20th June 17

Bit late but what a final performance from Pakistan.

Pakistan Champions in Style

The signs were there, following Pakistan's thrashing of England in the Champions Trophy semi-final, that they could cause a real upset. But even following that performance, India remained firm favourites, for plenty of reasons, not least the fact that they had hammered Pakistan just two weeks earlier. 

And yet, Pakistan didn't just win this final, but they absolutely thrashed their arch-rivals, butchering them with the bat and humbling them with the ball. Fakhar Zaman scored a sensational hundred to launch his side alongside Azhar Ali before Babar Azam and Mohammed Hafeez kept the momentum going, and Pakistan scored a tournament high score of 338/4. 

It was, in the context of the match but also otherwise, a quite magnificent hundred by Fakhar, who played some downright extraordinary shots to plunder India's hapless spinners, with Ashwin going for 0-70 and Jadeja 0-67. And it wasn't just the slower bowlers who suffered, as Bumrah was clattered for 0-68. Truthfully, India's bowling was bang average, with Kumar providing some tight overs and Pandya, India's best player on the day, turning in a decent 1-53, removing Fakhar for 114. 

But by then the damage was done, and Hafeez's cameo simply piled on the pain. There were worries that Pakistan, who've batted second in every previous match in this tournament, wouldn't be capable of setting a big total, and that India could chase anything, but the former was well and truly laid to rest, before Pakistan set about proving the latter false as well. 

They were off to a phenomenal start with the ball, as Mohammed Amir's opening six over salvo yielded the wickets of Rohit Sharma in the opening over, Virat Kohli in the third, despite him being dropped on the previous ball, and then finally Shikhar Dhawan in the 9th over. Amir's spell was 3-16, and the mantle was duly picked up in the middle overs by the phenomenal - man of the tournament - Hasan Ali, whose 3-19, bolstered by the bowling of Shadab and Junaid Khan, saw off any Indian resistance, with only Pandya making a decent score (76), before being run out. India were reduced to 72-6 and finally bowled all out for 158, a humiliating 180 run defeat. 

This was the culmination of everything good that Pakistan have produced in this tournament up until this point, as they hit form at exactly the right time. A batting performance with energy, verve, and some sumptuous shots, led by a truly outstanding innings from one of cricket's most exciting prospects, despite making his ODI debut in this tournament at the age of 27. A bowling performance with pace and punch from one of cricket's most controversial but exciting fast bowlers, and the control and pressure from the best player in the tournament, with figures of 1-70, 3-24, 3-43, 3-35 and 3-19, taking 13 wickets from 44 and a half overs with an economy of 4.29.

Overall, this was a fantastic display from Pakistan with both bat and ball and a remarkable turnaround in just a few weeks. Worthy champions indeed. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• The Lions final prep match ended 34-6.
• Brooks Koepka takes the US Open. Wonderful display of golf. 
• Mourinho and Ronaldo investigated for tax fraud. Oh boy.
• Salah is close. So close. 

15th June 17

England crashed out of the Champions Trophy

Pakistan Perfection Smashes Hosts

England, the favourites and hosts of the ICC Champions Trophy, crashed out at the semi-final stage as a limp performance with bat and ball was punished with brutal efficiency by a phenomenal performance by Pakistan. How much of the result was down to Pakistan's brilliance and how much is down to England's poorness is up for debate, but this was a day where everything went right for one team and wrong for the other. 

Bairstow and Root got England off to a strong start and despite the loss of Alex Hales for 13, they were cruising at 80-1 off 16 overs, which became 127-2 off 27 overs as Morgan took up the mantle when Bairstow holed out in the deep for 43. But from there, England imploded. Pakistan had been ramping up the pressure, slowing the run rate and their middle overs bowlers: Hafeez, Shadab and Hasan Ali were keeping it very tight. Hasan in particular was phenomenal again, taking 3-35 off his ten, removing Bairstow, Morgan and Stokes, whilst Shadab took 1-40, the crucial wicket of Joe Root. 

The crucial factor for England was stagnation. Morgan scored 33 off 53, Root 46 off 56, and then even Stokes managed just 34 off 64 without scoring a single boundary. Stagnation built the pressure and the wickets tumbled, with none of Pakistan's bowlers even going at 5 runs per over, and England toiling to what seemed to be a below par 211. Whether they failed to adjust quick enough, Pakistan bowled really well or something drastic happened with the pitch, it's hard to quantify, but the pitch didn't do England the favours it looked like it might have, given how Pakistan bowled on it.

Whatever the case, England simply never got control of the innings, were totally unable to take wickets, and Pakistan made 211 look woefully inadequate, chasing it in 37.1 overs and losing just two wickets in the process. Mark Wood bowled quite well to apply some pressure, and Ball and Rashid were both solid, but Plunkett, Stokes and Moeen were never in the game, and England simply never got close to squeezing Pakistan the way that they had squeezed England. 

And part of that is due to some excellent batting from Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali who, unburdened slightly by the slight nature of the chase, were able to settle and score runs more quickly and were able to release the pressure when they needed to. Although neither made a huge score: Fakhar stumped off Moeen for 57 and Azhar bowled by Ball for 76, the half-centuries that they made were more than enough to see Pakistan well over the line. 

For Pakistan this was a huge performance and a huge result. Going into this tournament they'd been all but written off, and that was magnified when India thrashed them in their opening game. But since then they've been able to bowl first and reduce their opposition to meager totals, which has released the pressure on their batting order whilst chasing. And against England pressure was the key, and they were magnificent. 

As for England however, this was a maddening blow. The team who has spent two years improving their ODI game, to the point where they were arguably favourites for the tournament, even ahead of India. who performed sensationally in the group stages, wiping out two of the best teams in the world in Australia and New Zealand, had a bad day at the office at the worst possible time. But whilst it's a bitter disappointment, England have to still accept that they've made massive progress over the last two years and keep improving ready for the World Cup in 2019. 

Oh and maybe sort out this pitch nonsense because we shouldn't be having controversy over the pitch in an international semi-final. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Nadal is the king of clay. Yet again. 
• Hamilton slashed the gap to Vettel. Great drive. 
• A second defeat for the Lions. Dreadful tour so far. 
• England aren't that good at football. Discuss. 

8th June 17

Andy Murray marches on.

Murray Makes Roland Garros Semis

Andy Murray roared back from a set down to beat Kei Nishikori 2-6 6-1 7-6 (7-0) 6-1 to take his place in the semi-finals of the French Open. Murray will play Stan Wawrinka, who cruised through in three sets at the expense of Marin Cilic, on Friday, knowing that he has a real chance of reaching the final, against the same opponent he beat in last year's semi-final. 

Whilst Murray has struggled for form at times in this tournament, he has been able to raise his game in every match he has faced up until this point, and it was no different in this one. Murray was sluggish and Nishikori was rapid out of the blocks, playing some phenomenal tennis to take the first set 6-2 and put the world number one on the back-foot. 

The turning point came early in the second set. At deuce on the Murray serve in the third game, the umpire called Murray on time despite the Briton having already thrown the ball up. Murray was incensed and went on to slam home the next two points, shouting and pumped up as he stared down the official. The fire had returned and Murray went on to win the next four games to take the set 6-1. That said, he also benefited from Nishikori's service game imploding. In the first set it had been Murray's shambolic serving that had cost him dearly, but in the second it was his opponent gifting him double faults to break. 

With the match level, the third set was a pulsating affair, Murray twice breaking only to immediately hand momentum back to Nishikori. Having broken to move 6-5 up, Murray will have been disappointed to have been broken back, but he comprehensively outplayed his opponent in the third set tie-breaker, which proved decisive. Murray won the breaker 7-0, and went on to cruise through the final set - winning it with two more breaks of serve. It was another example of Murray improving as his afternoon went on, whilst simultaneously his opponent couldn't keep up their momentum.

And whilst Murray's performance didn't hit his best levels, something that Wawrinka will have noted as he swept aside his opponent in clinical fashion, equally there were signs that Murray is capable of stepping up to the level required to match Stan blow for blow. Over the last couple of weeks, Murray has played some average tennis and some scintillating tennis and often both in the same set. But one element that has been consistent is that he's played as well as he has needed to to win comfortably, and no player yet in this tournament, including the well-fancied Del Potro and Nishikori, have been able to take more than one set off of him. 

Nevertheless, Wawrinka is yet to drop a set in this tournament, and the world number one will have to up his game to reach the final. Before the tournament began, Murray would have been targeting the semi-finals and all things considered he's done well to reach that target, but now it's time for him to kick on. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Pakistan win in the rain vs South Africa
• India set Sri Lanka tough chase of 322
• Nobody say the words Virgil Van Dijk to me. 
• Sarries, Saints and Clermont in same Champions Cup group. Tasty. 

7th June 17

England are into the last four of the Champions Trophy.

Rampant England Storm Past Kiwis

England dominated with bat and ball to beat New Zealand by 87 runs and qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy, ahead of their final game with Australia, a match that they could lose and still top the group. 

It was not a match in which England were perfect, as 310 was nothing more than a good score, even on a pitch that certainly favoured the bowlers, but they batted well for large spells, with Hales, Root, Stokes and Buttler all looking in good nick, the latter with a ridiculous ramp shot out of the ground. Even though none of them were able to kick on and convert their scores into a big innings, England still set a very competitive total, and their bowlers did the rest. 

And the fact that they could rely on their bowlers to not just defend a total of 310, but rip through New Zealand, even without their best pace bowler in Chris Woakes is terrific news for England, as that is the side of their game that has been questioned. But as soon as Ball and Wood picked up the new ball they were in business; keeping it tight and causing problems, with Ball's fourth delivery crashing into Luke Ronchi's middle stump to set the tone. 

Martin Guptill looked dangerous until clutch bowler Ben Stokes found an edge, but the big wicket came when Wood removed danger-man Kane Williamson with a snorting cross-seam bouncer for 87 off 98, with New Zealand needing 153 off 29.4 overs. It was a chaseable total with one of the world's very best at the crease and well set, but as Williamson fell so did New Zealand. 

The main beneficiary was Liam Plunkett, who after Ball picked up his second wicket in Ross Taylor, ripped into the lower order, taking 4-55, with Adil Rashid doing his bit by taking 2-47. After Williamson left New Zealand 158-3, wickets fell at regular intervals as New Zealand collapsed to 233 all out in less than 45 overs. 

But wickets weren't necessarily the only key factor, although losing Williamson was the death knell to New Zealand's chances. Ball and Wood in particular kept things tight all day, leaving New Zealand always chasing in bowler friendly conditions. They were going at below 5 an over for the majority of their innings, building the pressure and the required run rate to the point that they simply couldn't accelerate. Ball conceded just 31 runs off his eight overs, Wood 32 off his nine. 

The only main downside for England is the continued poor form of Jason Roy, who felt his way into the match, scoring just 13 off 23. And just as he was getting confident, stepping across his crease, he ended up stepping too far, only to be bowled around his legs by an intelligent piece of bowling from Milne, who removed both of England's openers but went for 79 runs. It was a similar story for Corey Anderson who took crucial wickets but was spanked, removing Root, Morgan and Moeen but going for 55 runs off his 9 overs. 

Nevertheless, this was comprehensive for England, and a seriously impressive display against one of the better teams in the tournament. New Zealand will be hoping that their opponents can do them a favour and be equally impressive against Australia, or they will be crashing out of this tournament. But from the Kiwis perspective, there's every reason to think England will beat Australia, meaning that a win against Bangladesh would see New Zealand through, although probably to face India.

The Hard and Fast Section

• South Africa in trouble vs Pakistan. 
• Djokovic out in straight sets. 
• Nadal cruising into the semi-finals. 
• Halep and Svitolina in a cracker. Pliskova through.
• Lions suffer embarrasing tour defeat. 

5th June 17

Andy Murray is in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

Murray Finds Top Gear

I didn't get a chance to review what was an absolutely fabulous performance by Andy Murray against Juan Martin Del Potro on Saturday to move into the 4th Round of the French Open, winning in straight sets against the Argentine: 7-6, 7-5, 6-0. So I'm going to try and combine that with this look at his equally straightforward 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Karen Khachanov, as the world number one is hitting form at the right time. 

It looked for long periods of a gripping first set with Del Potro as though it might be an entirely different story, with Del Potro in fine form and Murray struggling, falling a break down early on. But the Briton fought back with Del Potro serving for the set, and after a long game, was able to break back to take the set to a tiebreaker. 

And what a tiebreaker it was, as Del Potro stormed into the lead, only to be pegged back again by Murray, who saved four set points before taking the breaker 10-8, in what was one of the best tie-breakers of tennis I've seen. It felt like the final set rather than the first set, and Del Potro's broken reaction to it seemed to indicate that it was for him too. Indeed he simply didn't get going, and could well have been 4-0 down before he got going in the second set. 

However, Murray let him off the hook, and Del Potro was able to break back to take the second set to 5-5 as Murray failed to serve out for the second set. But the Argentine found himself broken again straight away and as Murray took the second set 7-5, Del Potro's resistance was completely gone. It was a washout in the final set, Murray not breaking sweat and winning in 28 minutes. 

It's a shame that such a scintillating first set between two tough competitors fizzled out so completely, as Murray carried on playing well and Del Potro couldn't keep his momentum going. But it was terrific news for the world number one, who was able to sweep into the 4th Round without having to work too hard but finding his form sufficiently. 

And that form was prevalent as Murray swept aside the Russian Khachanov in straight sets, albeit with his opponent not putting up the sternest resistance. Murray was staunch in defence and precise in attack, creating just one break point in the first set but only needing one to take it 6-3, giving away just one unforced error and not giving the Russian a sniff on his serve. 

With Murray so comfortable in the first set, he looked certain to win in straight sets, and truthfully the second and third sets were a similar story. He broke early in the second, and was pegged back immediately through a very sloppy game on his own serve, but immediately stepped it up, made it three breaks in a row and cruised through the second set. 

Similarly in the third, he broke immediately, moving 2-0 up, and when Khachanov broke him for the second time in the match to level the set at 4-4, for the second time Murray broke back immediately. From there it was a straightforward task to serve out the set and make it a second straight sets win in three days. 

From here, Murray's quarter-final opponent on Wednesday will be Kei Nishikori, who overcame injury and a first set whitewash to beat Fernando Verdasco in four, with both Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka winning to set up their quarter final, with the winners facing each other in the semi-finals. And whilst Murray at the start of last week would have been glad to make it this far, with his current game as good as it is, he has every chance of reaching the final, even if Rafa Nadal looks totally unbeatable. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Cheick Tiote has died at 30. Devastating news. 
• Australia cruising against an average Bangladesh performance. 
• Hazard has broken his ankle. Ouch. 
• What an ending to the Northants v Durham match. 

2nd June 17

Well that looked hairy for about ten minutes.

England Off To A Flier

We know how good this England batting line-up is. The answer is very good. Even so, allowing Bangladesh to make it to 260-2 in the 45th over was alarming. England have danced this dance before, and despite rallying well, Bangladesh set them a potentially tricky target of 306. Whilst you'd back England to make over 300 batting first, there's still no telling exactly how well they could chase it. 

But as I said, we know how good this England batting line up, and Joe Root, Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan make 306 look like a woefully inadequate target as England cruised to an 8 wicket win in their opening match of the Champions Trophy. Root, the anchor of the innings, scored 133 off 129, with his long term partner Hales holing out on 95, with England cruising at 165-1 when he did so. But Morgan came in and did his job superbly, walloping a quickfire 75 off just 61 balls to help Root over the line, although he did survive a scare when he holed out, only to get a reprieve through the third umpire as the ball just landed short of being caught. 

In any case, this was a totally comprehensive batting display that will have done England the world of good after their collapse to 20-6 on Monday. And such a collapse never looked like happening once Root came to the crease, although Jason Roy suffered another failure which will be a cause for concern in the England camp. 

But the bigger cause for concern will be the side strain that meant Chris Woakes could only bowl 2 overs, and will miss the rest of the tournament. With their best pace bowler missing and short a spinner with Adil Rashid dropped, not to mention having to manage Ben Stokes, England toiled in the field. But Liam Plunkett was the man who stepped up, taking 4-59 including the crucial late wickets of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim. 

As for Bangladesh, it was Tamim who was the star of their show, with 128 off 142 balls, a score that could have been match-winning or at least the top score on another day. And he was more than adequately supported by Mushfiqur, who added 79 off 72 as the two put on 166, 7 more than Root and Hales. 

So plenty of positive signs for Bangladesh with the bat, but ultimately they had no answer to England's superior firepower, and their bowling attack was overwhelmed by three of the best and most experienced batsmen in the tournament. This match was a perfect summary of England's strengths and weaknesses. In terms of weaknesses, their bowling attack can be a tad one-dimensional and lacking in bite and control without Woakes and Rashid. But in terms of strengths? And the reason that they are firmly amongst the favourites for the tournament? They look like they can score anything, chase any target. Their batting is just phenomenal. And Joe Root in particular showed that in spades. Oh and he was injured for about half of his innings. The legend.

Murray Cruises Through In Paris

Andy Murray survived an early scare to cruise through in four sets for the second time at Roland Garros, beating Martin Klizan 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6. Murray started scrappy again, taking time to find his form and perhaps a tad fortunate to take the first set to a tie-breaker, which he duly lost anyway. But as Klizan started to tire, Murray took full advantage, and began to find his levels as the match went on, rattling off seven straight games to take the second set and losing just two more on his way to taking the third.

But Murray couldn't quite find his levels consistently and nearly handed Klizan a way back into the match as the Slovakian secured a break at 5-3 in the 4th set, only for Murray to break straight back and take the set to a tie-breaker, which this time he won, and with it the match. 

For Murray, it's a case of finding form and building his physical and mental strength ahead of the second week of a tournament where reaching the semi-finals probably wouldn't be a bad result for the Briton. And whilst his first two matches will have helped him significantly, the learning curve will have to stop as he plays Juan Martin Del Potro in Round Three, and nothing less than his best will be good enough. 

But for now, Murray is on the right track. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• New Zealand vs Australia today. Tasty. 
• Nadal, Djokovic and Muguruza in action today. 
• Griezmann to stay at Leti. Their transfer ban upheld.
• Ederson to City confirmed. Yaya Toure staying too.