Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Shakib Al Hasan scored more than half his team’s runs, but it still wasn’t enough © AFP

Shakib Al Hasan tried his best to lift Bangladesh, but his single-handed efforts – 108 and 1 for 34 – couldn’t inspire an otherwise woeful team as Pakistan equalled their most successful streak in ODIs, winning their tenth in a row to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match series. Shakib’s innings lifted Bangladesh from a dire 109 for 8 to a respectable 210, but Pakistan’s top order barely broke a bead of sweat in knocking off the runs, achieving the target with seven wickets and 5.3 overs to spare.Shakib gave Bangladesh a fighting chance, but the game was settled when Butt and Akmal blitzed 97 for the first wicket in less than 17 overs. Both had scored hundreds in the previous game, and the good form showed as both oozed confidence, caressing fours through the off side and flicking wristily to the midwicket and square-leg boundaries whenever the bowlers erred even marginally.Bangladesh had one opportunity to break the stand before it had reached dangerous proportions, but Mahmudullah made a mess of a chance at extra cover when Butt drove airily at Shahadat Hossain. Butt had made 16 in a total of 25, and he made Bangladesh – and Hossain – pay dearly in his next over, creaming three glorious drives through the off side, two of which found the boundary. Akmal then joined the party, flicking the last ball of that over – which leaked 15 – for four, and then belting Mashrafe Mortaza for two more fours. Fifteen more came off that over, and after nine, Pakistan had sped to 65.Mohammad Ashraful was forced to turn to spin in the tenth over, and while the slow bowlers reduced the boundaries, both openers milked singles and twos, with the occasional boundary ensuring that the run-rate stayed above a run a ball. Akmal lofted Shakib over long-on for the first six of the match in the 13th over, but fell while trying to repeat the stroke four overs later.The arrival of Bazid Khan significantly slowed the scoring-rate, as he struggled to get the ball off the square against the slow bowlers, giving Bangladesh a chance to regroup. His first 23 deliveries fetched just two runs, and also led to Butt losing his patience and his wicket, dashing down the pitch for a non-existent single.The excitement for the crowd dried up as Mohammad Yousuf joined Bazid – there was a 67-ball boundary-drought at one stage – but Bazid finally broke the shackles in emphatic fashion, blasting Mahmudullah over midwicket for six, and gradually grew in confidence thereafter. Yousuf, meanwhile, played a typically fluent innings, guiding the ball into the gaps, cutting and flicking with characteristic elegance, and scoring at a fair clip despite the lack of fours and sixes. The asking-rate was always within control, and the result was a foregone conclusion long before Yousuf swept Abdur Razzak to seal the deal.That Pakistan required 44.3 overs with the bat was itself a surprise, for at one stage it appeared the game would be over before the artificial lights came into play. After winning the toss on a hot and sunny afternoon, and on what looked like a flat pitch, Bangladesh made a complete hash of ideal batting conditions. Umar Gul struck twice in his first over, inducing edges from Junaid Siddique and Aftab Ahmed, while Mohammad Asif – playing his first international match in nearly six months – had Tamim Iqbal cutting straight to point. Ten for 3 became an even more depressing 16 for 4 soon after Shakib walked in, as Mohammad Ashraful became another victim of Gul’s nagging line around off.Shakib, coming off a fine 75 in the third ODI in Lahore, continued from where he had left off, gauging the pace of the pitch in a trice. Gul was cut and pulled for two fours in three balls while Asif was creamed through the covers.Through the early part of his innings, though, it seemed his resistance would just be a minor irritant for a marauding Pakistan, as they knifed through the rest of the batting. Sohail Khan helped himself to a couple of wickets, while Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik took a wicket apiece as well.Mortaza, though, turned out to be an excellent foil for Shakib. Where other top-order batsmen had thrown it away, Mortaza showed fine temperament, turning the strike over and allowing Shakib the luxury of a solid partner. The first signs of a significant partnership came when Gul returned for a second spell. Shakib pulled him crisply and then struck him through extra cover in the same over – the 33rd – scoring 12 off it, the most expensive of the innings. Fawad Alam’s harmless left-arm spin was milked away for ones and twos, while Malik’s offspin met a similar fate as well. Never hurried in attack or defence, Shakib finally got to a richly deserved hundred in the 47th over, and the 97 he added with Mortaza was the highest ninth-wicket stand for Bangladesh in ODIs. That incredible rearguard effort gave Bangladesh some hope; sadly for them, though, Pakistan’s top order showed just how badly Bangladesh had bungled earlier in the afternoon.

	Shaun Marsh’s limited-overs form this season brought his long-awaited call-up into the Australia squad © Getty Images

Shaun Marsh has credited Western Australia’s decision to suspend him for two matches after a drinking session in November as the wake-up call he needed to set him on the path to his first tour with the national side. Marsh was chosen in Australia’s 14-man ODI squad that will visit the West Indies in June following his most prolific domestic season.The honour seemed a long way off when Marsh and his team-mate Luke Pomersbach were banned by their state after they were seen leaving a Fremantle nightspot in the early hours of a Sunday morning, when they should have been preparing for matches. “It was a big wake up call for me,” Marsh told .”I had fallen back into my old habits of going out. It was the turning point of my career I think. It was very disappointing to get dropped for that reason, and it is something I can look back on now and say was the turning point.”Marsh went on to finish the summer as the Warriors’ leading one-day run scorer with 318 at 39.75 and his Pura Cup collection of 663 at 60.27 was also impressive. He topped the competition run tally in the KFC Twenty20 with 290 at 58 and the efforts earned him the prize as Western Australia’s Player of the Year.Marsh, 24, celebrated his elevation to the national setup with his family, including his father Geoff Marsh, the former Australia opening batsman and coach. “It is a dream come true,” the younger Marsh said. “I have been dreaming about that phone call for a long time and to actually get it was an amazing feeling.”It has been a tough road, I have had to work pretty hard this season to get into the position. Dad was in as much shock as I was in, I didn’t believe it at the start – but the family were very happy and came round for a champagne.”Marsh spent plenty of time around the Australian dressing-rooms as a child and the experience gave him a glimpse of cricket at the highest level. However, he has also felt the burden of living with a famous name as he tried to establish his own position in the Western Australia top order.”I have had to live with it for the last seven years I have been in the state squad,” Marsh said. “But you learn with it and have to deal with it – it is not a problem now.”

Kolkata not sweating over Hodge
The Kolkata Knight Riders are not looking for any replacement yet for Brad Hodge, who is leaving to join the Australian squad for the West Indies tour. Hodge was asked by Cricket Australia to join the squad as a shadow replacement for Michael Clarke, who left the team camp in Brisbane to attend to an ailing family member.Joy Bhattacharya, Kolkata’s team director, said they were monitoring the development and hope Hodge can still re-join the squad if Clarke returns soon. “We already have other international players like Salman Butt so we are not yet looking at any replacement for Hodge,” Bhattacharya said. Hodge, one of the prolific run-getters in Twenty20 cricket, played three games for Kolkata.Prasad calls for ‘patience and trust’
With two wins from eight matches, the Bangalore Royals Challengers are struggling at the bottom of the points table. Recently, Charu Sharma, the team’s chief executive, was sacked, and Venkatesh Prasad, the coach, has called upon the team owners to have patience and trust in the side. Prasad termed Sharma’s dismissal as “unfortunate” and feared it could send the wrong signal.Nanavati ends probe into Harbhajan-Sreesanth row
Sudhir Nanavati, the BCCI-appointed commissioner, has said he is satisfied by Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth’s statements regarding their on-field altercation and is scheduled to submit his report to the board on Monday.”The investigation is over and now I don’t need to talk to any player or official in this case,” Nanavati said after meeting both the players on Friday. “I’m satisfied with the answers of both Sreesanth and Harbhajan. I’ve all the evidence that I need to prepare the report.Slow going
The IPL has fined the Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Kolkata Knight Riders US$1000 and $500 respectively for a slow over rate in their match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The action was taken by the match referee, Farokh Engineer, under accordance of the ICC Playing Conditions and Rules.

Sarwar Imran, the Sylhet Super Stars coach, confirmed that Mushfiqur Rahim resigned as captain on his own terms ahead of the team’s clash against Barisal Bulls on Sunday. Shahid Afridi’s appearance at the toss merely confirmed rumours that had been going around for close to 48 hours of a change in Sylhet’s captaincy.Imran also revealed plenty of discussion involving the team owner and Afridi, who tried to persuade Mushfiqur to change his decision on the eve of the match. “As far as I know, Mushfiqur said that he wanted to see a change in the captaincy,” Imran said after Sylhet’s nine-wicket win. “There’s a lot of pressure on him. He has to bat, keep wickets and on top of that we have lost two matches by one run and one by six runs. He wanted some relief. I heard about it from the team owner. Shahid Afridi had asked Mushfiqur to remain as captain but Mushfiqur handed it over to him.I spoke to him during the team meeting. He doesn’t want to be captain for the remaining matches in the BPL. We held a few small meetings afterwards. We decided last night that Mushfiqur and Ravi Bopara will help Shahid Afridi in the field, and that’s how it was in the middle today. Three of them will captain in the field, and officially the captain will be Shahid Afridi.”Imran said he wasn’t open to a change at the top, given the team just won one of their first six matches, but said even Mushfiqur was on the same page as far as the change was concerned.Mahmudullah, Barisal’s captain and Mushfiqur’s brother-in-law, said that the resignation surprised him. “It was unexpected. I didn’t know that Mushfiqur won’t be the captain. But of course it is their decision.”This isn’t the first time that Mushfiqur has resigned from the captaincy. In 2013, he quit the Bangladesh captaincy after they lost the ODI series against Zimbabwe but was later convinced by the BCB to continue in the role.

Lyon to seek out Ashwin advice

Nathan Lyon is eager to seek out his India opposite number R Ashwin at the conclusion of the limited-overs matches in Australia as he seeks to finally nail down an ODI and Twenty20 place in the national team’s plans.
Ashwin has been a leading light for finger spinners over the past 12 months, and Lyon said he would take up any chance to talk shop with him when hostilities end.
“If the opportunity comes up at the end of the T20 series that I can sit down and have a chat with Ashwin, I’m definitely up for it,” Lyon said. “I watch his bowling quite closely, especially when he’s bowling back home, so trying to forever learn off every spinner going around, and if I can keep improving, keep getting better, that’s my goal.
“Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja are world-class spinners. Coming out to Australia it’s a hard place to bowl spin, but I definitely think the Indian spin bowling stocks are up there.”
Aware he is more or less on trial ahead of the World T20, Lyon said he wanted to make the most of his chance. “I’ve got an opportunity now and I’ve got to perform,” he said. “I’m very grateful to the selectors who’ve given me that opportunity.”

Shaun Tait’s first international call-up for five years has exposed the national selectors’ anxiety about a lack of high velocity pace bowling options ahead of the World Twenty20, while Nathan Lyon is also in strong contention having been named in the squad for three T20s against India.The uncapped batsman Travis Head and fast bowlers Andrew Tye and Scott Boland have also been included in a 17-man group for the three T20s, which also includes veteran allrounder Shane Watson.While Lyon may well have been on the selectors’ radar as a World T20 candidate for some time, the re-emergence of Tait has been more unexpected. Tait, now 32, has not played international cricket since the 2011 World Cup but has impressed the selectors during this summer’s BBL, in which he has picked up 10 wickets at 24.70. Marsh said it remained to be seen whether Tait’s express pace would be of value in Indian conditions, but admitted pace was needed in the absence of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins and following the retirement of Mitchell Johnson.”We don’t know and I don’t know whether we’ll find out – it’s up to Shaun now,” the selection chairman Rod Marsh said. “To be honest I didn’t even know if he was going to play that many [BBL] games. I knew he was on the list. He’s probably the fastest bowler in the country at the moment. You do need a bit of pace in T20 cricket.”Watson, recalled to the national side after a strong burst of performances for the Sydney Thunder in the latter stages of the Big Bash League, said Tait was a viable option for the World T20 in the rhythm he has shown during the tournament. “I did face him. I faced two balls, one was a very fast bouncer and the other one I nicked off, so he was very good!” Watson said.”Shaun Tait’s an X-Factor, always has been, and it’s great to see him back around the Aussie team. I still believe he has a lot to offer, with his body right and bowling fast, the way he releases the ball is different to anything you face, so it’s awesome he’s got another opportunity.”Australia played only one T20 international in 2015 and the three games against India in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney will be the only chance for players to audition ahead of the naming of the World T20 squad. There was no room in the group for former T20 captain George Bailey, although Marsh said he was confident Bailey’s experience would allow him to step straight back in if needed at the World T20.Lyon’s inclusion for what will be his T20 international debut comes as the selectors look for spin options given the turning conditions that will confront them at the World T20, with legspinner Cameron Boyce also included. Lyon has also been chosen for the final two ODIs against India, replacing the fast bowler Joel Paris, and Marsh said it was the right time to give him a chance with the white ball, having played only eight ODIs.”We’re probably looking to see how he goes and it is an audition for him re India, I guess,” Marsh said of Lyon’s selection in the T20 squad. “He’s got such a wonderful record in Test cricket, we didn’t want to jeopardise that in any way, shape or form. He’s been a terrific bowler for us in Test match cricket and we certainly didn’t want to play him in a few odd one-day games or an odd T20 here or there, and for him to start bowling flat and losing that terrific rhythm that he’s now got.”Marsh said the selectors were taking a “wait-and-see” approach with Watson, whose ODI career appears to be over as well as his time as a Test cricketer. Watson’s experience in India and at World T20 tournaments could yet see him gain a place in the final 15, which must be named by February 11, after he returned to form with 62 and 66 in his two most recent games for Sydney Thunder.Also in the mix for top-order positions are Head and Chris Lynn, both of whom are in the top three run scorers in this year’s BBL. Lynn played two T20s for Australia in January 2014 while Head is yet to make his debut for Australia in any form. New faces in the bowling group include Boland, who has played three ODIs already this summer, and Tye, who has 29 T20 wickets at 18.65 and an economy rate of less than seven.”Not many countries have seen much of him,” Marsh said of Tye, a Perth Scorchers fast bowler. “His form in the last two Big Bash Leagues has been outstanding. He is a good death bowler as well, and really it is death from over one in T20.”Like Bailey, allrounder Mitchell Marsh was also not named in the T20 squad, but remains strongly in the mix for the World T20. Rod Marsh said the fact that these were Australia’s only matches before choosing the squad to visit India meant that it was wise to use the games to look at some players who were on the fringes of selection. He said the three T20s in Australia were in part World T20 auditions.”Yeah it is but I think what we also have to remember is we’re playing three matches under Australian conditions here and the World Cup’s not in Australia,” he said. “So we’ll have to use a little bit of knowledge from the IPL, et cetera, to get that final 15 which is not going to be an easy task.”I would imagine we would like to give all of the 17 a go somewhere, otherwise we wouldn’t have picked that massive squad. The reason we picked [such a big] squad is some guys will be going off to New Zealand early [ahead of the ODI and Test series].”Notably, Aaron Finch was retained as T20 captain despite the presence in the squad of Steven Smith, who is captain of both the Test and ODI sides. Marsh said consideration had been given to Smith taking on the T20 captaincy but “at the moment Aaron is doing the job and doing it nicely”.The selectors also confirmed their squad for the remaining two ODIs against India, with Paris and Usman Khawaja making way for Lyon and David Warner, who is returning from paternity leave. The final two games are in Canberra and Sydney, and are dead rubbers after Australia secured the series with their win in Melbourne on Sunday.T20 squad Aaron Finch (capt), David Warner, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Shaun Marsh, Cameron Boyce, Nathan Lyon, Chris Lynn, Travis Head, Kane Richardson, Andrew Tye, Scott Boland, Shaun TaitODI squad Steven Smith (capt), Aaron Finch, David Warner, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Scott Boland, Kane Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Andy Balbirnie’s unbeaten 85 was Ireland’s first middle-order fifty in the series•Associated Press

Ireland’s hankering for a resistant middle order was finally satisfied by Andy Balbirnie, as the right-handed batsman struck his fourth half-century – an unbeaten 85 off 74 balls – to take them to a six-wicket victory in the third ODI. It was their first victory of the tour and kept the series alive at 2-1 with two ODIs to go.At least two of Ireland’s top three had scored fifties in the first two ODIs. That pattern was quickly erased by Dawlat Zadran who dismissed Ed Joyce and William Porterfield off consecutive overs to reduce Ireland to 24 for 2 by the end of the sixth. But Paul Stirling continued to stand in their way, cutting out the risks early as he dug in to put on 96 for the third wicket with Niall O’Brien (30), and got to his third-consecutive ODI fifty in the process. He put on a further 59 with Balbirnie for the fourth wicket, before falling one run short of another hundred. This time, he missed a straight one from Mohammad Nabi and lost his off stump. His wicket, however, wouldn’t bring another collapse. On the contrary, Ireland lost no further wickets. Gary Wilson’s run-a-ball 28 did enough to complement his younger partner, who spearheaded the unbroken 86-run stand as he scored Ireland’s first half-century from the middle-order in this series. Afghanistan dropped three catches to help Ireland along in the chase, but the neutralization of legspinner Rashid Khan, who went wicketless, will have made them feel most vulnerable. They did have Rashid to thank, however, for keeping them in the game in the first place.A ten-ball first over from Peter Chase belied the start to come for Afghanistan. Chase and Tim Murtagh made run-scoring difficult for Afghanistan’s top order on a slow pitch. By the 11th over, three of them had fallen playing away from the body, and one had swiped across the line. Mohammad Nabi was given the marching orders when Stuart Thompson got a finger on the ball before Samiullah Shenwari’s straight drive broke the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Afghanistan were reduced to 67 for 5 after electing to bat. Shenwari and Gulbadin Naib’s painstaking 30-run stand for the sixth wicket ended nine overs later, leaving Afghanistan’s lower order nearly 24 overs to contend with. Rashid and Naib played 16.1 of those and put on 97, getting fifties before falling in the space of four balls. Ireland wouldn’t have minded that fight at 193 for 8, but Shafiqullah, who would’ve come in at No. 7 normally, struck a 28-ball 50 at No. 9 to set Ireland a target of 265.

The State Insurance Central Stags certainly roared at Queen’s Park, Invercargill today when they comprehensively defeated the State Otago Volts by seven wickets in their Shell Cup contest.Winning the toss and putting Otago into bat on a wicket which although covered had seen three days of wild and wet weather, Central Districts never looked back from ball one and the Otago batsmen began a procession back to the pavilion that looked like a parade of lemmings.At the end of 31.3 overs the Volts had been dismissed for a paltry 67 and truly realised what the value of winning the toss was. But, it is fair to state the the pitch while not at all satisfactory was never venomous and the Otago batsmen never really got into the mode of pushing the ball around and waiting for the bad ones to hit to the boundary.Only Warren McSkimming batting at number eight looked in any way assured, and even then only to a limited effect. Three Otago batsmen in Martyn Croy, Matthew Horne and Lee Germon were dismissed as a result of vagaries in the pitch but that could not be blamed for a total of 67 – the fourth lowest one-day total in New Zealand cricket history.The task of knocking off the 68 runs required was not a difficult chore for the Stags who found the pitch had lost most of its sting and they gleefully the victory target in 15.4 overs.It was not a game that will go down in the annals of one-day cricket memorables but it has given Central Districts a place in the semi-finals of the Shell Cup and Otago yet another exit to near the bottom of the class.

Jhye Richardson could make his first Test appearance in four years with Australia locking in an all-pace attack for Boxing Day, on an MCG pitch described by Steven Smith as “quite furry, quite green”, while Usman Khawaja has retained his spot after being a last-minute replacement in Adelaide.Australia will wait until the morning of the game to make the final call on the composition of quicks. It will come down to two from Richardson, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett, with offspinner Todd Murphy being omitted from the trimmed-down 12-man squad named by Smith, who also returns from illness, on Christmas Day. Josh Inglis has also been left out from the side that played in Adelaide.It means for the second time in the series – and third time in their last five Tests – Australia won’t have a specialist spinner on a surface that still had 10mm of grass the day before the game, with the match also set to start under cool, cloudy conditions.”I dare say it’s going to offer quite a bit,” Smith, captaining again in place of Pat Cummins, said. “Particularly, I think tomorrow’s similar conditions to today, quite cold and overcast. I dare say there’s going to be quite a bit of movement in that surface.”Smith added that even if Nathan Lyon, who injured his hamstring in Adelaide, had been available, there would still have been a discussion about not playing a spinner.”I think a lot of the wickets we’re playing on at present are certainly more seam-friendly than spin-friendly,” he said. “Last week [in Adelaide] was an anomaly. We saw some rough and we saw Nathan come in to play big-time last week. It’s a tricky one. You’ve just got to play what surface you’re presented with.Todd Murphy will have to sit out•Getty Images

“This one out here looks like it’s going to offer a fair bit of assistance for the seam bowlers. The weather throughout the week looks conducive for that, too. I think if Nathan was here, we’d probably still be having the same conversation as well.”It’s certainly nothing to do with Todd’s skill. We know he’s a quality bowler. He’s played some games for Australia and done really well. It’s great to see him here this week. I’m sure he’s going to be a pretty good chance to play next week in Sydney.”If Richardson plays, it will be his first Test since the 2021-22 Ashes. He was part of the squad a year ago for the corresponding match against India but shortly after that opted for shoulder surgery to correct a long-standing problem. In recent weeks, he has increased his workload across Cricket Australia XI and Australia A fixtures against England Lions and it was confirmed he wouldn’t be under any workload restrictions if selected.”He’s just got a great set of skills,” Smith said. “Swings the ball both ways, seams it, accurate. [He’s] a bit more skiddy than some of the others, he’s a little bit shorter, bowls decent pace. We’ve seen that when he’s had the opportunity at this level, he’s been outstanding. If he gets his opportunity tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be extremely excited.”It’s been a long lay-off for him and he’s done all the work to get back. He’s been around the group for a couple of weeks now getting his loads up and he’s in a good spot.”Meanwhile, Khawaja will bat at No. 5 as Australia continue with the Jake Weatherald-Travis Head opening combination, but Cameron Green has been demoted to No. 7 below the in-form Alex Carey as he endures a difficult series with the bat and could be playing for his place. It means that Inglis loses his place after not being able to convert the starts he made in Brisbane and Adelaide.There was some thought Green could be squeezed out by Beau Webster but the selectors have shown faith in Green, who caused Smith a few problems in the nets.Cameron Green has endured a difficult series with the bat•AFP/Getty Images

“He’s bowling nicely,” Smith said. “Obviously picked up a key wicket in the last game with Harry Brook with a nice ball. Gave me a couple of those yesterday, actually. They were pretty similar.”I think in terms of his batting, he probably hasn’t got the output that he’s wanted so far. He’s had a couple of really good starts where he’s looked nice and comfortable at the crease. It’s about just making those starts and turning them into bigger scores.”We’ve seen how talented he is [and] seen what he can do in the game with bat, ball and in the field. He saves a truckload of runs at gully there with balls that no one else is going to stop. Hopefully he can make some runs this week.”Australia have made frequent changes through the series – some forced by injury, others tactical such as playing all-pace attacks – and have so far made the right call at every turn.”I think everyone who’s come in has done a great job,” Smith said. “And I think the beauty of this series so far, it hasn’t just been one or two players, it’s been a whole group of players standing up at different times and taking on the responsibility.”I think individuals, Starcy’s been magnificent leading the attack in all three games. Alex Carey behind the stumps and with the bat, outstanding. Travis Head, outstanding. It’s not about one or two individuals just standing up all the time, it’s everyone chipping in at stages. I think we’ve been able to do that in the big moments.”Our fielding has been outstanding as well. Some of the catches we’ve taken have really been able to turn the game and could have been the difference between the two sides at this stage.”

Leeds United have no new injury problems ahead of their Premier League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday night, Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Tough assignment for Leeds

The Whites lost 4-2 at home to Manchester United last weekend and their next assignment is one of the hardest imaginable, with a midweek trip to Anfield on the agenda.

Liverpool have found top form again in recent weeks and are back in the title race, so anything other than defeat for Leeds would feel like a huge bonus for the visitors.

Bielsa has been dogged by injuries to his squad throughout the campaign, but a revelation from the manager prior to the Merseyside clash offers some welcome news for the Elland Road faithful.

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The Latest: Bielsa delivers positive injury news

Speaking to the media on Tuesday [via Yorkshire Evening Post], the Leeds manager confirmed that there were no new injury concerns among his squad going into the Liverpool match.

When asked about team news update and whether any new injury worries had arisen, Bielsa gave a succinct three-word reply: “None in particular.”

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The Verdict: A welcome positive

This is undoubtedly positive news from a Leeds perspective, with as many players needed as possible for such a tough match tonight.

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While the likes of Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips remain sidelined, the only question ahead of the Liverpool clash surrounds Robin Koch, who left the field with a concussion at the weekend and is meant to rest for six days afterwards.

Whether or not Bielsa has ruled out the German in his own head remains to be seen, but it would feel negligent to play him against Jurgen Klopp’s star-studded team if he is not 100%. The last thing Leeds want is for any physical concerns to be needlessly exacerbated.

In other news, a former player has bemoaned an injury update regarding one Leeds player. Read more here.

India Under-19s’ top-order struggles against West Indies Under-19s was not a new occurrence in the tournament that unveiled itself only in the World Cup final. An unbeaten Indian side that had nearly all its parts fall into place until now, was reduced to 50 for 5 within 18 overs.Against Ireland in the first match, India were 48 for 3 before Sarfaraz Khan rescued them with a knock of 74. Against New Zealand, India were 19 for 2 and Sarfaraz scored 74 again. India were chasing only 170 against Nepal and the top order showed signs of getting into form with their biggest opening stand of the tournament – 124. But the top-order troubles came back in the knockouts – 27 for 2 in the semi-final against Sri Lanka, when Sarfaraz rescued them with another fifty. In the final, Sarfaraz was again India’s sole source of resistance with a patient 51 when the batsmen before him fell for 1, 4, 3 and 7.While India’s initial matches in Mirpur had more seamer-friendly tracks compared to today, their position in the final was the worst of the lot in terms of wickets lost and the run-rate. If the West Indies pace attack had a reputation of carving through the opposition’s batsmen, the Indian line-up had also been resuscitating itself with major contributions coming from the middle order.But much was being put on Sarfaraz’s shoulders. He was India’s leading run-scorer by a distance, and the second-highest overall, with a tally of 355 runs; Rishabh Pant was next with 267. Pant’s form was on the rise with consecutive fifties and then a destructive hundred against Namibia. But if he was not performing, all the burden was falling on Sarfaraz. India’s third-highest run-scorer was Armaan Jaffer with 160 runs. While coach Rahul Dravid accepted there was some “carelessness” in the first few dismissals, captain Ishan Kishan believed some batsmen have had to make up for the others not scoring on particular days.”It wasn’t that we were relying only on him (Sarfaraz),” Kishan said after the final. “He’s a good batsman and in very good form. It’s not everyone’s day and whoever is in form takes more responsibility. Sometimes it happens that some players are not in form or wickets are falling early so the one who sticks around scores more, that’s the plan usually.”They bowled well in the right areas and got good help from the pitch, there was very good bounce. Pant’s wicket was not good for us and later I got a wrong decision from the umpire. These things are very crucial and we needed a partnership but didn’t get that otherwise the result would have been different.”Apart from a solid top-three combination, the Indian line-up needed a support system in the middle order they could fall back on, whether Sarfaraz was among the runs or not. The only thing he would rue would be that he scored five fifties in six innings but gave his wicket away instead of putting a price on it for the bowlers.”I think he’s had a very good tournament in terms of numbers and stats but I think if he’s honest with himself, he’ll know that he should have converted some of those into one or two hundreds,” Dravid said. “Today was a really good opportunity, he was batting really really well. Just an opportunity to bat right till the end and get us to a fighting total. He has got a lot of talent and he’s shown that in the tournament. And he’s not the only one. Some of them have been able to show it, some not so much. But it’s the starting of a journey for some. Experiences like these, tournaments like these will really help them.”Coach Rahul Dravid on Sarfaraz Khan – “I think he’s had a very good tournament in terms of numbers and stats but I think if he’s honest with himself, he’ll know that he should have converted some of those into one or two hundreds”•Getty Images

A weak link that did not hurt India till the final was the No. 3 spot. India had Ricky Bhui at that spot for their first three games. He started off with a steady 39 against Ireland but produced subdued performances against New Zealand and Nepal with scores of 1 and 7 respectively. The result was Bhui, one of the three Indian players to play the last World Cup, was dropped for a batting allrounder who had not even batted in the warm-ups – Anmolpreet Singh.Anmolpreet showed his mettle straightaway – 41 in the quarter-final and a pressure-soaking 72 against Sri Lanka when India lost the openers within 10 overs. But can you blame a new player for not scoring in the final when he had already scored in the previous two? To add to that, he faced the most unplayable delivery among the Indian batsmen in the final – an uncomfortable short ball that drew an edge for the wicketkeeper.”Earlier we always found a way to pull ourselves back,” Dravid said. “Maybe it was one match too many. See, the guys tried their best. I will not blame anyone. The effort that I saw in training, practice was top class. We batted first in every single game except against Nepal and they were pretty challenging conditions. Considering we were playing in the sub-continent, these were pretty challenging conditions especially with 9 o’clock starts here.”It wasn’t easy to bat but it was a great lesson for us going ahead that sometimes you have to bat in these conditions, sometimes you have to find a way to get through that. Really good lesson for the top three that conditions aren’t always going to be as flat as you experience in India and you have to fight your way through it, you have to have the technique and ability to get through to 20 overs and then cash in. Lessons and learning but can’t fault the effort.”India were also caught unaware by the alertness of West Indies wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach who stumped Pant off a fast bowler on the fourth ball of the match. It can be said that that moment started India’s downfall and spoiled their plans of seeing through the first few overs of the opening bowlers. Pant did not have his best day while wicketkeeping either. In a challenging defence of 145, he dropped Kacy Carty in the 41st over on 35 and West Indies were still 37 runs adrift from the target. Carty went on to score an unbeaten 51 and steered his team through several nervous moments.”It happens, catches get dropped,” Kishan said. “It’s not necessary that things will go your way every day. He (Pant) has given very good performances so far so it’s not that he had a bad day. We bowled well, if we had fielded well and taken our catches, the result would have been in our favour.”