West Ham United have accepted a £2m offer after weeks of talks to sell a 25 year-old Hammers player, according to a report.

West Ham transfer rumours after Guilherme

The Irons began their summer business by making Luis Guilherme the first signing of the Julen Lopetegui era, with the Brazilian arriving on a big-money deal from Palmeiras. South American expert Tim Vickery has been full of praise for Guilherme, believing West Ham have signed a “lightning quick” player with plenty of promise.

“In the case of Luis Guilherme, Palmeiras have so much promise. Their youth work has been doing such remarkable stuff. Endrick is 18 who is just about to go to Real Madrid. They’ve got Estevao who is 17 and who looks like he will join Chelsea in a year’s time. That means Luis Guilherme has been a little bit overshadowed, but he is very, very interesting.

“West Ham were said to be interested in another winger, Wesley, who plays across Sao Paulo at Corinthians. They’re very different, as Wesley is right footed and cuts in, and Luis Guilherme is left footed, but the thing that they have in common is that they’re not lightweights. These are physical. Luis Guilherme is physically built, lightning quick with a left foot.”

Vickery then added: “It will be very much a case of West Ham developing him and developing him slowly. You see, I don’t think this is a player who is going to go straight into the team and make an immediate impact. This is one you are building for the future. “For a player operating in that position, there is a huge learning curve ahead, and that’ll be the case with Luis Guilherme.”

After Guilherme, West Ham have been linked with completing more business, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that contacts have started over a move for Wolves centre-back Max Kilman.

Meanwhile, The Guardian have claimed that contact has been made with left-back Ryan Sessegnon after his departure from Tottenham, whereas another free transfer in Luton Town goalkeeper Tim Krul could also be on the cards.

Some departures may also materialise this summer, and it looks as if one is close to being completed.

Nathan Trott to leave West Ham for FC Copenhagen

According to a report from TEAMtalk, West Ham have accepted an offer in the region of £2m to sell goalkeeper Nathan Trott.

The 25-year-old, who spent the last two seasons on loan in Denmark at Vejle BK, making 56 appearances, is set to join FC Copenhagen following weeks of talks between the two clubs.

West Ham now ready offer to sign new £17m left-back

There’s been contact with his representatives.

By
Charlie Smith

Jun 20, 2024

West Ham actually triggered a two-year option in Trott’s contract over the summer, but it looks as if that was only to ensure they’d receive a fee for his services, something which now looks set to materialise.

Trott only ever made one senior appearance for West Ham’s first team after progressing through the academy, and it looks as if the Hammers will secure the services of Wes Foderingham after he left Sheffield United to fill the void left by Trott.

Cyriel Dessers isn’t the answer. The Glasgow Rangers striker may have good intentions and puts the hard yards in, but the reality is, the Light Blues are never going to win the Premiership title with the Nigerian as the main centre-forward.

Take last season, for example. Yes, he may have scored 22 goals from 54 appearances, add in nine assists, and the striker has 31 goal contributions in total. This works out as one goal involvement every 1.7 games, not bad at all.

Taking a deeper dive into his top-flight stats offers a more comprehensive look as to why he isn’t the answer for next season.

The 29-year-old missed a staggering 27 big chances in 35 matches while finishing the season with a goal conversion rate of just 16%, hardly the best figures.

Goals

16

1

Assists

4

1

Big chances created

8

0

Big chances missed

27

0

Shots per game

2.9

0.4

Goal conversion percentage

16%

33%

Danilo should be fit for the start of the season having spent the previous few months recovering from a serious knee injury in December, but questions will be asked if he doesn’t start scoring goals when he returns to full fitness.

The Ibrox side made a massive mistake by allowing Alfredo Morelos to leave for free at the end of the 2022/23 season when his contract expired, as a player of his calibre would be perfect right now for Philippe Clement.

Alfredo Morelos’ Rangers statistics

Morelos arrived at Rangers as a 21-year-old with a point to prove who had impressed at Finnish side HJK Helsinki, scoring 46 goals in just 62 appearances for the club.

He had plenty of potential, but was a move too much of a gamble for Pedro Caixinha, who was aiming to dethrone Celtic?

A debut season which consisted of 18 goals and eight assists for the Ibrox side certainly proved the gamble paid off, and it kept getting better and better.

30 goals came the following season before tallies of 29 and 17 meant the Colombian striker entered cult hero status, especially following his exploits on the European stage.

Indeed, after scoring against Benfica in November 2020 before eventually finishing with a record of 29 European goals from 63 matches, becoming the club’s highest scorer on the continental stage.

He suffered an injury while on international duty with Colombia in April 2022 which ruled him out of both the Scottish Cup and Europa League final, with the injury taking longer than necessary to fully heal.

This meant he was only able to find the back of the net on just 12 occasions, despite playing 48 matches. As the campaign wore on, it was clear Morelos was keen on leaving the place where he had been for the previous six years.

In his prime, the striker was a battering ram, someone who created things from nothing and shone on the big stage. His final few seasons may not have been as great, but Clement craves a player with his ability in the final third.

Might the Belgian be eyeing up someone who scored against the Light Blues three times last season?

Rangers eyeing up Scottish striker

According to the Daily Record, Clement’s side have reportedly reignited their interest in Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland in a bid to strengthen their first team squad.

Improving his attacking options is clearly a priority for the 50-year-old coach and the report states that he could consider a bid to see if Steven Naismith would be tempted to part ways with the centre-forward, who has just a year left on his current deal.

Since moving back to Scotland with the Jam Tarts, Shankland has proven to be one of the finest strikers in the land, scoring a remarkable 59 goals in 94 appearances for the Gorgie outfit since the summer of 2022.

Not since Morelos during the 2018/19 season has the club had a player scoring 30 goals or more. If they manage to lure Shankland west, Clement has the chance to sign a player worthy of replacing the Colombian.

Lawrence Shankland’s season in numbers

The 6 foot 1 hitman ended his debut season in Edinburgh with a goal tally of 28, which included three in Europe, yet he improved on this last term.

In the same number of games for Hearts, Shankland scored 31 goals, an increase of three from the previous campaign, while he also chipped in with eight assists, four more than 2022/23.

This clearly proves that not only is he becoming more prolific in front of goal, but his all round game is also improving, creating plenty of chances for others.

Among his teammates, Shankland unsurprisingly ranked first in the squad for goals and assists (28) in the Premiership, while also ranking first for shots on target per match (1.4) and scoring frequency (goal every 136 minutes), while finishing second for successful dribbles per game (one), big chances created (six) and key passes per fixture (1.4).

These statistics are yet more evidence of the striker developing more parts of his game. Of course, netting 31 goals is wonderful, but being able to bring others into play more often helps share the workload.

This was something Morelos developed as his Ibrox career went on, as his hold-up play eventually became one of his best traits.

Journalist Josh Bunting dubbed Shankland as “remarkable” last season and there is no doubt he is ready for a move to a club like Rangers this summer.

At 28, the Scotland international is currently at his peak. While this may only last another season or two, it is irrelevant. The important thing is Clement signs a player who realistically can score 30 goals or more in the coming season.

If he does, it could signal the end for Dessers, who would surely be on the way out of Ibrox in order to secure regular game time.

Morelos was a one-off. A player which the Ibrox faithful take a shine to right away. Shankland won't be a carbon copy of the former Gers player, but his knack for finding the back of the net should be enough to endear himself to the supporters.

Clement could sign his next Tchouameni in Rangers swoop for £9k-p/w star

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ByDan Emery Jul 23, 2024

A former Barcelona scout has explained why he advised the Catalan outfit against signing a young Eden Hazard.

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Hazard retired from football in 2023Barcelona had chance to sign him as a teenagerEx-scout reveals why they didn't recruit wingerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Before Hazard went off to play for Chelsea and Real Madrid, the Blaugrana had a chance to sign the teenage talent. According to former scout Bojan Krkic, father of the forward who played for Barca and Stoke City, the youngster's talent was plain to see, but his attitude was not up to scratch.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT THE EX-BARCELONA SCOUT SAID

Krkic told Cadena SER, via Sport: “I met him at the U17 European Championship, where my son was playing. Belgium reached the final, but Spain won; Hazard played wonderfully throughout the tournament, except the final. Then, he signed for Lille. I went to see him against Montpellier. It was August and in the warm-up there was a player missing, everyone was wearing short sleeves and Hazard came out in a tracksuit. The team was all together to warm up, he was stretching, he was looking at the stands. He played well, but in terms of dedication and attitude, I didn’t like it.

“I went to see him three days later against Angers. He was on the bench, like other starters. Everyone was warming up and he was walking. The physical trainer told them to stretch and he was watching the game. I put ‘discarded’ in the report. These types of footballers, who are very good, have shown me that they have not given results; both when they were my teammates and when I was a Barca scout. My report was: maximum quality, technically and tactically; but due to attitude and personality, with more details, I ruled him out."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Hazard signed for Lille at the age of 16 and went on to become a club legend at Chelsea. In his pomp, the Belgium international was one of the best players in the world and that led to a Real Madrid transfer in 2019, for a fee worth up to £150 million ($194m). Injuries severely hampered his time there and in the end, he retired from the sport in 2023. But the 33-year-old had a great career, nonetheless.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Hazard is now enjoying the fruits of retirement after hanging up his boots. While injuries hampered the tail end of his career, the Belgian did not seem too down about the end of this chapter.

He said just over a year ago: "After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer. I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world."

Steven Gerrard is under mounting pressure at Al-Ettifaq following an abysmal run of form, and fans are not happy with the Liverpool icon.

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• Gerrard booed off by fans after defeat
• Al-Ettifaq continue poor run of form
• Liverpool legend takes full responsibility

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Following a chastening 2-0 defeat to Al-Qadsiah on Friday, large sections of the Al-Ettifaq fan base could be heard hurtling insults at Gerrard, with some heard to say "get out", clearly losing patience with their side's poor form.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gerrard, who has been in charge at Al-Ettifaq for just over a year and is reportedly earning a salary in excess of £12m, guided his side to a solid sixth-place finish last season after good results towards the end of the season.

  However, this term has not gone to plan, as after nine games of the Saudi Pro League season, Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq lie in 11th, a long way off the quality they displayed at times last season. While his side may not have the same financial pull as their rivals, their squad still contains quality, including fellow Liverpool favourite Georginio Wijnaldum and ex-Ligue 1 striker Moussa Dembele.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT GERRARD SAID

  After Friday's defeat, Gerrard said: "I spoke to the players. If we had performed like this before, we would not have put ourselves in this embarrassing situation, but I bear the responsibility. I bear full responsibility for using a young player (Meshal Sibyani), as he has little experience. Using him was not appropriate, but due to injuries, we were put in this position.

  "On the back of recent results in my position, you are always aware of disappointment from fans, I have to take that responsibility on my shoulders. This is what I will do and continue to fight and work to improve the recent results."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR GERRARD & AL-ETTIFAQ?

  Gerrard and Al-Ettifaq will need to dust themselves down quickly, as their next game against Al-Hilal, who currently sit top of the table, kicks off on Friday evening.

With Steve Cooper now in the dugout at Leicester City, the Foxes' manager's priority will be to balance replacing outgoing stars with getting in the reinforcements that can help his side stave off relegation from the Premier League next season.

Leicester eager to replace lost star

The big news out of the King Power Stadium so far this summer has been the departure of star player Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Chelsea have agreed a £30 million fee to bring the midfielder to Stamford Bridge, leaving Leicester with work to do in order to fill the void in the middle of the park.

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In return for the English midfielder, Chelsea have let Michael Golding join Leicester in a reported £5 million move. With Golding clearly not the direct replacement for Dewsbury-Hall, the club are now looking at other targets in this area of the pitch.

Recent reports in the Portuguese media have suggested that Leicester City are set to battle against Everton to sign Benfica's Florentino Luis. Having already turned down a £25 million bid for his services, Benfica may require a huge fee to part ways with midfielder this summer.

Whilst part of the priority at Leicester is to replace outgoing stars, the club are also looking to bolster Cooper's side in other areas of the pitch.

Foxes just shy of star's release clause

As first reported by Sport Witness, Leicester City have made a bid in the region of £15 million for CA Talleres’ Ramon Sosa which has been considered as too low by the club's president. The report goes on to claim that the club are holding out for a team to match the winger's release clause which stands at around £15.8m.

Whilst it is clear that the Foxes should have no issue in upping their offer and paying the release clause, it suggests that the Midlands outfit were eager to gauge the Paraguayan's interest with this opening bid.

The left winger, who can play across the front three, had previously been linked with a move to fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers with the Foxes perhaps using their opening offer to see if Wolves are still interesting in agreeing a deal for the Paraguay international.

The 24-year-old has sparked interest from England following a stellar season playing in Argentina. Sosa contributed 7 goals and 6 assists in the Argentine Primera División last campaign.

His exploits on the domestic stage earned Sosa a call-up to this summer's Copa America. Prior to the tournament the winger was even named as Paraguay's player to watch by GOAL on a list including the likes of Brazil's Endrick and Man United and Argentina star Garnacho.

Whilst Paraguay have lost both of their opening games at the tournament, Sosa was able to contribute an assist in his nation's 2-1 loss against Colombia. As his side are set to be sent home at the conclusion of the group stage, now could be the time for Leicester to match the release clause and bring the player to the King Power this summer.

حسم فريق الجيش الملكي المغربي تأهله إلى دور ربع النهائي من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2024-2025، بعدما حقق التعادل اليوم السبت أمام الرجاء المغربي بنتيجة 1-1.

الجيش الملكي وصل إلي النقطة 9 متصدرًا ترتيب المجموعة الثانية من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، حاسمًا تأهله إلى دور الـ8 قبل الجولة السادسة والأخيرة من دور المجموعات.

وتضم المجموعة الثانية، أندية الجيش الملكي المغربي والرجاء المغربي وصن داونز الجنوب إفريقي ومانيما الكونغولي.

وكان فريق صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي، حقق فوزًا قاتلًا على نظيره مانيما يونيون الكونغولي، بنتيجة 2-1، في اللقاء الذي أقيم بينهما اليوم، أيضًا، على ملعب الشهداء في العاصمة الكونغولية كينشاسا.

طالع.. فيديو | صن داونز يُحول تأخره لفوز أمام مانيما الكونغولي في مباراة مُثيرة بدوري أبطال إفريقيا

وبتلك النتيجة، وصل فريق صن داونز إلى النقطة الثامنة محتلًا المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة الثانية لـ دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

بينما فريق مانيما الكونغولي، يقبع في المركز الرابع والأخير لترتيب المجموعة، برصيد 3 نقاط، وودع المسابقة بشكل رسمي.

ويُنتظر في الجولة السادسة القادمة، حسم الفريق الثاني المتأهل من تلك المجموعة، بين ناديي صن داونز والرجاء. ترتيب المجموعة الثانية في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

1- الجيش الملكي المغربي – 9 نقاط (تأهل رسميًا).

2- صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي – 8 نقاط.

3- الرجاء المغربي – 5 نقاط.

4- مانيما الكونغولي – 3 نقاط (ودع البطولة).

يمكنكم متابعة ترتيب مجموعات دوري أبطال إفريقيا بشكل محدث باستمرار.. طالع من هنا

Leeds United's plans for the 2024/25 campaign were dealt a blow earlier this week as central midfielder Archie Gray completed a move away from Elland Road.

The Whites academy graduate has signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal for a fee reported to be around £40m, after just one season in the first-team in West Yorkshire.

Daniel Farke brought the then-17-year-old into the senior side last summer and he became a regular starter at right-back, an unfamiliar position to him at the time, whilst being used in midfield at different points.

Gray may not be the only star to move on from the club before the end of the summer transfer window, however, as a number of Leeds players have been linked with exits.

Premier League club plotting big Leeds raid

According to TBRFootball, Brighton & Hove Albion are showing an interest in four players from the Whites to bolster their squad ahead of next season.

The report claims that they have already made an offer of £30m to sign French wizard Georginio Rutter from Elland Road, but it has been rejected.

It states that the Seagulls have also entered into talks to speak with Leeds about deals for Crysencio Summerville, Glen Kamara, and Wilfried Gnonto, as they seemingly look to take advantage of the club's failure to earn promotion back to the Premier League.

The outlet does not reveal how much the Championship side would want for any of the players mentioned, but Farke and his team must now cash in on Gnonto amid interest from Brighton.

Why Leeds should cash in on Gnonto

The Whites must sell the Italy U21 international, whether that is to the Seagulls or to any other interested side, after these reported exit talks.

Gnonto handed in a transfer request last summer after being denied the chance to sign for Everton for £25m before eventually staying at Elland Road and performing well on the pitch.

In May, after the play-off final defeat to Southampton, it was reported that the youngster is once again pushing to leave Yorkshire as he believes that a move back to the top-flight, in Italy in particularly, could help him to attract Luciano Spaletti's attention for the national team.

Leeds must now cash in on the attacker as, if reports are to be believed, he does not want to be at the club and the Whites will need players who are together and united to launch a promotion push next term.

As you can see in the table above, Gnonto was far from the most impressive attacker in the squad last season as Summerville, who Capology claim earns £5k less per week than the Italian on £15k-per-week, significantly outperformed him.

It could, therefore, benefit Leeds to cash in on the former Inter youngster in order to raise funds, to help the finances and to reinvest in the team, and keep hold of the Dutchman instead.

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This is why the club must take advantage of this interest from Gnonto and attempt to negotiate a deal with Brighton to sell him to the Premier League side.

There is less than a month until the Premier League returns, and while Tottenham Hotspur have already made the exciting signing of Archie Gray this summer, they'll need to bring in more players to help Ange Postecoglou realise his ambitions in North London.

The Australian led the Lilywhites to Europa League qualification last season, but with a few more quality players in the squad, it could have been the Champions League.

Fortunately, Daniel Levy and Co appear to be hard at work as, based on recent reports, the club are in the running to land a player who shone at Euro 2024 and would be the ideal rival for Brennan Johnson on the right.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Turkish publication Sabah Spor, Tottenham are one of several sides keen on landing Galatasaray star Baris Alper Ylimaz's services this summer.

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report claims that Arsenal are set to meet with the player's representatives to discuss a possible transfer. At the same time, Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool and Aston Villa are said to be 'closely following the player.'

While this level of interest in the 24-year-old is far from ideal for Levy and Co, the good news is that should they wish to pursue this transfer further, they will only need to make an offer in the region of €30m, which is about £25m, to secure the player's services.

It could be a complicated deal to get over the line, but based on Yilmaz's performances for Galatasaray and Turkey, it is worth pursuing – especially as he could help get even more out of Johnson.

How Yilmaz compares to Johnson

Now, if Spurs can get ahead of the chasing pack and bring the talented Yilmaz to the white side of North London this summer, they'll have an exciting attacker who has shown an ability to play on either the right or left wing at their disposal.

However, throughout last season, it became increasingly apparent that his best position is off the right, as he started 27 games there as opposed to 12 on the left. Should he move to N17, this would likely see him compete with Johnson for a place in the starting lineup.

So, with that in mind, how do the pair stack up against one another? Well, when it comes to the most important metric of all, output, it's rather close.

Yilmaz vs Johnson

Player

Yilmaz

Johnson

Appearances

55

38

Goals

7

5

Assists

12

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.34

0.39

All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, the former Nottingham Forest ace scored five goals and provided ten assists in 38 appearances for the North Londoners, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 2.53 games.

In contrast, the Turkish superstar, whom Virgil van Dijk claimed was "difficult for every defender" to face, produced more goal involvements – seven goals and 12 assists – but did so in 55 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.89 games.

Ultimately, while it could prove challenging to land the Gala ace, the fact he managed to produce similar attacking numbers to Johnson shows that he'd be an ideal rival for the Welshman and the perfect option for Postecoglou to use off the bench or even from the start.

Moreover, his positional versatility could also see him used as a backup option for Son Heung-min or Timo Werner on the left, making his signature one worth fighting for.

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Posts ByMatt Dawson Jul 22, 2024

Last week, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq accused Amir of making up the circumstances around which he announced his retirement

Danyal Rasool18-Jan-2021Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has left the door ajar for a possible return to international cricket, but reiterated he would “only be available once this management leaves”. Amir, who last month retired from international cricket alleging he was being “mentally tortured”, has seen his relationship with the current PCB board and management deteriorate steadily over time, with the war of words showing no signs of simmering down since Amir walked away from the national side.Last week, Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq accused Amir of “making up” the circumstances around which he announced his retirement, claiming the bowler had missed out on selection for a number of series previously because his performance hadn’t been good enough. He dismissed suggestions Amir’s omission came about as a result of a personal feud between the 28-year old and bowling coach Waqar Younis, saying “nobody supported his selection” among the six association coaches, Misbah himself, and the Pakistan captain Babar Azam.Upon missing out on selection for the series against New Zealand, Amir had tweeted that “only Misbah” could explain why he hadn’t been included, before criticising bowling coach Waqar Younis for talking about his workload. That, coupled by Amir’s frequent praise of former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur, at one point saying he would “love to play under Arthur for any side in the world”, offered insight into how he viewed his relations with the current coaching staff.The PCB told ESPNcricinfo they had no further comment on Amir’s latest remarks, insisting they would not issue statements through the media on matters pertaining to a retired cricketer.

South Africa made a strong statement of intent ahead of next year’s 50-over World Cup by completing a clean sweep of Pakistan in Durban, with victory by 32 runs in the third ODI.South Africa have now won six ODIs in succession following their 3-0 win in New Zealand last January, through which they automatically qualified for the global showpiece. While the World Cup is still a year away, preparation has had to be ramped up especially as fixtures are scant in the current pandemic. Neither South Africa nor Pakistan had played since last year’s Women’s T20 World Cup and though there were signs of rust on both sides, the ODIs were hard-fought and entertaining.After two tense matches last week, in which Pakistan lost by 3 and 13 runs respectively, the visitors fell away in the finale. They were all but out of the contest at the halfway mark of their chase when they teetered at 73 for 5 while going after a target of 202. By then, South Africa’s stand-in captain Sunè Luus had become the 20th player to claim 100 ODI wickets, and the fourth among her countrywomen. Luus reached her milestone with the wicket of her opposite number Javeria Khan, whom she caught off her own bowling, after Javeria top-scored for her side with 33.Pakistan needed bigger individual contributions but the usually aggressive pair of Aliya Riaz and Nida Dar were kept quiet and the early collapse was too much for them to recover from. Overall, their coach David Hemp assessed it as a series of missed chances. “We had opportunities to win all the games,” he said. “We need the top four to score runs.”File photo – Diana Baig picked up career-best figures of 4 for 30•Getty Images

Contrastingly, South Africa had their best start with the bat after Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt put on 79 for the first wicket with Wolvaardt going on to score her 17th career half-century. Her dismissal, caught behind off the series-leading wicket-taker Diana Baig, sparked a major tumble for South Africa. They lost 7 for 48 and Baig finished with a career-best for 4 for 30. At 172 for 8, South Africa did not likely to set Pakistan 200.Trisha Chetty’s 34 off 43 balls took them to a decent score, though the middle-order has work to do on their contributions. Mignon du Preez, who scored just 47 runs in the series, will attract particular attention given her seniority and skill.”There’s been a lot of starts but the kick on is not happening in terms of converting,” coach Hilton Moreeng said. “It’s an aspect we need to keep working on. We identified that the application is not there for everyone. We absorb a lot of pressure but when its time to translate that and put the opposition under pressure, we have two new batters at the crease, so we need to always have an in-batter.”South Africa will be more pleased with the way their bowling stood up in big moments. Ayabonga Khaka’s control and use of the slower ball saw her finish as South Africa’s joint-leading bowler across the three matches, with the same number of wickets as Shabnim Ismail, known for her pace. Luus and Marizanne Kapp, who sat out the final game, also made important inroads to ensure South Africa have a depth and options going forward.File photo – Laura Wolvaardt top-scored for South Africa with 58•Getty Images

Pakistan were also pleased with their efforts with the ball, particularly that of Baig, who led their attack. “She is a great learner, she wants to get better and she has got a great work ethic,” Hemp said.Both coaches acknowledged that long layoffs for their teams contributed to some of the less-than-flattering moments that we saw throughout the series with dropped catches and missed run-outs a feature on both sides. For Hemp, Pakistan need to play against opposition ranked above them more often. “The more opportunities we have to play against sides who are ranked higher, the better. South Africa have nine players who are regularly playing in the best T20 competitions in the world,” he said. “We have to address our basics of the game. That’s where we are letting ourselves down.”For Moreeng, South Africa need matches because it is the only way they can can give themselves a real chance at the World Cup. “The ladies need game time,” he said. “We could see from the first game that we had enough preparation but there is only so much you can do. There were a lot of basics we were not doing right. We feel we need to stay active – that is the only way we can prepare.”The teams start a three-match T20I series at the same venue on Friday, where conditions are expected to be hot, slow and low as they have been so far.