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Rashid Khan belted 60 off 44 balls to rescue Afghanistan from 109 for 6 to 229, and then returned 4 for 21 in eight overs to dismiss Ireland for 150

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Rashid Khan played a starring role in Afghanistan’s victory•Peter Della Penna/ESPNcricinfo LtdSeventeen-year-old Rashid Khan produced his career-best batting and bowling performance in ODIs to give Afghanistan a 2-1 lead against Ireland in Belfast. Rashid, who had played in the Under-19 World Cup as well as the World T20 this year, first belted 60 off 44 balls to rescue Afghanistan from 109 for 6 to 229, and then returned 4 for 21 in eight overs to dismiss Ireland for 150.Afghanistan’s victory, however, was marred by Ireland opener Ed Joyce’s controversial run-out. After driving the ball over extra cover in the sixth over, Joyce stopped running mid-pitch, assuming the ball had reached the boundary. Mohammad Nabi chased the ball down and flicked it back to Rashid, who then threw to the non-striker’s end where Yamin Ahmadzai, the bowler, took the bails off with Joyce mid-pitch, having assumed the ball was dead.The on-field umpires – Alan Neill and C Shamshuddin – asked Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai to withdraw the appeal, but he refused to do so. There was no TV umpire for the game, and the wicket led to an exchange between Ireland captain William Porterfield – who was also batting at the time – and the Afghanistan players.Speaking after the match, Porterfield confirmed that Joyce had thought the ball crossed the rope. “We ran past each other, he [Joyce] said he pretty much saw him [Nabi] pass the rope, flick it back,” Porterfield said. “The fielder comes back and says he didn’t. I don’t know what footage is out there of [this]. The umpires said they are going on his word, and this is as far as it goes for me.”Four overs after Joyce’s dismissal for 12 off 21 balls, Porterfield was run out as well, for 16 off 27 balls. Rahmat Shah, who had earlier laid the foundation for Afghanistan with 48 off 70 balls, then removed Sean Terry and Stuart Poynter to reduce the hosts to 67 for 4 by the 18th over. Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling threatened a recovery with thirty-something each, but Rashid, the legspinning allrounder, sliced through the middle and lower order. Wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad was involved in three of those dismissals. Ireland lost their last six wickets for only 20 runs.They had started well with seamer Peter Chase having Noor Ali Zadran, who had replaced Javed Ahmadi, nicking behind for 10. Shahzad, coming off three successive half-centuries, flickered only briefly on Sunday, holing out to deep square leg off Stirling for 22.When Samiullah Shenwari and Stanikzai exited in successive overs, Afghanistan had slipped to 84 for 4 in the 21st over. Ireland’s bowlers tightened the screws by delivering 53 boundary-less balls, a sequence broken by Nabi flat-batting a four off seamer Tim Murtagh. Najibullah Zadran had fallen in the dry spell, and Rahmat edged behind soon after it ended, leaving Afghanistan teetering on 109 for 6.Nabi and Rashid then came together to add 54 for the seventh wicket and revive their side. That was followed by an unbroken partnership of 66 between Rashid and Mirwais Ashraf at over eight to the over, lifting Afghanistan to 229 for 7 on a pitch that Porterfield later admitted was difficult to score on.Rashid, who was dropped on 17 and 34, got to his maiden international fifty, which included five fours and two sixes. Terry spilled the first chance of his, parrying the ball to the cover boundary, while Murtagh fluffed the second.Porterfield said the fielding lapses cost Ireland on a surface that assisted spin. “Just under 200 on that pitch would have been about par,” he said. “I think that, putting those couple of chances down… you’re probably looking at 175-180 [if those catches were taken], which I think is pretty chaseable regardless of the [pitch]. We’ve done it [drop catches] a couple of times now in game where we’ve been just a wicket or two behind. Difficult to claw back from there.”With the first ODI of the series being washed out, Afghanistan cannot lose this series now. The final ODI will be played on July 19, at the same venue.

Leeds United return to Elland Road this evening to take on fellow strugglers Leicester City in the Premier League, and Javi Gracia must consider restoring Luis Sinisterra to his starting side.

Should Leeds start Sinisterra tonight?

After three consecutive defeats against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham, the Yorkshire outfit have been sucked right back into the relegation battle, having previously distanced themselves from the bottom three with wins over Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Not many players can escape with much credit from the month of April thus far but Sinisterra boasts two goals in the Premier League after scoring the winner against Nottingham Forest, and the easily-forgettable but still impressive finish in the 6-1 thrashing by Liverpool.

The Colombian winger, who joined Leeds from Feyenoord in the summer of 2022, has struggled for consistent form and fitness in his debut campaign at Elland Road but has shown glimpses of being a top player at this level.

In 21 appearances in all competitions, the 23-year-old has notched six goals including four in the top flight, which makes him the joint second-top scorer alongside Jack Harrison and Crysencio Summerville in Gracia's squad behind only Rodrigo.

Despite his lack of regular starts in the Premier League, Sinisterra ranks third for shots and dribbles per game in Leeds' squad, which emphasises how dangerous he can be down the left-hand side when at the top of his game, and suggests that he could cause serious problems for a shaky Leicester defence on Tuesday.

Much has been made about Leeds' struggles in defence this season, with only Bournemouth conceding more goals in the Premier League, but Leicester have also been woeful at the back, shipping 56 goals in just 32 top-flight fixtures so far this term.

In fact, Leicester's last clean sheet in the league came back in November 2022, so Leeds must be positive from the outset at Elland Road and attack their vulnerable visitors, in the hope that it can inspire Gracia's side to a much-needed three points against their relegation rivals.

Sinisterra, who earns £65k-per-week at Leeds, is capable of tying any defender in knots but will likely find himself up against Timothy Castagne at right-back should he get the nod to start this evening, and he could terrorise the Belgian right-back in particular, as no defender in Leicester's squad has been dribbled past more this season.

The 23-year-old has been dubbed an "animal" by international teammate Juan Cuadrado and Gracia must consider unleashing the dangerous winger again tonight after he was perhaps harshly dropped against Fulham last time out.

Leeds United boss Javi Gracia will not hesitate to continue to make surprising team selections in light of his choice to omit Junior Firpo from starting in the Whites' defeat against Fulham last weekend, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Junior Firpo and Javi Gracia?

Last Saturday, Gracia opted not to select Firpo to play against Fulham at Craven Cottage, instead fielding Maximilian Wober on the left-hand side of the defence in what ended up being a disappointing 2-1 defeat for the Yorkshire outfit, as per BBC Sport.

Before the clash in west London, Firpo had started Leeds United's last 11 Premier League matches, as per Transfermarkt, meaning that his omission may have come as a surprise to the away support.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old's form has dipped of late, none more so than in Leeds United's 6-1 loss to Liverpool at Elland Road last Monday. As shown on WhoScored, Firpo endured a torrid time in the affair and picked up a match rating of just 5.35/10 for his exploits.

Gracia has already been recently been pressed on his selection choices of late, particularly that of his failure to field Wilfried Gnonto from the start in their last three matches.

As cited by Leeds Live, the Spaniard spoke about the youngster's fitness before his side's match against Fulham last weekend, stating: “Gnonto is ready. He had a little issue, he had some problem, but now he's ready. He's training from the last weeks and, in the beginning when he came back, it's true I tried to protect a little bit, but now he's ready and available."

Journalist Jones is adamant that Gracia will continue to pick whoever he sees best fit to help Leeds United claim the results they need to secure Premier League survival.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones said: "I mean, they've made a lot of changes like that [Firpo omission]. I haven't seen enough of Firpo directly to know whether he would have made any difference in that precise game.

"But Gracia hates the fact that he keeps getting questioned on his team selection. He says I know what I'm looking at, there are different teams for different scenarios."

Can Javi Gracia keep Leeds United in the Premier League?

It looks right now like it could go down to the wire; nevertheless, Leeds have a huge opportunity to put some distance between themselves and their relegation rivals when they face off against Leicester City at Elland Road on Tuesday night.

Securing all three points would take the Whites four points clear of the relegation zone while would also boost morale massively following a three-game losing streak in the Premier League.

On the other hand, losing out to the Foxes at home could have severe consequences, as not only would Leicester leapfrog them in the table, but Everton could also plunge the Yorkshire side into the relegation zone with a victory over Newcastle United on Thursday evening.

Realistically, it's all to play for at this point and events during this midweek round of English top-flight fixtures may go a long way to deciding who manages to avoid the drop come the end of this term.

Leeds United boss Javi Gracia has impressed those inside Thorp Arch, with some seeing similar traits to the ones former coach Marcelo Bielsa brought to the club.

Is Javi Gracia similar to Marcelo Bielsa?

According to the Spaniard, the Leeds manager is putting in long days at Thorp Arch training ground for the Whites as they look to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

He has suggested that he is only getting a few hours of sleep per night in a bid to devise his plan on how to keep the West Yorkshire side afloat.

And during Bielsa's time with the club, it was believed he had asked the club to provide beds for the players and himself to rest between sessions as he looked to optimise his methods while at the club.

Speaking on his podcast, Phil Hay has suggested some of the people around the club have noticed some similarities in the values brought in by Gracia:

"It probably is [Marcelo's bed in the office], and the good news for him is there's a bed built into that office, but there's also a kitchenette that he can use.

"It's interesting actually, speaking to people about Gracia, they're not trying to compare him to Bielsa as such, but I do think they see certain traits in him that are quite recognisable."

Will Gracia keep Leeds up?

Leeds were able to soar up the table before the international break through their victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, which saw them climb up to 14th place.

However, it has to be stressed how tight the table remains, with the Whites still just two points off the drop zone and three off rock bottom.

So the win on the weekend has by no means made a huge difference in what is needed from the Whites over the coming weeks, however, it will have felt like a big win before the break.

Had they gone into the break on the back of another loss, there could well have been a lot of concerns still lingering around the club's future.

But the impressive victory against Wolves will have certainly relieved some of the tension surrounding the club.

Two wins and one defeat from his opening four Premier League games will have also gone some way to easing the pressure on the players who have shown some signs of being able to salvage their top-flight status.

Leeds' remaining fixtures certainly offer up a mixture in the quality of their opponents, but they do face five of their relegation rivals in the remaining weeks.

And if this Leeds side have shown anything under Gracia, it has been their ability to beat the teams around them having already taken six points from Southampton and Wolves.

A number of Manchester United fans online have slammed Casemiro after he picked up a straight red card for a reckless challenge in his most recent appearance.

Why was Casemiro sent off against Southampton?

In their latest Premier League outing, the Red Devils failed to win in front of their own supporters as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford against Southampton.

Erik ten Hag and co understandably came into the match as favourites, with the Saints stuck at the very bottom of the table but one poor decision from United’s central midfielder made things an awful lot more complicated on the day.

Indeed, with just 34 minutes played, Casemiro lunged in on Carlos Alcaraz and while referee Anthony Taylor initially just booked the 31-year-old, it was upgraded to a red following a VAR check.

This isn’t the Brazilian’s first straight red card of the season either. After all, he was given his marching orders in February against Crystal Palace in another ill-judged moment at Old Trafford.

As a result, he now faces a four-match suspension which could see him miss the FA Cup quarter-final at home to Fulham on top of three league games against Newcastle United, Brentford and Everton.

It seems as though the midfielder’s poor discipline has left some Man Utd fans at their wits’ end. Here are some of the best reactions online…

In the public eye, it seems as if Chelsea are still confident that Graham Potter can turn things around and become a success at Stamford Bridge.

However, reports from behind the scenes suggest that Todd Boehly has already begun his search for a potential successor to the former Brighton boss, with Mauricio Pochettino the latest manager to be linked with a move to Chelsea.

Could Chelsea appoint Mauricio Pochettino?

According to Football Insider, Chelsea have now made contact with the former Tottenham and Southampton boss about taking over at Stamford Bridge.

The 50-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain in July and would reportedly welcome a return to Premier League management, although he did turn down Aston Villa when they approached him earlier in the season.

Pochettino still has a house in London from his time working as Spurs boss, so a move could certainly suit the Argentine, and he is said to be keen to take over should Chelsea pull the trigger on Potter.

Sunday’s defeat against Pochettino’s old side left Chelsea without a win in all competitions since their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in January, with finding the back of the net a real issue for the Blues despite their significant investment on attacking players in the winter transfer window.

If Potter’s side were to be knocked out of the Champions League when they face Borussia Dortmund next week in the return leg, it would surely spell the end of their hopes of achieving European football for next season, so Pochettino may not have to wait too long if he wants to succeed the 47-year-old Englishman at Stamford Bridge.

Would Pochettino be an upgrade on Potter?

While Potter has excelled on a small budget in the past, he has looked lost when handed almost unlimited funds, and Pochettino’s experience at the top level suggests that he could be a big upgrade at Chelsea.

Since joining Chelsea, Potter has averaged a disappointing 1.31 points per game, something which Pochettino has bettered with Southampton, Spurs, and PSG.

While he was sacked by the French giants, the coach did still lead them to a Ligue 1 title last season, so he seemingly knows how to get a tune out of world-class players, having worked with the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar.

Pochettino was dubbed “world-class” by talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara after leading Spurs to the Champions League final during his time in London.

His success in Europe with Tottenham and his three trophies with PSG show that he can effectively manage a team at the top level, whereas Potter is yet to win a trophy outside of Sweden and his aforementioned points per game rate indicates that the Englishman is struggling badly.

Therefore, the experienced Argentine could be exactly what Chelsea need to turn their fortunes around and get the best out of this talented squad as the tactician has been there and done it – making him a big upgrade on their current boss.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale has enjoyed a terrific start to life in the dugout at Ibrox as he remains unbeaten after 13 competitive matches.

The Light Blues manager, who replaced Giovanni van Bronckhorst during the break for the 2022 World Cup, has made his team hard to beat whilst being lethal going forwards, and he has not been afraid to utilise young players.

Adam Devine, Leon King and Alex Lowry have all earned first-team outings under the current boss, and they are three players who could be the next stars to come out of the academy system at Ibrox.

A number of talented players have made their way through the youth setup at Rangers over the years, including the likes of Nathan Patterson and Billy Gilmour in recent times, but the club have not always made the right call on their young talents.

What happened to Lewis Morgan?

One gem who they allowed to slip through their grasp was attacking midfielder Lewis Morgan, who was released by the Light Blues at U17 level in 2012.

The dynamo signed for St Mirren’s academy and eventually made his breakthrough at first-team level, with Transfermarkt valuing him at €100k (£88k) in 2018 after he had played 118 matches for the club.

His form earned him a transfer to Rangers’ arch-rivals Celtic in 2018, and he made 31 appearances for the Hoops before making his way to the MLS with Inter Miami FC.

The maestro scored seven goals and set up another seven in 58 appearances with the Florida outfit, and this led to a move to New York Red Bulls in December 2021.

Since arriving in the Big Apple, Morgan – who was once hailed as “dynamic” by his former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers – has been in stunning form, with 18 goals and three assists in 37 outings.

In 2022, the Scotland international averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.11 in the MLS as he created seven ‘big chances’ and provided 1.2 key passes per game for his team-mates across 33 appearances in the division to go along with his 15 goals.

His impressive form for Red Bulls has led to Transfermarkt raising his market value to €6m (£5.3m), which is a jaw-dropping 5,900% increase on what he was worth after breaking through at St Mirren following his exit from Rangers’ U17s.

At the age of 26, Morgan also has time on his hands to progress further and increase his value by continuing to perform to a high level in the MLS, potentially earning a transfer back to Europe in the future.

Therefore, the Light Blues missed out on a potential jackpot by releasing him as a youngster, as he has subsequently proven that he is a creative goalscoring midfielder who can perform at Premiership and MLS level. His market value has duly soared, which indicates that the club could have sold him for a decent fee if they had waited to decide on moving him on.

Instead, they allowed him to leave for nothing and have had to watch his career blossom from afar…

Tottenham Hotspur had a relatively quiet January transfer window as their only signings were Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro on loan from Villarreal and Sporting Lisbon respectively.

However, Football Insider have claimed that Spurs attempted to snap up young left-back Thierry Small from Premier League rivals Southampton on the final day of the window

The report claims that the north London club believe the youngster has the potential to make the breakthrough at first-team level in the top flight in the future, but pulled out of a deal after their offer fell short of the Saints’ asking price.

Fabio Paratici must now forget about a swoop for the 18-year-old, though, as Antonio Conte could save his compatriot millions by bringing Destiny Udogie back into the fold next season.

Speaking to Tottenham’s website, Paratici hailed the gem’s talent by saying: “He is a wing-back, he has a really, really, really good left foot, offensive phases are really good, he creates a lot of opportunities to score, make assists so he’s a complete player.”

The young left-back is currently out on loan after joining Spurs on a permanent deal last summer, and his form in 2022/23 so far suggests that he could be an excellent option for Conte next term.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed the dynamo as being “on fire” earlier this season, and the 20-year-old’s statistics in Serie A for Udinese back that up.

The Italian full-back has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.89 across 16 appearances and chipped in with two goals and two assists, whilst creating 1.4 chances per game for his team-mates, which would place him in the top five creators at Tottenham.

Along with his attacking contributions, Udogie has also made a whopping 3.8 tackles and interceptions per match – 1.2 more per outing than any Spurs full-back has managed in the Premier League this season.

This is not a flash in the pan for the youngster, either, as he scored five goals and set up four in 29 Serie A starts for Udinese last term. This shows that the gem has proven himself to be an attacking talent from a full-back position, suiting Conte’s wing-back system.

He still has the next four months or so to continue playing in Italy, but his current statistics suggest that Conte should be looking forward to welcoming him back to Spurs next season.

If the head coach can bring Udogie back to N17 and get him performing to those levels in the Premier League, then there would be no need for another young player in that position to come in, which would save Paratici from needing to spend millions on a new signing such as Small.

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale will be approaching the final few days of the window desperate to secure a couple more signings in order to improve his options at the Ibrox side.

A deal for midfielder Todd Cantwell has already been secured, however, with bids for Nicolas Raskin and Morgan Whittaker being rejected recently, the next few days could prove to be extremely crucial with regard to any further January incomings.

Reports state that Raskin has secured a pre-contract agreement with the club, however, despite a £2m bid for the winger, Beale is no further closer in a deal for Whittaker and it could be a big blow if he misses out.

Whittaker could be an upgrade on Sakala

Beale has begun life at Rangers in solid fashion, failing to win just one match – a credible 2-2 draw against Celtic in the Premiership – and despite failing to make up any ground on their Old Firm rivals, the signs have been positive that the 42-year-old can take the club into a new era with a renowned focus.

The Englishman has managed to rejuvenate a few players in the process, with Alfredo Morelos rediscovering his goalscoring boots, netting four times in seven matches since December, while Fashion Sakala has also improved his attacking output, registering seven goal contributions under Beale so far, having grabbed just two under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the opening stages of the season.

Despite this improvement, Whittaker would no doubt prove to be a major upgrade on the Light Blues’ unpredictable forward, especially considering his form at League One side Plymouth during the first half of the campaign.

The 22-year-old netted nine times while registering seven assists, both better totals than Sakala this season and also making more key passes per game (1.3 to 1.1), creating more big chances (seven to four), and has more shots on target per match (1.1 to 0.7), suggesting the Englishman could be a bigger attacking threat if he joined the Gers.

Retired winger Jobi McAnuff praised Whittaker recently while speaking on Sky Sports News (via Wales Online) saying: “He’s a top, top young player. He’s been out on loan at Plymouth where’s he got nine goals and seven assists.

“He can play wide right or just behind the striker. He scores important goals, he’s a great dribbler, and carries the ball well. He’s a fluid player who links into the attack very well and he’s got a fantastic left foot.”

These impressive feats so far this season clearly prove Beale has got to make sure he succeeds in his pursuit of the youngster and the whiz could become a big part of the new direction he is taking Rangers in.

Newcastle United are interested in signing Flamengo youngster Matheus Franca and are looking at the Brazilian market, journalist Ryan Taylor has claimed.

The Lowdown: Franca an exciting prospect

The 18-year-old has burst onto the scene at Flamengo, already racking up 26 appearances for the Brazilian giants and scoring seven goals for good measure.

Franca, who plays mostly as an attacking midfielder or second striker, has been linked with a move to Newcastle already this month, as Eddie Howe looks to bring in both young talent for the future and established stars for the here and now.

The teenager’s current deal doesn’t expire until 2027, but it looks as though Magpies are serious about making a deal happen anyway.

The Latest: Newcastle eyeing move

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Taylor said that Franca is definitely a target for Newcastle, who could also look at other players currently plying their trade in Brazil:

“You look at Newcastle’s team, and although they’ve been exceptional already this season you look at that [midfield] as an area that could be upgraded.

“I know there has been interest in Matheus Franca and Newcastle are looking at that Brazilian market as one where there could be opportunities. That’s down to Dan Ashworth.”

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The Verdict: One for the future

While Franca is clearly a big talent with a bright future – he won six caps for Brazil’s Under-16s – he would be more of a long-term acquisition than anything.

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He is still extremely young and has no experience of playing in Europe, so he would need to be eased in by Howe, maturing alongside older teammates and not being thrown in at the deep end.

The fact that Franca is believed to be on Real Madrid and Manchester City’s radar says a lot about his potential, though, and the attacker has been hailed as a ‘great finisher’ by coach Fabio Matias.