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Hasan Ali has truly come of age. He has displayed impeccable control and penetration with the old ball. Getty Images

Now, that is a victory to savour for a long time! Pakistan defied all odds and predictions to pummel tournament favourites England with a commanding performance to book a berth in Sundays Champions Trophy 2017 final at The Oval.

This was as good a performance as could be expected in a knockout game. It was after a long time that Pakistan dominated a strong opposition in all three departments of the game. I am absolutely thrilled by this incredible turnaround by Sarfraz Ahmeds team and really proud of their resilience and commitment after a forgettable defeat to India in their first match.

Pakistans win was set up by a top-class bowling effort, replicating performances against South Africa and Sri Lanka. Even an in-form England team struggled to break the shackles in the middle overs despite a solid start. For the third successive time, Pakistan roared back in contention with the older ball even as the spinners tightened the screws.

Hasan Ali has truly come of age. He has displayed impeccable control and penetration with the old ball. Today, his line to both right and left-handers was perfect. Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees and the spinners complimented Hasan brilliantly as Pakistan didnt miss Mohammad Amir, who had to sit out due to back spasms.

Fielding is often the barometer by which Pakistans performance is judged. The players were charged up and I was hugely impressed by the body language and commitment by the fielders.

Our bowling unit becomes lethal when it gets the support of the fielders and thats exactly what we saw today. Restricting a team of Englands potential to a score of 211 speaks volumes about the ability of the bowlers despite the pressure of a knockout game.

What pleased me further was the almost flawless batting performance that followed the world-class effort with the ball. Fakhar Zaman was once again outstanding. I feel so happy that he hasnt been overawed at all by the occasion and seems to have a great temperament meant for big games.

Azhar and Fakhar can make a great pair if they continue to play with the same style and approach. Getty Images

Fakhar gave Pakistan a tremendous launching pad with his aggressive and purposeful batting at the top of the innings. Fakhars demeanour and approach at the crease is refreshing and he led the charge, which helped Pakistan get close to the target quickly.

I also kept a close eye on Azhar Alis innings. The opener was the perfect foil to Fakhar, and his calmness allowed Fakhar to express himself fully. Azhar and Fakhar can make a great pair if they continue to play with the same style and approach. On the other hand, Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez must have regained confidence with their cameos and their return to form augurs well for the final.

Talking about the final, the game is surely going to be huge regardless of the opposition. Both Bangladesh and India are capable sides and I see a close semifinal match at Edgbaston.

If India make it through, the fans will get to see an Indo-Pak tournament final and nothing comes close to matching the excitement of such a game.

Pakistan players need to take the match as another game and must take India as any other opposition. Records and numbers of matches gone by matter little in the final, hence Pakistan must stay relaxed and enjoy the occasion rather than letting their opponents rattle them.

Pakistan dont need to do anything different now. They have a tremendous game plan in place, which has worked brilliantly in the last few matches. The focus should be on minimising the errors and maximising the talent available in the eleven.

In the meantime, let us all enjoy this unexpected stellar run by Pakistan which has brought great joy to the fans in the country and around the world. A magnificent achievement is now just one game away. Give it your all boys!

This article first appeared onicc-cricket.com

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Pakistan ticked all the boxes against England - Wisden India

CARDIFF: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed and tail-ender Mohammad Amir staged a late fightback on Monday to take Pakistan to an incredible three-wicket victory over Sri Lankaat Cardiff.

The win has taken Pakistan to the semifinals of the Champions Trophy for the first time in eight years, and will now face England on Wednesday at Cardiff.

Sarfraz and Amir steadied the ship after the Pakistani middle order collapsed once again in chase of Sri Lanka's 237-run target in the virtual quarterfinal between the two teams.

The openers added 74 runs for the first wicket, with Fakhar scoring 50 and Azhar adding 34. However, the middle order collapsed soon, with Pakistan losing seven wickets by the 30th over with just 162 on board.

However, a 75-run partnership between Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Amir took Pakistan to an incredible win over Sri Lanka and ensured a semifinal berth.

Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka had to win to join already qualified title-holders India from Group B in the knockout stages of a tournament featuring the world's top eight one-day international sides.

Pakistan started their group campaign with a woeful 124-run defeat by arch-rivals India but bounced back to defeat top-ranked South Africa before this success against Sri Lanka.

India will play Bangladesh in Thursdays second semi-final at Edgbaston, with the final at the Oval on Sunday.

Earlier, young batsman Fakhar Zaman departed after scoring his debut ODI fifty, but not before seeing Pakistan off to a confident start.

Fakhar scored quick-fire 50 off 36 balls after getting caught by Asela Gunaratne from the bowling of Nuwan Pradeep.

However, the following batsmen failed to capitalise on the start provided by the young batsman as Babar Azam (10), Mohammad Hafeez (01), Azhar Ali (34), Shoaib Malik (11), Imad Wasim (4), Fahim Ashraf (15) fell one after the another.

Brilliant bowling from Pakistan pacers earlier restricted Sri Lanka to 236 runs.

Hasan Ali ended resistance by tail-enders as he bowled out Lakmal, after Junaid Khan and Mohammad Amir ripped through the opponent's middle-order picking up four wickets in quick succession.

Junaid picked up wickets of Thisara Perera and de Silva for just a single each, hastening the collapse after captain Angelo Mathews was bowled by Mohammad Amir on 39.

Junaid Khan bowled a ripper to get rid ofDhananjaya de Silva. Mohammad Amir again bowled a brilliant ball while captain Sarfraz Ahmed took a sensational catch to get rid of well-settledNiroshan Dickwella.

Hasan Ali struck in a dj vu repeat of Wayne Parnell's wicket to dismiss Mendis, followed by debutant Fahim Ashraf who clean bowled Chandimal for a duck, as Pakistan put brakes on Sri Lankan batting early into the game.

Junaid Khan earlier struck in his second over to dismiss openerGunathilaka cheaply, after Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, speaking to media ahead of the big game, said: "We had a good bowling meeting. We took wickets. If you take wickets, every good team feels under pressure."

The Green Shirts were also inspired by playing in front of a partisan crowd, something they have rarely enjoyed in the recent past.

"That is a feeling we miss, not playing in Pakistan," said Sarfraz. "Maybe that was a difference, the crowd was supporting us and thats why the players were boosted."

"Its one of the top wins, to beat India," said Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews. "The bowlers did brilliantly to restrict India to 321. It was a very chaseable target.

"Not many people expected us to win and that took a lot of pressure off us."

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Pakistan bowl as Fahim Ashraf debuts in knockout game against Sri Lanka - Geo News, Pakistan

South Africa's team management is trying to keep the players calm and convince them to carry on their cricket as normal ahead of the knockout match against India on Sunday. Following South Africa's defeat to Pakistan, and India's subsequent loss to Sri Lanka, the match at The Oval is a winner-takes-all affair, and given South Africa's history in knockout matches it's understandable if butterflies are fluttering. But batting coach Neil McKenzie said the backroom boys were trying to keep belief high.

"Because there is no insurance, you can sometimes take a knockout game too seriously and put too much pressure on yourself," he said. "We've had a lot of chats about keeping things exactly the same, being okay with the extra nerves but trusting your game-plan, trusting your blueprint and trusting the players that you've been playing with and been around for 18 months, doing well with.

"It's okay to feel extra tension, but it shouldn't be affecting your performances. We've tried to emphasise that our blueprint is good enough to beat any side. Our game plan is good enough to beat any side. It's making sure we can execute that."

McKenzie admitted the crunch moment has come sooner than South Africa would have liked, but said it is an opportunity to show what they have been working towards. "We were hoping [we would feel this] in a semi-final, but it has come one game early. All that we've put in place, and all our thinking and chats over the last 18 months has come a game early. It's quite exciting for the management, and it's all that we've been planning that we've got to be out there. Against India, a huge Indian crowd, you can't get more pressure cooker than that, but we think we're prepared."

Despite losing to the tournament's lowest-ranked side, South Africa are still the No.1 ODI team. They got there by winning seven of their last nine ODI series. That may count for nothing against India, but McKenzie said it was an indication of what they had done right. "The cricket we have been playing over the last 18 months suggests that if we get our blueprint right and we play somewhere where we know we can be, we should come up on top."

The "blueprint" McKenzie referred to is the same one he believed has fashioned most wins this tournament. With sporting surfaces upfront, McKenzie believed the best way to approach an innings is "a solid foundation, then middle order needs to hit space, knock it around, set up that platform and then obviously try and cash in. Most teams have been getting 70s and 80s in the last 10. That's normally our blueprint."

South Africa failed to do that against Pakistan because the top order was rattled. Only David Miller, with some support from Chris Morris, lent the innings some gravitas. In particular, South Africa's reticence against the spinners brought up a familiar weakness, but McKenzie said the familiarity of India's spinners should aid them.

"Both squads are blessed with a lot of variation - we are talking about Ashwin to our left-handers in the middle stages, but everybody knows what everybody can do. We know what Ashwin and Jadeja do. A lot of the guys have played with and against them in the IPL. It's not like they are coming with any mystery balls or bowlers. It's just down to preparation."

With rain around, South Africa held an optional practice session on Friday to remain "mentally fresh." They will go full tilt at training on Saturday to make sure they are fully ready to take on India.

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South Africa's mental prep in full swing ahead of knockout - ESPN

PVL

By ABS-CBN Sports on Jun 08, 2017 12:22 PM

So said Rex Intal, referring both to his glorious years in the UAAP when he figured prominently in the Ateneo Blue Eagles three straight championships and more recently to his new team Cignal Tvs two defeats in the Premier Volleyball League.

Intal, holder of two diplomas in Information Design as a major and Management as a minor, started in both matches the HD Spikers lost so far to back-to-back champion Philippine Air Force, 28-30, 19-25, 21-25, in the elimination round and to Sta. Elena Construction, 20-25, 26-24, 22-25, 28-30, in Game 1 of their best-of-three semifinal duel.

It felt strange to lose twice after two or three years of winning all your matches, said the former Atenean as he recalled those two occasions when the HD Spikers had bitten the dusts. It was another learning experience for me. I guess I have to jell more with the team and find more ways to contribute. As a team, we have to strengthen the areas where we need further improvements.

Coach Oliver Almadro, Intals mentor in his Ateneo years, and the HD Spikers apparently prepared well for their second semifinal meeting with the Wrecking Balls, making short work of the Richard Gomez-owned ball club, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22, to arrange a knockout Game 3 on Thursday, June 8.

Tuesday after taking Game 2, the HD Spikers were treated to a movie and dinner later in an apparent move at relaxation.

The Sta. Elena management did the same to its players.

Ateneo fans have observed that since suiting up for Cignal Tv, Intal has been more relaxed now on the court, freer with his smiles and cheers for a teammate who has scored in stark contrast to his UAAP days when, in staying single-focused to help Ateneo win a match, he rarely smiled and even hardly talked to his teammates.

I train just as hard as before, he said, but on the court I try now to have a good time, to enjoy the game, and feel no pressure without necessarily letting my performance slip.

Intal and Joshua Villanueva joined their champion coach on Cignal after a prolonged celebration of Ateneos third consecutive title triumph in the UAAP.

The prolific pair only had one training with their new teammates before the PVL, a joint undertaking of Sports Vision as organizer, Asics as official league partner, and Mikasa as official game ball, was launched April 30.

Intal got to play only in the third game against Philippine Army.

He was sent in to the court late in the first set, scoring three points at once in three minutes, and was never pulled out en route to a 12-point production.

From then on, he has made the starting team of coach Almadro together with another former Ateneo teammate Ysay Marasigan.

But it is not so for Villanueva, converted from middle blocker to open spiker for Cignal. He only gets two or three minutes of playing time if ever hes utilized at all, which is very rarely.

Thats another thing Intal feels strange about.

Im so used to having Josh (Villanueva) on the court and now

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Intal: 'I'm not used to losing in two or three years' - ABS-CBN Sports

LUBBOCK, Texas Sophomore right-hander Cody Deason will start for the Arizona Wildcats in their elimination game Sunday vs. Sam Houston State in the NCAA Tournaments Lubbock Regional. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after noon Tucson time.

Deason (5-2, 2.77 ERA) pitched one inning during Arizonas 6-5, 12-inning victory over Delaware on Saturday. He would have pitched more, but a 2-hour, 18-minute rain delay limited him to that one frame. He faced four batters, striking out three. He threw 19 pitches.

Deason will face sophomore left-hander Seth Ballew (6-3, 3.99). The Bearkats threw a lefty at the Wildcats on Friday, and it worked as Sam Houston won 5-4 to push Arizona into the losers bracket. Coach Matt Deggs said he liked the matchup, and hes going to that well again.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, after Sam Houston State lost to host Texas Tech 6-0, Deggs predicted a dogfight against Arizona, which has become a familiar foe. Todays game will be the fourth postseason meeting between the schools in the past two years.

I think the two ballclubs are very similar, the way they go about their business, Deggs said. Both play extremely hard, play with a lot of energy, love to play. You can see the passion on both sides.

Neither one of us wants to see our season end. Whoever wins will absolutely have to finish the other guy, I promise you that.

Here's Arizonas lineup:

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Cody Deason to start for Arizona Wildcats in NCAA knockout game vs. Sam Houston State - Sequoyah County Times