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Brazilian icon Hulk produced one of the goals of the season as he unleashed an outrageous long-range free-kick for Atletico Mineiro against Vasco da Gama, instantly sparking Puskas Award conversations. The veteran forward launched a trademark rocket from distance to help fire his side towards a dominant 5-0 victory and cap off their Brasileirao campaign in spectacular fashion.

• Hulk turns back the years with incredible long-range free-kick

  Hulk stunned the Arena MRV with an extraordinary long-range free-kick that flew past the Vasco da Gama goalkeeper and doubled Atletico Mineiro’s lead in the 32nd minute. Stepping up from about 35 yards out, he generated immense power and precision, sending a rising missile into the net that left the keeper frozen. It was a vintage strike from the 39-year-old and a crucial early blow as Galo rolled toward a commanding 5-0 victory to secure Copa Sudamericana qualification.

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• Watch Hulk's spectacular strike…

• Atletico Mineiro seal Copa Sudamericano spot with 5-0 win

  The goal came during a match in which Atletico Mineiro completely dominated a weakened Vasco side, piling on pressure from the opening whistle and showcasing the intensity Jorge Sampaoli demanded to close the season. Hulk himself had already struck the post twice before finally unleashing the unstoppable free-kick that was a reminder of the most iconic strikes of his long career. The moment instantly circulated across Brazilian media and global social platforms, as supporters floated the possibility of a Puskas nomination.

  The Galo continued to show their superiority throughout the second half, enjoying over 70% possession and overwhelming Vasco until the final whistle as Dudu added a brace and Victor Luis scored an own goal. Hulk’s contribution came as part of a resurgent conclusion to his 2025 campaign, once again reinforcing his role as Atletico’s emotional and attacking leader despite his advancing years.

  Beyond the immediate impact, the goal also re-energised discussion about Hulk’s long-term future, as he enters the final phase of a contract set to expire in 2026. Although he remains central to Atletico’s identity, increasing external interest, particularly from MLS, has introduced questions about whether 2026 or 2027 may mark the final chapter of his time in Belo Horizonte. With over 100 goals for the club and legendary status cemented, every performance he delivers now comes with added meaning as fans savour the twilight of a remarkable career.

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  Hulk yet to make decision over Atletico Mineiro future

  Atletico Mineiro will now begin preparations for their 2026 Copa Sudamericana campaign, with Hulk expected to play a major role unless his future takes a dramatic turn. The club plan internal discussions early in the year to evaluate whether they will pursue an extension or prepare for a phased transition away from their iconic No.7. For Hulk, the coming months may determine whether he continues writing history at Galo or explores what could be the final move of his storied career.

Manchester United are building for the future under Ruben Amorim, and he now appears to have made key decisions on two of his most high-profile Old Trafford stars.

The Red Devils have made a reasonable start to the Premier League campaign and could well make a push for the European slots if they can maintain momentum, though that is something that will be challenged over the festive period due to the African Cup of Nations.

Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui are set to depart next month, leaving roles to be filled in the squad during a busy schedule that is set to be fraught with intense action.

Still, Premier League sides have known the competition is part and parcel of their squad planning, making it an issue they should be able to handle without the need for mass panic.

Signings in January will be important and there is an obvious need for midfield reinforcements, especially with Casemiro drawing closer to the end of his contract at Old Trafford.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes is the latest name on Manchester United’s list, and discussions are said to be progressing well over a potential move to work under Amorim’s stewardship in January.

Rob Edwards has signalled his desire to keep the Brazilian at Molineux. Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped the Red Devils making tracks, even if there could be a twist in the tale regarding the state of play on their engine room, courtesy of Fabrizio Romano.

Fabrizio Romano delivers contract update on Casemiro and Maguire

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano has confirmed that Amorim wants both Casemiro and Harry Maguire to stay at Manchester United, providing they reduce their wages in line with the club’s new salary structure.

He said: “My understanding is that the situation of Casemiro is a really similar situation in terms of strategy to Harry Maguire.

“Casemiro and Harry Maguire are out of contract in the summer of 2026 and for Manchester United, they are two really important players, especially now.

“We have to say congrats to Casemiro. In this video let’s focus on Casemiro, because he’s been able to change his situation at Manchester United.”

Later, he added: “So now the desire is from Man United, obviously, to continue with Casemiro, but in different conditions. So the salary he has right now is a salary that Manchester United don’t want to pay in the future, not because of Casemiro or Maguire, but because they want to change the salary structure.”

Between them, a pay packet of £540,000 per week is a major chunk of the Red Devils’ wage list, and with both edging closer to the twilight of their respective careers, it may be worth looking at younger reinforcements as their contracts look set to expire.

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Conversely, experience is vital and cannot be understated. Over the coming months, it would be a smart decision to tie down both stars if they can agree to a wage reduction.

Pitches on which batting is a lottery bring the opposition’s less-skilled spinners into the game

Sidharth Monga04-Nov-20241:25

Worst collective batting display from India in a Test series?

Indian players hate it when people talk about pitches at home. Part of it is because of the derisive clichés used to describe turning tracks: dustbowls, “rank” turners, wrestling pits. They don’t want a three-day Test on a turning pitch to be considered inferior to a three-day finish on a green seamer.However, having eaten their cake, the Indian cricketers also want to have it by suggesting they have no say in the preparation of pitches, when they almost micromanage the process often to the annoyance of the ground staff. Even during the 2023 “ICC” ODI World Cup in India, of the five venues that produced “average” pitches, three did it only for India matches and one just before India turned up. Now the semantics of what is “average” and “good” is debatable, but there were enough indications that India wanted to play specific opponents on specific types of pitches, and their wishes were granted even in an ICC tournament.Related

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You could argue there is nothing wrong with that – gaining a competitive advantage in professional sport. Groundsmen exist not to make ideal pitches but surfaces that help the home team win. Apart from in Australia, where there’s evidence that a chief groundsman can tell off an interfering captain, this happens nearly everywhere. The nature of pitches in England can go from turners to seamers depending on Australia’s strengths in that Ashes cycle. South Africa can drive their groundsmen up the wall by insisting on extreme home advantage, sometimes to their own peril. Pakistan recently had national selectors practically take over the pitch-making process.In India, you hope the team’s constant demand for spin-friendly surfaces is a cold, professional choice informed by analytics, and not an emotional reaction to the whitewashes in England and Australia after which the players started asking for extreme turners. Incidentally, the current coach Gautam Gambhir was the first one to publicly make that demand when he was a player.It can be argued the pitches on which India played New Zealand in Pune and Mumbai actually diminished their home advantage. India have lost seven home Tests in the last 12 years, and four of those defeats have come on extremely helpful surfaces for spinners. Of the other three defeats, one featured an extreme weather event that led to excessive seam on the first morning in Bengaluru, and other needed a freakishly lucky innings from Ollie Pope in Hyderabad.It was the third defeat, when Joe Root took full toll batting first in Chennai in 2021, that seems to have spooked India. Ever since then, they have doubled down on their demand for excessive turn from day one. This result seemed to vindicate MS Dhoni’s theory that the toss plays a less crucial role on pitches that turn big from day one. The pressure of maximising World Test Championship points from home Tests played a role too.A rank turner reduces the gap in skill between India’s spinners and the opposition’s spinners•AFP/Getty ImagesHowever, there is no evidence of the toss becoming less crucial on rank turners. Hawk-Eye data in this piece by Kartikeya Date shows that the Mumbai pitch took three hours before offering big turn to India’s spinners. Those three hours are worth 100 runs in relatively easy conditions. For a long time, India had batters to overcome this disadvantage if they lost the toss; now they don’t seem to do so.It is not like draws become a worry for India on “normal” pitches either. Of the seven drawn Tests in the country since 2013, three were impacted by weather, two were on uncharacteristically slow pitches even for India, one surface didn’t break up because of overnight dew in Rajkot in November, and in the last draw New Zealand hung on by one wicket.By asking for and getting pitches that turn from day one, and get progressively difficult to bat on, India bridge the gap between their superior spinners and the visiting ones who now need to sustain their skill and control for much shorter periods.Spinners averaged just under 24 collectively in India’s 3-0 defeat to New Zealand. ESPNcricinfo’s Shiva Jayaraman has used that average as the marker to differentiate between normal pitches and excessive turners in India. He found that in Tests since 2017 in which spinners collectively averaged less than 24, India’s spinners averaged 16.37 while visiting spinners averaged 22.91.However, the real difference in the quality of spinners becomes evident when they are made to work harder for their wickets. In Tests since 2017 where spinners collectively averaged above 24, Indian spinners averaged 26.22 while visiting spinners averaged a whopping 57.04 per wicket. These pitches also tend to bring in reverse swing, which India’s fast bowlers are really good at.Since 2020, six visiting spinners have taken their maiden five-fors in Test cricket in India: Joe Root, Mitchell Santner, Todd Murphy, Tom Hartley, Matt Kuhnemann and Shoaib Bashir. It seems counterintuitive to help narrow the gap between their skills and what R Ashwin does with the ball in the air or Ravindra Jadeja’s unrelenting accuracy over long periods. You can understand the ask for an extreme turner at the end of a long season, for example, but not when the bowlers are fresh.India’s batters have struggled big time on pitches that excessively help spinners•AFP/Getty ImagesThe drop in average for India’s batters against spin is also huge when batting becomes a lottery at home. For example, since 2017, Virat Kohli has averaged 90.25 against spin on pitches where spinners have averaged over 24 per wicket, but that plummets to 20.13 on pitches when spinners average less than 24 per wicket. Considering that batters – as India’s captains tend to be – make the decisions on the nature of pitches, it’s quite noble that they are going for wins without worrying about personal records. But if they zoom out a little, they will see that playing on turners is possibly hurting the team’s results as well.Under Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, India made the conscious decision to play on what was given to them in Test cricket, and they continued to do so despite losing the first Test against England in early 2024. They won that series 4-1. However, India’s response to the Bengaluru defeat against New Zealand under Gambhir and Rohit has been extreme for some reason.Had India won the toss in Pune and Mumbai, they would likely have won the last two Tests. But they don’t have the batting quality now to overcome the disadvantage of losing the toss, which gives the opposition about three hours of decent batting conditions before the ball starts to do all sorts, which was precisely why Dravid and Rohit wanted to play on normal surfaces.As a result, since 2017, India have won 16 Tests, lost three, and drawn five on pitches where spinners average over 24 per wicket, and won ten and lost four on extreme pitches. The numbers become 6-2-3 and 6-3 when they lose the toss. At some point, the line between bravery and gambling seems to have become blurred in recent years.

Arsenal are fielding enquiries for a ‘frustrated’ star in their squad ahead of the looming January window, and Premier League rivals Man City are one of the clubs keen.

Arsenal play Aston Villa in crucial Premier League title clash

Arsenal travel to the Midlands this Saturday to take on an in-form Aston Villa — a fixture that could prove pivotal in the early title race.

The Gunners arrive in pole position atop the table, buoyed by a recent 2–0 win over Brentford that extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to a remarkable 18 games.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

Villa have surged into third thanks to a stunning 4–3 victory over Brighton in midweek, their sixth consecutive win across all competitions, so Unai Emery’s side will be no pushovers.

Historically, the matchup has been a tight affair. Across all competitions, the two clubs have met over 200 times — with Arsenal holding a slight edge.

However, in recent seasons, Villa have shown that they can be a thorn in Arsenal’s side.

The Villans completed a league double over Arsenal in 2023–24, including a 2–0 win in April that derailed Mikel Arteta’s title hopes and handed the Premier League crown to City.

Arteta will be fully aware of the danger they pose, especially on home turf, with Villa reigning victorious in five of their last seven home league games while boasting the joint-third best home record in the division.’

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Arteta is waiting on a definitive update.

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To trot out the old cliché, every game is like a cup final for Arsenal right now, so Arteta will need every man at their very best against a Villa side flying high on confidence.

The north Londoners’ strength in depth, following a near-£270 million summer spend, has paid dividends amid the club’s injury woes.

It has even allowed Arteta to rest some key personnel amid the hectic festive calendar, like he did against Brentford, with right-back Ben White getting a rare start ahead of first-choice Jurrien Timber.

The Englishman has barely been given any game time this season thanks to Timber’s form, with an update now emerging on his future ahead of January.

Ben White 'frustrated' at Arsenal as Man City make January enquiry

As per TEAMtalk and journalist Graeme Bailey, White — once a regular starter — is growing ‘frustrated’ with his limited minutes.

The 28-year-old has made only a handful of appearances so far this season, prompting concern about his long-term future at the club.

That frustration hasn’t gone unnoticed beyond North London. City, now exploring options at right-back, have reportedly marked White as a strong candidate to reinforce Pep Guardiola’s squad.

The Sky Blues are said to be one of a few clubs who’ve made enquiries, alongside Marseille, Como and Atlético Madrid, but Arsenal’s stance is pretty clear.

Arteta, alongside club management, are poised to reject any proposals for White in the January window, even amid mounting interest. This is because they don’t want to weaken the squad in any way shape or form amid their title challenge.

From White’s perspective, the situation is increasingly uncomfortable.

Once viewed as a defensive mainstay, he now finds his opportunities severely curtailed, and media sources suggest he’s unwilling to spend extended periods on the sidelines.

As things stand, White remains at Arsenal, but the coming months could prove pivotal.

If this current trend continues, and if City or other suitors persist, the defender’s exit may well be one to watch in the summer instead.

All the stats highlights from India’s win against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Sep-20253:17

Which Indian spinner had the biggest impact?

9 – Asia Cup titles for India, the most for any team. The 2025 edition is India’s second Asia Cup title in the T20 format, following their previous win in 2016. They have seven titles in the ODI format – in 1984, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2010, 2018 and 2023. Sri Lanka have won six titles (five ODIs and one T20) at the Asia Cup, while Pakistan have won two (both ODIs).9-0 – India’s win-loss record while chasing against Pakistan in T20Is. These are the most matches for a team with a 100% chasing record against an opponent. It also extended the unbeaten streak of the chasing team winning in India vs Pakistan T20Is played in Dubai. Of those six meetings, India have won four and Pakistan two.127 – Runs India needed at the fall of their third wicket. It’s the second-highest they have successfully chased in a T20I after losing three wickets. The most is 134, also against Pakistan, at the 2022 T20 World Cup, where they were 26 for 3 in a chase of 160.113 – Pakistan’s total at the fall of their second wicket, the highest from which any team have been bowled out for under 150 in men’s T20Is. The previous highest was 112 by Cayman Islands against Bermuda earlier this year, when they were bowled out for 142.33 – Runs added by Pakistan’s last eight partnerships, the fewest by the team in a men’s T20I. Pakistan’s previous fewest was 56 against Australia in Hobart last year.Kuldeep Yadav got three wickets in an over•Asian Cricket Council5 – Four-wicket hauls for Kuldeep Yadav in T20Is, the joint most for India alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Three of Kuldeep’s four wickets on Sunday came in his last over, the fifth instance of him taking three (or more) in an over. Only Rashid Khan (6) has done it more often than Kuldeep in men’s T20Is (where data is available).69* – Tilak Varma’s score against Pakistan on Sunday. Only four players have scored more from No. 4 or lower in a men’s T20I final. It is also the second-highest individual score in the T20 Asia Cup finals.36 – Wickets for Kuldeep in Asia Cup across ODI and T20 formats. It’s the most by a bowler, surpassing Lasith Malinga’s 33. Kuldeep has taken 17 of them in T20 Asia Cups (all in this edition), the joint-most by any bowler.3 – Sixes hit by Sahibzada Farhan off Jasprit Bumrah in T20Is – the most by any batter against Bumrah. Farhan scored 51 runs off 34 balls against Bumrah across three innings this Asia Cup. No Pakistan batter had hit a six off Bumrah in the 14 overs he had bowled against them in T20Is before this tournament, but they hit four across 11.1 overs through this tournament.

MatériaMais Notícias

Torcedores do Atlético-MG foram à loucura nas redes sociais com Gustavo Scarpa na vitória por 3 a 0 sobre o Cuiabá, pela quarta rodada do Brasileirão, e compararam o gol anotado pelo meia com Ronaldinho Gaúcho.

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➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

Scarpa anotou o segundo gol do Atlético-MG ao bater falta rasteira, no momento em que a barreira do Cuiabá saltou, relembrando os velhos tempos de Ronaldinho Gaúcho com a camisa do Galo. O “Bruxo” ficou marcado por um gol de falta rasteiro na histórica goleada por 5 a 4 sobre o Santos.

➡️ Siga o Lance! São Paulo no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Tricolor

No mês de abril, Scarpa soma oito jogos pelo Atlético-MG, com seis gols e duas assistências. Ele foi a principal contratação do Galo para a temporada.

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O clube mineiro venceu a concorrência do Flamengo e adquiriu os direitos do meio-campista junto ao Nottingham Forest, da Inglaterra, por cinco milhões de euros (cerca de R$ 27 milhões, em valores atualizados). O contrato é válido por quatro temporada.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários dos jogos do Brasileirão

O Atlético-MG de Gustavo Scarpa volta a campo na terça-feira (30), às 21h, contra o Sport, na Arena MRV, pela partida de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. Dois dias depois, o Cuiabá visita o Goiás pela mesma competição. No Brasileirão, o Galo lidera a tabela, com oito pontos, enquanto o Dourada amarga a lanterna do campeonato.

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Celtic are eyeing a potential move for England Under-21s manager Lee Carsley as their next boss, as they look to find the perfect replacement for Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead.

Rodgers’ second spell in charge of the Hoops went out in a whimper, following an underwhelming start to the season in the Scottish Premiership, with Martin O’Neill placed in interim charge.

While the Irishman has seemingly only come in for a short spell as manager, taking charge until the right permanent appointment is made, a new report has claimed that he would be willing to take the job until the end of the season.

Victory at home to Rangers on Sunday afternoon would not only be a massive step in the right direction for Celtic, but could even persuade those high up at the club that O’Neill is the right man to continue for longer than originally expected.

That’s not to say that other potential candidates aren’t being mentioned, however, with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna backed to be Rodgers’ successor, and Club Brugge head coach Nicky Hayen also seen as an option.

Lee Carsley linked with Celtic job

Now, 67 Hail Hail claim that Celtic are eyeing Carsley to be their next manager, with the Hoops “long-term admirers” of him, meaning he could “be in contention” to come in.

That said, the former Republic of Ireland international “isn’t a frontrunner for the job”, so at this stage, others feel more likely to take charge at Parkhead.

Carsley would be an interesting choice for Celtic if they did go down that route, with Roy Keane heaping praise on him during his brief stint as England’s interim boss before Thomas Tuchel came in.

Perhaps the biggest risk in Celtic appointing Carsley is the fact that he is yet to manage at club level, with his only roles coming with England, including his current Under-21s role.

England Under-21s

2025-present

11

2.27

England (interim)

2024

6

2.50

England Under-21s

2021-2024

29

2.41

England Under-20s

2020-2021

1

3.00

For that reason, bringing him in would be a gamble at a point when a safe pair of hands is required to steady the ship after a frustrating end to Rodgers’ reign.

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Carsley may be desperate to prove his worth in the club game, though, and if he impresses Celtic’s bosses more than the rest, they need to be trusted.

Celtic manager search takes twist as O'Neill makes decision about interim role

England XI haul in target of 202 as warm-up game with Lions goes the distance

Tristan Lavalette15-Nov-2025Joe Root and Harry Brook had final hits in the middle before the first Ashes Test, but weren’t able to kick on from encouraging starts in England’s five-wicket victory over the Lions on a slow surface at Lilac Hill.Chasing 202 runs in batting-friendly conditions, England stuttered at 14 for 2 after the wickets of openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. The pair had combined for a swashbuckling 182-run stand in the first innings, but Duckett fell for a golden duck after fending a short delivery from seamer Nathan Gilchrist to point.It was a rare occasion that the ball reared off the sedate surface and the type of fierce delivery that Duckett can expect on the bouncier surface of Optus Stadium, while Crawley edged Matt Potts to slip after a loose drive.Potts followed up from his impressive effort earlier in the match with 1 for 9 off his four-over burst with the new ball.Related

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Ollie Pope’s stylish century in the first innings put to bed any speculation over his spot for the first Test and his confidence was further underlined with a rapid 90 off 67 balls.With belligerent blows all around the wicket, particularly effective down the ground, Pope dominated a 113-run partnership with Root, who had a lengthier stint at the crease after making just 1 run off 12 in the first innings.Root was mostly intent on rotating the strike with sharp running between the wickets, quietly moving to 31 off 52 balls before being bowled by offspinner Will Jacks after playing down the wrong line.Brook came to the crease after an ugly first-innings dismissal when he was bowled after charging down the pitch. He motored to 19 before his stumps were rattled after botching a reverse paddle against Jacks.Jamie Smith ensured the game wrapped up quickly, clubbing an unbeaten 39 off 22 while Ben Stokes finished 15 not out as England hauled in the target in just 34.4 overs.There had been an unknown over whether the final day would meander into an early finish or whether a chase late in the day would be conjured. But Stokes followed through with his “balls to the wall” mantra from ahead of the match, with the game going the distance.The Lions declared at 251 for 6 midway through the second session as England’s hierarchy opted for their top-order to have another hit-out. Quick Brydon Carse made a compelling case for selection in the first Test with three wickets after missing the opening two days due to illness.Shoaib Bashir in discussion with Jeetan Patel•Getty Images”It [Optus Stadium pitch] might be a little bit different to this week’s preparation, but this was all about bowlers getting miles in their legs,” Carse told reporters.”Over the handful of Tests that I’ve played, whether that’s with the new ball or first change….I’m pretty open to both of those [roles]. We’ve got a group of bowlers that can do different roles and happy to slot in anywhere.”Offspinner Shoaib Bashir bowled for the second consecutive day, but again proved ineffective with little turn on offer to finish with 1 for 83 off 12 overs, an even more expensive return than his earlier effort against England’s main XI.England were buoyed earlier in the day by the news that quick Mark Wood was cleared of a hamstring injury, just hours before Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the first Test. But Wood did not take the field on the final day as the England XI had a shake-up with Bashir changing teams having taken 1 for 68 from 12 overs in the Lions’ first innings.Much like on day two, the surface seemed livelier earlier in the day with Jofra Archer producing sharp bounce and beating the bat on several occasions. But Archer and Gus Atkinson were upstaged by Carse who threatened with a nagging back-of-a-length approach. His accuracy frustrated opener Tom Haines, who on 12 slashed straight to point.Carse also claimed the wickets of Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox, who both made half-centuries in each innings. The 6ft 7in McKinnie dominated the opening session and took the aerial route against Bashir, his eyes lighting up when he threw the ball up.Jacob Bethell’s chances of a first Test call-up are unlikely, but he did stroke an effortless 70 off 80 balls having failed in the first innings with 2. Bethell appeared to be cruising to a century until he whacked straight back to Bashir who took a sharp return catch.After a six-wicket haul in the first innings, Stokes bowled just one four-over spell while Root claimed Jacks in his only over before the Lions declared.

New Zealand allrounder Glenn Phillips is “feeling really strong” right now and has returned to training, but is cautious about his return to top-flight cricket from a long injury lay-off.Phillips, 28, has not played competitive cricket since he suffered a groin injury while playing for Washington Freedom in the Major League Cricket (MLC) final in July. He had suffered a similar injury during his IPL stint with Gujarat Titans in April.”Yeah, obviously when you do both groins the rehab and recovery is a little bit longer, so I guess things are coming along really nicely,” Phillips said. “I’m feeling really strong and now it’s just about loading it up and getting ready to play at some stage.”Phillips missed the Zimbabwe tour and home series against Australia, England and West Indies. The injury also sidelined him from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) where he was due to represent Guyana Amazon Warriors. He has since trained with his domestic team Otago Volts and more recently with New Zealand in the lead-up to the fifth T20I against West Indies in Dunedin.”Obviously, we would always like to be back sooner rather than later, but at the end of the day it’s really just around the loading side of things. Once my leg has been loaded enough to be able to perform the way that I do in the field is the main thing. I guess it comes down to if I give everything 100% and if at 100% I’m a little bit weak then we’re not ready to go, so we’ll just wait until that stage.”