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Gareth Southgate is preparing to name his final 23-man England squad for Euro 2024 and has been offered some guidance based on Premier League stats.

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Southgate finalising his Euro 2024 squadPerfect squad based on stats revealedStats throw up some surprisesWHAT HAPPENED?

The perfect England squad for Euro 2024, based on Opta's Premier League stats, has been created by and thrown up some surprises. The stats show that Luton Town midfielder Ross Barkley deserves a place in the squad and Gareth Southgate really needs Ben White make himself available for England selection once again. Barkley is the only Premier League player to rack up more than 30 shots, create over 30 chances, complete more than 30 dribbles and make 30-plus tackles since the turn of December. In defence, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the only top-flight defenders with more goal involvements than White.

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The stats also suggest there's no room in the squad for Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo. The midfielder looks set to make a late charge for a place on the plane after shining for the Red Devils and impressing in England's friendlies against Belgium and Brazil. Yet Mainoo's late burst onto the scene means the midfielder has only made 14 appearances this season, giving him little opportunity to impress the statisticians.

GettyWHAT SOUTHGATE HAS SAID

Southgate has said the door is still open for White to return to the England squad, although it remains to be seen if the defender will change his stance. The England manager also talked up Mainoo after being impressed by the Manchester United academy graduate.

He told reporters: "He gives us a different profile of midfield player to anything else we’ve got and we’re really pleased with what he's done. You can’t believe his age really. His attributes are there for everybody to see, that ability to receive under pressure and ride challenges, to manipulate the ball in tight areas."

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ENGLAND SQUAD BASED ON PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Goalkeepers

Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope

Defenders

Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben White, Kieran Trippier, Lewis Dunk

Midfielders

Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Ross Barkley

Forwards

Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins

BetMGM

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta now has a worrying injury update to contend with that has seen one of his young stars ruled out for a period of time during their busy run of fixtures.

Arsenal crash out of Carabao Cup

Despite making a very promising start to the Premier League campaign, Arsenal suffered humiliation during the week in the EFL Cup Round of 16, where they were convincingly defeated by West Ham United 3-1 at the London Stadium. An own goal from Ben White and strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen made a last-gasp consolation by Martin Odegaard worthless, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth for Gunners midfielder Declan Rice upon his return to east London.

Speaking in his post-match press conference cited by BBC Sport, Arsenal manager Arteta took the blame for his side's poor performance against West Ham, as he stated: "I'm very disappointed. I'm responsible for that. We're out of the Cup, we wanted to play a very different game and compete. The game took a direction because of the first goal but we have to see much more from the team and earn the right to win."

He then added: "I'm disappointed with myself. We wanted to play in a different way and we weren't able to do that. Every time we lose the pain is there. We have to use this pain and this defeat to prepare the best way for Newcastle on Saturday."

According to an injury update from The Daily Mail, Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus wasn't risked against West Ham; however, he could be available to play a part against Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday evening as he nears a return from a hamstring issue.

Nevertheless, Gunners boss Arteta has confirmed that one of his men won't be available to face the Magpies, which will come as a blow during a congested period for his squad to contend with.

Arsenal's next five fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Premier League

Newcastle United (A)

Champions League

Sevilla (H)

Premier League

Burnley (H)

Premier League

Brentford (A)

Champions League

Lens (H)

Emile Smith Rowe now injured, confirms Arteta

Cited by The Evening Standard, Arsenal head coach Arteta confirmed that playmaker Emile Smith Rowe missed the tie against West Ham due to a knee injury and detailed that the England Under-21 international is now set to spend a period on the treatment table.

In the aftermath of their cup defeat against David Moyes and company, Arteta told the press: "He’s got an injury in his knee and he’s going to be out for weeks."

Smith Rowe has endured a frustrating 2023/24 campaign ravaged by injury niggles and inconsistency, leading the midfielder to feature just eight times for the Gunners across all competitions, registering one assist in the process (Smith Rowe statistics – Transfermarkt).

Labelled a "special talent" by pundit Jamie Carragher back in 2021, Smith Rowe has struggled to live up to the hype bestowed upon his shoulders shortly after his first-team breakthrough at the Emirates Stadium and has even been linked with a move to West Ham United.

Arsenal fans will be hopeful the 23-year-old can recover swiftly and return ready to make an impact for the Premier League title challengers across the remainder of the campaign.

Alisha Lehmann has delivered an X-rated response to critics that have questioned her decision to wear make-up while playing football.

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Swiss star boasts loyal legion of fansLikes to look good on & off the fieldWill not be changing her waysWHAT HAPPENED?

The Swiss star, who plies her club trade for WSL side Aston Villa, has become one of the most recognisable figures in the women’s game. She boasts a loyal legion of followers on social media, with her stock continuing to soar around the world.

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Lehmann likes to look and feel good on and off the field, with the 25-year-old forward one of the most glamorous stars in English and world football. Not everyone, though, is a fan of the look that she chooses to sport when doing her day job.

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GettyWHAT LEHMANN SAID

Lehmann has told those detractors where to go in a TikTok video that features the message: “When someone tells me, don’t wear make up to play football.” The clip in question sees Lehman lip-syncing to a song that includes some rather industrial language.

Liverpool are the front-runners to sign a "complete" midfielder during the January transfer window, and it's a player Jurgen Klopp has been interested in for years.

Liverpool eyeing midfield signing

The Reds continued their good start to the season on Sunday afternoon, easing their way to an impressive 3-0 home victory over Brentford in the Premier League. It was an impressive result, especially with a host of midfielders unavailable, with the likes of Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch injured while Alexis Mac Allister was suspended.

Liverpool made significant changes in the middle of the park in the summer transfer window, but there does still appear to be a need to bring in a proper defensive midfielder when January rolls around. Mac Allister hasn't looked like a natural in the role, while Wataru Endo doesn't look like anything more than a squad player.

The Reds have been strongly linked with a move for Fluminense star Andre, but with the Brazilian also being tipped to join other Premier League clubs, they could have to turn their attention to other options. Now, a fresh transfer update suggests that Liverpool are front of the queue for a player who has been seen as a transfer target on Merseyside for a number of years.

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

€84.65m

Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)

€80m

Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)

€70m

Alisson Becker (Liverpool)

€62.5m

Naby Keita (Liverpool)

€60m

Liverpool in pole position to sign Piotr Zielinski

According to a report from Spain, Liverpool are at the front of the queue to sign Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski, seeing him as a strong option to bring in and bolster their midfield. The update suggests that the Reds are more interested in the 29-year-old than his other suitors, who played a key role in his current club winning their first Serie A title since 1990 last season.

He is a fantastic player who has shone at the top level for a long time now, so the idea of him playing for the Reds is exciting because of the natural ability he possesses. Zielinski has scored ten goals in 86 caps for Poland, highlighting his pedigree as an international footballer, and he also has 96 goal contributions (50 goals and 46 assists) in 345 appearances for Napoli.

That being said, he is now 29 years of age, so he wouldn't represent a long-term signing – he is only a year younger than Endo, for example – and he also isn't the out-and-out No.6 that Liverpool need, instead shining as more of a No.8 a lot of the time.

Appearances

345

Goals

50

Assists

46

Klopp does appear to rate Zielinski highly as a player, considering the Reds were linked with bringing him before they snapped up Gini Wijnaldum instead back in 2016, but it would be a surprise if he came to Anfield at this point in his career.

Should it happen, there would certainly be reasons to be positive, with Carlo Ancelotti once heaping praise on him as a player, saying he is a "complete midfielder" who is "dynamic and skilled with the ball". It feels unlikely, though, and a younger, more defence-minded option should be looked at instead of him.

Imalka Mendis and Anushka Sanjeewani have been left out from the squad that played India last month

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2018Sri Lanka have named a largely unchanged side to the one that lost at home to India last month. They made just two changes to the 15-member squad for November’s Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean.Oshadi Ranasinghe and Inoshi Fernando, who were out of the initial squad to face India only to be included midway through the series, have been retained. Ranasinghe picked up four wickets across the final two games in that series and scored a brisk 22 in the final T20I, while offspinner Fernando picked up three wickets in the same game.Imalka Mendis, who was named in the squad to face India but failed to play a game, made way, as did batsman Anushka Sanjeewani. The team will be led by Chamari Atapattu, whose century in the final ODI against India had given Sri Lanka their first win over their neighbours in over five years.Sri Lanka begin their campaign with warm-up games against New Zealand and Ireland on November 5 and 8 respectively, before facing England on November 10 in their tournament opener.Full squad: Chamari Atapattu (Captain), Yasoda Mendis, Shashikala Siriwardene, Eshani Lokusuriyage, Hasini Perera, Ama Kanchana, Rebeca Vandort, Dilani Manodara, Nilakshi De Silva, Sripali Weerakkody, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari, Oshadhi Ranasinghe, Inoshi Fernando. Standby list: Imalka Mendis, Anushka Sanjeewani, Nipuni Hansika, Harshitha Madavi, Inoka Ranaweera

Everton could be set to lose one of their senior players next year, with a fresh report revealing that the club have received interest from an admirer in the Premier League.

Everton's season so far

The Toffees have made a disappointing start to the new campaign having won just four, drawn two and lost six of their opening 12 games, and they have recently suffered a further blow to their position in the table.

Brentford (3-1)

Sheffield United (2-2)

Fulham (1-0)

Bournemouth (3-0)

Brighton and Hove Albion (1-1)

Aston Villa (4-0)

West Ham United (1-0)

Wolverhampton Wanderers (1-0)

Crystal Palace (3-2)

Arsenal (1-0)

Luton Town (2-1)

Liverpool (2-0)

After being found guilty of a breach of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, Sean Dyche’s side have been handed a ten-point deduction, meaning that they now find themselves in the relegation zone, second from bottom.

The Merseyside outfit will therefore need to pull their squad together should they want to survive the drop this season, but there’s a chance that one player in particular could be heading for the exit door after attracting interest from a rival.

Goodison Park centre-back Ben Godfrey has made zero starts and one substitute appearance this season in the top flight, playing just a single minute of football (WhoScored – Godfrey statistics), and as a result of him falling so far down the pecking order, the 25-year-old’s possible availability has alerted a potential suitor.

Newcastle set sights on Ben Godfrey

According to 90min, Newcastle are interested in Godfrey and have already made their admiration known to Everton ahead of the upcoming transfer window in January.

“Having lost midfielder Sandro Tonali to a lengthy suspension for gambling breaches, bolstering at the heart of the pitch is thought to be a top priority for Newcastle, who are also keen to sign a new centre-back and have expressed an interest in both Lille's Tiago Djalo and Everton's Ben Godfrey.”

Everton should definitely sell "silly" Godfrey

Considering Godfrey’s severe lack of game time since the start of the season, Everton will know that he’s currently seen as no more than a fringe player, so sanctioning his sale – whether that be permanently or on a loan basis – would be completely the right decision to make in January.

The York-born talent currently ranks as Dyche’s 18th best-performing player out of 23 squad members (WhoScored – Everton statistics), showing how little of a chance he’s been given to make any kind of positive impact.

Standing at 6 foot exactly, the defender has also provided just three assists and is yet to score since joining the club from Norwich City back in 2020 (Transfermarkt – Godfrey statistics), so he’s even failed to get involved with the action at the other end of the pitch.

Furthermore, Godfrey, who has been panned for his “silly” decision-making by journalist Josh Bunting, currently pockets £75k per week – earning more than the likes of Seamus Coleman and Beto (Everton salaries) – so chiefs would perhaps be wise to get him off the books and use the extra cash to generate funds for future new signings.

The allrounder has spoken of the challenges of switch between formats while always being under pressure to deliver

Daniel Brettig14-Nov-2018Glenn Maxwell has criticised the mixing and matching of formats faced by Australian players in the early part of the home summer, describing a schedule that has taken him from 50-over cricket to T20, then back to 50-overs and then T20 before getting to play any Sheffield Shield matches as “broken”.Having been omitted from the Australian Test squad for the UAE series against Pakistan and instead played in the domestic limited-overs tournament won by Victoria, Maxwell journeyed to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for a T20 series, then returned home for the ODI series with South Africa. Now, as other Test aspirants prepare for two Shield rounds ahead of the India Test series, Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis among others will now be playing four T20 matches against South Africa and India.While Maxwell was happy to admit that he had not been making the runs he needed to both demand a spot higher up Australia’s ODI batting order and also to press for Test selection at a time when Steven Smith and David Warner remain suspended, he said that the chopping and changing between formats and spots in the batting order made it very hard to find rhythm.”I think it’s a very broken sort of start to the season,” Maxwell told . “You’re getting flown here, there and everywhere and changing formats, and then as soon as these four T20s are done you’re back into Shield cricket and trying to put your name up for Test selection again. It’s been interesting. I’ve probably been working on different things to what I had been during the JLT Cup period. Having come straight into the T20s over in Dubai, working on a lot of power hitting and trying to clear the rope, and started to make some inroads there, then getting back into the one-day stuff I went back to technique stuff and was working on that.”Then all of a sudden we’re back in the T20 stuff. As you feel like you’re about to make breakthroughs and starting to work it out, you’re changing format again and change position in the team. So that can be very frustrating and opportunity and the game situation probably drives how you play as well. So it’s been a little bit frustrating, and not winning consistently is quite frustrating also.”I think it’s a lot harder as a lower middle-order batter when you’re not sure what situation you’re going to come out on during the game and you’re not really sure how to prepare for the game as well, there’s only so much technique stuff you can do when you go out there and you have to chase 12 an over against guys bowling good yorkers, high bouncers and different changeups. If all you’ve been working on is your cover drive and straight drive, it’s going to be difficult to get a positive result.”ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile Australia’s domestic schedule is now broken into a series of format-by-format blocks, the international programme is a far more complicated exercise, involving the preferences of Pakistan, South Africa and India and the demands of Cricket Australia’s strategic, events and broadcasting departments in addition to the preferences of medical and sports science personnel. Maxwell pointed to the long gap between the UAE Tests against Pakistan in October and the first home match against India in early December as an example of why continuity was difficult to find.”It’s a pretty good question,” he said when asked whether he’d prefer to be playing Shield matches at this time of year. “The opportunity to play Sheffield Shield cricket probably doesn’t come up that often for me, but to get the opportunity to play for Australia you’re never going to knock that back, you’re never going to miss that opportunity. They’ve always said that runs in any format count and that’s why I’ll be doing everything I can to make as many runs as I can in this series.”But it is difficult missing as much Shield cricket as we do, being white-ball players, but there’s two Shield games straight after it and I’ve got to make those count. It [Test cricket] is probably not at the forefront of my mind at the moment, I’m probably not penciling my name in for that first Test side and a lot is going to have to go right, opportunity-wise, batting in the middle order in T20s you’re basically just waiting on what happens above you to see what effect you can have on the game.”There’d be a few guys a little bit unsure of where they stand right now, and I think they’ll probably feel okay after the Dubai series, felt they gave a good enough account of themselves, but unfortunately there’s a long time between Tests where a lot can happen. You’ve only got to look at Shaun Marsh’s form. If you’d picked the Test squad the next day you might’ve left him out, but he’s gone back to Shield cricket, made 80 and 98, then made a beautiful hundred in Hobart and looked a million bucks. You can’t imagine that Test side without his name now, and a lot can happen between Tests.”As for the comments of the ODI captain Aaron Finch, who had indicated that Maxwell was not presently making enough runs to merit a spot any higher than No. 7 in the Australian order, he was happy to concede he had missed earlier opportunities to secure a higher spot, starting with the mid-year tour of England.”I need to be bowling, I need to be contributing to the team somehow,” Maxwell said. “You’re not always going to be gift wrapped positions in that top order with the numbers I have. I’ve just got to make sure whatever format I am playing in, whether it be this T20 series or Shield cricket when I go back, I’ve got to keep working and making big scores and making the most of any opportunity.”I know they’re not just going to hand it to me and hope I perform. It’s going to have to be earned and I’m hoping once this T20 series is done that I can go back and score heavily in the Shield and really show my batting is actually improving and all the work I have put in over the last few months is showing through.”I was disappointed that I missed some opportunities in the practice games over in England. Early on the preparation when we went over there was for me to bat at No. 4 in that one-day side and all the training around that was what we were working on, the two practice games I batted at No. 4 and I didn’t make the most of those opportunities, and then the first game you’re straight back down to Nos. 6 or 7 and then you’re always chasing your tail.”

Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus has named Bayern Munich star Harry Kane as "the best finisher in the world" ahead of their Champions League showdown.

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Kane in great scoring form for BayernGerman giants struggling amid poor resultsJesus hailed striker and Bundesliga sideWHAT HAPPENED?

The England international has maintained his awesome goalscoring record since joining Bayern from Tottenham last season, netting 38 times in 37 appearances despite the German team's underwhelming results throughout the campaign. The Gunners will hope to silence the 30-year-old when they meet in the quarter-finals of the Champions League this week, but Jesus is aware that they will have a hard time doing so.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT GABRIEL JESUS SAID

"Everyone here knows the quality of Harry Kane – for me, personally, he is the best finisher in the world," he said at a press conference. "He can finish with head, left foot, right foot – the guy, since I arrived in Europe, is one of the best. It's great to play against this kind of player. Obviously we want to keep him quiet and then we try to win the game. But it is not just Harry Kane – they have players like my old friend [Leroy] Sane, [Jamal] Musiala, [Kingsley] Coman, [Thomas] Muller, [Serge] Gnabry. They have quality players there."

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Arsenal appear to be in much better shape than Tuesday's visitors. The north London team are level on points at the top of the Premier League and fighting for the title, while Bayern lost 3-2 to Heidenheim to fall 16 points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the race for the Bundesliga title.

Despite his team's seven-game unbeaten run, Brazilian attacker Jesus dismissed talk of his team being favourites to get the win in the first leg of the tie this week. He said: "Everyone here has played in the biggest stadiums before – I think everyone is prepared. It is a big, huge game. We have to try to enjoy, be happy on the pitch and that will help a lot. I don't think we are favourites but it is the quarter-final of the Champions League – if we have arrived there, we deserve it and we have quality. But we have to respect Bayern – they are Bayern, but we are Arsenal. The same way we respect them, they respect us as well. I think there is no favourite – it will be a big game and huge battle."

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Mikel Arteta's team host Thomas Tuchel's Bayern at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Arsenal last beat Bayern in 2015, having lost 5-1 on each of the three occasions the two teams have met in the Champions League since then.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has hit back at the negative reaction to the FA Cup semi-final win over Coventry.

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Ten Hag fires back at mediaCalls reaction to FA Cup win 'embarrassing'Hails back-to-back finals as 'magnificent'WHAT HAPPENED?

United were subjected to scathing criticism from pundits and journalists after their penalty shootout win against Championship side Coventry City, having thrown away a 3-0 lead before being given a reprieve in extra-time when Victor Torp's 121st-minute goal was disallowed for a fractional offside.

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"No. Absolutely not. You [the media] made enough and one the question: "is it embarrassing? No, the reaction from you was embarrassing. It is the comments," Ten Hag told a press conference on Tuesday. "Top football is about results, we made it to a final and we deserved it not only by this game but also the other games. We lost control for 20 mins, we also had bad luck, 3-2, 3-3. We were very lucky in the end, clear. Penalties was very good and we made it to the final, it is a huge achievement."

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The Red Devils have reached three out of four domestic cup finals under Ten Hag, who also made it to three KNVB Cup finals while he was in charge of Ajax. The manager added: "Twice, in two years is magnificent. For me as a manager, four cup final in four years. The comments are a disgrace."

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DID YOU KNOW?

United will meet Manchester City in a repeat of last year's FA Cup final, which they lost 2-1. It is the first time the same sides have met in consecutive finals since 1885.

Most of the national squad that will reassemble to take on Pakistan next week were given good workouts in the latest round of domestic four-day fixtures

Liam Brickhill22-Dec-2018Results summaryAfter a month of playing T20 cricket in the inaugural Mzansi Super League, South Africa’s domestic cricketers returned to four-day mode. The transition appeared easier for some than for others.Six of the Lions’ XI (seven, if you count Wihan Lubbe, who filled in for one game before moving to Giants) were part of the victorious Jozi Stars team that lifted the MSL title, but the change in format brought a complete reversal of fortunes as they slipped to a massive 279-run defeat to Dolphins at the Wanderers.Dolphins’ win was set up by captain Khaya Zondo, who opted to bat first and then glued the first innings together with 114 – his 10th first-class hundred – along with fifties from Cody Chetty and Andile Phehlukwayo. The Dolphins bowling attack then sealed the result, bowling the Lions out for 134 and 106. The frailty of Lions’ batting, with wickets shared around by Dolphins’ seamers, and Eathan Bosch’s 4 for 35 doing most of the damage in the second dig, meant that a 10-wicket match haul from Lions allrounder Dwaine Pretorius had little effect on the final result. Pretorius collected a career-best 6 for 38 after Dolphins had opted to bat first, and added 4 for 37 in the second innings, but no Lions batsman scored more than Rassie van der Dussen’s 37 as they were blown away inside three days.Titans secured a 65-run win at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Tabraiz Shamsi’s five-for building on Faf du Plessis’ 84 and fifties from Heinrich Klaasen and Farhaan Behardien to secure a first innings lead despite a fearsome new-ball spell from Knights’ Duanne Olivier. Jonathan Vandiar’s second-innings hundred extended Titans’ advantage, Vandiar’s knock holding the innings together as seamer Shadley van Schalkwyk collected 5 for 80 at the other end.Knights were left needing 315 in their second innings, and though they lost Keegan Petersen to the the second ball he faced, a 69-run second wicket stand between Grant Mokoena and Andries Gous put them back on track. Knights went into the final day needing another 152 for victory, with only four wickets lost, but committed spells from Chris Morris, Shamsi and Itumeleng Moseki broke the back of their chase. The was Titans’ first win of the season.Janneman Malan swings during his half-century•MSLCape Cobras’ fourth win, against Warriors at Port Elizabeth, kept them well clear at the top of the points table. Brothers Janneman and Pieter Malan gave Cobras an excellent start with the bat, putting on an opening stand of 124, before seamers Sisanda Magala and Lutho Sipamla clawed Warriors back into the match. Warriors also started well, with Edward Moore and Jon-Jon Smuts striking fifties, but they still conceded a slight first-innings lead.The Malans continued their fine form in the second innings, putting on 130, with the younger Janneman reaching 168 – the eighth first-class ton of his career. With Hashim Amla and Zubayr Hamza also both passing fifty, Warriors were asked to chase a mammoth 418 in the fourth innings. Gihahn Cloete’s 108 kept them hoping, and when Warriors passed 300 with Smuts at the crease and only four wickets down on the fourth afternoon, an unlikely victory beckoned. But Cobras captain Dane Piedt struck repeatedly with his offspin, and Warriors were nine down in the last hour. Magala and Sipamla dug in, but Piedt wouldn’t be denied, trapping Sipamla lbw to claim his eighth wicket, finishing with a career-best 8 for 130.On the national radarMost of the national squad that will reassemble to take on Pakistan on Boxing Day were given good workouts in the latest round of domestic four-day fixtures. In Port Elizabeth, Amla recovered from a first-ball strangle down the leg side to register a second innings 61. Zubayr Hamza, who was also out for a duck in Cobras’ first innings, likewise patched things up with 74 in the second innings.In Bloemfontein, Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar were both given a thorough first innings working-over by Olivier, the only South Africa seamer not rested before the first Test as Knights’ seam cupboard was bare without him. Markram and Elgar both required attention from the physio thanks to Olivier’s pace and bounce in the first innings, the quick collecting seven wickets in the game and bowling 29.5 overs.National captain du Plessis also got some important time in the middle in that match, while at the Wanderers there were positive signs from Keshav Maharaj, who collected three very cheap wickets in the win over Lions.Dane Paterson, who has been called up to the Proteas squad as injury cover, had a quiet match with the ball against Warriors, but did show what he offers with the bat, striking 41 from 17 deliveries with six sixes in Cobras’ first innings.Top performersSpin isn’t traditionally a weapon of choice on South African pitches, but the coastal tracks do usually turn a little more than those inland, and Piedt’s offspin was just the trick for Cobras to secure their fifth win of the season in Port Elizabeth. Piedt still had to work hard for his wickets, twirling through more than 50 overs, and Magala and Sipamla provided doughty resistance at the end, but with the clock counting down, Piedt struck for an eighth time to secure the win, and career-best figures.The Malan brothers also had a very good outing in that match, and Pieter currently tops the four-day batting charts with 625 runs at 56.81, including three hundreds and three fifties. Janneman is in his first season of four-day cricket, having started at the provincial level three seasons ago. His century against Warriors was his second for Cobras, and he is not far behind his brother in third place on the run charts with 562 at 51.09.