Mohamed Salah and Egypt have learned their fate for the AFCON after the group stage draw for the 2025 tournament.

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AFCON 2025 groups drawnSalah's Egypt to face South AfricaLookman will be in action for NigeriaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Salah's Egypt have been drawn in Group B alongside South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe. The Pharaohs will begin their journey at the AFCON 2025 on December 22 against the Bafana Bafana, who eliminated 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco from the round of 16 in the last edition of the African competition.

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Meanwhile, current African Player of the Year and Atalanta star Ademola Lookman is set to line up for Nigeria against Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania in Group C. Nigeria lost in the final against the Ivory Coast in the last edition, but will be among the favourites to lift the trophy again with the likes of Lookman and Victor Osimhen leading the attack.

AFCON 2025 GROUP STAGE DRAW IN FULL

Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros

Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe

Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania

Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana

Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan

Group F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

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Morocco are all set to host the upcoming edition of the AFCON. This African nation are also set to co-host the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Arsenal could sign a future Spain mainstay in January, and it is believed he actually wanted to join them before summer deadline day.

Edu's rumoured Arsenal transfer plans for next year

By sporting director Edu Gaspar’s own admission, weeks of planning go into each Arsenal transfer window, including over 180 pages of homework on one particular player alone.

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The Brazilian did extensive background on Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Neto and Raheem Sterling before bringing them to the Emirates Stadium, and he’s reportedly underway with more preparations ahead of 2025.

“You can’t sign for the sake of signing. It has to be a process that takes weeks and weeks,” said Edu on Arsenal’s recruitment policy in an interview with Estadao earlier this year.

Leicester City (home)

September 28

Southampton (home)

October 5

Bournemouth (away)

October 19

Liverpool (home)

October 27

Newcastle United (away)

November 2

“On my desk, I have reports of over 180 pages on one player. It’s really detailed stuff. Physical, technical, mental profile, whether he has Premier League experience, whether he’ll be able to adapt. Everything. We analyse our deficiencies, where we can improve, where we can invest and then we go in search of that new name. We’ve been discussing what I’m going to do now since January. It’s not my decision or Mikel’s. It’s a group decision.”

It is believed that Arsenal are very keen to sign a prolific new striker next year, despite the form of Kai Havertz in a makeshift role. Arsenal are planning a potential bid for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, while Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres have also been linked very recently.

Arsenal planning January move for Joan Garcia

Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia, who agreed personal terms over a move to Arsenal in the summer (Fabrizio Romano), also remains a target – despite their acquisition of Neto on deadline day.

Reports earlier this week claimed that Arsenal are highly likely to bid for Garcia next year, with a report by El Periodico Mediterraneo sharing further news on the matter.

The Spanish news outlet, via Sport Witness, write that Arsenal could go back in for Garcia as early as January, which suggests just how highly Edu and Arteta rate the Spaniard considering they have Neto for the full season on loan from Bournemouth.

Garcia has started this season in fine form for the newly-promoted La Liga side, making an average of 4.67 saves per game so far, whilst conceding nine goals and keeping one clean-sheet.

“I like the personality he has, the style he has,” said ex-Espanyol keeper Kiko Casilla, who tipped Garcia to become Spain’s future star number one. “He is the future goalkeeper of Spain. He is the present of Espanyol and I hope he is also the future.”

The 23-year-old’s contract also includes a £26 million release clause, which may well be enticing from Arsenal’s point of view.

Following a disastrous start, Southampton chiefs have now reportedly taken a significant step behind the scenes that should be a cause for concern for current manager Russell Martin.

Russell Martin's Southampton future

With one point in their first seven Premier League, to say that the Saints are yet to re-adjust to life in the top-flight would be quite the understatement. As things stand, they’re on a crash course hurtling straight back to the Championship, with their 3-1 defeat against Arsenal last time out only adding to the woes of those watching on at St Mary’s.

Given that their only point so far has come against fellow newly-promoted side Ipswich Town though, Southampton’s next game against Leicester City after the international break represents a major chance to gain their first three points of the season in what could finally prove to be a turning point for their campaign.

The pressure is certainly on Martin to turn a sinking ship towards safety amid concerns that his style of play will only lead to the inevitable in the Premier League’s relegation scrap. Some at St Mary’s have even reportedly been concerned enough to take action.

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According to TeamTalk, Southampton chiefs have already started their search for candidates who could replace Martin, with the Saints’ next clash against Leicester seen as a can’t lose fixture if the manager wants to keep hold of his job. Suffer another defeat and Southampton are reportedly ready to axe the former Swansea City boss.

In a move that would see Martin secure the unwanted win in the Premier League’s sack race, just who Southampton would turn to next remains to be seen. It would, of course, be a make or break decision for their season.

Southampton must avoid Burnley repeat

A side sitting in the relegation zone whilst playing modern football that some will welcome as a brave step in the Premier League feels like an all too familiar story. In fact, if you cast your minds back to just last season, it is a narrative that Burnley fans lived through during Vincent Kompany’s tenure. Whilst the Belgian remained stubborn and the Clarets suffered relegation as a result, it was Kompany who reaped the rewards with a move to Bayern Munich.

Now, one season later, Southampton are arguably in a similar situation. And although it seems unlikely that Martin will be getting a move to the likes of Bayern anytime soon, his stubbornness has been incredibly similar to Kompany’s, which looks set to lead down a similar path for the Saints.

Unlike Burnley, however, those at St Mary’s don’t seem keen to wait around and watch on as their side take a modern, commendable yet failed approach on their way back to the Championship. Instead, they’re reportedly focusing on the results rather than the style, with Leicester seen as a must-win no matter how Southampton secure the points to only add to the drama after the international break.

A string of burglaries in London are being linked to sets from Ted Lasso, with a number of homes that featured on the show being raided by gangs

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• Show is set in south-west London
• Affluent area of the English capital
• Luxury properties being targeted

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Apple TV+ production, which is reportedly seeing a fourth series lined up, is set in the affluent Richmond Green area of the English capital. Four properties in that region of south-west London have been ransacked, leading to over £2 million ($2.5m) worth of valuables being taken.

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  The multi-million pound properties in question are all said to have featured on Ted Lasso, with one used as the home of AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Walton – who is played on screen by Hannah Waddingham. Another, worth £8m, belongs to chart-topping 'The Verve' musician Richard Ashcroft.

• WHAT A RESIDENT SAID

  A local resident has told : "You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out that someone from the gang probably watched the programme at some point. They must have realised the rich pickings to be had from the area."

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  Dan O’Sullivan, Temporary Detective Superintendent, said of the police investigation that has been opened: "We are aware of a number of burglaries in the Richmond Green area and are taking proactive steps to deter offenders and reassure residents. Enquiries are ongoing. It is believed that some of the break-ins may be linked."

Sunrisers Hyderabad have signed up 21-year-old Jammu & Kashmir medium-pacer Umran Malik as a “short-term Covid-19 replacement” for T Natarajan, who had to be placed in isolation after testing positive for the virus before the start of the team’s game against Delhi Capitals on September 22. Malik has been with the Sunrisers team as a net bowler in the UAE.Malik has played just one T20 and one List A game in the Indian domestic circuit, after making his debut for the state team earlier this year. The T20 game was against Railways in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he picked up 3 for 24 from his four overs in a seven-wicket loss for his team, while the List A appearance was in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Bengal, where he conceded 98 runs from his ten overs for one wicket as Jammu and Kashmir conceded 368 runs and lost by 82 runs.Under IPL guidelines, franchises are allowed to sign short-term replacement players during the absence of a regular squad member, so Malik will “only be a part of the Sunrisers side until Natarajan recovers and is allowed to join the team”, an IPL statement confirmed.Earlier this year, during the first leg of the IPL when it was played in India, bowling allrounder Shams Mulani became a short-term recruitment for the Delhi Capitals in similar circumstances when Axar Patel tested positive for Covid-19.Natarajan went into isolation along with six other members of the Sunrisers contingent – including allrounder Vijay Shankar and net bowler G Periyaswamy – who were identified as his close contacts on September 22. The game between Sunrisers and Capitals was, however, allowed to go ahead on schedule.All participants in the IPL had to quarantine for six days upon arriving in the UAE, and undergo testing every two days in the first week, and every fifth day from the second week. According to the guidelines in place for the IPL, anyone testing positive for Covid-19 must isolate for a minimum of ten days. They can then rejoin the team’s bubble after clearing two tests, on days nine and ten.This is the second time during the course of the two-part IPL 2021 that a Sunrisers player has tested positive for Covid-19. In May, wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha had to isolate for two weeks in Delhi after returning a positive test.

Four Tests, three ODIs and 14 T20Is part of a packed home schedule

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2021India are set to host New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa over the next nine months as part of the 2021-22 home season, for a total of four Tests, three ODIs and 14 T20Is spread from November 2021 to June 2022.Stretching a jam-packed home season to June is a rare occurrence considering it is month of extreme heat and the onset of monsoon in different parts of India. But it is a direct consequence of the IPL becoming a 10-team tournament from the 2022 edition as two new franchises will be announced in October by the BCCI.The home series announced were all part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the 2018-23 cycle, but the final schedule has come with one change: Sri Lanka will now play two Tests instead of three, as originally planned, and three T20Is in February-March 2022. The Tests will start on February 25 (Bengaluru) and March 5 (Mohali), and the three T20Is on March 13 (Mohali), March 15 (Dharamsala) and March 18 (Lucknow).The tours of New Zealand and West Indies remain as scheduled.Only three days after the T20 World Cup final on November 14 in Dubai, New Zealand will play the first T20I in Jaipur, followed by two more on November 19 (Ranchi) and 21 (Kolkata), and then the two Tests starting November 25 (Kanpur) and December 3 (Mumbai).ESPNcricinfo LtdWest Indies are slotted to play three ODIs on February 6 (Ahmedabad), February 9 (Jaipur) and February 12 (Kolkata) and as many T20Is, on February 15 (Cuttack), February 18 (Visakhapatnam) and February 20 (Thiruvananthapuram).Only five days after that series ends, Sri Lanka will play the first Test in Bengaluru.South Africa will play five T20Is in June 2022, covering for the ODIs that were abandoned last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. That three-match series had to be postponed after the first ODI in Dharamsala, which had been abandoned because of rain. The BCCI has now decided to replay that tour as a T20I series on June 9 (Chennai), June 12 (Bengaluru), June 14 (Nagpur), June 17 (Rajkot), and June 19 (Delhi).Between the Sri Lanka and South Africa series, the BCCI will also slot in the IPL, this time with 10 teams, which could further extend the duration of the tournament. Also, soon after New Zealand leave India in December, India are scheduled to tour South Africa for three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is; that tour will go on from December 17 to January 26, without taking travel and quarantine dates into account.The 14 T20Is and another T20 World Cup in Australia next year mean India’s next T20I captain after Virat Kohli will have his hands full. India will also play another three T20Is, along with as many ODIs, in England next summer.

With Russell Martin under pressure in the opening stages of the Premier League campaign, Southampton have reportedly added a rising young coach to their shortlist to replace their under pressure manager.

Martin under pressure at Southampton

Southampton were always set for a difficult task after earning promotion through the Championship play-offs last season, breaking Leeds United hearts at Wembley in the process. But that hasn’t stopped the doubt from creeping in at St Mary’s, with Saints chiefs already seemingly considering their manager’s future amid disagreements over his play style.

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In worryingly similar fashion to Burnley under Vincent Kompany last season, Martin deploys a high-risk system in the hope of earning the high rewards that are yet to really come to fruition. Mistakes playing out from the back in a 3-1 defeat against Brentford exposed the troubles that the Saints are facing in their current attempts to replicate the type of football played best by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side.

There’s quite the gulf in class between Martin’s side and Guardiola’s, however, with the former now running the risk of losing his job for the sake of sticking to his guns at St Mary’s, having dropped points from a winning position against Ipswich on Saturday courtesy of Sam Morsy’s incredible late equaliser.

According to Football Insider, Southampton have added John Eustace to their shortlist of options to replace Martin should they decide to part ways with the former Swansea City boss. Eustace, currently in charge of Blackburn Rovers, has enjoyed a solid start to the season and currently has his side on course for a season away from relegation trouble and perhaps even back among the fight for a play-off place.

Martin is someone who knows all about Eustace’s quality, having never managed to beat the 44-year-old with three games featuring a draw between Blackburn and Southampton last season, a 4-3 victory for Birmingham City over Martin’s Swansea side and a 2-2 draw.

"Solid" Eustace lacks Premier League experience

Whilst Eustace has enjoyed success at Birmingham and is now guiding Blackburn back to better things in the Championship, Southampton cannot afford to be taking a risk on a manager who has never taken charge of a Premier League game. They’re already full of doubt over Martin’s ability to guide them to safety in his first top-flight campaign, so Eustace may only discover the same problems.

That said, Eustace’s time should one day come in England’s top tier, having been dubbed “solid” by HLTCO after Birmingham shocked the rest of the Championship by parting ways with their manager despite competing for a play-off place. Of course, all it takes is one look at the Blues’ relegation to League One since sacking Eustace to realise both his quality and their major mistake.

Still looking to take Manchester United back to their best, Sir Jim Ratcliffe now reportedly wants to tap into a new market to sign an exciting future star for the Red Devils.

Man Utd transfer news

Despite so many positives in the summer transfer window, Manchester United’s season has been full to the brim with moments to forget ever since the market slammed shut. Even after arrivals such as Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte, Erik ten Hag has still failed to get the right tune out of his side, who have made the worst start to the season in the club’s Premier League history.

Making unwanted records, the pressure is on Ten Hag to turn things around after the international break when his side square off against Brentford at Old Trafford and then travel to face Jose Mourinho and Fred’s Fenerbahce in a narrative that all but writes itself.

Survive those games and the Dutchman may just get the chance to turn his attention towards 2025 and welcoming further reinforcements and turn things around once and for all at Old Trafford. Whether it’s Ten Hag or another name, meanwhile, INEOS look set to shift their focus to a new area of the market.

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According to Ben Jacobs for GiveMeSport, Ratcliffe now wants to tap into the South American market to sign Kaua Elias from Fluminense ahead of Fulham and Everton in 2025. The Brazilian side reportedly value their young striker at €30m plus add ons (£25m+) in what could be the only stumbling block between a move to Old Trafford and staying put at Fluminense.

Elias would follow a long list of South American talent to complete a move to the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Gabriel Martinelli, Alexis Mac Allister, Murillo and more over the years.

"Fantastic" Elias could become Hoijlund partner

There’s no doubt that Manchester United needed to add some youthful exuberance to their frontline for some time, with the likes of Anthony Martial beginning to become detrimental to Ten Hag’s side more than anything. And Ratcliffe seemed well aware of that in the summer, welcoming Joshua Zirkzee to partner the already-signed Rasmus Hoijlund, who enjoyed a promising debut campaign.

Now, the new owner can continue that trend by signing Elias and completing a fresh attacking trio at Old Trafford. The 18-year-old has already been making his mark on senior football too, scoring six goals and assisting another two for Fluminense this season to earn the praise of South American football expert Nathan Joyes, who dubbed the teenager “fantastic”.

Tapping into a new market and one that has brought so much success around the Premier League, Manchester United look set to continue their positive strides away from the disappointing action taking place on the pitch during Ten Hag’s tenure.

Celtic went into the international break off the back of a 2-1 win over Ross County in Dingwall after coming from behind in the Scottish Premiership fixture.

They found themselves 1-0 down at the break after a penalty, thanks to a handball from Liam Scales, was converted by Ronan Vale for the hosts.

Brendan Rodgers’ side rallied in the second half, though, and right-back Alistair Johnston was pivotal to their comeback, scoring the equaliser and assisting the winner from Nicolas Kuhn.

Appearances

7

Goals

2

Big chances created

4

Assists

2

Duel success rate

61%

As you can see in the table above, the Canada international has enjoyed a stunning start to the 2024/25 campaign in the league for the Hoops so far, with his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals.

The 26-year-old star will now be hoping to maintain his impressive run of form for as long as possible to help his side to win plenty of trophies this season.

He has, as proven by his performances this term, been a fantastic signing at right-back for Celtic. There have been a fair few flops in that position for the Scottish giants, however, and one of them was Moritz Bauer.

Mortiz Bauer's time with Celtic

In the summer of 2019, Neil Lennon swooped to sign the 26-year-old right-back on a season-long loan deal from Championship side Stoke City.

It was reported by The BBC that the Bhoys had an option to make the move permanent in the summer of 2020, although it was not revealed how much that would have cost them.

He had joined the Potters midway through the 2017/18 campaign and made 15 appearances in the Premier League, as they were relegated from the top-flight, before featuring in just eight matches in the second tier the following season.

Alarm bells may have been ringing when Bauer admitted in his first interview that he is “not the most talented” player, although he added that his “hard work” makes up for it.

The Austrian defender went on to play just 13 matches in all competitions for the Premiership giants during the 2019/20 campaign on loan at Parkhead, with nine of those appearances coming in the league.

Bauer was also an unused substitute on 16 occasions in all competitions that term, as Jeremie Frimpong emerged as the first-choice option at right-back.

Ultimately, Celtic opted against triggering their option to sign the Stoke loanee permanently, and he moved on from Glasgow at the end of that season, with just 13 games for the club in total.

Things could have been so different for the Hoops, though, if they had landed one of their alternative targets to Bauer in the summer of 2019 – Reece James.

Celtic's interest in Reece James

Ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, a transfer document that detailed a number of the club’s targets for the summer transfer window in 2019 was leaked.

Versatile Chelsea defender Reece James was one of the names on the list, as the Scottish giants were keen on bringing him to Parkhead to bolster Lennon’s squad.

It did not specify whether they were keen on a loan or a permanent deal for the English youngster, who had just spent the season on loan with Wigan Athletic in the Championship.

Appearances

45

Goals

3

Big chances created

12

Assists

3

Duel success rate

59%

As you can see in the table above, James, who was deployed at right-back and in central midfield, caught the eye with 12 ‘big chances’ created in 45 league appearances in the English second tier.

He had yet to make his senior bow for Chelsea and Celtic may have felt as though they had a chance of luring him to the Premiership to continue his development in Scotland, whether that was on loan for a year or on a long-term basis.

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Ultimately, however, the Blues appointed Frank Lampard as their new head coach and he decided to integrate James, alongside the likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, and Fikayo Tomori, into the first-team in the 2019/20 campaign, which meant that he was not available to the Hoops – or any other club – in 2019.

Reece James' current market value

At the time of writing (11/10/2024), the 24-year-old star is valued at a whopping €35m (£29m) by Transfermarkt, having been worth €7m (£6m) in the summer of 2019 when Celtic were interested in signing him.

James, who was once hailed as a “brilliant” player who has “everything” by Ian Wright, went on to play 37 games for Chelsea in all competitions during the 2019/20 campaign, including six matches in the Champions League.

He followed that up with five assists in 47 outings in all competitions the following season, with ten games in the Champions League on the club’s way to winning the competition.

To date, James has produced 11 goals and 22 assists in 158 appearances for the Blues in his senior career at Stamford Bridge, since the Hoops were interested in signing him just over five years ago.

Unfortunately, though, the England international has also missed a staggering 119 competitive matches for club and country through injury in that time, as he has consistently struggled to remain fit and available for a significant length of time. In the last three full seasons, James has been absent for at least 20 games.

Despite his injury woes, the 24-year-old gem has been capped 16 times by England and his current market value being £29m still shows that he has enjoyed a terrific career since his loan at Wigan in the Championship.

James has established himself, when fit, as a top player and a valuable asset in the Premier League, and he still has plenty of years left ahead of him to get over his injury issues and truly flourish as a consistent and regular performer for Chelsea at the top level.

Despite his fitness problems, Celtic will surely still regret not signing the defender in the summer of 2019 and landing Bauer instead, as James has gone on to soar in value whilst the Stoke loanee struggled at Parkhead.

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There was no thriller in the repeat of the 2016 T20 World Cup final, as West Indies played low-percentage cricket on a difficult pitch to be bowled out for 55, a target England had to work reasonably hard to overhaul, losing four wickets and taking 8.2 overs. Between them, England spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid bowled 6.2 overs for 19 runs and took six wickets.That it wasn’t extremely easy for England while chasing will make West Indies question their approach – they lost nine of their 10 wickets looking to hit a four or a six, 59 of the 86 balls they faced were dots, and they made no attempt to rebuild after losing early wickets. On flat pitches, there is nothing wrong with this approach, but will these pitches make West Indies play differently?Whether West Indies aimed too high and fell too short, or they didn’t trust themselves to bat at a run a ball for five or six overs without taking risks is something we will get to know if they are caught batting first on a difficult pitch again in this tournament.Moeen with the new ballIn a highly tactical first few plays, England opened the bowling with Moeen. They had two things working for them: West Indies had four left-hand batters in their top six, and Lendl Simmons had gotten out to offspin in the warm-up game. Evin Lewis ruined a tidy first over by hitting the last ball for a six, but he fell to an exceptional catch by Moeen running back in the next over after he had miscued a well-disguised Chris Woakes slower ball.In the next over, Simmons repeated his dismissal to Mohammad Nabi as he found deep midwicket to perfection, off Moeen. Chris Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer tried to counterattack, which can’t be faulted much because maximising powerplays has been key to setting good scores on these pitches. Hetmyer, though, found mid-on as he looked to hit a third boundary in Moeen’s third over.Bowling for the first time in international cricket since May 2018, Tymal Mills then got rid of Gayle with a sharp short ball, making it 31 for at the end of the powerplay.

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Wickets keep fallingThis is usually a time when many T20 sides start to look to rebuild but West Indies kept coming at England. This could perhaps be a response to their not being able to score singles or because they felt singles were not going to get them to a fighting score. Dwayne Bravo, promoted to break the left-hand batters in the middle without sacrificing Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell at the death, failed to keep a cut down a ball after he had hit an upper-cut for four. Nicholas Pooran fell to a big drive with an open face. The ball did just enough to take the edge. West Indies were 42 for 6 in the ninth.Rashid runs through the restRashid was introduced in the 11th over with Pollard and Russell in the middle. Finally, now, it seemed West Indies were eschewing big shots and taking whatever they could get by batting 20 overs. Russell even provided a forward-defensive to Rashid, but he spun the wrong’un through the gap to make it 44 for 7. In Rashid’s next over, Pollard was beaten in the flight as he looked for a six, and hit the wrong’un straight to long-on. Obed McCoy tried to hit a six first ball and holed out. Ravi Rampaul resisted for a while but was bowled trying to slog-sweep in Rashid’s next. Rashid’s figures at the end read: 2.2-0-2-4.The chaseIt wasn’t all that easy to bat even though England didn’t have a big target to chase. They had the net run-rate on their mind, which is why they kept sending in attacking batters, but nobody could bat at much higher than a run a ball. When they tried to force the pace, they got out, losing four wickets before they got to the target in 8.2 overs. Jos Buttler played 22 balls for his 24 runs, but it was enough to take the team home.