India women’s bowling strength came to the fore as they beat Pakistan by 17 runs after Mithali Raj’s unbeaten half-century to win the Asia Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2016
ScorecardThe victorious Indian team with the Asia Cup trophy•Facebook/Indian Cricket TeamIndia’s dominance in the women’s Asia Cup extended as they sealed their sixth title in as many editions with a 17-run win over Pakistan in Bangkok. It was the second consecutive time India had beaten Pakistan in an Asia Cup final, having done so in 2012-13 as well. The win also ensured India remained unbeaten in this year’s tournament, which was being played in the T20 format for the second time.It was Mithali Raj who set up the win, scoring an unbeaten 73 after India opted to bat and taking them to 121 for 5. The bowlers then sent down economical spells to choke Pakistan in the chase, restricting them to 104 for 6.Raj dominated almost every partnership she featured in. She started off by putting on 24 for the first wicket with Smriti Mandhana, who contributed just 6. After her dismissal, it was the turn of Sabbhineni Meghana to play second fiddle as she made 9 in a second-wicket stand of 44. Veda Krishnamurthy and Harmanpreet Kaur, the India captain, were also sent back for single-digit scores, before Jhulan Goswami’s late cameo lifted India. Goswami pinged two sixes on her way to a 10-ball 17 before perishing off the penultimate ball of the innings. Raj had struck seven fours and a six in her 65-ball knock.Left-arm spinner Anam Amin topped the wickets column with 2 for 24 in four overs, while Sana Mir and Sadia Yousuf were economical in their respective quotas and took a wicket apiece.Pakistan scored at nearly a run a ball during the first half of the chase, but lost three wickets. Goswami had Ayesha Zafar bowled in the fifth over before Asmavia Iqbal fell in similar fashion in the next over, sent down by Shikha Pandey. Javeria Khan added 28 with captain Bismah Maroof, but could not make her start count as she was snuffed out by Ekta Bisht, the left-arm spinner, and Pakistan became 56 for 3. That third-wicket stand was the highest Pakistan could manage as regular wickets stalled them. Nida Dar and Mir made identical scores of 12 not out in late resistance, but both were kept quiet – neither scored a single boundary – as Pakistan fell short.India’s bowlers shared the wickets around. Bisht, who opened the bowling, took 2 for 22. Anuja Patil, Goswami, Pandey and Preeti Bose took a wicket apiece.

Chelsea have placed Rasmus Hojlund on their list as a potential striker they could move for this summer, according to a report from Evening Standard.

Are Chelsea signing Rasmus Hojlund?

The 20-year-old currently plays his football in Italy for Atalanta and helped the side to a fifth place finish in Serie A this campaign thanks to his goals and assists. Having been played more times this year than ever before in his career – he featured in 32 league games for the side – he was able to produce his best ever goal haul of nine, and had two assists to boot.

In addition to that, when compared to some of the other strikers across the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues in Europe, he emerged as a leading attacker despite his youth. Hojlund's non-penalty xG rate of 0.47 per 90 for example led to him being ranked in the top 16% in his position over the course of the year – an excellent feat considering his relative inexperience and age.

With eleven progressive passes received per 90 too, he actually ranks in the 99% percentile for that figure. It shows that not only is he adept at hitting the back of the net but is able to make clever runs, get into good positions and receive the ball in dangerous areas.

This has led to interest from Manchester United in the Premier League but it appears they could now have a rival in their race to sign the player. That's because according to a report from Evening Standard, the player is on Chelsea's radar as a striker they could sign should other deals not materialise. Boss Mauricio Pochettino is looking at potential forwards to sign and Hojlund's name has cropped up as an alternative to Nicolas Jackson, who is mentioned in the same report.

When does Rasmus Hojlund's contract expire?

With the player's deal only running out at Atalanta in 2027 – having only arrived in Serie A at the beginning of the campaign – they won't be too keen to let him go and could demand £65m for his signature according to this report.

However, his performances have clearly caught the eye of those at Stamford Bridge – and he's also impressed many in the game too – talent scout Jacek Kulig stated that the player is a "complete forward" and an "absolute monster". If the Blues desire a younger striker to lead the line for the club and to help Pochettino get the side back to winning ways, it appears as though that could be Hojlund.

Leeds United have had a tough few months with a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of the club, however, things are starting to get back on track ahead of their Championship campaign.

The 49ers have completed their full takeover at Elland Road, buying out Andrea Radrizzani and are now working on finalising an appointment of a manager who can lead Leeds out of trouble and back into the Premier League as soon as possible.

Not only that, the American owners intend to reinvest in talent to refresh the squad during their next chapter and ambitious pursuit to establish the West Yorkshire club as a top-flight side that can comfortably compete without falling into the same patterns and repeating their mistakes again.

Indeed, without a manager it is difficult to recruit the right players without knowing the philosophy and style of play that will be implemented over the challenging 46-game campaign next season, however, it hasn't stopped them from being linked with potential targets upon the arrival of football advisor Nick Hammond last week.

One player who has been recently linked with a move to Leeds is West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jayson Molumby, a young and energetic player who could emulate Kalvin Phillips at Elland Road.

Would Molumby be a good fit for Leeds?

It is no secret that a number of players in the Leeds squad are reportedly set for an exit this summer after suffering relegation from the Premier League last month.

Both Tyler Adams and Marc Roca have been strongly linked with moves, whilst loanee Weston McKennie has gone back to Juventus after struggling to make a positive impact during his six-month stint with the Whites.

As a result, there is a real opportunity to strengthen and rebuild with vital financial backing from the owners and a sound recruitment strategy that can identify new additions to make a genuine impact next season and lead the club to better days.

Molumby has thrived under the management of former Leeds assistant coach Carlos Corberan whilst largely being deployed in the defensive midfield role, a position Phillips also thrived in when working with Corberan at Elland Road before getting a huge move to Manchester City last summer.

One standout attribute that the Irishman shares with his treble-winning positional peer is a consistently outstanding pass completion rate, with Phillips tallying up a 92.3% accuracy last season despite limited game time, whilst Molumby came in strong with 86% which was, in fact, the best pass accuracy percentage in the entire West Brom squad of those who had more than one appearance last season, according to WhoScored.

Beyond his passing ability, the 23-year-old – hailed an "insane talent" by journalist Rudi Kinsella – has displayed a number of great attributes with four goals scored, four assists and four big chances created, proving he can be a real attacking threat for opponents from his deep-lying position.

He also averaged one shot on goal, 1.4 tackles and won 3.1 duels per game over 43 Championship appearances, demonstrating further that, like Phillips, he is a real workhorse with the ability to make an impact on both defensive and progressive play.

With that being said, it would be a big coup if Leeds could secure the services of Molumby this summer and if he could make the impact that Phillips had on Leeds in the Championship there is no reason why he couldn't become the second coming of their cult hero.

Arsenal's move for Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey could now fall through due to an injury the player suffered on international duty this week, according to reports in Turkey.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Gunners look set for a hectic summer transfer window as they prepare for a return to the Champions League next season. Mikel Arteta’s side’s top four finish comes with added pressure and added expectations, and the way in they slowed down towards the end of the season exemplified the need for more quality depth.

The boss looks to be eyeing up a move for West Ham star Declan Rice in order to strengthen his midfield, while Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby has been identified to reinforce the attack, but they have also been strongly linked with upgrades at right-back.

Ben White had a fabulous campaign but cannot be expected to play every fixture across four competitions, leading to Edu Gaspar to make a £12m bid for Boey earlier this month. The 22 year-old provided four assists in 31 league starts for Gala this season, earning himself a call up to the France U21s squad.

Unfortunately for the youngster, he has picked up an injury at Clairefontaine, with Turkish outlet Sabah, via Sport Witness, now reporting it is bad enough to have thrown his Arsenal move into serious doubt.

His club had apparently been planning to sell for around €20m (£17m), so not far above Arsenal’s bid, but the deal “may fall in the water” due to an ankle injury. There are apparently few details on the extent of the damage, but it is clearly a concern as he has been pulled from the squad.

Is Sacha Boey any good?

This will certainly be a blow to Arteta’s transfer plans if the injury is serious. At 22, Boey is young enough that he would likely be happy to come to a huge club like Arsenal and compete with White for minutes, and the latter could then also provide cover at centre-back if needed.

This season, Boey ranked as Gala’s second best player behind only goal machine Mauro Icardi, as the flying full-back led his team in tackles per game (2.8). Dubbed a player who would “fit perfectly into Arsenal” by Bacary Sagna, he also managed over one key pass and one successful dribble per outing, showing he is effective on both sides of the ball.

For both Arsenal and the player’s sake, one will have to hope the injury is not as bad as initial fears suggest.

Khulna Division crushed Barisal Division by 10 wickets at the BKSP-3 ground to bring up the first result in Tier-1 of the 2016-17 National Cricket League. After Tushar Imran hit a record 19th hundred, debutant seamer Ashiquzzaman skittled out Barisal with a match haul of nine wickets.Barisal were bowled out for 171 runs in 60.4 overs in the first innings, with pacers Ziaur Rahman and Ashiquzzaman taking three wickets each. Fazle Mahmud’s 95 represented more than half of Barisal’s total. In reply, Khulna took a lead of exactly 200 runs, courtesy Imran, who went past Alok Kapali and Mohammad Ashraful to possess the most first-class hundreds by a Bangladeshi.He made 108 with a dozen fours and a six, and shared a 117-run third wicket stand with Anamul Haque, who top-scored with 136, his 11th first-class ton. Anamul struck eleven fours and six sixes in his 202-ball knock. Left-arm spinner Monir Hossain took six wickets and later struck a 70-ball 72 as Barisal could only muster 211 runs in the second innings.Ashiquzzaman took 6 for 57 to finish with nine wickets on first-class debut. His player-of-the-match winning efforts left Khulna with just 12 runs to chase on the third afternoon, which they completed in 1.4 overs.Dhaka Division beat Dhaka Metropolis by five wickets in a low-scoring fixture in the other Tier-1 game in Fatullah. This was the first time in five years that no half-century was recorded in a first-class fixture in Bangladesh.Batting first, Dhaka Metro were bowled out for 166 runs with veteran paceman Mohammad Sharif taking four wickets. In reply, Dhaka could manage just a 21-run lead as Mohammad Ashraful starred with his part-time offspin to take three wickets alongside seamer Shahidul Islam.Dhaka Metro, handed a lifeline, had an opportunity to pull away with a better batting effort in the second dig. But that wasn’t to be as Sharif picked up three wickets; Dhaka metro hurtled to 125 all out in 55.5 overs.Dhaka nearly made heavy weather of their 105-run target. They slipped to 63 for 5, thereby raising possibility of an unlikely win for Metro. But Taibur and Zahiduzzaman put on an unbroken 43-run stand for the sixth wicket to complete a nervy win.

Manchester City are edging closer to a deal for Mateo Kovacic, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting that personal terms between the club and the player have been agreed.

Who are Manchester City signing this summer?

The midfielder has once more been a frequent first-team player for Chelsea this season but he isn't starting as many games for the Blues as he once was. When the player first arrived at Stamford Bridge, he was handed 32 league outings with 21 of those coming as starts. In the 2022/23 campaign however, Kovacic was afforded only 27 league games and 17 starts, as Chelsea finished in the bottom half of the Premier League.

It didn't stop the Croatian from producing the goods though, with the central player managing one goal and two assists along the way. He also ranked highly for his passing ability, with his rate of 70.24 passes per 90 putting him within the top eight percent of players in his position amongst the 'Top Five' big leagues in Europe. He also registered 7.93 progressive passes per 90 – putting him in the top nine percent for that figure too.

Despite not featuring as much, Kovacic remains an intelligent player then that likes to sling the ball around the field and to use his ability in finding teammates to help his side get further up the field. It's led to interest in his services from Manchester City ahead of the transfer window and it appears that a deal is getting closer to completion.

That's because reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that personal terms have been agreed over a move – and that the player himself wants to leave the Blues to move the Etihad Stadium. Whilst a deal is therefore nearly done, the fee over a deal has not yet been agreed. Romano though has stated that the figure is likely to be something that is discussed and agreed once City have played in their Champions League final. With CIES Football Observatory valuing the midfielder at 30 million Euros (£25m), that fee might not be too high of an amount if that is anything to go off.

Speaking on the deal, Romano said: "Mateo Kovacić has now agreed personal terms with Manchester City after advanced talks already revealed last week. Kovacić wants the move, next step has to be between clubs as Chelsea and City will discuss fee after the UCL final. Chelsea, open to sell Kovacic."

Would Kovacic be a good signing for Man City?

The midfielder has already won Croatian League titles and a La Liga with Real Madrid but has yet to add a Premier League crown to his silverware cupboard. With the Blues sliding down the table, a move to Man City may allow him to be in with a chance of finally securing that prize.

If they do manage to add him, then Pep Guardiola's side would be getting themselves a player well capable of fitting into their midfield. Whilst the 29-year-old is an adept passer as previously stated, he is also good at driving the ball forward himself – as shown by his carries into the final third rate of 2.13 per 90 – and is well capable of popping up with a shot or goal. With a rate of 1 goal per shot on target – amongst the top three percent in his area – he is an accurate shooter when he does have a pop at goal and isn't afraid to drive forward. He ticks plenty of boxes for City then.

تحدث مصعب البطاط قائد منتخب فلسطين الأول لكرة القدم، عن احتراف مواطنيه ياسر حمد ووسام أبو علي في الدوري المصري.

وكان ناديا الأهلي والزمالك قد نجحا في استقطاب وسام أبو علي وياسر حمد خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الماضية.

وسام أبو علي: الفلسطينيون يشعرون بمحبة جمهور الأهلي لي.. ومستعدون لـ الزمالك

وقال البطاط في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “المحور”: “ياسر حمد ووسام أبو علي متواجدان في ناديين كبيرين “.

وأضاف: “كانت هناك محاولات لتواجد وسام أبو علي مع منتخب فلسطين في كأس آسيا النسخة الماضية، ولكن ظروف التسجيل لم تسمح له، وأتمنى له كل التوفيق”.

طارق السيد: جوميز ليس لديه ثوابت.. وحارس الزمالك يقترب من حماية عرين منتخب مصر

وتابع: “ياسر حمد لاعب كبير ومتواجد في نادي كبير، ومدافع مميز ولكن في آخر فتراته غاب عن المشاركات مما أثر على مستواه”.

وأتم: “هو لاعب كبير عندما يكون في أتم جاهزيته، هو من اللاعبين الكبار”.

Arsenal are eyeing a Premier League gem ahead of the transfer window, as Mikel Arteta prepares for a busy summer in charge at the Emirates.

The Spaniard will hope to continue the Gunners’ status as title contenders next campaign – something he could ensure of by signing a name that has been linked to the club since January.

What’s the latest on Moises Caicedo to Arsenal?

As reported by London World earlier this week, Arsenal are ‘preparing’ a new bid for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.

The 21-year-old has been on the north Londoners' radar since January, where the Seagulls rejected multiple bids for the ace.

London World suspects that the Gunners will bid around £75m for the midfielder, a fee that was rejected by the club in January.

The report states that Brighton’s stance is ‘clear’, as they have an agreement to sell the player due to his wishes.

What could Moises Caicedo bring to Arsenal?

Hailed as a “machine” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 21-year-old is sought by the Gunners for reasons that are extremely clear.

As per Sofascore, the midfielder has maintained an average match rating of 7.08, placing him among the club’s top five performers this campaign.

The Ecuadorian would be a valuable asset for Arteta to add to his midfield, especially with rumours surfacing placing Jorginho’s future at the Emirates in doubt.

The Italy international has won an average of 55% of his total duels this season with 4 per game – numbers that are less impressive in comparison to Caicedo, who averages 58% with 5.9 won per game, via Sofascore.

Despite rumours being premature regarding the 31-year-old’s future this summer, Arteta could replace and upgrade the former Chelsea ace with the Brighton gem, enforcing a new-found level of stability to his midfield.

The 21-year-old wins a huge average of 64% of his aerial duels per game compared to Jorginho’s 49%, suggesting that he would be a better option for Arsenal in terms of physicality alone.

Although identified for his passing abilities, the Gunners wouldn’t be missing the expertise of the Italian’s distribution as much as expected in replacing him with Caicedo.

As per FBref, the youngster has maintained a higher rate of pass completion than the experienced Jorginho this campaign, averaging a rate of 88.5% per 90, placing him in the top 6% of midfielders in the league in this area, with the Arsenal ace scoring 85.8%.

Arsenal have wanted the services of Caicedo for months, and with him due to become available this summer, Arteta must act fast to guarantee his involvement at the Emirates next season, with other clubs queuing to capture his signature.

After a raw and unfiltered reaction post the MCG loss, Misbah-ul-Haq has found his centre again, to focus on the Sydney Test

Osman Samiuddin in Sydney02-Jan-2017This is going to be an interesting farewell, mainly seeing as it isn’t right now looking like a farewell. Or not one just yet anyway, so definitely hold back for now on the guard of honour rehearsals team Australia. Maybe not even one for the foreseeable future, so no need to start planning that farewell match either, PCB. He is definitely playing in Sydney and he is definitely playing as captain as well. That much we know for sure. And after that, well, we can get to it when we need to get to it.Politely put, Pakistan have not had a straightforward history with the retirements of its great characters. But it did really look as if Misbah-ul-Haq might buck that trend. He would know when it was time. He would not make a fuss about it because, hello, he’s Misbah and not Shahid Afridi/Javed Miandad/Imran Khan/Younis Khan. He is not a rattler of the system. He is not a victim. He is not a star.Moreover, Australia was a natural final frontier. No Pakistan side had won a series here, no Pakistan side has won a Test here for 20 years; heck no Pakistan side has even drawn a Test here since 1990-91. Win and it was the perfect time to go, the Misbah era sealed. Fail and then it wasn’t the perfect way to go but still maybe the right time to. Apparently not. Or, who knows, maybe.It’s been a strange couple of days in the world of Misbah. He was as despondent after Melbourne as at any time in his captaincy. What he said then about retirement was a raw, unfiltered reaction to a defeat as hurtful as any; how much it shook him was clear in how openly he doubted his decision-making as a batsman. He never opens up publicly like that.He has since found his centre again, however, no doubt spurred on by his team around him – his “family” he called them on Monday. They have gone to him and told him not to go, or not to go now, or to keep believing in himself and his ability. On Sunday evening, at a dinner hosted by Waqar Younis for the team, Misbah’s mood was not up exactly – he is Misbah after all – but lighter than post-MCG. So too the team around him; no brooding, no shrinking into one’s self as past teams might have done.The team spent New Year’s Eve together in his hotel room, Misbah said, watching the fireworks with family and kids (he got the room with the view obviously). They had dinner together and a chat and decided to throw everything that had happened in the previous two Tests into the bin. Like everyone else, they too couldn’t wait to say goodbye to 2016. Hit refresh.”No, right now, retirement is completely out of my mind,” he said. “If I do think about that, then this match here will be very difficult to play. We have to think of this match as the first match of the series and that it is the final also. At the moment, this is how we are thinking. I have forgotten the last four-five Tests we’ve had and now we’re totally focused on this.”Or as he said later: “2016, gone. Now it is 2017. What is gone, that is gone.””Sometimes you’re playing well, seeing the ball well, not scoring runs, lack of confidence and suddenly one good innings and you’re back”•Getty ImagesIf it sounds like a u-turn, then it kind of is, but also kind of isn’t. His emotions post-Melbourne, he said, were also true of the time. That is how he felt and this is how he feels now. And it may well still be the case that he decides to go back to Pakistan and announce his retirement there, in front of his people. Much will depend on this Test, this dead rubber.Crucially, he has regained – or perhaps retained – some degree of confidence in his batting, which is what had him so distraught after the MCG loss.”Honestly speaking, that can happen to anyone, at any stage in your career. Doesn’t mean you left nothing in yourself if you’re playing. You can still come back, still score runs for your team and contribute. There could be a patch and it can come at any stage, whether you are 19, whether you are 20, 30 or 40, because cricket is like that, especially in batting department.”Sometimes you’re playing well, seeing the ball well, not scoring runs, lack of confidence and suddenly one good innings and you’re back. Playing almost 20 years of cricket, and international cricket for 15-16 years, I can understand that could happen. Whatever I said at the time, that was also true. That doesn’t mean you can’t come back. You can come back still. You work hard. You believe in yourself.”Above all it must be the drive to prove that this is not one of those Pakistan sides of recent vintage; that this 2-0 is different to at least the past three Pakistan sides to have gone into the final Test of an Australian series with that scoreline. It is worth acknowledging this also isn’t a very good Australian side, not as strong as their predecessors would have faced.It was also part of what fueled Misbah to react as he did. “That was only because we thought, and I thought, we were a far better team than what happened in Melbourne. The way we played two Test matches. That was all because of that – frustration, disappointment, it was because of that. We truly believe in this team and the players and the team believes in me. That’s why we’ve been so successful in the past.”I have no doubt in my mind at the moment in terms of whatever I said in that press conference, that was, you could say, frustration and disappointment.”I think [the team] have recovered from Melbourne. That is something about this team. We have been through this a lot of times but right after that, in the next game we surprise opposition. These guys are mentally tough. At this time they are hurt and we just want to prove that we can do better than that.”

New Zealand face a quick change in formats, the loss of some key personnel and the No. 1 ODI team when they travel to Australia for the one-day series

Brydon Coverdale01-Dec-20161:41

Ranking is not a motivation for us – Hesson

Two days ago, New Zealand celebrated victory in the second Test against Pakistan in Hamilton, a win that meant a 2-0 triumph in the series. At least, they celebrated inasmuch as they could: the next day eight of their Test XI were flying to Australia to defend the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Australia’s players thought they had a quick format switch after the Adelaide Test, but New Zealand are two days and one international flight worse off.New Zealand also arrive with no Ross Taylor, who is recovering from eye surgery. They have no Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, or Corey Anderson, who are all out injured. Surprisingly, they have no Ish Sodhi, the legspinner who only once has faced Australia in an ODI earlier this year, and was Man of the Match, yet has been left out now. And of course, there is no Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Grant Elliott, Nathan McCullum, or Kyle Mills, all retired since the World Cup.”We are missing some key players,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said in Sydney on Thursday. “We’ve lost over 1000 one-day international games since the World Cup. To replace those is a challenge. But we’ve also got some exciting players that you guys won’t know a lot about. Hopefully you will in a week or 10 days. That’s important for us to give them this sort of exposure, and find out which ones we want to keep backing and supporting.”Among the new faces are legspinner Todd Astle, preferred in this series to Sodhi, and yet to make his ODI debut. Then there is Colin de Grandhomme, the seam bowler, who made a stunning Test debut against Pakistan last month but has only one ODI to his name, nearly five years ago. And then there is the 25-year-old fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, uncapped for New Zealand in any format, but a man who at his best can break the 150kph mark.”With Adam Milne missing, Lockie gives us that point of difference in our attack,” Hesson said. “He hasn’t played a huge amount up until that last two seasons. He’s got over a lot of injuries. He’s got to an age where those major issues tend to dissipate a bit, once you get to 24, 25. He’s a strong bowler, he’s certainly quick. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t play at some point in this series.Both sides have lost some key personnel since last year’s ODI World Cup•International Cricket Council

“He’s like Adam Milne, they’ve both bowled over 150 at times … Lockie is at the early stage of his career, but we know that he’s capable of bowling at pace at times. It’s difficult, your first series there’s obviously going to be some nerves. But he’s a confident character. When he gets his opportunity, I’m sure he’ll give us a point of difference in our attack, which is important.”Not that Australia’s ODI side is without change. Batting allrounder Hilton Cartwright is hoping for a debut in this series, and Australia’s leading ODI wicket taker in 2016 – John Hastings – has been left out due to the return of frontline fast men Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. And, like New Zealand, Australia have lost much ODI experience since the teams met in the 2015 World Cup final, with Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson, Brad Haddin and Shane Watson all retired.Since then, the teams have met once in a Chappell-Hadlee Series, when New Zealand won 2-1 at home earlier this year. And despite Australia’s 5-0 thrashing in a one-day series in South Africa in October, when they took an under-strength attack and rested Starc and Hazlewood, they will enter this series as No.1 in the world, as compared to New Zealand at No.3.”Their one-day side is a heck of a lot more settled than their Test side,” Hesson said of Australia. “Their one-day side has been incredibly consistent, bar the South African series they’ve been very good for a number of years. Currently ranked No.1 in the world, so I don’t think the unsettled nature of the Test side will lead into the one-day side.”We want to hang on to the Chappell-Hadlee. We’ve won it the last couple of times and it’s really important for us. Australia are our big brothers and to win a bilateral series against them is important to us. If the byproduct of that is an increase in rankings then great. But we tend to look at the rankings at the back end of a season and see how you’ve gone, rather than it be a motivation for us.”