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Manchester United are reportedly lining up a £16m move to sign Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri amid Rasmus Hojlund's struggles in front of goal.

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Man Utd tracking Moroccan striker En-NasyriCould pay upto £16m as transfer feeTen Hag wants cover for struggling HojlundWHAT HAPPENED?

According to the Red Devils are actively pursuing a move for the Moroccan striker in a bid to strengthen its squad in the January transfer window.

Amid a challenging season, with seven losses in their first 17 Premier League games and struggles with injuries and underperforming signings, United are ready to dip into their market to revive their fortunes. Their Danish frontman, Hojlund, is yet to score in the English top-flight and Marcus Rashford's declining output has compounded the troubles for Erik ten Hag.

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United were earlier linked to Bundesliga sensation Serhou Guirassy, but it is believed that the striker prefers a move to United's league rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Scouts from United have been deployed to observe En-Nesyri's performances and will also be present in the upcoming La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid.

DID YOU KNOW?

En-Nesyri has been one of the few bright spots for Sevilla this season with his eight goals and four assists as the Andalusian side find themselves reeling in the 14th spot in La Liga.

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Sevilla should be willing to offload the En-Nesyri as they are in the midst of a financial crisis and are looking to reduce expenses by offloading players which can help them fill their coffers. The striker could be a potent addition to United as he has proven himself on the international stage as well by playing a crucial role in Morocco's impressive run to the World Cup semi-final last year.

Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96, bringing a 70-year reign to an end in which she touched all aspects of UK culture, including football.

The Queen was on hand at some of the biggest moments in UK football history.

From presenting England's only ever World Cup to Sir Bobby Moore in 1966, to honouring several generations of the game's most influential figures, to her regular presence at the FA Cup final.

There are even rumours that the monarch held a soft spot for one – or perhaps even two – Premier League teams during her life.

Below, GOAL takes a look back at Elizabeth and the Beautiful Game.

Getty ImagesPresenting the 1966 World Cup

Thirteen years after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth had the pleasure of presenting the Jules Rimet Trophy to England's victorious 1966 World Cup winning side.

Reflecting on the occasion in 2020 ahead of the European Championship final, she wrote: "Fifty-five years ago I was fortunate to present the World Cup to Bobby Moore and saw what it meant to the players, management and support staff to reach and win the final of a major international football tournament.

"I want to send my congratulations and that of my family to you all on reaching the final of the European Championships, and send my good wishes for tomorrow with the hope that history will record not only your success but also the spirit, commitment and pride with which you have conducted yourselves."

Getty ImagesWest Ham supporter?

Unlike other Royals, Elizabeth never publicly revealed which football team she supports.

However, that did not stop rumours circulating that she was a West Ham fan. As reported by The Mirror back in 2009, the monarch supposedly unveiled her secret love for the Hammers when a member of her household told her that he was a Millwall supporter.

Previously, it had also been suggested that the Queen was an Arsenal fan.

GettyHonouring football players

One of Elizabeth's most important cultural roles was recognising the contributions of various footballing figures in the New Year's Honours and Queen's Birthday Honours.

Sir Stanley Matthews was the first player to receive a knighthood, and he was followed by major football figures such as Alf Ramsey, Alex Ferguson and Bobby Robson in later years.

Plenty of footballers have received OBEs, MBEs and CBEs too, such as Roy Hodgson, David Beckham and, most recently, Gareth Bale.

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Getty ImagesMeeting Arsenal after the Emirates Stadium opened

Elizabeth had been slated to open Arsenal's new ground, the Emirates Stadium, in 2007, only for a bad back to prevent her from doing so.

To make amends, the monarch invited the first-team squad to Buckingham Palace. Arsene Wenger's side were treated to a tour of the State Apartments and then stuck around for afternoon tea.

After the event, Thierry Henry said: "It went really nicely. I have no words to describe the experience the Queen has given us."

Liverpool suffered a huge injury blow in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea as Ryan Gravenberch was forced off on a stretcher in the first half.

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Liverpool face Chelsea in Carabao Cup finalGravenberch stretchered off earlyKlopp fuming over Caicedo's challenge(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Dutchman's afternoon at Wembley was ended inside the opening half-hour following a late challenge from Chelsea's Moises Caicedo. The summer signing grimaced in pain and could not continue, with Joe Gomez replacing him after 28 minutes. As it became clear the midfielder was set to come off, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, who was already without the injured Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, was seen furiously remonstrating with the officials over the tackle, especially as Caicedo escaped a booking. In the end, it didn't matter a great deal to the result as Liverpool won in extra-time thanks to Virgil van Dijk's header.

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Liverpool already have a hefty injury list, with the likes of Diogo Jota (knee), Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee), Alisson (thigh), Nunez (knock), and Salah (thigh) currently sidelined. With the Reds, who fielded a youthful bench against Chelsea due to their multiple absentees, aiming for a quadruple in Klopp's last season in charge, another injury blow such as this is far from ideal. The 21-year-old was later seen wearing a protective boot whilst on crutches at full time, so he could be out for a while.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Liverpool, who currently sit top of the Premier League and are vying for Europa League and FA Cup triumphs as well, won the Carabao Cup for a record ninth time in 2022 when they beat Chelsea in the showpiece event. Now with this victory, that has risen to 10.

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Following this victory, Liverpool are in FA Cup action on Wednesday when they host Championship side Southampton at Anfield, whereas Chelsea entertain Premier League hopefuls Leeds United in the same competition that very night.

Russell Domingo, the South Africa coach, has hit back at his detractors following another disappointing campaign at an ICC event saying that “there were a lot of positives” to be taken out of the tournament

Firdose Moonda07-Apr-2014When Russell Domingo succeeded Gary Kirsten as South Africa’s head coach, he compared the expectations thrust on his shoulders to what David Moyes may have experienced when he took over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. It turns out Domingo has more in common with Moyes than just the nature of their appointments.In February, when United drew 2-2 with the then bottom-of-the-table club Fulham, Moyes had to meet the media to explain the team’s performance. On Monday, after South Africa crashed out of a14th ICC event without making the final, Domingo had to front up to the fourth estate.Both men defended their teams and their tactics by hitting out at critics. Moyes described his players as “terrific,” despite the stalemate and half-insulted those who disagreed, saying they needed “to have a football brain to understand,” United’s approach.Domingo claimed “there were a lot of positives,” to be taken out of the World T20 showing, so he was “not displeased with the way we played.” He added that the group as a whole “feel there is a lot of unfair criticism to what’s happened.”While Moyes’ popularity shrunk among the Old Trafford faithful, Domingo has been targeted by not only the fans, but even former pundits and players. He is nonetheless putting on a brave face.”The opinions that matter to me are the opinions of the players. It is disappointing that guys who have been in this situation before are throwing darts,” Domingo said. “I guess that’s just the way it goes in South African sport. It’s sad when that type of thing happens because some of those people have also been here before, they have also lost games and they have also made mistakes. Those opinions aren’t the ones that are important to me.”Most notable among the critics is former national captain Kepler Wessels who wrote in his column on that “as far as strategy is concerned, in the shortest format, the Proteas are some way behind the leading teams.” Wessels took aim at the coaching staff saying “they refuse to accept that impact players, with either bat or ball, have to be put in positions consistently where they can influence the outcome of the match.”Wessels also suggested the current management should continue in the Test arena but a specialist limited-overs coaching team should take over to prepare the team for the fifty-over World Cup. “It may be time for fresh ideas from a coaching group that embraces the modern T20 and 50-over format,” Wessels wrote.Daryll Cullinan on Match Point on these pages held a similar view but was not as generous in his assessment of Domingo or the captain Faf du Plessis. “The sooner SA Cricket realise that Russell Domingo will not take this team forward and that Faf de Plessis has a long way to go as captain, the better,” Cullinan said. “You have to point fingers at their thinking in terms of how they think games can be won; everyone else has firm beliefs on it except those two.”Both Wessels and Cullinan were among the slew of outsiders who advocated the theory that AB de Villiers should bat higher up the order, preferably at No.3, so he could face the bulk of the bowling. Domingo batted de Villiers in a position where he could only walk to the wicket after 10 overs based on statistical evidence that de Villiers’ average and strike rate is higher in the second half of the innings while he fails to make an impact in the first half. That is a principle Domingo is sticking to.”AB has batted at 3 a few times and has had limited success. It’s not the number he bats; it’s the situation of the game when he comes in,” Domingo explained. De Villiers has come in after 10 overs nine times in the 42 innings in which he has batted at No.3 or No.4 in T20s for South Africa and averages 43.5 with a strike rate of 169.48 compared to an average of 19.55 with a strike rate of 110.74 when he is in before the end of the 10th over, batting in the same positions. His highest score at the World T20, 69 against England, was also his only score over 30 and came when he batted in the second half of the innings.”It’s not just for South Africa, but for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as well that AB plays better where there is a good start. AB will be the first to admit that he is a better player when then game is set up for him. he is an impact player. Faf and JP were voted to be included in the ESPNcricinfo T20 team of the year,” he said. “We have quality players. I would hate the whole team strategy to be around one player. The problem is that people want AB to face 120 balls and Dale to bowl 120 balls and that ain’t gonna happen.”That Domingo mentioned Steyn in the same breath points to the other issue South Africa have faced. Steyn only opened the bowling once and was held back to strangle teams at the death, while JP Duminy and Albie Morkel shared the new ball on three occasions. While many feel using the scariest bowler first up is the best option, Domingo explained why he disagreed.”The statistics will show the first two overs are the overs that go for the least runs, while overs four, five and six are targeted. We would rather have JP bowling in less pressured situations and then have Dale coming in later on.”Domingo also explained the decision to leave out the second specialist spinner, Aaron Phangiso in the semi-final on a surface which suited spin. “We were thinking JP and Imran would bowl eight overs and then Aaron, when would he bowl?,” Domingo asked. “With three left-arm batsmen in the Indian top six and him being a left-arm spinner, it didn’t seem a good option. It’s also about who you are playing against.”Whether Phangiso would have been able to restrict India to under the 172 South Africa posted will always be the stuff of hindsight. So will whether South Africa could have done anything differently to finally claim a major title and Domingo can only see sense in dealing with certainties.Having been in charge of South Africa’s T20 side since December 2012, overseen series wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, taken over the ODI side and watched them beat Pakistan and India, he is sure that South Africa are improving in their limited-overs cricket even though they don’t have a trophy to show for it.”I went to one previous ICC event, the Champions Trophy in England and we were completely blown away. In this semi-final, we were in this game for 36 overs of the 40 overs. That in itself is progress,” Domingo said, without denying there is room for improvement. “There are times when you will be outplayed so in terms of winning the game, there is no progress.”He had this to say to the doubters. “I think our limited-overs cricket has improved a lot. There’s an upward trend. Maybe some people don’t see it, maybe they don’t want to see it, maybe they just have other issues.” Whatever it is, Domingo insists he will “keep doing the job I have to do.”

Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene will be unavailable for selection for the second Test, thanks to a finger injury to his right hand

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Lord's16-Jun-2014Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene will be unavailable for selection for the second Test, thanks to a finger injury to his right hand, which he sustained while keeping during the first day at Lord’s.He will be replaced in the squad by batsman Kithuruwan Vithanage, with Dinesh Chandimal likely to take over the gloves at Headingley. The injury will not prevent Jayawardene from batting in the second innings of the first Test.Jayawardene had had an X-ray on the second morning, leaving Kaushal Silva to keep wicket for a few overs, but that had not revealed a fracture. The bruising around the affected area has not receded, however, prompting the change in personnel as a precaution. Jayawardene will return to Sri Lanka after the Lord’s Test.A Test specialist, Jayawardene had also missed Sri Lanka’s Tests in Bangladesh this year due to a family bereavement. There are two keepers in the Sri Lanka squad as well as Kumar Sangakkara, who can take the gloves at a pinch.

Any margin of victory over West Indies will keep South Africa at No.1 in the Test rankings

The Preview by Firdose Moonda in Centurion16-Dec-2014Match factsDecember 17-21, 2014, Centurion
Start time 1030 local (0830 GMT)
1:47

Moonda: SA’s chance to extend lead as No. 1

Big pictureLast summer was South Africa’s season of significant loss, as far as Test cricket was concerned. They were confronted with the retirements of two of their most experienced players – Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith – and they were defeated for the first time in a series since claiming the Test mace, by Australia. This summer, they plan on it being a season of significant gain.Any margin of victory over West Indies will keep South Africa at No.1 but it is not just rankings points that they hope to gain. A new batsman, likely to be Stiaan van Zyl, will be blooded while JP Duminy recovers from a knee injury; a relatively new opener, Dean Elgar, will have the chance to cement his spot; and two new squad members, Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada, will have the opportunity to be integrated into the national set-up. It is a time of personal growth for South Africa, which they believe they can afford to have against the No.8-ranked side.West Indies are in a similar situation, with a squad that contains the experienced and the unknown. The stalwarts, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin, have to usher the youngsters – most of whom are bowlers – through a transitional phase. That task will be made all the more difficult because of whom they are up against.There is a clear distinction between the favourites and the underdogs and an expectation that this series will be one-sided. Neither team has been able to shy away from that build-up but both know that strange things happen in cricket and this series could spring a few surprises.Stiaan van Zyl is likely to make his debut for South Africa in Centurion•Getty ImagesForm guide (most recent first) South Africa WDWLW
West Indies WWLWL
In the spotlightAlviro Petersen does not need to pick up a newspaper, glance at a website or listen to the sports news on radio or television to know that his form is the most scrutinised aspect of South Africa’s current Test squad. The 23 months and 23 innings he has gone without a century are enough to remind him of that. But Petersen has been known to up his game when there is increased heat on him, and his coach and team-mates are tipping him to do exactly that in this series. Russell Domingo and Elgar said they could sense a big score was “just around the corner,” for the senior opener and he will want to deliver on those predictions.West Indies’ batting is thought to be their soft spot in this series, which is why they will need a strong showing from their heavyweights, particularly Marlon Samuels. He has both history – he was the overall highest run-scorer in their previous Test series here in 2007-08 – and form – with two centuries from his last three international innings and a double-hundred in the tour match – on his side. As one of the senior-most members in the squad, Samuels is expected to step up.Team newsJP Duminy is unlikely to feature in the series, which will mean an opportunity for Cobras No. 3 van Zyl. Hashim Amla said there was a “very good chance,” van Zyl will debut in Centurion but that he probably would not bat in Duminy’s No. 7 spot. That may mean a jump up to No.6, with wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock moving into the more traditional gloveman’s position, or a radical decision to promote van Zyl to open ahead of the out-of-form Petersen. That would leave South Africa with six specialist batsmen and would allow them to play four seamers and a spinner. If van Zyl bats lower down and they make use of seven batsmen, the debate is whether to throw the full force of their pace pack against West Indies, or include a spinner to do a containing job.South Africa (probable) 1 Alviro Petersen, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Hashim Amla (capt), 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Stiaan van Zyl, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Kyle Abbott/Robin PetersonWest Indies’ major concern is their batting because they are without Chris Gayle (back injury) and Darren Bravo (withdrew for personal reasons.) Devon Smith will make a return to the top two, while Leon Johnson will likely slot into the spot Bravo may have occupied at No.3. Like South Africa, West Indies are debating whether to field an all-pace attack or include their spinner, Sulieman Benn. Either way, left-armer Sheldon Cottrell seems certain to play after taking five-wickets in the warm-up game, perhaps ahead of Shannon Gabriel.West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Sulieman Benn/Shannon GabrielPitch and conditionsCenturion will present the spiciest surface of the series, despite a significant amount of green grass being stripped from the pitch on Monday. Known to offer bounce and carry, fast bowlers will look to feast, especially as atmospheric conditions will also be in their favour. Wet weather hung over the Highveld on Tuesday and could have a say on the amount of game time the teams get. Rain is forecast for every day of the match, except Saturday. Although it appears set, it may dissipate into afternoon thundershowers only.Stats and trivia West Indies have only won one of the 12 Tests they have played in South Africa. That was in December 2007, in Port Elizabeth. AB de Villiers is three away from registering 100 Test catches. Shivnarine Chanderpaul needs 229 runs to surpass Brian Lara’s record as West Indies’ highest run-scorer in Test cricket.Quotes”We felt like we’ve been away for a long time so it’s really nice to be back. We want to give the home fans some cricket and hopefully some victories.”
“We’re trying to make it as enjoyable as possible for the young guys, which is most important. It doesn’t make sense if you are doing something and not enjoying it. So far we are in the right stead.”

Fourteen overs spread over three sessions is not much to go by but Varun Aaron’s furious seven-over burst before lunch against Mumbai was another indication that his comeback from a long injury layoff is progressing well

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai07-Dec-2013Fourteen overs spread over three sessions is not much to go by but Varun Aaron’s furious seven-over burst before lunch against Mumbai was another indication that his comeback from a long injury layoff is progressing well. Aaron returned to first-class cricket after two years this Ranji season following his recurrent back troubles. Into his fourth match, he’s taken 13 wickets at an average of 20.30. More heartening than the numbers was the pace, bounce, seam and swing he generated in those seven overs before lunch that claimed Wasim Jaffer and Sushant Marathe.Aaron was unplayable at times during that spell, straightening the ball on a tight line around off stump and getting it to climb sharply. He also slipped in the surprise yorker, nearly claiming Siddhesh Lad after making him think a short ball was forthcoming with a short leg in place. Often, deliveries took off from good length and flew high into the keeper’s gloves.”I think the first spell was very fast,” Shahbaz Nadeem, the Jharkhand captain, said. “I was standing at point and there were one or two deliveries that I could not spot at all. I saw them being released and then straight in the hands of the keeper. He bowled even quicker against Karnataka. If Varun is in rhythm, the nature of the pitch does not matter to him. What he did in the first spell was tremendous. The first two wickets were very important for us.”This wasn’t a helpful pitch, as Mumbai’s seamers had discovered and their keeper Aditya Tare admitted. To beat as good a batsman as Jaffer with pace and bounce on the cut needed some effort. “That [Aaron’s spell] shook us,” Tare said. “Wasim is a big batsman and in good form. That was a big wicket. The pitch isn’t all that great for a fast bowler and is kind of slow. But he bowled quick. But I think Umesh [Yadav] bowled a bit quicker [for Vidarbha in Mumbai’s previous game].”Aaron was used quite sparingly after lunch. He bowled two spells of two overs each in the second session and sent down only three overs after tea. Given his frequent breakdowns, Jharkhand did not want to extend their premier fast bowler as he seeks to rebuild his career. Aaron also did not go flat out like he had before lunch.”He is returning from injury after two years,” Nadeem said. “He is not a bowler who can bowl long spells. He is a bowler who will come for three-four overs and bowl quick. He requires more effort. In the two overs he bowled after lunch, he saw that the ball was not swinging. So I suggested that you stop and I’ll try the other bowlers.Nadeem did not think Aaron was holding himself back at all. “He goes all out each time he plays a game,” he said. “This season, every game he’s delivered spells where you can see he’s bowling quick and is on top of the batsmen. But as your shoulders tire, you automatically slow down. You lose your freshness. A fast bowler cannot bowl 145-146 kph every spell in days’ cricket. It can happen in one-day cricket, but in days’ cricket the second and third spells will come down to 140-141.”As long as Aaron can deliver a similar, energetic spurt on the third morning, Jharkhand will be glad to manage his workload for the remainder, if any, of the Mumbai innings.

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Everton have picked up just eight points from their last ten Premier League games, so what is going wrong for Marco Silva and the Toffees?

On the chalkboard

Everton fell to a 2-1 defeat at Southampton last weekend, and the performance will be just as worrying to Silva as the result itself.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints were first in every department, beating the visitors to every loose ball and 50-50.

So what’s going wrong at Goodison Park? They won five out of the seven matches prior to this torrid run of form, so was that a false dawn or a glimpse into this side’s true potential?

Lack of leadership

The first thing Silva needs to do is identify a captain, whether that be within the dressing room or in the transfer market.

Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines were the leaders in the starting XI until they lost their places this season, and while their replacements have certainly proved to be an upgrade in quality, the Toffees have lost a huge chunk of what made them difficult to play against in the past – fight.

The likes of Seamus Coleman, Tom Davies and Gyfli Sigurdsson have all worn the captain’s armband this season, and it’s pretty clear to see that none of them are the commanding leader that every side needs.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Upgrades in midfield

Whatever fans think of Everton’s centre-forward options, there’s no question they need an upgrade in midfield too.

Idrissa Gueye is a sold play-breaker, but he’s understudied by Tom Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin, both of whom have underwhelmed this season.

Furthermore, the impressive loan move for Andre Gomes looked to be one of the signings of the summer, but the Portuguese international seems lost at the moment and his honeymoon period is well and truly over.

The Toffees are crying out for more options and depth in midfield.

A number nine

Of course, there is one thing Everton need more than anything else – a new centre forward.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has shown some of his potential in recent matches, but the youngster is simply not a 20-goal striker, yet.

Cenk Tosun appears completely out of favour with Silva, having started just six league games this season, and Richarlison isn’t as effective up front as he is on the wing.

The Toffees need a new captain and a new central midfielder if they are going to surge up the table, but if they don’t sign a clinical striker who can put away chances, the aforementioned improvements would only count for so much.

So, Everton fans, what do you think is going wrong at the moment? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Sunil Narine, who picked up four wickets to set up West Indies’ 37-run win against Pakistan in the second ODI, said that a variation in pace had helped him succeed

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2013Sunil Narine, who took four wickets to set up West Indies’ 37-run win against Pakistan in the second ODI in Guyana, said that a variation in pace had helped him succeed after a poor outing in the first match. Narine dismissed Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez, and took two more wickets to finish with his fourth four-wicket haul and his second best performance in ODIs, conceding 26 runs in ten overs.”I just bowled a little quicker because on this pitch some were staying low and some were bouncing, so it was not an easy pitch,” Narine said after the match.He said he had not yet regained full fitness after suffering a finger injury on his bowling hand during the tri-series game against India in Port-of-Spain. “My finger is 90% okay,” Narine said.West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo was happy with manner in which his team had responded to pressure coming in to the game and said that their pre-match strategies had worked well.”We lost the toss and were sent in to bat, which is something we wanted to do. I wanted a change,” Bravo said. “I wanted the batters to go in there and free themselves, and score without pressure; that change in momentum worked for us.”We lost Chris Gayle early, but the innings my younger brother (Darren Bravo) played with Johnson Charles laid the foundation for us. We know we bat very deep and we have a good lower order. It was not a 250-260 wicket. Our aim was to try and get 235. We knew we had the bowling attack to restrict Pakistan on that sort of wicket, which will play slow and low as the game progresses.”Bravo praised Charles, who kept wicket in the first two ODIs after Denesh Ramdin was dropped from the side. “With Johnson playing that role (wicketkeeper-batsman), it gave us an opportunity to lengthen our batting,” He said. “We know our batting has been a bit on the shaky side and inconsistent. Unfortunately, our best wicketkeeper Ramdin was out but he still has a big part to play in West Indies cricket and one-day cricket for us. But so far, Johnno has been doing a fantastic job.”Pakistan’s batting failed again and their captain Misbah-ul-Haq said that poor shot selection was a major factor for the loss.”It [target of 233] was a good total on this pitch. I got the feeling that it got slower and slower and it got turn, so credit to them, they bowled well,” Misbah said. “There was not much difference in the pitch between the innings, but I think they handled the bowlers better. For us, it was wrong shot selection and we kept losing wickets at the wrong time during the chase. We have been winning games while chasing – we won in South Africa that way – but today, we just played some bad shots.”With the series level at 1-1 and the next three games scheduled in St Lucia, Bravo said he expected a tougher contest because the conditions would favour both sides.”I expect three hard games in St Lucia,” Bravo said. “Hopefully, it will be a better batting wicket and the ball will come onto the bat, which will suit our batters. The conditions will suit both teams, as they are similar. I guess whichever team plays better on the day will win. I would encourage my team to stay focused.”

A wrap of the second day’s play in the final round of Group C Ranji Trophy matches

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2013
ScorecardMaharashtra remained on course to finishing on top of Group C unbeaten, after the left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar picked up six wickets to dismiss Assam for 152 and helped the visitors secure a first-innings lead of 209 in Guwhati.Assam’s top-order all made starts, but apart from Niraj Patel who top-scored with 40, none of the batsmen scored more than 20. Darekar finished with 6 for 53- his seventh five-wicket haul in first-class cricket- while Shrikant Mundhe notched three scalps to bowl Assam out in 71.2 overs. Maharashtra batted out the final eight overs of the day without losing a wicket, and finished at 16 for 0 with a lead of 225. They had earlier managed 361 in their first essay with the bat, adding just 18 to their overnight score of 343 for 8.
ScorecardFifties from the captain Swapnil Asnodkar and Amit Yadav helped Goa take a first-innings lead against Andhra in Porvorim. Asnodkar struck 10 fours during his 80, but was bowled by Padikalva Vijaykumar in the 46th over. Ravikant Shukla and Darshan Misal chipped in with handy contributions down the order, before Yadav’s 51 took Goa to 267.Bodavarapu Sudhakar was the pick of Andhra’s bowlers, finishing with 3 for 42, while Kakani Harish, Shaik Basha and Vijaykumar picked up two wickets apiece.The day was to get worse for the visitors, as they lost three early wickets in the second innings to head into day three at 32 for 3 needing another 87 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
ScorecardPadmanabhan Prasanth’s maiden first-class hundred helped Kerala secure a first-innings lead against Hyderabad. By close of play on the second day, Hyderabad had wiped out 46 of the 73-run lead for the loss of one wicket.Prasanth’s hundred and his 151-run eighth-wicket stand with Robert Fernandez helped Kerala recover from 94 for 7 after a few quick wickets hurt the visitors on the second morning. His 106 came off 197 balls and included 12 fours and two sixes, and he got good support from Fernandez, who was out for 78 off 199 balls. Once their stand was broken, however, the Kerala innings came to a swift end at 264.In reply, Hyderabad lost opener Akshath Reddy off the second ball of the innings, but recovered through a 46-run stand between Hanuma Vihari and Bavanaka Sandeep.
ScorecardSamiullah Beigh’s five-for helped Jammu & Kashmir restrict Tripura to 280 in Agartala, before a fifty from Adil Rishi helped J&K stabilise.Tripura, who began the day at a commanding 176 for 3 lost quick wickets early on, including the wicket of top-scorer Yogesh Takawale for 83. The hosts were struggling at 225 for 8 before a fighting fifty from Abhijit Dey lifted them past 250.In reply, J&K openers put together a fifty-run stand but regular strikes thereon put them on the backfoot. Opener Adil Rishi’s unbeaten fifty anchored the innings but J&K still trail Tripura by 163 runs.