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A round-up of the One-Day National Cup Division Two matches

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2012Group A
United Bank Limited opened their One-Day National Cup campaign with a crushing victory against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in Lahore. United Bank’s bowlers put in an impressive collective performance to dismiss SNGPL for 123 in 46.3 overs. Khurram Shehzad top scored with 42 for SNGPL, while Shabbir Shmed took 2 for 8 in 6.3 overs for United Bank. There was a hiccup during the chase, with United Bank slipping to 63 for 3, but Saad Sukhail scored an unbeaten 48 and Mohammad Sami made 35 to lead their team to a seven-wicket victory in 30 overs.Peshawar Panthers beat Lahore Lions by four wickets after a tight contest at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Chasing 162, Peshawar were never going to be pressed by the asking-rate, but they lost wickets and slipped to 89 for 5. Their captain Akbar Badshah, however, scored an unbeaten 40 and wicketkeeper Gauhar Ali made a brisk 47, adding 72 runs for the sixth wicket. The target was eventually achieved with 49 balls to spare. When Lahore had batted, all five of Peshawar’s bowlers took wickets to dismiss them for 161 in 42 overs. Eight Lahore batsmen got into double figures but only Farhan Asghar (36) made it past 20.Group B
A century from Behram Khan and a five-for from Tabish Khan helped Karachi Zebras rout Multan Tigers by 201 runs at the National Stadium. Behram opened the innings for Karachi and scored 129 off 118 balls. He was supported by Saeed Bin Nasir, who made 57, but the rest of the batsmen failed. Karachi slipped from 209 for 2 and were dismissed for 265. Multan’s innings suffered from run-outs in the top order and Tabish in the middle order. Three batsmen were run out before Tabish ripped through the line-up and finished with figures of 5 for 28. Multan were shot out for 64 in 18.3 overs.A solid all-round performance from Lahore Eagles set up a six-wicket victory against Hyderabad Hawks with 33 balls to spare at the Niaz Stadium. Asif Raza and Mohammad Irfan led the bowling effort, taking 2 for 34 and 3 for 36 respectively to limit Hyderabad to 215 for 8. Several Hyderabad batsmen made starts but Ayaz Jamali and Ghulam Yasin’s 41 was the best score. Half-centuries from Muzaffar Mahboob and Abid Ali led Lahore’s chase and the target was achieved in 44.3 overs.

Shahid Afridi has said he is “strong, fit and in good shape” to come back from the “wild period” he spent out of the Pakistan limited-overs sides due to his conditional retirement

Umar Farooq03-Nov-2011Shahid Afridi has said he is “strong, fit and in good shape” to come back from the “wild period” he spent out of the Pakistan limited-overs sides due to his conditional retirement.Afridi had made himself available for selection after Zaka Ashraf succeeded Ijaz Butt as PCB chairman and was named on Wednesday in the ODI and Twenty20 squads for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE. His selection came hours after he met with Ashraf in Lahore.”I found Zaka a very cooperative person,” Afridi said. “Though he is not a cricketer, I feel he can understand cricketers’ problems and is good at managing things. I feel he will do the best for the interests of cricket in the country.”Afridi last played for Pakistan in the West Indies in May, when he had a public falling-out with the coach Waqar Younis. He was replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq as captain in the limited-overs formats, after which he announced his retirement, saying that he would not play for Pakistan under that administration. Waqar subsequently resigned as coach after the tour of Zimbabwe and Butt ended his term as PCB chairman in October, clearing the way for Afridi’s comeback. Afridi said he still had “a lot to offer”.”It’s obviously very tough to be out in such a manner. It indeed was a very difficult time and I am happy that I am back,” Afridi said. “I am strong, fit and in good shape to cover the wild period I had lost during the time of retirement.”I was well supported by the seniors in the team and also by Misbah, which is really good. Now I am ready to contribute in the team as a senior player.”Afridi had wasted no time in pushing his case, requesting a meeting with Zaka on the day the new PCB chairman took office. The selectors, too, wasted little time in picking the allrounder.”I met with Afridi before his selection and we had a positive meeting,” interim chief selector Mohammad Ilyas said. “He is like a son to me and I believe his selection isn’t unfair.”Though he hasn’t played international cricket for five months, Afridi has not been short of match practice. He played for Hampshire in the Friends Life t20 in England. “I am not rusty at all as I kept myself busy playing cricket,” he said. “I am focusing on maintaining my all-round abilities. I had a successful county stint, which gave me ample confidence of doing well in both departments.”

Alviro Petersen made a memorable return to Test cricket, while Jacques Kallis enjoyed his new-found batting freedom as South Africa made a merry mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl first at Newlands

The Report by Nitin Sundar03-Jan-2012Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlviro Petersen and Jacques Kallis made a mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl•Associated PressAlviro Petersen made a memorable return to Test cricket, and Jacques Kallis enjoyed his new-found batting freedom as South Africa made a merry mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl at Newlands. Kallis had a sense of occasion, converting his 114-ball century into a 150-plus score in his 150th Test. His first ton against Sri Lanka, and his first in a year, was all the more significant since it silenced murmurs of failing form following the first pair of his glittering career, in Durban.Kallis’ century reaffirmed his love affair with Cape Town, a venue where he now has nine Test hundreds and over 2000 runs. But one man who might be happier with his day’s work is Petersen, whose fluency during his second Test ton glossed over the fact that he was returning to the side after a year. The pair’s dominance yielded 205 runs in under 50 overs, and negated any advantage Sri Lanka had gained from Dhammika Prasad’s early breaches.Regardless of the ease with which South Africa progressed, there was merit in Sri Lanka’s call to bowl; their historic win in Durban did not mask their problems against pace and bounce, and was founded upon South Africa’s own abject batting display. Dilshan’s decision shielded his weaker suit, and gave his seamers the mandate to attack South Africa in marginally helpful weather. He was, however, let down by a sketchy plan of action, and conditions that quickly played into the batsmen’s hands. Sri Lanka were too full in the first hour, too short in the second, and all over the place in the afternoon, before tightening their act after tea.Smart stats

Jacques Kallis became the sixth player overall and the first South African to feature in 150 Tests. Among South African players, Mark Boucher is next with 144 matches.

Following his first pair in the Durban Test, Kallis scored his 41st century in his 150th Test. It is also his first century against Sri Lanka. Among batsmen with 10000-plus runs, Kallis has the highest average (56.98).

In the course of his innings, Kallis passed 2000 runs in Cape Town. He becomes only the third player after Mahela Jayawardene and Graham Gooch to score 2000-plus runs at a particular venue.

Kallis’ present strike rate of 73.95 is his third-highest for a 100-plus score. The highest is 74.44 during his 201 against India in Centurion in 2010.

Alviro Petersen, making his comeback, scored his second century in his 10th Test. He has now scored 681 runs at an average of 37.83.

The 205-run stand between Kallis and Petersen is the third-highest third-wicket stand for South Africa in Cape Town since their readmission. It is also South Africa’s best third-wicket stand against Sri Lanka.

Rangana Herath was the most economical bowler conceding just 63 runs off his 26 overs. The remaining bowlers conceded 282 runs in 64 overs (economy rate 4.40).

In between-times, though, Prasad managed to hit the in-between lengths. His ability to ramp the pace up to 140 kph – a rare feat in an attack missing Dilhara Fernando – earned him success against Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. Both batsmen began well, but perished to familiar failings – Smith chopped on while attempting a reckless cut, and Amla was trapped in front as he walked across the stumps. Amla consulted with Petersen, and rightly chose not to review the decision. That wasn’t the only instance of Petersen’s solid judgement in his comeback innings.A couple of early drives down the ground and a nudge through square leg signalled that Petersen had carried his domestic form into the big league. Thereafter, he built steadily, before summoning the spirit to thrash Prasad over square leg for a six. He brought up his fifty with a brace of boundaries against Thisara Perera, before receding into the background.Kallis came out throwing punches in all directions, reminiscent of his half-century against Australia in the recent Johannesburg Test. He nearly pulled his fourth ball straight to fine-leg, where Chanaka Welegedara inexplicably didn’t go for the catch. Another pull off Angelo Mathews spiralled towards midwicket and landed safe. Encouraged, Mathews persisted with the short stuff, and Kallis pounded him into pulp with a raft of murderous pulls in front of square. Sri Lanka had missed their chance to nip him out early, and Kallis proceeded to enjoy himself.Sri Lanka’s discipline faltered dramatically after lunch. The early-morning moisture had evaporated, and with it all traces of sideways movement. Kallis rushed to his fifty off just 42 balls, and went on to expose their lack of pace, and Rangana Herath’s lack of spin on the first-day surface. A 21-over phase without a single maiden suggested Sri Lanka’s afternoon could not get any worse, but it did when they wasted both their reviews in desperation.Petersen’s signature shot was easily the straight drive, a shot he executed with an assured forward step and exemplary timing. Kallis, on the other hand, went on to produce shots of immense beauty in every direction. The punchy pulls gave way to picture-perfect cover drives and sublime straight hits, but the stroke that stood out was an astonishing whipped on-drive from the line of off stump when Thisara Perara was looking to angle one across defensively.That shot came after Petersen’s fall, sucked into an uppish drive by a Welegedara slower ball. The run-rate dropped below four for the first time in the 66th over, with de Villiers struggling to deal with Welegedara’s offcutters. Having batted out of his comfort zone all day, Kallis seamlessly shifted into accumulation mode and chugged past 150. The stand was worth 86 by stumps, leaving Sri Lanka wondering if they had lost the Test even before it had started.

A disciplined Deccan Chargers lifted themselves from near the basement of the IPL table to fourth place with an important win over fellow strugglers Delhi Daredevils

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran19-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sunny Sohal was Man of the Match for his 62 off 41 balls•AFPA disciplined Deccan Chargers lifted themselves from near the basement of the IPL table to fourth place with an important win over fellow strugglers Delhi Daredevils on a slow-and-low track at Feroz Shah Kotla. Their stand-out performers were not the marquee names but unsung opener Sunny Sohal and medium-pacer Harmeet Singh, playing his first match of the season.Sohal put on a powerful partnership with Kumar Sangakkara to seemingly set Deccan on their way to their highest total of the tournament, but Delhi shackled them in the second half of the innings to keep them to a more-manageable 168. Harmeet, however, removed two of Delhi’s three lethal hitters cheaply to swing the game in Deccan’s favour.Deccan began brightly with a beautiful Sohal cover drive for four off the first ball, and Shikhar Dhawan belted two more boundaries in the over. Delhi hit back as Irfan Pathan had Dhawan chopping on, but that brought together Sangakkara and Sohal, who put together Deccan’s best passage of play in a 92-run stand.Sangakkara was his usual elegant self, timing the ball wonderfully as he cut and drove the loose deliveries on offer. He was at his most punishing against the spinners, welcoming Shahbaz Nadeem’s left-arm spin with a six over midwicket, and two more leg-side boundaries. Yogesh Nagar, playing his first game of the season, was also taken for two extra cover boundaries. Both times Sangakkara teased Morne Morkel on the boundary, making him dive to his left, and then to his right; but both times the ball eluded the fielder.Sohal also didn’t play a typical brute-force Twenty20 innings. His 62 was sprinkled with dabs to third man and clever glides past fine leg, besides some textbook drives. It was only once he reached his half-century that he brought out the big shots, smashing Morkel for a six near the sightscreen and then blasting him through the covers.At 103 for 1 after 11 overs, even 200 was within Deccan’s sights. Ashok Dinda, though, had Sangakkara miscuing to cover, where he was taken by a back-pedalling Aaron Finch, and another smart catch from Finch sent back Sohal a couple of overs later. Though the big-hitters, Cameron White and Dan Christian, were at the crease, Deccan couldn’t maintain the pace. There were only three boundaries in the final six overs as Delhi squeezed the runs with some accurate bowling.Delhi would have been satisfied at the halfway stage, and soon the home crowd was at its most vocal as Virender Sehwag unleashed three successive fours off the second over of Delhi’s chase. The strong start was undone by Harmeet, who removed Sehwag and Finch in his first two overs, with Christian nipping out Naman Ojha in between.The Delhi innings was a stop-start affair, with bursts of big scoring sandwiching prolonged quiet spells. David Warner and Venugopal Rao muscled 30 runs off two overs to get to 71 for 3 after nine and revive Delhi hopes, but the return of Dale Steyn and the introduction of Amit Mishra choked the runs.On a track providing turn, and where shot-making was becoming difficult, Venugopal fell to a superbly judged, leaping overhead catch by Christian at long-off, and Warner’s less-than-fluent innings ended with a slog to deep midwicket in the 15th over. Delhi’s slender hopes now rested on Irfan Pathan and James Hopes but neither could get going and despite Yogesh Nagar’s cameo, Deccan coasted to victory.

Pakistan are hoping to invite Afghanistan to take part in their next domestic Twenty20 tournament, likely to be held in September-October this year

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2011Pakistan are hoping to invite Afghanistan to take part in their next domestic Twenty20 tournament, likely to be held in September-October this year.The tournament, according to the PCB’s domestic head Sultan Rana, will be the calendar’s full version with all 11 regions (and 13 teams as Karachi and Lahore have two teams) involved, unlike the recently-concluded Super Eight T20 which involved just the top eight sides of the country. If it goes ahead as scheduled it will be the third domestic T20 tournament held in one calendar year, an indication of just how popular the format is.”We are aiming to organise the next one in September and we’ll have all the regions in it, as well as hopefully Afghanistan,” Rana told ESPNcricinfo. In May Afghanistan became the first international side to tour Pakistan since the 2009 terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. They played a series of three 50-over games against the Pakistan ‘A’ side, losing all three.As with the Super Eight, the tournament will be held away from the bigger centres of Karachi and Lahore, where all the previous T20s had been held, in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad instead. “The response we got from the crowds in Faisalabad was so good that we feel it will be good to again go to the smaller centres and host it there,” Rana said. “We were missing a few crowd-pullers for the event and yet we still managed excellent crowds.”Evening games and the semi-finals and final at Iqbal Stadium were jam-packed through the week-long event, crowds coming in despite a nominal ticket charge for entry (in previous tournaments in Lahore and Karachi entry was free). “I don’t think we could’ve asked for more from the event,” Rana said. “We’re most satisfied as far as the operations and execution of the event went and in this case, the local district government and security forces did really well.”The tournament also managed to pull in private sector sponsorship for each of the eight sides and Rana hopes that development can be built upon. “That was particularly pleasing for us,” he said. “The market here is not as developed as it is in other cricket-playing countries but this was an indication that things can be improved. People are willing to take it on and I think the sponsors got great coverage out of it for themselves as well.”We’ve received calls from people around the world about how much they enjoyed the tournament. Cricket is the only uniting force in this country and this format provides so much entertainment to fans here, it gives them something to cheer about, so we’re really pleased with the results.”

Holland, conquerors of Yorkshire and Derbyshire in their first two ClydesdaleBank 40 games this season, went within two runs of making it a remarkable treblebefore Middlesex clung to their 100% record at Lord’s

01-May-2011
Scorecard
Holland, conquerors of Yorkshire and Derbyshire in their first two ClydesdaleBank 40 games this season, went within two runs of making it a remarkable treblebefore Middlesex clung to their 100% record at Lord’s.The Dutch appeared to be out of the game when Middlesex, put in to bat on apitch with an invitingly short boundary on the grandstand side, set them atarget of 287 but they almost got there in an incredible finish.Wesley Barresi and Tom Cooper got them going with a second-wicket partnershipof 44 in six overs and Cooper put on 126 in 16 overs with Tom de Grooth for thefourth and an unbroken 66 with Mudassar Bukhari.In the end, Bukhari needed three off the last ball from Tim Murtagh to win thegame but he hit it straight to cover and managed only a single. Cooper was leftunbeaten on 126 off 100 balls with 13 fours and a six, while Bukhari finished on36 off 18 balls.Middlesex were full of confidence after winning their first three championshipmatches as well as their opening 40-over game and it showed as Scott Newman andDawid Malan led the way with an opening partnership of 120 in 19 overs.Newman, playing with great freedom, hit 73 off 66 balls including 14 foursbefore he pulled Michael Swart to square leg and Malan had accelerated to 90 off85 balls with eight fours and a six when he was caught on the midwicket boundaryoff Pieter Seelaar.Paul Stirling had joined Malan in a second-wicket stand of 88 in 11 overs, theyoung Irishman improvising impishly to make 45 off 39 balls with six fours untilShane Mott had him brilliantly caught by Cooper, who had taken over thewicketkeeping gloves from Barresi when he damaged a finger taking a wide fromBerend Westdijk.Gareth Berg and Tom Scollay both went cheaply but Neil Dexter and Ollie Raynerpicked up 29 from the last two overs, with Rayner hitting the last three ballsfor four, to lift Middlesex to an imposing total of 286 for five.It looked like being too tall an order for the Dutch but Middlesex had reckonedwithout Cooper, De Grooth – who made 58 off 50 balls with four fours and a six -and Bukhari and were forced to come through a grandstand finish.

Edgbaston, Old Trafford or Chester-le-Street. Where will the Championship pennant be flying next season?

Andrew McGlashan11-Sep-2011Edgbaston, Old Trafford or Chester-le-Street. Where will the Championship pennant be flying next season? We’ll know by Thursday evening, but at the start of the final round of matches it’s too close to call after Lancashire’s last-gasp victory against Hampshire closed the gap on leaders Warwickshire to three points.However, Warwickshire remain favourites – if only just – with their narrow advantage meaning that if they win and take 22 points from their match at Southampton (a mark that will be reached by getting three batting points and a full bowling allocation in a victory) that title will be theirs regardless of what happens elsewhere. That, though, is far tighter than it would have been if Simon Kerrigan hadn’t taken his ninth wicket late on Saturday afternoon.If Lancashire and Warwickshire finish level on points the Championship will be Lancashire’s for the first time in 77 years because they have the better head-to-head record. It was the same tie-breaker that handed Nottinghamshire the prize ahead of Somerset last season. Title challenges really do come down to the odd point here and there; such small margins as a slow over-rate here or a missed bowling point there at the end of a marathon 16 matches.After events at the weekend Durham are a distant third favourites as they need favours at Southampton and Taunton. However, they have recent experience of winning titles and when they secured their maiden Championship in 2008 it was after Nottinghamshire bottled their challenge in the final round. Funny things happen when the pressure is on, so all Durham can do is go out and beat Worcestershire convincingly.Whoever takes the title will deserve it. Warwickshire have a strong batting line-up and seam-bowling unit, Lancashire have a blend of youth, experience and belief while Durham have a deep squad that enables them to compete without Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett. Warwickshire (2004) and Durham (2008, 2009) have Championship titles that the current generation can remember, but Lancashire have, literally, waited a lifetime since their last outright success in 1934.”It’s a great game to be involved in and we’ve earned the right to be there,” Peter Moores, the Lancashire coach, said of the trip to Taunton. “Winning nine games in a season is a lot, bouncing back time and time again both during games and now after that Worcestershire defeat which was a tough one. By hook or by crook we find a way to stay in most games and we did it again [at Aigburth]. All the way through someone has come up with something. We’ll go there looking forward to it.”It’s a very different story for the other Roses county. At the bottom of the table Yorkshire are all-but relegated, despite their victory against Somerset at Headingley, and their fate will be confirmed if Worcestershire get one point against Durham while they can also condemn Hampshire if they score seven points.There is still a bun fight to see who will replace the two teams that do head down. Northamptonshire, for so long the frontrunners in Division Two, have slipped badly in the final month of the season. Middlesex now sit top and are well placed to go up especially as they face bottom team Leicestershire. Surrey, however, are the form side and have peaked at the right time while Northamptonshire face Gloucestershire who are also in the mix with nine points separating second to fourth place. It’s a week to keep that table handy.

Joe Gelhardt is likely to attract interest and could leave Elland Road if Leeds United are relegated, according to The Telegraph (via MOT Leeds News).

The lowdown

Leeds paid £900,000 to sign Gelhardt from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2020, committing him to a four-year contract. He’s gone to make 18 first-team appearances for the club, and 28 at Under-23 level.

The striker scored what could prove to be a crucial goal against Norwich City in March, snatching all three points for Leeds in the 94th minute.

Jesse Marsch’s side are battling to avoid demotion to the Championship two seasons after their Premier League return.

They’re currently two points ahead of 18th-place Everton, but the Toffees do have a game in hand.

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The latest

Journalist Mike McGrath writes (via MOT Leeds News) that it would be ‘foolish’ to think that clubs would not consider a move for Gelhardt if Leeds drop.

He would also expects opportunistic suitors to present themselves for Raphinha, Illan Meslier, Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips.

A number of contracts at Leeds include relegation release clauses, but it’s unclear if that applies to Gelhardt.

The verdict

Gelhardt may feel that he should have had more opportunities for Leeds’ senior side. He’s featured in 16 Premier League matches this season, but only two of those have been starts.

That’s despite the fact that Bamford has only been fit for ten games as a result of injuries. But he should think twice about leaving, even if Leeds fall to the second tier.

If another club does snap up Bamford, the manager may be willing to place more faith in Gelhardt as the team’s primary striker at a lower level.

The teenager may have offers from other Premier League clubs, but it could be a similar story to this season. Any suitors may also regard him as one for the future given his limited experience.

But if he’s the man to fire Leeds to promotion, then he could make the spot in his own in the top-flight at the second time of asking.

In other news, this man is unlikely to stay at the club. 

Ravi Rampaul has described his delivery that got rid of Sachin Tendulkar as the best ball of his career

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2011″It was the perfect ball at the perfect time.” That’s how Ravi Rampaul, the West Indies seamer, described his delivery that got rid of Sachin Tendulkar in the first over in Chennai. Rampaul, in his first World Cup match, went on to take a maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs but his team was at the receiving end of an 80-run defeat. Despite the eventual loss, the five-for, and delivery, marked a personal highlight for Rampaul.”It was the best ball of my cricket career. It was one of those moments in life you dream of. When I saw him walk I felt great. It was an amazing feeling. I wasn’t sure how to celebrate. Here was I, in one of the biggest matches of my career, getting the wicket of one of the greatest batsmen. I felt really great to get such a massive breakthrough for the team,” Rampaul said.Rampaul was drafted in to the XI due to an illness to Kemar Roach. He began on an unsavoury note, conceding five wides off his first delivery in World Cup cricket. But off the final ball of that first over, he got a shortish delivery on off stump to straighten, one that Tendulkar stabbed at and ended up feathering an edge to the keeper. Tendulkar walked off immediately after he was caught, even though Steve Davis, the umpire, shook his head.”I was happy to get into the team and play my part. It was very exciting to play in front such a large crowd on such a big stage,” Rampaul said. “I went out and got five wickets and I was really happy to get the full support of everyone in the team. I was happy to be able to make the most of my opportunity.”Rampaul returned in his next spell to break a century-stand between Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh, and continued to chip away in the death overs when India, as they had done against South Africa, collapsed. He finished with 5 for 51. “The pitch had some extra bounce at the start of the India innings and I knew if I got the ball in the right areas I would be successful,” he said. “Later in the innings I got the ball to reverse swing and I attacked the stumps. Things went in my favour and I felt good to get my first five-wicket haul in one-day cricket.”The defeat for West Indies meant they finished fourth in Group B, setting up a quarter-final clash in Dhaka against Group A leaders Pakistan on March 23.

Gregg Evans wasn’t impressed with Aston Villa’s defending during the first half of their Premier League clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday. 

The lowdown

With his team going in search of a first win since the trip to Everton on 22 January, Steven Gerrard selected Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne as his back four at the Amex Stadium.

Konsa was restored after missing the defeats against Newcastle United and Watford by virtue of a red card suspension, with Calum Chambers dropping to the substitutes’ bench.

Villa took the lead after 17 minutes through Matty Cash’s effort from outside the area, but BBC Sport journalists Alex Bysouth and Shamoon Hafez noted that it came ‘against the run of play’.

While Ollie Watkins secured the points with a second half strike, it was an incident shortly after the opening goal which drew the scorn of Evans.

The latest

The Athletic’s Villa correspondent took to Twitter after the ball fell for Alexis MacAllister 15 yards out and he hit the crossbar, almost drawing the home side level within a few minutes of falling behind.

Evans tweeted: “#BHAFC off the crossbar. MacAllister goes so close to equalising. #AVFC all over the place at the back again. Lucky.”

The verdict

It’s fair to say that MacAllister did let Villa off the hook. Indeed, the reporter behind Sky Sports’ live blog on the match wrote that the Brighton ace ‘should’ really have scored.

More generally, Gerrard seems to be harbouring doubts over whether his defence is up to scratch. According to Football Insider, the 41-year-old is ready to let go of Konsa, with the manager convinced that the centre-back is sufficiently consistent and reliable.

The same publication reported that Gerrard also has his eyes on a new centre-back in the form of Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, who is his number one target for the summer.

In other news, Villa have scouted this soon-to-be free agent