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Arsenal are sitting pretty atop the Premier League ladder, but Mikel Arteta and his men have been here before, and he’ll know that the January transfer window could prove advantageous for the club in their pursuit of the title.

Especially when Manchester City are honing in on Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, who has scored nine goals and supplied three assists in the league this term.

Semenyo, an Arsenal fan, has been on Andrea Berta’s radar, but the Gunners have now advanced their interest to match City’s own. Could that be because another star is in the sights?

Arsenal need to sign a forward

This is an elite outfit, but Arsenal’s interminable goalscoring problems have continued into the current campaign, albeit to a lesser degree.

Arteta needs to add firepower, and he must concede that Viktor Gyokeres has not been up to scratch since completing a £64m move to the Emirates from Sporting Lisbon, where he scored 97 goals from 102 matches.

But perhaps signing another big-money centre-forward wouldn’t be the most prudent route.

According to Spanish sources this month, Arsenal have subscribed to that notion, having made an opening offer for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who is discontented at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old is overshadowed in Xabi Alonso’s frontline, but he is a world-class forward and would find the perfect home to further develop at Arsenal.

Los Blancos would consider his sale, but not for anything less than £75m. Arsenal’s offer totalled €60m (£51m).

How Rodrygo would enhance Arsenal's attack

Rodrygo did not have the best 2025, but he’s still an elite and multi-faceted forward who has scored 70 goals and supplied 55 assists for Real Madrid, probably the biggest football club in the world.

Only last year did teammate Jude Bellingham hail him as “probably the most gifted and most talented player in the squad”, with an underlying physicality to complement his more flashy side.

Indeed, across the past 12 months, the Brazil international has been “one of the best wingers in the world” in the words of analyst by Spencer Mossman, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers for pass completion, the top 4% for progressive carries and the top 10% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

That’s an elite forward, one who could elevate Arteta’s burgeoning project. His pedigree on the grandest stages and ability to raise his teammates’ games might even see him draw Gyokeres out of his cave.

Gyokeres, 27, has scored five Premier League goals from 18 matches this season, 15 starts. But he’s not been good enough, at odds with the slickness of Arteta’s otherwise fluent frontline.

You don’t need your centre-forward to be a ballerina, but Gyokeres is struggling to latch onto Arsenal’s attacking efforts, and is enjoying only a minimal contribution each game.

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When looking at his metrics compared to last season, his deterioration only becomes clearer.

Viktor Gyokeres – Liga Portugal vs Premier League

Stats (* per game)

24/25

25/26

Matches (starts)

33 (31)

18 (15)

Goals

39

5

Assists

7

0

Touches

40.0

19.1

Shots (on target)*

4.2 (2.4)

1.7 (0.6)

Big chances missed

23

7

Accurate passes*

15.0 (73%)

5.1 (61%)

Chances created*

1.9

0.6

Succ. dribbles*

1.8 (48%)

0.3 (21%)

Tackles*

0.3

0.2

Duels won*

5.5 (50%)

2.4 (34%)

Data via Sofascore

As you can see, since returning to English shores in July, the hulking forward has struggled.

It’s not all his fault, though. Gabriel Martinelli, for example, hasn’t been at his best this season and has gone ten Premier League matches without a goal involvement. Arsenal content creator James commented after the recent win at Bournemouth that the Brazilian winger was too one-dimensional”.

Rodrygo, his compatriot, would certainly prove an upgrade, and with such flair, versatility and innate creative qualities – he’s been described as a “special striker” who “can play in all positions” by former boss Carlo Ancelotti – it might be the perfect signing to keep Man City at bay and finally secure silverware and the Premier League title after two decades of searching.

Related Saved by Rice: Arsenal must bin dud who lost the ball every 3.5 touches

Arsenal battled their way to victory against Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair

A Leeds United star was lauded by a TalkSport journalist after the 1-1 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Spoils shared as Leeds take point at Sunderland

The Whites are on a solid run in the Premier League, having now gone their last five games unbeaten, but they may feel a little hard done by to not have taken more from the trip to Sunderland on Sunday afternoon.

On the balance of play, Daniel Farke’s side were the superior team, recording an xG of 2.03, compared to 0.65 from the hosts, with Ethan Ampadu, Jayden Bogle and Brenden Aaronson all missing big chances.

Although Farke will be disappointed his side were unable to secure all three points, there is now plenty of breathing room near the bottom of the table, as they sit seven points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United, who lost 1-0 at home against Fulham on Saturday.

Key to their recent uptick in form has been summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the centre-forward bagging seven goals in his last six Premier League games, and he equalised just after half-time at the Stadium of Light, after a brilliant team move.

However, Calvert-Lewin has not been the only player to have impressed as of late, with TalkSport journalist Tom Clayton taking to X to praise Anton Stach after the draw against the Black Cats, claiming he’s in with a shout of being “signing of the season”.

Stach impresses as Leeds make it five unbeaten

The 27-year-old has been a very important player for Leeds this season, making 15 Premier League appearances since arriving from Hoffenheim, during which time he’s displayed a keen eye for goal, chipping in with three goals and two assists.

Although the central midfielder was unable to get on the scoresheet against Regis Le Bris’ side, he made a number of key contributions in both attack and defence, which earned him a SofaScore match rating of 7.9, the joint-highest of any player, alongside Simon Adingra.

Anton Stach’s key statistics vs Sunderland

Number completed

Key passes

3

Big chances created

1

Duels (won)

15 (10)

Tackles

5

Leeds will be frustrated they were unable to score the crucial second goal, but they remain in a strong position to avoid the drop, with West Ham struggling, and Stach could be key to their chances of retaining their Premier League status.

Related Rutter 2.0: Leeds battling to sign "exceptional" talent in January

This potential signing can strengthen Leeds ahead of their relegation fight

Posts ByJoe Nuttall

	The BCCI is not impressed with Harbhajan Singh’s latest antic © Getty Images

The Punjab team has lodged a formal complaint against Harbhajan Singh to the BCCI, even as the Indian board took a serious view of the “slapping” incident during the post-match proceedings at Mohali and asked him submit his explanation before April 28. Harbhajan allegedly hit Sreesanth, his India team-mate and IPL rival, after Friday’s match between the Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians.”Kings XI Punjab confirms that a formal complaint against Mr Harbhajan Singh was submitted to the BCCI earlier today,” a media statement issued by the team said. “The complaint is in relation to yesterday’s incident following the match against Mumbai Indians, where Mr Singh made an unprovoked attack on Mr Sreesanth. The Kings XI Punjab team and management consider this behaviour unacceptable and against the spirit of the game.”Meanwhile, Niranajan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said that Harbhajan needed to clarify the reasons that prompted his act of indiscipline. “The BCCI has taken serious note of the incident that took place between Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth at Mohali after the IPL match. The BCCI condemns the behaviour of Harbhajan as a contracted player of the board and he is called upon to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. And [Harbhajan] has been asked for a clarification by Monday evening [April 28].”Earlier Farokh Engineer, the match referee in the Mohali game, had told Cricinfo that he hasn’t received any verbal or written complaint from the Punjab team. Engineer also said he did not witness the alleged incident. “In the absence of any evidence I am in the dark. I don’t know what went on on the pitch and what triggered the alleged incident,” he said.Engineer has sought video evidence from the television broadcasters before taking any action. “If the incident is true some action will be taken. If there is definite, conclusive proof then it’s just not cricket.”Under the level 4.1 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct, physical assault of another player, umpire, referee, official or spectator will result in a ban of between 5 Tests of 10 one-day internationals up to a life ban for the player or official concerned.Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that Harbhajan might be asked to step down as captain of the Mumbai Indians till the issue is resolved. Harbhajan was asked to lead the side after Sachin Tendulkar failed to recover from a groin injury. Bought at a cost of US$111.9 million, Mumbai are the most expensive of the eight IPL franchises but have yet to win a game.

Bangladesh’s 62 against Sri Lanka was depressing but there have been much worse … here are the lowest team totals since World War Two

The Eden Park scoreboard tells a sorry tale © Cricinfo

26 – New Zealand v England Auckland, 1954-55
England took a first-innings lead of 46 in the second Test of the series, but on a far-from-difficult pitch, New Zealand were bundled to an innings defeat in 104 minutes. England’s pace attack of Frank Tyson and Brian Statham, the brisk seamers of Bob Appleyard and the spin of Johnny Wardle (who finished with 5-5-0-1) found little resistance, and once John Reid and Bert Sutcliffe, New Zealand’s two quality batsmen, had departed cheaply (Sutcliffe’s 11 was the only score in double figures) the rest folded. It was – and remains – the lowest Test total, beating South Africa’s two scores of 30 against England in 1984-95 and 1924.42 – New Zealand v Australia Wellington, 1945-46
New Zealand again, this time in their first Test against Australia (and their last for another 27 years). “It had been so wet in Wellington for a week before the scheduled start on March 29 that it was not feasible to mow the outfield,” Walter Hadlee, New Zealand’s captain, explained. “The pitch was saturated and a new one was cut out alongside the prepared one.” He won the toss, batted, and his side reached 37 for 2 on the stroke of lunch – then lost eight wickets for five runs. Naturally we are disappointed,” Hadlee said with all the understatement of those less media-savvy times. “We failed and that is all there is to be said.” It was the same story in the second innings, 54 all out and an innings defeat.

Geoff Arnold and Chris Old celebrate India’s rout © The Cricketer

42 – India v England Lord’s, 1974
A bizarre match. The first three days were hot and sunny, and midway through Saturday’s play India were 131 for 0 in reply to England’s 629. By the close, they had been bowled out for 302 and were 2 for 0 following on. “There are lots of runs left in the pitch,” wrote John Woodcock after the rest day. But the morning was overcast and the ball, which had done little, suddenly started moving significantly, both off the pitch and through the air. In Geoff Arnold and Chris Old, England had two bowlers ideally suited to the conditions. In 70 minutes Old took 5 for 21, Arnold 4 for 19 and India were routed. They only lost nine wickets as Chandrasakar was injured and so unable to bat, but it made little difference.46 – England v West Indies Port of Spain, 1993-94
England began this innings with a chance for victory. Their only solace by the end was that they had avoided their lowest Test score, by one run. The damage was done on the third evening. Mike Atherton fell lbw to the first ball of the innings, and the level of incompetence thereafter was best illustrated by Mark Ramprakash’s crass run-out to the fifth ball of the same over. It was downhill from then on and an hour later England closed on 40 for 8. “It was the worst hour of my life,” reflected Atherton, the situation made worse by the fact that England had been in control of the match throughout and needed just 194 to pull the series back to 2-1. In The Independent Martin Johnson wrote: “There were rumours that England’s sponsor Tetley Bitter would double its financial support if its name was removed from the team shirts.”47 – New Zealand v England Lord’s, 1958
Heavy overnight rain meant that New Zealand were caught on a drying pitch and against Jim Laker (4 for 13) and Tony Lock (5 for 17) they were almost clueless. Again, Reid and Sutcliffe were the main line of resistance, Sutcliffe’s dogged 18 the top score. Reid swished Lock into the Tavern Stand for six and then holed out to mid-on trying another big hit, Sutcliffe opted for defence, while Lock polished off the tail with 4 for 1 in 49 balls. New Zealand fared little better in their second innings, scoring 74, and with 22,000 in the ground and the match over by 3.30pm, the two sides played an exhibition match.

Steve Harmison celebrates on his way to 7 for 12 © Cricinfo

47 – West Indies v England Kingston, 2003-04
In the nine years since England’s humiliation at Port-of-Spain, West Indies cricket had gone into sharp decline, and from 13 for 0 early on the fourth day, they lost ten wickets for 34 runs. Steve Harmison shredded them with 7 for 12, and it seemed the side had hit a new low. It later emerged that West Indies had trained once in the five days leading up to the match, instead attending psychological sessions, ironically watching motivational videos of basketball legend Michael Jordan stressing the importance of practice. And as the post-mortems started, several West Indies players were found joining in parties in the stands.51 – West Indies v Australia Port of Spain, 1998-99
The moment when the reality of a decade of decline finally hit home. In the first Test West Indies were set an improbable 364 to win, but they never came close. Within an hour they had slumped to 16 for 5, and were left to claw their way past some of Test cricket’s most unwanted records, aided by nine overthrows gifted by the Australians. In 19.1 overs and 102 minutes, they were humiliated. “Cricket is my life,” Brian Lara, the captain, said afterwards. “I think it’s important that before I retire that I lead West Indies back on the way to the top.” He did his utmost for the rest of the series, which was eventually drawn 2-2 thanks to three Lara centuries of matchless brilliance. But the Trinidad debacle still lingered. “Afterwards there was some angry finger-pointing and heated words between players and officials, while the mercifully small crowd swarmed round the pavilion and shouted, `Fire them, fire them,’ to no-one in particular,” noted Paul Weaver in The Guardian. Others shouted `Rubbish’ to everyone in particular.

Unhappy reading from The Oval © Cricinfo

52 – England v Australia The Oval, 1948
The Times reported that England’s batting was deplorable while Australia’s bowling, fielding and catching was superb. In two hours and 25 minutes on a drying – but far from treacherous – Oval pitch England were blasted away by Ray Lindwall (6 for 19). Only Len Hutton, who opened the innings and was last man out for 30, showed any kind of technique. The next highest score was Norman Yardley’s 7. Australia found the going much easier and closed on 153 for 2, but the day is best remembered as the one on which Don Bradman was bowled for a second-ball 0 in his final Test innings.53 West Indies v Pakistan Faisalabad, 1986-87
Another West Indies low, but this one stands out as it came at a time they were the unchallenged world No. 1. In the opening Test they took a first-innings lead of 89 and were left chasing 240. But on a crumbling pitch Imran Khan blasted out both openers and then Abdul Qadir exploited the conditions to the full to take 6 for 16. It was West Indies’ third defeat in 54 Tests. They bounced straight back with an innings victory in the next Test.53 Pakistan v Australia Sharjah, 2002-03
Pakistan’s dismal effort came 24 hours after they had been bowled out for 59 in a ‘home’ match at Sharjah (sides refused to tour Pakistan in the aftermath of September 11). The conditions were uncomfortable – both days were played in sweltering heat – but that didn’t bother the Australians. Pakistan succumbed to “a feeble procession of wafts and drives” reported The Guardian. “It feels a little bit hollow I must admit,” said Steve Waugh, Australia’s captain, as he rubbed salt in a gaping wound. “You expect to work a little bit harder to win a Test but we’ll still take it.” It was the lowest two-innings total (112) in Pakistan’s 50-year Test history, and they were in effect defeated by Matthew Hayden’s 119. It was the fourth lowest match total by one team in Test history.54 New Zealand v Australia Wellington, 1945-46
54 West Indies v England Lord’s, 2000
54 Zimbabwe v South Africa Cape Town, 2004-05
Three scores tie for 11th. The first was the second innings of New Zealand’s first Test against Australia mentioned above. The second came on a remarkable second day at Lord’s where spectators saw all four innings of the match. England, replying to West Indies’ 267, were bowled out for 134, but the high fives had hardly finished before West Indies’ own second innings was falling apart at the seams. Andy Caddick bowled 13 overs unchanged from the Nursery End and took 5 for 16, including 5 for 7 in 9.5 overs after tea. West Indies made 54 and England went on to win a nail-biter by two wickets on the third evening. Zimbabwe’s score against South Africa was amassed in a little more than the first session at Cape Town, and by the close South Africa had underlined the massive gulf in class between the sides by scoring 340 for 3, a lead of 286. It broke the record for the biggest lead on a first day’s play in a Test match (England, 233 v Australia at Lords in 1896).

Rahul Dravid: setting up yet another classic win? © Getty Images

Amit Varma and S Rajesh discuss the second day of the Jamaica Test
Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”; 1.87 mb
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA
Audio length: 7.58 minsRahul Dravid has set up many of India’s greatest wins, such as at Headingley, Adelaide and Rawalpindi, but in each of those Tests other batsmen had also pitched in. In contrast, he’s virtually doing it alone at Jamaica, and his half-centuries here are worth big centuries at any other Test. Amit Varma and S Rajesh discuss what a monumental role Dravid is playing in this Test, as well as this is turning out to be such a low-scoring pitch – it’s not all about the pitch.Listen in.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”; 1.4 mb
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA

Adam Gilchrist’s elevation to the No.3 spot was a move discussed in the build-up to the tour, says John Buchanan© AFP

On losing two late wickets
We would’ve loved to have gone in just two down. But we do have a lead of 9, and six wickets in hand. And there are three quality batsmen left – [Damien] Martyn, [Darren] Lehmann and [Michael] Clarke. It will be a good test for them. We’ll be looking to establish a total that makes it difficult for India.On what he considered a total that Australia could defend in the fourth innings
Eight, and we’ve got nine (laughs). No, it’s very hard to set totals. Many recall that last time we played here when 160 was almost too many. We’d love to set them 250 or 300, but for that to happen, the batsmen need to do what [Mohammad] Kaif and [Parthiv] Patel did – get in and stay in. The objective is to get at least one decent partnership and have others play around that.On his team have coped with the oppressive heat and humidity
We’ve had good recovery procedures. And we’re certainly ahead of India in that we haven’t had a player get crocked yet.On employing a night-watchman
Stephen [Waugh] changed that, he wanted to demonstrate that the Australian team was different. Ricky [Ponting] has the same bent of mind, as does Adam [Gilchrist], but we will use night-watchmen if we need to. This evening, Jason survived with the aid of two glorious byes (smiles).On Gilchrist coming in at No.3
Let’s hope we can keep everyone guessing here in India. It was discussed in the build-up to the tour, and there was an option to move him up the order. It was a move supported by everyone, and he did really well, but unfortunately for us, he’s no longer at the crease.On whether the sameness of the pace attack might result in Brett Lee being given a go later in the series
This sameness you talk of brought us a stunning victory in Bangalore. During the break, we’ll reassess the situation to see where we’re at, and revisit the selection process. But I’m happy with the way the three quicks are going. They’ve been a foil of sorts and also penetrative, allowing Shane Warne his first five-wicket haul in India. Brett [Lee] is champing at the bit, like our other support players. But we’ll only decide once we get to Nagpur.On how the fielding let his side down
We made a number of errors yesterday. If we’d taken even 50% of those chances, I believe the two first-innings totals would have been comparable. We compounded the errors of the first day when we didn’t bat as we should have done.On whether the Indian tail’s defiance surprised him
We bat all the way down, the Indian players know how to handle the bat so it wasn’t a surprise at all. But whether they continue to be effective for the remainder of the series remains to be seen.

Shoaib Akhtar: vital battles ahead © AFP

And, finally, there is only the cricket. After a pre-tour build-up that almost counted as an entire tour in itself, weeks of diplomacy, goodwill, speculation, rumours and the inevitable war of words will be given a brief respite as some actual cricket is played at last.The Pakistan camp, no matter how much Inzamam-ul-Haq played down Pakistan A’s stunning victory over the Indians, will take heart not necessarily from the result, but from the manner of it. Defeats in inconsequential warm-up games rarely act as portents of things to come, but the ferocity of Taufeeq Umar and Imran Nazir’s assault on the Indian opening bowlers will ensure that some psychological ground will have been gained – not much, maybe, but definitely some. Javed Miandad, the coach, no stranger to taking advantage of the slightest of mental openings, will certainly not play down its significance.There will, in all likelihood, be some impact on the Pakistan line-up at Karachi. Shahid Afridi – who was not likely to play as an opener according to Wasim Bari some weeks ago – might well find himself in the front line against Zaheer Khan and co. tomorrow. In view of Inzamam’s claim that his side will hope to repeat the attacking policy adopted by the A team, this seems even more likely.The key to Pakistan’s performance will, as so often in recent years, lie in the bowling. Shoaib Akhtar, as well as being in destructive form in recent months, has been unusually quiet: the word is that his preparation for the series has been unusually intense and focused. The extent of his recovery from his World Cup mauling from Sachin Tendulkar will provide another intriguing aside in the mind-games stakes, although it probably won’t be as pivotal as has been trumpeted.That this series won’t just be the Shoaib-Tendulkar show is mainly down to the maturity of the supporting cast. India’s batting line-up, even without Tendulkar, is as strong as any in world cricket, and Pakistan’s bowling attack, while not as varied as it has been in recent years, is still destructive. The exploits of Shoaib and Mohammad Sami are becoming legendary, but the performance of Shabbir Ahmed, if he plays, will be crucial. While the extra pace of Sami and Shoaib can reap spectacular rewards or sow the seeds of disaster, Shabbir brings a steady, consistent, repetitive approach to his bowling – something that is vital in the one day game. Shabbir has been suffering from a mysterious finger injury, and although Miandad would only say that a decision on his inclusion would be taken on the morning of the match, Bari rated his chances of playing at about 70%.But, so often, it is the little things that make the difference in cricket: a no-ball here, a wide there, a stolen single here and a saved four there. India’s progress in the one-day game has been helped considerably by the improvement in their fielding, boosted by the presence in particular of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. But Pakistan, despite an indifferent showing in New Zealand, have improved their fielding beyond measure over the last year as well. Younger players, in the shape of Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Sami, have injected a vitality that will be further enhanced by the expected return of Afridi. Both Inzamam – himself a much-improved outfielder – and Miandad were keen to ensure that the down-under dip was a temporary one. They worked hard at the training camp on fielding skills, and other basics such as running between the wickets. Both were happy with the amount of work the squad put in.It is hard to argue against the popular notion that the series boils down to Pakistan’s bowling against the Indian batting. Both teams are young with old hands at the helm, while few players on either side have regular experience of playing against each other. Which side handles the pressure of playing the oldest of enemies better might well turn out to be the decisive factor in this long-awaited series.Pakistan (probable): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Shahid Afridi, 3 Yasir Hameed, 4 Yousuf Youhana, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Moin Khan (wk), 8 Shabbir Ahmed, 9 Saqlain Mushtaq, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad Sami.India (probable): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 SouravGanguly (capt), 4 Rahul Dravid (wk), 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Murali Kartik, 9 Irfan Pathan, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Central Districts will field an unchanged team for their penultimate round match of the State Championship against Northern Districts at Hamilton, starting tomorrow.The same 12 who played Otago in Invercargill last week have been selected. They are: Craig Spearman (captain), Jamie How, Peter Ingram, Glen Sulzberger, Greg Todd, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Bevan Griggs, Andrew Schwass, Michael Mason, Brent Hefford, Ewen Thompson.Central Districts shares third equal place in the competition with Northern Districts and Otago, well behind the competition leaders Auckland and Wellington who are on 32 and 31 points respectively.

Greg Blewett completed his third century of the season in the CricInfo Championship as Nottinghamshire achieved an historic seven-wicket victory over Worcestershire.Making 461 for 3 to clear a target of 458 with more than two sessions to spare, they achieved their highest fourth innings total to win a match in more than 100 years as members of the modern Championship.While Notts surpassed their previous record of 419 for 6 in beating Leicestershire at Trent Bridge in 1926, the home side lost to a 400-plus total for only the second time in their history. They had been beaten by an Essex fourth innings score of 405 for 6 in 1994.Notts went into the final morning at 367 for 2 on the back of successive century partnerships involving Darren Bicknell (104), John Morris (94), Blewett (99 not out) and Usman Afzaal, unbeaten on 63.With only 91 more runs required from the last eight wickets, their first task was to see off the new ball which represented Worcestershire’s last hope of redeeming a depressing bowling performance on the third day.But this threat was dismissed as Afzaal carved into anything loose from Alamgir Sheriyar and Andy Bichel. The left-hander added 25 in half-an-hour before he was lbw to Sheriyar for 88 in a stand of 145.Blewett continued at a steady pace until closing on 134 when Paul Johnson rounded off a brisk knock of 22 by pulling Philip Weston for four. The remaining runs were scored in 65 minutes today to wrap up a remarkable win in a game which began with 20 wickets on the first day.

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball-details1:06

Pakistan spin trio clean up Zimbabwe

Pakistan cruised to a 131-run win over Zimbabwe in the first one-day international at Harare Sports Club, the match following what has become a familiar script during this tour. Pakistan’s lower middle order rallied their side to a good score, and their spin attack, led by Yasir Shah’s 6 for 26, then systematically dismantled Zimbabwe’s line-up. Yasir’s haul was the second best by a Pakistan spinner, and the best ever by a spinner in Zimbabwe.Asked to bat first, Pakistan’s top order stumbled against a spirited Zimbabwean bowling effort before Mohammad Rizwan’s career-best 75 not out and Imad Wasim’s 61, which was his maiden international fifty, boosted the visitors to a challenging 259 for 6. Rizwan and Wasim had added 124 for the sixth wicket, but no Zimbabwean partnership came close to matching them as the hosts crumbled under sustained pressure.Once again, the batsmen struggled to rotate the strike and then inevitably offered Pakistan chances as they sought to ease the pressure with a big shot. The 35-run stand between Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza was the most substantial of the innings, and legspinner Yasir collected his first five-for in ODIs with Zimbabwe having no answer to his combination of turn, bounce and guile.Pakistan had been reduced to a wobbly 35 for 3 in the morning as Zimbabwe’s new-ball bowlers found seam and swing on a slightly resher wicket before Sarfraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik combined to take the score to 100. When they were both dismissed attempting to attack spin Zimbabwe surged once again, but Rizwan and Wasim weathered their best efforts.Rizwan marshalled Pakistan’s effort from the halfway mark of their innings, starting watchfully against Zimbabwe’s spinners before he broke free with what was perhaps the shot of the day; a checked loft off offspinner John Nyumbu that soared over long on. With Nyumbu, Graeme Cremer and Sean Williams all included in Zimbabwe’s XI, Rizwan faced spin for much of his innings. He certainly showed that he had the aptitude to counter these bowlers in helpful conditions, milking the gaps and finding the boundary with a sweep off Cremer and a deft late cut off Nyumbu.A particular feature of Rizwan’s stand with Wasim was their running between the wickets: something which had been highlighted as an area of concern for both teams after the Twenty20s. Eight twos came off Rizwan’s bat during their stand, while Wasim added seven. This ensured that the score kept ticking over even when boundaries were not forthcoming, and set the platform for Pakistan’s charge at the death.Pakistan added 88 runs in the last ten overs as the big hits became more frequent, with Rizwan bringing up a 61-ball fifty in the 46th over. Wasim brought up a maiden international fifty of his own two overs later, reaching the mark with a superb reverse sweep off Tinashe Panyangara. Wasim had been given a life thanks to Williams’ drop at long-on earlier in the over, and there was a ragged edge to Zimbabwe’s effort at the death. Tempers also flared in Panyangara’s final over, from which Pakistan plundered 22 runs, as the bowler took offence to what he saw as Rizwan’s intentional obstruction of his fielding efforts. The batsman stood his ground as Sikandar Raza played peacemaker, and closed the innings on an emphatic note with his second six, straight over the bowler’s head.Pakistan carried that bellicose attitude into the field, and both Zimbabwean openers were given a thorough working over with the new ball. Yet all 10 wickets fell to spin. Chamu Chibhabha averages 19.72 in matches in which he has been dismissed by a left-arm spinner, and has collected more ducks against this type of bowler than any other – three. He had opened his account by the time Wasim was brought on in the ninth over, but then fell immediately, trapped in front by the left-arm spinner’s first ball.Yasir then took centre stage, nipping one through the yawning gap between debutant Brian Chari’s bat and pad and skittling Hamilton Masakadza with a ball that kept a touch low and rushed on. Raza and Elton Chigumbura fell on the drive, failing to cover Yasir’s prodigious spin, while Richmond Mutumbami’s dismissal came via a stunning reflex catch, low to the ground, by Hafeez at slip. When Panyangara gloved one to slip Yasir had his sixth, and Zimbabwe had crashed from 101 for 4 to 128 all out.