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After starting 11 of his first 12 appearances in the Premier League this season, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Joao Palhinha has found game time harder to come by of late.

The Portugal international’s start against Brentford on Thursday night was his first in the top-flight since November, as he had been an unused substitute once and came off the bench three times in December, per Transfermarkt.

Palhinha has scored four goals and provided three assists in all competitions, per Sofascore, but he has not found the back of the net since the 4-0 win over Copenhagen at the start of November.

The Bayern Munich loanee’s general struggles in possession may be why he has found himself out of the side of late, as he ranks within the bottom 23% of midfielders in the Premier League for progressive passes per 90 (3.24) and the bottom 16% for progressive carries per 90 (0.53), per FBref.

Spurs eyeing move for Bundesliga star

Spurs are now reportedly in the mix to sign another central midfielder who could further restrict the game time that Palhinha gets in the second half of the season.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to CaughtOffside, Bayern Munich midfield star Leon Goretzka’s representatives have reached out to make contact with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Arsenal.

The report claims that their sources have indicated that the German giants would be forced to consider a sale in the January transfer window if a convincing offer lands at their desk.

It adds that the Lilywhites are closely monitoring the Germany international’s situation at the Allianz Arena, as they ponder a winter swoop for the experienced midfielder.

However, CaughtOffside does not reveal how much money it would take for Bayern to consider an offer for the £218k-per-week star to be ‘convincing’ enough for them to part ways with him.

Why Tottenham's Goretzka interest is bad news for Palhinha

It could be Déjà vu for Palhinha if Spurs manage to agree a deal to bring Goretzka to North London, because he left Bayern on loan in the summer after struggling for minutes behind the German giant last term.

The Portugal international only started six league matches for Bayern under Vincent Kompany in the 2024/25 campaign, whilst Goretzka started 13 times and played nine more games overall, per Sofascore.

24/25 Bundesliga

Goretzka

Palhinha

Appearances

26

17

Minutes per game

51

40

Goals

4

0

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.6

1.4

Ground duel success rate

60%

55%

Aerial duel success rate

53%

65%

Red cards

0

1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Germany international justified his larger role in the squad with superior performances in the middle of the park in the Bundesliga last term.

Goretzka, who has been described as a midfield “machine” by Bayern teammate Aleksandar Pavlović, is a more well-rounded midfielder who is better suited to playing in a dominant team that wants to compete at the top end of the table.

Palhinha provides great defensive qualities with his ability to make tackles and interceptions, ranking in the top 1% of Premier League midfielders for tackles per 90 (5.27) this season, per FBref.

Subscribe for in-depth Spurs transfer and squad analysis Get clearer transfer context—subscribe to the newsletter for focused breakdowns of how a move for Goretzka could reshape Tottenham’s midfield, detailed player comparisons, and the tactical impacts that matter to fans and analysts.

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Midfielders in teams that want to compete at the very top need to be able to offer quality in possession to go along with their defensive qualities, though, which may be why Kompany was willing to let him go, and why Thomas Frank has dropped him in recent weeks.

The statistics in the chart above from Goretzka and Palhinha’s statistics this season show the significant difference in quality in possession between the two players, as the German ranks highly in a host of possession-based metrics.

This suggests that, as was the case at Bayern in the 2024/25 campaign, Goretzka’s presence in the squad could spell bad news for the former Fulham star in the second half of this season.

The 30-year-old star could be an excellent addition to Frank’s squad to add more quality on the ball to his options in the middle of the park, possibly leaving Palhinha’s future at the club beyond his initial loan spell in serious doubt because he could struggle for game time behind the German talent.

	Stephen Fleming is hoping for plenty of time at the crease during the second Test © Getty Images

Not satisfied with a nine-wicket win over Bangladesh last week, New Zealand aim to crush the visitors in the second Test starting at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Saturday.”There’s no letting off within the team. It’s almost the opposite,” captain Daniel Vettori told the . “The guys are pushing harder to get the result we need in an even better fashion than at Dunedin. If we can put on a big score and the key players in the top six make sure they bat for a long time and score big runs then I think we’ll be satisfied with that.”Stephen Fleming, Vettori’s predecessor, felt the side was very eager to do well after their recent defeats in South Africa and Australia. “It’s a lot easier to turn up when you’re expected to win,” Fleming said. “We’re enjoying being the dominant side but I guess we’ve got one eye looking towards the rest of the summer without slipping up against Bangladesh.”Fleming, 34, scored 14 in his only innings in Dunedin and is desperate for some big scores before his likely retirement after New Zealand’s return trip to England this year. “Every Test innings from here on is massively important,” he said. Fleming will be playing his 108th Test but in 16 games at this venue – which he ranks as his favourite, and at which he has scored more runs than anywhere else – his best is 97.John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, wanted the team to go all-out against Bangladesh, who have had a poor tour. “We’re pretty realistic as to where we’re at when we do our review,” he said. “I thought we were quite comprehensive in the one-day series in terms of ruthlessness. We had a day off being ruthless in Dunedin and that’s not good enough if we’re to compete with the big boys.”A win will give New Zealand two more points in the ICC rankings, to move within one point of Pakistan.New Zealand’s top order will be out to make amends for an indifferent performance in the first Test, as middle-order Mathew Sinclair indicated. “I know from a batting perspective I have a lot to prove after I didn’t push on in Dunedin,” he said. “There’s a lot of talk about the top order going out and doing the bizzo, we’re aware of that and we want to make the most of it.”Both teams have delayed naming their teams because of selection dilemmas. New Zealand are without Mark Gillespie, ruled out with a shoulder injury, and are confronted with the issue of whether to retain Iain O’Brien as the third seamer or opt for Michael Mason. Vettori hinted that they would probably go with O’Brien, on his home ground. “We might get a day of big wind…. someone has to bowl into it and Iain’s probably done that a lot over his Wellington career,” he said.The pitch is likely to count against spinner Jeetan Patel bowling in tandem with Vettori, who at first glance said it looked a little more dead than usual. It’s a flat surface, which, Bangladesh’s coach Jamie Siddons said, his team was looking forward to playing on. “We’d love to have a bat on it. It’s certainly not the threatened green seamer we expected to get all tour,” Siddons said.Siddons is expected to change his batting lineup after a miserable showing in Dunedin. Habibul Bashar was out to injudicious shots and Aftab Ahmed bagged a pair, so Rajin Saleh and allrounder Farhad Reza could replace them. The two openers, Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique, are unlikely to be touched; they added a record opening stand in the second innings before the ten wickets fell for just 93 runs. Enamul Haque jnr, the slow left-arm spinner called up for the two-Test series, failed to impress in Dunedin and may make way for Abdur Razzak.Teams:New Zealand (likely): 1 Craig Cumming, 2 Matthew Bell, 3 Peter Fulton, 4 Stephen Fleming, 5 Mathew Sinclair, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Iain O’Brien, 11 Chris Martin.Bangladesh (from): Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Habibul Bashar, Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Aftab Ahmed, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqir Rahim (wk), Mashrafe Mortaza, Farhad Reza, Rajin Saleh, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Enamul Haque, Sajidul Islam.

The USA will not be meeting any other side soon © Getty Images

The ICC Board has suspended the membership of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA).USACA failed to meet the agreed and subsequently extended deadlines for the adoption of its constitution and the holding of elections, the ICC confirmed in a letter to USACA president Gladstone Dainty.This is the second suspension for the USACA, after it was previously prevented from attending the 2005 annual conference after elections were shrouded in controversy. That suspension was lifted in March 2006 subject to new elections under a new constitution and the appointment of all USACA Executive positions by December 31. The USACA was then granted an extension for this until March 1, 2007.The suspension, under immediate effect, means that the USACA will not receive the annual ICC grant that was expected on April 15 and will be withdrawn from the World Cricket League Division 3 Series to be held in Darwin, Australia in May and relegated from that division. Additionally, the national team preparation grant for that event and direct funding support from the ICC Americas Region Development Program will also be withheld.The suspension will be lifted when the West Indies Cricket Board, requested by the ICC to monitor the progress of the game in the USA, recommends a suitable time in agreement with the Executive Board.Malcolm Speed, the ICC CEO, said the decision, though unpleasant, was necessary given then lack of initiative from the USACA. “It is especially disappointing that the USA players have had to be penalized in this way for matters that are largely beyond their control. The ICC recognizes that the USA has vast potential as a cricketing nation but without a functioning administration that potential is likely to remain largely untapped.”The ICC hopes this measure will serve to focus minds within cricketing circles in the USA, that sense will prevail and that all those with the good of the game at heart will come together and take control of this unfortunate situation.”

Powerful performances for Queensland pushed Michael Kasprowicz back into the frame © Getty Images

Glenn McGrath’s absence has forced Australia’s selectors into a major reworking of the bowling attack for the three back-to-back Tests against South Africa starting next week. Instead of praying for one player to mirror McGrath’s world-class performances, Trevor Hohns’s selection panel decided to create a line-up capable of covering any conditions with a mixture of the old, new and settled in today’s 14-man squad.Brett Lee is the only permanent Australian fast bowler after Michael Kasprowicz earned a recall for his all-terrain efforts and Shaun Tait’s “bit of oomph” secured him a back-up spot despite still being unable to throw after shoulder surgery. Stuart MacGill takes his place one seat behind Shane Warne, Stuart Clark’s similarities to McGrath were considered essential to the squad and Andrew Symonds’s mix of medium-pace and offspin complete the heavy list of options.With flexibility so desirable, the obvious omission was the left-armer Nathan Bracken, but his lack of swing in the current one-day series was crucial. “He can consider himself unlucky,” Hohns said in Brisbane. “We were looking for someone with a little more penetration. McGrath is almost impossible to replace so we had to look for a squad of fast bowlers to replace him.”Kasprowicz, who will push Clark for the No. 2 duties in the first Test on March 16, impressed with his variation in leading the Pura Cup wicket list with 44 at 23.13 and finished ahead of his former team-mate Jason Gillespie. “Michael has been bowling fractionally better than Jason but it could have been an either-or call,” Hohns said. “He’s been doing well in all sorts of conditions and is ready after losing form in England. Shaun offers that bit of oomph and if required he can provide some extra punch.”After speaking about his emotional return – he was happy to be back but sad for McGrath, who is caring for his sick wife Jane – Kasprowicz talked with Trevor Hohns outside Queensland Cricket’s headquarters for the first time since the final Ashes Test last September. “I think it’s protocol now that Michael Brown [Cricket Australia’s operations manager] lets you know when you’re in and Trevor lets you know when you’re out,” Kasprowicz, who is eyeing a tenth Test recall, said.The side has a distinct 2005 feel with the addition of Tait, Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke, and Kasprowicz was ready for an “Ashes reunion”. “I never thought that was it after England,” he said. “If I felt my performances had started to slip then maybe [my international career was over], but I didn’t feel like that.”

Brad Hodge: double-century in December; dropped in March © Getty Images

While Kasprowicz’s state numbers this summer were impressive, Martyn was picked on a hunch ahead of Hodge, who was devastated by his omission two Tests after collecting a double-century against South Africa. Martyn’s experience swayed the selectors just five months after he seemed headed for a full-time break, and he has an unexpected chance to add to his 61 matches and 12 hundreds.”He’s been chosen in the squad to start at No. 4 – it’s a judgment call,” Hohns said. “He always looks as if he’s batting well and this tour is going to be a tough one.” Clarke was preferred as the spare batsman after Hohns said “he’d done everything asked of him”.Hodge averaged an extraordinary 58.42 in his first five Tests and expected to hold his spot, but he failed to make a four-day century for Victoria and there were also suspicions over his driving technique outside off stump. “I’m obviously devastated at the decision,” Hodge said. “I felt I had performed well enough in my initial Tests to retain my place, but I expect disappointment as part of my job.”Australia squad Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Michael Kasprowicz, Stuart MacGill, Stuart Clark, Shaun Tait.

Mohammad Kaif: disappointed to have been dropped from the Test team© Getty Images

Mohammad Kaif doesn’t hide his disappointment at being dropped from the Indian side for the first Test match against Pakistan. However, his job, he says, is to keep scoring runs which will feed him the confidence that is required when the big call comes. On his being dropped from the first Test
I am a little disappointed to be honest. Since I made a comeback in the Test matches, I’ve done reasonably well. I have been hitting the ball well and I was feeling confident. But these things happen and the selectors know what they are doing. But I keep the smile on my face.On what the focus will be during the tour game
I don’t think I’ve to prove much in this game as my domestic form has been quite okay, but all the games are important. And as the captain I know how to set an example for the boys as we’ve a young bunch of players, who are all looking forward to prove themselves.On how his young team would set a challenge for the visitors in the tour-opener
As a captain I’m happy that all the young guys have done well on the domestic circuit and as I said they are eager to prove their worth. Since it’s just a three-day affair I don’t see a result. But we won’t be taking this just like a practice match and will make things difficult for Pakistan.On how a player adjusts while playing at a high altitude
Players are used to playing at different places and they don’t find much of a difference. It’s just a case of mental adjustment. Players from the north are used to such conditions and the rest, too, travel across a lot, so it doesn’t affect the players.On whether there should be separate Test and ODI teams
Personally, the kind of confidence I gained facing the Australian bowlers was immense. It relieved a lot of pressure as I was making a combeback after a long gap. About fielding two separate teams, I don’t want to comment on that. But my job is only to keep scoring runs, which is my main goal.

SpeedBlitz Blues fast bowler Nathan Bracken has been ruled-out of the squad to play Queensland in a Pura Cup match at the Gabba starting on Sunday February 1st, 2004.Bracken has a hand injured suffered during the recent match against Western Australia in Perth.The SpeedBlitz Blues line-up is now:

Steve Waugh (c)
Greg Mail
Phil Jaques
Dominic Thornely
Mark Waugh
Brad Haddin
Aaron O’Brien
Stuart MacGill
Grant Lambert
Matthew Nicholson
Stuart Clark
Doug Bollinger

Having batted well through 45 overs at the end of day two, Pakistan started day three with a lot of promise, but once the new ball was taken Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini ripped the heart out of the batting, taking six wickets for the addition of only 12 runs.The new ball was taken at the start of the 81st over with Pakistan 240 for the loss of four wickets. 46 balls later Pakistan was all out for 252, with Pollock taking two for two and Ntini four for ten. A collapse that is hard to express in words, a lot easier in feelings and emotions.Pakistan had started the day well on a pitch that was flat and almost made to order by the batsmen. It took Pollock and umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan 35 minutes to get the initial breakthrough, when Younis Khan was unlucky to be given out lbw when the ball clearly struck the pad outside off stump. Younis had looked for fifty, but to departed for 46 and the 116-run second-wicket record partnership had ended on 152.The turning point came when Inzamam-ul-Haq, once again showing signs of his ability with the bat, could not resist the pull, sending a short ball from Mornantau Hayward straight down the throat of deep square leg. His partnership with Taufeeq Umar was just starting to look dangerous for South Africa when lack of application cost Inzamam his wicket. Once again a batsman had got into the thirties but no further.Hayward got rid of Yousuf Youhana first ball, fishing outside off, and a collapse was in prospect. But Umar showed that with a bit of application plenty of runs were for the taking. Stuck in the nervous nineties for 50 minutes, he worked through it, going to his third hundred and eventually recording his highest Test score of 135.Ntini was first to strike with the new ball, getting one to go across Umar whoi was caught by Kallis at second slip. At 240/5 the stuffing had gone, and Pakistan went down like turkeys at Christmas.Kamran Akmal walked into a ball from Pollock to depart without scoring and Pakistan were 247/6. Faisal Iqbal, after playing and missing several times, was bowled trying to pull Ntini for 24, Pakistan 251/7. Waqar Younis wafted outside the off to Pollock, 252/8, and Ntini dispatched a swinging Saqlain Mushtaq and defensive Mohammad Zahid to end it at 252, still 368 behind South Africa’s 620/7 declared.The follow-on started disastrously, with Saleem Elahi caught at mid-wicket top-edging a pull, and Younis caught at gully to leave Pakistan two wickets down with nine runs on the board. It could have been worse, as Dippenaar put Umar down off the first ball of the second innings.Umar carried on from where he had left off, and with Inzamam played positive cricket to register another record, this time the third wicket for Pakistan against South Africa.A double strike on 130 from Boje and Pollock got rid of a far more committed Inzamam, stumped for 60, and a maturing Umar, caught behind for 67, to reduce Pakistan to 130/4.Youhana took an immediate liking to Boje, crashing four fours, a two and a six off the first over he received from the spinner. The first ball of the next over also went six, obviously the shots of a man resigned to defeat.With 47 in a 50-run partnership with Faisal Iqbal, Youhana created someentertainment by going to the second-fastest 50, in terms of balls faced, in Test history. It was one ball short of the 26 balls taken by Ian Botham against India in 1981-82.Boje, although expensive, had his revenge when Youhana was caught at deep mid-on for 50, and Pakistan were 184/5 at stumps with Iqbal not out on two.

Shockwaves reverberated through Zimbabwe cricket early on Saturday morning when, before the start of their opening match against West Indies in the one-day triangular tournament, Heath Streak announced his resignation as national captain.”It has been a long time coming,” Streak said in a television interview after the match. “I’ve had a lot of communication problems, in particular with the selection panel, and I feel that they don’t have any confidence in me. So I thought it would be best for them and the team that I stood down as captain. It’s unfortunate, but they knew about this as early as Wednesday. We had discussed it with the selectors before.”I have a lot of pride and passion in playing for my country, and I have the support of the team. They didn’t want this to happen, but I thought that was the best I should do for them.”However, a couple of hours later, after a meeting with Zimbabwe Cricket Union president Peter Chingoka and other ZCU officials, Streak was happy to rescind his resignation. He said that the problem areas had been resolved and that Mr Chingoka had given him his full support and asked him to continue as captain.The main problem area was that of selection. It is an open secret that there has been political interference in the selection processes in Zimbabwe cricket, with certain activists determined to push more “players of colour” into the national side when, strictly speaking, they would not qualify on merit. Many of the players, who are proud of their country and take a pride in their team’s performance, have been for some time unhappy and unsettled in their belief that the best available national team is not being selected.Sources close to the team say that the matter came to a head with the selection of the side for Saturday’s match against West Indies, when the captain and coach disagreed with the selectors over the inclusion of, it is believed, three of the players in the team. Incidentally two of them were white. As part of the agreement between Streak and the ZCU, Streak and coach Carl Rackemann have been appointed to the selection panel, which now numbers an unwieldy eight.Streak also said that various assurances that had been given to him in the past by the selectors and administrators had not been acted upon. At the meeting on Saturday night, he said, he had been promised that in future the promised action would be taken.Undoubtedly the captaincy crisis and the reasons behind it affected the national side, who have played poorly and lost their first two matches in the triangular tournament, probably putting themselves out of the running for the final. With last year’s threatened strike in England fresh in the memory, it is unfortunate that the administrators do not appear to respond to the players’ concerns until they take extreme measures. Whether they like it or not, the fact is that the players will not perform at their best on the field unless they are happy off it.It remains to be seen whether the reconciliation will last. Several sources close to the centre of Zimbabwe cricket believe that the underlying problems are still there and will resurface before long. The national side will never perform at its best until players and administrators are on the same side and pulling together. And in such situations, the ball is always in the administrators’ court.

ScorecardMark Cosgrove became the second captain to make a century in this match•Getty Images

Mark Cosgrove’s second consecutive century and a breezy 95 from Niall O’Brien helped Leicestershire fight back from 34 for four to take a lead of 47 at Wantage Road. Cosgrove’s 110 mirrored the captain’s knock played by Alex Wakely on day one and saw Leicestershire recover to make 372.Losing nightwatchman Rob Sayer in the fourth over of the day saw Leicestershire fall into deep trouble but, just as Northamptonshire fought back on the first day, the visitors responded with healthy middle-order partnerships.Cosgrove was the mainstay. He laid the groundwork in an intense morning session where 79 runs were ground out. But in unbroken afternoon sunshine and temperatures rising towards 30 degrees, batting became much easier and Leicestershire made healthy progressCosgrove took lunch on 65 not out, passing fifty in 81 balls, but then became a bystander for a jaunty innings from O’Brien. After the stand was ended, Cosgrove began once more to play his strokes and lifted Rob Keogh handsomely down the ground for his only six to move to 99. A third Championship century of the season was raised shortly after. He fell five overs into the second new ball as Rory Kleinveldt returned to complete a third five-wicket haul of the season, trapping Cosgrove lbw for 110, three short of his best score for Leicestershire.He shared three healthy middle-order partnerships, replicating the first afternoon recovery made by Northamptonshire. The first of those was instigated by O’Brien, whose aggression straight after lunch provided much-need impetus into the Leicestershire innings. Busy at the crease, he totally dominated a stand of 116 for the sixth wicket. He took eight from the first over after the break and 120 runs came in 20 overs after lunch.Two cuts flew over the slips before a flourishing cover drive off Rory Kleinveldt and a top-edged hook brought him an eighth boundary and fifty in just 42 balls. There was no let-up as the Northants attack began to toil. O’Brien was cruising to a first century of the season before pulling a long-hop from Rob Keogh towards deep-backward square leg where a stunning catch diving forward was taken by David Willey – one of four substitute fielders used by Northants, including head coach David Ripley.One of those fielders was needed after a serious-looking injury to Steven Crook. Chasing around the boundary he tripped over the rope and immediately went down holding his right ankle. A stretcher was needed to carry him off the ground and he went to hospital for a scan – his participation in T20 Finals Day next Saturday is now in doubt.The regular substitutes earned their fee on a long hot afternoon as the match returned to an even keel. Both innings were remarkably similar. Northants were 42 for four on day one but Leicestershire found themselves worse off before they also found a recovery. Cosgrove and Aadil Ali laid a platform with a stand of 71 for the fifth wicket; Ali was most obdurate, taking 60 balls to reach double figures and unlike his last performance against Derbyshire, could not take his careful start to a more meaningful score but the time he ate up paid dividends for his side later in the day.Clint McKay biffed them to a first-innings lead with his maiden Championship half-century for Leicestershire before Azharullah returned for the final over the day and picked up his 300th first-class wicket when No. 11 Charlie Shreck edged to Richard Levi at second slip, ending a tenth wicket stand of 47.

Northerns Titans paceman David Townsend exploited a disappointing batting performance from the Highveld Strikers to earn his side a 186-run lead on the second day of their Supersport Series match at the Wanderers on Saturday.Townsend took three wickets as the Strikers limped to the close on 170 for eight in response to the Titans’ first innings total of 356 all out.Earlier in the day, the Titans resumed on 306 for seven and with Steve Elworthy on 39 not out. Elworthy unleashed a hard-hitting and unbeaten 75 to further bolster the Titans’ innings.The veteran of Northerns cricket hit 10 fours and three sixes off the 115 balls he faced, and carried his bat when Northerns were bowled out for 356.Andrew Hall led the Strikers’ bowling attack, taking 5-93 as both he and Clive Eksteen wrapped up the Titans tail in the morning.Having done themselves little justice with ball in hand, the Strikers then failed in their attempt to prove themselves as a batting side. Only Adam Bacher stood out with 61.Sven Koenig was the first to make the long Wanderers walk back to the changeroom, dismissed for 16 by a catch at mid-wicket from Greg Smith off a ball from Elworthy that was pitched wide outside the off-stump.David Townsend then stepped into the attack for Northerns, and made the most vital breakthrough of the day shortly after lunch.Having just returned to the Titans side after a previous season where he was plagued by injury, Townsend had settled into an excellent rhythm.Bowling a good line and length, Townsend had Andre Seymore caught behind and then took Daryll Cullinan for a duck with his very next ball, lifting out the latter’s off-stump with embarrassing ease.Bacher was left to fend for himself, although he was given some support by Zander de Bruyn.The duo shared in a fourth-wicket stand of 61 runs before a horrendous run-out. It was sparked by some excellent fielding from Allahudien Paleker, who did well to stop a boundary off Bacher’s bat.The batsmen were busy on the third run when, despite being three-quarters of the way down the pitch, Bacher suddenly stopped and joined De Bruyn running to the same end. De Bruyn paid the price for the mistake.The weight of the innings eventually proved to great for the shoulders of Bacher to bear. With a much-needed century certainly beckoning, Bacher went out to the tamest of deliveries from Townsend, caught at point by Neil McKenzie.There was little resistance after that. But it has to be said that the Strikers’ batting did not make it very hard for the Titans to take wickets.