Hong Kong are set to host Papua New Guinea for three ODIs in the first week of November in Mong Kok, which hosted its first international match earlier this year. The games are scheduled for November 4, 6 and 8.This home series is wedged between two away tours for Hong Kong. They travel to Ireland and Scotland for three weeks from August 30, and then to Kenya for two World Cricket League 50-over matches from November 18.Head coach Simon Cook was looking forward to a busy season of cricket. “Our players are currently in a strength phase of their training program which is going really well so we should be seeing a faster, stronger and more durable Hong Kong squad leading into this really busy six-month period,” he said.Papua New Guinea had met Hong Kong on their ODI debut in 2014 and were whitewashed in a two-match series held in Townsville.Hong Kong director of cricket Charlie Burke was happy for the rivalry to resume. “It was only in 2010 when we met in Division 3 and since we have both emerged to register some excellent results [in the] World Cricket League and World Cup qualifiers.”The bigger picture is to continue preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in 2018.”

A 139-run third-wicket partnership between opener Jaahid Ali and captain Babar Azam set up a four-wicket win for Pakistan A over Sri Lanka A in Northampton

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2016
File photo – Pakistan A captain Babar Azam propelled his side’s successful run chase with a 77-ball 73•Getty Images

A 139-run third-wicket stand between opener Jaahid Ali and captain Babar Azam set up a four-wicket win for Pakistan A over Sri Lanka A in Northampton. The partnership, coming off 154 balls, helped Pakistan A ride a mini-collapse to win with 11 balls to spare.Sri Lanka A made brisk progress after opting to bat, largely thanks to Niroshan Dickwella’s 31-ball 44 and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 63-ball 56. But wickets fell at regular intervals – by the 34th over, Sri Lanka A had slipped to 173 for 6.Thisara Perera, coming in at No. 8, chipped in with 45 off 40, hitting five fours and a six to give the innings a late boost, but Sri Lanka A were bowled out for 254, failing to utilise three overs from their full quota.Pakistan A started shakily as Sharjeel Khan and Fakhar Zaman were dismissed within the first nine overs. It was at this point that Jaahid (77) and Azam (73) took charge with a century stand that put their side firmly in control.However, their dismissals within two overs of each other, both falling to Lahiru Gamage, left Pakistan A in a hint of trouble 186 for 4 in 36 overs. Sri Lanka had a whiff of an opportunity, but it was snuffed out by handy lower-order contributions from Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Nawaz. Though neither of them stayed to see the job through, they had done enough to ensure that Pakistan A won with time to spare.The win was Pakistan A’s second in three matches, while Sri Lanka A are languishing at the bottom with three losses in as many matches.

Younis Khan rolled back the years in stunning fashion on the third afternoon at the Kia Oval, crushing England’s hopes of victory with a brilliant 218

The Report by Andrew Miller13-Aug-2016England 328 and 88 for 4 (Bairstow 14*, Ballance 4*, Yasir 3-15) trail Pakistan 542 (Younis 218, Shafiq 109) by 126 runs

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAt the age of 38, and in the final Test of a tour in which most sage judges feared that his imperious talents were beginning to fade, Younis Khan rolled back the years in stunning fashion on the third day at the Kia Oval, crushing England’s ambitions of another come-from-behind victory with a brilliant and match-defining 218.By the close, England – who had still harboured realistic expectations at the start of an enthralling day’s play, given the greater strength in depth of their batting line-up – were instead bracing themselves for the prospect of another bruising defeat in the capital. Twin losses at Lord’s and The Oval in the 2015 Ashes were followed by last month’s first-Test defeat to Pakistan, who are now closing in on what would be one of the most highly acclaimed 2-2 draws to have been sealed in south London since England’s own comeback against West Indies in 1991.Nothing can be predicted in a Pakistan Test match except unpredictability itself, especially with the twin architects of last week’s third-Test revival at Edgbaston, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, yet to be implicated in England’s latest collapse.Nevertheless, with Yasir Shah emerging from his mid-series slump with three massive breakthroughs, including the key scalp of Joe Root for 39, and with Wahab Riaz once again showing the value of extreme speed in blasting Alastair Cook from the crease for 7 with his third delivery of the innings, England limped to the close on 88 for 4, still 126 runs from asking their passionately focused opponents from batting again.This is how Pakistan operate, in bursts of unanswerable brilliance, but for all the harrying skill that Yasir in particular demonstrated as the shadows lengthened in the evening session, it was the events before tea that ripped this contest from England’s grasp.With 31 fours and four belligerent sixes off the spin of Moeen, Younis soared past his previous series haul of 122 runs in three Tests with a supreme 218 from 308 balls – including 90 from exactly 100 deliveries in conjunction with Wahab and Mohammad Amir, two members of a Pakistan tail that had proven so wafer-thin in their losses at Old Trafford and Edgbaston.On Younis’s watch, Pakistan transformed a slender overnight advantage of 12 into a formidable lead of 214, and until James Anderson finally crowbarred an lbw decision from Marais Erasmus with ten minutes of the afternoon session remaining, England had looked bereft of ideas on a pitch that, as Wahab and Yasir would later demonstrate, was unquestionably offering more life than Pakistan’s formidable first-innings total of 542 seemed to suggest.Having played second fiddle to a typically pugnacious cameo of 44 from 78 balls from Sarfraz Ahmed in the morning session, Younis took command of both the scoring and the strike as the afternoon wore on, adding 37 in 11.3 overs with Wahab, who made 4 from 32 balls, then 97 in 20.3 with the steadfast Amir, who waited 23 balls to get off the mark as he helped his senior partner power through to his sixth Test double-hundred, before joining the celebrations three balls later by lashing Moeen over deep midwicket for the most unexpected six of the day.Younis Khan takes the applause for a magnificent innings of 218•AFP

When Pakistan’s last man, Sohail Khan, holed out to mid-on on the stroke of tea, Amir was the last man standing, unbeaten on a career-best 39 not out from 70 balls, his initial caution having given way to a florid range of strokes that ramped England’s frustrations up to boiling point.But Younis’s magnificence transcended everything else. He had begun the day on 101 not out, his confidence restored after a torrid series, and while Sarfraz dominated their morning partnership of 77, he bided his time, ensured his eye was fully in, then climbed into a tiring and tetchy England attack with a breathtaking shift of his gears.Having waited 13 balls to add to his overnight total, and with a handful of cherry-picked boundaries to keep his innings ticking along, the first real indication that Younis was set to produce a masterpiece came in the final over before lunch. Moeen was thrown the ball for an exploratory over of offspin, but Younis lashed him for two fours in three balls – a crushing drive through the covers and a rubber-wristed sweep past backward square – to go to the break on 147 not out.Soon after the resumption, he passed 150 for the 12th time in his formidable Test career, with a full-throated pull through square leg off Stuart Broad, then repeated the trick in Broad’s next over as the long-suffering Moeen at fine leg receiving a tongue-lashing from the bowler for failing to cut off the boundary.England’s mood worsened before could improve, as Cook shelled England’s fourth catch of the innings as Wahab poked outside off to Moeen, only for the opportunity to burst through his fingers at slip. Though Wahab fell two balls later without addition – slightly fortuitously stumped off Bairstow’s gloves as the ball deflected back into the stumps – the arrival of Amir was Younis’s cue to go into overdrive.The score at that stage was 434 for 8, the lead a healthy but still potentially precarious 106 – only three runs more, in fact, than the deficit that England had overcome at Edgbaston last week. But with a qualified faith in his team-mate’s durability, Younis took it upon himself to farm the strike as best he could, seeking to limit Amir to one or two balls per over, while cashing in at the business end of each over.While he picked a brace of boundaries off the quietly fuming Broad – a calculated edge through gully and a sumptuous full-faced four through the covers – it was Moeen, inevitably, who bore the brunt of Younis’s aggression. Cook kept faith in his offspinner’s ability to wheedle out important wickets – Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq have both fallen twice to him in the series to date – but Younis treated his offerings with contempt, battering him for three massive sixes in the space of five overs, the last of which – high and mighty over wide long-on – brought up his double-hundred, from 281 balls.It was, genuinely, a chanceless performance. Younis’s only real moment of alarm had come on 133, with 15 minutes to go until lunch, when Pakistan’s lead had stood at a relatively manageable 75. Steven Finn, who finished with 3 for 110 in another quietly encouraging display, rapped Younis on the pads as he hopped into line in front of middle and extracted a raised finger from umpire Bruce Oxenford. However, replays showed that the ball was bouncing straight over the top of middle stump and the moment was lost.And by the close so too, it seemed, was the match. With the onus on batting time, first and foremost, the stage appeared set for another of Cook’s masterful rearguards – it was on this ground, in the same innings six years ago, that he produced arguably the most important century of his career. But, having lined up the left-arm offerings of Amir with some success, leaving the ball with familiar poise outside off, he had no response when Wahab – in another of his erratic full-throttle moods – followed a first-ball no-ball long hop with a scorching lifter that Cook could only deflect at high velocity to Iftikhar Ahmed at first slip.Alex Hales, his place under pressure after a disappointing series, and with his conduct under scrutiny too following his contretemps with Yasir in the first innings, resisted as best he could but never looked likely to be England’s hero in this contest. Having flirted with danger outside off to the seamers, he fell, with some predictability, to the wiles of Yasir, playing all around a straight one to be pinned lbw for 12.One over later, Yasir had his second, as James Vince once again found a weak-willed means to leave the crease, drawn into a pretty-looking drive outside off but skewing a dolly straight to Misbah at cover. And though Root once again looked a class apart in reaching 39 from 46 balls – including his 4000th Test run – England’s dismal day was complete when Yasir, throttling back his pace to maximise his impact off the pitch, skidded one into his pads to extract another lbw. Gary Ballance and Bairstow clung on to the close but England – not for the first time in recent memory – are finding the final Test of a series strangely difficult to close out.

Glasgow Rangers delivered arguably their worst showing under Michael Beale as their build-up to the Scottish Cup semi-final couldn’t have gone any worse.

With a clash against Celtic at Hampden next week looking like it could define the Ibrox club's season, the match against Aberdeen on Sunday was the opportunity for some players to lay down a marker and deliver a solid performance, however, the 2-0 defeat suggests otherwise.

Pretty football at times, but this ultimately means nothing if no goals are scored and there were far too many chances blown at Pittodrie as the Dons continued their excellent form.

Fashion Sakala wasted a few opportunities and although the Zambian can be unorthodox and unpredictable at times, which is his greatest strength, against Aberdeen he was wasteful. He did manage to succeed with three dribble attempts, but the end result wasn’t good enough, having just one shot on target during the tie.

Straying offside three times and losing possession 17 times suggests his concentration levels were some way off what is expected, and it was a poor showing all-round from the forward, surprising given how much he has enjoyed playing under Beale.

Alfredo Morelos was arguably the worst player on the pitch for the Gers, however, delivering a woeful performance.

How did Alfredo Morelos play against Aberdeen?

There is no guarantee Morelos will even be at Rangers next season due to his contract expiring in the next few weeks, and his showing yesterday didn’t exactly inspire much confidence that he actually wants to remain at the Light Blues.

His Sofascore rating of 6.2/10 was statistically the worst in the starting XI and having enjoyed previous success over the years at Pittodrie, he looked a shadow of his former self.

The £33k-per-week striker managed 50 touches during the game and completed 33 passes which shows he wanted to play a big part, yet with just one shot on target throughout, his attacking contribution was minimal.

The Colombian didn't succeed with any of his dribble attempts, lost possession 12 times and won only two duels (28%).

With Beale relying on someone like Morelos to make an impact in a feisty encounter like this, the 26-year-old turned out to be a major disappointment, with the vast majority of his teammates not much better.

If this is the final swansong of Morelos’ Gers career, he is fading away rather than going out in a blaze of glory, and that perhaps sums up his final two seasons in Scotland.

Alastair Cook has said that England will seek to ‘park’ all of the off-field hype surrounding Mohammad Amir’s comeback to Test cricket

Andrew Miller07-Jul-2016Alastair Cook has said that England will seek to “park” all of the off-field hype surrounding Mohammad Amir’s comeback to Test cricket, despite reiterating his belief that players who get involved in corruption ought to be banned for life.However, he also admits that the distractions may help to galvanise a Pakistani team that is eager to make amends for the controversies of their 2010 tour.”We’ll spend a lot of time talking about it in the build-up,” Cook told ESPNcricinfo during a Yorkshire Tea event at The Oval, “but once we get out there we’ll just be thinking about playing.”Obviously it’s more of a distraction on the Pakistan side, but we know they tend to get united behind distractions. But all that stuff off the field, we’ve just got to park it, and we’re pretty good at that.”Nevertheless, ignoring the hype of Amir’s comeback is not the same thing as ignoring the threat that he will pose in his first Test appearance since the lifting of his five-year ban for spot-fixing, and Cook in particular remembers the challenge he posed as a teenaged prodigy that summer.Cook was dismissed three times each by Amir and his then new-ball partner, Mohammad Asif – who was also implicated and jailed in the News of the World sting, as he mustered 57 runs in six innings, either side of a cathartic and career-changing century at The Oval in the third Test.”It was warm and humid, it was muggy,” Cook recalled. “When the sun was out it was hot and there was rain around. The ball swung.”He bowled brilliantly as a youngster on his first tour, in good conditions he was an absolute handful,” he added. “But a lot of water has gone under a few bridges since then, so it’ll be interesting to see how he copes and see the crowd reaction is.”But as an England side, we’ve got to stay away from that sideshow. Whether you agree with him playing or you don’t, that’s not for us to say as players. It’s down to us to play him as a fantastic bowler.”Nevertheless, memories of the 2010 Lord’s Test are sure to come flooding back when the players take the field for the first Test next week, and Cook admitted that the atmosphere on that fourth and final day six years ago, on the morning after the newspaper’s revelations that Pakistan’s bowlers had been bribed to bowl no-balls to order, was one of the most peculiar he had ever experienced on a cricket field.”It was very surreal, horrible,” he said. “Did Swanny [Graeme Swann] get a five-for? I don’t think anyone celebrated any wickets. It was a disappointing day as we were on the verge of what we thought was a genuine win.”And that’s the problem when you fix games of cricket, or spot-fix, you tarnish games of cricket for the players, the crowd, everyone. The punishment should be befitting of someone who does that.”Guys who are paying a lot of money to watch us want to see a genuine spectacle, they want to know the 22 players, and the two umpires, are trying their best, and nothing should distract from that.”My feelings are clear, if you get caught matchfixing, you should be banned for life.”England come into the Test series off the back of a convincing 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka but with recent memories of their own 2-0 loss against Pakistan in the UAE last winter – when a near-miss in the first Test at Abu Dhabi gave way to two comprehensive defeats at Dubai and Sharjah. Cook, however, is confident of setting that record straight.”They are massively different conditions,” he said. “Misbah scored about 95% of his runs against spin, I don’t think he’ll be facing as much spin as he did there.”They’ve got a very good bowling attack, with a lot of variety, backed up by good spin. But it was a very close series. I don’t think 2-0 quite reflected the sides. We are a bit more comfortable in those conditions, but we were unlucky in that first Test.”

Tottenham Hotspur have listed South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann as a "surprise" new manager candidate, according to reports.

Who could Spurs appoint as manager?

The Lilywhites are still on the search for a new manager after parting ways with Antonio Conte last month as interim boss Cristian Stellini attempts to seal a top four Premier League finish.

Spurs' recent 3-2 humbling at home to Bournemouth made for grim viewing as Stellini suffered a blow in his pursuit of Champions League qualification, and it's safe to say the mood around north London appears sour right now.

Daniel Levy quite simply needs to get their next managerial appointment spot on after Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte ultimately didn't work out. Conte and Mourinho in particular, both serial winners with previous clubs, couldn't quite find the winning formula at Tottenham with supporters turning on owners ENIC.

Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and even Zinedine Zidane stand out as the big name free agents to have been linked with a move to N17.

Closer to home, British managerial duo Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter are also contenders going by recent reports, but it appears a shock name has now entered contention. Indeed, Monday's edition of Kicker (via Get Football News Germany) claims Klinsmann has emerged as a 'surprise' Spurs manager candidate.

The 58-year-old only took charge of South Korea in February, yet the former Spurs star is now being considered by Levy. He was also in attendance to watch Tottenham's defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend, where he was keeping a watchful eye on Son Heung-min.

Should Tottenham move for Klinsmann?

There is little denying the experience he possesses at international level, having coached on that front since 2004 and even taking the helm for Germany's host 2006 World Cup campaign where they reached the semi-finals. Klinsmann also managed the USA national team for five years between 2011 and 2016, yet one cavaet to his possible appointment could be his lack of work at club level.

The tactician has just one spell at Hertha Berlin, where he took charge for just 10 games in the 2019/2020 season, under his belt which could count against him in Levy's thinking.

Klinsmann is adored by the Spurs faithful and has spoken before about the prospect of managing his old club, yet there are both potential incentives and reasons not to appoint him.

We believe he should remain an outside contender for now, especially with the likes of Enrique and Pochettino available for hire.

Leeds United face an uphill task to stay in the Premier League, and new manager Sam Allardyce will surely have to improve the defence if he is going to keep the Yorkshire outfit in the Premier League.

What changes must Allardyce make to Leeds' defence?

The 4-1 defeat against Bournemouth ensured that Leeds now boast the worst defensive record in the division, with a remarkable 67 goals shipped in the top flight, which has also included heavy defeats against Liverpool and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.

Fingers have naturally been pointed at both the goalkeeper and the defence after Leeds bested their own record of goals conceded in a calendar month, and huge changes must be made by Allardyce if he wants to avoid similarly disappointing defeats against the high-flying Manchester City and Newcastle United in their next two games.

Despite the number of goals conceded, three of Leeds' defensive options rank in their top six players this season according to WhoScored, with Pascal Struijk, Max Wober and Liam Cooper all performing to a fairly consistent level in the Premier League.

Should Robin Koch be dropped by Leeds?

This begs the question therefore of why Robin Koch has been the main man for Leeds at centre-back so far this term, with the 26-year-old featuring in 33/34 Premier League games, with a shocking WhoScored average rating of 6.52.

Signed from Freiburg in 2020, the Germany international has struggled throughout his time at Elland Road, failing to average above a 6.6 rating from WhoScored in any of his seasons in the Premier League.

Speaking on a Leeds United Live Facebook stream following a 5-1 defeat against Manchester United in 2021, Beren Cross was less than complimentary of Koch's performance.

He said:

“Koch and Struijk today, not good enough at all, for me. I think I gave them 3s in the ratings.

“I mean, Fernandes almost retired Robin Koch, it was just horrible to watch, at times, because he just could not get a handle of him."

As a former defender, Allardyce will surely appreciate the need to have his best-performing centre-backs on the pitch for the final four games, and the stats certainly suggest that the £40k-per-week liability shouldn't be anywhere near the starting side.

He ranks 14th for tackles and sixth for interceptions per game in Leeds' squad, while his pass success rate of 77.6% is worrying considering he completes the second-most passes per game at Elland Road, which suggests that he often has the ball but doesn't know how to effectively use it.

Therefore, with defensive security a must for the tough upcoming fixtures, Allardyce must surely consider finally dropping Koch from the starting team.

Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has indicated he will not be part of West Indies’ squad in the upcoming series against India, which begins in Antigua on July 21. West Indies have not announced their squad yet, but Ramdin gave his fans a “heads up” on Twitter, suggesting the “new chairman” had spoken to him of his sacking.Courtney Browne, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, had replaced Clive Lloyd as West Indies’ chairman of selectors in June.Ramdin has played 74 Tests and has scored 2898 runs at an average of 25.87. He captained West Indies in 13 Tests before Jason Holder replaced him in September 2015. Ramdin scored 59 and 62 in his most recent Test innings, during West Indies’ 2015-16 tour of Australia, and alluded to those scores while voicing his frustration.West Indies have not played any Tests since that tour. In their last international assignment, the ODI tri-series last month, Ramdin scored 197 runs at 28.14, with a highest of 91 against Australia in Bridgetown.

Newcastle United are set to send scouts to watch Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte this weekend ahead of a potential switch to the Premier League, according to reports.

What's the latest on Manuel Ugarte to Newcastle?

The Athletic have reported that Eddie Howe is set to enter the upcoming transfer window in search of a new number six, and with the 22-year-old being Ruben Amorim’s top-performing defensive player and third overall with a WhoScored match rating of 7.08, Ugarte has seemingly been identified by the manager as an ideal deep-lying target on the market.

Back in April, Record claimed that the Jose Alvalade Stadium outfit could be forced to cash in on some of their most prized assets at the end of the season to create funds for new signings and the Magpies were credited with a “growing interest”, off the back of which they are believed to have promised to submit an official proposal ahead of the 2023/24 term.

Who is signing Ugarte?

According to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha (via Sport Witness), Newcastle and top-flight rivals Liverpool will both "have representatives" in Lisbon this weekend to "focus" on Ugarte during Sporting CP's fixture vs Benfica on Sunday.

As it stands, it's currently unknown which of the two suitors are leading the chase, but it's worth noting that the midfielder has a €60m (£52m) release clause included in his contract, alongside the fact that Aston Villa are claimed to have already held contact regarding a deal, as per A Bola.

Newcastle are clearly serious about securing the services of Ugarte, first to have promised to table a proposal and now to deploy officials to assess him in action, and should they be able to get a deal over the line for the defensive midfielder, it would be a massive coup for PIF and Howe.

The World Cup participant ranks in the 99th percentile for tackles having made 114 this season which is higher than any other member of his squad, as per FBRef, and the 98th percentile for interceptions so loves to get stuck in and win back possession for his team.

Sporting’s “warrior”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who has the versatility to operate slightly higher up in central midfield alongside his natural position, is also capable of contributing to efforts at the opposite end of the pitch having provided three assists and scored one goal since joining, so this really is a no-brainer of a move to pursue should the opportunity present itself.

Moeen Ali made his third Test hundred and his second match-defining score in as many innings to rescue his side from a familiar top-order collapse in the fourth Investec Test.

The Report by Andrew Miller11-Aug-2016Pakistan 3 for 1 (Azhar 0*, Yasir 0*) trail England 328 (Moeen 108, Bairstow 55, Sohail 5-68) by 325 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMoeen Ali once again demonstrated the power that resides in England’s allrounder-laden middle order as he stroked his way to a brilliant counterattacking 108 – his third Test hundred and his second match-defining score in as many innings – to rescue his side from a familiar top-order collapse in the fourth Investec Test.By the close of the opening day’s play at the Kia Oval, England had seized control of a contest that could yet propel them to the top of the world Test rankings, if results elsewhere go their way. Left with three overs in which to go for broke before the close, Stuart Broad prised out Pakistan’s most obdurate find of the tour, Sami Aslam, lbw for 3, as England inched closer to their coveted clean sweep of series wins against all Test opponents.But, with Wahab Riaz back in the Pakistan side and restored to the fire-breathing hostility that had secured the spoils in the last Test series between these sides before Christmas, they had been required once again to take the scenic route to the ascendancy.The first delivery of Moeen’s innings summed up the challenge that England faced shortly after lunch, as he arrived at the crease to join Jonny Bairstow with his side floundering on 110 for 5 after winning the toss under overcast skies, and on a livid green pitch that looked more threatening than it actually turned out to be.Wahab – with three wickets, one drop and a no-ball reprieve already to his name in the first eight-and-a-half overs of a typically vigorous onslaught – greeted the incoming Moeen with a scorching bouncer that tailed into the left-hander and sconed him so hard on the badge of his helmet that it rebounded clean into the hands of backward point.Pakistan, at this stage, were swarming as only they can when that whiff of cordite hits their nostrils. But Moeen’s refusal to be flustered is a trademark of his game, and in the course of two vital and urgently-paced stands – 93 for the sixth wicket with Bairstow and 79 with England’s man of the moment, Chris Woakes – he first shored up the foundations of England’s innings before taking the game away in the final session from a tiring Pakistan attack.Sohail Khan once again emerged as Pakistan’s stand-out wicket-taker, with 5 for 68 in 20.4 toiling overs, but Pakistan’s fielders were unable to match the application of their bowlers. Mohammad Amir proved especially luckless in his best spell since his return to Test cricket as a genuine opportunity to roll England aside inside two sessions hit the turf with a thud.Hales decision under scrutiny

Two England players retweeted footage that appeared to cast doubt on the veracity of the catch that dismissed Alex Hales. Hales looked furious after he was adjudged to have been caught by Yasir Shah at mid-wicket. While TV replays appeared inconclusive, some felt that still pictures suggested the ball may have bounced.
Certainly Hales’ Nottinghamshire team-mate Stuart Broad seemed to think Hales had been unfortunate. He tweeted: “Replays are unclear? You don’t believe that do you?” Hales, however, seemed to accept the umpires’ decision had been far from straightforward, tweeting a pixelated picture with the comment: “Bit blurry to be fair.”

Despite the excellence of their contributions, both Moeen and Bairstow were the beneficiaries of key reprieves early in their innings that Pakistan will be sure to rue as this contest develops. On 13, and without having added to his lunchtime score, Bairstow poked flimsily at another exocet outside off stump and lobbed a simple catch to Yasir Shah at backward point.Wahab’s celebrations, however, were cut short by umpire Marais Erasmus’s outstretched arm – and the bowler could have no complaint. He had been warned after the first ball of the over that he was getting close to transgressing, then called for both of his subsequent deliveries, the second of which was the vital one.Bairstow, whose 83 at Edgbaston had arguably been the defining knock of that contest, instantly bunted a four through the covers to rub salt in Wahab’s wounds, and set about ensuring that Pakistan would be made to pay for his let-off.It wasn’t just Wahab whom the pair had to overcome. At the other end, Amir was locating that prodigious late swing that made him such a threat in his first coming as a Test cricketer, and on 23, he rapped Bairstow on the back pad with a fierce late inswinger that Pakistan felt obliged to review – the ball was shown to be slipping over the top of off stump.Then, on 9, came the key let-off, as Azhar Ali at third slip made a Horlicks of a low edge off Amir that hit him on the wrists. A similar juggled opportunity had earlier been good enough to send Gary Ballance on his way for 8, but this one refused to stick, as did another technical chance at the hands of the same fielder six runs later, although only a harsh judge could criticise Azhar for this one – a firm clip off the pads against Yasir that struck him on the chest at short leg but rebounded out of his reach.But as the session progressed, England’s confidence grew, and with it the urgency in their run-harvesting. Bairstow’s exemplary judgment of a quick single means that his stands are rarely anything less than hyper-charged, and with tea approaching, the pair were reprising their game-changing efforts in the second innings at Edgbaston.Moeen clipped the debutant Iftikhar Ahmed over midwicket for the first six of the innings, then rolled his wrists on a pull through midwicket four balls later to join his team-mate on fifty, and though Bairstow fell soon afterwards for 55, dangling his bat outside the line to inside-edge Amir through to the wicketkeeper, the arrival of Woakes offered Pakistan no let-up.With an England-record 23 wickets in a Test series against Pakistan, Woakes would be having the time of his life with or without any extra strings to his bow. Throw in his sublime form with the bat, however, and you end up with an allrounder with the form and confidence for any situation. With his cover-drive in preposterously good order, he cashed in on Wahab’s angle across his bows to breeze along to 45 from 57 balls, before feathering a thin edge to give Sohail and Pakistan a late chance to get their way back on track.Sohail did his best to oblige, extracting a marginal lbw against Stuart Broad for 0 before bowling Steven Finn through the gate for 8 to give Moeen a nervy few minutes as he biffed his way through the nineties with only James Anderson for company. But, having flashed a four past a baffled Younis Khan at slip, he took a premeditated swipe for six over deep midwicket off Yasir, to complete his century and cement England’s revival.Though he fell soon afterwards for 108, caught at square leg to complete Sohail’s five-for, Moeen’s personal contribution had all but doubled England’s halfway innings total.There had been little in the day’s opening exchanges to hint at the ebb and flow to come, with Alex Hales’ contentious early dismissal at square leg appearing to come against the run of play, given the fluency of Alastair Cook and Joe Root’s initial strokeplay. Hales, on 6, clipped firmly to Yasir at square leg, who scooped a low chance that umpire Oxenford referred upstairs for a second opinion. His initial instinct was that it carried, but the incident happened so quickly that none of the TV cameras could keep up with the blur of action, so the decision stood.England, however, had reckoned against the determination of Wahab to make an impact on the series. After entering the attack in the 12th over, he should have struck with his 13th ball, when Iftikhar shelled a low edge at first slip off Cook – ironically the same position in which Mohammad Hafeez, the man whom he had replaced, had been standing when he gave Root a crucial reprieve at Edgbaston last week.For once, Cook failed to make that sort of a let-off pay. He had added just one more run when he leant back on a pull against Sohail and under-edged into his own stumps. One over later, Root, whose stunning double-century at Old Trafford has been bookended by a cluster of limp dismissals, was suckered by Wahab’s extra pace and lift to tickle an edge through to Sarfraz Ahmed.In Wahab’s next over, he made it a collapse of 3 for 5 in 15 balls when the under-pressure James Vince was detonated from the crease by a fierce lifter that forced a defensive back-foot poke to give Sarfraz his second catch of the morning. At that stage, the contest was ripe for the seizing. But Moeen and his middle-order cohorts had other plans.