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ScorecardNew Zealand made a poor start to their one-off Test against India, ending the first day on 143 for 7. Asked to bat on a pitch that offered little suggestion of how it would play, they lost two key wickets to disappointing decisions, but were propped up by Katey Martin (46) and Haidee Tiffin (38 not out).Kate Pulford was given out caught behind in the first over of the match, even though her bat was well away from the ball (2 for 1). Then Maria Fahey, the other opener, was given out caught bat-pad when the ball went off her toe (21 for 2). The road to recovery was a slow grind and the scoring rate barely reached two runs per over throughout the 94 overs bowled.Martin, who was one of six New Zealand women making their Test debuts, settled in for the long haul. Maia Lewis, New Zealand’s captain, started aggressively but was caught off the bottom edge for only 9 (31 for 3).Martin was joined by Tiffen, and they grafted their way to 81 before Martin, in sight of a half-century on debut, played back to Neetu David, the left-arm spinner, and was caught behind. Her 46 came off 139 balls in 176 minutes of batting.The message was to build partnerships, but at every stage that one seemed to be developing, a wicket was lost. Tiffen produced a monumental display of control, given her natural attacking tendency, and by stumps she had batted for 264 minutes.The pick of the Indian bowlers was Nooshin Al Khadeer who took 3 for 36 from 27 overs. David took 2 for 37 from 29 overs.

Teams in the northern part of the country will be hoping forbetter luck with the weather when the fourth round matchesin the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Grade-I cricket competition startSunday.The third round clash between Rawalpindi and Peshawar wasabandoned without a ball being bowled at the Pindi CricketStadium after pre-match rains left the square in pools ofwater.The other match in Rawalpindi, saw play starting late onthird afternoon at KRL Ground between Islamabad and Rest ofNWFP.Karachi Blues chalked up their first win of the season whenthey crushed Rest of Sindh by innings. Sargodha were theother side to win in the third round, inflicting inningsdefeat on Hyderabad.Both Karachi Whites and Lahore Blues, who head theirrespective pools, had to contend with draws againstBalochistan and Rest of Punjab respectively in the thirdround.Karachi Whites, led by ex-national skipper Moin Khan, facetheir first major challenge in the shape of Gujranwala hereat the National Stadium.Lahore Blues, the defending champions, take on Islamabad atKRL Stadium in Rawalpindi.Karachi Blues, meanwhile, meet Faisalabad at Iqbal Stadium.Both Faisalabad and Sheikhupura, who play Rest of Punjab atGaddafi Stadium, will be fresh after being not involved inmatches last week.Fourth round schedule (Jan 20-23):*Karachi Whites v Gujranwala at National Stadium, Karachi(Umpires: M. Akbar Khan and Nadeem Ghauri. Match referee:Raees Ahmed).*Faisalabad v Karachi Blues at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad(Umpires: M. Nazir Junior and Iftikhar Malik. Match referee:Ishtiaq Ahmed).*Hyderabad v Rest of Balochistan at Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad(Umpires: Athar Zaidi and Sadiq Mohammad. Match referee:Munawwar Agha).*Bahawalpur v Rest of Sindh at Bahawalpur Stadium. (Umpires:Shakeel Khan and Riazuddin. Match referee: Fahimuddin Alvi).*Lahore Whites v Peshawar at LCCA Ground, Lahore (Umpires:Salim Badar and Feroz Butt. Match referee: Ali Zia).*Rawalpindi v Rest of NWFP at Pindi Cricket Stadium(Umpires: Siddique Khan and Asad Rauf. Match referee: JavedAkhtar).*Islamabad v Lahore Blues at KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi(Umpires: Islam Khan and Afzaal Ahmed. Match referee:Khateeb Rizwan).*Sheikhupura v Rest of Punjab at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore(Umpires: Aleem Dar and Sajjad Asghar. Match referee:Ehteshamuddin).

Leicestershire added just one run to their overnight score before Morris enticed Crowe to edge Morris to give wicket-keeper Adi Aymes his fifth catch of the innings. Morris finished with two wickets on his return to the side.Hampshire have had some batting problems this season, which recently have shown signs of improvement. This, however did not show before lunch as they lost 5 wickets in reply for 81.Leicestershire attack minus it’s top four bowlers, showed little mercy as first White played a Dakin balls onto his wicket, Kenway was the tall seamers second wicket as he played back and was lbw. Kendall struck four boundaries before he was beaten by Boswell, and Laney’s innings was short and sweet aas he edged Boswell to first slip. Robin Smith became the fifth to fall when he too edged to Vince Wells at second slip, pushing forward. Smith’s innings lasted for 55 balls, and by lunch the home side were left still needing 36 to avoid the follow on.

Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh’s ODI captain, was pleased with the manner in which his team bounced back with a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the second ODI in Mirpur, levelling the three-match series with one game still to be played. Bangladesh had lost the T20 series against South Africa 2-0 and went down by eight wickets in the first ODI. The win on Sunday was their first since the second ODI against India last month.Bangladesh had felt the weight of expectations ahead of the game and Mashrafe had little time to re-gather his troops, with the team’s training session delayed following a meeting with the BCB president Nazmul Hasan on Saturday. The Bangladesh captain was happy that the team had responded to his call to think about the process of winning rather than focus only on winning.”The chemistry of the team is quite normal,” Mashrafe said. “I wanted to see how the team reacts in a bad situation. They didn’t take it well and that is how a good team responds. I thank my team-mates. We didn’t get more than a day’s training but they were mentally strong. It looked good from outside and also when we were out fielding.”He also lauded the batsmen for paying heed to the discussions about their individual roles, particularly after they failed to put up a fight in recent matches. Soumya Sarkar was one of the batsmen who fell after getting starts. On Sunday, he battled hard before flourishing to make a match-winning 88 not out. Rubel Hossain and Mahmudullah, both making comebacks into the team, had important contributions.”We were thinking too much about winning. I wanted everyone to understand that you can win after playing out 600 balls in a match,” Mashrafe said. “Thankfully we got a good start in the game. From the moment Rubel took Hashim Amla’s wicket, we were fully in the game. I had some concern about our batting but we discussed a lot, which was more important than training. We talked about how we will start our innings, finish it and make it longer. It was good that Soumya finished the game. Riyad [Mahmudullah] was playing only his second game after returning from a finger injury which is never easy for any batsman.”Mashrafe also made a significant difference with his belief in the team and his tactics. He ensured that none of the South Africa batsmen were given time to settle against one type of bowler, and he took a calculated risk of finishing Shakib Al Hasan’s ten overs early while still ensuring the likes of Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel were given the ball, when the side was looking for wickets.”Bowling changes depend on the situation. I wanted to do a lot of things today. I finished Shakib’s over quite early, which was a bit risky,” he said. “But I was looking for a couple of wickets from him. I brought back Mustafizur at one point and he got me a wicket. Rubel and Riyad also bowled at stages when I needed wickets and they got us the breakthroughs. I always use my instinct as a captain.”I always feel that a batsman is not set until he takes a single comfortably. Hitting two consecutive boundaries doesn’t make him set. I want our bowlers to believe in this too. I don’t want to give away a single easily. But if you don’t bowl well, it is hard to control such things. It was easy today but I always want a batsman to not get set at the crease by taking singles.”

According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur sent a ‘senior scout’ to watch West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in action on Sunday afternoon. 

The lowdown: Interest increasing

This latest update comes following a report from The Daily Telegraph claiming that Spurs had joined a number of clubs in the pursuit of the 29-year-old stopper.

Out of contract this summer (Transfermarkt), the ex-Manchester United academy ace is expected to make a return to the Premier League, given that the Baggies are virtually completely out of the running for promotion.

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Amidst interest from elsewhere in the top-flight, Tottenham are now attempting to steal a match on their competitors by sending officials to St. Andrew’s, where the 29 year-old was in action on Sunday against Birmingham City.

The latest: On a mission

As per FI, a recruitment source informed them of a Spurs official’s mission to watch West Brom take on Midlands rivals Birmingham City.

The report claims that the Lilywhites have a ‘ longstanding interest’ in the three-cap ‘keeper.

It’s also stated that Spurs boss Antonio Conte is ‘in the market’ for a new goalkeeper as loanee Pierluigi Gollini prepares to return to Atalanta at the end of the ongoing campaign.

The verdict: Shrewd business

Still holding a perceived market value of £7.20million (Transfermarkt), signing Johnstone as a free agent this summer would be a smart acquisition and would leave the budget untouched for targets elsewhere.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Albeit captain and perennial first-choice Hugo Lloris is unlikely to be ousted as number one immediately, the Englishman certainly has the shot-stopping prowess to push the World Cup winner for a spot in Conte’s side.

Described as ‘outstanding’ by Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle, Johnstone has enjoyed a superb 2021/22 campaign, keeping 14 clean sheets from 33 second-tier outings – the joint second highest in the competition (Sofascore).

In other news. Spurs prepare to battle London rivals for Bundesliga capture. Find out more here!

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

	Matthew Hayden gave Australia the advantage with an innings of controlled aggression. © Getty Images

The last two days have been about razzle-dazzle batsmanship from high-quality practitioners of the art but the fourth day was more about absorbing, trench-warfare cricket as India’s spinners repeatedly chipped away at Australia on a wearing pitch. Innings of substance from Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey put Australia in a good position to set a platform for the final day, as they ended with a lead of 213, with six wickets intact.The first session on the penultimate day was always going to be a crucial one and it was Australia who took first possession of the initiative, with Hayden and Phil Jaques blunting the Indian attack. It was Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble who were the real threats, teasing, flighting, turning and pushing through the ball on a pitch that was encouraging the spinners.Hayden and Jaques held their ground, but the runs did not come at the usual gallop that we have come to expect from Australia. In fact, when Jaques, after a partnership of 85 tried to force the pace with a big slog sweep off Kumble, he only managed an easy catch to Yuvraj Singh in the deep. Jaques had made 42, out-scoring Hayden for a time, and ensured that Australia wiped out the deficit without losing a wicket.When Ricky Ponting fell yet again to Harbhajan, off the very first ball the tormenting offspinner bowled to him, closing the face of the bat and edging straight to VVS Laxman at silly mid-off, the pressure was on the Australians. Harbhajan now has Ponting’s wicket eight times in Tests, and the celebrations that followed the latest issue, with Harbhajan running across the field and doing a soccer-style double roll on the turf, endeared him to his boisterous Indian fans at the SCG as much as it would have got under the skin of the Australian cricketers.Hussey joined Hayden out in the middle and the two used contrasting methods to handle the pressure the Indian spinners were applying. With plenty of rough created by the bowlers’ footmarks, the ball was gripping the surface and occasionally bouncing more than expected. This meant that the close-in catchers were kept constantly interested, though, to the chagrin of the Indian captain, not one checked defensive shot or edge went to hand.Hayden’s progress was further hampered when a niggling injury to his right thigh forced him to call for a runner and Ponting came out to do the job. Hussey, in the meantime, played late, using soft hands and often opening the face of the bat to place the ball past a fielder, while Hayden took the less delicate approach. He made room to cut, and when that method failed, relied heavily on first the conventional sweep and then the reverse-sweep. He brought up his half-century with one such powerful swat, but it was a high-risk option at the best of times.Hayden ground down the Indians, letting little pass by his broad bat, and brought up his 29th Test century with some ease, and coming as it did, on a fourth-day pitch, against two spinners bowling well, must rate highly among his efforts. But Hayden would die by his own sword, having put on 160 for the third wicket. He played the reverse-sweep to Kumble and this time there was a fielder at point, Wasim Jaffer, who held the ball head-high and cut short Hayden’s innings on 123.Off the very next ball Kumble struck again, and the man who is thought to be the heir to Ponting’s captaincy did something he will perhaps look back on and regret. Michael Clarke, played back to a Kumble googly that he did not pick – no shame in that, better batsmen than him have committed the same error – and cut straight to Rahul Dravid at slip. The catch was comfortably taken at knee height, and inexplicably, almost mockingly, Clarke stood his ground, waiting for the umpire to give him out. When the finger went up Australia were once again momentarily under pressure, having lost two quick wickets against the run of play.But the overall momentum was still with Australia, and when Andrew Symonds and Hussey ensured that there was no collapse, buckling down and applying themselves with admirable determination, India’s bowlers were once again kept at bay. When Ishant Sharma was thrown the ball late in the day, with the light not being the greatest after intermittent drizzle had caused stoppages, the batsmen accepted the offer from the umpires and walked off with the score on 282 for 4. Hussey, unbeaten on 87, will have to take fresh guard in pursuit of his century.This means Australia will bat again on the fifth morning, and be in a position to set India a target. What Ponting will have in mind is the fact that the series scoreline is 1-0, and an over-generous declaration in pursuit of a 16th straight win might be a dangerous strategy. Equally, with the spinners looking most threatening, Ponting will know Australia don’t quite have the same firepower in that department as the Indians.