MatériaMais Notícias

A coincidência de datas de jogos da Seleção Brasileira (olímpica e principal) e do Flamengo fez com que a CBF remanejasse partidas do clube pelo Brasileirão e Copa do Brasil, e, por conta disso, Rogério Ceni terá um raro período de 10 dias dedicados apenas aos treinamentos. Ciente de que ajustes precisam ser feitos na equipe, o técnico, por outro lado, não terá sete titulares por conta das convocações, e utilizará a pausa nos jogos para, justamente, buscar soluções para os desfalques que irão se repetir ao longo da temporada com Copa América, Olimpíadas e Eliminatórias Sul-Americanas para o Mundial de 2022.

RelacionadasVídeoVÍDEO: Veja o gol de Pedro que deu a vitória para o Flamengo contra o PalmeirasVídeo30/05/2021FlamengoCeni destaca importância de dupla e celebra segundo jogo do Flamengo sem ser vazado: ‘É importante’Flamengo30/05/2021FlamengoApós elogios, Rogério Ceni reforça coro pela permanência de Gerson no Flamengo: ‘Espero que ele possa ficar’Flamengo30/05/2021

-Vamos descansar dois dias porque viemos em uma jornada cansativa, mas vamos usar esse tempo para trabalhar. Estamos há 13 jogos sem perder, mas ainda precisamos evoluir. Sem desvalorizar o que foi construído, com títulos e bom futebol. Hoje (domingo), fizemos um jogo consistente. Vamos trabalhar a parte tática, física. Até para ter alternativas para jogar sem Everton Ribeiro, sem Arrascaeta, sem Gabriel, sem Isla… Vamos usar esse tempo para trabalhar – afirmou o treinador do Flamengo,

+ Começou o Brasileirão! Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

OS DESFALQUES PARA ROGÉRIO CENI
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Chamado de última hora por Tite, para substituir Thiago Silva, Rodrigo Caio se junta a Everton Ribeiro e Gabriel Barbosa, na seleção principal, e Gerson e Pedro, na lista de André Jardine na seleção olímpica, se apresentam nesta segunda, na Granja Comary. Com dois compromissos cada, entre os dias 4 e 8 de junho, os cinco só devem se reapresentar no Ninho do Urubu no dia 9, na véspera da partida de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil contra o Coritiba.

O mesmo deve acontecer com Isla Arrascaeta, convocados por Chile e Uruguai.

Por conta do número de “selecionáveis”, a CBF remanejou as partidas do Flamengo neste primeiro período, tanto o duelo com o Grêmio, pelo Brasileiro, quanto as partidas com o Coritiba. Contudo, os desfalques são inevitáveis para Rogério Ceni devido ao calendário espremido e as futurar convocações para as Eliminatórias Sul-Americanas, Copa América e Jogos Olímpicos de Tóquio.

Se realizada, a Copa América acontecerá entre os dias 13 de junho e 10 de julho. Estão previstas oito rodadas do Campeonato Brasileiro e um jogo da Copa do Brasil neste intervalo, no qual os atletas do Brasil, Uruguai e Chile podem ficar longe do Flamengo enquanto as respectivas seleções avançarem.

O torneio de futebol nas Olimpíadas de Tóquio têm início e final previstos para 23 de julho e 8 de agosto. Serão disputadas cinco rodadas do Brasileirão e os dois confrontos da quarta fase da Copa do Brasil entre essas datas. Mais à frente, é provável que o remanejamento de datas seja inviável, por isso, é tão importante que Ceni encontre neste período as soluções que usará em 2021.

Australia batsman would not have qualified for a visa under previous ECB protocol

Matt Roller12-Nov-2019

Ashton Turner, the Australian finisher, has joined Worcestershire for the whole of their T20 Blast campaign for 2020, in a move that would not have been possible but for the ECB’s decision to change its visa criteria in order to attract the best overseas players for the Hundred.Turner, who has starred in the middle order for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash, has played only 11 white-ball internationals in the past 24 months, and the criteria for a ‘governing body visa endorsement’ previously required a player to have played at least 15 such games – or one Test – in that time period.But in order to ensure franchise stars like Sunil Narine would be available to play in the Hundred, the ECB lobbied the Home Office to add a criterion allowing those who have played at least 20 domestic T20 fixtures in recognised leagues in the past two years. That extends to all domestic competitions, opening up the possibility for Turner to play in the Blast.Worcestershire came within one dot ball of becoming the first team to defend their T20 title this season, having dramatically snuck past favourites Nottinghamshire in the semi-final. They have signed Hamish Rutherford, the New Zealand batsman, as their main overseas player, who will be available for all three formats throughout the season.Paul Pridgeon, the chairman of the club’s cricket steering group, said Worcestershire were “very pleased” to secure to signing of Turner.”He is a promising, young player which fits our profile and hopefully he will fit nicely into our set-up. He is a top-order batter, batting four or five at the moment in the Australian T20 side.”His stats stack up. We’ve seen footage of him and have done our homework – he looks a decent player. He is also a terrific fielder which helps, and is important in T20 cricket.”Turner was close to being picked in Australia’s 50-over World Cup squad last summer, after hitting a remarkable innings of 84 not out from 43 balls against India in a successful run chase of 359 in only his second ODI.He missed out on that squad, but has been an ever-present for Australia in their six T20Is against Sri Lanka and Pakistan over the past two weeks – though he only faced 31 balls across those games due to Australia’s domination.He made 378 runs in last year’s Big Bash despite Perth’s struggles, and earned an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals, though he made first-ball ducks in each of his first three innings in that competition.

Erling Haaland has sent out a message after captaining Manchester City for the first time in a pre-season friendly against Celtic.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Haaland takes armband for friendly clash
• Scores in defeat to Celtic
• Reveals pride at being named captain

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pep Guardiola handed Haaland the captain's armband for the first time as the Cityzens took on Celtic in pre-season as part of their North American tour. Haaland went on to score as the Premier League champions went down 4-3 in a thrilling game in North Carolina.

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• WHAT HAALAND SAID

  City may have been beaten but it was certainly a memorable day for Haaland. He posted a message afterwards on Instagram to show his pride at being handed the City armband. He wrote: "Honored to captain the team for the first time."

  Instagram

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Haaland has taken over captaincy duties as City are without regular skipper Kyle Walker. The England international is still on leave following his exploits with England at Euro 2024. Walker is one of several senior stars missing the trip after a busy summer and joins team-mates such as Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Julian Alvarez in sitting out the tour.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY

  Manchester City and Haaland now move on to New York for a friendly against AC Milan. Guardiola's side will also take on Barcelona and Chelsea before jetting back to England to face Manchester United in the Community Shield.

Allrounder will captain club for fifth consecutive T20 campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2019Daniel Christian will return to Nottinghamshire for a sixth season in 2020, and will continue to captain the T20 side as he has done since 2016.Christian led the side to the T20 Blast title in 2017, and his side were well-placed to reach the final again this season until a dramatic collapse cost them their semi-final against Worcestershire.Christian has played 63 T20s for Notts in his five years with the club to date, averaging 36.37 with the bat while scoring at a strike rate of 156.87. He will spend most of the 2019 summer in England, having been drafted by Manchester Originals for the inaugural season of the Hundred.”Trent Bridge has very much become a second home for me,” Christian said. “Not only is it consistently a fantastic surface for T20 cricket, but the crowds are among the best I’ve had the pleasure of playing in front of.”I’ve made some really firm friendships in the Outlaws dressing room, and winning the Blast with Notts in 2017 will forever be one of my career highlights.”Last season’s Finals Day defeat was one of the most agonising days I’ve ever experienced in cricket, so I’ll be doing everything in my power to help us turn that around by going all the way next year.”Peter Moores, the club’s head coach, said: “Dan has been a driving force behind making us the most consistent T20 team in the country in recent seasons. Each time Dan comes over, his energy, passion and knowhow galvanises us. He’s an inspirational leader of our group and it’s great that he wants to come over for another year.”He’s also someone who throws himself around in the field, has a knack of taking wickets with the ball and when it comes to giving an innings impetus with the bat there’s no-one better around.”

Kane Williamson hailed a “special” performance from his side’s middle-order as New Zealand completed a “unique” innings victory over England.Williamson, the New Zealand captain, was particularly gratified by the result as it came after England had won a hugely important toss and took first advantage of a pitch that, at the time, offered few dangers for batsmen. It also came in contrast to many of New Zealand’s victories, which tend to be set up by their seamers on green surfaces over the first couple of days.But despite conceding what appeared, at the time, a respectful first-innings total of 353 and then slipping to 127 for 4 in reply, New Zealand’s middle-order batted so well – and for so long – that BJ Watling produced the second-longest innings (in terms of balls faced) in history by a Test keeper, Mitchell Santner produced the 10th-longest innings (in terms of balls faced) from a No. 8 in Test history and New Zealand recorded their highest Test score against England. As a result, England were left to contend with a fifth-day deteriorating pitch, and failed to do so.”To lose the toss and be 350 behind in the first innings required something special,” Williamson said. “And it was something special for 200 overs to get us into a position which gave us a chance.”To get 600 gave us that opportunity to bowl last on that wicket, so a huge amount of credit goes to the way the middle-order built those partnerships. BJ Watling with 200 and Mitch Santner with his first Test hundred were incredibly valuable and hugely required. Colin de Grandhomme batted well, too.”The pitch started to deteriorate which is what you want to see in Test cricket. But when you do see that you want to have won the toss. This is certainly right up there in terms of a tough, grinding Test victory.”A key difference between the sides, Williamson felt, was the conversion of the batsmen. While England had three men register half-centuries, none of them were able to go and register the big century that might have defined the game. New Zealand, by comparison, converted two of their four fifties to hundreds, with Watling completing a career-best 205.”Scores of 50 and 60 weren’t enough to turn the momentum from England’s first innings,” Williamson said. “It did require something large and for a long period of time and that’s what those guys did. It was a brilliant effort against a very strong England bowling attack.”It was outstanding to see that middle, lower-order apply themselves like that. BJ Watling is such a tough competitor and just cares about getting the team into a position to win cricket games. It goes a long way to him applying himself for near on 500 balls, which is an amazing effort. A lot of people wish they could bat 500 balls, including myself.”It was a brilliant, brilliant performance and it took a huge amount of hard work scoring at two-and-a-half an over for the most part so it wasn’t free flowing. For BJ and Mitch to keep soaking up that pressure was outstanding and something that is clearly very hard to do for everybody.”New Zealand are now unbeaten in their last 10 home Tests – a run that goes back to March 2017 – and have won seven of them. Five of those victories – including their last three Tests – have been by an innings while the others have been crushing margins of 423 runs (against Sri Lanka) and 240 runs (against West Indies). Whichever way you look at it, that is an outstanding record.To make New Zealand’s success all the more admirable, it was achieved, on the final day, without much input from Trent Boult. He was able to contribute just one over before rib pain forced him off the pitch. He will have an MRI scan on Tuesday and must be considered a severe doubt for the second Test. Williamson, too, spent time off the field having experienced pain in his hip region but he insisted it was nothing too serious.”A lot was taken out of both teams in this Test,” Williamson said. “It was a really tough effort for long periods. But we have that squad of 15 and all the guys will meet up in Hamilton and we will have to assess the fitness of everybody.” There is probably a good chance Lockie Ferguson will make his Test debut.ALSO READ: Joe Root must shake off rookie captain vibe if England are to progressYou can be certain that Neil Wagner will want to be involved. He came into this match with a few question marks over his selection ahead of Ferguson, but proved his worth with another wholehearted performance that ended with a five-wicket haul in the second innings. It left Williamson both grateful for the effort put in by his bowlers and thankful for the batting of Watling and co. which gave Wagner and Tim Southee time to recover from their bowling stints in England’s first innings.”Our really good first-innings batting allowed the guys to put their feet up,” he said. “That was really important because they put in a lot of overs in that first innings. For the guys to freshen up proved really important without Trent as a resource.”We knew if you could hit the wicket hard you would get some variable bounce. We saw the wicket deteriorate and, when you’re bowling for a Test win there’s a little bit more in the tank. They were outstanding.”In some respects it was quite a unique performance for New Zealand because we’re generally looking to bowl first because the wickets are so green. Often a lot of damage is done in the first couple of days then it becomes a different match.”But this was the opposite. Both teams were looking to bat and the wicket aged quite considerably. So it was a fantastic surface for a result and something unique for us in New Zealand.”

With a Carabao Cup and a third-place finish under his belt, Erik ten Hag would have expected his Manchester United side to progress even further this season.

However, that has been far from the case, with the Red Devils sitting sixth in the Premier League, eight points behind Aston Villa in fourth.

The only positive that can be salvaged from the season so far is that the boss has stuck to the United way of putting trust in the academy.

From the days of David Beckham and Paul Scholes to the current Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, United really have produced some fantastic talent over the years, with the latter particularly excelling.

Kobbie Mainoo’s days in the academy

Watching Mainoo this season has been a breath of fresh air, with the 18-year-old becoming a fan favourite already, and not just for the United faithful.

The defensive midfielder is the definition of a true professional, showing the characteristics and experience of someone with a decade of knowledge, which is why he has been fast-tracked into the first team by Ten Hag.

Mainoo starred in the youth teams, playing 62 matches across each development phase, with player-coach Tom Huddleston stating, “He looks like a younger version of Yaya Toure.”

The former Hull City man seems to have been correct with his early prediction, with the number 37 instantly proving that he was good enough to compete in the Premier League on his debut against Everton in United’s 3-0 victory.

The English gem picked up the Man of the Match award against the Toffees, thriving both in and out of possession by making two interceptions and having 61 touches. Since then, Mainoo has only gone from strength to strength.

Meet the Man Utd teen who'll soon be ready to follow in Mainoo's shoes

The youth has really stepped up for Erik ten Hag this season.

ByTom Lever Mar 4, 2024 How Mainoo compares to Paul Scholes

Just like Mainoo, Scholes progressed through the academy ranks at United before earning a spot in the starting lineup and then becoming irreplaceable.

From that point on, the midfielder became a United legend, winning 11 Premier Leagues and 14 other titles over 718 matches for the Red Devils, the only club of his illustrious career.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will hope that Mainoo can mirror the success and pathway of Scholes, becoming a vital player at the heart of a midfield rebuild.

In truth, United haven’t seen a midfield academy player quite as talented or work their way into the first team in such a fashion since Scholes himself. The number 37 has featured 22 times for Ten Hag's team this season, developing a solid partnership alongside Casemiro.

Mainoo’s winning mentality and confidence make him such an elite talent, with football creator Liam Canning calling the midfielder “special,” and his performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this season was particularly impressive.

Goals

1

Pass accuracy

86%

Successful dribbles

2

Duels won

7

Tackles

3

As you can see, Mainoo is an extremely well-rounded talent who can not only show technical class with the ball at his feet and work tirelessly out of possession but also score important goals, just like Scholes, who netted 155 goals over his United career.

Overall, it’s clear to see that Mainoo is one of the most promising talents in Europe, and if he continues to progress at the rate he has, the future looks extremely bright.

Sheffield Wednesday picked up yet another win in their fight to stave off the Championship relegation zone last night, Danny Rohl's Owls overcoming Plymouth Argyle 1-0 to plunge the visitors into their own tense battle against the drop.

That slim victory was Wednesday's fifth win from their last six second-tier games, with the South Yorkshire side full value for the three points come full-time at Hillsborough.

Coming away from the contest with a superior 1.78 xG to Argyle's lesser 0.64, Wednesday would just about clinch the three points courtesy of Djeidi Gassama's decisive second-half strike breaking the deadlock.

Djeidi Gassama's performance vs Plymouth in numbers

The former Paris St. Germain youngster would fire in only his second-ever Owls goal against Ian Foster's Pilgrims, converting Ike Ugbo's pass into the box superbly to send Hillsborough into pandemonium.

Away from this crucial strike clinching another big win for the hosts, the high-octane Wednesday number 41 would prove to be a thorn in Plymouth's side all game.

Gassama would successfully complete one dribble from his three attempts when aiming to break through with pace, whilst also firing four shots on the Argyle goal in total to try and make the scoreline more convincing in the favour of Rohl's men.

Moreover, the ex-PSG attacker would show off his tenacity and energy further with seven duels won to regain the ball to then push his team forward again.

With Ugbo arguably carrying games for the Owls recently – the Troyes loanee bagging six goals since joining in January – it must have been refreshing for Rohl to see another member of his re-energised squad step up to be a vital hero against Plymouth last night in Gassama.

It wasn't just a game that saw Gassama stand out in isolation amongst his teammates underwhelming, however, with Leeds United loanee Ian Poveda on the opposite right-hand flank equally as dangerous and effective.

Ian Poveda's performance vs Plymouth in numbers

Poveda could well have had a goal to show for his efforts on a different night, but the Colombian attacker saw an effort that hit the back of the net in the first half get chalked off owing to a potentially dubious offside call.

Still, that decision going against the Wednesday number 36 didn't derail his night whatsoever.

The new Owls recruit would better Gassama with three successful dribble attempts pulled off at the expense of a disorientated opposition defence, on top of matching his electric teammate with seven duels won of his own.

Poveda would end up receiving an 8/10 rating by Yorkshire Post journalist Tom Coates off the back of the 1-0 win, who stated that the Whites loanee 'continues to endear himself to the Hillsborough faithful' with tricky displays down the wing such as the one offered up last night.

Enjoying the current freedom to express himself away from being stuck on the fringes back at Elland Road, Rohl will hope Poveda continues to be a bright spark – alongside Gassama – as Wednesday try to attempt the most unbelievable relegation escape.

Only in the bottom three on goal difference now after this 1-0 victory, it could well be a realistic aim now rather than a once speculative pipedream.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após receber a primeira dose da vacina contra a Covid-19, o Palmeiras treinou em Assunção, no Paraguai, na manhã desta terça-feira (15) e deu sequência à preparação para pegar o Juventude fora de casa. A novidade do treino foi a volta de três meio-campistas que estavam fora por lesão; Danilo, Patrick de Paula e Danilo Barbosa participaram das atividades, mas com restrições.

Eurocopa, Copa América, Brasileirão: veja onde assistir aos principais jogos da semana

Apesar de presente em tempo integral com o restante do grupo, PK treinou ainda com limitações em função de sua transição física. O camisa 5 teve um trauma no quadril após disputa de bola no jogo contra a Chapecoense no dia 6 deste mês e ficou de fora de duas partidas até aqui.

Danilo e Danilo Barbosa, ambos lesionados na coxa, realizaram trabalhos ao lado do gramado acompanhados do Núcleo de Saúde e Performance. Tendo em vista a gravidade de suas contusões, a transição exige mais tempo e cuidado do departamento médico.

>> Veja a tabela completa do Brasileirão

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Enquanto isso, Abel Ferreira comandou uma atividade, separando o plantel em duas equipes com uma sendo a provável escalação para o jogo de amanhã. O treinamento aprimorou movimentação, saídas de bola, marcação, posicionamento e outros aspectos táticos. Ao final, foi proposto um jogo recreativo com dimensões reduzidas.

O Alviverde ainda almoça na capital paraguaia e depois parte rumo a Caxias do Sul. Para tentar conquistar sua segunda vitória no Brasileirão 2021, o Palmeiras vai a campo contra o Juventude às 21h30 (horário oficial de Brasília) desta quarta no Estádio Alfredo Jaconi.

If Tottenham Hotspur win at Fulham this evening, they will reclaim a place in the top four, albeit, should Aston Villa win at home to West Ham United a day later that fourth-placed grab will be fleeting for Ange Postecoglou's side.

But such frivolities do not matter at this stage, not even with next week commencing the final ten-match stretch of Spurs' campaign.

What matters is that Tottenham are firing into form ahead of the business end, rekindling the fluency and fire that was at the club's core of the impressive early-season efforts.

Tottenham also have a game in hand on Villa, who they defeated 4-0 last weekend, and while James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and captain Heung-min Son enjoyed the standout showings, Timo Werner's goalscoring cameo calls for his return to the starting line-up.

Timo Werner's Spurs career so far

Werner moved to Tottenham on loan from RB Leipzig in January, with a £15m buy option inserted in the deal, and he has impressed so far, scoring two goals and supplying two assists from seven Premier League matches, starting five of those.

Lightning-quick and an adept dribbler, the 28-year-old has opened up a new dimension to Postecoglou's attack and has left Tottenham with options despite the recent knee injury suffered by Richarlison, with Son slotting in at centre-forward.

Benched last time out, Werner entered the fray late on and fired a satisfying late strike to make it goals in consecutive matches.

Given that Son will be starring up top at Craven Cottage on Saturday, it might be worth recalling Werner to the starting line-up on the left flank.

That would mean that the mercurial Johnson would need to move, and while Dejan Kulusevski occupies the right side of the Spurs attack, Postecoglou might be inclined to boldly ditch the Sweden international and flank his team with fleet-footed dynamism.

Why Dejan Kulusevski could be dropped

Kulusevski is one of the most underrated attacking midfielders in English football and is so important for Tottenham, with Sky Sports' Jamie Weir among those to gush over his qualities.

The reporter said: "Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart."

This season in the Premier League, the 23-year-old has posted six goals and three assists from 24 starts, completing 82% of his passes and averaging 2.1 key passes, 1.8 tackles, 4.0 ball recoveries and 1.6 dribbles per game, as per Sofascore, only benched once all term.

So why would it be worth benching him against Fulham? Well, Kulusevski endured an ineffectual opening at Villa Park one week ago, with football.london's Alasdair Gold heralding his second-half display after a 'poor' start, ultimately handing him an 8/10 score.

Werner must start on the left, allowing Johnson to feature from the right and continue his prolific run of form, with the shifting of the system not a bad move to keep things fresh either.

Aston Villa (A)

4-0 win

88'

1

0

Crystal Palace (H)

3-1 win

27'

0

2

Wolves (H)

2-1 loss

19'

0

0

Brighton (H)

2-1 win

28'

1

0

Everton (A)

2-2 draw

64'

0

0

Brentford (H)

3-2 win

45'

1

0

Kulusevski did win just three of his 11 contested duels against Aston Villa, and while he is unquestionably a talented player, Johnson has been in sublime form of late and the Welshman can't really do much more to warrant a start.

Spurs' 'engine' could also be welcomed after the break if need be, with his skills certainly fit to supercharge his team if an extra hand is needed in the latter phase of the fixture.

Asad Shafiq has defended Pakistan’s decision to bat first upon winning the toss despite the side being bowled out for 191. Shafiq, who top-scored for the hosts with 63, said he “hadn’t ever” seen the ball spin the way it did on the first morning here in Karachi, where the Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya made hay, snapping up four wickets.”I wasn’t expecting turn on day one here, and like I said, I’ve never seen that happen in the first two days,” Shafiq said. “There was a little bitof moisture, but the Sri Lankans used the conditions really well. The fast bowlers bowled very well after lunch, and the spinner didn’t leak anyruns. So they kept up the pressure from both ends.”We lost a few early wickets today and that put us under pressure, but after that [Babar Azam and I] struck up a good partnership. What we needed to do was prolong that partnership because the team only really benefits if these partnerships become big stands. That was our goal, but we must give credit to the Sri Lankan bowlers, especially the spinners. We weren’t expecting the ball to turn at all, and all the cricket I’ve played here, I haven’t really seen the ball turn like that on the first two days.”Shafiq should know. Hailing from Karachi, he’s played more cricket at this venue than at any other during his career, and while this may be his first Test at his home ground, it was apparent he was in his comfort zone.Looking the most assured Pakistan batsman on the day, he came to the crease with the side in trouble at 65 for 3, and dug Pakistan out of that situation to the relative comfort of 127 for 3. When Babar Azam, who, despite his half-century, never seemed as commanding a presence on the pitch as Pakistan have become used to seeing, fell to extra turn, Shafiq continued to anchor the innings, keeping the inevitable collapse at bay.But he found himself marooned with the tail, and while it is a scenario Shafiq should be familiar with – he has batted at No. 6 for much of his career and scored more Test hundreds from that position than anyone else – batting in such a situation doesn’t come naturally to him. Shafiq is much happier to keep the limelight at arm’s length, and would rather work away quietly at his own game than take charge of a situation; he even said today that he preferred to ask the tail-ender how many balls they were happy facing than trust himself with that decision. Those may not be the most useful attributes when batting with the tail, however, and just as was the case in Brisbane last month, it brought about Shafiq’s own downfall.Azhar Ali hears the death rattle behind him•Associated Press

“I didn’t play with the tail too long today, but whenever I do, I look at my partner and ask how comfortable they are,” Shafiq said. “If they say they’re happy for me to take the single on the first or second ball, then I try and give them more confidence. Others may be uncomfortable against one type of bowler or another – maybe a left-arm seamer or a fast bowler – and in those cases I try and take as much strike as possible.”It’s actually tricky to score like that, because the fielders spread out when the set batsman is on strike. So I try to sneak in a boundary when they come up around the fourth ball and move the scoreboard forward that way.”But as the man who spent more time out on the crease than any other batsman, Shafiq was confident the conditions would continue to offer enough to the bowlers to ensure Sri Lanka won’t be allowed to get away on day two.”We didn’t think there’d be so much turn and seam on day one,” Shafiq said. “There was a little bit of grass on the pitch; the fast bowlers are still seaming and swinging the ball, and that remained the case right through to the end of the day. Our bowlers are bowling well too, and I think if they continue that tomorrow, we can get them out within the total that we put up.”Shafiq also offered steadfast support to his struggling captain Azhar Ali, whose two-ball duck left him without a half-century in his last 12 Test innings, of which he hasn’t reached double figures in eight. Shafiq even deflected some of the criticism onto himself, saying it was the job of the set batsmen to go on and make convert half-centuries into hundreds.”When Misbah [-ul-Haq] and Younis [Khan] played with us, we saw how they converted those fifties into hundreds. I am not doing that right now, but I’m trying my best,” Shafiq said. “As for Azhar, he’s the best batsman in the side. He’s performed for Pakistan for so long, but he’s going through a bad patch. We’re all supporting him and are confident he’ll manage to get out of it.”