Após 13 anos, Fred voltou ao elenco do Cruzeiro. O curioso nessa segunda passagem pelo clube é que o atacante poderá jogar ao lado de ex-companheiros como Thiago Neves e Rafael Sobis. Vale lembrar que os três foram figuras importantíssimas no título brasileiro do Fluminense e no Carioca, clube que defendiam juntos em 2012.
Digão é outro que também já atuou junto ao centroavante no tricolor carioca. Os dois jogaram juntos por lá entre 2009 e 2013. Rafael Sobis chegou em 2011 e formou o trio entre 2011 e 2013. Thiago Neves retornou em 2012 às Laranjeiras, fechando o quarteto entre o início de 2012 e o meio de 2013.
Apesar de ter sido especulada uma possível saída de Sobis para o futebol mexicano, o jogador deve permanecer no Cruzeiro. Ele tem contrato até o fim de 2019. Thiago Neves, por sua vez, foi o craque do Cruzeiro no ano. Fez 17 gols, deu 14 assistências e foi importantíssimo na conquista da Copa do Brasil. Já Digão foi reserva e ajudou o time quando solicitado no Campeonato Brasileiro.
Fred chega ao elenco para ser o titular absoluto do ataque de Mano Menezes.
Australia are confident Shane Watson will return for the second Test in Hamilton, which would mean the axe for Phillip Hughes despite his final-day blitz
Brydon Coverdale at the Basin Reserve23-Mar-2010
Phillip Hughes, who blazed to an unbeaten 86, faces an uncomfortable wait to learn if he holds his spot in Hamilton•Getty Images
Australia are confident Shane Watson will return for the second Test in Hamilton, which would mean the axe for Phillip Hughes despite his final-day blitz at the Basin Reserve. Hughes raced to an unbeaten 86 from 75 deliveries, dominating Australia’s successful chase of 106, but will probably have to wait for his eighth Test after the team’s physio Alex Kountouris rated Watson a “better than even-money bet” to play at Seddon Park from Saturday.It was only Watson’s hip injury that allowed Hughes to come in for the first Test and he impressed the captain Ricky Ponting by giving Australia a bright start in the first innings and then guiding the chase. Hughes had not passed fifty in a Test since he struck two centuries in Durban last year and Ponting said he could take plenty away from his performance in Wellington.”Every opportunity and every bit of exposure he gets is going to be good for him in the long run,” Ponting said. “He’s just such an exciting player. When he gets in that frame of mind there when the ball’s in his area, it’s going to go. If he keeps getting off to starts like that in Test cricket, it really sets up games. I’ll encourage him to keep playing that way.”Someone like Virender Sehwag is a fairly similar Test match opener to what Hughesy is. Being that sort of player you will have your ups and downs but when you are up you win games and you give your side a good chance to win games.”The success of the No. 6 Marcus North, who entered the match under pressure and made an unbeaten century, means Hughes and Watson cannot fit into one side this week. Just as important as Watson’s batting is his role as a fourth fast bowler, which could be more relevant than usual when the next team is selected.Both teams have only three days between Tests and the fast men will be particularly exhausted after spending four consecutive days, totalling 787 minutes, in the field. It was especially difficult for the debutant Ryan Harris, who toiled into the harsh Wellington wind for most of his 41 overs, having played no other first-class cricket since early December, when he took part in his only Sheffield Shield match of the season.”He’s definitely feeling the pinch, as is Dougie [Bollinger],” Ponting said. “Mitch [Johnson’s] workload over the last couple of years has been exceptional anyway, the way he’s managed to get through and keep presenting in a really good shape. We have to manage them really well in the next couple of days.”[Watson] just gives us so much better balance in our side, the fact that you can throw the ball to him and he can get his 10 or 15 overs out per innings. Every team in the world is after someone who bats in the top six and can bowl like he does. He has shown since he has been in our side just how important he is, so hopefully we’ll get him back. If we do it means the bowlers won’t have to do as much next week.”It was the fast bowlers who ran through New Zealand’s lower order on the fifth morning and ensured a small target of 106 for Australia. Harris began with the key wicket of Brendon McCullum and collected two more, before Johnson finished the innings by bowling Chris Martin.The result justified Ponting’s decision to enforce the follow-on for the second time this summer, a call that began to look a little questionable on the fourth day when McCullum and Daniel Vettori put together a frustrating partnership of 126. However, Ponting said at no stage did he regret declaring so early or bowling again, as the unpredictable Wellington conditions meant he had little choice.”The declaration had a lot to do with what I knew about the weather coming,” he said. “We could have batted on and got 600 or whatever we wanted to, but by doing that and losing the majority of the day yesterday, it would have been touch and go whether we would have got a result in the game. For me and the Australian cricket team it’s all about giving ourselves the best chance of winning.”We’ve done it really well. I’m happy the way the bowlers have stuck at it the last couple of days. We’ve been in the field for four consecutive days, so they’re all a little bit tired and sore in the rooms and we’ll give them a couple of days off and make sure they’re in as good a shape as they can be for the start of the next one.”
Crystal Palace have made no signings to enhance their first team squad so far during this transfer window, but with one week left to go, Patrick Vieira could be close to signing one player for the Eagles.
What’s the word?
According to Italian news outlet TuttoJuve, Crystal Palace are getting ‘closer and closer’ to signing Juventus outcast, Aaron Ramsey.
The report suggests that Vieira is trying to ‘convince’ the ex-Arsenal player to join the South London club on a move this month, and will ‘leave the door open’ pending his imminent departure from the Serie A.
Ramsey has been linked with a move to Palace continuously over the last month with the French manager even signing the praises of the 31-year-old recently when asked about the rumours of a move.
“I believe he is a really strong player,” Vieira said at his press conference last week.
“He’s going to have a lot of options, I would say.”
Fans will be delighted
Eagles fans will be delighted to see Ramsey added into the midfield this season, especially considering they are yet to sign anyone this winter. And many supporters took to social media after their third defeat in their last five games on Sunday afternoon at home to Liverpool.
One fan simply tweeted: “Sign Ramsey to bolster that midfield #cpfc.”
The £4.5m-rated midfielder who was once hailed a “real leader” by Martin Keown, could be a great transfer for Crystal Palace right now by adding his experience at the highest level in both Champions League and Premier League football.
Winning the FA Cup three times with Arsenal and a Serie A league title with Juventus to name a few of his achievements, he could definitely be a great influence on the side’s young attacking players and help with creating a winning mentality within the team to guide them to a top-half finish in the last few months of the season.
The connection to fellow former Arsenal midfielder, Vieira, could be the positive factor that leads Ramsey to Selhurst Park amid interest from a number of clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley, with the opportunity to work under a legend of his former club in a similar position surely a big pro when it comes to the Welshman weighing up his options over the next week.
In other news: Crystal Palace still keen on signing Eddie Nketiah
Abdul Razzaq has refused to represent Lahore Lions in the upcoming RBS Twenty20 Cup, choosing instead to join an already powerful Sialkot Stallions side, after he was overlooked for the captaincy of his hometown team
Cricinfo staff26-Feb-2010
Abdul Razzaq: “The association refused to give me any merit-based reasons and they told me that they didn’t have to justify themselves to anyone”•Getty Images
Abdul Razzaq has refused to represent Lahore Lions in the upcoming RBS Twenty20 Cup, choosing instead to join an already powerful Sialkot Stallions side, after he was overlooked for the captaincy of his hometown team.Razzaq had been selected by Lahore for this season’s tournament, which begins from February 28 in Karachi. But unlike the last two seasons he turned out for the Lions, in 2006 and 2009, he was overlooked for the captaincy, the Lahore association opting for Salman Butt instead. The move irked Razzaq, more so given that he took the side to the final last year with a string of explosive performances that led to his own comeback into the national side.”I spoke with the Lahore Association to ask why I had been dropped as the captain of the Lions,” Razzaq told . “I wanted to play for my native Lahore so I asked them to give me a merit-based reason for replacing me as the captain. I told them that I had no problem with being replaced as captain if they could give me a good reason for doing it.”I reminded them that I’d taken the Lions to the semi-finals and the final of the last two T20 cups I had played. The association refused to give me any merit-based reasons and they told me that they didn’t have to justify themselves to anyone. They said their decision was final and that I had to accept it.”There are other surprising big-name moves in the 13 city sides due to take part in what is the PCB’s most successful and popular domestic event. Mohammad Yousuf, another Lions fixture, will be turning out for Islamabad Leopards instead, under the leadership of Shoaib Akhtar. Yousuf has long sought to prove that he can be a successful Twenty20 player and though he captained the Lions side in 2008, he was left out of their squad this year.The Peshawar Panthers will also be without a number of regulars, such as Younis Khan, Yasir Hameed and Riffatullah Mohmand. The trio has switched to Abbottabad Rhinos instead. Younis’s participation is still not certain, however. The Panthers will be led by former Test bowler Riaz Afridi and still have Umar Gul in their squad.SquadsKarachi Dolphins: Mohammad Sami (capt), Shahid Afridi, Shaharyar Ghani, Khalid Latif, Shahzaib Hasan, Fawad Alam, Afsar Nawaz, Sohail Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Tanvir Ahmed, Ramiz Aziz, Azam Hussain, Fahadullah, Infanuddin, Tariq Haroon, Adnan Baig, Tahir Khan, Fahad Iqbal, Agha Sabir, Rumman RaeesKarachi Zebras: Danish Kaneria (capt), Asad Shafiq, Khurram Manzoor, Faisal Iqbal, Akbar Rehman, Hassan Raza, Nomanullah, Babar Rehman, Tabish Khan, Anwar Ali, Farhan Iqbal, Mohammad Waqas, Ali Asad, Haris Ayaz, Adnan Malik, Daniyal Ahsan, Javed Mansoor, Misbah Khan, Shan MasoodQuetta Region: Shoaib Khan, Mujeed Khan, Taimour Ali (capt), Manzoor Badini, Sabir Khosa, Bismillah Khan, Arun Lal, Nasrullah Khan, Jalat Khan, Nazar Hussain, Arshad Khan, Taimour Khan, Khalil Ahmed, Naushad Irshad, Taimour Mengal, Munir Ahmed, Talib Hussain, Abdul Jabbar, Mohammad Asif, Abdul RehmanIslamabad Leopards: Rao Iftikhar, Shoaib Akhtar (capt), Raheel Majeed, Umair Khan, Naeem Anjum, Sarmad Bhatti, Azhar Mahmood, Zohaib Ahmed, Fayyaz Ahmed, Rana Shahzad Azam, Kamran Hussain, Fakhar Hussain, Mohammad Yousuf, Umair Mir, Faizan Riaz, Ameer Khan, Junaid Nadir, Ali Sarfraz, Irfan TalibRawalpindi Rams: Babar Naeem, Naveed Malik, Hammad Azam, Usman Saeed, Naveed Qureshi (capt), Zahid Mansoor, Adnan Mufti, Umer Amin, Jamal Anwar, Yasim Murtaza, Asif Mumtaz, Muhammad Ramiz, Sohail Tanvir, Muhammad Amir, Yasir Arafat, Sadaf Hussain, Fawad Hussain, Rizwan Akbar, Muhammad Ayaz, Muzamal NizamMultan Tigers: Abdul Rauf (capt), Waqas Sharif, Saeed Anwar jnr, Rameez Alam, Muhammad Irfan, Zulfiqar Babar, Kashif Naveed, Gulraiz Sadaf, Ansar Javaid, Ahmed Raza, Shahid Abbasi, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Ali, Ali Niazi, Shahid Akram, Junaid Iqbal, Rizwan Haider, Taimoor Dogar, Shahid Iqbal, Ali MoazzamAbbottabad Rhinos: Younas Khan (capt), Yasir Hameed, Riffatullah Mommand, Adnan Raees, Wajid Ali, Ghulam Muhammad, Fawad Khan, Riaz Kail, Junaid Khan, Khalid Usman, Mir Azam Khan, Zeeshan Khan Jadoon, Umair Khan, Farooq Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Muhammad Naeem, Asif Afridi, Mohammad Sami, Sajjad AliHyderabad Hawks: Shahid Qambrani (capt), Mir Ali Talpur, Zeeshan Gul, Ghulam Shabbir Solangi, Muhammad Awais, Lal Kumar, Adnan Brohi, Sharjeel Khan, Rizwan Ahmad, Ghulam Yasin, Zahid Mahmood, Kashif Bhatti, Azeem Ghumman, Muhammad Urs, Ayaz Brohi, Mashooq Bhutto, Aqeel Anjum, Rehan Nizamuddin, Ayaz Jamal, Nasarullah MemonLahore Lions: Salman Butt (capt), Kamran Akmal, Nasir Jamshed, Umar Akmal, Adnan Raza, Sohail Ahmad, Kashif Siddique, Waqas Ahmad, Wahab Riaz, Imran Ali, Aizaz Bin Ilyas Cheema, Usman Malik, Salman Qadir, Aamir Hayat, Azhar Ali, Tanzeel Altaf, Hamza Mubeen, Fahad Masood, Hamza Paracha, Shoaib AkramLahore Eagles: Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umar, Aamir Sajjad, Khaqan Arsalan, Jahangir Mirza, Kamran Sajjid, Humayun Farhat (capt), Abil Ali, Muhammad Irshad, Muhammad Khalil, Muhammad Naveed, Hafiz Saad Nasim, Ali Azmat, Imad Ali, Arslan Mir, Shahnawaz Malik, Wasim Khan, Muhammad Zuhaib, Asif Raza, Jamshaid AhmadPeshawar Panthers: Riaz Afridi (capt), Umar Gul, Jan Nissar, Zohaib Khan, Aftab Khan, Shakeel ur Rehman, Zulfaqar Jan, Fawad Ali, Adil Amin, Sajjad Ahmed Jan, Hammad ul Hasan, Israrullah, Azam Jan, Idrees Khan, Imran Khan, M. Asif Khan, Azam Khan, Kashif Hayat, Jamal ud Din, Mehfooz SabriFaisalabad Wolves: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Shahid Nazir, Muhammad Hafeez, Naveed Latif, Zeeshan Asif, Usman Arshad, Khurram Shahzad, Ijaz Ahmad jnr, Ali Waqas, Muhammad Salman, Muhammad Asif Hussain, Muhammad Asif, Ali Raza, Muhammad Talha, Samiullah khan Niazi, Asad Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Khalid, Ahmad Hayat, Muhammad ShahidSialkot Stallions: Shoaib Malik (capt), Imran Nazir, Muhammad Asif, Rana Naved, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Kamran Younis, Shakeel Ansar, Abdul Rehman, Shahid Yousaf, Mansoor Amjad, Qaisar Abbas, Adeel Malik, Hafiz Majid, Abdul Razzaq, Muhammad Saeed, Faisal Naveed, M. Ayub Doggar, Naeemuddin, Shehzad Malik, Sheikh Haris Sohail
Ex-diretor de futebol do Corinthians, Flávio Adauto disse que um acerto com o meia Gustavo Scarpa, do Fluminense, é “um negócio bem distante”. Por outro lado, o ex-dirigente afirmou não ser “impossível”.
Adauto ainda revelou que o São Paulo está mais perto de contratar o jogador do Fluminense. O Palmeiras, nesta sexta-feira, viu a negociação esfriar após Róger Guedes se recusar a ir para o time carioca.
– Corinthians e Scarpa é um negócio distante. Impossível? Não. Mas embrionário. Soubemos que a coisa está adiantada com o São Paulo. Foi uma informação que a gente teve, que o Raí estaria no Rio de Janeiro, mas nada oficial. Se houver algo com o Corinthians, vai começar da estaca zero. Não é impossível, mas pouco viável porque outros já estariam mais adiantados – afirmou Adauto, em entrevista à Rádio Bandeirantes.
O ex-diretor ainda falou que é “pouco provável” o retorno de Pablo, que não chegou a um acordo para permanecer no Corinthians em 2018. Adauto também falou que poucos jogadores serão contratados.
– Poucos virão, quatro ou cinco no máximo, enquanto a maioria contrata 14 ou 15 – disse.
Adauto deixou a diretoria de futebol do Corinthians nesta sexta-feira, porque será candidato a vice-presidente de Paulo Garcia na eleição do dia 3 de fevereiro. O diretor de finanças Emerson Piovesan seguiu o mesmo caminho.
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Com o objetivo de conquistar vaga na Libertadores de 2018, a Chapecoense já iniciou sua preparação para enfrentar o Coritiba neste domingo, às 17h, na Arena Condá, no jogo encerra as disputas do Campeonato Brasileiro. Apesar de o Índio Condá estar diante de um adversário que briga contra a zona de rebaixamento, o atacante Túlio de Melo destaca as dificuldades que a equipe catarinense pode encontrar.
– Vamos enfrentar um adversário que precisa da vitória também para se manter na Série A. Vai ser um jogo perigoso. Precisamos ter atenção máxima durante os noventa minutos para vencermos e encerrarmos bem 2017 – apontou.
A Chapecoense sofreu em alguns momentos nesta temporada por conta das atuações irregulares que teve no Campeonato Brasileiro. Depois de chegar a assumir a liderança da competição, o time brigou contra o rebaixamento e agora, que finalmente se firmou sob comando de Gilson Kleina, busca uma vaga no torneio continental.
Caso conquiste o objetivo, a temporada terminará em ritmo de comemoração em Chapecó, principalmente pela raça que o time mostrou ao conseguir se reerguer e exibir sua força dentro de campo após a tragédia que vitimou 71 uma pessoas e marcou a história do futebol mundial. Confiante, Túlio de Melo acrescenta que, apesar da chance de entrar no G7, o time não pode perder o foco na reta final.
– Nós temos uma chance de conquistar a vaga na Libertadores, mas vamos manter os pés no chão e focarmos na vitória para terminarmos o ano com uma grande apresentação diante do nosso torcedor. Esse é o objetivo de todos aqui – finalizou.
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Tanguy Ndombele could still remain a Tottenham Hotspur player past January 31st despite reports suggesting otherwise…
What’s the word?
The Frenchman, who cost a club-record £55m in the summer of 2020, was booed by supporters in last weekend’s FA Cup third-round triumph over Morecambe.
As the jeers got louder, Ndombele got slower as he was substituted in the 69th minute, all whilst the side were still 1-0 down to the League One minnows.
After the match, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano delivered an update on his future, claiming that “Tottenham are looking for a solution to sell or loan out Tanguy Ndombele in January,” whilst The Athletic believe the 25-year-old is hopeful for a move away.
However, according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, Ndombele isn’t unhappy at the club and he could yet stay despite the controversy.
“I’ve done plenty of probing around on this – to see if there’ll be any potential suitors out there for him. The kind of level of club that could potentially pay that money, certainly – let’s obviously talk hypothetically first about any permanent options for him – they’re not desperate for that position,” he revealed to the ‘Last Word on Spurs’ podcast this week.
“I just don’t think there’s the options out there for him this month, Ndombele. And I’ve been told by sources close to the player as well that he’s not unhappy at Spurs, despite his body language the other day.”
Likely to stay?
It would seem that Ndombele is more likely to stay than go right now and that’s hardly a surprise given his reported £200k-per-week wages – who on earth is going to pay that, along with a transfer fee, for a player that has failed to cut it in the Premier League for quite some time?
He missed the midweek defeat to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup but weirdly, manager Antonio Conte hinted at the decision being from above his head. “It was a technical decision, but before to take the decision, I don’t take the decision if I don’t consult the club, there is the club line and I have to follow the club line,” he claimed after the game.
If Conte is still keen to use him and the player isn’t actually unhappy behind the scenes at Hotspur Way, as Thomas suggests, then you’d imagine there are going to be several sections of the Lilywhites’ faithful absolutely fuming.
Once the crowd turns against you in that manner, there is surely no way back but we’ve been here before with Ndombele. He reportedly wanted out under Jose Mourinho. He reportedly wanted out under Nuno Santo. And now here we are with a third successive manager.
It’s no wonder the fans have given up with their club-record signing. He arrived with so much promise from Lyon, only to deliver ten goals and nine assists in 91 appearances, via Transfermarkt.
That means he has a direct contribution once every 4.7 matches, which isn’t good enough for an attacking playmaker.
All in all, there won’t be many pleased with this behind the scenes bombshell from the Sky Sports journalist. With a little over two weeks to go, only time will tell if Ndombele will remain a Spurs player for the foreseeable future.
AND in other news, Spurs eye 1st Jan signing in “crazy” £7.2m-rated beast, he could be Conte’s next Pirlo…
قال أحمد سامي المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بنادي سيراميكا كليوباترا إن صلاح محسن لاعب ذو إمكانيات فردية مميزة ولا خلاف عليها.
وأضاف في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورتس 2”: “إدارة الأهلي وسيراميكا كليوباترا يواصلان التفاوض وننتظر الصيغة النهائية للاتفاق على انتقال صلاح، هو لاعب يصنع الفارق مع أي فريق”.
إنبي يعلن سعر بيع مصطفى شلبي وتطورات مفاوضات الزمالك بعد انسحاب الأهلي
وتابع: “شغلنا الشاغل أن يعود اللاعب لمستواه، والأساس أنه لاعب كبير وجيد جدًا ومن اللاعبين ذوي الحظ القليل”.
وأردف: “صلاح محسن لاعب لديه مرونة للعب في مركز المهاجم والجناح، وأنا أحتاج إلى هذه المرونة لأن إيبوكا وريان هما في مركز رأس الحربة، ونامل أن يكون صلاح محسن متواجدًا معنا في سيراميكا كليوباترا”.
واستطرد: “استفدنا جدًا من صفقة بيع شادي حسين ومصطفى ميسي إلى الأهلي بضم أحمد ياسر ريان ومحمد شكري وبيكهام”.
وأتم: “وبالفعل، كنت أحتاج زياد طارق، هو لاعب جيد جدًا ولكن الأزمة أن هؤلاء اللاعبين ظهروا خلال فترة ضيق وقت والميزانية انتهت ولا نريد أن يكون هناك أعباء أكثر على الإدارة”.
Graeme Swann has followed Paul Collingwood’s lead by expressing disappointment that England players don’t get more exposure to Twenty20 through the IPL
Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2010
Graeme Swann missed out an IPL deal but it means he can spend more time with his new wife•PA Photos
Graeme Swann has followed Paul Collingwood’s lead by expressing disappointment that England players don’t get more exposure to Twenty20 through the IPL.The IPL clashes with England’s tour of Bangladesh which means leading players wouldn’t be available for a chunk of the event and that makes them unattractive to franchises. Swann was put forward for the recent auction ahead of the third season of the IPL, but didn’t come away with a deal as Eoin Morgan was the only Englishman to get snapped up.Swann understands why owners don’t want to throw money at players they won’t see much of, but hopes that there will be a chance in future years of England players seeing more Twenty20 action.”It is disappointing of course but you fully understand it when you’re only available for a three-week window,” he told reporters in Dubai. “I certainly wouldn’t throw any money at an English player if you can only have them for three or four games.”That’s a shame for us as players because I think that if we are going to develop then in an ideal world we would be made available for a lot more of the IPL, but that isn’t for me to decide. It would be nice if we had a chance to play a bit more Twenty20 cricket and in the next few years I’m sure that will be the case.”With many of England’s players not involved with the IPL the two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan are important for the team as they plan for the World Twenty20 in West Indies from the end of April”As it is we can’t complain about that; we just need to use the games we’ve got to make sure we’re good enough to compete and hopefully win in the West Indies,” Swann said.Along with Morgan, who was signed by Bangalore Royal Challengers following his impressive limited-overs performances for England, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen will head to the IPL when the Test series against Bangladesh ends in late March.Swann was seen as a possible contender for a deal this year, despite his limited availability, after an outstanding 12 months coupled with his marketable character. However, despite missing out on a nice pay day Swann sees a positive from the outcome.”I was over the moon when I heard (there had been no offers),” he joked. “I’ve only been married two weeks and she said she’d leave me if I couldn’t go home after this tour.”
Australia’s aura may have vanished but the players’ self-confidence remains untainted, with Shane Watson insisting the team still has a chance of victory
Peter English at the SCG05-Jan-2010
Shane Watson gave Australia a good start but the innings eventually faltered•Getty Images
Australia’s aura may have vanished over the past year but the players’ self-confidence remains untainted, with Shane Watson insisting the team still has a chance of victory. Pakistan have controlled the second Test for three days and should level the series on Wednesday after the hosts scrambled to an 80-run lead by finishing at 8 for 286.Michael Hussey, who reached an unbeaten 73, is the last major hope and will have Peter Siddle (10) and Doug Bollinger as his only allies. “I definitely think we’re still in it,” Watson said. “It’s obviously not a day that we really were hoping for. It would have been nice to get 200 in front, but while Hussey and Siddle are there we are still a chance to get, hopefully, best-case scenario, 150 ahead. It would be a target that if everyone goes well and bowls well, it gives us an opportunity to win the game.”Watson was the standout batsman with his smooth 97 and after the strong performance showed he was a student of the history of his adopted home ground. He remembered the time in 1993-94 when a team was bowled out in the fourth innings for 111 at the SCG in a chase of 117. The only problem was that it was Australia doing the tumbling that day.”We’ve got to still give ourselves a chance to try and have a decent enough target to bowl at,” he said. “The wicket is still doing a bit, the new ball is still seaming and bouncing and some are keeping a bit low, there’s still enough there for the bowlers.”The legspinner Danish Kaneria provided the main trouble for Australia with 4 for 117 before hobbling off shortly before the end with cramp, but Australia have the bigger impediment. Starting their second innings 206 runs behind, their journey was always uphill, but after Watson and Phillip Hughes (37) put on 105 there was hope of the 400-plus total needed to scare the Pakistanis.While only three wickets had fallen when the deficit was wiped out, the problems began with Michael Clarke’s exit, lbw to Mohammad Asif on 21, and in 18 overs Australia lost 5 for 40. “The way Phil and I started I thought we were going to be able to bat the way we wanted to,” Watson said, “but we weren’t able to string the bigger partnerships together.”Unless rain or a Hussey-inspired miracle intervenes, the hosts will end their ten-match winning streak against Pakistan, the world’s No.6 side, and continue their recent trend of losing momentum as soon as they start looking good. The ruthless Melbourne win was last week, but it was also a year ago.