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After keeping West Indies on the field for most of the first two days to score 508 runs in their first innings, Bangladesh didn’t allow any let-ups with the ball. Mehidy Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan took five wickets in the first 12 overs of the visitors’ reply, recording a first in Test history in the process, as the first five batsmen were all bowled to spinners.Mehidy took three wickets while Shakib took the other two to fall in a dominant day for the home side. From start to finish on day two, Bangladesh made all the running, culminating in a gasping last hour and 40 minutes that ended with West Indies on 75 for 5.Kraigg Brathwaite has had a torrid time in this tour so far, this time Shakib Al Hasan’s arm-ball cutting between his bat and pad to hand him a duck. Mehidy did a similar thing to Kieran Powell, using the round-the-wicket angle to get through his bat and pad.Things turned from bad to worse for West Indies in the ninth over when Sunil Ambris missed a full Shakib delivery with an ambitious lofted drive, but he was nowhere near the pitch of the ball. Roston Chase played down the wrong line to a Mehidy delivery that spun past his forward prod.In Mehidy’s next over, West Indies slipped to 29 for 5, the lowest score against Bangladesh at five wickets down, when Shai Hope was completely undone by one that kept very low.Shimron Hetmyer and Shane Dowrich, who batted well in the Chattogram Test too, salvaged the visitors in a 46-run stand for the unbroken sixth wicket. It was the only respite on a day when nothing really went their way.For most of the day, it was Mahmudullah’s sturdy 136 that held Bangladesh together. He lasted six hours and 16 minutes at the crease, which took the home side through some crucial phases from the first to the second afternoon. Shadman Islam had earlier done the initial hard work through his impressive 76 on the first day, but after he and Mushfiqur fell in a short span, Mahmudullah dug deep.He added 111 runs for the sixth wicket with Shakib who went on a boundary-spree early on the second morning, hitting five of his six fours. He made 80 off 139 balls before giving gully a straightforward catch off Kemar Roach. Liton Das followed in Shakib’s footsteps, attacking the West Indies bowlers in a first session in which Bangladesh added 128 runs in 25 overs.Liton, who made 54 off 62 balls with eight fours and a six, fell soon after the lunch break, and was followed by Mehidy Hasan back to the dressing room. Mahmudullah then took 30 balls to get through the nineties and into his century, but it was a crucial phase in which he and Taijul added 56 runs in 20.5 overs.Taijul lasted 91 minutes before getting caught behind off Kraigg Brathwaite, who had earlier bowled Liton, before Nayeem Hasan and Mahmudullah frustrated West Indies for a further 9.2 overs in their tenth-wicket stand.For the visitors, Kemar Roach, Devendra Bsihoo, Warrican and Brathwaite took two wickets each while there was one each for Shermon Lewis and Roston Chase.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp now has designs on bolstering his squad in January and reports claim that the Reds have established contact with a target from a top flight rival.

Liverpool maintain their title push…

In the summer, Liverpool boss Klopp was expected to carry out a rebuild of sorts after a disappointing 2022/23 campaign to put his side in contention for a tilt at the Premier League title. Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo landed at Anfield during the last window and have given Liverpool some fresh energy in the engine room, while also offering some excellent foil for the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez in attack.

Fast forward to mid-November and Liverpool are indeed involved in a title race with the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal, sitting second in the English top-flight with 27 points from their opening 12 matches. Nevertheless, January additions will be crucial for Liverpool if they are to fulfil their dreams of bringing just a second Premier League title to Anfield since the division was transformed in 1992.

Fluminense midfielder Andre is a well-documented target for Liverpool as Klopp eyes further midfield reinforcements; however, they will need to fend off competition from the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal to land the Brazil international, according to 90min.

Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies is also on the radar at Anfield, according to the same outlet. Liverpool chiefs, alongside club officials from suitors Chelsea and Manchester City, believe that the Canada international has his heart set on a blockbuster move to La Liga giants Real Madrid. Now, another target in the left-back area has been uncovered by a fresh report as bringing in cover for the injured Andy Robertson is explored at Anfield.

Liverpool in contact with Rayan Ait-Nouri

According to a report in France, Liverpool are keen on Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri and have established contact with the Algeria international over a potential move to Anfield.

Ligue 1 pair Olympique Marseille and OGC Nice are also keeping tabs on the 22-year-old; however, it is believed that Wolves are blocking any potential Ait-Nouri departure in the January transfer window. Ait-Nouri is set to be absent from club football for a period during the New Year as he joins up with his native Algeria to take part in the African Cup of Nations.

Playing a major part under Gary O'Neil, Ait-Nouri, who has previously been labelled "phenomenal" by journalist Tim Spiers, has been in solid form this campaign, making an average of 2.5 tackles and 1.3 clearances per match in the Premier League (Ait-Nouri statistics – WhoScored).

At present, Liverpool only have Greek defender Kostas Tsimikas to rely upon on the left-hand side of their backline and acquiring Ait-Nouri could be a clever alternative to afford Klopp some flexibility within his team selection.

Despite this, Wolves look to be standing firm and it may be a tough job trying to pinch the former Angers defender from the West Midlands-based outfit.

Fans of Mason Greenwood's Getafe have been fiercely criticised after racist chanting was heard during Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Sevilla.

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• Getafe-Sevilla stopped after racist chants heard
• Acuna & Sanchez Flores targeted by home fans
• Ramos says 'Football should unite, not divide'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The match had to be stopped in the second half after the home fans were heard chanting 'monkey' at Sevilla's Marcos Acuna, with supporters urged to stop the chanting by the stadium announcer. And Sevilla coach Quique Sanchez Flores – who has managed Getafe on three separate occasions – claimed that certain members of the crowd had insulted him and his staff, calling him a 'gypsy'.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Spanish football has been taking a tougher stance on racism in the aftermath of the treatment of Vinicius Junior, who was subjected to vile chanting from Valencia supporters last season. The Real Madrid forward has repeatedly spoken out against racism and last week burst into tears during a press conference as he discussed the treatment he has received from certain fans.

• WHAT SANCHEZ FLORES SAID

  "I don't want people to use the word gypsy as a racist insult," Sanchez Flores said. "Some of the crowd think they can come to a game and say whatever they like. We're workers who need to be respected in the work space. I think it's abhorrent."

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• WHAT RAMOS SAID

  "We must keep asking for respect in football, people should not come to a stadium to let themselves go and say stupid things or insult players," said Sergio Ramos, who scored the only goal of the game. "We have to find these people and make an example of them, prevent them getting tickets and clean football's image. Football should unite, not divide."

MatériaMais Notícias

Pelé sempre foi louco por música e composição, tanto que às vezes se arriscava no violão. Mas o Rei do Futebol procurava ser discreto quanto a essa paixão pois, segundo ele, “não queria que o público fizesse a comparação entre Pelé compositor e Pelé futebolista. Isso teria sido uma grande injustiça – no futebol, meu talento foi um presente de Deus, a música é apenas para me divertir”.

Mas se Pelé não foi para a música, a música foi a Pelé.

Conhecida dupla de guitarristas mexicanos,Rodrigo y Gabriela estão juntos desde 2006 e tocam música acústica instrumental. Rodrigo Sanchez cuida dos solos enquanto Gabriela Quintero faz a base, seja tocando ou usando o violão como instrumento de percussão. A dupla ganhou um Grammy em 2019 e já vendeu mais de 1,2 milhão de cópias de seus discos. Entre seus trabalhos mais famosos estão colaborações para as trilhas-sonoras dos filmes “Piratas do Caribe”.Em maio de 2016, tocaram pela primeira vez no Brasil.

E uma música escrita por Pelé uniu a dupla mexicana ao Rei. Vencedores do Grammy com o álbum Mettavolution,Rodrigo y Gabriela foram convidados pelo produtor musical mexicano Jorge Berlanga para contribuir com uma canção para um tributo ao lendário compositor Armando Manzanero. Ao descobrir que Rod & Gab são fanáticos por futebol, Jorge comentou que era um bom amigo de Pelé, e perguntou se eles teriam interesse em trabalhar em uma música juntos. Rapidamente a música fluía entre São Paulo e Ixtapa, no México. “Acredita No Véio” foi escrita originalmente por Pelé em 2005, quando atuava com sua parceira regular, a jazzista e arranjadora brasileira Ruria Duprat.

– Escrevi essa música porque quando eu jogava no Santos, o treinador falava que quando a gente perdia era nossa culpa, mas quando ganhávamos era a macumba que havia ajudado. A música brinca com isso – é claro, pois macumba não ganha nenhum jogo – disse Pelé.

– Somos ambos grandes fãs de futebol. Quando crescemos na Cidade do México, ouvimos muitas histórias sobre Pelé e a lendária Seleção Brasileira que triunfou na Copa do Mundo de 1970 em nossa terra natal. Imagine nossa surpresa e alegria ao descobrir que Pelé não só é o maior jogador de futebol de todos os tempos, mas também é um cantor e compositor muito talentoso? É uma grande honra para nós colaborar com Pelé por ocasião do seu 80º aniversário – concluíram Rodrigo e Gabriela.

كشفت وكالة أعمال اللاعب الدولي التونسي محمد الضاوي كريستو المحترف ضمن صفوف فريق النادي الأهلي، تطورات رحيله عن القلعة الحمراء.

وكان كريستو الذي تم الاتفاق على رحيله عن النادي الأهلي، قد ارتبط اسمه بالعديد من الأندية، أبرزهم الصفاقسي التونسي والرجاء المغربي.

رئيس الرجاء لـ “بطولات”: اتفقنا مع الأهلي وننتظر وصول كريستو إلى المغرب

ونشرت وكالة أعمال اللاعب التونسي كريستو “أجانسي جرينتا” بيانًا مقتضبًا لتوضيح موقفه، ذكرت فيه: “نحيطكم علماً بأنه لم يتم اتخاذ أي قرار بشأن مستقبل كريستو حتى الآن”.

وأضاف البيان: “فيما يتعلق بجميع العروض، سنأخذ الوقت اللازم لتقييم جميع المعايير واتخاذ الخيار الصحيح، مع احترام جميع محاورينا”.

تجدر الإشارة إلى أن كريستو صاحب الـ 21 عامًا كان قد انضم لصفوف الأهلي في يناير 2023، قادمًا من النجم الساحلي التونسي، وتُوج خلال تلك الفترة ببطولات دوري أبطال إفريقيا مرتين، وكأس مصر مرتين، والدوري المصري.

Arsenal are set to kick talks over a new contract for one of their star men into gear as Mikel Arteta continues to shape his squad at the Emirates Stadium, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest news involving Arsenal?

Premier League legend Peter Schmeichel has had his say regarding Arteta's decision to rotate goalkeepers David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale at the Emirates Stadium and has questioned the merits of doing so.

The former Manchester United stopper stated to Premier League Productions via The Mirror: "We debate this Raya-Ramsdale situation a lot, and I only get that situation if Arteta thinks Raya is a better goalkeeper. That's the only way I can find some kind of sense in it. I think having the competition between two goalkeepers, it will just create situations in the games where they will have to go and prove themselves, and that's the one thing you don't want from your goalkeepers."

Raya returned to action between the sticks at the weekend in the Gunners' 4-0 victory over Brentford following Arteta's decision to start Ramsdale away to Brentford in midweek in a 1-0 triumph in the Carabao Cup third round, which will have given the Spaniard plenty food for thought as both performed admirably when called upon.

Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard could return to action when the Gunners visit Ligue 1 outfit Lens in the Champions League on Tuesday after he appeared on the bench and was an unused substitute in his side's comfortable triumph at the Vitality Stadium, as per Football London.

Meanwhile, Sportmediaset via reports in Spain have claimed that the Gunners have entered the hunt to sign Santos striker Marcos Leonardo in the January transfer window.

Who could sign a new contract at Arsenal?

Transfer expert Romano has taken to social media platform X to offer some insight into Ben White potentially signing a new contract at the Emirates Stadium, as he stated: "Arsenal are working to extend Ben White’s contract as he’s next one in the list after Martin Ødegaard. Club very happy with his performances and attitude. New deal talks to advance soon."

Poole-born White currently has three years left to run on his deal in north London and is believed to pick up a weekly wage of around £120,000 per week at Arsenal, Capology understands.

In 2023/24, White has made ten appearances in all competitions for Arsenal, registering one goal in the process against Bournemouth last weekend, as per Transfermarkt. Providing an element of combativeness and composure in possession, White has completed an average of 2.6 clearances this term alongside maintaining a passing accuracy of 87.2% in the Premier League, according to WhoScored.

Dubbed an "underrated" presence by pundit Michael Owen, White has also been a capable threat from an offensive perspective this campaign, successfully carrying out 20 shot-creating actions across his exploits in the English top-flight and Champions League, with one directly leading to a goal, as per FBRef.

Now, it is apparent that White is a key component of Arteta's vision at the Emirates Stadium and it is understandable why the Spaniard would want to tie him down on improved terms.

Southampton could lose an “exciting young talent” in January, with one Premier League club showing an interest.

Who left Southampton this summer?

The Saints and new manager Russell Martin lost a number of players in the summer, bringing in just under £160m through sales.

Big money was brought in for Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento, James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Tella, with Mohammed Salisu, Moussa Djenepo and Mislav Orsic also bringing in fees.

The club are currently going through an extremely tricky period back in the Championship following a relatively solid opening few weeks. Three wins from the opening four games gave plenty of belief around St Mary’s, however, the Saints have now lost their last four, leaving them in 15th place.

One player who began the campaign as a regular was Carlos Alcaraz, starting three of the first four, but he has been limited to appearances from the bench in recent weeks and was an unused substitute last time out against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Newcastle United made an enquiry for the Argentine in the summer and are keeping tabs on his situation ahead of the January window.

BBC pundit Carlton Palmer, talking to Football League World, addressed the rumours regarding Alcaraz and Newcastle, suggesting he could leave Southampton in the New Year.

"Newcastle United have made an enquiry about Southampton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz in the summer transfer window and have continued to keep tabs on the player.

"Alcaraz could leave Southampton in the January transfer window – certainly in the summer – if Southampton are not promoted and he's not getting game time.

"Alcaraz scored four goals in 18 Premier League games last season after his £12m move from Racing Club, he's certainly an exciting young talent and he's got a lot of praise from former-managers, one being Harry Redknapp – who knows a player or two – who said 'he's got a really bright future ahead of him'".

How good is Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz?

Alcaraz, a central midfielder who can also play out wide if needed, appears to be a player who could make a big impact in the Championship. Over the past 12 months, as per FBref, Alcaraz has ranked in the top 1% for midfielders when it comes to shot-creating actions, xG, total shot and successful take-ons.

He’s also ranked highly for key passes, passes into the area and progressive passes, showing how he can make an impact on the ball, with plenty of the data recorded during last season's Premier League campaign.

Therefore, statistically, it isn’t a surprise that a team like Newcastle appear to see plenty of potential in the 20-year-old, so a move to St James’ Park from St Mary’s could be one to keep an eye on over the coming months, and it'll be interesting to see if he soon returns to Martin's starting XI.

On the eve of the tournament’s opener against Mumbai Indians, the Chennai Super Kings coach ruled out any jitters among players owing to the team’s two-year suspension

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai06-Apr-2018

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming is not worried about his team returning to the IPL after a long gap or about the reason behind the team’s suspension having any kind of effect on the players. On the eve of the tournament’s opener against Mumbai Indians on Saturday, Fleming spoke lucidly about the team having the usual “nerves” because of the two-year gap and stated that the players would not carry any kind of “scars” because they didn’t have anything to do with the events that led to the team’s suspension two years ago.The Harbhajan crossover

With all the attention on Saturday’s IPL opener being on Chennai Super Kings returning after a two-year suspension, they will have the services of the experienced Harbhajan Singh who will turn out for a side other than Mumbai Indians for the first time in the IPL. Harbhajan was bought by Super Kings for INR 2 crore this year and will have more experience than anyone in that side when playing at Wankhede Stadium.
“It’ll be a game filled with emotions for me given that this was my home ground for the first 10 seasons,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying by the Super Kings website. “It wasn’t one season but 10 years and obviously I know the kind of cricket that they (Mumbai) play, but then it’s no secret because with every team playing each other over the years, each knows how they approach their game, the brand of cricket that they play. Obviosuly having been a part of the think-tank, I guess I know more than most about how MI play.”

“I think we’ve prepared well. Just a lot of nerves around but no more than normal,” he said. “Players want to get into it and we’ve had the best part of 12 days leading into the competition, so the feeling is one of we’re ready to play. We’ve done all we can, but there’s still the element of getting into the tournament and getting the team selections right. The general feeling is we’re just ready to go.”It (the suspension) doesn’t have an influence on the players. Players didn’t do anything to be scarred from, so there’s no scars there.”When Super Kings returned to the auction table after two years, the average age of their side after the first day was 33. They made up for it on the second day of the auction by purchasing eight uncapped players, and Fleming explained why he was banking on experience.”The notion that we bought an old side on day one of the auction was right,” he stated. “Day two was filled with a lot of young players. I value experience, we always have and if the professional player is in shape and performing well, I think they’re a valuable asset. Not often do you see young players come out and make a mark. People talk a lot about it but very rarely do young players shoot the lights out.”I’m not sure when a young player came out and was the top run-scorer. Rashid Khan – you get some exceptions, Washington Sundar, but there’s only a handful whereas experienced players play major parts in the whole tournament so that’s why I value experience. There’s also about the quality of player, like [Dwayne] Bravo is still competing well, [Shane] Watson’s competing well, Harbhajan [Singh] has a great skillset, [MS] Dhoni is a fine leader. So, the players we’ve picked, I don’t think they’re spent by any means. It’s a year-by-year proposition, and this year I think they look very good.”On Saturday night, Super Kings will return by taking on the same opponents they last played in the tournament, and finished runners-up to in 2015. Three year ago it was at Eden Gardens where they faced off and this time they play in Mumbai’s fortress, the Wankhede Stadium, where the pitch has a little extra pace and bounce compared to the average Indian pitch.The visitors, however, have a fairly inexperienced seam-bowling attack apart from Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo. Lungi Ngidi and Mark Wood joined the squad on Thursday night and only one of them is likely to make it to the XI. What Super Kings have in plenty is spin options in Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir and Karn Sharma. Fleming conceded that the pitch wouldn’t help the spinners much but wasn’t too concerned about it.”Lungi Ngidi and Mark Wood are both good. Shane Watson is still very good with the new ball, Dwayne Bravo is very canny,” he said. “And the other guys can still bowl even if there’s not excessive turn. So, we’re just looking for smarter technique and stack up in all different scenarios. It’s not just being spin-friendly as indicated, we’ve also got seam bowlers who we also think can do a pretty good job.”Just trying to read the conditions is always a challenge here. I guess looking at their team, they’ve no standout spin options. I say this with the greatest of respect for them. In terms of the name, Krunal Pandya is there, as we’ve got three or four. But we’ve also got the pace options that can accommodate this kind of a challenge.”Mumbai may face the opposite problem when they visit Chennai but that is still three weeks away. For now, Super Kings need to shake off those nerves, get their yellow jersey back on, and take on familiar opponents who are also the defending champions.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola "may be tempted" to leave the club and manage England, journalist Ben Jacobs has now suggested.

When does Pep Guardiola's contract expire?

Guardiola signed a new contract with Man City in November 2022, which is not due to expire until 2025, but there are doubts over his future, with The Guardian reporting he is "firmly minded" to leave the club when his current deal comes to an end.

The Spaniard is said to have "all but decided" to leave the Sky Blues in the summer of 2025, after what will have been a nine-year stint in charge at the Etihad Stadium, and the report states that "one option may be to coach an international team."

That is where England come into the mix, with it being reported that Gareth Southgate is set to leave his role as manager after Euro 2024, and some of the FA's officials are dreaming of bringing the City boss in to replace him.

Speaking to CaughtOffside about Southgate's future as England boss, Jacobs has now said: “Gareth Southgate has come under some criticism of late, although I thought England were excellent in the 3-1 win over Scotland. The 1-1 draw against Ukraine was drab, though.

“The FA are already considering options. This is normal, since international jobs (and the recruitment for them) work differently than in club football with a bit more forward planning. But obviously things can be entirely influenced by how England perform at Euro 2024, which is why it’s a bit early to be making predictions."

Before later adding: “Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is an interesting one to watch. The FA would love to have him. If Manchester City again dominate, could Pep be tempted by a fresh challenge?

“Sources do indicate he likes the idea of managing at a World Cup, but he could also miss the day to day of club football at this stage of his career. Pep, a bit like Jose Mourinho has said in the past, may wait until slightly later in his career for an opportunity in international football.”

Is Pep Guardiola leaving Man City?

Of course, it is natural for managers and players alike to relish a fresh challenge, with former City captain Ilkay Gundogan opting to join Barcelona for that reason, despite leading the club to a historic treble in the 2022-23 campaign.

However, at 52-years-old, Guardiola is still relatively young for a manager, and it seems quite early for him to venture into international football.

If the Sky Blues continue to dominate in the Premier League and Europe, the former Barcelona boss may be tempted to stay, as it would be a risk to move elsewhere and start a completely new project from scratch.

For now, Man City fans can rest easy knowing their manager remains contracted until 2025, and they will be hoping he can win his sixth league title this season, having made a perfect start to the campaign.

Jos Buttler’s stunning century and a composed all-round effort with the ball helped England clinch the ODI series with two matches to play

The Report by Melinda Farrell21-Jan-2018

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJos Buttler’s stunning century and a composed all-round effort with the ball helped England clinch the ODI series with two matches to play. Although Marcus Stoinis kept Australia in the hunt until the final over, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes closed the game out with another smart display of death bowling.England had been struggling on 6 for 189 when Buttler and Woakes came together but they put on an unbroken 113-run stand to take the total beyond 300. Buttler reached his fifth one-day hundred from the last ball of the innings as England made far more than had looked likely. He then took a contentious catch to dismiss Steven Smith at a key point in the chase as England held on to go 3-0 up.Buttler started steadily but dismantled Australia’s pace attack in the final overs, at one point effortlessly heaving back-to-back sixes off Pat Cummins before following up with consecutive boundaries later in the over. Such was the Midas nature of his touch that even when he dug out a Mitchell Starc yorker it yielded four runs.Buttler, on 97, was almost denied a century when umpire Chris Gaffaney raised his finger for an lbw shout from Starc but the replay left no doubt the ball had ricocheted off the bat before hitting the pad. In an eventful final over, Woakes brought up his half-century with a pull for six before Buttler reached his century with a hard run two off the final delivery of the innings.Australia hit by over-rate fine

Australia have been fined for a slow over-rate after being ruled two overs behind at the SCG. It leaves captain Steven Smith one repeat offence away from a suspension.
Smith has been fined 40% of his match fee, while his players have received 20% fines.
Australia took 27 minutes more than allocated to bowl their 50 overs as England made 302 for 6, but were not judged to be as far behind as may have been feared after the umpires took time allowances into account.

Set 303 for victory, Australia were stifled by an England bowling attack that rallied after Liam Plunkett was struck down with an injury.Plunkett left the field with a hamstring problem that caused him to pull up just before his delivery stride in the 12th over of Australia’s innings. His departure from the field in his second over left England’s attack a bowler short and forced Eoin Morgan to turn to Joe Root’s part-time spin to make up the overs.But Australia’s chase had stuttered early on with the loss of David Warner, out chipping Woakes to extra cover, and Cameron White, who feathered a Wood delivery to Buttler.That left the responsibility of steering the initial chase to Aaron Finch, who top-scored for Australia with 62 off 53 balls but was unable to reach his third century of the series. Finch pre-meditated a sweep shot to an Adil Rashid delivery that deceived with its extra pace and rapped the pads and after his departure the run rate required gradually increased.As was the case with England earlier, the Australian batsmen made starts but found it difficult to convert those to big totals or to score quickly on a slowish pitch. Stoinis attempted to lift the run-rate in the latter stage of the innings with a brisk half-century but he fell heaving Woakes to deep square leg in the final over.The match wasn’t without controversial moments, particularly when Wood claimed the coveted wicket of Smith. Smith edged the ball low and to the right of Buttler, who took a one-handed grab. But the decision was sent to the third umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, to judge whether or not the catch was taken cleanly. After a lengthy period examining the replays, Dharmasena was unable to find conclusive evidence to overturn the soft signal of out and the on-field decision was upheld. Smith, clearly unhappy with the decision, walked back to the pavilion amid a loud chorus of booing from the crowd.During the match, television footage was also widely shared on social media that showed Smith shining the ball after touching his lips but the umpires did not appear to have any issue with the condition of the ball. After the match Smith said he was not wearing any lip balm.England had won the first two matches chasing down Australia’s totals and perhaps that was on Smith’s mind when he elected to bowl after winning the toss.First-choice quicks Cummins and Josh Hazlewood returned in place of Jhye Richardson and Andrew Tye and, despite toiling on a slowish pitch and bowling several wide deliveries early on, their impact was evident in the opening stages of the innings.England finished the first ten overs with 47 runs on the board for the loss of two wickets, by far their worst Powerplay figures of the series – they were 2 for 87 and 1 for 60 at the same point in the first and second ODIs, respectively. After losing early wickets, Jonny Bairstow and Root batted for more than ten overs without scoring a boundary as Australia’s fast bowlers applied consistent pressure.Cummins’ first over was a maiden that pinned Jason Roy to the crease and in his next over Cummins got his reward when Roy slashed a full delivery outside off stump to Finch at extra cover. Alex Hales’ time in the middle was brief and ended with a similarly soft dismissal, a mistimed drive off Stoinis lobbed directly to Adam Zampa at mid-on.Australia had gone into the second ODI in Brisbane without a specialist spinner and, while a growing number of commentators and former players have questioned the absence of Nathan Lyon in the 50-over format, Zampa returned to the team in place of Travis Head and claimed the wicket of Bairstow with a well-executed googly.Apart from Hales, England’s top order made starts but Australia’s bowlers were patient and struck regularly just as the batsmen seemed set. Root, who was presented with his 100th ODI cap by England and South Sydney rugby league player Sam Burgess, played on against Hazlewood for 29, while Morgan departed for 41, edging the same bowler behind just as he had started to accelerate the run rate.Morgan was given a life on 19 when he was dropped by Smith, who put down a difficult chance while diving to his left at midwicket. But the dubious honour of the biggest howler of the innings went to White, who watched a skied ball from Moeen Ali off Mitchell Marsh drop between his hands and chest. Moeen had been dropped in a strikingly similar fashion by Hazlewood at the SCG during the fifth Ashes Test but, as in that match and throughout a disappointing tour, he was unable to capitalise and was out dragging a Marsh delivery on to his stumps soon after.But England’s much-lauded depth in batting gave them a late surge, with Buttler and Woakes combining brilliantly as the shadows lengthened for a rollicking partnership that lifted England to a total that had seemed well out of reach.