South Africa v England: Joe Root helps tourists press for victory

 

First Test, Durban, Day Three

England 303 & 172-3: Root 60*, Compton 49; Piedt 2-65

South Africa 214: Elgar 118*, De Villiers 49; Broad 4-25, Moeen 4-69

England lead by 261 runs

Joe Root hit 60 not out as England tightened their grip on the first Test against South Africa in Durban.

The tourists are 172-3 in their second innings - a lead of 261 - and will aim to declare on Tuesday, then set about bowling the hosts out.

Earlier, Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad took four wickets apiece as South Africa's batting line-up fell apart.

Hashim Amla's men also dropped three catches on a disastrous third day for the number one ranked Test side.

The Proteas' senior fast bowler Dale Steyn was forced off with injury, star batsman AB de Villiers failed to quash rumours of his Test retirement, and the middle order surrendered meekly.

Opener Dean Elgar resisted with a superb unbeaten 118, but England remain in an excellent position to push for only a second win in 16 away Tests.

"We probably have to be proactive, while still having a lot of patience with the bat," said Moeen.
"We've got a good foundation and tomorrow is about not doing what both teams have done and lose wickets in the first session in clusters."

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott on Test Match Special

"England did well but South Africa, number one side in the world? Are you kidding? Whatever problems we have in our team we still look miles better than them.

Broad and Moeen finish the job

Moeen made the most of the turning pitch and the batsmen's problems against spin

Broad and Moeen impressed as England brushed aside the South African lower order in the morning session to earn a first-innings lead of 89.

With South Africa resuming on 137-4, Broad removed Temba Bavuma with the second delivery of the day, inducing him to a drag on a wide delivery that kept low.

Then it was over to Moeen who, at the end of a year in which he has often struggled in his primary role as spinner, produced perhaps his best performance with the ball since his superb series against India in 2014.

He had JP Duminy caught at slip for two, removed Kyle Abbott for nought via a sharp bat-pad catch from James Taylor, and then enticed Steyn to sky one to Chris Woakes at mid-off.

Elgar carries his bat
Elgar scored South Africa's first hundred in seven Test matches.
He also became the first South African to carry his bat since Gary Kirsten in 1997 and only the second since the nation's readmission to Test cricket in 1991

After Moeen finished with figures of 4-69 - his best in an overseas Test - Steven Finn claimed the final two wickets, having Dane Piedt caught behind and getting Morne Morkel to edge to slip.

With James Anderson looking set to return from injury for the second Test in Cape Town, Finn's late burst could prove decisive in his likely battle with Chris Woakes for the third seamer's spot.

Elgar remained unbeaten following a fine innings full of discipline and application, becoming only the sixth South African to carry his bat.

 

 

 

Root reliable but Hales fails

Root passed 50 for the 13th time in 26 innings this year to equal the Test record

Root batted with characteristic tempo and fluency to guide England to a strong position after they lost Alastair Cook and Alex Hales in an eventful afternoon session.

Skipper Cook missed a straight delivery from Piedt and was adjudged lbw for 7, while Hales battled for his 26 runs before he was caught at long-on attempting to hit the spinner over the top.

Hales is the eighth opening partner Cook has had since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, but after making only 10 in the first innings, the Nottinghamshire batsman is yet to provide evidence that England's long search for an opener is over.

That brought Root to the crease to join Nick Compton, who on his comeback appearance made his second substantial score of the match.

The South Africa-born batsman made 49 before he was caught behind off the bowling of the tireless Morne Morkel, but Root remained unbeaten, with James Taylor 24 not out alongside him at the close.

South Africa in disarray

Morkel had three catches dropped off his bowling

South Africa are the world's number one ranked Test team and have won 10 of their last 14 series, but they looked a pale imitation of that successful side and on this evidence face a struggle to retain the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy.

Their batting line-up appears bedevilled by poor form, with five of their seven batsmen - Stiaan van Zyl, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma and JP Duminy - averaging 27 or fewer this year and without a single Test century between them in that time.

They dropped three simple catches in the field, with Elgar spilling a regulation slip chance offered by Compton on 11 and even the usually impeccable De Villiers reprieved Root on six and then dropped Compton on 45.

The sight of the clearly injured Steyn leaving the field in pain, only to return, bowl three deliveries and then trudge off again, also suggested a team in some disarray.

And then there is the ongoing uncertainty over the future of De Villiers, who before play gave an equivocal response to rumours that he could quit Test cricket, saying: "It's important to look at the schedule moving forward, that's the talk in the camp and for me maybe not to play all kinds of cricket."

South Africa's Test results in 2015
Date	Match	Result
2-6 January, Cape Town	Third Test v West Indies	SA won by eight wickets
21-25 July, Chittagong	First Test v Bangladesh	Match drawn
30 July-3 August, Dhaka	Second Test v Bangladesh	Match drawn
5-7 November, Mohali	First Test v India	India won by 108 runs
14-18 November, Bangalore	Second Test v India	Match drawn
25-27 November, Nagpur	Third Test v India	India won by 124 runs
3-7 December, Delhi	Fourth Test v India	India won by 337 runs

 Shaw Post believes that the England Cricket Team will be feeling very positive about their chances of victory in the First Test as they ended Day Three some 261 runs ahead of South Africa's 1st innings score of 214. All England need to is declare with a lead of 350 - 375 and bowl South Africa out convincingly.

As for South Africa they're a team in disarray as they have had a rather torrid 2015 in which they only won one single test match against the West Indies in January 2015.

 Arsenal 2 - 1 Manchester City

 

Arsenal moved to within two points of surprise Premier League leaders Leicester City with victory over Manchester City at Emirates Stadium. 

The Gunners - without a title triumph since 2004 - showed the sort of impressive drive, cutting edge and resilience that will lead manager Arsene Wenger to believe Arsenal can finally end that barren spell.


City dominated early possession but Kevin de Bruyne wasted a good chance and Theo Walcott punished the visitors with a right-foot finish from 20 yards in the 33rd minute.

Eliaquim Mangala's dreadful clearance allowed Mesut Ozil's 15th assist of the season as he set up Olivier Giroud for an angled finish in first-half stoppage time. Yaya Toure's clever shot from outside the area set up a tense finale which saw both Toure and substitute Wilfried Bony waste chances to equalise.
 

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Wenger's side have often been accused of having a soft centre when the pressure is on - but here, faced with the team many believe will still emerge as their closes title rivals, they showed a ruthless streak.
City may have dominated possession and territory for the first half hour but it was Arsenal who made it count at the business end. Their tally for the opening 45 minutes read two shots on target and two goals. For a manager who prides himself on efficiency, Wenger will have been delighted.

The Gunners were impressive at the back too, where goalkeeper Petr Cech was the epitome of safe handling and security, proving once more what a significant signing he has been.

Arsenal's defenders were in the mood too, with two crunching tackles from full-back Nacho Monreal drawing a high-five from fellow defender Per Mertesacker.

Walcott grows in stature

For a player often criticised for his lack of end product, Walcott looks to be evolving into the complete striker at the age of 26.

Walcott's goal, wonderfully accomplished as he turned inside before curling a perfect finish beyond the stretching City keeper Joe Hart, was his 13th in his past 17 league appearances and delivered further evidence of his development into a consistent and reliable goalscorer.

He, and indeed Arsenal, are receiving plenty of help from the Premier League's current creator supreme Ozil, who had a hand in both goals and received a standing ovation when he was replaced late on.

Add in Giroud's golden sequence of 12 goals in his past 14 matches in all competitions, and Arsenal will believe they possess the potency to carry them all the way.

Mesut Ozil's heat maps against City (left) compared to the defeat against West Ham on the opening day (right) show how he has drifted wider to find space

 

 

Manchester City come up short again

     Twenty-eight of Yaya Toure's 109 touches - over 25% - came in the final 15 minutes. 

Aside from a dominant opening half and a late rally after Toure's goal, this was another poor performance from Manuel Pellegrini's side.

City were too often laboured and the sight of captain Vincent Kompany watching forlornly from the stands pointed to where many of the problems lie.

Pellegrini may have signed Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi for fees in excess of £60m, but they are still not the same and markedly less assured.

And with Sergio Aguero still not fully fit and substituted, City are currently well short of their best.

 

 

Man of the match - Mesut Ozil

Ozil's 15 assists are more than twice as many as any other player has managed in the Premier League this season

 

 

What the managers said

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "I believe we have shown spirit, organisation, brilliance and altogether they gave us the three points.

"You could see that there is exceptional life in this team and when we did not have the legs anymore, we relied on spirit and that got us through in the end."

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini: "In the second half we took some risks, we continued going for the game.

"We did better than Arsenal but we didn't win and that is all that matters.
"We didn't deserve to lose the game."

Alastair Cook & Joe Root hit tour centuries against South Africa A

 

 

Tour match, Pietermaritzburg (day two of three):
South Africa A 136 & 35-2: Moeen 1-0
England 414-6 dec: Cook 126, Root 117
England lead by 243 runs

Captain Alastair Cook and Joe Root struck centuries on day two of England's three-day tour match with South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg.

Cook hit 126, sharing an opening stand of 112 with Alex Hales, who made 56.
The skipper reached 100 with a pulled six - his second of his innings - while Root made 117 off 125 deliveries.

Ben Stokes' 47-ball 66 helped England declare on 414-6 before they reduced the hosts to 35-2 - 243 behind with one day remaining at the City Oval.

The game is England's last before the four-Test series against South Africa begins on 26 December in Durban.

Hales scored only 16 runs in two innings in England's drawn opening warm-up game in Potchefstroom last week.

However, he hit nine fours in his 102-ball innings, which ended when he was bowled by a Dane Paterson inswinger.

Nick Compton, who is expected to make his Test return at number three after a two-and-a-half-year absence, scored 29 from 74 balls before he was trapped lbw.

Cook, who struck 16 fours, lobbed spinner Keshav Maharaj to mid-on but Root raced to 50 off 60 balls and brought up his century off 116.

He departed to a top-edged a pull to backward square-leg.

Trailing by 278 on first innings, South Africa A lost Stephen Cook - lbw to Stuart Broad - before for Moeen Ali bowled Reeza Hendricks from round the wicket in the 11 overs possible before the close.


 Joe Root told BBC Sport: "In the last game we had a small collapse so to put that right in this game was vitally important.

"There was some great time in the middle for a lot of the guys and we set the game up nicely so hopefully we can get a really strong result, which is exactly what we want from this fixture."

South Africa Test series dates
26-30 Dec: 1st Test, Durban	14-18 Jan: 3rd Test, Johannesburg
2-6 Jan: 2nd Test, Cape Town	22-26 Jan: 4th Test, Centurion

Olympiakos 0 - 3 Arsenal

Olivier Giroud scored his first ever hat-trick for Arsenal to ensure the Gunners qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League by beating Olympiakos. 

Needing to win by two clear goals, the Gunners produced a performance of nerve and nous to finish second in Group F.

Giroud headed the opener in the first half, then stroked home the second after good work by Joel Campbell.

The French striker put Arsenal's qualification beyond doubt with his third from the penalty spot.

 

 

Arsenal's proud record remains intact

Arsenal have never failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League since the start of the new format in 2003-04, and their experience on the biggest stage shone through on a memorable night in Athens.

They weathered the early enthusiasm from the physical home side, who were backed by typically partisan support, and slowly seized the initiative with a composed performance.

Mathieu Flamini had already hit the bar before Giroud opened the scoring with a near-post header which went in off the goalkeeper, Roberto.

The second was the best goal of the night as Giroud won a flick-on on the halfway line and timed his run into the box to perfection before stroking home.

The third was slightly more fortuitous as Omar Elabdellaoui was penalised for handling Nacho Monreal's shot and Giroud stepped up to convert with ease.

 

Man of the match

Joel Campbell (right) was applauded by both sets of fans when he was substituted on his return to Olympiakos 

It's got to be Olivier Giroud for the way he applied the finishing touches to an accomplished team performance.

However, special mention must go to Joel Campbell who held off three defenders before taking out another two with a cute pass for Giroud's second goal.

Time and again, Campbell showed strength to hold off his marker and vision to slide in Giroud to offer hope to Arsenal fans that they have the makings of a fine strike partnership.

Gunners fans will also be cheered to see Theo Walcott starting the game, and while the England forward clearly lacked match fitness he made some clever runs and looked dangerous both out wide and when he drifted inside.

Arsenal's hat-trick hero Olivier Giroud reacts on BT Sport: "It's fantastic for me and for the team. We are really pleased. It's nice to go through because we were not in a good position and finally we have done it. We feel relieved tonight.

"In the Champions League it's one level up and we need to be all focused. As a unit, together, good cohesion, defending well and finishing well. It's nice for us. It was not so easy in this stadium with this atmosphere and we are really pleased to have done it.

"We want to go as far as we can. The target is to maybe reach at least the quarter final. It's the fourth year I'm here and we have never played a quarter final. We will have a good rest and open the new page of the Champions League in February."

Manager Reaction

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "I told you before that it would be the greatest escape. I must say I'm very proud of the team as we had to be right on the mental and tactical side. At 2-0 we had to push for a third goal, it was too dangerous to stay at 2-0."

On coming back in the group: "Nine times out of 10 you are out. We needed something special to come back like we did and tonight we needed a complete team performance. This team really is a team and they showed it again.

"You don't need to single Giroud out tonight because he scored the goals. But he showed character again with the penalty."

 Arsenal 3 - 1 Sunderland

Olivier Giroud scored for both teams as Arsenal scraped victory over Sunderland to end a run of three Premier League games without a win. 

Arsenal were poor for long periods, but led when Joel Campbell finished from a Mesut Ozil through ball.

Sunderland deservedly levelled through a free-kick that Giroud deflected into his own net.
But Giroud made amends with a header from virtually the same spot, before Aaron Ramsey scrambled a late third.

Sunderland, who could be dragged back into the relegation zone depending on the results of Bournemouth and Newcastle, can rightly feel hard done by after a performance of both disciplined defence and incisive attacking play.

Arsenal were hampered by the absence of both Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez and looked ponderous going forward, while a shaky defence was indebted to the excellence of goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Still, they climb to second in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Leicester.

 

 

Giroud makes amends

                                  Giroud turned into his own net on the stroke of half-time 

Giroud's performance was almost Arsenal in microcosm - the own goal an error caused by Sunderland pressure, but ultimately enough quality to secure a victory that was barely deserved.

A lacklustre first-half display looked set to be behind the Gunners when Campbell finished a seven-pass move underneath the on-rushing Costel Pantilimon.

But they were ahead for only 12 minutes as the impressive Duncan Watmore won a free-kick on the left that was swung in by Yann M'Vila and accidentally steered home by the leg of Giroud.

Arsenal showed little sign of improving in the second half, but, as in the first, one flowing move was enough to cut through an otherwise organised Sunderland defence.

Nacho Monreal was heavily involved as Arsenal came down the left, with Giroud stooping to head Ramsey's cross into the same part of the net he erroneously found in the first half.

The third, in the dying moments, was harsh on a Sunderland team looking for an equaliser. With visiting defenders outnumbered, Ramsey pounced to leave a scoreline that did not reflect the contest.

As with their opening goal, Arsenal opened up Sunderland for the second with a moment of rare quality. Eight players were involved in a 15-pass move before Giroud headed in.

 

Big Gunners stand up

With so many players out injured, Arsenal needed their most experienced men to perform and Ozil and Cech delivered.

Virtually all of Arsenal's attacking play went through Ozil, but it was the performance of Cech that was perhaps most telling.

He made saves from Fabio Borini and a Mathieu Flamini deflection in the first half and, most importantly, brilliantly denied Steven Fletcher in the second.

As Fletcher arrived at the back post from a corner, Cech moved across his goal to stop the ball virtually on the line. Moments later, Arsenal were ahead.

 

Willing Watmore

Sunderland arrived at the Emirates on the back of two wins and two clean sheets.

While they defended with nine behind the ball, that also carried an attacking threat, particularly through the industry of Watmore - indeed, Arsenal ended with six defenders on the pitch.

Making only his second Premier League start, the 21-year-old not only did his defensive duties but regularly had the legs to get up in support of Fletcher.

He won the free-kick that resulted in Sunderland's goal and also, with the score still at 2-1, got behind the Arsenal defence only to fire a tame shot straight at Cech.

And, while it was Watmore who impressed, the Black Cats demonstrated that Sam Allardyce has brought both enough solidity and potency to suggest that fight against relegation can be won.

The graphic shows the average position in which each player touched the ball. Sunderland are on the right. Watmore (number 41), not only was asked to defend when Arsenal had the ball, but also had an average position higher than any Arsenal player.

 

Man of the match - Petr Cech

It says plenty about Sunderland's performance that Cech was forced to make at least five quality saves. The one to thwart Fletcher was a pivotal moment. From possibly being 2-1 down, the Gunners were soon 2-1 up.

 

What they said

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "We started a bit nervous and edgy in the first half. We were unlucky to come in at 1-1, so I was positive. I told the players they still had 45 minutes to win the game, and play with more pace and different angles. You see this Premier League is a battle. Sunderland played a dangerous game on the break.

"It could have been one of those days, but we kept our determination and the mental aspect was good. We have lost players in the heart of our game, so we had to find a balance again. It took us time to get going.

"Leicester have been very impressive. The best you can do is to win games, and hope that they drop points, but that is not happening. We go to Olympiakos in midweek, which Leicester don't do, so they have an advantage in that way too.

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce: "I couldn't ask for any more in terms of the way we played, I couldn't have asked for more in terms of the chances we created, but we failed to create the chances we had.

"It makes me wonder what would have happened if we'd had Jermain Defoe on the field. He could have had two or three goals. I'm really disappointed we haven't got anything out of the game, but I have to be satisfied with the performance.

"I think we've got goalscorers. We've got Steven Fletcher, we've got Duncan Watmore. We've got Jermain to come back. We just haven't taken the chances we've created."

 

What next

Arsenal go to Greece on Wednesday, needing to beat Olympiakos either 2-0, or by any margin if they score at least goals, in order to progress in the Champions League. They travel to Aton Villa in the Premier League next Sunday, while Sunderland host Watford the previous day.

Andy Murray wins the Davis Cup for Great Britain

 

Great Britain have won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 after Andy Murray beat Belgium's David Goffin to clinch the decisive point in Ghent.

Murray won 6-3 7-5 6-3 to give the visitors an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie.

Britain have now won the team title 10 times, while Murray adds the Davis Cup to his other major titles at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Olympic Games.
Captain Leon Smith guided Britain from the third tier to glory in five years.

 

 

Murray's monumental effort

 

Andy Murray has won 11 matches during Britain's triumphant 2015 campaign

 

Andy Murray has relished the team atmosphere ever since Smith, his childhood coach, took over as captain.

The world number two has insisted throughout that this is not a one-man team, and James Ward and Jamie Murray have contributed vital points during the winning campaign, but the younger Murray's achievement sets him apart.

The 28-year-old joins John McEnroe and Mats Wilander as the only men to have an 8-0 singles record in a Davis Cup year, and with the doubles he is only the fourth man to win 11 rubbers in a single year.

Murray also matches his contemporaries in winning one of the sport's biggest prizes, having won more points along the way than Novak Djokovic (seven points in Serbia's 2010 win), Roger Federer (seven points in Switzerland's 2014 win), and Rafael Nadal (six points in Spain's 2011 win).

Heavyweight Murray holds nerve in classic match

 

 

 

In another frenzied atmosphere at the Flanders Expo, Murray brushed off several early attempts to disrupt his service motion and set about stamping his class on the contest.

Goffin won just one game when the pair met in Paris earlier this month but already looked a much tougher proposition when he doubled that tally and saved an early break point.

Murray found himself under pressure at 2-2, facing a break point and more interruptions from the crowd, but he fired over a kicking second serve and shouted "come on" as the return flew out.

It heralded a spectacular few minutes of Murray at his best, a stunning forehand pass and two blistering returns helping him to break and another of those impossible winners taking him to 5-2.


Goffin played his way out of trouble impressively to save three set points on serve but Murray took his chance to close out the set with a forehand into the corner.

Strip away the prize on offer and the party in the stands, and the action on court was going as expected, with Murray the heavyweight to Goffin's middleweight.

The Belgian, ranked 16 in the world, fought well in the second set and gave his supporters reason to hope, but the pressure finally told in game 11 and a forehand found the net on break point.

Murray held his nerve from 0-30 to see it out, closing the set with another miraculous forehand from back on his heels, and when Goffin finally did break serve at the start of the third, the Scot hit straight back.

There was nothing more Goffin could do and Murray accelerated towards the finish line, breaking to love at 5-3 and then sealing victory on his second match point with a trademark backhand lob.

 Murray poses with students from East Stirling University after Great Britain's Davis Cup triumph.

 Team GB celebrate winning the 2015 Davis Cup

BBC experts on 'the most amazing achievement'

Former Davis Cup finalist and GB coach John Lloyd: "It is the most amazing achievement. We are champions of the world. Andy Murray's performance was absolutely staggering. We have to use this success to inspire people to play tennis.

TV commentator Andrew Castle: "Andy Murray has made himself a part of the best generation of tennis players of all time and this is another feather in his cap.

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller: "Murray's individual contribution has been immense, but he has headlined a team effort that has been five years in the making. Strategy and team spirit have been expertly co-ordinated by captain Leon Smith, and many other players have won crucial points in the climb through the divisions."

Former British number one Annabel Croft: "It feels like this is so special and I will look back on it for many years to come. I have nothing but admiration for the Great Britain team and what they have achieved. What a privilege to be here, we will never forget that lob for the winning moment."

Match summary

Belgium 1-3 Great Britain
Day one	David Goffin beat Kyle Edmund; Andy Murray beat Ruben Bemelmans
Day two	Jamie Murray/Andy Murray beat David Goffin/Steve Darcis
Day three	Andy Murray beat David Goffin

Route to Davis Cup glory
Round	Result
First round	Beat United States 3-2 at home (indoors)
Quarter-finals	Beat France 3-1 at home (grass)
Semi-finals	Beat Australia 3-2 at home (indoors)
Final	Beat Belgium 3-1 away from home (clay)

Sam Billings leads England to T20 win over Pakistan in Dubai

Sam Billings was playing in only his third Twenty20 international

First T20 International (Dubai)
England 160-5 (20 overs): Billings 53 (25), Morgan 45 (38)
Pakistan 146 (20 overs): Plunkett 3-21, Topley 3-24
England won by 14 runs

Sam Billings' thrilling half-century led England to a 14-run win over Pakistan and a 1-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 series.

Billings, in the side for the rested Jos Buttler, blasted 53 from 25 balls to take the tourists to 160-5 in Dubai.


They had earlier been rescued from 19-3 by Eoin Morgan (45 not out) and debutant James Vince (41).


Pakistan slipped to 42-4 and 75-7 and only reached 146 as England leaked runs at the end of the innings.

England, who won the one-day series 3-1 after losing the Tests 2-0, have now won four successive T20 internationals.

Their build-up to the World T20 in India in March continues on Friday at the same ground.

 

Who needs Jos Buttler?

Morgan explained the omission of Buttler and Joe Root was to give opportunities to others before the World T20.

The absence of Buttler, who struck a 46-ball hundred in the final one-day international, came as the biggest surprise, with the likes of Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen tweeting their disapproval.

Still, the man who took the gloves in his place, Billings, provided the catalyst for England's victory.

When he arrived at the end of the 14th over, England were 95-4 and the game was in the balance.

By the time he was run out off the last ball of the innings, he had blasted the tourists to a winning score.

Time and again he targeted the on side - all of his boundaries came off his legs. In one seven-ball spell, he took three fours and two sixes, including two outrageous and inventive back-to-back scoops off the 90mph Wahab Riaz that went for six and four.

His 24-ball half-century is the joint-second fastest by an England batsman in T20 internationals, after the 23-ball fifty of Ravi Bopara against Australia in 2014.

 

Or Joe Root?

That Billings was able to play so destructively was thanks to the rebuilding work done by Morgan and T20 debutant Vince, batting at number three in place of Root.

When Morgan joined Vince in the fourth over, England had slumped to 19-3 after Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Moeen Ali all offered simple catches to the ring fielders.

As Morgan favoured accumulation mixed with the occasional big stroke, Vince looked to give himself room to play through the off side, while still being able to pick the pace of Imran Khan over the leg side for six.

A maiden half-century looked to be for the taking until Riaz's change of pace took the off stump. Vince swiped the ground in frustration, but he had laid the platform for England's victory.

Pakistan perish

Pakistan were set their sixth highest successful T20 chase, but three of their best five have come in 2015.

However, they were on the back foot immediately, with each of the top three - including 39-year-old debutant Rafatullah Mohmand - holing out on the leg side.

Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal briefly flickered with a maximum apiece but a comical mix-up that had both men sprinting for the same end began a collapse of three wickets for one run.
Anwar Ali fought with twin sixes off the left-arm spin of Stephen Parry before he was caught in the covers to give Liam Plunkett a third wicket.

With the result seemingly assured, England, and Chris Jordan in particular, became slightly ragged. Ninth-wicket pair Riaz and Sohail Tanvir shared 43 at 10 an over, leaving 19 needed from the final six balls.

Reece Topley had Riaz caught down the ground and last man Imran Khan held behind off the final ball to finish with 3-24.

 

What they said

England batsman Sam Billings told BBC Sport: "It's a pleasure to put a performance in for a winning side. It was thoroughly enjoyable with the captain out there as well.

"We got told what the team would be yesterday. As a squad we have been well-drilled throughout this tour so anyone is ready to take a place and take an opportunity.

"There are areas that we can all work on. It's really exciting that we can still improve so hopefully throughout the series we can get better and better."


England captain Eoin Morgan: "Tonight was a really strong performance in which we showed a lot of character. To come back from 19-3 and then to defend 160 was really good. It's always a good sign of a changing room when players who haven't played all tour come out and perform - I'm really proud of them."



Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi: "We don't have any excuses for this. That was a chaseable total, but we batted very poorly. I know we lost this game but we've got some positive things from it."

                             Arsenal 3- 0 Dinamo Zagreb

Arsenal's Champions League hopes are still alive after they eased to victory against Dinamo Zagreb at Emirates Stadium. 

The Gunners needed to win and hope that Bayern Munich beat Olympiakos to ensure that a victory by two goals - or by a margin of one if they score three goals - in Greece in their final group game would send them into the knockout phase.

Bayern fulfilled their part of the bargain and Arsenal had no trouble with a Dinamo side who beat them in the earlier fixture in Croatia.
 
Man of the match Mesut Ozil headed them in front after 29 minutes and Alexis Sanchez added a second four minutes later before the Chile forward rounded off a fine second half move to give Arsenal the convincing win their superiority deserved.

 

Ozil pulls the strings

Midfielder Ozil has had his critics since making the £42.4m move to Arsenal from Real Madrid in September 2013 - but he has arguably been the Gunners' most influential player this season.

The elegant Germany international has become the goal-maker supreme, setting a Premier League record with an assist in his seventh successive game when Olivier Giroud put Arsenal ahead at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

And he was pulling all the strings here as Arsenal kept their Champions League campaign on track, not only by displaying a wonderful range of perfectly-measured passing, but by breaking the deadlock and easing nerves inside the stadium with his diving header.

Ozil's languid style sees him painted as something of an enigma, but when he moves so silkily, dictating the tempo in this fashion, he looks a player of the highest quality.

Mesut Ozil's diving header finished an Arsenal move that began on the edge of their own area

 

Sanchez the energiser

If Ozil is the man who provides the brushstrokes on Arsenal's canvas when they are playing well, then Sanchez is the energiser, a perpetual motion combination of intensity and talent that can prove irresistible.

Arsenal did not only get a world-class forward when they paid Barcelona £32m after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, they acquired a character who can set the tone for a performance with his work ethic and desire.

He proved it here, not just with two goals but with his relentless determination to win the ball back when possession was lost, a prime example being in the first half when he chased back 40 yards down Arsenal's left-flank to make three tackles before eventually securing the ball.

The perfect team man.

                              Sanchez scored his eighth and ninth goals for Arsenal this season

 

 

Can Arsenal come through?

Arsenal are more than capable of getting the victory they require against Olympiakos in Athens to go through to the knockout phase of the Champions League.

They possess more quality than the Greek side - but can they deliver when it matters?

Arsenal have inflicted their own wounds in this campaign, somehow losing at home to a Dinamo Zagreb side that looked so average and also to Olympiakos, a 3-2 defeat that saw every part of the Gunners' vulnerability in temperament and defensive technique exposed.

It was made worse by manager Arsene Wenger's decision to select keeper David Ospina ahead of Petr Cech in goal. This will be not be repeated in Greece after Ospina dropped a harmless corner into this own net.

The question now is whether this Arsenal side can be trusted when the pressure is at its highest.

The Gunners have the talent but they cannot afford any mistakes or one of those off nights that have sabotaged their efforts in the Champions League.

 

Man of the match - Mesut Ozil

The German was a silky creator and goalscorer. A rare talent when he gets it right. 

Arsenal Manager's Reaction :

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on BT Sport: "It promises to be a very interesting game [against Olympiakos], but at least we have a chance. I think Mesut Ozil had an outstanding first half, he has got the taste for scoring now. I have never seen Ozil in the box so many times as in the last five or six games.

"The Europa League is not the target - let us give everything to remain in the Champions League."

Shaw Post believes that Arsene Wenger will be very proud of how Arsenal bounced back from their horrible defeat at the Hawthorns on Saturday to inflict a Champions League exit on Dinamo Zagreb by beating them comprehensively 3-0.

It was great to see Alexis Sanchez come back into goal scoring form with two great goals to help Arsenal on their way to a great victory. It was also great to see Mesut Ozil score his second Champions League goal of the campaign with a cheeky diving header in the 29th minute to ease the nerves of the Arsenal supporters.

Wenger will be hoping that his Arsenal side can now go to Greece in a few weeks time and win by a two goal margin. This shouldn't be beyond Arsenal as they have the quality to beat anyone on their day. They just have to hope that their players are clinical on the night and manage to score the right amount of goals.

There tasked should be made easier as they'll have Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Theo Walcott all back for this group decider.

Before then Arsene Wenger's side travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich City and then welcome Sam Allardyce's Sunderland to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday 5th December.

Jos Buttler breaks record as England beat Pakistan to win series

Fourth one-day international, Dubai
England 355-5 (50 overs): Buttler 116*, Roy 102
Pakistan 271 (40.4 overs): Malik 52, Moeen 3-53
England won by 84 runs

Jos Buttler hit England's fastest one-day international century to lead them to an 84-run win over Pakistan in Sharjah and a 3-1 series victory.

Buttler reached three figures in 46 balls, beating the 61-ball hundred he made against Sri Lanka in May 2014.

The wicketkeeper hit 10 fours and eight sixes in his 116 not out from 52 balls as England posted 355-5.

Pakistan briefly threatened a thrilling chase, but were bowled out for 271, with Moeen Ali taking 3-53.

Buttler's effort was the joint-seventh fastest in the history of ODI cricket and the quickest against Pakistan.

He has now scored the three fastest England centuries in the 50-over game, along with a 66-ball hundred against New Zealand in June.

That was Buttler's last score of 50 or more in all international cricket, a run of poor form that saw him dropped from the Test side for the third match against Pakistan this month.

The record for the fastest hundred in ODIs is the 31-ball effort of South Africa's AB de Villiers made against West Indies in Johannesburg in January this year.

Story of the innings...

Buttler's display of devastating hitting was all the more remarkable considering he did not arrive at the crease until 36th over.

Promoted to number four after England were given a solid start by Jason Roy's maiden international century (102) and Joe Root's 71, the right-hander wasted little time in signalling his intentions, slog-sweeping Shoaib Malik for six from only the 10th ball he faced.

Brute force over the leg side was a feature of the 25-year-old's innings, with six of his eight sixes clearing the ropes in the direction of deep mid-wicket.

He also showed flashes of ingenuity, playing scoop and ramp shots, as well as one incredible reverse-sweep for four off the pace of Anwar Ali without needing to move his feet.

Anwar was again the bowler when Buttler moved to a century with his third six in four deliveries.
In all, he hit 17 of the last 34 balls he faced to the boundary and went from 50 to 100 in only 16 deliveries as England added 129 runs in the last 10 overs.

 

The wagon wheel of Buttler's innings highlights the leg-side sixes (in red) and the reverse-sweeps for four behind square on the off side (the yellow lines)

 

 

...in an entertaining game

Buttler stole the show, but his star turn was crammed into a 15-over period of an entertaining series finale.

Right-hander Roy overcame some early frailty outside off stump to reach his first ODI hundred in his 15th match, an innings that accelerated with straight and on-drives.

Support came from Root, who was at his free-scoring best until he fell seven runs after Roy was caught at long-off. That was part of a brief Pakistan period of pressure, one which halted by Buttler's brilliance.

Still, on a pitch perfect for batting, the hosts showed the will to chase their huge target, with captain Azhar Ali making 44 from 32 balls, Babar Azam a run-a-ball 51 and Malik most impressive for a 34-ball 52.

However, wickets fell too regularly for the hosts to ever be truly in contention. Mohammad Hafeez was run out in calamitous circumstances and almost all of the rest holed out.
In the end, what is only England's third ODI series win since February 2013 was sealed in comfort.

 

 

 

The stats

• Buttler is only the third batsman to score two ODI hundreds coming in to bat after the 25th over of the innings. AB de Villiers (five) and Virat Kohli (two) are the others
• Buttler's strike-rate of 223.07 is the highest for any England batsman in an innings of 50 or more
• His eight sixes is the most by an England batsman in an ODI innings, beating the seven of Andrew Flintoff against West Indies in 2004
• England have scored six ODI centuries in 73 balls or fewer in the past 18 months; they managed only one in 33 years before that
• Fastest ODI century against Pakistan (beating Sanath Jayasuriya's 48-ball ton for Sri Lanka in 1996)
• First England player to score 100 runs in overs 41-50 of an ODI (also achieved by De Villiers and Rohit Sharma)
• Highest ODI team total at Dubai (beating South Africa's 317-5 in November 2010). It is also England's highest score outside England and their fifth-best overall

Fastest ODI hundreds
Balls	Batsman	Match
31	AB de Villiers	South Africa v West Indies, 2015
36	Corey Anderson	New Zealand v West Indies, 2014
37	Shahid Afridi	Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1996
44	Mark Boucher	South Africa v Zimbabwe, 2006
45	Brian Lara	West Indies v Bangladesh, 1999
45	Shahid Afridi	Pakistan v India, 2005
46	Jessie Ryder	New Zealand v West Indies, 2014
46	Jos Buttler	Pakistan v England, 2015

 

'Buttler is a superstar' - what they said

Former England off-spinner Vic Marks: "Even the top players on that England balcony will be thinking 'I don't know how he does that'. You can understand why England, even when Buttler's going through a sticky patch in white-ball cricket, keep him in the side as when he clicks he's astonishing. The magic has returned.

"We shouldn't forget Jason Roy's hundred - the top three put England in a position where they could send Buttler out like that."

England batsman Jason Roy: "I don't really know what we've just witnessed. It was incredible."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was not surprised by Buttler's performance

Daily Mail cricket correspondent Paul Newman wondered whether Buttler is better off out of the Test side

Injured England all-rounder Ben Stokes felt Buttler had been unfairly criticised recently

Andy Murray loses to Rafael Nadal at ATP World Tour Finals in London

 

 

Andy Murray suffered a collapse in form as a rejuvenated Rafael Nadal won their group match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Nadal edged a tight first set and then raced clear in the second to win 6-4 6-1 at the O2 Arena.
The Spaniard could qualify for the semi-finals on Wednesday, depending on the result of the evening match between Stan Wawrinka and David Ferrer.

Murray plays Wawrinka in his last group match on Friday and can still progress.

"He was hitting the ball extremely well from the back of the court, but I didn't really help myself," said Murray, who made 29 unforced errors.

"I served poorly at the end of the first set and all through the second. That's not going to be good enough against him when he's playing that well."

Strange time for a haircut

At 2-1 down in the first set, Murray decided to cut the fringe of his hair during a change of ends.
"I don't know why such minor things make such a big deal," he said. "I had some hair in my eye, and I just wanted to get rid of it. That literally took two seconds. That was it.

"It was nothing to do with next week or anything to do with the outcome of this match."
The 28-year-old Scot will travel to Belgium next week for Britain's first Davis Cup final since 1978.

 

 

Nadal dominates frustrated Murray

 

 

Murray practised on clay last week, with the Davis Cup in mind, before switching back to indoor hard courts and winning his opening match at the O2 against Ferrer on Sunday.

Another win would have assured him of the year-end number two ranking, but that will have to wait after he was outplayed by an impressive Nadal.

The Spaniard, seeded fifth, recovered an early break and began to dominate with his forehand, drawing errors from an increasingly frustrated Murray and punishing the Briton with some sharp finishing at the net.

Murray clung on in the face of five break points but played a poor service game at 4-5 to fall 0-40 down, and Nadal closed out the set with a volley.

Neither man had been serving well but Murray's disintegrated in the second set, two double faults contributing to another break to love in game two.

By the closing stages he was winning just 10% of points behind his second serve and Nadal was happy to capitalise, breaking once again and firing away a forehand winner on match point.

"I served an extremely low percentage of first serves [43%], maybe the lowest percentage I have served the whole year in any match," said Murray.

"That's not good enough."

Nadal said: "It's an important victory because it puts me in a good position to try to be in the semi-finals, and at the same time I have a big day against a great player on a tough surface."

 

Where does defeat leave Murray?

What we do know is that Murray will play Wawrinka in his final group match on Friday, while Nadal takes on Ferrer - the exact permutations must wait until Wawrinka and Ferrer play at 20:00.

Should the Swiss win on Wednesday evening then Ferrer is out, and Friday's match against Murray will be a straight decider for the second place behind Nadal.

If Ferrer beats Wawrinka.... things get complicated. Murray will almost certainly need to beat Wawrinka and it could come down to the percentage of sets won, percentage of games won, or even the final tie-breaker - who is ranked the highest.

Name	Played	Won	Lost	Sets F-A	Games F-A
Rafael Nadal	2	2	0	4-0	24-10
Andy Murray	2	1	1	2-2	17-20
David Ferrer	1	0	1	0-2	8-12
Stan Wawrinka	1	0	1	0-2	5-12

 

The expert view from the BBC's pundits

Analyst Tim Henman: "It was a bad day at the office for Andy Murray but this round-robin format means he still has a chance to reach the semi-finals.

"He needs to forget what's happened here, focus on his next match and make sure he is in a better frame of mind to execute his game plan."

Commentator Andrew Castle: "It's great to see Rafael Nadal playing with hunger, fire and confidence again.

"I never thought we'd see him struggling as we have this year but it was a great display from him and he was beginning to dominate with his forehand again, which he hasn't done for a while."