It’s understood Azhar felt the appointment of Sarfaraz Ahmed in a role that aligned closely with his own responsibilities led him to feel his position had become untenable

Danyal Rasool19-Nov-2025Azhar Ali has resigned from his position at the PCB as selector and head of youth development, ending a 12-month stint in that role. The departure, which was not publicly announced by either Azhar or the board, has been confirmed by ESPNcricinfo.ESPNcricinfo has learned Azhar’s departure came after an extended period of simmering differences in outlook between the former Pakistan captain and the board. Matters eventually came to a head after Sarfaraz Ahmed was reportedly appointed – though, again, not officially confirmed by the board – as the head of Pakistan Shaheens and Under-19 sides, with his remit extending to the organising and managing of tours, as well as conducting training camps.It is understood Azhar felt the appointment of Sarfaraz in a role that aligned closely with his own set of responsibilities led him to feel his position had become untenable. He sent in his letter of resignation earlier this week, which the PCB accepted.Azhar, who captained Pakistan in Tests and ODIs, was first brought into the PCB as a member of the selection panel for Pakistan’s men’s national side in October 2024. A month later, he had the role of youth development head tacked on, one which was publicly announced by the PCB at the time.The official announcement of his appointment on the PCB’s website stated that he had been “tasked with shaping the future of Pakistan cricket by designing and implementing comprehensive youth cricket strategies, establishing robust grassroots cricket structures and talent pathways, collaborating with regional cricket associations to strengthen age-group programmes, educating emerging cricketers under the PCB’s Pathways Programme, and organising seminars and clinics to build awareness of off-field development essentials for aspiring players”.The next major assignment for a Pakistan age-group side comes at the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, which runs from January 15 to February 6, and will take place in Zimbabwe and Namibia. Co-hosts Zimbabwe, Scotland and England are in Pakistan’s group at the competition, which Pakistan have won twice – in 2004 and 2006.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham United side are showing signs of green shoots, but there is much work still to be done in the fight to stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier League.

West Ham’s inconsistencies have plunged them into the drop zone, but a glass-half-full mentality would tell you that Nuno has claimed eight points from four games and the squad’s understanding in this new system is tightening, deepening.

But this is also a precarious and anxiety-inducing position. Former technical director Tim Steidten left much to be desired on the recruitment front, and now additions are needed up top and across the backline.

West Ham need to sign a striker

Niklas Fullkrug’s £27m transfer from Borussia Dortmund to the London Stadium has not gone to plan. Injuries have been the German striker’s biggest inhibitor, but he has scored only three times across 29 matches, and a winter exit, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, looks on the cards.

The 32-year-old has indeed been slated for a January departure, probably back to his homeland, and that leaves West Ham in a sticky position, with Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson in need of support.

Help may arrive in the form of Santiago Gimenez, with Italian outlet Il Messaggero relaying that the Mexican forward is destined for a move to the Premier League, with the Irons one of the clubs who could put forward a bid of around €30m (equating to £26m).

Sunderland are also interested, and given that Milan would be open to selling the 24-year-old for around that price, the Londoners will need to be snappy in getting a deal done.

What Santiago Gimenez would bring to West Ham

Gimenez stands at 6 foot 1 and is a physical and imposing attacking profile. In this, he would be the perfect profile to replace Fullkrug, whose physicality and focal command in the box are among the finest in Europe.

After joining AC Milan from Feyenoord last winter, Gimenez made a positive start to life in Serie A, scoring five goals and supplying two assists across the latter half of the 2024/25 campaign, playing 14 times and starting only seven of those games.

However, he has petered out under Massimiliano Allegri’s wing this season, yet to score in the Italian top flight. Gimenez is still relatively young and has the athleticism to succeed in the Premier League, and he could be the perfect presence to dovetail into the front of Nuno’s system, having been hailed as a “machine” in the box by talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past.

His particular approach suggests he would be perfect for Nuno’s West Ham project, Chris Wood would bear testament to that, having been the spearhead of the Portuguese tactician’s incredible tenure at the Nottingham Forest helm, prolific and talismanic.

Wood is among the most physical and commanding strikers of recent years; certainly, his blend of clinical shooting, steely hold-up play and intelligent movement has allowed him to blossom into “one of the best in the Prem”, as claimed by reporter Jamie Martin.

And his time in Nuno’s system proved a match made in heaven for both. Now, Gimenez could make his mark as the new version, especially if given the trust and care that have been lacking throughout his year in Italy.

Under Espirito Santo’s stewardship, Wood enjoyed arguably the most productive spell of his career, scoring 20 goals from 36 Premier League matches as the Tricky Trees secured a place in Europe.

Sean Dyche

165

53 (0.32)

Nuno Santo

60

32 (0.53)

Garry Monk

48

30 (0.62)

Nigel Pearson

62

20 (0.32)

Kenny Jacket

19

11 (0.58)

Chris Hughton

29

11 (0.38)

Gimenez could play a similar role in this West Ham team, the catalyst for attacking change after a tough chapter in the club’s modern history.

Finishes like Bowen: West Ham offered chance to sign "insane" Wilson upgrade

The international goalscorer could be just the player to spearhead Nuno’s West Ham project.

ByJack Salveson Holmes 6 days ago

Top-order batter Mahmudul Hasan Joy has returned to the Bangladesh squad that will face Ireland over two Test matches in Sylhet and Dhaka later this month.Joy has played 18 Tests and was seen as a highly promising addition to the team after scoring the first-ever Test match century by a Bangladesh batter in South Africa, in 2022. He lost his place in the side after averaging 14.92 in seven Tests since the start of 2024 but good form in the new season of the National Cricket League, during which he scored 127 and 51 for Chattogram Division against Rajshahi Division, has helped him mount a comeback.Najmul Hossain Shanto leads the 15-member team. He had quit as captain at the end of Bangladesh’s last Test series in June, which they lost 1-0 to Sri Lanka, but the BCB has reinstated him and said he will remain in charge until the end of this World Test Championship cycle in 2027. Anamul Haque, Mahidul Islam Ankon and Nayeem Hasan, who were part of that Sri Lanka tour, have been left out.Related

• Ashraful named Bangladesh's batting coach

• Ireland name five uncapped players in Test squad for Bangladesh

• Shanto reinstated as Bangladesh Test captain until end of WTC cycle

Mushfiqur Rahim, should he play both matches against Ireland, will become the first Bangladesh cricketer to play 100 Tests. The 38-year-old made his debut back in 2005 and is already their most capped player and their highest scorer in the format. He is also in form having made 115 for Sylhet Division at the same ground where the first Test against Ireland will take place.Bangladesh have picked four fast bowlers in Ebadot Hossain, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud and Khaled Ahmed to complement their three spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam and Hasan Murad, who is still awaiting his Test debut. Murad picked up a match haul of 9 for 135 for Chattogram in the NCL in October. Taijul, meanwhile, is 10 short of going past Shakib Al Hasan and becoming Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in Tests.The two matches against Ireland are scheduled for November 11-15 in Sylhet and November 19-23 in Dhaka. They are not part of the WTC.

Bangladesh Test squad for Ireland series

Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Hasan Murad.

Back-to-back wins for Tottenham Hotspur. What is this? Yes, we know, shock horror, right?

Thomas Frank’s time in charge of the Lilywhites has not been smooth sailing so far and prior to Spurs’ win over Brentford last weekend, they had not won a game of football since the end of October.

November was a horror month for Frank, one that already raised questions about his future. However, the north Londoners are now on the right track again and they have Xavi Simons to thank for two inspirational displays in the last two games.

Xavi Simons' Spurs turnaround

While Simons’ goal against Slavia Prague in their 3-0 win on Tuesday came from the penalty spot, this has been a much-improved few days for the Dutchman who appears to be coming good in Spurs colours at long last.

Simons also found the net in the win over Brentford on Saturday and appears to be a lot happier with how things are going now.

Speaking after the game, the Netherlands international said: “It is really nice to score the goals, but feeling great on the pitch, that is the most important for me and I’m enjoying it. So, really happy to be in this moment.”

Also making an appearance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday was club legend, Son Heung-min.

The South Korean left Spurs behind in the summer for a new adventure with LAFC in MLS and he was back in England this week to finally wave goodbye to fans after a decade of service.

Simons commented: “I didn’t meet Son (before) personally and now a little bit. He is a big legend for the club and it’s a real pleasure for me to take this number and build my own legacy, so really happy to meet him.”

Son waves farewell to Spurs

Son scored 173 goals in 454 appearances for Spurs, with his final competitive appearance in the historic Europa League triumph over Manchester United back in May.

The South Korean paraded the trophy around the stadium days after that victory in Bilbao, but left in pre-season to sign for LAFC. Thus, he did not have the chance to say goodbye until this week.

An emotional evening started with Son’s mural being unveiled on the High Road before he spoke to the crowd and promised, “I will always be Spurs.”

Speaking to Korean media after, he stated: “First of all, I’m happy to be back in a place where I spent my youth and is like a home. I’m so grateful that so many fans welcomed me and cheered for me. It was a little hard (on Monday) because the flight time was longer than I thought, but I had a really happy day. Thank you so much.”

Mathys Tel, who was only drafted into Spurs’ Champions League squad this week as a replacement for the injured Dominic Solanke, was delighted to see Son.

Tel added: “Sonny is like my big brother. He is always texting me, his support is always behind me, so back in the Champions League, we won and Sonny was there… a lot of good things. Sonny is a big legend at Tottenham, so when a guy like Sonny comes after he did everything, you give everything for him.”

Spurs star showed why he could become a "future £100m" player vs Slavia

Tottenham Hotspur have yet another gem on their hands after the victory over Slavia Prague.

ByEthan Lamb 2 days ago

Arsenal’s battle with injuries has taken a further turn for the worse after Declan Rice was ruled out of Wednesday night’s Champions League meeting with Club Brugge. The midfielder is a central figure in Mikel Arteta’s plans but was deemed too ill to travel to Belgium, which has deepened the sense of strain within a squad already stretched thin.

• Injuries a major concern for Arteta

  Rice had fallen unwell shortly after the weekend defeat at Aston Villa, and despite attempts to aid his recovery, the 26-year-old was unable to join the travelling party. He is not the only major absentee. William Saliba, who has been managing an ongoing issue for several weeks, remains unavailable and will miss yet another marquee European assignment. Leandro Trossard, who had only just returned from injury to score against Villa, has suffered a fresh knock and had to be withdrawn before the final whistle at Villa Park. Arteta admitted he does not expect the Belgian’s recovery to be long-term but said there was no chance of him featuring in Bruges. The Gunners are also without Kai Havertz, defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera, and have only just welcomed back striker Viktor Gyokeres after his own spell on the sidelines.

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  Arteta shares injury updates

  Speaking to reporters, Arteta said: "Declan was ill. He was quite sick after the game, and he hasn’t travelled with us. William is still not available, and Leo again picked another knock in an area where he had the issue, and I don't expect that it's going to be long, but unfortunately, he cannot be here."

  In an illustration of the mounting physical toll, Arsenal have altered their Champions League squad to accommodate the returning Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian forward had been sidelined since January following surgery on his cruciate ligament, but has forced his way back ahead of schedule. His reintroduction comes at the expense of 15-year-old midfielder Max Dowman, who suffered an injury while playing for Arsenal’s Under-21 side against Manchester United over the weekend.

  Arteta added: "Yes, so first of all, unfortunately, Max [Dowman] picked up an injury last weekend and had to come off. So he did some scans and he is going to be out for weeks and then we have the situation of Gabi [Jesus], who we were expecting to be training with us by the end of December. Gabi has been pushing every single day and he kept telling everybody 'I am going to be earlier, earlier, earlier' and he has done it. 

  "So thanks to his work and all the work that the medical staff have done in all these months, and we had the possibility to make a swap there and we have done it. Yes, on one side, you see Max and the situation and on the other, you see the joy and how happy Gabi is to be back in the Champions League."

• Overtraining claims addressed

  With so many key figures unavailable, Arteta was asked whether the club’s escalating injury list is a symptom of excessive training demands. The manager dismissed the notion outright, arguing that the relentless match calendar leaves little room to train meaningfully.

  "Not training, no, because we don't have time to train," he said. "So, training is not there. But obviously, the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more. That's a consequence of that and it's a really dangerous. The fact that we have some others who have long-term contracts that haven't been with us since the beginning of the season. But, yeah, it's a test for the team, and so far, we have reacted very, very well to that."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Fixture congestion continues to spark debate

  Arsenal, alongside Crystal Palace, have seen their league matches later this month brought forward by 24 hours to ease the load during a packed festive period. Arsenal’s trip to Everton and Palace’s visit to Leeds, initially set for Sunday, 21 December, will now take place on the evening of 20 December. The shift was introduced because the teams face each other in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on 23 December, creating an unusually tight turnaround. Arsenal have already contested 22 matches across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup, with the FA Cup campaign due to begin in early January against Portsmouth. As the squad travels to Belgium without several of their key performers, Arsenal face not only Club Brugge but also the growing challenge of keeping a threadbare group intact through one of the most gruelling phases of the campaign.

Mikel Arteta has revealed the unorthodox technique he used to get Arsenal players and staff onside when he first arrived at the club in 2019. Having arrived at the Emirates during a transitional period, he used the metaphor of making a "big mess" to represent how those outside the club viewed the Gunners at the time. Urging the players to accept his help in rediscovering "the standards" needed at the club, Arteta's words appear to have had the desired impact.

Arteta's strange technique for first Arsenal meeting revealed

Speaking in an interview with , Arteta set the scene of his first encounter with the playing squad when he arrived in December 2019, as he detailed his expectations of what needed to change.

Returning to the club he had once captained as a player just three years after retiring at the Emirates, Arteta’s comeback was not to be taken lightly and he made an instant impression as he used a bizarre “mess” metaphor to visually represent the state the north London club were in at the time.

While it took some time for Arteta to truly carry out his vision, his words were clearly taken on board quickly as the Gunners have risen back to being one of the Premier League’s elite sides in recent years – though a league title has eluded them up to this point.

AdvertisementArteta speaks on first meeting with Arsenal players

When asked about his first meeting with the players, Arteta said: “It was the players and the staff, and it was in one of the rooms upstairs. And what I did is I put the room in a really awkward place.

"So, a lot of things on the floor. It looked a big mess. And I said 'This is the impression, and this is how a lot of people have described the moment that we are in. So, do you want me to come and help you to get this to the standards and the level, and the enjoyment that deserves to be part of this football club? Get everything together and start working'."

That first meeting set the scene for what would be to come

Arteta’s harsh words certainly set a precedent for what would be to come, as the Spaniard aimed to quickly turn around the culture at the club. Following FA Cup final success in his first season, he gradually moved on from high-earning players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil, bringing through Hale End academy stars such as Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe and Eddie Nketiah.

Once the transition was complete, by 2022-23 Arsenal were title challengers again. Three years of second-placed finishes have followed, but the Gunners currently hold a healthy lead at the top of the Premier League table, and it is widely believed that this campaign is the best chance they have had to win their first top-flight title since the Invincibles in 2003-04.

Whether Arteta’s interesting decision to create a mess in the meeting room in order to put his point across was the first key moment which ultimately led to all of this is a mystery, but six years on the Spaniard is coming ever-closer to achieving all he set out to at the Emirates.

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Getty Images SportArteta reflects on Arsenal squad ahead of January transfer window

Speaking in his press conference on Friday, Arteta reflected on his side and their prospects of strengthening during the upcoming transfer window, as his side continue to be linked with potential new signings.

“We’ve built a squad that we believe is the best one to give us the possibility to do it. Is it where I want it to be? No, because of the injuries that we have," he said.

“To have a squad means that the players have to be fit and available because that has a lot of consequences, not only during matches but also in the way that we prepare for the week, and the options that we have to change and keep the freshness in the team. But certainly, very happy with how we have dealt with certain situations.

“We always have to be prepared. The moment that we have an option to touch the squad, to improve the squad or to protect the squad, I think we need to be open for what is going to happen from now until the window closes, this is football.

“We don’t know, but we’re certainly going to be alert and we know where the risks can come in terms of the squad. We have to be ready in case we need to do something.”

Richard Hughes was rightly lauded after overseeing a staggering summer transfer window for Premier League champions Liverpool, but any positivity has been scourged away by the dreadful form that has fractured Arne Slot’s reign.

Nine losses across 12 fixtures is bad enough, but the limp and toothless manner of many of the defeats – especially recent losses at Anfield against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League – underscores the severity of the crisis Slot is dealing with.

He needs to find answers, or else FSG will be forced into making a rare managerial dismissal. It’s inevitable that discussion is increasing about the security of Slot’s position.

That would be an outcome few of a Red persuasion would want, not least because of a shortage of options.

Jurgen Klopp’s name has been bandied about, but this is not realistic.

Who Liverpool could replace Slot with

Klopp draped the curtain on his Liverpool dynasty at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. He was tired. It had been a tough, gruelling, heavy metal career on Merseyside, where he had devoted nine years to restoring Anfield as a global superpower.

Premier League

1x

19/20

Champions League

1x

18/19

FA Cup

1x

21/22

Carabao Cup

2x

21/22, 23/24

Club World Cup

1x

19/20

UEFA Super Cup

1x

19/20

Community Shield

1x

22/23

There has been some discussion online as to whether FSG should push for a comeback, but this romanticised notion would fall flat.

Klopp is not the answer. His quasi-retirement has seen him assume the post of Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull GmbH, and it’s important to remember that the German tactician’s tactical shrewdness waned toward the end of his tenure. He was tired, after all.

But, if Slot is fired, Liverpool would need to find a replacement, and Spanish sources suggest Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is on the shortlist.

Iraola, 43, is one of the most exciting young managers in Europe, having shaped the Cherries into a front-footed and sharp attacking outfit.

Compensation pay would be required to pull him away from the Vitality Stadium, but given Iraola’s vision aligns with the club’s long-term project, he might be the one to go for.

Why Iraola could be perfect for Liverpool

It was a bold move for Bournemouth to ditch Gary O’Neil after the pragmatic manager steered the club to safety after promotion to the Premier League in 2022/23. A bold move, but one carried out with diligence, for Iraola was earmarked as a progressive option.

And Bill Foley must be delighted. In 2023/24, Bournemouth recorded a record points total (56) in the Premier League, leading​ journalist James Horncastle to hail him as “the best coach in the Premier League” for his sharp-witted and positive approach.

Iraola likes aggressive and high-octane football. He is not as turbo-charged in his approach as Klopp, but the Spaniard would infuse Liverpool with more risk-taking and directness than Slot prefers, albeit still maintaining an emphasis on retaining possession.

This could play to the strengths of Florian Wirtz, who has had a tough time since joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m in the summer.

A silky and inventive attacking midfielder, the German has yet to register a goal involvement in the Premier League and has lacked the clarity and poise that was expected after the thrill of his official announcement.

There remains a world-class talent in there, and Wirtz’s woes come with the caveat that he has entered a dysfunctional tactical system.

Iraola’s focus on a 4-2-3-1 formation suggests that the 22-year-old could find a natural place at number ten. As per FBref, he does rank among the top 11% of positional peers in the English top flight this term for shot-creating actions and the top 4% for passes attempted and progressive passes per 90.

This suggests that Wirtz has the potential to be a superstar in England, and Iraola can provide the stability and fluency of tactics to help realise that.

He might not be Klopp, but Iraola has labelled his tactics as being akin to “rock and roll”. Klopp’s famous branding of his vision as being ‘heavy metal football’ suggests that Liverpool might hit the jackpot by making this switch.

No one wants to see Slot be sacked, but this pitiful form and level of performance cannot be allowed to continue, and Iraola has the acumen to revive Wirtz and bring the champions back into the ascendancy.

Better than Isak: Liverpool join race for "one of the best RWs in the world"

Arne Slot’s Liverpool tenure is crumbling before him, and FSG are considering changes.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 28, 2025

Led by Jadeja’s four-for, India reduced South Africa to effectively 63 for 7 with three days to go in the game

Sidharth Monga15-Nov-20252:14

What to make of the Eden Gardens surface?

India started the second day 122 runs behind in the first innings with nine wickets in hand. Less than six dramatic hours of cricket later, they were sensing a win, having reduced South Africa to effectively 63 for 7 in their second innings. Fifteen wickets fell on the day, Shubman Gill retired with a neck spasm, 39 remained the top score in the Test, and 57 the top partnership. This was the lowest top score in the first two innings of a Test in India, and the lowest in any Test since Durban 2010-11 between the same sides.Absolutely nobody predicted the pitch would turn out to be so difficult to bat on. It looked like a normal Indian track, good for batting for first two days, but the top surface began to come off in the second half of the first day. On the second day, it became near unplayable. Even the fast bowlers drew generous help to take 11 of the 26 wickets to fall.The pitch might seem at odds with India’s public utterances after the series loss to New Zealand last year that they want to play on more balanced surfaces, but commentator Dinesh Karthik said on air that it was not watered on the day before the Test, which comes across as unusual.Related

Gill hospitalised after suffering neck spasm

From struggle to skill, Harmer demonstrates decade-long evolution

Shubman Gill retires hurt with neck injury

What wasn’t unusual was that the best player on this moving day was Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 27 largely trouble-free runs before his old-fashioned technique of hiding the bat behind the pad got him out lbw to Simon Harmer.Harmer himself showed all the hype was real, that he is now a vastly improved bowler to the one that showed up in India 10 years ago, taking 4 for 30 to keep South Africa in arrears of only 30 after being bowled out for 159 on the first day. Jadeja, though, showed 30 was plenty with an unerring unbroken spell of 13-3-29-4 as South Africa ended the day on 93 for 7.When the day began, and indeed even after the wicketless first hour, it looked like India were setting themselves up for a decisive first-innings lead. KL Rahul, the top-scorer in the match, and India’s new No. 3 Washington Sundar put together the joint-highest partnership of the match. Introduced only in the second hour of the day, Harmer produced immediate results, turning one past Washington’s edge and the next onto the edge.KL Rahul was the top-scorer of the match after the second day•AFP/Getty ImagesAt 75 for 2, India were 84 behind South Africa, still a comfortable position to be in. Gill, whose neck seemed to be in some discomfort in the morning warm-ups, then went into a spasm as soon as he swept Harmer for four.While Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jadeja – 39, 27 and 27 – looked good in their own individual ways, the eventual wicket-taking delivery was always around the corner. Rahul made the mistake of following Keshav Maharaj’s extravagant turn, Jadeja was done in by the natural variation, and Pant fell to extra bounce for Corbin Bosch.Maharaj will be disappointed he went at over four an over, but the combination of Harmer and Marco Jansen made light of India’s batting depth, which generally is the case on such pitches. In Kagiso Rabada’s absence, Jansen’s analysis of 15-4-35-3 kept South Africa alive in the Test. India lost their last four wickets for 36.By the time India started bowling for the second time, with a little over half an hour to tea on day two, it made complete sense to open with spin. Jasprit Bumrah, who got a five-for in the first innings, did open the bowling, and from the end where bowlers had generated uneven bounce, but it wasn’t long before South Africa were facing spin from both ends with little breathing time or space.Kuldeep Yadav took the wicket of Ryan Rickelton with what turned out to be the last ball of the middle session, one that didn’t turn and also had the batter playing back when he should have been forward.Ravindra Jadeja spun a web around South Africa•AFP/Getty ImagesPant, captaining in Gill’s absence, immediately brought on Jadeja, the fingerspinner who could accurately bowl at high pace, on at this end. As it often happens on such difficult pitches, the wicket-taking deliveries don’t look that threatening but the ones around them scramble batters’ brains. And so it looked like Aiden Markram should not have checked his sweep, but he did because this ball from Jadeja stopped on him. Tony de Zorzi reverse-swept the first ball he played but the next one jumped on him, making for an easy bat-pad catch.Wiaan Mulder tested Jadeja’s patience, but Jadeja eventually produced the edge with the big-turning delivery. Tristan Stubbs was worked over with subtle changes in the angle, with Jadeja finally going wide on the crease, angling the ball in, and then turning it away past the edge to take the off stump.Kyle Verreynne copped flak for trying to slog-sweep Axar Patel, but there weren’t many scoring opportunities on that pitch with in-out fields. A similar attacking strategy came off for Jansen for a while as he scored 13 but even he get a feather on a sweep off Kuldeep.The catching of both sides remained sensational with Rahul capping the day off with a low slip catch off a deflection of the keeper Pant. Temba Bavuma defended well and threw in the occasional sweep to end the day unbeaten on 29 off 78, but it seemed he still had a lot to do with the bat to give South Africa a shot at a win.