England v Pakistan: Hosts win second Test by 330 runs to level four-match series

Second Test, Old Trafford, Day Four

England  589/8 & 173/1 dec  - Alastair Cook 76*, Root 71*

Pakistan  198 & 234 - Anderson 3-41, Woakes 3-41, Moeen 3-88

England won by 330 runs

England thrashed Pakistan by 330 runs in the second Test at Old Trafford to level the four-match series at 1-1.

Pakistan were bowled out for 234 after Alastair Cook (76 not out) and Joe Root (71 not out) helped England declare on 173-1 to set a target of 565.

James Anderson and Chris Woakes took 3-41 and Moeen Ali 3-88 as Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 89 runs to lose on the fourth day.

Victory was England's second-biggest against Pakistan in terms of runs.

However, all-rounder Ben Stokes will have a scan on Tuesday after injuring a calf while bowling in the afternoon session.

Pakistan's highest stand was the 58 Mohammad Hafeez and Younus Khan put on for the third wicket, but both fell to Moeen in the space of six overs.

Mohammad Amir was last man out, removed by Woakes for 29.

The third Test at Edgbaston begins on 3 August.

Anderson fires England

England, who opted against enforcing the follow-on on Sunday, added 75 runs in nine overs in the morning after resuming on 98-1.

Root hit 10 fours in his 48-ball 71 to go with his first-innings 254, while Cook - 49 overnight - brought up his fastest Test half-century, off 55 deliveries.

Anderson, on his home ground, made early inroads as he had Shan Masood caught in the slips for the second time in the match before trapping Azhar Ali lbw, but Hafeez and Younus resisted for 15.1 overs.

With Stokes, who was injured during his follow-through, off the field, Moeen struck twice. He had Hafeez caught at short leg for 42 and Younus at long-on for 28.

Woakes then bowled Misbah-ul-Haq for 35, the skipper having put on 43 with Asad Shafiq.

After Sarfraz Ahmed became Woakes' second victim, Anderson and Moeen completed their three-wicket hauls by trapping Shafiq and Yasir Shah lbw respectively.

Part-time spinner Root then took a wicket with just his second ball, having Wahab Riaz caught at short fine leg.

Amir struck five fours in his 43-ball resistance, but Woakes finished things off by having him caught at mid-off when trying to drive.

'An absolute hammering' - what they said

Man of the match Joe Root on Test Match Special: "It's a great feeling. It's about contributing to wins. It's the most controlled I've played.

"The bowlers grafted really hard today and last night. It was a really good effort from all of the team. It sets it up nicely for the series."

More from England's Joe Root, who scored 254 and 71 not out, took four catches and claimed 1-0 with the ball, on Test Match Special:

"It's a great feeling. It's about contributing to wins - that's what it's all about. Those two occasions at Lord's it was batsman error on my part. I tried to cut that out of my game. It's the most controlled I've played.

"You've got to play the situation. It's only later on in the innings and this morning that I took the risks."

England captain Alastair Cook: "I was surprised the decision not to follow-on caused such a stir. To me it was a bit of a no-brainer. I think everyone else wanted a day off."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "It's an absolute hammering. It's been very similar to the Sri Lanka series, where England dominated with this kind of performance."

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq: "We have to improve in every department. We could not build pressure and let them score a massive total in the first innings.

"If we had restricted them to 350, we had a chance. But it was difficult to come back from 600."

Shaw Post would like to congratulate the England Cricket Team on their rather emphatic hammering of Pakistan by 330 runs at the Old Trafford Cricket ground in the second Test to tie the series at 1 -1 with two Test's to go.

It was great to see Joe Root get back to his best by top scoring for England in the first innings with 250 runs. In fact all the England batsmen seemed to play with more application of how to play spin as they declared just after tea on Day Two as they posted a very commanding 589/8 thanks to some top notch batting from Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes  and Jonny Bairstow.

They then brilliantly restricted Pakistan to 57/4 by the end of Day Two as Chris Woakes took 3/18 and Ben Stokes took 1/11

On Day Three they came out and took the remaining Pakistan wickets for just 141 runs. James Anderson, on his home ground, removed Shan Masood for 39 courtesy of an edge to Root at second slip.

Asad Shafiq drove Stuart Broad loosely to backward point, Sarfraz Ahmed edged Ben Stokes to second slip to fall for 26 off 18 balls, and Yasir Shah followed one from Woakes to give Root, England's double centurion, his fourth catch.

Struck on the helmet by a Woakes bouncer, Misbah received valuable support from Wahab, who hit Moeen Ali for six during the highest partnership of the Pakistan innings.

Misbah, in attempting to dominate Moeen - as he did in the first innings at Lord's - top-edged a sweep to Cook at short fine-leg.

Wahab, who was hit on the left elbow by Woakes and did not bowl in England's second innings, swung Moeen to Hales at deep mid-wicket to end the innings.

After that came the rather questionable Alastair Cook decision to bat again when they maybe should have enforced the follow on.

It turned out be a master stroke decision as England powered on to end day three on 98-1.

On Day Four Alastair Cook and Joe Root came out in the first hour of the day and hit the ball with so much force to enforce another declaration and leave the Pakistani's with almost no hope of saving the match as they were set a deficit of 565 to win.

Pakistan then collapsed miserably be bowled out for 234 as they couldn't handle the sheer pace of James Anderson and Chris Woakes' bowling. They also couldn't handle Moeen Ali's and Joe Root's bowling trickery.

We wish the England Cricket Team the best of luck in the remainder of the series. Hopefully they can win the remaining two Test's to win the series 3 - 1.

It will be very interesting to see how Pakistan respond from this hammering as their confidence must surely have taken a bruising.

If there's one bowler that the Pakistani's don't want to face then it would have to be Liam Plunkett as he's another fast bowler who can ask lot's of question to the Pakistan batsmen with his fast paced bowling. He would be the perfect replacement for Ben Stokes who is going to have an MRI scan on his injured calf tomorrow.

Date confirmed for Hull v Arsenal FA Cup fifth round replay

The Football Association today confirms the Emirates FA Cup fifth round replay between Hull City and Arsenal will be played at the KC Stadium on Tuesday 8 March (7pm kick-off).

In-depth and exhaustive discussions have taken place over the last 72 hours with all associated parties to determine the scheduling of this fixture and The FA recognises that this is not an ideal solution for everyone.

However, it does strengthen the case for footballing bodies to work closely together in a positive, collaborative way to resolve the overcrowded and untenable fixture schedule.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn said: "We want all of our clubs to be part of strong, vibrant domestic competitions, to perform well on the European stage and for the England team to be challenging for international honours.

"To have a better chance of achieving these aims more effectively, it is imperative we resolve the on-going problem of match scheduling together.

“We would like to thank UEFA for taking the time it has to understand our position on this matter.

"Fixture scheduling is an issue for the whole game so let’s build upon the productive conversations we have held with the Premier League and Football League and call upon UEFA to join the discussion to create clear, workable guidelines for the benefit of all.

"This will help our teams in the pursuit for trophies; enable fans to fully enjoy and access all the matches their teams participate in and allow broadcast partners to maximise the TV rights they have purchased."

It is important to note that numerous factors were fully considered before agreeing the date and time for the Hull City v Arsenal replay.

Firstly, both clubs are challenging for honours and require the best available preparation time. As such, Monday 7 March was ruled out as an option.

It is recognised that this match will be partially played when UEFA have a scheduled programme of European fixtures and if there were any suitable alternatives, The FA would have warmly accepted these.

There was an option for a 5.45pm kick off, however, the spirit of The FA Cup is strongly defined by the supporters and an earlier time would have significantly impacted on fans’ attendance. This was not a viable solution.

The winners of the replay will take on Watford in the sixth round.

Kelly Smith: England legend signs new Arsenal Ladies contract

England's all-time record goal scorer Kelly Smith has signed a new contract with Arsenal Ladies.

The 37-year-old forward, who retired from international football in 2015, is in her third spell with the Women's Super League 1 club.

Smith will combine playing with assisting Gunners manager Pedro Martinez Losa on the touchline.
She was sidelined for the majority of last season with an ankle injury suffered against Sunderland in April.

Smith, who was nominated for the 2015 Women's PFA Players' Player of the Year award, had been in negotiations over a new deal throughout the close-season.

The former Boston Breakers and New Jersey Wildcats player also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games.

"I'm Arsenal through and through," Smith told the club website.
"The club means everything to me. Ever since I first put the shirt on, I've been so proud to do it every time.

"I feel a bit like part of the furniture. It is just a privilege to represent such a great club."

The Gunners, who finished third in WSL 1 last term, begin their 2016 league campaign at home to promoted Reading on Wednesday, 23 March.

Shaw Post would like to offer Kelly Smith the best of luck in her new season with the Arsenal Ladies. We hope that manages to win lot's of trophies this season.

Arsenal 0-0 Hull City

 

Holders Arsenal must travel to Hull for an FA Cup fifth-round replay after failing to turn dominance into victory against the Championship leaders. 

The Gunners had two penalty claims denied and had chances to win the game through Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck.

Hull keeper Eldin Jakupovic made a string of saves, most notably touching Joel Campbell's free-kick on to a post.

The Tigers created little, but defended admirably to frustrate Arsene Wenger in his 100th FA Cup game as Arsenal boss.

The two sides made a total of 19 changes between them from their previous games - nine for Arsenal and 10 for Hull.

But Steve Bruce's Tigers not only ended a 14-game winning run in the FA Cup for the Gunners, they also prevented a repeat of their defeats by the Londoners in the 2014 final and last season's third round.

One eye on Barca?

Arsenal's priorities undoubtedly lie elsewhere, with Wenger's side only two points off the top of the Premier League and a visit of Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie coming up on Tuesday.

Europe is particularly pressing for the Gunners, who have failed to go past the last 16 in any of the past five seasons, which meant there was no place for key man Mesut Ozil in the squad, while Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez were restricted to contributions from the bench.

Despite the team bearing little resemblance to the XI that started in the 2-1 win over Leicester City last week, the Gunners were good enough to control the game from start to finish and created enough chances to have secured a comfortable victory.


However, the draw means Arsenal are still in with a chance of becoming the first team to win three consecutive FA Cups since Blackburn Rovers accomplished the feat 130 years ago.

Hull have ambitions of their own

It is not only Arsenal who have distractions away from the FA Cup this term, as Hull continue their bid to return to the Premier League after last season's relegation.

Only Curtis Davies remained in the side from last week's draw with Brighton, and the former Aston Villa defender blocked, headed and tracked runners enthusiastically alongside Alex Bruce and Harry Maguire in a defensive three.

Hull boss Bruce could be forgiven for the pragmatism in his team selection, as his men are in the midst of a run of 10 games in 35 days, which will now become even more congested thanks to the replay.

And while his team's resilience with have pleased the former Birmingham City manager, he will also have been delighted by the performance of 16-year-old Josh Tymon, who looked confident and composed at left full-back.

 

 

 

 

 

The 'Khaki Cup final' at Old Trafford, in which Sheffield United beat Chelsea 3-0, was played during the First World War and in front of many uniformed soldiers

 

Elegant Elneny

Arsenal's only issue came in front of goal, as they moved the ball around with precision to carve out 24 shots - 11 on target - compared to the six shots mustered by Hull.

But they could not find a way past Jakupovic, who allowed himself a self-congratulatory moment after taking time out to watch a replay of one of his saves on the big screen at the Emirates.
January signing Elneny, making only his second start for the Gunners, put in a standout performance for the home side.



The Egypt international was always available for the ball in midfield and dictated the pace for Arsenal from the middle of the park.

And there were promising signs from 19-year-old Nigerian Iwobi, who found plenty of space behind striker Theo Walcott to attempt through balls into a congested Hull penalty area, only for the hosts to draw a blank every time.

Man of the match - Eldin Jakupovic

 

Eldin Jakupovic's saves were the major difference on the day - and he climbed in among the away fans to share a moment with his daughter after the game.

 

 

 

 

What they said

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "The replay is not especially good news but Hull defended very well.

"We were not incisive or accurate enough in our passing in the final third. As long as they did not concede, they maintained with how they played. We had 20 shots, 70% possession, but no goals.
"I cannot influence the referee's decisions, only the technical quality of my team. If we have no injuries, we can cope with the fixtures.

"I think FA Cup replays is a particularity of the English rules and you have to respect that."


Hull manager Steve Bruce: "I don't know when we're going to play the replay. That's added to the fixture pile-up we've got.

"We made 10 changes and we rode our luck a bit, but the team deserved it for the spirit and the 100% effort they gave.

"It bodes well when I see the strength in depth we've got, because we're going to need it.

"Josh Tymon didn't look out of his depth and it's great to see someone from the academy, from Hull, come in and wear the shirt."


Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic: "My little daughter, my father, everybody is here. We knew it would be a difficult game and would be defend all game. We got a 0-0 and I hope the replay will be the same."


Shaw Post believes that Arsene Wenger and Arsenal will be disappointed that they couldn't put their chances away to advance into the Quarter Final. Instead they must go to the KC Stadium for a midweek replay at some stage in March.

The draw for Quarter Finals takes place after the Chelsea vs Manchester City match tomorrow.
Hopefully Wenger will start Mesut Ozil in the return game against Hull City as they'll need to play their best line up to beat Hull City.

Hull City will be happy with gaining a replay as they rode their luck at time and were perhaps lucky that they didn't concede a penalty in the first half when Calum Chambers was fouled. They mainly have their goalkeeper to thank for gaining a replay.

Unfortunately for Hull City we fully expect Arsenal to beat Hull City 2 -1 in the replay as the Gunner's have a lot less games then the Tigers who are in the process of playing ten matches in just 35 days.

Brendon McCullum: New Zealand captain breaks fastest Test century record

                                                             

Second Test, Christchurch (day one):

New Zealand 370 (McCullum 145, Anderson 72)

Australia: 57-1

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum scored the fastest ever Test century in a majestic display against Australia on the first day of the second Test.

The 34-year-old needed just 54 balls to reach his 12th century in his 101st and final Test before retiring.

It beat the mark of 56 balls set by West Indies great Sir Viv Richards against England in 1986, and equalled by Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014.

"I was trying to hit every ball for four or six," said McCullum.

"Viv was my idol growing up, he was an incredible cricketer. I'm almost a little bit of embarrassed to go past him, to be honest."

New Zealand, who lost the opening game of the two-Test series, were 32-3 at one point on day one in Christchurch, but recovered to 370 all out before Australia closed on 57-1.

McCullum had a big piece of luck on 39, when he sliced James Pattinson to Mitchell Marsh.
But umpire Richard Kettleborough requested a replay which showed Pattinson had bowled a no-ball.

McCullum had reached 82 from 48 balls when Josh Hazlewood came on to bowl and, after failing to score from the first two balls of the over, the skipper turned on the power, hitting a six, followed by three fours, to give him the record.

He finally fell for 145 off 79 balls when he was caught by Nathan Lyon off Pattinson.

Anya Shrubsole strikes late as England beat South Africa      First Twenty20 international, Paarl: England 147-7 (20 overs): Taylor 74, Daniels 2-20 South Africa132-6 (20 overs): Van Niekerk 52, Shrubsole 3-25 England won by 15 runs

Anya Shrubsole took three late wickets as England women fought back to beat South Africa by 15 runs in the first Twenty20.

The hosts looked well set at 96-0 in reply to England's 147-7, but openers Dane van Niekerk and Trisha Chetty's slow scoring put pressure on the tail.

Shrubsole removed van Niekerk, before claiming Lizelle Lee and Mignon du Preez as the hosts stumbled to 132-6.

Sarah Taylor earlier made 74 not out for England in Paarl.

The tourists made a slow start and were stuttering at 41-3 after the cheap dismissals of captain Charlotte Edwards, Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones.

However, they were boosted by wicketkeeper Taylor's 51-ball effort, in which she struck 11 fours, with Shrubsole arriving to help take 18 from Shabnim Ismail's final over.

England women's World Twenty20 group fixtures
Date	Opposition	Venue
17 March	Bangladesh	Bangalore
22 March	India	Dharamshala
24 March	West Indies	Dharamshala
27 March	Pakistan	Chennai

Van Niekerk and Chetty made 52 and 46 respectively, but struggled to keep pace with the run rate on a playing area of long boundaries.

Once they were dismissed within four balls of each other, South Africa's middle order found themselves with too much to do.

England's play another two Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa - in Cape Town on Friday and Johannesburg on Sunday - before travelling to India to prepare for the World Twenty20.

Earlier in the tour, England won the one-day series 2-1.

AB de Villiers gives South Africa ODI series win over England

Fifth One Day International (Cape Town)

England 236: Hales 112, Rabada 3-34

South Africa 237-5: De Villiers 101*, Topley 3-41

South Africa won by five wickets

A century from AB de Villiers gave South Africa a 3-2 one-day series win over England with a five-wicket victory in the decider in Cape Town.

Chasing 237, the Proteas were reduced to 22-3 by Reece Topley before De Villiers shared 125 with Hashim Amla.

De Villiers' 24th ODI ton, from 94 balls, got his side home in 44 overs.

Earlier, Alex Hales struck a composed 112, but he was let down by a string of poor shots from his team-mates as England were bowled out for 236.

Their third successive defeat is also a third straight loss in which one of their batsmen has made a century as England's new ultra-aggressive approach to one-day cricket ultimately proved their undoing.

South Africa's comeback from 2-0 down is only the third time that a five-match ODI series has been won from two behind.

South Africa v England ODI series
1st ODI, Bloemfontein	England won by 39 runs (D-L method)
2nd ODI, Port Elizabeth	England won by five wickets
3rd ODI, Centurion	South Africa won by seven wickets
4th ODI, Johannesburg	South Africa won by one wicket
5th ODI, Cape Town	South Africa won by five wickets

 

 

England master their own downfall

England's change of style since their awful World Cup helped them to series wins against New Zealand and Pakistan, as well as a narrow defeat by world champions Australia, but here they were too cavalier.

Indeed, no team has ever chased more than a modest 257 to win an ODI at Cape Town and the tourists, after being asked to bat first, were perhaps guilty of setting their sights too high on a pitch that showed regular signs of uneven bounce.

Their recklessness was typified by captain Eoin Morgan, who charged the first delivery he faced from David Wiese, reached for the wide ball and edged behind for only two.

By then, Jason Roy and Joe Root had been trapped leg before by Imran Tahir and, afterwards, Ben Stokes walked too far across his stumps to be bowled behind his legs by Kagiso Rabada, who then had a leaden-footed Jos Buttler play on.

Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid all holed out, frustratingly unable to support Hales, as England lost their last seven wickets for 81 runs and were bowled out with five overs to spare.

 

 

 

 

No storm, but Hales shows his class

    

After a difficult maiden Test series, Hales showed the sort of temperament needed to succeed in the longer format, standing tall as the entire England batting line-up fell around him.

Wrongly given out caught behind for 20, the Nottinghamshire man successfully reviewed the decision and favoured the area behind square on the off side.

Also accumulating off his pads, Hales became only the fifth England batsman to register five successive ODI half-centuries.

With number 10 Stuart Broad for company, he got through a nervous and lengthy time in the nineties to complete his second century by driving Chris Morris down the ground for four.

By the time he pulled Rabada into the hands of deep square leg, he had taken his tally on the tour to 383 runs, the most ever by an England batsman in a five-match ODI series.

 

 

De Villiers snuffs out the hope

South Africa v England series stats
Most runs	Most wickets
383 - Alex Hales	10 - Reece Topley
351- Joe Root	9 - Kagiso Rabada
326 - Quinton de Kock	8 - Reece Topley
218 - AB de Villiers	8 - Imran Tahir
196 - Hashim Amla	5 - Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid

England's total looked substandard, but they were given hope by left-armer Topley's use of the new ball.

Quinton de Kock inside-edged behind, Faf du Plessis was bowled first ball by a devastating inswinger and Rilee Rossouw drove to short cover.

However, England were stopped by De Villiers and Amla. Though captain De Villiers belted a free hit from Stokes for six, the experienced pair did little more than absorb the pressure and punish the bad ball.

Amla inexplicably ran past a wide ball from Moeen to be stumped and Farhaan Behardien heaved Rashid to mid-on, but the tension was relieved by Wiese, who hit Rashid for successive sixes.

De Villiers, whose previous highest score in the Test and ODI series was 88, survived a marginal lbw review against Rashid and moved through the nineties with 11 runs in four balls off Topley.

A late cut for a single took him to three figures and, in the next over, the game and the series was won.

 

 

What they said

England captain Eoin Morgan: "We want to get to a stage where we can play as aggressive as we can but also play smart cricket. We'd rather err on the side of aggression than the opposite because when we've done that in the past we've fallen well short."

Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott: "England have come a fair way since the World Cup but they must learn to play to the situation of the pitch. A good cricketer is a thinking cricketer. You have to adapt. Not every pitch is a 350-run pitch."

South Africa captain AB de Villiers: "I've been a little bit off my game in the last month or so, so it's nice to finish like that. As captain, you have to lead from the front. I didn't think we were that far off in the first two ODIs, the belief was still there."

 

 

What next?

Two Twenty20s in the build-up to the World Two, the first of which is on Friday in Cape Town at 16:00 GMT.

                                                  Arsenal  2 - 1 Leicester City

                                                      

Danny Welbeck threw the Premier League title race wide open when he scored a dramatic winner with only seconds left as Arsenal beat leaders Leicester City.

The Foxes looked set to hold out for a vital draw as a thrilling game went into injury time, despite being reduced to 10 men after Danny Simpson was sent off for a second yellow card early in the second half.

This was until Welbeck, playing his first competitive game since April last year, glanced Mesut Ozil's free-kick past the magnificent Kasper Schmeichel to spark wild celebrations at Emirates Stadium as Leicester lost in the league for just the third time this season.

Jamie Vardy gave the Foxes the lead with a hotly-disputed penalty on the stroke of half-time after he tumbled over Nacho Monreal's outstretched leg.

Substitute Theo Walcott then set up a frantic final 20 minutes with a side-foot finish from Olivier Giroud's superb knockdown.

Leicester still lead the table - but Arsenal's win leaves them only two points clear.

 

A decisive day for the title?

 

 

 

In those closing seconds, with the Emirates awash with tension and anxiety, it looked like Leicester would secure a point that would feel like a victory to manager Claudio Ranieri and his players.
It would have been a draw achieved with a numerical disadvantage at the home of a title rival - and would have given them four precious points from visits to Manchester City and Arsenal.


Instead, Welbeck's intervention left Ranieri and his men desolate after an outstanding backs-to-the-wall performance, exemplified by the brilliance of keeper Schmeichel as he kept Arsenal at bay, with one late save from Giroud world-class especially notable.

Now they must bounce back at home to Norwich City in their next game - but why should we question them after what they have shown us this season?

As for Arsenal, this result will revive their title hopes as the impact will be just as dramatic for them. It would have felt like a defeat had they not beaten a Leicester side reduced to 10 men for 36 minutes.

So the title landscape has changed - but it is still Leicester at the top of the table.Theo Walcott's equaliser came at the end of a superb move from Arsenal which saw them move the ball from one side of the pitch to the other and back again.

As Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger rightly said after the match, his team were looking down the barrel when they trailed at half-time.

At that point, they were eight points adrift of the Foxes with only 12 games left after this one - a daunting gap.

Walcott's equaliser and that injury-time winner from Welbeck, who has been out for almost a year with a knee injury, was reward for their persistence and effort in the second half.


It was not just vital in the context of this game, it was crucial in the wider context after a poor run of home form which had seen the Gunners fail to win in four league games - with three draws and a defeat - before last week's win at Bournemouth.

 

 

Kante simply outstanding

N'Golo Kante arrived at Leicester City in early August as an under-the-radar £6m signing from French side Caen - he should now be a contender for Player of the Year.

When Rio Ferdinand is moved to tweet, "right now Kante is the best tackler/retriever of the ball on the planet", you get some idea of just how good he was at the Emirates.

In the first 45 minutes in particular, the Paris-born 24-year-old gave a masterclass in the arts Ferdinand was talking about. While the likes of Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have rightly claimed the limelight, Kante has been just as influential in the manner in which he retains and regains possession, helping Leicester to set up those trademark counter-attacks.

 

 

Tough day for Atkinson

 

Referee Martin Atkinson was left to handle a tidal wave of pressure and emotion, especially after awarding Leicester that penalty.

It was a tough call, with Vardy clearly accepting the invitation literally extended by Monreal's outstretched leg.

Vardy bought the penalty but it was understandable to see why he gave it - and it is worth noting former Arsenal legends Lee Dixon and David Seaman tweeted their agreement with the decision.

Arsenal fans were demanding every decision after that - and most supporters around the country would be the same - but Atkinson's decision to send Simpson off for two soft fouls was also correct.
It is not just players under stress on these occasions.

Man of the match - Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)

 

 

Kasper Schmeichel made a number of impressive saves - none better than his diving block to save a shot from Olivier Giroud from close range - to come within seconds of earning his side a point.

 

 

What the managers said...

 

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, speaking to BBC Sport: "The effort, energy, intensity was all good. Leicester defended very well but we had bad luck to be 1-0 down at half-time. We were relentless after that - we should have scored more goals.
"It was a pivotal moment today because the mathematics meant it could be eight points or it could be two points. That is a great change.

"There's a long way to go, we play a lot of big teams. But we had a bad spell where we couldn't win for four games and have now won two on the bounce. We have come out of that bad spell and still have a good chance."


Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri, speaking to Sky Sports: "It was a fantastic match, very fast. I don't know if in a normal match that our two yellows cards was a sending off.
They were normal fouls, but not yellow cards. I think the referee was too severe to us for the sending off. 11 v 11, I'm sure we win the match. The match was full of fouls so why send off a player? Come on.

"We know Arsenal are a fantastic team, they move the ball quickly and have skill, but we had to concentrate. We tried to counter-attack and we controlled the match very well.

"We are still top of the table, got two points more - we must carry on and smile. We lost to our opponents - we must say well done."

What next?

Arsenal face two cup games in a row as they host Hull in the FA Cup fifth round next Saturday (12:45 GMT) before the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Barcelona at the Emirates the following Tuesday.

Leicester, who are out of the FA Cup, face Norwich at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, 27 February (15:00 GMT).

 

           

 

 

 

South Africa v England: De Kock and Amla make superb hundreds

Third one-day international, Centurion:

England 318-8 (50 overs): Root 125, Hales 65, Stokes 53

South Africa 319-3 (46.2 overs): De Kock 135, Amla 127

South Africa won by seven wickets

Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla put on 239 for the first wicket to help South Africa beat England by seven wickets in the third one-day international.

De Kock hit four sixes in a brilliant 135 and captain Amla made 127 as the hosts reached their target of 319 with 22 balls to spare at Centurion.

Joe Root hit five sixes in 125 - his highest one-day international score - but England's 318-8 proved inadequate.

England lead the series 2-1 with two matches to play.

 

Root shows his class

Root shared stands of 125 with Alex Hales (65 off 73) and 82 with Ben Stokes (53 off 37) as England left the hosts needing to make the highest successful run chase in an ODI at Centurion.

Coming together at 36-1 after Jason Roy was run out for 20, Hales and Root played sensibly and brought up their fifties in the 23rd over.

But Hales, who made 99 in the second ODI, then hooked Kagiso Rabada straight to Morne Morkel on the fine leg boundary.

In-form Jos Buttler was promoted to number four but was out first ball, flicking Rabada to JP Duminy at leg gully.

England captain Eoin Morgan struggled to find his timing, labouring to eight off 24 balls before he was caught at mid-wicket.

But Root continued to bat with skill, reaching his hundred off 95 balls, and then hitting two sixes and a four from his next three deliveries.

The Yorkshireman was finally run out in the 43rd over when a straight drive ricocheted off the non-striker's stumps into the leg-side field and a mix-up with Stokes left the 25-year-old stranded.

Stokes raced to his 50 in 33 balls - and despite a rush of late wickets as Kyle Abbott took two in two, David Willey and Adil Rashid added late runs to set South Africa a testing target.



De Kock and Amla ignored the thunder and lightning rumbling around the stadium to get South Africa off to a perfect start.

De Kock took advantage of anything slightly wide while Amla moved around his crease to upset the bowlers' lines, enabling the duo to bring up their century stand in the 18th over.

England's spinners bowled in tandem but were unable to slow the scoring, with De Kock cracking three sixes on his way to his 10th ODI century from 96 balls.

The onslaught continued with Amla supporting De Kock from the other end, whipping the ball off his legs for a six as England's bowlers grew increasingly resigned to their fate.

The stand was finally broken when De Kock tamely chipped Rashid to Root at mid-wicket.
But Amla reached his century, his 22nd in ODIs to move level with Chris Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sourav Ganguly in seventh place in the all-time list.

The skipper saw his team to the verge of victory before he was caught behind off Chris Jordan with just eight runs required.

Faf du Plessis hit a six to level the scores and then hit the winning run next ball to keep the series alive heading to Johannesburg on Friday for the fourth match.

 

 

What they said

England captain Eoin Morgan: "I thought 318 was a good score. The wicket got a little worse as our innings went on and a little wear and tear crept in, but Joe Root was outstanding.
"They had an incredible opening partnership, the ball didn't swing early on so we had to go back to hitting our lengths, and we didn't do that well enough."

South Africa captain AB de Villiers: "We needed that win, and I thought the boys played really well. We had a bit of urgency and hunger in the field, we've not had the greatest series until today but that shows the attitude we have."

Test Match Special analysis

 

 

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott

"I don't think England did a lot wrong in their bowling, and their fielding was quite good, but nothing happened for them. Rashid bowled quite well, he tried to mix it up because wickets were everything.

"The team lacks a bit of something. Steven Finn and Stuart Broad would both improve it. Topley needs a bit more pace and I do worry about Jordan. He is a fantastic fielder, but Finn and Broad are better bowlers and add something more.

"But in the end we still might have lost because Amla played that well and De Kock was scintillating."

 

South Africa v England: Hosts race to 280-run consolation win in final Test

 

 

Fourth Test, Centurion (day five)
South Africa 475 & 248-5 dec: Amla 96
England 342 & 101: Rabada 6-32, Morkel 3-36
South Africa won by 280 runs

South Africa bowled England out for 101 on the final morning to seal a 280-run consolation victory in the final Test.

The hosts needed only 66 minutes and 82 deliveries to take the remaining seven England wickets in Centurion.

Kagiso Rabada, 20, became the youngest South Africa bowler to take 10 wickets in a match, and finished with 6-32 to add to his first-innings 7-112.

Morne Morkel claimed 3-36, with James Taylor's 24 the highest score for England, who won the series 2-1.

England, beaten 2-0 by Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates earlier this winter, next play Test cricket against Sri Lanka at Headingley on 19 May.

All over in under a session

Having reduced England to 52-3 on Monday, South Africa hurried through the rest of the order thanks to some splendid bowling on a wearing surface.

In all, England lost their last seven wickets for 43 runs in 10.5 overs as any hopes of batting out the day vanished amid a flurry of reckless strokes.




Here's how the collapse unfolded:

• 58-4 (23.6 overs): Taylor c De Kock b Morkel 24 - gloved a brutal, rising delivery that moved away off the seam
• 58-5 (24.3): Root c Elgar b Piedt 20 - dropped off the first ball he faced on Tuesday, he soon edged a drive to slip
• 83-6 (28.3): Bairstow c De Kock b Morkel 14 - caught at slip off a Rabada no-ball, he edged the next delivery behind
• 83-7 (29.2): Stokes c S Cook b Morkel 10 - pulled straight to deep square-leg
• 91-8 (32.4): Woakes c De Kock b Rabada 5 - flailed at a wide one to be caught behind
• 101-9 (34.3): Broad c De Villiers b Rabada 2 - another drive outside off stump, another catch for slip
• 101 all out (34.4): Anderson lbw Rabada 0 - lbw on review after being struck on the toe

 

Rabada wraps it up in style

Fittingly, the lithe paceman, in only his sixth Test match, took the final three wickets as England were skittled out before a drinks break was required.

That gave Rabada match figures of 13-144, the best by a South Africa bowler on home soil and the second-best in their history.

The man of the match said: "It was a bit up and down so the key was the hit the deck and bowl the ball in a good area and I believed you'd get your rewards."

Best match figures for South Africa
13-132: Makhaya Ntini v West Indies, Port-of-Spain, 2005
13-144: Kagiso Rabada v England, Centurion, 2016
13-165: Hugh Tayfield v Australia, Melbourne, 1952
13-192: Hugh Tayfield v England, Johannesburg, 1957

 

 

'England have shown no heart' - what they said

Former England captain Michael Vaughan told BBC Test Match Special: "England have batted on a pitch with a bit of spice and they have shown no heart.

"It's almost like the white towel has been thrown in. It was a really feeble way to finish the tour."


Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott: "Get your head down and save the match. But there was no effort this morning.

"Coming out and playing shots, does that excuse you after winning the series? No. There's no excuse for that. You have to be professional. That's not good enough."


England captain Alastair Cook on Sky Sports: "We didn't get the balance right today. Today is a blow and shows how much work we still have to do.

"This is just a blip and incredibly frustrating. For us to be at number one, we do need to start gutsing these out. We need consistency, especially with our fielding.

"I can't really fault the lads too much, because if you'd said we'd win the series 2-1, we'd have taken that. We'll enjoy winning a series away from home."

Story of the series
1st Test, Durban: England won by 241 runs
2nd Test, Cape Town: Match drawn
3rd Test, Johannesburg: England won by seven wickets
4th Test, Centurion: South Africa won by 280 runs

 

 

What next for England?

England face a South Africa Invitation XI in a warm-up game on Saturday before a five-match one-day series against South Africa gets under way on 3 February.
The sides also meet in two Twenty20 internationals on 19 and 21 February.

South Africa v England: Hashim Amla & Stephen Cook make tons
Fourth Test, Centurion (day one) South Africa 329-5: S Cook 115, Amla 109 England: yet to bat Debutant Stephen Cook and Hashim Amla made hundreds for South Africa before England fought back on day one of the fourth Test in Centurion. Cook, 33, made 115 and former captain Amla 109 in a stand of 202. Both men were dropped - Cook on 47 and Amla on five - but England's bowlers showed little control of line or length in the first two sessions. However, the tourists took four wickets after tea to leave South Africa 329-5 at the close. Although England lost the toss, the heavy atmosphere in Centurion suggested the bowlers might receive some assistance, only for the visiting attack to fail to get the ball in the right areas often enough. As a result, Cook and Amla made the most of a true surface, before England's late rally kept their chances of a 3-0 series win, and their best result in South Africa since 1914, still alive. Cook makes up for lost time   Right-hander Cook, son of former South Africa opener Jimmy, had scored more than 11,000 runs in a 15-year first-class career before finally getting his chance at the highest level in one of five changes to the Proteas side. He looked immediately at home, whipping his first ball through mid-wicket for four in a portent of things to come, with England erring so frequently on the leg side that 80 of his 115 came off his pads. Only when he neared three figures did he lose his composure, spending an hour in the 90s and surviving an lbw review on 98. After he became the 100th man to score a century on Test debut, a rare error around off stump saw play on off Chris Woakes.   Awesome Amla In his second-wicket stand with Cook, the wristy Amla was imperious. He played a number of beautiful drives - 13 of his 19 fours came through the covers - and whips through mid-wicket. His century, reached by tucking James Anderson off his pads, was his 25th in Test cricket and fifth at Centurion Park. Amla appeared so comfortable that it was a surprise when he too played on off Ben Stokes just after tea.
England go from ridiculous... England, so rampant in the third Test win in Johannesburg, were well below their best in the first two sessions, with Stuart Broad and James Taylor perhaps the only members of the XI that were due praise. Broad was again dangerous with the new ball, while Taylor pulled off another brilliant catch at short leg, this time moving with the charging Dean Elgar to get an inside edge off Moeen Ali lodged between his legs. But the rest of the pace attack, particularly James Anderson and Woakes, were woefully inaccurate and Jonny Bairstow was guilty of two wicketkeeping errors. First, he dived to distract Alastair Cook, who dropped Amla's edge off Stokes, and then failed to hold on to another diving chance when Stephen Cook edged Broad. ...to the resurgent England's improvement came in the evening session, which was oddly delayed by around 10 minutes when water was discovered to be oozing from the ground square of the wicket. When play resumed, England's bowlers showed greater control and benefitted from South Africa errors as the hosts slipped from 237-1 to 273-5. After Stokes accounted for Amla, AB de Villiers edged Broad to second slip for a second-ball duck. And once Woakes removed Cook, JP Duminy played a horrible swipe at Moeen to be pinned lbw. Still, Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock added an unbeaten 56 against the second new ball and a prolonged occupation by one or both of them on the second morning could yet bat England out of the game. What they said South Africa batsman Stephen Cook on BBC Test Match Special: "I had to wait a long time [to play Test cricket], so when I was in the 90s I thought, 'I've had to wait so long, so I might as well wait another hour if I have to [to get a century].' "There were times when things were tough, when you think maybe this dream won't come true. Now I'm feeling absolute elation. It really is a dream come true." Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott: "Cook's footwork was immaculate, absolutely gorgeous. His shots were nice touch shots. "They have had airy fairy opening batsmen in but where has he been? For 90 runs he looked an excellent opening batsmen." England batsman Joe Root: "In the first two hours we probably weren't at our best, but the way we applied ourselves and came back in that last session was a fantastic effort."