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After a busy summer transfer window, West Ham United are reportedly racing alongside Manchester United to sign a Champions League midfielder who’s unhappy at his current club.

West Ham transfer news

Despite welcoming a plethora of quality in the summer, West Ham are still feeling their way into the Premier League campaign with Danny Ings, amid all those new faces, becoming the last-minute hero against Fulham last time out. There’s no doubt that Julen Lopetegui will need time to find the perfect balance in his new squad, however, which may well come at the perfect time in a London derby against Chelsea this weekend.

When looking back on their summer window, there may even be names that Tim Steidten feels the Hammers missed out on, with Jhon Duran likely among those following his excellent start to the season at Aston Villa.

In the end, West Ham welcomed Niclas Fullkrug as a short-term solution, but are yet to see the former Borussia Dortmund star open his account. What could help the forward in January is the addition of another top Bundesliga talent.

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According to The Sun, West Ham are now racing Manchester United to sign Leon Goretzka from Bayern Munich in the January transfer window, with the midfielder reportedly unhappy at the Bavarian giants.

Losing his place under Vincent Kompany to new man Joao Palhinha, Goretzka may well be on the move in the winter window to leave West Ham in place to take full advantage. Earning a reported £292k-p/w at Bayern though, the deal won’t exactly come cheap.

Bayern’s director of sport Max Eberl recently spoke about Goretzka’s place in Kompany’s squad, saying as quoted by The Sun: “We communicated very clearly from the start. Leon knew that we were relying on Pavlo [Aleksandar Pavlovic], and that we would bring in with Palhinha and that Josh [Kimmich] would play more in the centre again.

“We’ve also said that when Leon is there and ready to face the situation, he’ll be treated completely normally. Leon’s a great guy. I like him a lot, even though he’s obviously upset at the moment. I understand that too. But that’s part of life in football.”

"Great" Goretzka could take Premier League by storm

A serial winner at Bayern Munich and now 29 years old, Goretzka may well get one last big move and the chance to make his mark on arguably the biggest league in European football. What’s more, the prospect of a partnership between the German and Lucas Paqueta is mouth-watering enough to believe that this is a deal that West Ham should be pursuing.

Fending off interest from Manchester United will be key, of course, but if the summer window proved anything, it is West Ham’s new-found ability to compete against the very top clubs in the transfer market. As Goretzka’s unhappiness grows, he’ll be more and more one to watch, particularly when the January transfer window swings open in a matter of months.

Everton have plenty of problems, but Sean Dyche will be hoping that Dominic Calvert-Lewin can stay fit and that his frontline can muster enough firepower to rise above the relegation one and avoid another fear-inducing battle against the drop.

It's not been a great few years for the Merseysiders, though last term's travails were somewhat skewed by an eight-point deduction in the Premier League. Take that away, and the Toffees actually finished 12th, only one point behind Crystal Palace in the top ten.

It remains to be seen whether Everton will indeed have enough up top to turn the tide following a poor start to the season, but having a dynamic former forward such as Richarlison would be nice…

Why Everton sold Richarlison

Everton signed Richarlison from Watford in a £40m deal in the summer of 2018, and though this was a tall figure for an up-and-coming forward, his start to life in Liverpool led Gary Lineker to hail the "bargain".

He'd complete 152 appearances over five years, scoring 53 goals and assisting 13 more, but when Tottenham Hotspur came calling in 2022 and presented the club with a £60m offer, it was accepted in a heartbeat.

And that recouped sum looks to be more and more masterful business by the month, with the Brazil international foundering through his debut campaign in the capital, scoring one Premier League goal across 27 matches, even being branded a "joke" by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino.

Richarlison might have been a menace for the Blues but he's fallen by the wayside since leaving, albeit enjoying a bright purple patch during the 2023/24 season.

Still, as per Football Transfers, the 26-year-old is currently worth just £28m, meaning that he has suffered a depreciation totalling £32m, or, to put it another way, a 53% drop.

And anyway, Everton now has a talented winger who's more valuable than their erstwhile talisman, and his name is Dwight McNeil.

Everton have hit gold on Dwight McNeil

Lauded for his "magic" creative quality by journalist Joe Thomas, McNeil is a playmaking monster and has been one of Everton's most underrated players since signing from Burnley in 2022 for a £20m fee by then-manager Frank Lampard.

Everton might have made a torrid start to the campaign but McNeil has been breathtaking. As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old has averaged 4.3 key passes per game and he is proving to be a linchpin for a side that views his playmaking ability as indispensable.

And it's reflected through his rise in value. Football Transfers record McNeil at £30m, meaning that he is higher-rated than Richarlison and enjoying a more significant impact over these past few years.

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Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

22

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Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City

21

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Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United

21

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Son Heung-min

Tottenham Hotspur

20

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Trent Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool

17

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Dwight McNeil

Everton

17

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Cole Palmer

Chelsea

17

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Martin Odegaard

Arsenal

17

He's been fantastic, and though Everton have endured a bleak beginning to the 2024/25 season, with players such as McNeil fighting to restore prominence and the feel-good factor, there's every chance that the future could be brighter on the blue half of Merseyside.

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ByRoss Kilvington Sep 10, 2024

Wrexham progressed to the round of 16 of the EFL Trophy after beating Crewe 1-0 late on in Tuesday's clash in Wales.

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• Wrexham progressed to last 16 of EFL Trophy
• Beat Crewe Alexandra 1-0
• Aaron James scored late winner

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In a closely fought encounter at the SToK Racecourse Ground, the Red Dragons had the last laugh as Aaron James scored a late winner to send his team to the round of 16 of the EFL Trophy. Paul Mullin picked up a loose ball in the opponent's half and floated a cross inside the box. James had enough space to jump in the air found the back of the net with a header.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  With the victory over Crewe, the Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney-owned club took a step forward towards their dream of adding a second trophy to the club's cabinet during their reign. Since the Hollywood duo took charge of the club, they have won only one title which was winning the National League in the 2022-23 season.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Wrexham's last triumph in a cup competition came way back in 2012-13 when they defeated Grimsby Town in the final to lift their only FA Trophy to date.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Phil Parkinson's side will be back in action this weekend as they take on Cambridge United in a League One clash on Saturday at home. The Red Dragons, who are on a four-game winning streak in the league, are currently tied on points with leaders Wycombe Wanderers.

These next few days could prove to be key as a £55 million player awaits a move to Arsenal before deadline day on August 30.

Edu and Arteta push for more signings

It hasn't exactly been the busiest of windows for manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar, despite some reports that Arsenal were planning to break their summer transfer record on marquee additions.

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Emilio Galantini

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There are still weeks remaining before time runs out to secure fresh faces, so this could still come to fruition, but Arsenal chiefs will have to act quickly. So far, goalkeeper David Raya has joined on a permanent deal from Brentford for around £27 million, with defender Riccardo Calafiori later joining from Bologna for an initial £34 million.

Raya usurped long-standing number one Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks last season, relegating the England international to Arteta's substitute's bench, while Calafiori helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League last season and impressed at Euro 2024.

How Calafiori & Gabriel compared in 2023/24
Statistics	Calafiori	Gabriel
Games	29	34
Goals & assists	7	4
Progressive carries	28	13
Pass accuracy	90%	89%
Tackles won	37	28
Interceptions	56	31
Aerials won	71%	55%
Stats via FBref

Reports suggest Arsenal could sign a forward before deadline day, with striker Eddie Nketiah currently in talks to join Roberto De Zerbi at Marseille. Arteta and Edu have reportedly discussed signing Joao Pedro from Brighton as a replacement for Nketiah, according to some reports, and remain linked with a high-profile move for Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres.

Meanwhile, there is also the ongoing transfer saga surrounding Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino. The Spaniard, who impressed for eventual Euro 2024 champions Spain recently, also amassed eight goals and five assists across 45 appearances in all competitions at club level last term.

Arsenal have been deemed very likely to sign Merino ahead of other competitors for his signature, like Barcelona. The 28-year-old's contract includes a £55 million release clause, but with his deal expiring next year, he could join Arteta for a lesser fee.

Next few days key as Merino waits to join Arsenal

Merino has already agreed personal terms on a move to Arsenal, according to some reports in the UK, but both Sociedad and Arsenal are still yet to formally shake hands on a deal.

Basque news outlet Noticias de Gipuzkoa provide their own update on the situation this week, stating in their headline that Merino is awaiting a move to Arsenal this summer. The former Newcastle star reported for training with Sociedad on Monday, and it is claimed his future could be decided "in the next few days".

While his career is described as far away from the La Liga side, Noticias say the only certainty for Merino is his return to training after winning the Euros – suggesting it isn't a forgone conclusion that he's making the move to north London.

Arteta and Edu will be keen to get this deal over the line as quickly as possible, as it has dragged on for some time now.

With just two weeks left until the transfer window slams shut, Liverpool now reportedly want to make an Olympic medalist the first signing of the Arne Slot era.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds have been the quietest club in Europe's top five leagues this summer, so far failing to sign a single reinforcement. It looked for a moment as though Martin Zubimendi would end that drought, only for the Spaniard to steal the headlines by changing his mind and opting to stay put at boyhood club Real Sociedad.

Slot recently spoke about the midfielder and Liverpool's pursuit of fresh faces, saying via The Evening Standard: "I've said many times already that our squad is really strong and it's not so easy to find players who can help us or improve the squad.

"Zubimendi was one of them to be fair, but he decided not to come. We go forward with the ones we have. [Wataru] Endo did well in pre-season. We're in a good place.

“[Sporting director] Richard [Hughes] is trying to strengthen the squad. Zubimendi decided not to come, we did every effort. If a player decides not to come then it's obvious he's not coming.”

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Now, reports suggest that one of the areas Hughes is attempting to strengthen is the current Anfield defence. According to L'equipe, Liverpool now want to sign Adrien Truffert from Stade Rennais after the left-back enjoyed a solid summer, winning the silver medal for France at the Paris Olympics, missing out on gold up against Spain.

The Reds aren't the only side interested, however, with Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest all reportedly eyeing moves to sign the 22-year-old this month.

Andy Robertson, now 30 years old and criticised for his performance at Ipswich on Saturday, won't go on forever, and signing a young replacement would represent the type of squad planning that Liverpool have so desperately lacked in recent years.

"Unreal" Truffert can become Robertson heir

With doubts over Owen Beck's future and Kostas Tsimikas often struggling to replicate Robertson's quality, Truffert could emerge to become a solid piece of business from Liverpool, should they turn their interest into a solid move this month. Just 22 years old, the Frenchman has all the time in the world to step into Slot's squad and learn from one of the best in Robertson, before eventually taking the starting place.

Key Passes

19

62

Tackles Won

21

24

Ball Recoveries

116

104

Assists

2

2

Crucially matching Robertson off the ball, Truffert certainly has plenty of potential and potential that Liverpool should play a large part in unlocking. Described as "unreal" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the Olympic medalist wouldn't steal the same headlines that Zubimendi would have, but he'd arguably be of similar importance in the long term.

As the Premier League season gets going and the Reds remain without a single incoming, Truffert could quickly become one to watch, having shown all the hallmarks of a player that those at Anfield should be looking at in the next two weeks.

With one month left in the transfer window this summer, Newcastle United still need to address several issues as Eddie Howe seeks to find a route back into European competition.

Namely, a new centre-forward is coveted at St. James' Park, with Alexander Isak thriving as one of Europe's most exciting forwards but needing competition with Callum Wilson, 32, who suffered an injury-plagued 2023/24 campaign, garnering interest this summer.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been on the Magpies' radar, but the Everton star has a blemished record on the fitness front too. A shrewder route could be taken.

Newcastle eyeing new forward

According to a report from Corriere dello Sport earlier this week – via Sport Witness – Newcastle are in the mix to sign Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia, who is craving a transfer to the Premier League.

Brentford, Everton and West Ham United are also known admirers of the Senegal international, but no suitor has yet to meet the Serie A side's price tag of €20m (£17m).

What Boulaye Dia would bring to Newcastle

Dia is one of the crispest and most composed centre-forwards in the business, with his average pass completion rate of 83.6% over the past year putting him among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for the metric, as per FBref.

He didn't however, get to show off the full scale of his goalscoring ability, with injuries limiting him to just 12 starting Serie A appearances and just four goals in 2023/24.

In the previous campaign, however, the 27-year-old proved to be one of the finest marksmen in Italian football, scoring 16 goals across 27 outings and missing just five big chances, as per Sofascore.

1.

Victor Osimhen

Napoli

32

26

2.

Lautaro Martinez

Inter Milan

38

21

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Boulaye Dia

Salernitana

33

16

4.

Rafael Leao

AC Milan

35

15

5.

Ademola Lookman

Atalanta

31

13

5.

M'Bala Nzola

Spezia

31

13

5.

Olivier Giroud

AC Milan

33

13

This is the kind of striking calibre that Newcastle would hope to inculcate into Howe's ranks, and given that he averaged 1.1 key passes and dribbles per fixture too, a dynamic option could be added to reinforce and broaden the Toon attack.

It's the kind of transfer that could cause PIF to forget about Calvert-Lewin, who, at present, is still of strong interest to the Tyneside club despite previously pulling out of negotiations this summer following concerns around Everton's £40m demands.

Calvert-Lewin has also been dubbed a "monster" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, with similarly athletically robust qualities, albeit applied in a different way.

The Toffees' 6 foot 2 talisman is strong and commanding in the air but he is also frequently afflicted by injury – having now gone three campaigns without reaching ten goals in a Premier League term.

Dia, albeit spending much of last season wrestling with fitness problems, has proved himself a clinical presence with a high-level technical ability, and given that he's available for a portion of Everton's exorbitant demands, he must be signed.

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“I like to put the pressure on the bowler once I am in, and that is my role in the team”

Sidharth Monga16-Jan-2021Rohit Sharma attracted criticism from pundits and fans alike for the shot he played to be out caught at long-on in the Brisbane Test, but said he didn’t regret it one bit as it was part of the role he was playing for the team. He said it was important in this slow-scoring series for the batsmen to take the initiative and put the pressure back on the bowlers, and that he was just trying to play a shot he has played often – except that on this occasion, Nathan Lyon outsmarted him.”I was actually trying to pierce the long-on and that deep square-leg fielder [as he did in Sydney too, successfully], but it didn’t connect the way I would have loved to,” Sharma explained. “Pretty simple. It was something I won’t regret. It is something I like to do. I like to put the pressure on the bowler once I am in, and that is my role in the team. To make sure I keep putting that pressure on the bowlers because we have seen throughout the series how run-scoring has been difficult for both the teams.Rohit Sharma looked in good nick before “the unfortunate dismissal”•Getty Images

“So somewhere, someone needs to put his hand up and think about how we can put the pressure back on the bowlers. And while doing that there are chances you will make a mistake, and you should be ready to accept that. I am ready to accept that because it was a plan. It was something that wasn’t beyond our plans. It was something that we always planned. I actually have no regrets playing that shot. It is something I like to do. Just that Nathan Lyon – we all know he is a smart bowler – bowled into me, which made it difficult for me to get some elevation.”The dismissal sparked severe comment from former cricketers. Sunil Gavaskar on air called it an irresponsible shot, a wicket gifted away. This has been the criticism of Sharma’s batting in the past too, when he has gotten off to starts and then played such an aerial shot seemingly out of nowhere.Related

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“It is not coming out of nowhere,” Sharma said. “It is a shot that I play. And I have played it very well in the past. It is something that I really back myself to do all the time. That is the kind of role I play in this team. Yes, when it looks like that, it looks bad, but that is something I don’t think too much into. Of course, I like to make it count and make it big but having said that there is a process which I like to follow, and the process is obviously to make sure that once I am in I am on top of the bowlers, and that I am trying to keep the pressure on the opposition bowlers.”Sometimes you get out; sometimes it goes over the rope, but yeah, I mean, it was unfortunate and a very sad dismissal, to be honest. Again those are my shots and I will keep playing them.”Even when watching the first two Tests during his quarantine in Sydney, Sharma felt India needed to be more proactive in scoring against the superior Australia attack. “Watching the first two Tests while I was in quarantine, I saw the discipline the Australian bowling had,” he said. “You have to try to figure out a way to score runs against these guys. They won’t give anything easy so it is something I was trying to think about my batting while I was not playing.”It is something that really worked in the first half of my batting. Just getting closer to the ball, making sure I leave anything slightly outside off. And then once I am in, play the shots as well because that is what you want. At the end of the day, you want to score runs. And try and see how they react when you are scoring runs. That is something I did. It worked out until I got out.”Other than the eventual dismissal, Sharma has looked arguably the most comfortable at the top of the order in a series that has, in keeping with Test cricket today, been a nightmare for the openers. This was the first time he was opening away from home, and his three scores have been 26, 52 and 44.”I have opened for India in limited overs for a long time and it is time for me to test myself in this longer format as well,” he said. “The team has shown confidence in my ability at the top. Just that I have to do what the team expects me to do. Not to worry about what happens anywhere else and what people talk about me. The team expects me to play a certain role at the top of the order, and I will try to do that as much as I can.”We saw in Sydney there wasn’t much bounce, so I was just trying to stay leg side of the ball. I knew [the] lines and lengths they bowl here [in Brisbane], they try to test you outside the off stump all the time so I was trying to move towards off to make sure I cover the line and not push my hands outside off stump. That is the little adjustment I made.”I actually liked what I did there [before being dismissed]. Before coming here, we knew it is going to be a good pitch to bat. Of course, there is going to be some bounce, the carry through to the keeper, which I actually enjoy. Once I was in, and I played a few overs, a few balls, I realised there was not much swing so I did a little adjustment there. I started coming on the off stumps, which helped me get on the ball. After that, the unfortunate dismissal…”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has claimed that the Red Devils' Europa League start is fine despite dropping to 21st place in the standings.

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• Manchester United drew 1-1 against Fenerbahce
• Draw their first three Europa League clashes
• Ten Hag believes European start 'not bad'

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester United travelled to Istanbul as they looked to get their first Europa League win of the season against Fenerbahce. While they started the match off well with Christian Eriksen giving the visitors an early lead, Jose Mourinho's men rallied back to score in the second half and held the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw.

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  United have now drawn their first three Europa League league stage games of the season as they started off with a 1-1 draw at home to Twente and a 3-3 draw against Porto at the Estadio do Dragao. Ten Hag's men now sit 21st in the Europa League standings and are without a win in over a year of European football, but the Dutchman thinks the results so far are 'not bad'.

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  WHAT TEN HAG SAID

  Speaking to the media, Ten Hag said: "Point in Porto, point in Fenerbahce, that's not bad, but of course we want to win. We want to win every game. From two tough away games, Porto and Fenerbahce, we take two points, this is a result."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  Ten Hag's job remains under threat, and the Dutchman will hope to see his side win their next clash away at West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday, October 27.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Welliton é o novo reforço do Goiás para a continuidade da Série B. O jogador que defendeu recentemente o Sharjah FC, um dos principais clubes dos Emirados Árabes Unidos e que marcou 18 gols em 29 partidas, foi anunciado pelas redes sociais do Esmeraldino.

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>Aplicativo deresultados do LANCE! está disponível na versão iOS

Desde 2013 fora do Brasil quando defendeu o São Paulo, o jogador chega depois de uma passagem de mais de quatro anos pelo país do Oriente Médio. Por lá, defendeu as cores do Sharjah em três temporadas e também o Al Wasl em 2019/2020.

Welliton também acumula passagens pelo futebol europeu, quando passou por Turquia, Espanha e Rússia. Tendo maior destaque, nesse período, quando jogou pelo Spartak Moscou.

Em sua reapresentação no Goiás, o sentimento de alegria e gratidão por estar retornando ao clube formador ficaram bastante latentes na entrevista coletiva do atleta atualmente com 34 anos de idade:

-Uma felicidade imensa estar vestindo esta camisa novamente, um clube que me projetou para o futebol, sou muito grato por tudo que o Goiás fez por mim. o Goiás foi o clube que me ajudou muito a virar jogador, crescer como homem e como ser humano.

Sindh chased down 170 against Central Punjab, while Balochistan crushed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by six wickets

Danyal Rasool10-Oct-2020

Shoaib Malik shapes up for a big hit•PCB

Balochistan beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by six wickets
In a clash close to the top of the table, Balochistan avenged their crushing defeat against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last week by inflicting a similar loss on Mohammad Rizwan’s side. Awais Zia’s unbeaten 49-ball 92 helped Balochistan make short work of the 155-run target, which they achieved with six wickets and 20 balls to spare. After Shaheen Afridi removed Abdul Bangalzai for a first-ball duck and Bismillah Khan in his second over, Zia took charge of the chase single-handedly. Brushing aside the further losses of Imran Butt and his skipper Haris Sohail, Zia farmed the strike with Akbar-ur-Rehman at the other end, who played his part, finishing unbeaten on 24 and hitting the winning runs.After winning the toss, Balochistan had put KP in and removed both in-form players Mohammad Hafeez and Rizwan cheaply. Fakhar Zaman struggled to get going in the face of tight bowling, particularly by Akif Javed and Khurram Shehzad, whose combined figures of 8-0-40-3 a tell-tale sign of KP’s struggles with the bat. It was left to veteran Shoaib Malik to take them to a competitive total, as he rolled back the years to wallop 74 off 44 balls to help his side get past 150. But support from the other end wasn’t forthcoming, of which they eventually paid the price.Sindh beat Central Punjab by three wickets
In the evening game, it was a case of copy and paste for Babar Azam, who followed up yesterday’s 52-ball 86 not out with a 53-ball 86, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Central Punjab from slumping to a three-wicket defeat at Sindh’s hands. Chasing 170 and having lost their top four cheaply, Sindh dug in and benefitted from lower-middle-order contributions from Danish Aziz, who top-scored with an unbeaten 59, and Azam Khan. But when it looked like the asking rate might prove too steep, it was a blitz from Hassan Khan, who smashed 36 off 15 with four sixes, that powered Sindh past the finish line. That was despite the best efforts of Waqas Maqsood, whose figures of 3.1-0-14-3 might easily have been worthy of ending up on the winning side.After being asked to bat, Central Punjab were immediately set back by Sohail Khan removing Kamran Akmal in the first over. The Sindh fast bowler was the pick of the bunch, returning to get rid of Azam in the 15th over, as well as Saad Nasim to finish his spell. For Central Punjab, there were few contributors besides Azam, who was responsible for more than half of his side’s runs. Sindh’s team effort in the chase suggested that might have been an important point of difference.