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Plays of the day from the IPL fixture between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium

Kanishkaa Balachandran at the MA Chidambaram Stadium03-Apr-2010
Doug Bollinger’s stunner – Not unusual for an Australian•Indian Premier LeagueKlutzes United
There were bloopers on the field from Matthew Hayden, S Badrinath and S Anirudha and one off the field. Hayden jogged across at cover point to intercept a cut by Naman Ojha but failed to read the spin and let it sail through his legs. Sometime later, he got in perfect position to catch a skier off the same batsman but fluffed it. Thankfully for him, the match was already in the bag.Ojha had led a charmed life through his unbeaten 94. Even before the Hayden misfield, a slog-sweep found Badrinath at deep midwicket, only for the fielder to spill the catch on the dive. The other beneficiary of the night was Shane Watson, who skied one to midwicket and was let off on 31 by Anirudha, who never really got under it. All mishaps were witnessed and pilloried by thousands, but only a fraction of those witnessed one moment in the stands.The refurbished stands on the eastern end give the ground a sophisticated look. The scaffolding is very similar to that of the stands at Lord’s and the Adelaide Oval. Another new addition to these stands is the bucket seats, which aren’t common in many Indian grounds. When standing up to applaud Hayden passing 1000 IPL runs, this writer forgot that the seat folds when unoccupied. Next thing he knew, he was on the floor looking up at bemused onlookers. This was one standing ovation which turned into a stumbling side-show.”Bollinger, Bollinger”
It was Doug Bollinger’s postcard moment. On an evening when everything he touched seemed to turn to gold, he pulled off a stunner at the deep midwicket boundary to become the favourite of the Chennai crowd. Yusuf Pathan skied one to wide long-on, and Bollinger cupped it just inches from the rope. With the momentum threatening to take him over the rope, he threw the ball up, stepped behind the rope, got back into the field of play and took the catch. David Hussey pulled off a similar beauty in Delhi a few games back. What is it with Australians and boundary catches, you have to ask – Hussey, Phillip Hughes, Adam Voges and now Bollinger. Later, when Bollinger returned for a new spell, the wickets-starved crowd welcomed him as their new son with chants which grew louder with every dot ball.Hang on, he’s not ready
This was a field adjustment which missed everybody’s attention. When Shaun Tait ran in to bowl the third ball of the 15th over, he and the umpires failed to notice that the fielder hadn’t yet taken position at square third man. The fielder rushed to his position as fast as he could but Tait had delivered the ball. The fielder must have had his heart in his mouth when M Vijay upper cut the ball in his direction, but it sailed over the boundary. It would have been another story if Vijay didn’t get as much elevation.Wagh’s IPL initiation
Shrikanth Wagh’s IPL debut was a rollercoaster of a ride which lasted just six balls. The left-arm seamer from Maharashtra faced a stern examination against Matthew Hayden, who seemed determined to knock him out of the attack. The second, third and fourth balls were whacked to the on side for fours, but Wagh had the last laugh in the fifth. A half volley was slammed down extra cover’s throat and Wagh had dismissed his tormentor. Alas, he never bowled again.Murali mauled
It was a day of contrasting fortunes for two Muralis – Vijay and Muttiah Muralitharan. The offspinner fell prey to his attackers from Rajasthan Royals, who showed scant respect for the record-holder in Tests. More so Shane Watson, who clubbed him for three sixes and a four over the on side, all in one over. His round-the-wicket line was getting predictable and Watson chose to play with the spin. He leaked 23 off that over, and 52 off his four overs for a wicket. The search party was on for Bollinger after that mauling.

Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has been training away from the first team in recent days, Alasdair Gold has reported for football.london.

The Lowdown: Morecambe substitution

The Frenchman hasn’t exactly been a star under Antonio Conte since the Italian took over in north London. The 25-year-old has started just 10 games all season, the last of which came against Morecambe in the FA Cup a week ago.

Spurs were in danger of being dumped out by the League One side after falling behind, with Ndombele being subbed with 20 minutes remaining. He walked off slowly with Spurs trailing and appeared to slow down further when fans started booing before going straight down the tunnel.

It seems as if that petulance has had an impact at the training ground, with Conte taking action.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Gold’s update

Gold took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to provide an update on Ndombele, sharing an accompanying article for football.london.

He tweeted: “Understand Tanguy Ndombele has been training separately, away from the first team group at Spurs in recent days at Hotspur Way.”

The reliable reporter claimed within his article that the Frenchman has been training alone following a collective decision from Conte and the club, with his future unclear at this moment in time.

The Verdict: Sell

Ndombele is the club’s joint-biggest earner, but he hasn’t been putting in the performances to reflect that.

He was open to leaving over the summer and would still consider an exit this month, with Spurs reportedly offering his services to Napoli recently.

On that basis, it makes sense for Spurs to sell the midfielder over the coming weeks. The substitution against Morecambe could well turn out to be the final straw, and Fabio Paratici will have a big challenge on his hands to recoup the majority of the £54m that the club spent on Ndombele in 2019.

In other news: Alasdair Gold drops ‘positive update’ as Tottenham close in on first piece of major January business.

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some manager news involving Jose Mourinho.

As per Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager will not leave Roma this season, and the vacant job at Goodison Park is currently ‘not in his plans’.

Sky Sports broke on Tuesday evening that Mourinho was ‘under consideration’ to become the next permanent boss on Merseyside following the departure of Rafa Benitez, with Duncan Ferguson only in temporary charge for now.

However, it looks as if it is very unlikely that he would take the job with the Toffees given his desire to stay at Roma, meaning that the board will now have to look at other candidates.

Of course, Mourinho has succeeded in English football, winning the Premier League title no fewer than three times with Chelsea, but he is arguably not the manager he once was, having left both Spurs and Manchester United midway through campaigns while outside of the UEFA Champions League places.

Blues supporters may not like his pragmatic style of play either, and so it is no surprise to see them feeling as if they have dodged a bullet.

Everton fans on Mourinho manager news

These Evertonians buzzed as the manager news was shared on Twitter:

“Fantastic”

Credit: @EvertoniaMatt

“Best news I’ve heard. Now tell me Lampard got lost on the M25 driving up to his ‘interview'”

Credit: @Tw1ttr1

“Happy days”

Credit: @Pablo_Beezo

“Thank heavens for that.”

Credit: @owendeasha

“Panic over”

Credit: @Day89

“Siuuuuuu”

Credit: @blue_toffees

In other news, find out what other manager update has EFC fans buzzing here!

IMG, the event management company, has denied allegations that they were involved in helping set up a parallel IPL in England, and that they just facilitated an informal meeting between county representatives and Lalit Modi

Cricinfo staff08-May-2010IMG, the event management company, has denied allegations that they were involved in helping set up a parallel IPL in England, and that they just facilitated an informal meeting between county representatives and Lalit Modi.Their response comes after ECB chairman Giles Clarke had sent an email to the BCCI, alleging that the suspended IPL chairman Modi was trying to induce the counties into activities that could prove “detrimental to Indian cricket, English cricket and world cricket at large.””IMG has a 50-year record of integrity and probity in the business of sport and at all times IMG respects the authority and sovereignty of official federations and governing bodies,” the company said in a statement. “IMG has not been involved in any plans of the kind suggested in the quotes attributed to Mr Clarke.”Representatives of certain ECB member-counties requested a meeting with Mr Lalit Modi through IMG. An informal lunch meeting subsequently took place on 31st March 2010 in Delhi and was attended by IMG executives. The matters discussed at the lunch included a general conversation about the challenges currently facing English cricket and a theoretical discussion about the possible modelling and commercial potential of an English Twenty20 cricket competition.”As a matter of formality it was stated by IMG, and acknowledged by all present prior to this theoretical discussion, that the sovereignty and processes of the ECB must at all times be respected as must the relevant rules of all other official cricket bodies, including the ICC. Any suggestion otherwise is baseless, untrue and defamatory. IMG has been involved in no subsequent discussions regarding any of the matters discussed at this meeting.”Clarke’s accusations forced the BCCI to slap a second show-cause notice on Modi in two weeks, after the board suspended him from all BCCI positions including that as the chairman of the IPL and pressed five specific charges ranging from financial impropriety to “behavioral pattern.”However, representatives of the counties said the issue of their meeting with Modi was overblown, and that they were in India only on a fact-finding mission. Yorkshire’s chief executive, Stewart Regan clarified that they met Modi to find out more about how the IPL has gone from nowhere to being one of the biggest sporting businesses in the world inside two years.

Aston Villa could sign their new Gareth Barry in Bologna starlet Aaron Hickey amid Gregg Evans’ recent transfer update…

What’s the story?

The Athletic journalist recently claimed that Steven Gerrard’s side would be looking to bring in a new full-back over the coming transfer windows, and name-checked Hickey as a potential target.

He said: “Ashley Young provides the back-up on either side and Konsa and Hause can play at full-back if needed. The hope is that Kaine Kesler, currently on loan at Swindon Town, can step up in the next 18 months. Villa have very high hopes for him, but he might still need another loan, perhaps in the Championship, before he’s ready for the Premier League.

“With that in mind, I expect to see a new arrival at full-back in one of the next two windows. Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey is a player Villa like. Gomez can play right-back too…”

Villa’s new Gareth Barry?

Able to play anywhere across the back-line at just 19, the £7.2m-rated Hickey has already shown incredible versatility, and it’s something Villa could make the most out of.

The man who gave him his first-team debut, Craig Levein, pointed out: “He’s got really good defensive qualities but I don’t know if he’ll end up being a full-back, he might end up going back into midfield. He could be a fantastic holding midfielder with his great awareness of danger and his ability to get out of tight situations with the ball at his feet.”

And after he made his debut for Bologna, manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, said: “He doesn’t speak Italian yet and he has to improve a few things but he’s a lad with quality and personality who did well today. Right up to the end I wasn’t sure whether to play him, because I had other players who have already started in that role, but I like to take risks.”

Levein’s comments that Hickey could take his game at full-back into something more central could be the making of him, and help Villa unearth someone as tactically astute and calm in possession like Gareth Barry was.

With a passing accuracy of 86.6% in Serie A (the third-best of any Bologna player to have started more than ten games this season), and averaging 1.1 tackles per game, he certainly has the ball-playing skills and reading of the game to thrive in central midfield in the future.

And, given his age, Gerrard would surely love to work with someone as talented and as full of potential as Hickey is at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Villa have been handed a transfer update on this star…

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has asserted that his side can win a trophy before the end of the season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Reigning Pichichi winner highlighted "ideal moment to change"Barcelona out of Copa del Rey, off the pace in La LigaFace Napoli in Champions League knockouts next weekWHAT HAPPENED?

Barca have endured a turbulent season, and nine months after claiming a first league title in four years, face a strong possibility of going a full campaign without any silverware. Despite their struggles, Lewandowski has insisted that his side can win a trophy.

AdvertisementWHAT LEWANDOWSKI SAID SAID

In a conversation picked up by Spanish publication , the Polish striker asserted that the beleaguered Blaugrana can turn their season around: "We are in the ideal moment to change, to play better. First in Vigo and then the Champions League arrives… It is difficult to explain what is happening, because we conceded three goals against Granada, for example. We have had a long week to work and, as I said, we are in the perfect moment to change. I am sure that we are going to win many games and at the end of the season we are going to win something."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Lewandowski has endured a tricky season of his own. After finishing last season as the league's top scorer, his form has tailed off. The veteran forward has scored 10 and assisted five in domestic play so far.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

The Blaugrana face Celta Vigo this Saturday, and could pull within seven points of league leaders Real Madrid with a win. After that, they travel to the Diego Maradona stadium to face Napoli in the Champions League.

Former selector Mohinder Amarnath has pointed the finger at the BCCI president, N Srinivasan, for overruling the selectors’ unanimous call for sacking of MS Dhoni as captain after the two whitewashes in England and in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2012Mohinder Amarnath, the former India selector, has said it was the BCCI president, N Srinivasan, who overruled the selectors’ unanimous call for sacking of MS Dhoni as captain after the two whitewashes in England and Australia. “The Board President did not approve the unanimous decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Amarnath told .Post the Test debacle in Australia, Amarnath said, the selectors wanted to appoint a young captain for the triangular one-day series that followed, but their decision was overturned.”We selected the team for the triangular series, selected 17 players but we did not select the captain,” he said. “The captain was selected by somebody else.”Asked whether he questioned the decision, Amarnath said, “When you respect a person you don’t ask questions. But my question is, you have a selection committee those who think what is best for Indian cricket then why they are not given a free hand.The selectors thought about stepping down then, Amarnath said, but decided against it as they, “did not want to create a big stir there as the team was playing abroad and the series was going on there.”There was massive speculation that this was the reason Amarnath’s term as a selector ended abruptly when he was actually expected to be the new chairman of the selectors. When asked about that, all Amarnath said was: “I don’t miss it.”Amarnath was asked to clarify a rumour doing the rounds that he was cited the BCCI constitution that stated he could not sack Dhoni without the higher-ups clearing it. “Neither will I say yes nor will I deny it, okay,” he responded. “I know the facts, and I will tell you the facts when I feel the time is right.” He did go on to say, though, that he was not aware of the constitution. Clause 13(a)(iv) of the BCCI constitution states that: “The President shall approve the composition of a team, selected by the Selection Committee.””When somebody becomes a selector, I don’t think you are aware of the constitution of the BCCI,” he said. “I was not aware. I don’t think even the current committee is aware of the constitution.”According to the , Amarnath, Narendra Hirwani and Raja Venkat, during a meeting in January this year for selecting the squad for the CB Series in Australia, wanted to sack Dhoni.”Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary and convener of the national selection committee, consulted BCCI president N Srinivasan who shot down the proposal. Srinivasan made it clear that though the majority of the selectors felt that Dhoni didn’t inspire confidence as Test skipper the time was not right to remove him,” a selector told the paper.Why does Amarnath think Dhoni doesn’t deserve a place in the Test side? “If you see his track record for the last one year as captain, I am talking about Test matches, not one-day, he hasn’t done anything,” Amarnath said. “You give a run to a guy. I am not saying you should remove a guy overnight, but if you see a guy is failing again and again, I don’t think it is going to be possible to continue with the same guy.”I think he should be replaced in Test cricket. I am not talking shorter versions. He is an asset there, he has done very well, he is a match-winner, but with the technique he has I don’t see him do any wonders in Test cricket.”You have to look at contribution of the players, where you are playing and what opposition you are playing. We have to move ahead with times, and we have to look forward. People who have contributed to the game, we respect them, we adore them, but what is important is future of Indian cricket and not to live in the past. Cricket has changed, age has everything to do in life. We have to look ahead.”I believe in fresh blood. I was looking forward for a guy like Virat Kohli to take over as captain in one day cricket. I think he is a fantastic player, he is the future.”When Amarnath spoke about moving forward, he was asked about Sachin Tendulkar and what his future should be. “Sachin has been a great cricketer, a great ambassador, he has achieved everything but I think they way he is playing we see a shadow of Sachin Tendulkar,” he said. “And I don’t accept him to play in the same fashion as he has done in the past. Age is a factor. He is not alone. Look at all greats. Once you cross mid-30s, things become little bit difficult, a little bit more demanding. He is no exception. He has to take it very seriously, and I think the selectors have to have a word with him, what are his plans. Then they should take a call and then decide.”

Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, blamed the Bangladesh Cricket Board for failing to pay for the use of the Umpire Review Decision System

Andrew Miller in Dhaka22-Mar-2010Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, blamed the Bangladesh Cricket Board for failing to pay for the use of the Umpire Review Decision System, after his side’s hopes of an historic maiden Test victory over England were undermined by a succession of rough umpiring decisions that allowed their opponents to graft their way to a 21-run lead with two first-innings wickets remaining.Shakib himself led from the front, claiming 4 for 99 in 57 overs of relentlessly accurate left-arm spin, but the talking points of the day were the ones that got away. Each of England’s three key contributors on the third day – Bell, Tim Bresnan and Matt Prior – received a let-off that enabled them to post at least another fifty runs, and in the cases of Bresnan and Prior, neither man had made it into double figures at the moment that their good fortune struck.”It could have been a little bit better, and if it was a little better, we would have got a chance to bat today,” said Shakib. “You know what the decisions were and what they should have been, but I don’t want to make any comment. You all saw it on the TV.”For the record, Matt Prior was trapped on the crease on 9 by a reverse-swinging delivery from Rubel and went on to make 62; Bresnan survived a bat-pad catch on 5 before finishing the day on 74 not out, while Bell’s innings could have ended on 82 had an lbw appeal by Abdur Razzak been upheld.That final decision prompted Bangladesh’s coach, Jamie Siddons, to march out of the dressing-room and gesticulate his disgust to the umpires. “There were probably three or four decisions I was unhappy with,” Siddons told the BBC. “Hindsight makes it easy for me to be critical but that’s the game. Umpires do make mistakes, but it made it hard for us today but we’re still in the game, it’s still pretty even.”Nevertheless, in Shakib’s opinion, the blame lay less with the umpires, Rod Tucker and Tony Hill, and more with the board who baulked at the prospect of paying for the umpiring technology, but were nevertheless happy to pay to have the stadium facilities repainted overnight and decked out in flowers, to welcome the arrival of the ICC president, David Morgan.”If they had taken the referral system, they would have had to spend some money because the system is expensive,” he said. “But, yes, I think it was more important for us [than all these flowers].”

I think we would have asked for a referral four times with full confidence, and three of them would have come to our way for sureShakib Al Hasan rues Bangladesh’s luck

“We would have been in a very good position if [UDRS] was in use here,” he said. “I think we would have asked for a referral four times with full confidence, and three of them would have come to our way for sure. It’s really bad for us that we did not use the referral system, which we could have done.”Bangladesh’s sense of injustice was also ramped by Andy Flower’s pre-series suggestion that weaker teams are less likely to be given the benefit of the doubt by the umpires. “I’ve felt that my whole career,” said Siddons. “I definitely never felt Australia were on the wrong end but, with Bangladesh, I definitely think it comes out against us. I don’t know why.”The spirit was down this afternoon but they fought back and they seem pretty positive about what they can do in the next two days. England have got to bat last but hopefully we don’t let them put on too many runs for the last two wickets.”As and when England do bat again, and assuming they are set a defendable target, then Shakib will be demanding a greater contribution from his fellow left-arm spinner, Abdur Razzak, whose 37 overs were milked for 127 runs, with only the wicket of Alastair Cook to show for his efforts. The pre-match plan had been for both spinners to operate in tandem, but Shakib instead had to rely on the reverse-swing of Rubel Hossain to keep England under wraps as the day wore on.”I was expecting more from Razzak, especially when we both were bowling,” said Shakib. “It was very important to have a partnership between us to create pressure from both ends, but he ended up making the same mistakes from the first Test, because the main thing is patience. Whoever loses his patience first will be a loser. Maybe he thought he’d try to bowl wicket-balls, but every time he conceded a four, the pressure came off.”In mitigation, the conditions were not as spin-friendly as had been predicted, but that did not surprise Shakib in the slightest. “Whenever we hear the ball will spin, it doesn’t,” he said. “It’s nothing new and I am not too disappointed with it, although we have been playing Test match cricket for 10 years, so we should know by now how to take this advantage. When we go to England, they are sure to prepare a bouncy wicket for us.”Still, everything is possible – win, draw or loss,” said Shakib. “I don’t think we are in a very bad position, because the match is still very balanced and both teams are under pressure. But we have more pressure, because we cannot always play consistently well.”

The Indian board (BCCI) has disbanded its ground and pitches committee with immediate effect

Cricinfo staff27-Dec-2009The Indian board (BCCI) has disbanded its ground and pitches committee with immediate effect.The BCCI was faced with an embarrassing situation after the fifth and final ODI between India and Sri Lanka at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla was abandoned after 23.3 overs due to a dangerous pitch.Former captains swiftly reacted with shock and dismay at the dangerous pitch prepared by the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), while former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar told Cricinfo that Delhi should be blacklisted as an international venue.The ground and pitches committee was headed by Daljit Singh, who was present in Delhi as the controversy unfolded. Along with various DDCA bigwigs, the on-field umpires and match referee Alan Hurst, Daljit inspected the unfit strip as well as an adjacent strip after play had been stopped. A decision to abandon the game was taken approximately an hour and ten minutes after another delivery spat up from an awkward spot on one of the dicey patches of the strip.The committee also included Dhiraj Parsana, PR Viswanathan, Rajiv Gokhale and Rahul Das.

Cameron White finally showed he could be a potent force at home as his muscular century pushed Australia to a five-wicket win in the opening ODI against Pakistan

The Bulletin by Peter English at the Gabba22-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Cameron White passed fifty for the first time in one-dayers in Australia•Getty ImagesCameron White finally showed he could be a potent force at home as his muscular century pushed Australia to a five-wicket win in the opening ODI against Pakistan. Over the past six months White has starred in England and India to confirm himself as a key batting figure and he powered the hosts as they over-hauled the target of 275 with nine balls to spare.It was the first time White, playing his 48th ODI, had passed fifty in Australia and he almost made it to the end before falling for 105 off 88 balls. Australia were uncomfortable after slipping to 3 for 84 with Ricky Ponting’s exit, but White joined with Michael Clarke in settling the nerves and then took on the major responsibility with the vice-captain’s departure.White is a hulky figure and he peaked with three consecutive sixes off Shahid Afridi between long-on and midwicket in the 41st over that downgraded Australia’s assignment from difficult to comfortable. Afridi is used to dishing out that sort of sequence and did his best to provide the memorable moment of the day with a 26-ball 48, but White made sure it was his fireworks that will be recalled first.He picked up four sixes and eight fours, including an unorthodox cross-bat down the ground off Rana Naved-ul-Hasan followed by a textbook cover drive in the same over, and added his second century to follow the 105 against England in Southampton in September. He was bowled by Rana trying for another boundary and left to a standing ovation. Michael Hussey, who was unbeaten on 35, finished off the match to earn a 1-0 lead in the five-match seriesThe result continued Australia’s successful summer and stopped Pakistan, who had been heavily reinforced after the 3-0 Test loss, from gaining any momentum ahead of Sunday’s second game in Sydney. They had chances to contain Australia further in the field following their useful start, but a few run-outs or catches will always be missed by this outfit.Both Australian openers departed by the ninth over to leave Ponting and Clarke trying to consolidate during a 47-run partnership, but that ended when the battling Ponting (27) drove at Afridi and was taken behind point. Clarke was in much better touch and accumulated cleverly, hitting 40 singles on the way to 58, and put on 102 with White. However, Clarke departed when attempting a quick single only to be beaten at the striker’s end by Rana’s underarm.Mohammad Aamer was slippery in his opening spell and Shane Watson was so behind in a defensive push on 5 that the ball hit the end of his handle and flew to Saeed Ajmal at mid-on. Aamer followed up by hitting Ponting on the hip and in his second spell stung Clarke’s ribs with a lifter. By the end of the match it was the only lasting pain inflicted on the hosts.Salman Butt’s 72 put Pakistan on track for a sizeable total and Afridi made sure it happened with a powerful late surge that took them to 274. After winning the toss, the visitors had a series of useful stands over most of the innings but none that dominated the game until Afridi arrived at No. 7.Australia had fought back from Butt’s display through Watson and Clint McKay, but after the visitors wobbled to 7 for 227 in the 44th over Afridi quickly steadied them. Afridi forced a six to long-off from Nathan Hauritz before pulling Peter Siddle into the stands at midwicket to provide a much-needed boost during the batting Powerplay. He also found three boundaries in a row off McKay before the final delivery of the over went for four legbyes.After swatting Watson for six to long-on, he was caught at midwicket trying for another clearance and the innings soon ended with Mohammad Asif’s run-out with two balls remaining. Watson finished with a career-best 4 for 36 off 10 while McKay returned 3 for 61 in a mixed bowling display for the Australians, who had less support than usual with the crowd of 19,758 the smallest for an ODI at the ground in 11 years.Butt added 62 with the recalled Kamran Akmal (34) before joining forces with Younis Khan. He dominated the partnership with Younis, who scored 8 of the 55 for the second wicket, but fell to his 81st ball when he top edged a pull off Doug Bollinger to become one of Haddin’s four catches. Yousuf (2) quickly followed when he played on to a steepling delivery from Bollinger and Pakistan were on the brink of trouble at 3 for 123.Younis came in for his first match since giving up the captaincy and was struggling with the added intensity on the way to 46. He knew he would get better with time and hung in to be the support partner in stands with Butt, Umar Akmal (23) and Shoaib Malik (28). When he departed pulling McKay to deep square leg the tourists were in trouble. Afridi dug them out briefly before White came of age at home.