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The South Africa batsman put some of the side’s problems down to conditions, which he expects to become more difficult to bat on as the game goes on

Firdose Moonda in Durban02-Mar-2018AB de Villiers has defended his team-mates, whose nine wickets fell for 91 runs, leaving his contribution of 71 not out as the only score of significance on an otherwise humbling scorecard. While de Villiers conceded that “the deficit (of 189) looks really bad,” he maintained that South Africa were “not far off,” matching Australia’s skill set and hoped they can pull off “something special,” in the days to come.”There were a couple of softies (dismissals) today but also some really good bowling,” de Villiers said. “Australia had a really good intensity about them and they seemed to be clear with their plans. We could feel that they seemed to know what they were doing.”But it’s not all lost. Some guys looked really good out there and we just didn’t convert. We just didn’t cross that line today. If you cross that line with two batters out there, things change very quickly. We came up just short. The wicket is getting harder by the day and it won’t be easy for them to bat out there tomorrow. It’s up to us to make sure we have the right game plans in place. We are not out of it.”De Villiers’ generous assessment did not reveal any secrets towards explaining his own ability but he put his own success down to good preparation. “I just felt really good leading up to this Test in the nets, did some really good things in the nets, and I felt confident going into the Test,” he said. “You don’t always feel that way in Test cricket. And I was very motivated to score some runs for the boys.”While the rest of the South African line-up struggled against movement from Mitchell Starc and spin from Nathan Lyon, de Villiers felt the hosts allowed Lyon, in particular, to gain the upper hand because they were unable to form partnerships. South Africa’s highest stand was worth 42 runs – between de Villiers and Quitnon de Kock for the sixth wicket – and their lower order had no partnerships in double figures. Contrastingly, Australia’s eight-wicket stand was worth 49 and their ninth-wicket pair put on 41, which helped take them past 350 in the first innings.”Starc was swinging the ball one way and I felt I had him covered,” de Villiers said. “He bowled a couple of good deliveries and there’s not much you can do about that. Swing is one thing but when it’s moving a bit off the deck, it’s really difficult to cover that. Lyon did a really good job from the other end more often than not. We had him under pressure at times but kept losing wickets. That allowed him to bowl with more freedom.”As for South Africa’s age-old problem against spin, de Villiers put some of that down to conditions, which he expects to become more difficult to bat on as the match goes on. “We play spin well but it didn’t show today. I played spin well today,” de Villiers joked. “There’s no one with a flaw in their game when it comes to spin. Obviously the results don’t say the same thing. Lyon is the top wicket-taker in the world for this season and he is bowling well. He is a confident guy. I don’t think we played him badly. There’s a bit of rough out there, it’s a dryish Kingsmead surface, and he got a bit of assistance.”De Villiers was hopeful South Africa’s attack could rescue the situation on the third day, as they chase an elusive Test series win over Australia at home. “We’ve got our work cut out tomorrow. But we still believe we can turn this around.”

The duo combined to stroke decisive knocks to lead India past 250 before Bangladesh were bowled out in 42.1 overs

The report by Shashank Kishore in Queenstown26-Jan-2018Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma – state mates at Punjab from Under-14s, room-mates on tour and best friends off the field – combined to make decisive half-centuries in India’s 131-run win in the quarter-final against Bangladesh in Queenstown. This meant a semi-final showdown with Pakistan in Christchurch on January 30.Gill top-scored with 86, but India’s batting depth was tested for the first time in the tournament. A middle-order implosion in the face of some tight bowling – from overs 20-40 where India scored just three boundaries – was then somewhat covered up by Abhishek’s industrious 49-ball 50 that propelled them to 265 in the final over.Bangladesh came out looking to first dig in and set up a solid base. In the process, they ate up too many deliveries. As the asking rate mounted and spinners tightened the screws, they turned towards cheeky singles to keep the scorecard chugging along. This resulted in two of their main batsmen – Towhid Hridoy and Aminul Islam – being run out. Those dismissals turned the game around in a jiffy as Bangladesh couldn’t quite recover from 85 fof 5. They were eventually bowled out for 134 in the 43rd over.As well as they bowled, India’s fielding, particularly inside the 30-yard circle, was noteworthy. In the Powerplay, the packed off-side ring cut off easy singles to build pressure. Then their two most athletic fast bowlers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti got into the act after bowling their hearts out in a fiery opening spell.Mavi swooped in from cover point to effect a direct hit via an underarm flick to dismiss Hridoy while Nagarkoti moved swiftly to his right at backward square leg to fire a throw to wicketkeeper Harvik Desai who did the rest even as Aminul tried to dive full stretch. These two wickets in the space of 10 deliveries effectively broke Bangladesh’s back.That Bangladesh weren’t allowed to blaze away was thanks largely to Ishan Porel, who troubled them during the course of an incisive opening spell of 5-2-8-0. Porel, playing just his second game in the tournament after recovering from a heel injury on his left foot, went through considerable amount of work before the game to be ready, and proved that the time spent on him by the support staff was fully worth it. Without bowling full tilt, he kept up the pressure by combining accuracy and bounce on a deck that offered some help for the faster bowlers if they were willing to bend their backs.Mavi benefited from this pressure the most as Mohammad Naim holed out to Prithvi Shaw at mid-on. If Bangladesh thought Porel and Mavi’s burst had been weathered, they had Nagarkoti just warming up. With some needle in the contest courtesy some words and glances exchanged between both sides – something that had been building up from early in the game – Nagarkoti had captain Saif Hassan nick to Abhishek, who took an excellent catch diving to his left at slip. That was to be the start of Bangladesh’s slide.India’s start was much different though. They lost Manjot Kalra early, but Gill powered them to 71 for 1 after the first 10 overs, bringing in a touch of unorthodoxy by flat-batting a pull early in his innings, and doing the early running even as Shaw wasn’t allowed to break free initially.Shaw eventually broke the struggle by picking up his first boundary – a punch through point – off the seventh over. He would then get a release in the same over courtesy a free-hit that he biffed over mid-on to get going. Far from fluent, Shaw played within himself and would fall to a Qazi Onik delivery that would straighten from around the stumps and have him bowled for 40. Desai pushed and prodded for 34, but in doing so, put a lot of pressure on Gill, who was looking to accelerate. As well as he tried to milk the singles and bring out the cheeky dabs and tucks to the leg side, their dismissals in the space of 13 deliveries after a 74-run stand put the pressure on India’s middle order.Riyan Parag, having his first hit of the tournament, took eight balls to get off the mark and struggled for rhythm. Nagarkoti and Mavi tried to swing their way, only to fall. This made Abhishek’s pugnacious contribution all the more vital in the context of the game. Happy to tick over runs initially, he opened up to deliver some muscular blows towards the end of the innings before being the ninth batsman out. By then, he had lifted India out of a tangle and put them firmly ahead.Then with the ball, Abhishek would top up his batting with two wickets. The end was quite fittingly a Nagarkoti thunderbolt that sent Nayeem Hasan’s off stump cartwheeling to delirious celebration in the Indian camp. He would finish with 3 for 18 in a win that looked far too easy than it could have been at one stage.

After both getting off to strong starts in the new Premier League season, Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United will now cross paths with each other at the Amex Stadium.

This was a Championship fixture just six years ago, and now it’s a regular top-flight fixture with both teams set to enjoy European football this season.

We at Football FanCast have taken a deep dive into the history of this matchup and what can be expected when they go head-to-head.

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has the better head-to-head record?

These two clubs have only faced off in 32 competitive matches dating back to the 1929/1930 FA Cup campaign. Newcastle United prevailed then only to be knocked out by Hull City in the next round and is it Brighton and Hove Albion who have a narrow advantage in this fixture overall.

Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 12 Draws: 9 Newcastle United wins: 11 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has more wins at Goldstone Ground/ the Amex?

Brighton have played their home games at a few different stadiums, it all began with the Goldstone Ground and they were there for nearly a century. More recently though, they set up shop at Falmer Stadium which is more commonly known now as the Amex. Once again, the Seagulls have the slight edge over the Magpies.

Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 6 Draws: 6 Newcastle United wins: 4 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has more wins at St. James’ Park?

Newcastle United have been much less nomadic with England’s ninth most-successful club playing their home games at St James’ Park since day one. It has undergone a lot of changes of course, as has the ownership structure at Newcastle, but is still regarded as one of the best atmospheres in the country. With just one game in at, the Geordies boast the bragging rights when on their home patch against Brighton.

Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 6 Draws: 3 Newcastle United wins: 7 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has the better cup record?

As previously mentioned, the first ever meeting between Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United was in the FA Cup nearly 100 years ago. It was the later who came out on top there by a score line of 3-0, but they haven’t won since.

The 1982/83 FA Cup saw the teams draw after 90 minutes and so it was onto a replay, where Brighton got their first cup win in this fixture. Since then, they have won every time with the most recent outing being a third-round victory in 2012/13 thanks to goals from Orlandi and Will Hoskins.

Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 4 Draws: 1 Newcastle United wins: 1 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: How have the last 5 meetings played out?

Both of these clubs are now established in England’s top flight and so it is no surprise to see that their last 5 meetings have come in the promise land of football. The common pattern is that once again, it is very hard to separate these two!

18th May 2023- Newcastle United 4-1 Brighton and Hove Albion:

The most recent competitive meeting between Newcastle and Brighton took place at St James’ Park back in May and the hosts made light work of it.

They were given the lead by a Deniz Undav own goal only for the German to then score at the right end later on in the game. With it finely poised at 2-1 going into the dying stages, Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes put the game to bed.

13th August 2022 – Brighton and Hove Albion 0-0 Newcastle United:

In the second game of last season, these two went head-to-head on the south coast and there was nothing to separate them. Prior to that, Newcastle got off to a good start with a 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest and Brighton secured a famous victory over Manchester United, so this was a sign of things to come from both sides.

5th March 2022 – Newcastle 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion:

Newcastle’s resolute form on their own patch is there for all to see with another home win over the Albion. Early goals from Ryan Fraser and Fabian Schar were enough for Eddie Howe’s side to get the win against Graham Potter’s Brighton.

6th November 2021 – Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Newcastle United:

Robert Sanchez’s 90th-minute red card is the obvious headline in a game that ended honours even. It didn’t end up costing his side with Leandro Trossard giving them the lead from the penalty spot before Isaac Hayden’s strike cancelled that out.

20th March 2021 – Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 Newcastle United:

Lastly now to a score line that is a record for Brighton against Newcastle and one that has only been managed twice. The game in question was also in Potter’s spell and goals from an attacking trio of Trossard, Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay made sure of a huge three points for Brighton.

Who has played for both Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United?

Steve Harper (Newcastle 1993-2013; Brighton 2011)

Steve Harper is a legend in and around Newcastle as one would expect given that he played there for two whole decades. Despite this perceived loyalty he went on loan to a number of different clubs during his time there, one of which was Brighton, and he actually finished his career with Sunderland of all teams, who he grew up supporting.

Leon Best (Newcastle 2010-2012; Brighton 2015)

Leon Best enjoyed a couple of productive seasons with Newcastle in and amongst the rest of his journeyman-like career as a professional footballer. He was part of the team that lifted the Championship trophy in 2010 and then five years later, he also frequented Brighton, where he made 13 appearances whilst on loan.

Dan Burn (Brighton 2018-2022; Newcastle 2022-current)

Now to the only of these three players who is still active and of course Dan Burn is still a Newcastle player too. He rose to prominence as a Brighton man and his exploits at the Amex earned him an eight-figure move to St James’ Park.

Burn has played as a centre-back and as a left-back under Eddie Howe and he has played all 180 minutes of their season so far.

What is Brighton and Hove Albion’s biggest victory over Newcastle United?

20th September 2020: Newcastle United 0-3 Brighton and Hove Albion

As previously mentioned, 3-0 is the biggest win for Brighton and Hove Albion in this fixture and it has happened twice. What makes it all the more interesting is that both of these convincing victories actually took place back-to-back.

In the 2020/21 season, Graham Potter certainly had the number of Steve Bruce and his side, winning on aggregate, six goals to nil. Maupay had the Seagulls 2-0 up with less than eight minutes on the clock, and then it was a late strike from Irishman Aaron Connolly that struck the dagger blow. In spite of all of this, Newcastle actually finished 4 points ahead of Brighton come the end of the season.

What is Newcastle United’s biggest victory over Brighton and Hove Albion?

21st October 1961: Newcastle United 5-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Newcastle’s biggest victory in this meeting is even more one-sided, and it certainly isn’t as recent. In the first-ever league meeting between the pair, in late October of 1961, the Magpies put their opponents to the sword and came out 5-0 victors.

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Key stats This will be the 13th league meeting between the two clubs in the Premier League era Newcastle United haven’t lost to Brighton and Hove Albion in their last four competitive meetings These two teams were the highest scoring on the opening day of this season, Brighton scored 4 and Newcastle scored 5 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Famous fixture

28th February 2017- Brighton and Hove Albion 1-2 Newcastle United:

Given that they haven’t actually faced each other that many times, there weren’t a plethora of choices for famous fixtures. As a result, there is just one, but it really is quite famous in the grand scheme of things.

In the latter stages of the 2016/17 Championship season, with both teams in the hunt for the title, they met at the Amex on a Tuesday night under the lights. Glenn Murray gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot, a lead they held onto for large parts of the game, but it didn’t last. First Mohamed Diame popped up and then in the 89th minute, Spaniard Ayoze Perez turned the match on its head.

Newcastle went on to lift the title that year with Brighton securing automatic promotion as a close second. When all was said and done, with 46 games played each, only one point separated the pair and so that midweek clash really did have meteoric ramifications.

The former Australia captain fills the void left by Rahul Dravid’s departure

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2018Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting will return to the IPL this season, this time as head coach of Delhi Daredevils. Hemant Dua, the chief executive of Daredevils, made the announcement on Twitter.Ponting takes over from Paddy Upton and former India captain Rahul Dravid, who had stepped down after the previous season owing to BCCI’s conflict-of-interest regulations. While Upton’s contract wasn’t renewed, Dravid chose to coach India A and India Under-19 teams over the IPL franchise.Delhi were in contention for a playoff berth last season, only to taper off towards the end of the group stage. They eventually finished the season sixth, with six wins in 14 matches. The franchise is yet to win a title in 10 attempts.Ponting had coached Mumbai Indians to their second IPL title in 2015, but the franchise chose to not renew his two-year contract when it expired in 2016. He had joined the franchise as a player in 2013, but stepped away midway through the tournament due to poor form.Ponting also worked with Mumbai Indians in an advisory capacity in 2014. Prior to that, he was briefly part of Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural edition in 2008.

A big update has emerged on Leeds United and their attempts to bolster Daniel Farke's playing squad before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Leeds transfer news?

According to The Athletic's Phil Hay, the Whites have submitted an official offer to sign KRC Genk forward Joseph Paintsil before the deadline passes next Friday.

The reporter has claimed that the club have made a bid of €10m (£8.5m) to land the Ghana international, who was also being eyed up by Championship rivals Southampton before a move to St. Mary's fell through.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

This comes after the Yorkshire-based side confirmed the signing of Joel Piroe from Swansea on a permanent deal on Thursday night, which was the fifth arrival of the summer after Karl Darlow, Sam Byram, Joe Rodon, and Ethan Ampadu.

"Leeds United have tabled an offer for Genk forward Joseph Paintsil. Bid worth 10m Euros. Southampton were keen but that move has fallen through," the ever-reliable reporter tweeted.

How good is Joseph Paintsil?

The 25-year-old wizard's sensational form throughout the 2022/23 campaign suggests that he has the potential to be Farke's next version of Emiliano Buendia, who fired his Norwich side to promotion in 2021 with his exceptional displays on the right flank.

Paintsil racked up an outstanding 17 goals and 11 assists across 34 Pro League starts for Genk last season as the exciting forward showcased his ability to provide a huge threat at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis.

The right-footed whiz created 12 'big chances' for his teammates and only missed six 'big chances' of his own, which shows that he was able to produce high-quality opportunities for his fellow attackers and rarely spurned the ones that came his way.

Hitting double figures for goals and assists is no easy feat, particularly when you consider that no Leeds midfielder or winger managed more than seven Premier League goals or assists respectively during the 2022/23 campaign.

This suggests that Paintsil, who was hailed as "phenomenal" by AllLeedsTV presenter Oscar Marrio, has the potential to be a sublime option for the German head coach as a player who can offer the duel threat of being a scorer and creator of goals from out wide, which is exactly what Buendia was for Farke.

The Argentina international won the Championship Player of the Year award for his performances throughout the 2020/21 season as he amassed 15 goals and 16 assists in 39 starts for the Canaries on their way to the title.

Buendia, who created 18 'big chances' and missed ten, was the star man of Norwich's promotion to the Premier League that year with his ability to score and assist goals week-in-week-out to win vital points for his side.

Paintsil's form for Genk last term suggests that he could be a similarly pivotal figure within Farke's attacking set-up this season if he is able to carry his form over to England.

The £8.5m gem has proven himself to be capable of finding the back of the net on a regular basis whilst also being able to pick out a killer pass when required to set up a teammate from a wide position, which could make him a special player for the Whites if they are able to snap him up.

Chandimal said that SL must score at least 350 in their first innings, failing which it would be tough for the visitors to ‘stay in the game’

Sidharth Monga in Delhi01-Dec-20171:07

Delhi wicket nothing like South Afican pitches – Chandimal

This has been a tough year for Sri Lanka, and numbers will not hide that. The seven Tests they have lost this year is the joint-most they have lost in any year. Given how the contests between these two sides have gone over the rest of the year, they are odds-on favourites to hold the ignominy exclusively. To make it worse, they are doing so in a tour where the opposition has spoken less about them than its next opponents. It becomes all the worse when you are a young captain of a side with a glorious past. As Asanka Gurusinha, the manager now but a reminder of that glorious era, watched on, the young captain Dinesh Chandimal was asked how he manages to motivate himself and his team to train and prepare for yet another difficult Test.Chandimal looked to matters beyond cricket for an answer. “In our life also we have ups and downs,” he said. “The thing is, if you are losing and if you are going down, you learn so many things about how to come out of it. I learned a lot of things in the past also when I was captain in 2014, and have executed them till now. It’s a hard time for the team but I have a really good feeling we can change these things going forward.”Asked if they feel disappointed as opponents when the hosts are not talking about their first full tour in eight years but about their next series. India have rested a key allrounder in Hardik Pandya, and have asked groundsmen to give them pitches that prepare them for South Africa as opposed to giving them home advantage. Chandimal chose to not comment. “That is up to them,” he said. “They are thinking about the next series but we as a team are thinking about this series, and we are thinking about each and every game. About how we can win. We can’t control what they think. As a team, we can control what we can control.”Chandimal did allow himself a chuckle, though. “If you look at the wicket here, I am not sure they are preparing for South Africa,” he said. “It looks like a Nagpur pitch. The Kolkata pitch was similar to South African pitches but these two are not like that. I am also surprised they are saying they are preparing for South Africa but they are giving these pitches. We never underestimate any team and we need to give our best.”For improvement, Chandimal looked at the batting, especially in the first innings. “It was a bad loss in the second game,” he said. “Actually, as a batting unit, we need to do well. Especially in the first innings we need to score a big big total. At least 350. Then we can at least stay in the game. Batting unit let us down in that game. I am sure we can come up with very good plans in the next game.”We had a really good chat after the second Test and really good meetings as a team. We have something up our sleeve. I am sure they [batsmen] will come up with different ideas in the next game and perform at their best.”

Mykhailo Mudryk’s time at Chelsea hasn’t exactly gone to plan since making the move in January.

There have been some signs of improvement in recent weeks, but he remains unable to justify the reported £88.5m fee that the Blues splashed out for his signature many months ago.

His first goal for the club in a pre-season clash against Brighton & Hove Albion would have left those at Stamford Bridge hopeful that this can finally be Mudryk’s time to shine.

As things turn out, however, the Ukraine international may need a bit more time to find his goal scoring touch, after missing a glorious opportunity to score the winning goal against Liverpool in Chelsea’s Premier League opener.

Mudryk won’t want to look back at this one anytime soon.

Mykhailo Mudryk costs Chelsea

As you can see from the highlights just past the two-minute mark, Nicolas Jackson did incredibly well to send Mudryk through one-on-one with Alisson Becker, before watching on as the winger lost all composure.

You can also see the reply via Reddit below.

Attempting to round Alisson, Mudryk’s touch was just too heavy, handing him an impossible angle to find the back of the net. Finding Ian Maatsen with the pass instead, the fellow substitute was quickly closed down to end one of the chances of the game late on.

Mauricio Pochettino will be left disappointed with the result, having seen his new side dominate for almost the entirety of the second half following a difficult start to the game initially.

The Argentine will, however, be grateful for the point after Liverpool took the lead in the 18th minute through Luis Diaz’s strike, courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s superb pass.

It was then the turn of unlikely hero Axel Disasi to score on his debut, scrambling home just eight minutes before half-time.

Earning a point apiece, Chelsea and Liverpool showed that they’ll both be interesting to watch this season.

What’s the latest Chelsea transfer news?

Of course, the game between Chelsea and Liverpool had some added flavour thanks to the Moises Caicedo tug of war taking place off the pitch. Unlike the action at Stamford Bridge, it is a battle that cannot end in a draw.

With that said, it is Chelsea who have reportedly came out on top to land the Brighton midfielder for a British transfer record fee, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Reds did have an agreement with Brighton, but suffered the heartbreak of rejection from Caicedo, who opted for a move to the London club instead.

If that wasn’t frustrating enough for Liverpool, too, Chelsea are now also favourites to land Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, according to Sacha Tavolieri, likely leaving Jurgen Klopp back at square one when it comes to defensive midfielders.

Read The Latest Chelsea Transfer News HERE…

Off the pitch, it’s fair to say that Chelsea have wiped the floor with Liverpool.

With Caicedo likely coming in, and potentially Lavia too, Pochettino will have a completed squad at Stamford Bridge, making a finish inside the Premier League’s top four the bare minimum this season.

Mudryk will hope to play a big part in that, but for now, he remains the subject of criticism among some fans. Here’s how some reacted to his miss:

The Zimbabwe captain also believes the conditions in Bulawayo will negate the threat posed by West Indies’ pace attack

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo20-Oct-2017The Zimbabwean Test side had a torrid 2016, losing three matches by over 200 runs and a fourth by an innings. This year, they have witnessed something of a turnaround. After winning the ODI series in Sri Lanka, captain Graeme Cremer’s Zimbabwe side nearly caused an upset in the Colombo Test. Cremer believes the team that will take on West Indies in Bulawayo in the first Test from Saturday is even better than the one that pushed Sri Lanka hard.”I feel that we’ve probably got an even better team than we had in Sri Lanka,” Cremer said on the eve of the first Test. “We’ll take that confidence from Sri Lanka, but we know we can perform even better than that.”Zimbabwe have been buoyed further by the return of batsman Brendan Taylor and seamer Kyle Jarvis to international cricket, and Cremer’s confidence was echoed by his coach, Heath Streak. “They bring a lot in terms of experience, and we know what they’re capable of,” Streak said. “And we’re focusing on playing our own brand of cricket and backing ourselves, rather than looking at the reputations of the opposition. With the ability that we have in our changeroom, we genuinely can go out and win.”Though the conditions may suit Zimbabwe’s batting and spin-bowling strengths, both Streak and Cremer insisted Zimbabwe are wary of a West Indies side short on experience but having found some grit on their recent tour of England.”We respect West Indies,” Streak said. “We saw what they were capable of in England, winning that Test. Despite that, we feel we’ve got the resources and the personnel to be able to win against these guys in a Test match in Bulawayo.”West Indies have an advantage over Zimbabwe in terms of the pace of their seam attack, but Cremer pointed out that a traditionally sluggish Queens pitch may well blunt the likes of Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel. As well as that, a slightly older, wiser Zimbabwean batting unit will have a little more to offer in terms of experience than the visitors.”We feel that their seam attack is probably one of their strengths, but the Bulawayo pitch will negate that a bit,” Cremer said. “I think the pitch will be a little slow. Hopefully it will take some spin as the Test match goes on.”They’ve got some good batters too, although they’re a little inexperienced. Our team is probably a little more experienced than they are. So we just want to play good consistent cricket over the five days. In Test cricket, even one bad session can hurt you.””We also obviously know the conditions ourselves, so all those things are factored in when we’re looking at the balance of our side and how might exploit any weaknesses in the opposition,” Streak added. “At the end of the day, it comes down to how well you execute those plans on the pitch. Being able to adapt, to think quickly on your feet, to adjust and adapt our strategies will be key.”

Glasgow Rangers will take some confidence from their midweek victory in the Champions League Qualifiers against Servette as they head into their first home tie of the 2023/24 Premiership campaign.

Michael Beale will know all three points is a requirement having slipped to defeat to Kilmarnock last weekend and there could be a few changes from the squad that took to the field against the Swiss side on Wednesday evening.

What is the latest Rangers team news ahead of Livingston?

Beale spoke to the press before the game today and claimed there could be a few players missing due to injury, yet he kept the names close to his chest.

He said: "We have one or two bumps and bruises. We just have to assess now.

"One or two will miss out. I am not going to give you any names, or I am not going to give Davie (Martindale) any names.

Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…

"There are one or two that we will need to protect this weekend.”

Beale also confirmed that summer signing Jose Cifuentes will make his first start for the Light Blues, saying: “Jose is playing against Livingston.

“He didn’t get in until late on the Thursday before Kilmarnock and had a bit of jet lag, but with eight subs I just wanted him to see Scottish football.

“I felt he was good when he came on the other night in the small glimpse, but I think he is ready.”

What could Jose Cifuentes offer Rangers?

The former Los Angeles FC midfielder finally linked up with the Gers at the start of the month following a chase which lasted throughout the transfer window.

A fee of £1.2m was enough to secure his services as his contract was due to expire in December, and it looks as though it could be a shrewd investment by Beale.

The Ecuadorian arrived at Ibrox having already played 19 MLS matches during 2023, showcasing his attacking abilities from the heart of midfield by creating five big chances and averaging 1.7 key passes per game, and it’s clear Beale could terrorise Livingston by unleashing him this afternoon.

Indeed, he made his debut against Servette, coming on for the final 13 minutes, yet he wasn’t shy in getting involved. The 24-year-old succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts, made two tackles and won all but one of his six duels, suggesting he could be a vital cog in the midfield for the Light Blues this season.

South American football expert Tim Vickery lauded Cifuentes back in 2019 after he shone for Ecuador at the U20 World Cup, saying: "He was the beating heart of that side and I think he’s a terrific midfielder. He’s strong, he’s got quality, he’s got a good engine – he’s one of the best all-round midfielders, potentially, that I’ve seen come out of South America in a while.”

Alongside Nicolas Raskin, Beale could form a midfield which has everything and the duo could compliment each other well.

Livingston will prove to be a tough side to break down, applying the low block, especially away from home, but including Cifuentes from the start should see the Gers ease to a first league win of the season.

Cameos from de Villiers and Behardien gave an inexperienced bowling attack enough runs as cushion and they used it well to topple Bangladesh

The Report by Mohammad Isam26-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsQuinton De Kock smashed 59 off 44 balls•CHARL DEVENISH/AFP/Getty ImagesAnother match, another win for South Africa: nothing much has changed on this tour. The hosts took the first T20I in Bloemfontein by 20 runs, but for the first time in four weeks, Bangladesh put up a proper fight.Quinton de Kock smacked a half-century, AB de Villiers, in one of his moods, hit eight boundaries in his first 16 balls and Farhaan Behardien produced a fine knock as finisher to take South Africa to a total of 195. Then, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Beuran Hendricks and debutant Robbie Frylinck picked up two wickets each to keep Bangladesh down to 175 for 9 in 20 overs.Mehidy Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan bowled effectively against a set of rampaging batsmen. Later, Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Saifuddin did well to put pressure an inexperienced South African attack. It wasn’t enough, but it was something worth talking about from the visitors.After JP Duminy decided to bat, the home side banked on two strong partnerships to post a competitive total. A 79-run second wicket stand between de Villiers and de Kock gave them the foundation before the unbroken 62-run fifth wicket stand between David Miller and Behardien gave them the sparkling finish.Bangladesh’s bowlers started well, taking their earliest first wicket on tour when Mehidy removed Hashim Amla in the second over. De Villiers arrived at the crease at that point and saw de Kock hit three fours before getting down to business himself.He started with two fours off Rubel Hossain in the fifth over that went for 14. He struck Shafiul Islam for four boundaries in the next over that went for 18. In the seventh over, de Villiers hammered Saifuddin for two more fours as South Africa got 44 runs in these three overs.Over the next three overs though, Mehedi and Shakib gave away only 20 runs and that made a difference as de Villiers went for another of his big shots only to hole out to long-off. He finished with 49 off 27 balls.A spell of 27 balls without a boundary was broken in the 12th over when the South African stand-in captain JP Duminy tonked a full toss over deep midwicket. It was the only bad ball in Mehidy’s entire spell, which yielded 2 for 31.Imrul Kayes completed a great catch at long-on to remove Duminy in the 13th over, which also included a marginal run-out call which went South Africa’s way. De Kock, the batsman reprieved, fell lbw to Rubel Hossain in the 15th over, having made 59 off 44 balls. And though he wasn’t too wasn’t happy with the decision he didn’t even try to review it.Behardien and Miller came together with the score on 133 for 4 with five overs left. They only got five boundaries in that time, but by pinching twos at every opportunity, they were still able to ransack 62 runs.Bangladesh took to the chase in earnest, Kayes smashing the first ball from Paterson for four over mid-off and Sarkar joining in with a massive six over mid-on.They kept up with the required rate while the field restrictions were on – for the cost of Kayes’ wicket – but their hopes of building on such a fine start were put to bed by Frylinck and Phehlukwayo. One made Shakib his maiden T20I wicket and the other trapped Sarkar lbs for 47.Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah followed Sarkar to the pavilion, leaving Bangladesh at 101 for 5 in the 12th over. The contest was as good as done when Sabbir Rahman, the last specialist batsman, fell 15 balls later. Paterson added the exclamation point to that statement, taking two wickets in two balls, one of them off a scorching yorker, as Bangladesh kept unravelling.It was against this backdrop that Saifuddin made a composed 39 off 27 balls. He hadn’t allowed South Africa to get too many in the last over of their innings and he ensured they wouldn’t bowl Bangladesh out, taking 15 runs off the last over of the match.