علّق بيب جوارديولا، المدير الفني لفريق مانشستر سيتي، على فوزهم في مباراة اليوم ضد تشيلسي في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
وخاض مانشستر سيتي مباراته الأولى في موسم الدوري الإنجليزي ضد تشيلسي، على ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج” حيث فاز حامل اللقب بهدفين دون رد.
وقال جوارديولا في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “لم أتوقع ذلك، نحن بعيدون عن أفضل مستوياتنا لذلك فإن الحصول على ثلاث نقاط هو الخبر السعيد، الخبر السيء هو أن أمامنا 65 مباراة”.
وأضاف: “نحن نمتلك ميزة، إنه موسمنا التاسع سويًا، لذا نعرف بعضنا جيدًا، بكل تأكيد هناك أخطاء يجب عليك تحسينها لكننا تحدثنا، كان الفارق في كوننا أبطالًا هو لغة جسدنا وكيف تصرفنا”.
وواصل: “اللحظات السيئة في الموسم وخلال المباريات هي التي تحدد الفرق الكبيرة، بالنسبة لي إنه لشرف لي أن أكون مسؤولاً عن هؤلاء الرجال، أنا محظوظ جدًا، لا يمكنني قول المزيد”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. رجل مباراة مانشستر سيتي وتشيلسي في الدوري الإنجليزي
وأردف: “هناك خطة، من حيث الدفاع والهجوم، ولكن بعد ذلك يتعلق الأمر بكيفية الاحتفال باللحظات الجيدة والعودة من اللحظات السيئة”.
واستمر: “هذا ما يحدد هذه الفرق ولا أحد يتحدث عن ذلك، لفترة من الوقت لم نتمكن أبدًا من الفوز في ستامفورد بريدج، هذه خطوة كبيرة”.
واسترسل: “نحاول الاستعداد للمباراة، كان لدينا يومان أو ثلاثة أيام للاستعداد، كان الجميع في أفضل حالاتهم وكان هذا كافيًا”.
وعن الفوز بدون وجود رودري، قال: “كن حذرًا مع الإحصائيات معنا لأننا نحطمها، رودري مهم للغاية بالنسبة لنا، لذا من المهم أن يكون ماتيو كوفاسيتش هنا لأنه لاعب ذو خبرة وشخص رائع، لقد قدم أداءً جيدًا”.
وفيما يخص تغيير مركزي سافيو وجيريمي دوكو خلال المباراة، بقرار من جانبهما، قال: “أعلم أن سافيو يحب اللعب على اليمين، ودوكو على اليسار، عادة ما يحدث ذلك، أن أضطر إلى وضع سافيو على اليمين ودوكو على اليسار”.
وأوضح: “ولكنني أردت لاعبين يهاجمون أكثر من الجانبين، ومن ثم وضعت دوكو على اليمين وسافيو على اليسار، السر هو أنهما عندما بدلا مركزيهما، قررا ذلك، ولم أقل أي شئ”.
وتابع: “في أوقات معينة، عندما كان دوكو على اليمين، قلت لمساعدي (ماذا يفعل؟!)، وقاما بالتغيير سويًا، وبعد ذلك شرعا في اللعب بشكل جيد”.
واختتم: “لهذا السبب تعلمت أنه يتعين عليً وضع اللاعبين في مراكز ربما يشعرون بالراحة فيها”.
It has been an interesting season for Arsenal so far this year as despite looking far from their best for large parts of it, they are currently just a single point behind Liverpool in first place, and were it not for a challenging game away to Aston Villa over the weekend, they would be top of the Premier League – as they were for most of last year.
Mikel Arteta's men have been far more mature in their approach to games, and where their success was built upon frenetic attacks designed to overwhelm opponents last year, they boast the joint-best defence in the league this season.
The team's attacking threat, while not bad, has been somewhat stunted this campaign, and what has made this problem even more pronounced is the lack of a clinical finisher in the side.
Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus have notched up goals in the league, but neither one is prolific, so news that the club are interested in the far more lethal Viktor Gyokeres should excite fans.
Arsenal transfer news – Viktor Gyokeres
According to reports from Portugal (via Sports Witness), Arsenal are one of several top European clubs interested in Sporting Lisbon's new star striker, Viktor Gyokeres, and the Gunners have been scouting the player 'extensively' in recent months.
However, should the north Londoners wish to sign the Swedish striker, they will have to pay his release clause, at least that is what manager Ruben Amorim has said: “I can’t guarantee anything, what I can say is what they tell me and that is any player only leaves through the clause.”
The former Coventry City star joined the Portuguese giants in the summer for a fee in the region of £20m, and his current release clause is said to be €100m, or about £86m, which would represent the second most expensive purchase in Arsenal's history were they to press on.
A move such as this would be a massive sign of intent from the ownership. Still, with the "unplayable" goalscorer, as described by former teammate Maxime Biamou, already netting 11 times in 16 Sporting starts this season, it might well be worth it.
Why Viktor Gyokeres could fire Arsenal to the title
Now, the arrival of an £86m striker would certainly ring alarm bells in the minds of Arsenal's current crop of forwards, but realistically, Jesus has already proven his worth as more than just an out-and-out goalscorer for the Gunners, and so, if a player was going to lose out due to Gyokeres, it's going to be Nketiah.
The former Chelsea youth product has been a useful player for Arteta in recent years and cemented himself as the club's backup striker towards the end of the 2021/22 season.
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However, towards the backend of last season and the first third of this campaign, it has become increasingly apparent that he isn't a good enough finisher to help the Gunners end their two-decade title drought.
When comparing their respective numbers for this season, it becomes evident that Gyokeres would be a significant upgrade on the Gunners' current number 14.
Viktor Gyokeres vs Eddie Nketiah
Stats (per 90)
Gyokeres
Nketiah
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.46
0.42
Progressive Carries
3.61
1.63
Progressive Passes
2.02
1.20
Shots on Target
1.17
0.87
Shot-Creating Actions
3.77
2.61
Goal-Creating Actions
0.50
0.65
Successful Take-Ons
2.44
0.87
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
The "Premier League ready" forward, as described by Adrian Clarke on talkSPORT, comes out on top in almost every critical attacking metric and produces far superior numbers in areas such as successful take-ons and progressive carries, which could prove vital in helping Arteta's side breakdown frustrating low blocks.
Ultimately, the "one of a kind" striker, as described by his former manager Mark Robins, would make Arsenal a far more potent attacking threat and could genuinely be the difference between a first and second-place finish come May.
WI captain Jason Holder felt he main cause of defeat was their inability to accept the numerous chances England’s batsmen offered in the chase
George Dobell in Bridgetown21-Feb-2019Jason Holder was left with a “bitter pill to swallow” as his side failed to defend their highest-ever ODI total against England.Despite making 360 for 8, their fourth-highest ODI total and highest in the Caribbean, West Indies subsided to a six-wicket defeat against an England team that cruised to their victory target.And while Holder accepted his side’s bowlers could “tighten up” in future games, he was adamant that the main cause of defeat was their inability to accept the numerous chances England’s batsmen offered.Jason Roy, who won the Man-of-the-Match award for his 65-ball century, was missed four times, while Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow also received lives.”We just didn’t hold our chances and the chances we put down were crucial,” Holder said. “Our bowlers did create opportunities, but we didn’t hold them.”Credit to Jason Roy: he played really well and put us under pressure up front. And also Joe Root kept the tempo going and played an outstanding innings for them. But when you miss two quality players like that, they make you pay.”We’ve got to be a little clearer with our bowling plans. We bowled quite a few loose deliveries and we can tighten up with that. But I thought our combination was right; we’ve just got to hold our chances. If you drop quality players like Roy and Root and Jonny Bairstow then they make you pay.”We’ve got to be a bit better in the field. I felt the energy and body language could have been a lot better. That would give the bowlers some momentum to work with.”Holder also dismissed any criticism of Chris Gayle, who made 135, defending the slow start to his innings.”Credit to our batters,” he said. “We had enough runs. I thought Chris played a really good innings. He took a bit of time upfront, got himself set and then put pressure back on the spinners in the middle and forced Eoin Morgan to bring back the seamers back a bit earlier. I felt he held the innings together and gave other batters a chance to express themselves.”Morgan, meanwhile, praised his side’s belief in chasing such a large total – it was England’s largest successful chase in their ODI history and the third-highest successful chase in all ODIs – and the “outstanding” contribution of the opening pair of Roy and Bairstow.”We spoke at the halfway stage about the fact we have been in this situation before and we do believe we can chase big totals,” Morgan said. “We bat very deep. The manner we started in set the tone of the innings. Jason and Jonny were outstanding. At no stage did we feel we were under pressure to up the rate.”We were going at a steady clip and to have guys like that continuously putting pressure on your opening bowlers is not only difficult to play against but difficult to captain against as well. The ability to put your best ball away for four or six is heart-breaking as a bowler.”For Jason to go on and play such a commanding innings really sets up a big run chase. It’s amazing the way he plays. It’s brilliant. People will forget Joe Root scored a hundred there, he made it look very easy, but we’re so fortunate to have a guy like that who can be our rock. And he’s no slouch.”The second ODI takes place in Barbados on Friday. England may well look to rest Chris Woakes, who has been struggling with a knee problem in recent weeks, though West Indies maintain they have no immediate plans to call-up a replacement bowler for the injured Kemar Roach.
Garantido na elite do futebol nacional depois de 13 anos, o Juventude terá uma baixa de peso para a temporada 2021. Trata-se de Renato Cajá, que anunciou a sua saída do clube gaúcho.
+ Pedro Raul vendido, Donnarumma mais longe do Milan, futuro de Salah no Liverpool… Veja o Dia do Mercado
Através do site oficial, o Juventude fez uma carta ao atleta e agradeceu por todo o trabalho feito ao longo da sua segunda e última passagem pelo clube Jaconero.
Aos 36 anos, o meio-campista disputou 53 jogos e marcou 12 gols, que mostraram a sua importância ao time e o colocaram na galeria de ídolos do Juventude.
+ CONFIRA A CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO
Gol do acesso
Um dos gols mais importantes veio na rodada final da Série B. Diante do Guarani, Renato Cajá marcou o tento que recolocou o time na Série A.
Acerto financeiro
De acordo com o atleta, que divulgou uma mensagem na rede social, o problema para não ocorrer a renovação foi a falta de acerto na questão financeira.
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نجح فريق الشباب في تحقيق الفوز على نظيره الخليج، في اللقاء الذي جمعهما اليوم الخميس، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من الدوري السعودي للمحترفين.
وفاز الشباب، بهدف مقابل لاشيء، على الخليج، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما على ملعب محمد بن فهد معقل الخليج.
طالع..ترتيب الدوري السعودي بعد نهاية الجولة الثانية.. الهلال في الصدارة
وجاء هدف المباراة الوحيد عن طريق يانيك كاراسكو لاعب الشباب في الدقيقة 60 من تسديدة من خارج منطقة الجزاء بعد خطأ من دفاعات الخليج.
وشارك محمد شريف، في تشكيل الخليج من البداية قبل الخروج في الدقيقة 69.
ورفع الشباب رصيده إلى 3 نقاط في المركز العاشر من جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري السعودي للمحترفين، بينما تجمد رصيد الخليج عند 3 نقاط في المركز الحادي عشر. أهداف مباراة الشباب والخليج في الدوري السعودي
It's been quite the ride down the N17 this season, with Ange Postecoglou's summer appointment proving to be a masterstroke after excellent early-season form threw Tottenham Hotspur to the front of the Premier League table.
Few expected such a swift ascent, with Tottenham lumbering to an eighth-placed finish in the English top-flight and consequently missing out on European football entirely.
Such woes were compounded when Postecoglou's pre-season preparations took a big blow as Spurs' club record scorer Harry Kane completed a transfer to Bayern Munich, having spent the duration of his professional career at Tottenham.
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But it mattered not and the Lilywhites marched into some sublime form that got English football chattering over the possibility of an unlikely title challenge.
This was derailed by a recent slump, now ended, and while the five-match winless run was unacceptable, terrible luck with injuries and suspensions proved to be the club's undoing, and Postecoglou will now attempt to rectify this by bolstering effectively in January.
Spurs transfer news – Tosin Adarabioyo
The Spurs manager has revealed that his priority is to sign a centre-back this winter, with £43m summer signing Micky van de Ven picking up a hamstring injury back in November and remaining sidelined to date – it was this injury that had such a detrimental effect on the progress.
Multiple options have been discussed, with recent reports suggesting that the London club could be back in for Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, having waged transfer battle against AS Monaco in the summer for his signature, with both sides ultimately failing.
Tosin Adarabioyo for Fulham
And now, according to the Sun, Tottenham have been boosted by Adarabioyo's declaration that he will not sign a new deal with the Craven Cottage side, with his contract expiring in June.
Why Spurs are interested in Tosin Adarabioyo
Having shipped an embarrassing 63 goals in the league last term, Tottenham needed to respond emphatically and indeed did so with the capture of Van de Ven, who formed a fearsome partnership with Cristian Romero to restore the backline's solidity.
But his injury has illuminated the fragility of Postecoglou's team and a player such as Adarabioyo could provide adequate cover to alleviate the burden on the starring defensive axis.
Securing his signature could be a repeat of the deal to sign James Maddison, aged 27, from Leicester City in the summer, improving the ranks at the expense of a Premier League rival.
Indeed, one of Postecoglou's first ports of call after arriving from Celtic was the £40m acquisition of Maddison, one of English football's most influential playmakers.
He's definitely lived up to the plate, winning August's Premier League Player of the Month award and posting three goals and five assists from 11 matches.
Sadly, like Van de Ven, Maddison is sidelined until the new year in what has been a definitive factor behind Spurs' startling loss of form, but the mere fact that he plies his trade in Tottenham white is a galvanising thought for his teammates.
Adarabioyo could recreate this effect from a defensive standpoint, having been described as a "magnificent" player by writer Muhammed Butt.
Tosin Adarabioyo's style of play
Adarabioyo is a towering titan with impressive command in the rearguard, and having amassed 113 appearances for Fulham, he has been instrumental in the promotion push and subsequent cementation of Premier League status.
This season, as per Sofascore, the Englishman has only played five times due to injury but has started the past three games and scored in Fulham's 5-0 romp over West Ham United.
Completing 83% of his passes, the 26-year-old has also averaged 2.8 clearances per game and won 71% of his contested duels, proving his worth as one of the most underrated defenders in the division despite the lack of match action this season.
As per FBref, the one-time Citizen ranks among the top 19% of centre-halfs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes, the top 10% for shots taken, the top 1% for clearances and the top 15% for aerial wins per 90.
The 6 foot 5 titan would be a credit to Tottenham's blooming project and would be the perfect replacement for Eric Dier, who is set to depart at the end of his contract next summer.
Given that he is a former Manchester City youth product too, it's clear that Adarabioyo boasts a ball-playing proficiency to align with Postecoglou's fluid, fast-paced style.
Tosin Adarabioyo: Similar PL Players
Player
Club
Joachim Andersen
Crystal Palace
Harry Maguire
Manchester United
Ibrahima Konate
Liverpool
*Sourced via FBref
Adarabioyo, in short, would be a terrific addition and whether Spurs sign him on a cut-price deal in January or opt to offer him a contract at the end of the campaign remains to be seen at this stage, but he could be the perfect alternative for Jean-Clair Todibo.
Why Spurs are interested in Jean-Clair Todibo
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have opened negotiations with French side OGC Nice to discuss the possible transfer of Todibo, and while he is top of the list, it is stressed that it will not be an easy one to get over the line, with Manchester United also interested.
A fee of around £35m would be enough for Nice to consider his January sale, but with reinforcements needed across multiple positions, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy may be dissuaded from parting with such a sum.
As such, drawing up plans to sign Adarabioyo appears to be a prudent and resourceful move, with Marco Silva recently heralding the player's "special" skill set after Fulham advanced to the Carabao Cup semi-finals after defeating Everton.
It would perhaps be something of a blow to miss out on Todibo, however, with the Frenchman ranking among the top 8% of positional peers for passes attempted, the top 5% for successful take-ons and the top 7% for tackles made per 90, but then it would be a foolhardy approach to place all of their eggs in one basket.
Therefore, Adarabioyo would be an appropriate alternative, and who knows, given that he is a Premier League-proven player, he could even end up being the best deal to make.
تتوالى الضربات على فريق ريال مدريد بإصابات لاعبيه خلال فترة التوقف الدولي الحالية في شهر سبتمبر الجاري.
وكان أردا جولر هو آخر المنضمين لقائمة المصابين في ريال مدريد، بعدما تعرض لإصابة خلال مشاركته مع منتخب بلاده تركيا أمام ويلز في دوري الأمم الأوروبية.
وسقط اللاعب البالغ من العمر 19 عامًا بعد تعرضه لضربة في قصبة ساقه اليسرى، وتلقى العلاج الطبي في الملعب.
وتم استبدال جولر خلال المباراة، وأوضح مدرب تركيا فينتشينزو مونتيلا، في تصريحات عقب المباراة أن اللاعب تلقى ضربة.
وبحسب صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، العلامات المبكرة تشير إلى أن جولر سيغيب عن مباراة تركيا التالية في دوري الأمم الأوروبية على أرضها أمام أيسلندا يوم الاثنين.
وسيخوض ريال مدريد مباراته التالية خارج أرضه أمام ريال سوسيداد يوم السبت 14 سبتمبر، وبحسب التقرير من المتوقع أن يكون جولر جاهزًا لتلك المباراة.
يذكر أن ريال مدريد يغيب عنه كل من ديفيد ألابا وجود بيلينجهام وفيرلاند ميندي وتشواميني وإدواردو كامافينجا والشاب جاكوبو رامون، وإيدير ميليتاو، للإصابة.
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe relieved some heavy pressure off his shoulders at the weekend by putting bitter rivals Sunderland to the sword in the Tyne-Wear Derby with a 3-0 victory to progress to the next round of the FA Cup.
However, with games against Manchester City and Aston Villa in the Premier League on the horizon to close out January, the former Bournemouth boss could find himself under the microscope once more.
Nevertheless, with the winter transfer window open, Howe could invest in the market to bolster his squad beforehand and is reportedly eyeing up defensive reinforcements.
Newcastle United transfer news – Andreas Christensen
According to a report from Sport, Newcastle United are set to battle it out with Premier League rivals Manchester United over the signing of Barcelona centre-back Andreas Christensen. The outlet are claiming that La Blaugrana are pushing to sign Real Betis defender Chadi Riad which could force the Denmark international out the door.
Andreas Christensen
Christensen has plenty of experience in English football, having spent eight years with Chelsea where he made 161 appearances for the Blues and even won the Champions League in 2021, coming off the bench early in the game as the London club beat Manchester City 1-0 in Portugal to lift the coveted crown.
The 27-year-old was an integral part of Barcelona’s title win last season, with journalist Domagoj Kostanjsak describing him as a “cheat code” in defence alongside Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde. Nonetheless, Christensen could now be on the move, with Newcastle keen to improve their depth at the back.
Andreas Christensen's stats this season
While the Dane may not have a long-term future at Camp Nou, he has still been a mainstay in Xavi’s defence this season, having made 20 appearances in all competitions.
Sven Botman has been a regular in Newcastle’s starting lineup since joining the club in the summer of 2022 for £35m. The Dutchman has since played 56 matches for the Geordie club despite missing three months of the 2023/24 campaign through injury.
However, Howe will be keen to find a long-term partner for Botman in the heart of the defence. Due to injuries, both Fabian Schar and captain Jamaal Lascelles have shared the right centre-half position at regular points throughout this season, although the former has been slightly more prominent in the team, featuring 28 times to the skipper’s 22 appearances.
Nevertheless, Christensen has performed better statistically than both Schar and Lascelles this season and looks to be a perfect fit for Howe’s system.
Per 90 Metrics
Andreas Christensen
Fabian Schar
Jamaal Lascelles
Assists
0.08
0
0
Expected Assists
0.02
0.06
0.01
Progressive Passes
6.12
3.98
2.59
Progressive Carries
1.07
0.79
0.6
Passing Accuracy %
95.9
85.2
86.5
Long Passing Accuracy %
82.2
60.4
47.5
Passes To Final Third
5.7
4.45
3.19
Interceptions
0.99
0.94
0.34
Tackles + Interceptions
1.74
2.25
1.55
Aerial Duels Won %
75.7
50.7
67.1
Stats via FBref
The central defender is used to playing regularly in a possession-based system based on his time at Chelsea and Barcelona, hence why he has superior stats to Newcastle’s right-footed centre-backs. Additionally, as Botman is left-footed, Christensen would comfortably slot right next to him in the back four.
Christensen is a player with plenty of experience in England’s top flight and wouldn’t need a settling-in period to get to grips with the speed of the game. Furthermore, he is at the right age now, whereas both Schar and Lascelles are on the wrong side of 30.
If Christensen is available, with a market value of just £34m, as per CIES Football Observatory, then Howe certainly shouldn’t pass up the chance to bring him to St. James’ Park.
No último domingo, o Athletico mediu forças com o Atlético-GO e na base da insistência saiu com o triunfo por 2 a 1, feito que deixou o time vivo na disputa por uma vaga Libertadores da América.
+ E se os clubes brasileiros fossem comparados com escolas de samba?
Com duas rodadas pela frente, o Furacão aparece na 8ª colocação, com 50 pontos, seis a menos que o Grêmio, último time que aparece na zona de classificação do torneio continental.
Para garantir uma vaga na Libertadores sem precisar contar com o resultado da final da Copa do Brasil, a matemática é simples. O Athletico tem que ganhar do Grêmio e Sport. Além disso, precisa torcer para que o Tricolor seja derrotado pelo Bragantino na última rodada.
+ Veja jogadores “sumidos” que seu time poderia tentar contratar para 2021
Caso não obtenha os resultados que necessita e fique na 8ª colocação, o Furacão precisa torcer pelo título do Grêmio na Copa do Brasil.
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Glenn Maxwell was the standout player of the match, following up a barnstorming 70 off 33 balls with 1 for 45 in his ten overs
The Report by Danyal Rasool31-Mar-2019
Haris Sohail put up some resistance for Pakistan against Australia in the 5th ODI•Getty Images
Once more, it was Pakistan who had the centurion, while Australia walked away with the victory. Haris Sohail’s career-best score of 130 went in vain as Australia secured what was in the end a fairly comfortable 20-run win, their eighth on the bounce. It was set up by the batsmen, the top four all registering half-centuries as Australia exploited Pakistan’s sloppy fielding and uninspired bowling performance to plunder 327, the biggest total of the series. Targets in excess of 300 have only ever been chased successfully once in 26 times in the UAE, and despite Pakistan’s valiant efforts, they would not be adding to that statistic today. From the moment Haris was dismissed, the result looked inevitable, with Pakistan eventually finishing up on 307.The chase began inauspiciously with Abid Ali, passed fit to open after a nasty shoulder injury had forced him off the field during Australia’s innings, nicked off for a first-ball duck. It was a sharp lesson that in Pakistan cricket, there’s very little space between extreme highs and crushing lows; in the fourth game, he had made Pakistan’s highest ever score on debut with 112.Shan Masood and Haris consolidated well, however, taking control of the innings during the Powerplay as they kept pace with Australia. It was only after Masood was trapped in front by Adam Zampa, breaking a superb 108-run partnership, that Pakistan struggled to find a reliable partner for Haris. Mohammad Rizwan fell early, thanks to a superb catch at mid-on from Nathan Lyon off Glenn Maxwell, who played nearly as important a role with the ball as he had with the bat.With Umar Akmal, Haris put on another century stand; this one tallied 102. Umar displayed a maturity that has been absent from his game for much of his career, rotating the strike and finding the odd boundary when the opportunity allowed. Haris appeared to be playing on another pitch altogether, so assured was his footwork and so extravagantly confident his strokes.Despite their pluck, however, it never looked sustainable, and the fact Pakistan have a long tail must have played heavy on the minds of the pair. Ultimately, Umar fell in predictable fashion, his patience finally deserting him. With the required rate approaching nine, he charged Nathan Lyon, who was experienced enough to drop the ball short. Nowhere near the pitch, he went for the heave anyway, sending it more up than away. Jason Behrendorff at long-on actually had to charge in from the boundary to complete the catch, and the clean sweep was looking ever more assured.Four balls later, Haris guided one from Kane Richardson straight into backward point’s hands, and from thereon it was just Imad Wasim thwacking a few to try and make it as tight as possible. It was an entertaining cameo, Pakistan’s stand-in captain scoring a breezy 34-ball 50 to keep Australia honest right to the end. But with support dwindling from the other side, the percentages were always in Australia’s favour, and all Pakistan could manage was the consolation of their highest total of the series.As has been a reliable pattern over the past four games, the tone of the game was set by Australia’s openers, a 134-run stand between Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja paving the way for the big total.Just like Maxwell had done in the last game, Khawaja fell two runs shy of yet another ODI hundred. Even so, it was his fifth score of 88 or more in his past seven innings, and the supporting cast of Finch, Shaun Marsh and Maxwell did their jobs; all got half-centuries.Pakistan won the toss for the fourth time in five games, and seeing how close they had come previously, Imad opted to field again. To restrict Australia, however, they would need early wickets, and with the form both Finch and Khawaja are in, that was no easy feat.Pakistan’s lackadaisical fielding efforts didn’t exactly help build pressure, and the incoming Mohammad Abbas – brought in to regain the control Mohammad Hasnain had lacked – had the opposite effect. Once Khawaja got him away for a pair of boundaries in the fifth over, Australia were away, and Finch’s lofted six off Abbas’ following over indicated their fearlessness against Pakistan’s bowling attack.Imad began with a maiden, but so poor was Pakistan’s ground fielding it was hard to see how it would complement the bowling. Turning ones into twos is a good skill to have, with the proviso that you need to be the batting side. In the field, Pakistan were continuously guilty of this magnanimity, with Umar Akmal and Yasir Shah just two of the more notable repeat offenders. There weren’t any catches grassed, but then again, Finch and Khawaja didn’t so much as allow Pakistan a sniff for the first half of the innings.With time to seal a World Cup slot running out, Usman Shinwari could not have made a better final impression this series. He allowed just 14 runs in his first five overs, taking the wicket of Finch through nothing more than raw pace and a hint of seam movement, rushing him into a shot which never made contact. He was also the man to remove the other opener, again using his tearaway pace as the ball climbed onto Khawaja, who had become noticeably edgy as he approached his hundred. Bowling at the death might not have helped Shinwari’s figures, but he still finished with 4 for 49 in his ten overs.Maxwell was predictably explosive, given a perfect platform by the top order. Once more, however, he could have walked back early. Off the first ball of his innings, he helped Shinwari to fine leg, where a horrible misjudgement from the fielder saw the ball sail over his head and for a boundary. He would make Pakistan pay for it again, something Pakistan caught wind of when he smashed Yasir Shah for three fours in the following over. In what seemed like minutes, he had had brought up a 26-ball fifty.There was still time for a four and a six off Haris before Junaid Khan finally knocked back his off stump for a barnstorming 70 off 33. With ball in hand, he would return figures of 1-45, to finish far and away the standout player of the match. Pakistan may walk away from this series with a few positives; they will wish they were walking away with at least one win too.