Former Pakistan head coach will also double up Director Cricket for the PSL franchise

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2017Former Pakistan fast bowler and two-time head coach of the Pakistan team, Waqar Younis, has been appointed bowling coach and director cricket by Pakistan Super League franchise Islamabad United. The director’s role was previously held by Wasim Akram. Waqar and Akram had earlier been touted for a reunion on the Multan Sultans coaching staff, but it hadn’t materialised.The announcement was made by Islamabad United team owner Ali Naqvi and captain Misbah-ul-Haq.”For any captain who is a batsman it is advantageous to have a coach who is a great bowler, someone he can trust and who commands respect both with the local players and the foreign players,” Misbah said. “Having worked with Waqar before, I think his appointment is a great one for Islamabad United, and one that will benefit our bowlers and our dressing room greatly.”Waqar, also present at the press conference, echoed Misbah’s thoughts.”Misbah and I relied on and helped each other out in the lowest of times for Pakistan cricket,” the new bowling coach said. “Having been through the experience we had from 2010 to 2012 is something that will always be with me, so it feels great to be reunited with someone I have worked with so much over the past seven years.”When I used to see PSL from the outside, Islamabad United seemed like a family to me and I am thrilled to be a part of it. We all want the PSL to come back to Pakistan and we are on the right track.”Waqar had two stints as head coach of Pakistan, which followed two stints as bowling coach after his international retirement. This will be his first foray as a coach in the PSL, but he has experience in franchise cricket from his time as bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad during the Indian Premier League in 2013. Sunrisers had finished with the best economy rate that year.Naqvi said there were “no issues” between Akram and the franchise: “Wasim Akram was a great teacher for our bowlers. There were no issues with him. We are thankful for his services. Wasim worked with Rumman Raees and taught him swing. Now we have Waqar Younis who will teach him toe-crushers.”I think in Waqar we have found the ideal man for this role. Not only does he have years of coaching experience with the national team – both as a bowling coach and a head coach – but a lot of his success has been with many of our current players, especially Misbah.”Furthermore, as a team that believes in numbers, the fact that along with his great numbers with the national team, in his lone IPL season, with the Hyderabad team, his team finished with the best bowling numbers in the tournament provided enough evidence for us to go after him.”Islamabad United had begun the last edition of the PSL as defending champions and were eliminated in the second qualifying playoff by Karachi Kings.

Newcastle United have already completed two new signings ahead of their return to Champions League football next season, and now a new update has emerged on another potential transfer target.

Is Nicolo Zaniolo joining Newcastle?

According to Tutto Mercato Web, Newcastle have now set their sights on Galatasaray ace Nicolo Zaniolo.

As per the report, Eddie Howe is keen to add more talent to his team this summer with Zaniolo named as a target for the club, however, Galatasaray have no intentions of selling their player after his explosive impact on the side since his arrival in January.

It is noted that the Turkish champions would reject any advances on the Italian unless his release clause is met, which is reported to be €35m (£30m).

How good is Nicolo Zaniolo?

There is no doubt that the Newcastle boss will be more than satisfied with the rapid progress his squad at St James' Park made last season, with a top-four finish and qualification for European football secured.

However, the campaign ahead presents a new challenge for Howe and his impressive team as they attempt to not only compete at the highest level domestically once again but also become competitive on the elite European stage too.

As a result, the signings of Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes have added great depth in key positions of the pitch, but a move for Zaniolo could even further bolster the attacking threat unleashed on opponents next season.

The versatile whiz is predominantly an attacking midfielder but also has experience playing in the right-wing role and as a second striker, making him an extremely valuable asset that could cover multiple positions for Newcastle in what is set to be a congested season for the Magpies.

Over 28 appearances last season for Roma and Galatasaray combined, Zaniolo scored seven goals and registered four assists in all competitions, averaging a goal contribution every 146 minutes played which is a great output considering his switch mid-season.

Former Roma coach Claudio Ranieri heaped praise on the 24-year-old for his performances in the Serie A, ahead of his move to Turkey in the January transfer window:

"He's a decisive player, we saw that against Bodo. He's a striker who has to find the ball in space, he has impressive quality and strength, even if sometimes he could pass it a bit more when he's on the edge of the area.

"But when he has the goal in front of him it's difficult for him to make mistakes."

Indeed, the Tyneside outfit already boasts a number of high-quality midfielders with Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff forming an unstoppable trio in the centre of the pitch, as well as the addition of former AC Milan star Tonali.

However, Howe could freshen up his midfield and provide strong competition for his positions across the attacking threat with the signing of Zaniolo, who could benefit from the quality his compatriot possesses in the middle third.

It is clear that the Italy international is an incredibly attacking-minded presence with comparisons to Newcastle legend Paul Gascoigne worth noting, whilst Tonali is a consistent and progressive creative outlet in a deeper midfield role – ranking in the top 25% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for progressive carries, assists and shot-creation actions.

So if Howe could secure a deal for Zaniolo, the pair who have played together for the Italy national team could reunite to cause chaos for opponents in both the Premier League and in European competition next season.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see whether Newcastle will sanction a move for another midfield this summer, but if they could acquire Zaniolo's talent it would provide Howe with a fantastic fresh perspective in attack.

أضاف فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي، الهدف الثاني بشباك نظيره الإسماعيلي، خلال المباراة الجارية الآن.

ويحتضن ملعب استاد الجيش ببرج العرب، مباراة الأهلي والإسماعيلي، ضمن منافسات الجولة 20 من عمر الدوري المصري “النيل”.

وسجل هدف الأهلي الثاني، اللاعب الدولي إمام عاشور، بعد مراوغة رائعة وتسديدة قوية في الدقيقة 57 من عمر اللقاء، ثم احتفل بالهدف على طريقة محمد أبو تريكة نجم المارد الأحمر ومنتخب مصر السابق.

رامي ربيعة يغيب عن مباراة الأهلي والجونة للإيقاف

وكان بيرسي تاو قد تقدم لـ الأهلي بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة 33 من عمر اللقاء، بتسديدة من خارج منطقة الجزاء.

ويتواجد الإسماعيلي في المركز الثالث عشر برصيد 19 نقطة، حصدها من 19 مباراة خاضها ببطولة الدوري حتى الأن.

وحقق الإسماعيلي هذا الموسم 4 انتصارات و7 تعادلات فيما نال 8 هزائم، سجل الدراويش 18 هدفًا واستقبلت شباكه 22 هدفًا.

ويحتل الأهلي حامل لقب النسخة الماضية من بطولة الدوري، المركز الحادي عشر في سلم ترتيب النسخة الحالية برصيد 21 نقطة من 11 مباراة، و يتبقى له 8 مباريات مؤجلة، لم يخوضهم بعد.

وجمع فريق النادي الأهلي نقاطه من ست انتصارات و3 تعادلات فيما نال هزيمتين، سجل لاعبوه 24 هدفًا واستقبلت شباك المارد الأحمر 13 هدفًا. هدف الأهلي الثاني أمام الإسماعيلي

Wolverhampton Wanderers have made contact with midfielder Guido Rodriguez over a potential switch this summer, according to Rudy Galetti.

The side are set for a busy final month of the transfer window.

What is the latest Wolves transfer news?

The Midlands side have had an incredibly tumultuous window so far.

The club have been incredibly limited in terms of what they can do in the market this summer due to FFP restrictions. Premier League rules state that clubs can only record losses of £105m over a three-year-period. In their most recent financial results, the club recorded a £46.1m loss, meaning that the side will have to limit spending and losses in order to comply to regulations and avoid punishments.

There was a real concern that current manager Julen Lopetegui would depart this summer after managing to keep the side up last season despite being bottom on Christmas. The former Real Madrid boss was reportedly frustrated with the situation and held multiple talks with the clubs ownership this summer, with reports suggesting the Spaniard could walk away from the job. Fortunately for Wolves fans, Lopetegui has confirmed that he will stay this season despite the clubs troubles.

Wolves have lost a number of key players this summer, with the most notable departure being Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, who joined Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal for a reported fee of £47m. Defender Nathan Collins also departed after just one season at Molineux, joining fellow Premier League side Brentford in a deal worth £23m. The club also lost long serving players Joao Moutinho and Adama Traore following the expiry of their deals at the club, whilst former captain Conor Coady made the switch to recently relegated Leicester City.

The only transfer the club have made is bringing back former player Matt Doherty on a free transfer after his short term deal at Spanish side Atletico Madrid. The other confirmed singings were the activations of obligatory buy options from the loan deals of Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traore.

The club are looking make another signing this summer according to Galetti, who told GIVEMESPORT that conversations had occurred between Rodriguez and Wolves, however the player remains in discussions with his club Real Betis over a contract renewal this summer.

He said: "Wolves are moving slowly at this stage of the summer transfer window. There have been some contacts with Real Betis for Guido Rodriguez, but nothing concrete. The player, among other things, is discussing his contract renewal with the Spanish club.”

What is next for Wolves this window?

There is still plenty of business for the Midlands club to do this summer.

Well, you would think that a player like Rodriguez is a must for Wolves after the departures of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, but it remains to be seen as to whether they can actually pursue signings like this given their current situation.

The club have suffered a blow in terms of incomings however, seemingly losing the race to sign Bristol City young star Alex Scott to Bournemouth. Wolves saw two offers rejected for the player this window, with £18m and £20m bids knocked back for their number one target, and the Cherries seem to be the side who have matched the Championship sides asking price of £25m. The club are looking to replace Collins with Nico Elvedi, with Football Insider reporting that the club are close to be completing the transfer for a fee in the region of £7.7m after the player rejected a new deal with the club.

There could still be outgoings from Molineux this summer as well. Daniel Podence is reportedly a target of Spanish side Betis this summer, with the side hoping that a fee in the region of £7-10m will be enough to prise the player away from Wolves. Both Max Kilman and Matheus Nunes are targets for top European sides this summer, with the Englishman a target of Napoli following the departure of Kim Min-Jae this summer to Bayern Munich, whilst Nunes a reported target of PSG, with Luis Campos reportedly a big fan of the Portuguese midfielder who joined Wolves last summer for £42.2m.

Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Clement Lenglet wants to make a return to Spurs this summer, according to Diario Sport journalist Marta Fernandez.

Who will Spurs sign?

Ange Postecoglou, as per reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, will soon be boosted by the arrivals of both defender Micky van de Ven and Rosario Central striker Alejo Veliz.

Both transfer targets have been given the famous "here we go" by Romano, meaning Spurs are surely now about to seal their signings this summer.

Van de Ven and Veliz will join the likes of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defender Ashley Phillips, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon as new Tottenham players, coming after they also sealed permanent moves for Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski.

It's been a very busy week at Spurs but reports claim they may not even be done there, as Postecoglou apparently wants to add two new senior centre-backs to his roster rather than one.

football.london reporter Alasdair Gold said as much late last month, but multiple defensive additions will depend on outgoings.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

"The north London club are looking to sign two new senior centre-backs this summer," wrote Gold.

"It has not been ruled out that they could yet move for both players [Van de ven and Tapsoba] depending on departures from Postecoglou's squad.

"Tottenham will listen to offers for Sanchez, Joe Rodon and Tanganga this summer, while Eric Dier is keen to remain at the club."

Alongside both van de Ven and Tapsoba, Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, Galatasaray's Victor Nelsson and Juventus defender Gleison Bremer and Lenglet have all been linked with Spurs moves too.

Sharing an update on the latter defender, who spent last campaign on loan at Tottenham from Barcelona, reporter Fernandez has claimed the Frenchman has his eyes firmly on a move to Spurs.

Speaking on Calciomercato.it's TV Play channel, the journalist said, amid interest from AC Milan:

“We have received this news from Milan but the player wants to return to Tottenham," said Fernandez.

"He has a high salary and the request is 15 million euros. Barcelona are not interested in Chiesa because Raphinha, Ferran Torres and even Abde can play in that role, but he can go to Real Betis".

What's been said about Clement Lenglet?

The 28-year-old featured regularly under Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason last season with long-serving goalkeeper Hugo Lloris praising his former teammate.

Lloris, commenting after Spurs sealed a deal for Lenglet last year, called him a "modern" defender and "high-level" player.

He's a modern defender," said Lloris.

"Comfortable to be able to play from the back. He has a great left foot and can be very strong in one v ones and he's strong in the air.

"Even if it's never easy when you arrive in the Premier League and he will have to adapt to the intensity of the games but he is a high-level player, with experience."

The former Sevilla star could slot into Postecoglou's fluid, attacking system pretty well – with the player averaging a noteworthy 87.5% passing accuracy for Spurs last season. Indeed, only Cristian Romero managed a higher number (WhoScored).

Liam Norwell was in the wickets again•Getty Images

Liam Norwell took the final three wickets in Leicestershire’s second innings to finish with a first-class career best return of 8 for 43 as Gloucestershire completed a ten-wicket victory at the Fischer County Ground.His return was the best in Division Two of the County Championship this season, and also meant the young seamer had taken ten wickets in the match for the second time against Leicestershire this season.”We made three changes for this match, with Matt Taylor, Josh Shaw and James Bracey coming in, and they all took their chance and made an important contribution to the victory,” Richard Dawson, Gloucestershire’s coach, said.”We’re still searching for the big partnerships of over 100, but we had three or four partnerships of 50-plus, and they helped us build a solid first innings score in difficult conditions. The challenge now is to take this form into our match against Kent at Bristol next week.”Liam Norwell is a class act, there’s not many better seamers around in county cricket at the moment.”With Leicestershire resuming on 152 for 7, leading by only eight runs, Gloucestershire’s only real concern was the weather, but play started on time, and Norwell made an immediate breakthrough, with a delivery which Matt Pillans edged to George Hankins at third slip.The end was not long coming as Clint McKay then edged an expansive drive to Gareth Roderick behind the stumps before Dieter Klein edged to Chris Dent at second slip.Gloucestershire openers Dent and Cameron Bancroft needed just 3.3 overs to score the 15 runs needed for the visitors to complete their third victory of the season, and leave Leicestershire still winless after a hapless performance in which only captain Mark Cosgrove, who hit 170 of the 382 runs Leicestershire scored in the match.”Obviously we haven’t played our best game over the last four days, and today was another disappointing effort,” Cosgrove said. “It was an opportunity to play good cricket which we didn’t take, but the season’s not over, there are two more games to show we’re good cricketers, and we have to turn it around quickly.”We’ll look hard at selection, especially after a game like we’ve played here. It could be tough at Worcester, with Ashwin in the side they’ll probably prepare a dry turning wicket, but we have to look at it as another opportunity to do well.”It is a tough ask to lift players in these circumstances but we’ll regroup and try and have a good lead-in to the game next week. We do need some positives going into the winter because otherwise it could be a very long pre-season for some of the boys.”

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be closing in on a potential replacement for in-demand striker, Harry Kane, amid reports that negotiations have been held regarding a move for Porto talisman, Mehdi Taremi.

What's the latest on Taremi to Tottenham?

According to Portuguese newspaper, Record, the 31-year-old is potentially set to play his 'last game' for the Primeira Liga side against rivals Benfica in the super cup later this week, with the north Londoners continuing their contact with the Iranian international.

Amid those talks, the piece suggests that an agreement has not yet been reached between the two clubs as the Lilywhites have yet to meet Porto's €30m (£26m) asking price, having thus far promised to cough up in the region of €24m (£21m).

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

This follows a report from transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio who revealed last week that Spurs are interested in signing the former Rio Ave man, with the experienced marksman seemingly up for grabs with just a year left to run on his current deal.

How good is Mehdi Taremi?

Not that Ange Postecoglou would have needed reminding of the importance of Kane to his side, although the free-scoring Englishman further rubberstamped his quality with a clinical display in the recent pre-season friendly clash with Shakhtar Donetsk, having hit four goals against the Ukranian outfit.

With the club's record scorer potentially on his way to Bayern Munich, those at N17 will have to seek out a suitable replacement who can be the new attacking figurehead moving forward, with Taremi perhaps an ideal fit due to his stellar record in Portugal in recent seasons.

The 6 foot 1 menace notably scored 31 goals and chipped in with 14 assists in 51 games in all competitions last term – totalling more goal involvements than any Tottenham player achieved – while having also netted 26 times and registered 17 assists the year prior.

While replicating such form in the Premier League will pose a different challenge, the 66-cap sensation could find that task far easier due to the presence of recent summer signing, James Maddison, with the ex-Leicester City magician likely to help Taremi prove rather unplayable in the final third.

As Maddison proved against Shakhtar – after providing an assist for Kane's second goal with a stunning, whipped cross – he can be a real creative weapon for Postecoglou's side next season, with 90min's Sean Walsh writing that the 26-year-old 'loves to get on the ball and play it forward'.

That quality was also evident last season as the Coventry-born maestro finished tenth in the division with regard to chances created, while also ranking in the top 15% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for progressive passes as a marker of that forward-thinking approach.

Having also created 12 'big chances' and averaged 2.3 key passes per game in 2022/23, Maddison has proven that he can provide the goods on a plate for those ahead of him in the forward line, thus ensuring that Taremi could flourish amid that constant, elite service.

With the Porto goal machine a true poacher by trade – as he ranks in the top 3% among his European peers for touches in the attacking penalty area – he could allow Maddison the space and freedom to operate in an advanced midfield role behind him.

As such, the signing of Taremi – who was branded "ridiculous" by pundit Rio Ferdinand for his overhead kick against Chelsea in the Champions League a few years ago – could prove to be a particularly astute, albeit rather left-field Kane replacement for Postecoglou and co.

After leading the franchise in 40 out of their 43 matches, Darren Sammy has been asked to step down

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2017

Darren Sammy has been removed from his position as captain by the St Lucia Stars after a run of six successive matches without a victory in the 2017 Caribbean Premier League. Shane Watson, the former Australia allrounder, takes over the leadership of the team and will be assisted by his new deputy Marlon Samuels.A press release from the Stars on Thursday insisted that Sammy remained an integral part of the team. Barring the results, Sammy has had a good tournament, scoring a valiant fifty against the Barbados Tridents, at the end of which the opposition captain Kieron Pollard joked he was thankful for the rain stopping Sammy before he could do further damage.They were then upstaged in the final over by Guyana Amazon Warriors – Sammy nearly defended seven runs – and most recently lost to Jamaica Tallawahs after bossing the majority the match.To “incorporate some fresh thinking as the team completes this season and builds for 2018,” the Stars management has decided to end Sammy’s stint at the helm after 40 matches across five seasons.”If it were not for Daren, St Lucian cricket would not have the standing it does in world cricket and his ability to lead both on and off the field remains unquestioned,” owner Jay Pandya said. “However, after the results that we have seen over the first half of the 2017 Hero CPL, a change is needed to freshen things up as we look to win the remaining four fixtures this season.”The new captain Watson has excellent credentials in T20 cricket, with 5691 runs and 194 wickets and has led teams in the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League. Watson has scored 45 runs in four games in the 2017 Caribbean Premier League.

Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in Brazilian starlet Marcos Leonardo, as Steve Cooper bids to add firepower to the front line at the City Ground.

The Reds will want to push on from securing survival in their Premier League return last season, however, reinforcements must be made to add further quality to the side.

What’s the latest on Marcos Leonardo to Nottingham Forest?

As reported by news in Brazil, relayed by Sport Witness, Forest are ‘observing’ Santos forward Leonardo in a potential summer swoop.

The report claims that the Midlands side are weighing up whether to make an official offer for the youngster, with some reservations over his suitability for the English game.

Earlier in the year, the 20-year-old was linked with a Premier League move with Arsenal being the side in question, suggesting the quality of the striker who is valued by FootballTransfers at €21.1m (£18m).

How good is Marcos Leonardo?

Lauded as being a “natural goalscorer” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the forward could be the perfect acquisition for Cooper’s side.

In the Brazilian Serie A, the Santos forward has made eight goal contributions in 11 appearances, securing him an average match rating of 7.15 in the league competition, via Sofascore.

While his movements in the domestic schedule are impressive, the budding talent shone at the U20 World Cup, in which he scored five and assisted once in just five games for his country.

Clinical in nature, the dynamic forward has been dubbed as a “killer in the penalty area” by Kulig, providing an obscene amount of threat in the final third for a player so early into his career.

For Forest, it’s integral to add goal-scoring options considering the calibre of the creative individuals on show at the club who could take the side to the next level if handed a competent goal-getter.

While nominated striker Taiwo Awoniyi netted ten goals last term in the Premier League, the robust line leader lacked the ruthless edge that could make the difference between survival and relegation next season.

As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old missed eight big chances and registered only 0.6 shots on target per game in the league, calling for further reinforcements to challenge the Nigerian.

Cooper could strike gold by capturing a rival in Leonardo, who averaged 1.2 shots on target per game for Santos in Serie A, highlighting that he could fulfil expectations in areas lacking by Awoniyi.

Described as “frightening” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the 20-year-old is identified to have strengths in agility, reactions and decision-making, as per scouting site Total Football Analysis.

A forward that excels in reading the game could be fundamental to Forest’s progression, as well as getting the best out of star attackers Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson, who could benefit from the signing of the young Brazilian.

Highlighted as being a player that enjoys helping his teammates build attacking scenarios, the two Forest playmakers could flex their status in the final third with the added flair of the Santos star.

With 47 goals in his career already, the 2003-born ace could be the perfect target for Cooper to chase this window.

Pakistan’s captain makes a lot of runs with the shot, but his top-edge while attempting it on the final day in Dubai opened a gate for Sri Lanka

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai10-Oct-2017It is the kind of dismissal that can change the nature of a captaincy. Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq were building on their stellar work on the fourth evening and had already scored 27 runs in six overs at the start of the fifth day.As he has done thousands of times before, Sarfraz went down to sweep the fifth ball of Dilruwan Perera’s over. He got nice and low, but the ball didn’t – it bounced a little more, caught his top edge and landed in Nuwan Pradeep’s hands at deep square leg.Pakistan needed 92 at that stage and this was the last specialist batting pair. They had already put on 173 and were in the process of turning the game around. More significantly, the new ball was due in eight balls and the situation demanded Sarfraz and Shafiq to be there to face it. Instead he was gone, and with it, Pakistan’s hopes of a series-levelling win: they lost their last four wickets for just 23 runs, and with it went Pakistan’s unbeaten, decade-long home streak.Did he regret the shot?”No, not regret,” he said. “That is my shot and I play it a lot. In this innings I really checked myself, I didn’t play too many shots but I guess, there is regret that I got out to it and the team was hurt because of that.”It is correct that the sweep is his go-to shot against spin and he is very good with it. But, the situation as it was, this being his second Test as captain, and having been dismissed in the Abu Dhabi chase also attacking, it will, he admitted, make him rethink its deployment. A loose hook shot in his first Test as captain, after all, changed the nature of Imran Khan’s batting.”It is the shot that I play, I’ve played it lots before and made runs from it,” he said. “But I’ll try and not play it at crucial moments again.”That mistake merely compounded a whole series of collective ones Pakistan made through the two Tests. It constitutes the first real bump in Sarfraz’s leadership, which hitherto has gone smoother than expected. He’s won nine and lost two T20s that he’s led in, and can already boast of a global ICC trophy.”I got to learn a lot from this. We made many mistakes. This was my first series as captain and it was pretty tough. Captaincy is very different in Tests – it changes session by session.”His assessment of the defeat wasn’t much different from Mickey Arthur’s the previous evening. It wasn’t the bowling, though Sarfraz did concede they could’ve gone with two spinners here. The biggest problems were of the batsmen, failing in a chase of 136, and then failing to make 300 in each innings in Dubai. But it wasn’t just the order that was the problem.Shafiq’s final day hundred was the only century for Pakistan in four innings, with seven fifties [Sri Lanka had two but both were big ones].”We lacked in our batting, we didn’t play any long innings and didn’t capitalise on good starts,” Sarfraz said.”The kind of innings Asad played, if we had gotten that in the last game, or in the first innings here, then we could’ve gotten out of it. I’ve learnt a fair bit and I hope that whatever the next series is, we’ll try and improve on these.”Part of that could be attributed to a lack of game time. In contrast to Sri Lanka who came into this series battle-hardened with a full series against India behind them, Pakistan had not played a Test since May. Since the Champions Trophy win in June, they had only played three Twenty20s against a World XI, which, tough as they may have been, carried the air of exhibition games.Their only real preparation, for a series that began in the UAE as early as the last week of September for the first time, was a five-day training camp in Lahore. There had been some talk of an earlier arrival in the UAE for better preparation before the team left, but Sarfraz was happy they had done their work.”If I say we didn’t do our full preparation, or we weren’t acclimatised to conditions, it would be wrong. We did our preparation in the time we had. We played a practice game in Lahore.”I think we just didn’t play this series well and to say we didn’t get the time to prepare is wrong – we did our preparations right. We just didn’t avail the opportunities we had. In the first Test we got so close and could have won it but couldn’t.”