Bournemouth and Spain defender Dean Huijsen has denied he smokes cannabis as he discussed his "sleepy eyes".
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement is reportedly set to get the next few weeks to show that he is the right man to lead the team heading into the new year.
According to Football Insider, the Belgian manager will remain in the dugout until at least the League Cup final clash with Celtic at Hampden Park next month.
The report claims that CEO Patrick Stewart is due to officially start his role a day after the showpiece event and that a decision could then be made on the former AS Monaco chief’s future.
It states that pressure is mounting on Clement after his Rangers side dropped points once again at the weekend, drawing 1-1 with Dundee United at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership.
The Light Blues are now third in the table and 11 points adrift of their rivals at the top, having drawn two and lost three of their league games so far.
Clement may try to convince the board, irrespective of the result between now and the cup final, to allow him to use the January transfer window to turn the season around.
According to The Boot Room, Rangers are one a number of clubs showing an interest in signing Brighton & Hove Albion number nine Evan Ferguson.
The report claims that the Gers and Scottish rivals Celtic have both expressed an interest in bringing the Ireland international to Glasgow when the January transfer window opens for business.
Graeme Bailey, the author of the article, reports that both clubs are preparing to offer him a loan move to the Premiership for the second half of the season.
The Boot Room states that Brighton have given the young centre-forward the green light to pursue potential moves away from the AMEX on a temporary basis, given his lack of regular minutes on the pitch this season.
Securing a deal to sign the Irish sensation will not be easy for Rangers or Celtic, however, as the report adds that Premier League sides West Ham, Southampton, Leicester, and Fulham are also eyeing up the 20-year-old, who already has a top-flight hat-trick under his belt.
He is also said to have interest from unnamed clubs in Spain, France, Italy, and Germany, whilst Brighton view him as one of the best young forwards around right now.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The report also reveals that the Premier League outfit want assurances that Ferguson will play regularly during any loan in the second half of the season, to ensure that the forward is able to play week-in-week-out and continue his development.
Rangers must, now, work hard to ensure that they are able to win the race for the 20-year-old marksman, because their current first-choice number nine has not done enough to suggest that he should be starting every week.
The Nigeria international, who arrived from Cremonese in the summer of 2023, has not shown the quality needed to be a reliable number nine for the Scottish giants since his move to the club last year.
In the 2023/24 campaign, Dessers ended the Premiership season with a return of 16 goals in 35 appearances for the Gers. That was a solid return on paper but looks far less impressive when you consider that the forward also missed a staggering 27 ‘big chances’ in front of goal.
This shows that the experienced attacker simply did not do enough with the quality of chances that were being created for him by his teammates in the division.
After having a year to settle into life at Ibrox and in Scottish football, some may have hoped that Dessers would improve his consistency in the 2024/25 campaign.
|
Clement’s most wasteful finishers |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
24/25 Premiership |
xG |
Goals |
xG differential |
|
Cyriel Dessers |
6.53 |
4 |
-2.53 |
|
Hamza Igamane |
1.47 |
0 |
-1.47 |
|
James Tavernier |
1.45 |
0 |
-1.45 |
|
Dujon Sterling |
1.29 |
0 |
-1.29 |
|
Robin Propper |
1.06 |
0 |
-1.06 |
|
Stats via WhoScored |
|||
As you can see in the table above, the Nigerian marksman has been the most wasteful player in the squad, once again, in the Premiership this term, underperforming his xG by more than two goals.
With this in mind, Rangers must attempt to land Ferguson on loan until the end of the season, as the Irishman has the potential to come in as a big upgrade on Dessers.
Despite only turning 20 in October, the Brighton youngster has already showcased his ability in front of goal at the top level in the Premier League.
He has made 54 appearances for the Seagulls in the top division of English football and scored an impressive, given his age, 13 goals, to go along with two assists.
The most eye-catching part of his record in the Premier League is that his tally of 13 goals has come from an xG of 9.80, which means that he has scored 3.20 more goals than the average player would be expected to score from the quality of chances created.
He has also scored four goals in 18 caps for Ireland at senior level and produced 18 goals in 39 matches for Brighton at U23 level, to further illustrate his goalscoring capabilities.
|
Evan Ferguson |
23/24 Premier League |
24/25 Premier League |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
27 |
7 |
|
Starts |
15 |
1 |
|
xG |
4.61 |
0.15 |
|
Goals |
6 |
1 |
|
Duel success rate |
40% |
37% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Ferguson has scored seven goals from 4.76 xG in the league for Brighton since the start of last season, but has also lost the majority of his physical duels, which may be why he has struggled for starts.
Dessers, however, has only won 34% of his duels in the Premiership this season, which suggests that Ferguson could even come in as an upgrade on the Rangers striker in one of the weakest aspects of his own game.
Meanwhile, the Brighton gem, who was hailed as “phenomenal” by teammate James Milner, also has the quality to be a huge upgrade on the Nigerian flop as a goalscorer for the Gers, given their respective finishing quality.
Rangers signed their own Kante before he left after one forgettable year
Glasgow Rangers thought they had their own version of N’Golo Kante, then he flopped.
By
Dan Emery
Nov 25, 2024
Ferguson, based on his Premier League form, is a striker who can more than make the most of the high-quality chances that Rangers create, whilst Dessers continues to let the team down with his poor finishing, and that is why the Gers must swoop to bring him in in January.
How much does Frenkie de Jong make per week playing for Catalan giants Barcelona?
Frenkie de Jong has been a regular presence in Barcelona's midfield ever since his arrival from Ajax in 2019.
Despite struggling with injuries at times, de Jong has eventually won over each manager he's worked with at the Catalan club so far.
Thanks to his dedication, performances, and seniority within the squad, De Jong has been rewarded with a high salary, making him one of the top earners at the club.
Let's take a look at exactly how much the Dutchman earns playing for Barcelona.
GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!
*
Alex Hales’ strained relationship with Ben Stokes will not throw England off course in their bid to win the T20 World Cup in Australia, according to Matthew Mott.Hales and Stokes were involved in the infamous brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017 that saw Stokes charged with affray – he denied the charge and was found not guilty – and both players handed backdated bans and fines by the Cricket Disciplinary Commission.In his recently-released documentary, , Stokes refers to “my friend at the time, Alex” when addressing the incident and did not answer questions about Hales during interviews about the film.Stokes, who has been rested for England’s seven-match T20 international tour of Pakistan after a busy summer captaining the Test side, was tight-lipped when asked about his relationship with Hales and whether they had spoken recently earlier this month, saying only: “We’ve both got the same goal: to win World Cups.”Mott, England’s white-ball head coach, had not worked with Hales before his recall as an injury replacement for Jonny Bairstow for trips to Pakistan and Australia, and said that he had no concerns about the potential for friction within the squad.”They might not be best mates and that’s OK,” Mott said. “I’m sure you work with colleagues all the time who aren’t your best mate but you can work with them if you’ve got a common goal.”Ben’s come out and stated that as well. He wants to win World Cups. I’m sure Alex does as well and we all do, so we try and pick the best players and if they end up becoming good mates again that’s great; if not, as long as they’re going towards that goal of winning the World Cup together then that’s how teams function.”Related
'Adaptable' Sam Curran embraces multi-purpose role at England with 'open mind'
Why Alex Hales' England return could define Jos Buttler's captaincy
Jos Buttler on Alex Hales' England comeback: 'No one had any issues'
Alex Hales: 'I thought my chance would never come again'
Hales himself did not specifically address his relationship with Stokes when speaking in Karachi on Friday but was keen to insist that he was “only looking to the future” rather than dwelling on the chain of events that led to his three-year exile from international cricket.Mott also revealed that he considered “the key phone call” involved in Hales’ recall to be one he made to Trevor Bayliss. Jos Buttler made several calls to senior players after Bairstow’s injury came to light but Mott decided he should also speak to the man who was England’s coach at the time of Hales’ last-minute omission from the 2019 50-over World Cup squad after news emerged of a second failed recreational drugs test.”I rang Trevor Bayliss around the time we were considering it and asked if he had any views,” Mott said. “Obviously he was coach at the time and has worked with him at Sydney Thunder. He said he’s had absolutely no problem with him at all, he’s made mistakes but he’s trying to get better.”For me, that’s it. Nobody’s perfect – I’m certainly not – but if he’s trying to get better and he’s the best player, then we can work around it.”Like Jos said, we asked the senior players whether they had an issue. It was well before my time, so one of the things I said was ‘mate, you start with a blank canvas’. He’s been contrite and has shown he’s trying to learn from his experiences.”
سجل اللاعب فرانشيسكو كونسيساو، هدف تعادل البرتغال أمام ألمانيا، في المباراة التي تجمع المنتخبين، ضمن منافسات دوري الأمم الأوروبية.
ويواجه منتخب البرتغال نظيره ألمانيا، في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما مساء اليوم، الأربعاء، على ملعب “أليانز أرينا” في إطار منافسات نصف نهائي دوري الأمم الأوروبية.
وسجل كونسيساو هدفًا رائعًا بعدما أخذ الكرة من وسط الملعب حتى قرب منطقة الجزاء وسددها بقدمه اليسرى أقصى الزاوية اليمنى للحارس تير شتيجن، ليتعادل في الدقيقة 62 لصالح منتخب البرتغال.
وجاء هدف ألمانيا الأول في الدقيقة 48 عن طريق صفقة ليفربول المحتملة فلوريان فيرتز، الذي قدم موسمًا اكثر من رائع.
ومن المقرر أن يواجه الفائز من مباراة اليوم، الفائز من مباراة غدًا الخميس، بين إسبانيا وفرنسا، في نهائي دوري الامم الأوروبية 2025. هدف كونسيساو أمام ألمانيا في نصف نهائي دوري الأمم الأوروبية 2025
⚽️🇵🇹 فرانشيسكو كونسيساو يدرك التعادل للبرتغال بتسديدة مذهلة! #دوري_الأمم_الأوروبية | #ألمانيا | #البرتغال pic.twitter.com/C6OMXblC3R — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 4, 2025
Eight players got a promotion in the central contract list that has seen a 15% increase in retainers across all the categories
ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2022Tuba Hassan, the 21-year-old legspinner, has been awarded her maiden central contract by the PCB for the upcoming 2022-23 season while former captain Javeria Khan has been demoted from category A to C following an ordinary season.Tuba recently claimed the best figures for a Pakistan woman on T20I debut, picking up 3 for 8 against Sri Lanka in Karachi. She finished with five wickets in the three-match series. She has been included in category D of the central contract, which also includes first-timers Gull Feroza, the wicketkeeper-batter, and Sadaf Shamas, who is yet to make her international debut.Related
PCB launches women's Under-19 T20 tournament
Healy on WIPL, WPSL: It's exactly where 'the women's game needed to go'
PCB announce year-long calendar for women's cricket
“I am absolutely thrilled and excited at being given the prestigious central contract for the first time,” Tuba was quoted as saying in a press release. “Hard work has slowly started to pay off, but this is just the beginning. My focus remains on producing strong performances and contributing to my team’s success, rest I am sure will take care of itself as we have seen in this case.”Playing and performing for Pakistan and my team remains my only objective, and with the support of a strong group of people around me, I remain confident that I will improve and live up to their expectations.”ESPNcricinfo LtdApart from the three, Ghulam Fatima, Iram Javed and Sidra Ameen have all regained their central contracts that have seen a 15% increase in retainers across all the categories.Ameen, the opener, last held a central contract in the 2019-20 season but a stellar 2022 sees her back in the scheme of things in category C. She was named Player of the Series in Pakistan’s 2-1 win over Sri Lanka in ODIs, finishing with 218 runs that included a century and a half-century. She had scored a hundred against Bangladesh in the 2022 ODI World Cup as well. Fatima, the legspinner, last held a central contract in the 2018-19 season and Iram, the middle order batter, was without a contract since 2016-17. Both have been included in category D.Javeria’s demotion coincides with her slump in form that subsequently saw her dropped from the national side. She has had a disappointing last 12 months where she managed only 141 runs in ten ODIs, averaging 14.10. In two T20Is during the same period, she scored only six runs.Javeria, who was named captain not too long ago when Bismah Maroof was on paternity leave, has not turned out for Pakistan since their encounter against India at the World Cup. She was also dropped for the home series against Sri Lanka. Kainat Imtiaz, the fast bowler, was also relegated to category D from C, after an ordinary 2021-22 season.Javeria Khan has been demoted from category A to C•International Cricket CouncilThere was a promotion for eight players on the central contracts list. While allrounders Aliya Riaz and Nida Dar joined Maroof in category A, Anam Amin, Fatima Sana, Nashra Sandhu and Omaima Sohail were all elevated to category B from C. Muneeba Ali and Ayesha Naseem got an upgrade to category C.Kaynat Hafeez, Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir and Syeda Aroob Shah were the six players who failed to secure a central contract. Out of these, Nahida is the only one who had a category C contract. The other five were on the Emerging contract list.The PCB annual contracts will run from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.Category A: Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Nida DarCategory B: Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima SohailCategory C: Ayesha Naseem, Muneeba Ali, Javeria Khan, Sidra Ameen, Sidra NawazCategory D: Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Sadia Iqbal, Sadaf Shamas, Tuba Hassan
If there is one area that Newcastle United have struggled in so far this season, it is scoring goals. The Magpies have not been able to rely on their star striker, Alexander Isak, who has just one goal to his name in the Premier League and is currently injured. Harvey Barnes is currently their top scorer with three goals, followed by Anthony Gordon with two.
It is certainly a worry for Eddie Howe. His side have managed just eight goals all season, the joint-fifth lowest in the entire Premier League. As per Understat, they are drastically underachieving on their expected goals, which currently sits at 9.63xG.
A lack of goals from starters and players off the bench has left the Magpies desperate for someone who can change a game, just like Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.
It has been a simply astronomic rise to the top for Villa’s striking sensation Duran. He has developed a reputation as the latest heroic Premier League super sub, and when he steps onto the pitch, there is a sense of expectation from Villa fans, and dread from opposition fans.
This term, the Columbian striker already has four goals in seven Premier League appearances, despite having played just 184 minutes, and having not yet started, meaning all goals have come as a substitute. In the top flight, the most minutes he has played in a single game is just 29.
German giants Bayern Munich have also been on the end of his remarkable feat off the bench. The 20-year-old found the back of the net against them as a substitute in the Champions League, a remarkable strike from halfway inside the Bayern half, lobbing the great Manuel Neuer.
The stats on FBref also show just how good the former Chicago Fire centre-forward has been this term. He has the second highest goals per game average in the Premier League this term, with 1.9, and the equal best goals per shot number, with 0.4 along with Jamie Vardy.
It has been a truly remarkable campaign for the young Columbian, who will be hoping he can continue his electric form. Indeed, he is the sort of player Newcastle could use off the bench right now, who can make a difference late in a game, having actually been linked with a move for the rising star over the summer.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Such a deal never materialised, but the Magpies may well have someone returning from injury soon enough who can make a similar sort of impact as Duran.
The player in question here is England international striker Callum Wilson. The 32-year-old striker has struggled with injury during his time at St James’ Park, although has still got a great record in that famous black and white shirt. Wilson has scored 48 goals and has 11 assists in just 108 games for the club.
Like Duran, the former Bournemouth man has a real knack for scoring goals off the bench. Over the past two seasons, Wilson has managed to do so seven times in 21 appearances from the bench.
|
Wilson goals off the bench in PL for Newcastle |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Opponent |
Minute subbed on |
Minute scored |
|
2022/23 |
Man United |
80th |
88th |
|
2022/23 |
Spurs |
66th |
67th |
|
2022/23 |
Southampton |
46th |
54th, 81st |
|
2023/24 |
Villa |
68th |
77th |
|
2023/24 |
Brighton |
58th |
90th+2 |
|
2023/24 |
Sheffield United |
66th |
72nd |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
|||
In the 2023/24 campaign, he averaged 0.82 goals per 90 minutes, according to Fbref. That placed him eighth among all Premier League players last term, with Duran one of those ahead of him. He also ranked joint-eighth for the number of goals per shot, coming in at 0.21. He was described as a “machine” by football statistician Statman Dave for a reason.
Frustratingly, the striker, who went to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is yet to play this term due to an injury. However, Howe confirmed recently that he hopes to have their number nine available after the international break.
Having a player as effective as Wilson back could transform the Magpies’ season. They are currently struggling to find the back of the net, but if the Englishman can stay fit and firing, he could help them score more goals regularly, and give them a much-needed impact off the bench.
Isak will love him: Newcastle will look at signing elite PL winner in 2025
He could be available on a free transfer in the summer of 2025.
By
Joe Nuttall
Oct 8, 2024
A fitting finale to what’s been a fine exhibition of T20 cricket. Well played Sri Lanka
Mayisha Kabir07-Apr-2014Choice of Game
A well deserved finale to a short but wonderful tournament and an equally fitting finale to two of the most prolific cricketers of their nation. It wasn’t really a question about choice. Why would anyone in their right minds, with access to tickets, miss the final of the World T20 in their home country?Team Supported
A substantial portion of the stadium at the beginning of the match was supporting India, though a small and significant number was also supporting Sri Lanka. However, as the match moved forward the balance in the crowd considerably shifted in Sri Lanka’s favor. I like the Indian team – they are well rounded and they have an incredibly talented player in Virat Kohli. But as I have already mentioned in my previous fan report I genuinely believe Sri Lanka deserved to win this one.Key performer
As Darren Sammy had said so correctly during his press conference, ‘the Almighty wanted Sangakara and Jayawardane to end on a high’. The key man was undoubtedly Kumar Sangakkara, who won the game for Sri Lanka and was adjudged Man of the Match. It must also be said that the Sri Lankan win was a team effort, with everyone putting up their best performance on the field. A honorable mention to Virat Kohli too – he is definitely the future of Indian cricket and was thoroughly deserving of the Man of the Tournament award.Shot of the day
The winning shot by Thisara Perera was the shot of the day for me. Luck today was in favor of the Lankans rather than the Indians, and it was evident from the toss to the edges that went in Sri Lanka’s favour.One thing I would change about the match
My first thought was nothing, I wouldn’t want to change anything about the match, but as an afterthought I realized, I would have loved Bangladesh in the final. As far as T20 matches go this was a cracker, the rain before the match actually made it better, the atmosphere was cooler and the breeze was lovely. This time I was sitting far away from the speakers which meant I couldn’t understand or properly hear the emcee and I was absolutely fine with it.Fancy dress index
Two individuals in the adjoining stands caught my eyes. They were wearing lungis and England’s jersey (not the solar red version). To top it off they had the colourful Malinga wig on. They were looking absolutely dapper. It topped off the wonderfully colourful month of fun that we have had in Bangladesh, and today was its climax.Entertainment
The music wasn’t very audible in the stand I was sitting in. We kept ourselves entertained quite well. There were multiple rounds of Mexican Waves and lots of spontaneous chanting – in support of India, Sri Lanka and even Bangladesh. The Bangladesh cricket team’s performance was questionable but I believe Bangladesh as a host performed its part well.Marks out of ten
I would give it a grand total of 9.5 out of 10. Some would say it was a one-sided contest but I was in the stadium and I can vouch for the effort India made to defend the total that was given to them. I feel privileged to have been part of the hosting nation which has successfully entertained so many international teams and a memorable tournament. Hopefully everyone appreciated the hard work that goes into making a tourney of this magnitude possible, and enjoyed the proceedings live or on TV.
Central Sparks are through to Finals Day in the Charlotte Edwards Cup despite losing by seven wickets to Western Storm in their final Group B game at New Road.Sparks have qualified for the knockout stage at Northampton next Saturday even if they lose top spot to South East Stars, who play on Sunday, as they would be the best second-placed team, having won four of their six group games.England keeper-batter Amy Jones top scored for the home side with 63 from 46 balls with nine fours. It was her third fifty in six innings for Sparks and she is now the leading scorer in the 2022 competition with 245 runs at a strike rate of 141.61.But Spinners Claire Nicholas and Sophia Smale had joint figures of 8-0-39-3 to help restrict the Sparks total to a gettable 134 for 4.Georgia Hennessy, with an unbeaten 47 off 45 balls, and some late hitting by Dani Gibson saw Storm to victory with seven balls to spare.Sparks elected to bat on the same hybrid wicket used for Friday evening’s Vitality Blast match between Worcestershire Rapids and Birmingham Bears which produced over 400 runs. They suffered an early setback when Izzy Wong holed out to mid-on in the second over, from Dani Gibson.The first boundary was not struck until the fourth over when Eve Jones lofted Gibson to the cover rope. But her second-wicket partnership with Amy Jones gradually flourished and added 65 in 9.1 overs.Smale broke the stand when Eve Jones went for a mighty blow and was bowled for 27 with the total 70 for 2 in the 11th over.Amy Jones reached an excellent half century from 40 balls when she swept Gibson for her seventh boundary. Her classy effort came to an end when she attempted a hit over midwicket and was also bowled.Abigail Freeborn struck the only six of the innings over long-off against Hennessy before being stumped off Nicholas in the penultimate over.Fi Morris got the Storm innings off to an ideal start with two boundaries in an opening over from Grace Potts costing 13 runs. Morris was then bowled by a no-ball from the first delivery by Wong but failed to take advantage and was caught at point in Potts’ third over.Emily Arlott came into the attack and had Sophie Luff caught behind but Hennessy and Fran Wilson added 57 in 8.1 overs.Eve Jones took a fine catch running back from mid-off to break the stand by dismissing Wilson off Arlott. But Gibson came in to strike an unbeaten 24 off just 14 balls including a huge six over midwicket off Liz Russell and settle the issue.
Pakistan end campaign at the bottom with one win while New Zealand’s campaign, too, is all but over
Firdose Moonda25-Mar-2022New Zealand’s World Cup campaign all but ended with a display of the value of experience and the exuberance of youth, which combined to secure a big win over Pakistan. Suzie Bates scored her 12th ODI century and became the first New Zealand batter, and fourth overall, to reach 5,000 runs in the format before Katey Martin’s 30 off 26 balls pushed New Zealand’s total over 250 and into challenging territory. Then, Hannah Rowe’s career-best 5 for 55 derailed a decent Pakistan effort and forced a collapse of 6 for 19 which took Pakistan from 155 for 3 to 174 for 9.Although New Zealand still have a mathematical chance of qualification for the semi-finals, they would need South Africa to beat India and Bangladesh to beat England by significant margins to improve their net run-rate considerably. New Zealand bid a packed Hagley Oval farewell with an emotional performance which started with Martin’s tears during the national anthem and ended with her waving to the crowd, away from the rest of the group, whose celebrations were subdued.Related
The little big hit! Bismah Maroof's daughter steals the show after intense India-Pakistan contest
'Wanted to hide under the covers until the sun came out'; it did, and Suzie Bates ended her 14-year glitch
Nida Dar, the Pakistan playmaker
Pakistan’s tournament is also over and they finish at the bottom of the points table, with a solitary win. Although the results do not reflect well on them, they ended an 18-match losing streak at World Cups, dating back to March 2009 when they beat West Indies in a rain-affected encounter, and competed well in patches throughout the competition. They also won hearts, thanks to the consistent presence of Bismah Maroof’s baby daughter Fatima, who delighted supporters and opposition alike.Baby Maroof had plenty to marvel at in this match, albeit mainly from New Zealand’s performance. Bates put on a dominant display of leg-side hitting with an array of sweeps, pulls and flicks, and scored 90 of her 126 runs on the on-side. She scored quickly, at a strike rate of 93.33, and formed half-century partnerships with Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday to lay a foundation for New Zealand to push for a big score, but her innings was not without its nervy moments.In the fifth over, Bates was given out lbw as she missed the flick off Diana Baig. With a second to spare on the DRS timer, she reviewed the decision and ball-tracking showed the delivery was going on to miss leg stump. Bates was on 17 at the time.She was the more attacking partner in her stand with Amelia Kerr and brought up her half-century off 54 balls with a sweep off Nashra Sandhu, but then needed to do a rebuilding job after a Nida Dar double-strike. In the space of three balls, Dar dismissed Kerr and Amy Sattherthwaite to put the brakes on. Pakistan conceded just 40 runs in the next 10 overs and gave away only two boundaries in that period and kept Maddy Green particularly quiet. She scored 18 runs off 40 balls when her fourth-wicket stand with Bates reached fifty and was on 23 when she Green was beaten by a Dar delivery that spun back in and bowled her.Bates’ century came up three balls later with a pull behind square off the 110th ball she faced. New Zealand entered the final 10 overs on 197 for 4, and in a good position to push for a total over 260. But, in the 43rd over, Bates was bowled, in the 46th Halliday followed and in the 47th there were twin run-outs. New Zealand lost 4 for 20 before Martin took it on herself to up the ante. New Zealand scored 32 in their last two overs to undo some of Pakistan’s strangling work at the end.Pakistan started their chase with authority and put on 39 in the first nine overs. Sidra Ameen and Muneeba Ali were confident against the short ball but were dismissed in successive overs to dent Pakistan’s start. Maroof and Onaima Sohail put on 26 for the third-wicket and scored slowly to drag Pakistan to the 19th over on 83 for 2 before Sohail was caught low at slip by Satterthwaite. That brought Dar to the crease and she capped off a good all-round performance with her 10th ODI half-century and put Pakistan back on track.Maroof and Dar put on 82 for the fourth-wicket, at a scoring rate of 5.23 and though the required run-rate had risen to over seven, they showed good signs of intent. All that changed when the Rowe show began.In the 35th over, Rowe’s fifth, she had Maroof caught down the leg side to start Pakistan’s slide. Two overs later, Aliya Riaz edged an attempted cut and Dar was bowled by an offcutter that dipped on her and took out off stump to all but end Pakistan’s chances of reaching the target. Rowe put the finishing touches on in the 41st over, when she bowled Sidra Nawaz with an inswinger and had Diana Baig caught at cover-point. She could have had a sixth wicket when Sandhu was given out lbw but reviewed and ball-tracking showed it was missing. Sandhu was not dismissed and Pakistan batted out their overs but ended well short.