at the BKSP-4 Ground in the first of the three relegation league play-off matches

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2014Abdur Razzak’s five-wicket haul sent Old DOHS Sports Club crashing to an eight-wicket defeat against Kalabagan Krira Chakra at the BKSP-4 Ground in the first of the three relegation league play-off matches in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League.Old DOHS are virtually relegated having lost all their eleven league matches. The Kalabagan-Partex Sporting Club encounter will decide which team will accompany Old DOHS to the Dhaka First Division Cricket League next season.After play started at 12:15pm due to heavy fog, reducing the match to 30 overs per side, Old DOHS, batting first, were bundled out for 115 runs in 29.1 overs. Razzak took 5 for 20 in 5.1 overs, while Shahadat Hossain picked up three wickets. In reply, KKC reached the target in 23.1 overs. Nasiruddin Faruque was unbeaten on 46 off 67 balls, while Jupiter Ghosh (19) and Shamsur Rahman (22) also chipped in with handy knocks to ensure a smooth chase.