Tag Futebol

Manchester United could now have a chance to sign a talented player at Old Trafford before too long as Erik ten Hag continues to build his squad, according to a report.

Pressure building on Erik ten Hag…

Despite suggestions from elsewhere that players' dissatisfaction with Ten Hag is growing at Old Trafford, the Dutchman denied that there is a squad rift at the Red Devils as they prepare to face Chelsea at home on Wednesday evening.

"You see the comeback against Brentford, the Burnley game, the Fulham game; every time the team is there, showed great character, great determination and resilience. We are together. You can't play such great football as we did lately if there is no unity. No, there are no issues."

ESPN reported earlier in the day that disillusion among the Manchester United playing staff is expanding following their tenth defeat of the campaign last weekend against Newcastle United. The outlet claim that his intense training sessions have been cited as a reason for the dip in support surrounding his tenure alongside some of his tactical decisions, which squad members believe left the side open in their 3-3 draw against Galatasaray in midweek.

Man Utd could sign "complete" £39m Martinez clone to shore up the defence

Man Utd could turn to “Rolls-Royce” defender, who is a complete clone of Lisandro Matinez.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 5, 2023

Unusually, the Red Devils took the decision to ban journalists who work for Sky Sports News, The Manchester Evening News, The Mirror and ESPN from his pre-match press conference before taking on Chelsea. Namely, high-profile reporters such as Kaveh Solekhol, Samuel Luckhurst, David McDonnell and Rob Dawson were refused entry into the media brief by order of communication director Andrew Ward.

Despite the uncertain nature of matters at the Premier League giants, United could now be offered the chance to sign an exciting attacker in January, according to new information that has come to light.

Donyell Malen to be offered to Man Utd

According to FootballTransfers, Manchester United will be offered the chance to sign Borussia Dortmund attacker Donyell Malen if Jadon Sancho departs Old Trafford in January. The Netherlands international has recently joined the SEG Agency, who hold Rasmus Hojlund among their client list and it is said that the two organisations have an agreeable working relationship.

Donyell Malen stats 2023/24 – all competitions (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

18

Goals

5

Assists

2

England international Sancho is out of the picture at the Red Devils following a public spat with Ten Hag and is believed to be a player Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund hold a tentative interest in acquiring come January. On the same token, they are open to offloading Malen in the mid-season window.

Malen, who has previously been labelled "incredible" by Borussia Dortmund Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl, has been an efficient offensive presence for the German giants this term, averaging around 2.3 shots and 1.6 completed dribbles per league fixture (Malen statistics – WhoScored).

Amid their struggles in the final third this campaign, Malen could prove to be a useful option for Ten Hag should a deal come to fruition at Old Trafford.

Leeds United underwent a summer of change as new faces came in behind the scenes and on the pitch following relegation down to the Championship.

The Whites spent three seasons in the Premier League and dropped out of the top-flight at the end of last season after Sam Allardyce came in and failed to save the day.

They reacted to that disappointment with a swoop to appoint German head coach Daniel Farke to lead them back to the big time by the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Leeds' 2023 summer signings
Player	Type of deal
Joel Piroe	Permanent
Ethan Ampadu	Permanent
Ilia Gruev	Permanent
Glen Kamara	Permanent
Karl Darlow	Permanent
Sam Byram	Free
Djed Spence	Loan
Joe Rodon	Loan
Jaidon Anthony	Loan

As you can see in the table above, the Yorkshire-based outfit backed the former Norwich City tactician with nine new signings to bolster his playing squad, after the likes of Max Wober, Rodrigo, Rasmus Kristensen, and Robin Koch, among others, moved elsewhere.

Farke has proven his worth at this level, with two Championship titles at Carrow Road, and looked to strengthen his side at the top end of the pitch with the signing of Piroe.

However, the Dutch marksman was the only striker who was brought in and that has left Patrick Bamford as the back up to the ex-Swansea man and Georginio Rutter.

This appears to be a glaring weakness within the current squad after the former England international produced his latest disaster in the 1-0 defeat to Stoke on Wednesday night.

Patrick Bamford's performance against Stoke

The former Middlesbrough number nine was brought on for Piroe with 20 minutes left to play against the Potters with the score at 0-0, seemingly with the hope that he would be able to go and win the game for the Whites.

It appeared to be the perfect start for the English forward as he won a penalty just minutes after coming off the bench. Rutter played a fantastic ball through to the striker and Ben Pearson was adjudged to have fouled him after going to ground in the box.

He then had the confidence to step up and take the spot-kick himself, instead of Rutter or Crysencio Summerville, but fired it comfortably over the crossbar after the goalkeeper dived the opposite way.

Bamford attempted to lift his strike into the top left corner and put far too much on it in what appeared to be a very relaxed effort from the experienced attacker.

Journalist Phil Hay described the miss as "hugely costly" for Leeds and this is not the first time that has been the case for the ex-Norwich loanee as he has now missed his last three penalties for the club.

To make matters worse, the centre-forward then played a part in what turned out to be the winning goal for the home side. The Leeds dud allowed Wesley to get the better of him at the front post from a corner and the Brazilian ace's header came back off the crossbar and in via Pascal Struijk's shoulder.

It was, therefore, a disastrous cameo from Bamford as he missed a golden opportunity to seal all three points for Farke's team before contributing, albeit as part of a collective mistake to not deal with the set-piece, to Stoke's winner.

The Whites head coach must now finally bin the 30-year-old dud in January after they failed to move him on during the recent summer transfer window.

It was reported that Bamford was 'ready' to part ways with the club ahead of the 2023/24 campaign as Farke was evaluating his squad. However, no switch materialised for the former Chelsea academy graduate and he remained at Elland Road.

The 6 foot 1 striker has failed to score or provide an assist in five league outings this season and has proven himself to be a worse option than Piroe, who has struggled of late.

The statistics that show Piroe is better than Bamford

Leeds brought the talented marksman in from Championship rivals Swansea City during the summer window and he has hit the ground running in Yorkshire.

Piroe has produced five goals in ten league outings for the Whites since his move from Wales and is currently the club's top goalscorer in the league, with one more than Summerville and at least three more than every other player.

This shows that the 24-year-old finisher has been a superb addition to the squad as Farke's go-to man for goals so far this season alongside Summerville.

However, the impressive ace has hit a lull in form with one goal in his last five Championship appearances for the club, with two 'big chances' missed during those matches.

He is a proven performer at this level, though, and will, hopefully, get back to his goalscoring ways after two sublime seasons with Swansea. The left-footed whiz scored 19 league goals during the 2022/23 campaign and that came off the back of 22 strikes throughout his debut year in English football.

Despite his recent struggles in front of goal, Piroe is still a far superior option to Bamford, due to his five-goal haul so far this campaign and the ex-England international's disappointing form over the last 18 months or so.

Bamford's statistics last season

The left-footed liability came into this season off the back of a poor year at Premier League level as his team were relegated back down to the Championship.

Bamford scored four goals in 28 top-flight outings, which came after two goals in nine during the 2021/22 campaign, and missed a whopping 13 'big chances' in total.

His teammates created 8.61 xG (Expected Goals) worth of opportunities for him at the top end of the pitch but he was only able to make the most of four chances.

The Whites number nine did not return the favour to his fellow attackers as he ended the season with an xA (Expected Assists) of 0.86, and created one 'big chance'.

These statistics suggest that Bamford let the team down with his performances last season as he did not take advantage of the chances that fell his way.

Taking his displays over the last 18 months into account, along with Piroe being a considerably better option, Farke must now finally bin Bamford after a prolonged spell of underperformance in January, if possible, after a move did not go ahead in the summer.

They were craning their heads, looking at the England dressing room, waiting for a sign. He was due to come out and they wanted to say thank you. Finally, Alastair Cook stepped out into the sunshine and basked in the applause. He kept their company for a good four hours and as usual, while their minds to drifted to more important matters, like the bills that they had left to pay or the date they were planning to impress, he led England to a position of strength with his 57th half-century. The crowd would look up from their phones, see Cook still in the middle and go back to their business.After tea though, a peaceful day at the Oval turned frenetic. Jasprit Bumrah had Cook dragging on for 71. Three balls later, he bowled a vemomous inswinger that trapped Joe Root lbw for 0 and five balls after that, Ishant Sharma had Jonny Bairstow caught behind with one that held its line just outside off-stump and England were suddenly 134 for 4, from 133 for 1. India’s fast bowlers had been excellent with their discipline. There were a million plays and misses – actually, it was only 74 but Mohammed Shami beat Moeen Ali’s bat four times in a single over. All of that meant there was no let-up in pressure and once they got a wicket, more followed, as is expected of a bowling attack that has such variety.Danger lurked even as the shadows lengthened at the ground, and the batsmen thought they had done enough to justify their captain’s decision to bat at the toss. That’s a direct result of the threat each of India’s bowlers pose, including Ravindra Jadeja, brought into this match in place of R Ashwin, who is said to have aggravated his hip injury. Jadeja’s accuracy took out Ben Stokes in the 78th over and Ishant broke through from the other end, twice, ending Moeen’s innings at 50 off 170 balls and then rushing Sam Curran back to the pavilion for 0.The last session of play produced six wickets for 75 runs, lending merit to how well-stocked this Indian attack is. England saw off the skiddy fast bowler who troubles batsmen with his wide-of-the-crease angle and awkward action, but were unprepared for the tall one with the ability to probe away in the off-stump corridor, straightening the ball off the seam. Both of them wouldn’t have been as threatening without their partner kicking everything off after lunch with a special spell. Shami earned 34 edges and plays-and-misses in 22 overs, including 18 from Moeen alone.3:42

#ThankYouChef: A tribute to Alastair Cook

The skill of the Indian seamers flipped not one but two big stories on the day. They hit pause on Cook’s party and muted public outrage over Virat Kohli’s team selection. The extra batsman finally came into the XI but it was Hanuma Vihari, a 24-year old debutant, and not Karun Nair, who was left on the bench for a fifth Test in a row. He’ll be ending his tour feeding his team-mates balls in the nets, running drinks out to them and dreaming about that time when he was a triple-hundred scoring Test cricketer.The think-tank’s choice to go into the game with only four specialist bowlers – Hardik Pandya was dropped – also came under scrutiny in the morning when it seemed like the pitch – despite the grass on it – was rather slow. Cook got into his innings with a rasping cut shot and followed it with a bowler-crippling pull for another four, showing off just how much time he had to play anything pitched short. But the tap on the freebies was closed after lunch and England had to survive on the strength of their will and the merit of their technique.Cook had fun doing just that. It had been nine innings since his last half-century. But from the moment he, reluctantly, ventured out to a cover drive in the second over of the day, he looked like the old grizzled warrior that put an outrageous price on his wicket. He invited balls on his pads with his leaves outside off and put them away with much glee. He won’t experience such thrills again, not in Test cricket at least, and so it was time to indulge. Even if he didn’t quite feel like it, the people would have willed him on.Two days ago, he said he was asked to roll down his car window while on the road because a fan wanted to say thank you. Here, at the ground, there were banners proclaiming gratitude for 12 years of service. There were men dressed up as chefs, mimicking the umpire’s signal for boundary every time Cook hit one. London came to watch him. He put on one last show of trademark defiance. But for once in this series, it was the England middle order that came up short against an unrelenting Indian bowling attack.

Manchester United have not made the most successful of starts to the Premier League season, but Erik ten Hag will now hope to use the last-gasp turnaround against Brentford before the international break as a landmark in the club's season.

Having spent considerably over the summer, United recruited with sights set on building upon last season's third-place league finish and triumph in the Carabao Cup.

But inconsistency and various issues have compounded a lack of fluidity that has left the Old Trafford side in tenth place after eight matches, also bottom of their Champions League group after defeats in both games so far.

However, Scott McTominay's stunning brace from the bench against Thomas Frank's resilient Bees two weeks ago harnessed the fabled 'Fergie Time' aura that will linger perpetually at the Theatre of Dreams, no matter the form of the home side.

It does now mean that Manchester United have the chance to clinch their third Premier League win from four outings against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Clinching three points is the absolute minimum, and despite a spate of injury issues in defence, Ten Hag will be certain of his side's ability to get the job done.

What's the Manchester United team news?

Casemiro has been ruled out of contention having picked up a minor issue on international duty with Brazil, though Ten Hag stated that he is "confident" of the midfielder's availability going forward.

It's something of a mixed bag, as far as the rest of the team is concerned, with Raphael Varane and Sergio Reguilon both training this week following injuries; Sofyan Amrabat is also available despite missing both of Morocco's recent matches.

The Red Devils have been hindered by a deluge of defensive setbacks this season, and while Ten Hag is emboldened by greater options today, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Lisandro Martinez remain sidelined.

Amrabat, who signed on a loan worth £8.5m from Serie A side Fiorentina on deadline day in August – with an option to sign on a permanent deal next summer for £21m – has started the past two matches in the Premier League, but Ten Hag must now consider whether starting him in favour of another midfield machine would be the best move today.

How is Sofyan Amrabat performing at Manchester United?

Manchester United's pursuit of Moroccan machine Amrabat was well-documented this summer, and while there were concerns that a deal wouldn't cross the line, Ten Hag succeeded in welcoming his former player (at Dutch side Utrecht) in the dying embers.

The £65k-per-week ace had earned acclaim for his performances over the past few years and was even described as the "best central midfielder in the tournament" by journalist Carlo Garganese after his central role with Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

He is, undoubtedly, one of the most composed and measured presences in Ten Hag's team, but his particular set of skills. while instilling control, do not quite progress the play as well as certain other phenoms in the Red Devils squad.

Over the past year, Amrabat ranks among the top 12% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, the top 10% for attempted passes and the top 14% for progressive passes per 90, but also ranks among the bottom 34% for assists and 27% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

FBref likens the 27-year-old to Arsenal's Jorginho, and this is quite an apt assessment of where his talents lie, and while he is "perfectly suited to Ten Hag's Man Utd", according to Statman Dave, the forthcoming match against Paul Heckingbottom's side could be a great opportunity to unleash Christian Eriksen.

Why should Christian Eriksen start vs Sheffield United?

Hailed as a “genius” by Statman Dave, Eriksen has been one of the finest playmakers in the Premier League over the past decade.

Player

No of Assists

Kevin De Bruyne

102

James Milner

87

Christian Eriksen

75

Ashley Young

71

Mohamed Salah

63

Signing for Manchester United from Brentford on a free transfer in 2022, the 31-year-old has now forged 53 displays, scoring three goals and supplying 11 assists.

The £150k-per-week maestro has posted one goal and one assist across seven matches this season, but has only started three times in the English top flight, having started from the bench on the past three occasions.

The Danish midfielder ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for assists, the top 12% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for attempted passes and the top 7% for progressive passes per 90.

Clearly, Eriksen's talent lies in his ball-playing ability and creativity, and while Amrabat boasts a superlative level of passing, he is more disciplined and metronomic in his carriage.

Against the Blades, who are moored in deep waters already this season, United will ostensibly have little trouble with controlling the flow of the match – after all, today's hosts rank bottom for shots (71) and 19th for passes (2,773) in the division this season.

There is nothing to suggest that Amrabat and Eriksen couldn't thrive together in the middle of the pitch, and with Casemiro ruled out this is certainly a possibility today.

But given McTominay's destructive cameo last time out at Old Trafford, it would make sense to provide him with a starting berth against the Premier League's bottom club.

Ten Hag will want to restore the balance and get United, belatedly, up and running for good this term, and anything other than a victory over Heckingbottom's men will set the vultures circling.

Eriksen has not started any of the past three Premier League matches, but must be unleashed today to pump inventive life into the United squad, which will only benefit from his creativity.

أكد لويس دي لا فوينتي، المدير الفني لمنتخب إسبانيا، أنه يشعر بالفخر تجاه لاعبيه بعد التأهل إلى منافسات نصف نهائي بطولة كأس أمم أوروبا يوم الجمعة.

جاء تأهل منتخب إسبانيا عقب الفوز المثير على ألمانيا، بهدفين لهدف، في مباراتهما التي جمعت بينهما اليوم في ربع النهائي.

وقال دي لا فوينتي في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي للبطولة: “هذه هي اللحظة المناسبة من أجل تقدير ما حققناه والاستمتاع بهذه اللحظة، على المستوى البدني، سنرى كيف يمكننا التحسن في الأيام القليلة المقبلة”.

وأضاف: “أنا متأكد من أن جميع لاعبي فريقي جاهزون لخوض مباراة نصف النهائي، إنهم يلعبون على مستوى عالٍ جدًا”.

وواصل: “لاعبو فريقي لا يشبعون، أنا فخور بتدريب لاعبين مثل هؤلاء، لقد عرفت الكثير منهم لسنوات عديدة، لقد اعتادوا على المنافسة على أعلى مستوى ولديهم فرصة للفوز بالبطولة”.

وأكد: “هذا الفريق سينافس دائمًا، هناك دائمًا مجال للتحسين، بالتأكيد، لكن لا يمكننا التشكيك في فخرهم وجودتهم والتزامهم”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ناجلسمان: ألمانيا لا تستحق الخروج من يورو 2024.. وكروس يعاني من لحظة صعبة شخصيًا

واستمر: “إنها ليلة تاريخية، أنا فخور بأن أكون قادرًا على تمثيل بلادنا، سنرى إلى أي مدى سنصل، لكننا مقتنعون تمامًا بأننا قادرون على أن نمضي قدمًا بعيدًا جدًا مع هذا الفريق”.

وشدد: “نشوتنا تحت السيطرة تمامًا، نحن سعداء للغاية، لكننا نعلم أن الغد هو يوم آخر، لا يمكننا التحكم في ما يحدث في الخارج، ولكننا نشعر بسعادة غامرة لأن الدولة تدعمنا”.

وفيما يخص إصابة بيدري بعد تدخل قوي من توني كروس، قال: “بيدري كان يتألم، توني كروس كان من المفترض أن يحصل على بطاقة حمراء جراء هذا التدخل”.

واختتم: “بيدري سيواصل مساهمته مع المنتخب، سواء كان في الملعب أو خارجه، تحدث مثل تلك الأمور في هذه النوعية من المباريات، عليك استخدام كافة أسلحتك في هذه المرحلة، ليس لدي أي توبيخ لكرة القدم الألمانية”.

ScorecardJoe Root was out twice in a day at the Kia Oval, dismissed both times by 19-year-olds as Sam Curran and Amar Virdi underlined their huge potential to sweep Surrey towards victory against Yorkshire.Curran took 6 for 54 in Yorkshire’s first innings, when even a scintillating 95 by Jonny Bairstow off 94 balls could not prevent them from being bundled out for 229 in reply to Surrey’s 414.When Yorkshire followed on, Root’s bid to repair the second innings from 10 for 2 was cut short when off spinner Virdi drew him forward with a beautiful delivery that drifted away and then, from wide out, turned back through the England Test captain’s gate to bowl him for 23.Virdi, in what is fast becoming his trademark celebration, sprinted off towards deep point in a joyous arm-waving run, followed by his Surrey teammates. It was his first wicket of the game, but his 15th of the season so far, and he is not 20 until mid-July.Indeed, there were two more celebratory runs from Virdi in the day’s long final session as he added the wickets of Adam Lyth, caught at slip for 58, and Harry Brook, leg-before for 8 to another which spun sharply. He could have had an 18th wicket of the season, too, had Ben Foakes not missed a relatively easy stumping chance when Jack Leaning, on 9, was drawn forward and beaten by another beauty.Virdi’s 19-over spell of 3 for 52 left Yorkshire 142 for 5 by the end of day three, still trailing by 43 in this Specsavers County Championship Division One match, and on tomorrow’s final day Surrey will be looking to complete their first win against Yorkshire at the Oval since September 2001.Bairstow, 25 not out in Yorkshire’s second innings as he and Leaning (13 not out) put on a battling 40 in 16 overs, had strode in earlier at No 6 when Root was leg-before to Curran for 14 from the sixth ball of day three. He then hit 15 fours – many of them unforgettable strokes – as he took on the Surrey attack single-handedly.Root’s scalp was followed by those of Brook, Tim Bresnan and Josh Shaw as Curran – who had 2 for 15 overnight – shattered Yorkshire, who had resumed on 40 for 3. As he walked off the field at the lunch interval, Curran was presented with his county cap.The teenager is the fourth youngest Surrey player to be capped, after Vivian Crawford in 1898, Donald Knight in 1912 and Waqar Younis in 1990, and when he took his sixth wicket of Yorkshire’s first innings he also became the fourth youngest Surrey cricketer to take 100 first-class wickets, following Waqar, Martin Bicknell and Jack Crawford.Bairstow attacked Surrey’s quicker bowlers in breathtaking fashion. Particularly memorable were the pull for four off Jade Dernbach which took him to a 46-ball fifty, an early straight drive for four off Curran and then a rasping pull for yet another boundary which greeted Conor McKerr’s introduction for the 31st over.McKerr, the giant 20-year-old fast bowler who has made a good early impression in county cricket, went off after bowling just three overs for 16 runs with what looked like a side injury.Left-armer Curran, not 20 until next month, sent back Root when he aimed to work to square leg, also had Brook caught behind for 17 and, in his second spell of the morning session, saw Bresnan snapped up at second slip for 1.Leaning, having reached 20 in support of Bairstow in a sixth wicket stand of 67, was leg-before to Rikki Clarke, playing towards mid wicket, and England keeper-batsman Bairstow’s only mistake in a morning of magnificent batsmanship was when, on 66, he got a leading edge trying to work a short ball from Dernbach towards mid on and saw the bowler get his right hand to a difficult caught and bowled chance but fail to cling on.Clarke had Steven Patterson superbly held at gully, high to his left, by Ollie Pope for 5, and Bairstow’s counter-punching defiance ended when he tried to force the persevering Dernbach and edged to slip. Curran then ended a bright, career-best 29 from Shaw to wrap up the innings.Yorkshire, batting again 185 runs adrift, lost Alex Lees for 4 at the end of the fifth over when the left-hander pushed at Dernbach and edged to second slip, and it was 10 for 2 when Pujara drove loosely at his third ball and lost his middle stump to one from Curran that shaped back into him.

An all-round show from Shane Watson, coupled with a patient kock from Sarfraz Ahmed took Quetta Gladiators to another win in the PSL

The Report by Danyal Rasool10-Mar-2018

Getty Images

Quetta Gladiators 158 for 4 (Sarfraz 45*, Watson 37) beat Peshawar Zalmi 157 for 5 (Smith 49, Watson 2-26) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellThe previous few games in the PSL almost made T20 cricket lose its shape. There were one-sided duds, exceptionally low-scoring matches and domino collapses, but this was (if indeed we can begin to call it that) good old-fashioned T20 cricket. Quetta Gladiators chased down Peshawar Zalmi’s 157 with a cold-hearted, ruthless performance, powered to the finish by a world-class 74-run partnership between their captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Rilee Rossouw.Quetta tried to stay on top of the asking rate right from the outset, aided by Shane Watson, whose outstanding form has seen him become the top scorer in the tournament. A 25-ball 37 from him sent Quetta on their way, with a cameo from Kevin Pietersen allowing them to keep the required rate in check. However, Peshawar were clawing their way back in with regular wickets, and when Quetta were reduced to 84 for 4, the importance of the Rossouw-Sarfraz partnership appeared impossible to overstate. Both players rose to the occasion with a professional, dispassionate class, managing to keep the runs ticking in the face of magnificent death bowling by Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali. They took it to the final over, but they never looked like blowing it. The result, however, meant that Lahore Qalandars – like the last two seasons – were out of playoff contention.Peshawar were guilty of a slow start, but Dwayne Smith compensated with a lusty, powerful innings up top, thwacking five sixes in a 33-ball 49. But soft dismissals were the scourge of their innings, and the next four batsmen fell to straight-forward deliveries spooned straight into the air in the inner circle, as Peshawar lost momentum regularly. They only managed to get to above 150 thanks to a brilliant rearguard from Captain Fantastic Daren Sammy – still only partially fit, whose 19-ball 36 powered them to 157. It was respectable, but not quite enough.Where the match was wonMohammad Nawaz has made a bit of a habit of taking early wickets, and the beauty that bowled Kamran Akmal for a golden duck put Peshawar on the back foot straightaway. For the first four and a half overs, they scored at under 5, meaning much of the Powerplay was squandered without runs on the board. Though Smith and Sammy did well to catch up, that early stumble meant a potential total of 180 was confined to merely 157. In a tight, last-over run chase, those extra runs were made to count.The men that won itT20 cricket can have a bit of a reputation as a “hit and hope” sort of format, but the chanceless nature of the Rossouw-Sarfraz partnership was spectacular. When they came together, Peshawar had the edge, but the pair seemed to trust each other, and found reassurance and confidence batting together. A classy inside out cover drive off the left-arm spinner from Sarfraz sent them on their way, and from thereon all they did was nail the basics. They got a boundary an over, kept the strike ticking along, and never gave Darren Sammy any reason to be hopeful, snuffing the fire out of Peshawar. We may not see a better partnership under pressure all season.Fast bowlers in unisonUmaid Asif, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali are all different fast bowlers in their own way, but they all appeared to have the same effect on Quetta. At least, that’s how it appears if all you did was take a cursory look at the scorecard. Each of them took one wicket each; Wahab and Umaid’s figures were indeed identical: 4-0-26-1. Hasan Ali’s numbers read 4-0-25-1. It isn’t often three fast bowlers from one side perform to that level and end up on the losing side, but that only illustrated the fine margins in this game, and the nervy contest it ended up becoming.Where they standQuetta go to the top of the table with 10 points, while Peshawar, with three losses and five wins, are dangerously close to elimination, sitting in fifth place. The result also officially eliminates Lahore Qalandars, who cannot now mathematically finish in the top four.