The Afghanistan allrounder had been a key part of the Renegades’ run to the semi-final last season

Alex Malcolm02-Nov-2018

Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi has signed with the Melbourne Renegades again for the upcoming Big Bash League season.The 33-year old was a revelation for the Renegades in the seventh season. Of all players who bowled 20 overs or more in the tournament, his economy rate of 5.76 was only bettered by his Afghanistan team-mate Rashid Khan (5.65) and Ashton Agar (5.74). Nabi took eight wickets at just 18.62 and his bowling in the Powerplay was particularly impressive.He also made 52 off 30 balls in a Man-of-the-Match performance in the win over the Melbourne Stars. Nabi was a huge part of the Renegades run to the semi-final, and his absence due to international duty was sorely felt as the Renegades lost to the eventual champions Adelaide Strikers.Overseas spinners have again proved a popular choice for BBL teams following the success of both Nabi and Rashid. Another spinner from Afghanistan – Mujeeb Ur Rahman – signed with Brisbane Heat while Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane joined the Melbourne Stars and will be replaced by Lancashire and England Lions legspinner Matt Parkinson when he heads to the Bangladesh Premier League.The Renegades have also added legspinner Cameron Boyce to their squad after crossing from the Hobart Hurricanes.

Chris Woakes and Olly Stone hobbled the Sri Lanka chase before the rains returned in Dambulla

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Oct-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIncisive bowling from Chris Woakes and a rapid spell from Olly Stone uprooted four Sri Lanka wickets in the first nine overs – their collective new-ball effort outdoing Lasith Malinga’s heroics at the death, and bringing about a 31-run for England win via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. Malinga had taken 4 for 19 in his final five overs, completing his first five-wicket haul in over four years, as England were restricted to 278 for 9 despite having seemed destined for a total in excess of 300.But although the hosts’ bowlers had performed creditably, keeping England in check for the majority of their innings, Sri Lanka’s top order failed for the third consecutive time, slumping to 31 for 4 then 74 for 5, effectively surrendering the match in those early overs. Dhananjaya de Silva and Thisara Perera forged an unbeaten 66-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but could not make up enough ground before rain cut Sri Lanka’s chase short at the end of the 29th over. Their score at the time was 140. With five wickets down, they would have needed 172 to win.Woakes, who had missed the home ODIs in the English summer through injury, delivered a tight and constricting first spell, eliciting a series of false shots from Sri Lanka’s top order batsmen, three of which resulted in wickets. Upul Tharanga was the first to depart, edging a ball angled across him in the first over. New captain Dinesh Chandimal was the second of Woakes’ wickets, under-edging into his stumps as he attempted to punch the delivery through the covers. Dasun Shanaka, batting unusually high at No. 5, then touched a seaming ball behind after facing a harried 18 deliveries. With Stone also having had Niroshan Dickwella caught off the glove with a vicious bouncer at the other end, Sri Lanka were reeling, and the middle order were left with a monumental task to get back in the game.De Silva and Thisara gave the recovery a shot, as both played aggressively against England’s spinners, and negotiated the fast bowlers much better than the men batting higher up in the order had done. The rain, though, snuffed out what little hope Sri Lanka had, giving England a 1-0 lead in the series with three ODIs to play.Lasith Malinga rolled back the years•Getty Images

That England got as many as they did was largely the work of senior batsmen Eoin Morgan and Joe Root, who hit 92 off 91 balls and 71 off 83 respectively – the pair batting together in a 68-run third-wicket stand. Where Root had been assured from the outset, striking crisp boundaries off the fifth and eighth deliveries that came his way, Morgan’s first 30 balls at the crease were a little more frazzled.He was flummoxed by a Lakshan Sandakan googly in his first few minutes, the ball turning sharply back at him to strike him on the pad. More plays-and-misses and miscued strokes were to follow, but eventually his innings hit a rhythm. The sweeps and reverse sweeps began to be played with more conviction, and to profitable effect. His fifty – the 40th of his career – was completed off his 57th delivery, and he accelerated upon reaching the milestone, hitting 34 off his next 23 balls.Malinga’s haul featured all the vintage dismissals. He took Morgan’s wicket in the 42nd over – the batsman chipping a tame catch back to him after failing to pick up the slower ball. Next delivery, he bowled Moeen Ali with a slower yorker, the ball diving beneath Moeen’s shot. He got the balls at either end to reverse swing as well – perhaps the only one-day bowler in the world who can still get the ball to behave this way consistently. He breached speeds of 140kph at various points through the innings, and pointed to the name on his back when he took the fifth wicket with a fast, tailing yorker that Liam Dawson was not equipped to resist.His overall figures were 5 for 44. Having been dropped from the side for over a year, he has now taken 10 wickets in four games since his return.

Dhaka Dynamites are the only team to retain three overseas players for BPL 2019, with most franchises choosing to retain local players for the tournament scheduled for January next year. The governing council had allowed teams to retain four players from the previous BPL season.

Retained players

Dhaka Dynamites: Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard
Khulna Titans: Mahmudullah, Ariful Haque, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Carlos Brathwaite
Comilla Victorians: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoaib Malik
Rajshahi Kings: Mominul Haque, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Zakir Hasan
Sylhet Sixers: Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Sohail Tanvir, Liton Das
Rangpur Riders: Mashrafe Mortaza, Nazmul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Chris Gayle

Khulna Titans, Comilla Victorians, Sylhet Sixers and Rangpur Riders decided to retain one overseas player each. Rajshahi Kings have picked only local players among their four picks, although they released Mushfiqur Rahim who will now head the draft list as the most valuable local player. The draft is scheduled for October 25.Defending champions Rangpur retained captain Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Islam and Chris Gayle while the runners-up Dhaka held Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell and Kieron Pollard back.Powell, who hasn’t played BPL yet, is signed by Dhaka while Liton Das moved from Comilla to Sylhet. Comilla also couldn’t retain the Afghanistan spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, as they will all play in the Big Bash League, which will run from December 19 to February 17.The BPL, which has gone back to the rule of four foreigners in an XI for the 2019 tournament, is also competing with the UAE T20x tournament scheduled to end in mid-January.Meanwhile, the BCB said that there was still no decision on the fate of the Chittagong franchise after its current owners DBL Group reportedly said they cannot “continue in the tournament”.

Kylian Mbappe sent a heartfelt "miss you" message to Sergio Ramos after the defender scored on his 38th birthday to defeat Mason Greenwood's Getafe.

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• Ramos celebrated his birthday with a goal against Getafe
• Mbappe sent message to defender
• Ramos spent two seasons with Mbappe at PSG

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The defender was elated after he took just five minutes to find the net on Saturday afternoon. And since his strike eventually turned out to be the match-winner to hand Sevilla the three points, it will definitely feel like the icing on his birthday cake. However, the day was made sweeter as his close friend Mbappe posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram story to wish him well on his special day.

  @k.mbappe Instagram

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The duo forged a close bond when Ramos signed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after leaving Real Madrid. Even though the defender severed ties with the Parisians in 2023, Mbappe remembering his birthday shows that he continues to be friends with the 2010 World Cup winner.

  The PSG superstar wrote: "Happy birthday brother. The best for you always. Miss you."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Achraf Hakimi and Mbappe FaceTimed Ramos while the forward was celebrating his 25th birthday in December.

  "I miss you guys," Ramos stated. And Mbappe made an almost instant reply saying: "Papa, I miss you."

  @k.mbappe Instagram

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Mbappe is expected to join Real Madrid in the summer and the forward had reportedly sought Ramos' advice on how to settle and adapt to life quickly in the Spanish capital. He has admitted that his future will be resolved before the Euros but it remains to be seen when the move will be officially announced.

Allrounder will not travel to New Zealand for the three one-dayers in December

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2018Pandya likely to play for BarodaHardik Pandya won’t be a part of the India A squad for the three one-dayers in New Zealand as he is yet to fully recover from a back injury that he picked up at the Asia Cup in September. Selected in the India A squad last month in a bid to give him game time before the second half of the Test series in Australia, Pandya has now instead been asked to rest and continue regaining strength by the medical staff at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.Pandya’s next competitive fixture is likely to be the sixth-round Ranji Trophy clash for Baroda against Mumbai starting December 14. Meanwhile, the selectors are likely to pick Pandya’s replacement from the four-day squad that is currently on tour, with the third unofficial Test starting November 30 in Whangarei.Pandya last played a first-class match for his state, Baroda, against Gujarat during the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season.Yuvraj boost for PunjabYuvraj Singh, who had initially relinquished his spot in the Punjab side to make way for youngsters, has returned to the squad for their clash against Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla. In the absence of Yuvraj, Punjab ended up conceding the first-innings lead in both their drawn matches, against Andhra and Madhya Pradesh. Yuvraj is also set to be available for Punjab’s next two matches against Himachal Pradesh (December 6-9) and Tamil Nadu (December 14-17).Yuvraj was released by Kings XI Punjab ahead of the IPL auction in January. He recently featured in Punjab’s Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, aggregating 264 runs in seven innings, with a best of 96.Armaan Jaffer vaults into Mumbai squadTwenty-year-old Armaan Jaffer, the nephew of former India batsman Wasim, has forced his way back into Mumbai’s squad for their next game against Gujarat at home. Armaan earned his spot back with an unbeaten 300 off 367 he scored against Saurashtra in the Under-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy at Wankhede Stadium nearly ten days ago. His knock, studded with 26 fours and ten sixes, helped Mumbai to an innings-and-230-run victory.Armaan made his first-class debut for Mumbai against Tamil Nadu in October 2016 and played only two more matches that season before being dropped. He missed most of last season because of a knee injury that kept him out of action for more than a year.Mumbai continue to be without Shreyas Iyer who is in New Zealand as part of the A squad for three one-dayers to be played next month.Vinay back for Karnataka; Binny droppedKarnataka captain Vinay Kumar, who had missed the team’s previous match against Mumbai in Belgaum because of a neck injury, will return to lead them against Maharashtra in Mysuru. Allrounder Stuart Binny, however, has been dropped after managing only 53 runs in four innings and taking one wicket in two Ranji games this season.

In an email to the BCCI top brass, India’s senior-most player has hit out at coach Ramesh Powar and CoA member Diana Edulji

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Nov-2018Mithali Raj has accused India women head coach Ramesh Powar and former captain Diana Edulji – a member of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) supervising the BCCI’s operations – of leaving her “deflated, depressed and let down” with their actions during the recently concluded World T20 in the Caribbean.Raj, who was controversially left out of the starting XI in India’s eight-wicket semi-final loss to England, has also termed India T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to support her exclusion “baffling and hurtful”.

“Nothing against Harman”

Ever since Mithali Raj was dropped for the World T20 semi-final against England, there have been murmurs that India’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur does not get along with her senior team-mate. After the game, Harmanpreet had said, “We were going with a winning combination. We did really well against Australia. And that is the reason we just wanted to go with the same combination.”
In her email, Raj called Harmanpreet’s decision “hurtful”, but said she was still optimistic of sorting out any differences via a face-to-face meeting.
“I have nothing against the T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur except for the fact that her call to support the decision of the coach to leave me out of the eleven was baffling and hurtful,” Raj said in the email. “I wanted to win the world cup for my country and it hurts me because we lost a golden opportunity. But I am of the opinion that Harman and I are senior players and our issues, if any, should be sorted out by the two of us by sitting across the table.
“As India’s 50-over captain, I value Harman as one of our best players and will always want to ensure that the two of us perform our best for India.”

Raj laid bare her feelings in an email on Tuesday to the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and the BCCI general manager, cricket operations and women’s cricket, Saba Karim. Raj sent the email a day after meeting Johri and Karim in Mumbai to discuss the fallout of the controversy concerning her exclusion from the World T20 semi-final. Among others who met Johri and Karim on Monday were Harmanpreet and team manager Trupti Bhattacharya.In the email, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, the majority of Raj’s ire is directed at Powar, the former Mumbai and India offspinner who took over as the India women head coach in July, after Tushar Arothe’s resignation.According to Raj, Powar revealed “small signs” of what she alleged was “unfair and discriminatory” behaviour towards her as soon as the India squad landed in the West Indies.Raj, who has opened the batting across formats for the past several years, was pushed down the order in India’s tournament opener against New Zealand. According to Raj, Powar told her the move was made in order to increase India’s batting depth.Raj says she approached Sudha Shah, the national selector on tour, after Powar told her she wouldn’t open. On the morning of the next game, against Pakistan, Powar told her she would open. Raj opened against Pakistan and Ireland, and scored half-centuries in both games.Raj reaching out to the selectors, according to her email, changed Powar’s behaviour towards her.”For instance, walking off if I am sitting anywhere around, watching in the nets when others bat but choosing to walk away when I am batting in nets, if I try to go up to him to talk to start looking into his phone and keep walking. It was embarrassing and very evident to everyone that I was being humiliated.”Raj says she approached Bhattacharya to resolve the issue, and that the team manager arranged for a meeting between player and coach. During the meeting, Raj said, Powar was conciliatory and even apologised to her. “In front of the manager at numerous instances he agreed to his fault. (Yes, it was my mistake. I should not have done that).”India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and coach Ramesh Powar at the pre-departure press meet•Annesha Ghosh

Nonetheless, the email goes on to detail, the troubles with the coach would continue. “He would not even acknowledge me. To him I didn’t exist in the team. If I was around he would immediately move away from the scene, if I looked to wish him he would deliberately start looking in other direction.”He continued to behave badly as I have already informed you yesterday. It appeared to me that for him the meeting had hurt his ego.”Raj injured her knee during the match against Ireland and missed India’s final group game, against Australia. Raj says Powar told her “not to come to the ground” for that match, and – after she asked the manager to intervene – “not to step out of the dressing room” for its duration. Then, Raj says Powar called her onto the ground to join her team-mates in a victory lap.Raj’s knee recovered in time for the semi-final, but she says it was evident days before the match that Powar had made up his mind to leave her out. Raj says she was paired up with the lower-middle-order batsmen in the nets, and made to face part-time bowlers. “The kind of practice given to a player who is not in your scheme of things in a key match.”Powar, according to Raj, did not reveal the playing XI on the eve of the semi-final, a move she found “unusual”. “It is when Harman walked to toss, he came running to me and said that they were going with the same team. It meant the whole team knew who were playing and it was just me who was not aware.”Raj said she was left with no choice but to approach Johri and Karim because the episode had left her “utterly dejected and depressed”.”For the first time in a 20 year long career I felt deflated, depressed and let down. I am forced to think if my services to my country are of any value to a few people in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence.”When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, Powar refused to comment on the matter.Raj also said she felt let down by Edulji, her former Railways and India captain, who had said it was not the CoA’s “headache” to interfere in the controversy surrounding the semi-final, or any other decision of the team management.Raj said Edulji’s comments were a sign of “brazen support” for her being dropped, which left her “deeply distressed” only because the pair had spoken during the tournament.”Thereafter her statement saying ‘selection is not the COA’s headache’ is like suggesting there is no system of cheques (sic) and balances and anyone can do anything and get away because they have the backing of people in power.”The fact that the media gained access to Raj’s mail, meanwhile, has perturbed Amitabh Choudhary, the BCCI’s acting secretary. He emailed Johri and Karim, with the subject line “LEAKAGE OF REPORT”.”It is clear that the contents are extremely damaging to certain individual persons and therefore to the BCCI,” Choudhary’s email said. “Please let me know the facts of the case at the earliest.”

Thin drizzle rendered play impossible on the final day as India secured first-ever Test series win in Australia

The Report by Shashank Kishore06-Jan-20195:49

Pujara, Bumrah and beyond: Five reasons India beat Australia

Seventy-one years after they first toured Australia, India finally have a series win to show. While it wasn’t quite the grandstand 3-1 finish they would have envisaged, it was a series win well deserved as they became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia.History was celebrated with handshakes at little after 2.30pm on a bleak day where play didn’t look possible at any stage.This meant they weren’t able to add to the four overs out of the potential 155 they had at Australia to try to get the ten remaining wickets to secure a third win, after enforcing the follow-on with a 322-run lead that was achieved early on the fourth day. Incidentally, Sunday too dawned dark and grey with only 25.2 overs possible.The situation at times on the final day bordered on the farcical. As the floodlights took effect, Sydney’s Central Business Districts were visible through the thin spray of pitter-patter but the umpires were bound by the rigid ICC guidelines.The rain may have not been intense enough for the players to go off in the first place. However, with the rules stipulating players can only return once the drizzle stops and light improves to a reading better than the one that forced them off, any hope of play diminished drastically.Where they should have been out looking to take wickets, the Indian team spent their morning doing photoshoots and some tour filming; not quite the expected end to an intense series where each Test was pushed into the fifth day. The series win meant India became the fifth side after England, West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa to record a Test series win in Australia.”Hats off to India. When we play in India, we know how difficult it is, so to win in foreign conditions is a huge effort, congratulations to Virat, Ravi and those guys,” said Australia captain Tim Paine. “In the last two Tests, we were a little poor. We thought we had chances to win in Adelaide, but India outplayed us in big moments. In Perth, we played a good brand of cricket, but were completely outplayed in Melbourne and Sydney. India deserved to win.”Out of the 13 captains to have led India on these shores, Virat Kohli’s two wins on this tour is the joint-most along with Bishan Bedi. This completes a circle of sorts for India, who began their long stretch of overseas tours in January last year with a 2-1 series loss in South Africa.With a slew of home Tests – outside of the one tour to the Caribbean in July – in the next 12 months, India have a great chance of extending their reign as the No. 1-ranked Test side. For Kohli and India, this Test series will be extra special, for they found the batting support that their bowlers missed in South Africa and during their 4-1 loss in England.”I’ve never been more proud to be part of a team than this one right here,” said Kohli. “I think the culture we have been able to build over the last 12 months [has been fantastic]. I’m proud to be part of this team. To lead these players is an honour and privilege. They make a captain look good.”Kohli, remarkably, was only the third among all batsmen in the series – Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant finished ahead of him with 521 and 350 runs respectively. In comparison to the 2014-15 tour, where he scored 692 runs, Kohli’s tally of 282 seemed pale, but his century in Perth on a fiery track – albeit in a losing cause – was an act for the most top batsmen to emulate.In the end, the series scoreline was 2-1, with Australia’s Perth win sandwiched between India’s triumphs in Adelaide and Melbourne. Both sides will now square off in three ODIs to round-off a tour that began with the T20I series locked 1-1, with the second T20I in Melbourne ending in no result because of rain.

In a bid to intensify the Premier League title race, the penultimate matches for Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City have been rescheduled.

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• PL fixtures have been amended
• Broadcast selections lead to fixture overhaul
• FA Cup clashes also rescheduled

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arsenal will kick off the series of crucial encounters as they travel to face Manchester United on Sunday, May 12. The following day, Liverpool will visit Aston Villa on Monday, May 13, while City will be away at Tottenham on Tuesday, May 14. These matches set the stage for what promises to be a thrilling matchday 37 of the Premier League campaign with the final round slated for Sunday, May 19, marking the culmination of an enthralling season filled with twists and turns.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Originally scheduled for Saturday, May 11, the matches between United and Arsenal, as well as Aston Villa and Liverpool, have been moved to favour broadcast selections. Both fixtures will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, ensuring widespread coverage for fans across the country.

  City's clash with Tottenham was initially set for Sunday, April 21. However, the fixture was postponed due to Erling Haaland & Co. reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, which are scheduled for the weekend of April 20-21. This shift in date has also enabled the match to be televised live on Sky Sports.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In addition to their domestic commitments, Arsenal, Liverpool, and City could also be involved in European competition. If they progress to the semi-finals, they will be in action the week before their penultimate league fixtures. The Champions League second-leg ties are scheduled for May 7 and 8, followed by the Europa League matches on May 9.

  In further fixture amendments, Brighton vs Chelsea and United vs Newcastle have also seen a date change. These matches, originally planned for different dates, will now both take place on Wednesday, May 15, due to Chelsea and United's participation in the FA Cup.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  With seven league matches still to play, every point will be crucial in determining the eventual champions of England.

  The opponents for Arsenal, Liverpool, and City in their penultimate fixtures could all have European football aspirations of their own. Fourth-placed Tottenham and fifth-placed Villa are separated by goal difference, highlighting the competitive nature of the race for European spots. Meanwhile, United, currently in sixth place, will be eager to secure a vital victory against Arsenal to ensure a top-five finish. As the Premier League season reaches its climax, fans can expect an exhilarating conclusion with the title race going down to the wire.

  Date	Time (BST)	Fixture
  Saturday, May 11	12:30pm	Fulham vs Manchester City
  Sunday, May 12	4:30pm	Manchester United vs Arsenal
  Monday, May 13	8pm	Aston Villa vs Liverpool
  Tuesday, May 14	8pm	Tottenham vs Manchester City
  Sunday, May 19	4pm	Arsenal vs Everton, Liverpool vs Wolves, West Ham vs Manchester City

After the disaster at Abu Dhabi, nothing short of exemplary would lift Pakistan’s spirits this series. The man to fit that adjective was Yasir Shah, who finished with the second best figures by a Pakistan bowler in Test history, his 14th wicket in the match securing parity in a series against New Zealand. It took under seven overs and 30 minutes after tea to see the New Zealand tail off, ensuring Pakistan wouldn’t have to bat again as they triumphed by an innings and 16 runs.Yasir had four when New Zealand came out to bat after tea seven down. After Hasan Ali cleaned up Henry Nicholls – a beauty that ripped through the bat-pad gap and smashed into off stump, Yasir took centre stage again. He toyed with Neil Wagner in an over where he did everything but dismiss him, and came to finish the job next over. Wagner and Boult fell within three balls of each other, and Pakistan had their win.New Zealand had come into the fourth day with the foundation of a good partnership behind them. But they would have known that decent, good, or even big partnerships weren’t going to be enough to get them out of this predicament; they needed gargantuan contributions built over several hours of sweat and toil. To that end, they failed almost instantly; with just 15 added to Monday’s score, Latham was adjudged to have nicked behind to Sarfraz Ahmed the very ball after he brought up his half-century. There was, arguably, some misfortune to his dismissal, with several feeling his bat had hit pad rather than ball before it fizzed through to the keeper. It was telling how close the call was: Paul Reiffel, the on-field umpire, went upstairs to double-check. Even that second opinion, however, didn’t quite guarantee the correct decision.It wasn’t the most exciting session. Both sides were playing solid, if somewhat pragmatic, cricket. Taylor and Henry Nicholls batted with the knowledge of a pair who knew the wicket was easier than it had been yesterday, while Pakistan rotated the bowlers around to break up any rhythm, trusting a wicket was around the corner. There weren’t too many chances created, but every so often, Bilal or Yasir would produce vicious side spinners, to which the batsman could only stick out their bats and hope it didn’t clip the edge of the stump.It wasn’t to be, though. A deep square leg positioned by Sarfraz to guard against Taylor’s impetuous sweeping found himself in the game. Bilal Asif had tossed one in that looked too short to sweep, and when Taylor went for it anyway, it carried straight to the man, another hammer blow to his side’s chances of survival.Yasir made his first impact in the afternoon session when he broke yet another resilient New Zealand partnership, trapping BJ Watling in front to take his first wicket of the day. Until then, the pair had frustrated Pakistan in much the same way as Latham and Taylor had earlier. But just like the partnerships that came before, this one, too, was broken well before it could make the sort of impact that would threaten Pakistan’s dominance here, and New Zealand were suddenly down to allrounders and tailenders.Colin de Grandhomme’s absence of a solid defensive technique against Hasan was exposed pretty quickly, as he swung across the line to a straight ball that clattered into off stump. Ish Sodhi’s resistance didn’t last, either, and with half an hour still to go before tea, it appeared Pakistan could wrap this up in time to make this the final session of play.But Nicholls, who was instrumental to New Zealand’s win in Abu Dhabi for the partnership he struck with BJ Watling, was up for the fight again. Before this series, he had only two half-centuries against sub-continental teams – both against Bangladesh – but there is enough evidence of a strong character to suggest a stomach for this format. He was cleaned up for 77, and there, the last safety catch against a Pakistan win had been unloosened.It was only right for Yasir to have the last laugh. Few men have dominated consecutive days in Test cricket as Yasir did here in Dubai, ripping through New Zealand as records tumbled in his wake. No Pakistan bowler has ever better the 14 wickets he took in this match, with only one person to keep him company on that figure. That man? Imran Khan. It’s hardly shabby company.

Stina Blackstenius' dramatic extra-time goal won Arsenal the Continental Cup and denied Chelsea the chance of a quadruple in Emma Hayes' final season.

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Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 in Conti Cup finalBlackstenius scored only goal in extra-timeChelsea's quadruple dream over for another yearGettyTELL ME MORE

Chelsea thought they'd taken the lead midway through the first half when Mayra Ramirez beat Manuela Zinsberger with a fine strike from range, but VAR intervened and ruled it out for a handball in the build-up by Erin Cuthbert. It was the closest the game got to a goal in a first half peppered with half-chances, with Arsenal's best opening in normal time coming after the break when Cloe Lacasse was unable to beat Hannah Hampton one-on-one.

Lauren James had a great opportunity to open the scoring as the potential of extra-time loomed, put through on goal by Guro Reiten's clever scooped pass, but the angle closed as she waited to take the shot and that worked in Zinsberger's favour, who made herself big to thwart the England star.

To extra-time we went, then, but not before some really horrible scenes as Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum went down off the ball and was in need of serious medical attention before being stretchered off.

The Arsenal fans did all they could to fire up their team as the game understandably fell flat in light of a really worrying situation, and it was the Gunners who created the best chance in extra-time, as Blackstenius blasted a golden chance over the bar after Alessia Russo cleverly put her through on goal.

That miss wouldn't come back to haunt the Swede, though, as it was she who scored the only goal of the game with just four minutes of extra-time remaining, her shot too powerful for Hampton to stop as Arsenal retained their Conti Cup title.

AdvertisementDID YOU KNOW?

Arsenal are the only English team to have won the quadruple, doing so back in 2007, and so there will be a little extra satisfaction for the Gunners with this triumph as it means they have denied Chelsea the chance to match that feat this year. The Blues are still fighting for three trophies though, in the league, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

Getty ImagesTHE MVP

It wasn't Blackstenius' best game and she missed a huge chance before eventually breaking the deadlock, but it's hard to deny her the feat of MVP after she scored the goal that decided this final. The Swede ran hard as she always does, stretched the Chelsea defence and came up with the match-winning moment to ensure Arsenal's season doesn't end without silverware.

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GettyTHE BIG LOSER

In a tight and even contest which became more a war of attrition, there were no outstandingly bad performers, but it was Ramirez on the end of some bad luck when she had a wonderful strike ruled out through no fault of her own. There was no disputing the decision to disallow her superb goal, as it was a clear handball by Cuthbert, but she will have been frustrated all the same.