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Ahmed Shehzad, Pakistan’s opening batsman, has been diagnosed with a minor skull fracture after being hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Corey Anderson on the second day of the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2014Ahmed Shehzad, Pakistan’s opening batsman, has been diagnosed with a minor skull fracture after being hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Corey Anderson on the second day of the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. Shehzad will be monitored closely over the next 48 hours and may have to undergo decompression on the fracture if his pain does not subside.The incident took place in the last over before lunch when Shehzad attempted a hook shot off Anderson but missed the ball, which crashed into the right side of his helmet. The injury caused Shehzad so much pain that he dropped his bat on to the stumps as he wheeled away and collapsed to the ground. He was dismissed hit wicket, after scoring a career-best 176, and walked off the field holding his jaw.Pakistan team manager Moin Khan said the scans had shown a depressed fracture of the zygomatic arch of the skull. “The specialist surgeon has confirmed minor fracture and has advised 48 hours of close monitoring. In case the pain doesn’t subside then the surgeon may opt for decompression,” Moin said.Anderson said he had not immediately realised the seriousness of the incident and was quickly concerned for Shehzad. “The wicket was the first I saw and you celebrate – we’d been out there a long time and wickets were hard to come by – but his health was the next concern.”I heard he came back to the ground, which is pleasing, you never want to see anyone get hurt. I’ve seen plenty of people in that position before and it’s not a nice feeling. Credit to him, it was an unbelievable innings.”Shehzad was later spotted in the dressing room, watching Pakistan bowl.

Goal counts down the transfers that have surprised over the years in the world's most popular sport

The appointment of college football coach Ted Lasso as Richmond FC's new manager might be one of the more bizarre signings in football, but the sport's history is littered with shock transfers – successful and infamous…

Getty20Ronaldinho – AC Milan to Flamengo

In 2011, Ronaldinho had a whole host of admirers when he was leaving AC Milan.

His transfer to Flamengo was not exactly a shock as he returned to his homeland, but the real head-scratching moment was the fact that Brazilian rivals Gremio were so sure they had they had re-signed their former player that they held a celebration with their fans before Flamengo came in and snatched him from under their eyes.

AdvertisementMarco Luzzani19Andrea Pirlo – Juventus U23 to Juventus

Andrea Pirlo was no stranger to a shocking switch, having first traded Inter for AC Milan and later joined Juventus on a free transfer, prompting Gianluigi Buffon to claim "God exists".

However, in 2020, he went one step further, taking over as coach of Juventus's Under-23 side without any coaching experience before being promoted to the top job just a week later following the sacking of Maurizio Sarri.

Getty Images18Julien Faubert – West Ham to Real Madrid

French winger Julien Faubert had an unexpected career journey. He went from Cannes to Bordeaux to West Ham before stunning the world when Real Madrid came in with a deadline day loan offer for him in January 2009.

He played just twice for Los Blancos, even being pictured sleeping on the bench during a game and missing training as he got his day off mixed up.

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Getty17Edgar Davids – Retired to Barnet

In 2012, former Ajax, Juventus and Netherlands legend Edgar Davids came out of retirement to play for his local London club.

But rather than a Premier League giant, the Champions League winner was appointed joint player-coach at… League Two side Barnet.

There, he wore the shirt number 1 and would not travel to away games if the team was required to stay in a hotel overnight.

Barnet were relegated but Davids stayed on and managed the team in the Conference. He left in 2014 and has not had a managerial job since.

There have been plenty of overpowered FUT cards over the years that seasoned players will remember all too well. Goal looks back at some of the best

Ultimate Team debuted in FIFA 09 and revolutionised the game franchise for the years to come.

Over the years there have been a wide variety of overpowered cards that had players ripping their hair out on frustration – unless you were the one using them!

Seasoned FIFA players will remember the likes of Seydou Doumbia, Alexander Esswein and Emmanuel Emenike who were ridiculously pacey, leaving defenders with no chance.

Goal decided to look back on the hordes of overpowered cards by asking FIFA's biggest personalities and pro players to look back on their favourite ever cards from FIFA Ultimate Team…

Getty/EA Sports compositeEmmanuel Mayuka (72) – FIFA 13 – ChuBoi

Chukwuma 'ChuBoi' Morah has become one of the faces of FIFA's competitive scene, regularly appearing on tournament broadcasts.

ChuBoi was formerly the community manager for FIFA and transitioned into a streamer and content creator. The host has thrown it back all the way to FIFA 13 for a card many FIFA players will remember.

"My favourite FUT card of all time is probably the 72-rated striker Emmanuel Mayuka from FIFA 13 aka 'Mayuka the Bazooka'. He was the best striker in the game, period. Now you may ask yourself why a silver card was the best striker that year? Because that card was sent by God!

"He had 90 pace, but it felt like 150. He had 67 shooting but every shot was a GOAL. It made absolutely no sense… the stats were a lie. He was better than Prime R9. When you saw him in the loading screen you knew you were already finished."

AdvertisementGetty/EA Sports compositeFelipe Santana (77) & 82 Naldo (82) – FIFA 11 – Shellzz

Shaun 'Shellzz' Springette is Manchester City's latest esports signing after the Englishman was left teamless due to the collapse of UNILAD. Shellzz took the FIFA scene by storm when he won the PlayStation finals in his competitive debut.

The Man City player struggled to name just one favourite card, with his eventual answer consisting of two – Felipe Santana and Naldo – who created an excellent pairing for multiple FIFAs.

"If you played Ultimate Team in FIFA 11/12/13, I’m pretty sure you’ll have faced these two before. Both are 6’3 with 80-something pace, these guys were a brick wall at the back and some of the most overpowered CBs that have ever existed in Ultimate Team, in my opinion."  

Getty/EA Sports compositeStephan El Shaarawy (73) – FIFA 12 – Bateson87

Jamie 'Bateson87' Bateson is one of the recognisable faces in the FIFA community as his YouTube channel has over 1.2 million subscribers. The FIFA YouTuber has racked up over 387 million views across all of his content.

Bateson has gone back to the game many consider one of the best iterations of FIFA ever, FIFA 12. The fast-paced gameplay and beautiful finesse shots of 12 were perfect for Bateson's pick of silver midfielder Stephan El Sharaaway:

"This item everyone wanted to use regardless of his rating. He made everyone a FIFA skiller and everyone loved trying to get highlight reel goals every game. He was the one player who gave me fun and excitement every time I used him."

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Getty/EA Sports composite David Villa (88) – FIFA 11 – Chesnoid Gaming

Time for another FIFA Youtuber in Chris 'ChesnoidGaming' Wood, who has over 260k subscribers and over 77 million views racked up on his main channel.

His favourite card of choice goes back all the way to FIFA 11, before Chesnoid even began his current channel. His card of choice is David Villa who at the time was one of the best strikers in the world with an overall rating of 88 in the game.

And Chesnoid couldn't compliment the Spaniard enough: "Still to this day, he is the deadliest striker I've ever played with.

"Villa always gave you full confidence that he'd finish a chance and score you the goal to win the game. Clinical."

Marcus Trescothick’s punishing century led Somerset to victory against Durham as he continued to put the woes of 2013 behind him

Tim Wigmore at Taunton22-May-2014
ScorecardMarcus Trescothick is putting the horrors of 2013 behind him•Getty ImagesThe roar that greeted Marcus Trescothick’s century reflected the affection that he is held at Taunton and beyond. If the gap between his 18th and 19th first-class centuries at the ground had been too long – 618 days to be exact – Trescothick could scarcely have chosen a better moment to end it.His innings did more than guide Somerset to 248, and with enough haste to make up for four hours lost on the final day to showers; and it did more than just take Somerset to second in the table, a position they hold as the division’s only unbeaten side. It created a resounding sense that Trescothick’s struggles last season, averaging 28 in the championship, were not the indications of decline that had been feared. Somerset have won two championship games this season; a Trescothick century has underpinned both.They have been of very different characters. His century at Hove held Somerset together in testing batting conditions; here he hurtled to 133 at better than a run a ball. Consecutive sixes off Chris Rushworth, over long-on and midwicket, would have cleared many larger grounds than Taunton. But for sheer audacity, no shot matched a paddle over fine leg for six.The opposition captain, Paul Collingwood, could only admire the onslaught. “It’s a pleasure to watch watching him in that kind of form because it just proves that he’s still one of the world’s best batsman around,” he said. “I’m not just saying English batsmen, I’m saying when he’s in that mood he’s literally got all the shots. It’s incredible to watch. In many ways it’s such a shame that he hasn’t played more for England.””We’ll talk about that innings for the next ten years,” Collingwood added, highlighting Trescothick’s contempt for Ryan Pringle’s offspin on a wicket that was offering assistance. “Hitting shots out of the rough over extra cover for six and playing around with the field the way he was. It’s just unbelievable.”Collingwood believes Trescothick is even more explosive on the county circuit than playing for England. “I’ve always thought that when you play in the England set-up, the intensity and the pressure that’s on you, you probably don’t play to your 100% capabilities and he seems to have this kind of freedom,” he said. “When you’ve got a guy with the kind of skill with that mentality, it looks as if he’s a better player now when he’s in that form then when he was with England. But I think you could argue that the pressure of playing for England is the thing that holds you back a bit.”Trescothick’s intent was palpable from his opening two balls of the day, both harrumphed through the offside for four. It was quite the learning curve for offspinner Pringle, who was then launched for six over extra cover amid the carnage. With a serious thunderstorm due – and it arrived at 11.38, with Somerset still needing 80 more, and play could not resume for four hours – Trescothick evidently relished the urgency of the situation.”If it’s in the zone you’ve got to give it everything you can do,” he said. “You tend to lose sight of the fear.” Compared to his more adhesive effort at Hove (when his strike-rate was 49), this innings was “a lot more enjoyable because you could express yourself a bit more and I probably played a bit freer.”And it would have been all the more satisfying for coming after the struggles of last season. “Last season was unique for us because it was just a downward spiral,” Trescothick said. “There’s no doubt about it, everyone questions themselves. You probably question yourself even more at 38.” At one point Somerset’s skipper scored two runs in five innings across formats.”You train, you work and you do everything and you think why aren’t I getting the results?” But Trescothick resisted the urge to change the method that has served him so well. “I’m still working the same way that I have done from last season to this. Maybe it’s just a bit of confidence, when you get that score that you need.”It has become a cliché to say that he is no technician, but Trescothick’s nous, self-belief and knowledge of his own game trumpets any lack of footwork. “The winter was the key time for my rebuilding,” he said. A championship average of 51 in 2014, is providing considerable – and rather heart-warming – vindication.With the pitch having slowed over the course of the game, Durham’s only chance of success rested on Pringle’s best impersonation of Saeed Ajmal: quite the task for a 22-year-old making his first-class debut. He did not wilt, claiming Nick Compton lbw and belatedly snaring Trescothick at long-off, but far more established bowlers would have had no riposte to Trescothick’s assault.Durham’s fate rather seemed sealed from before the day’s first delivery, with Mark Wood – likened to Simon Jones by Trescothick – and Jamie Harrison both unable to bowl, although Wood still took to the outfield. Add Graham Onions, Ben Stokes and Scott Borthwick and you would have a formidable attack from Durham’s bowling absentees.”I would have loved to have seen the competition, especially with the rough outside offstump, of Borthwick and Trescothick,” Collingwood lamented. Graham Onions and Ben Stokes, who could both return at Trent Bridge on Sunday, are needed: “It is a bit desperate at the moment,” Collingwood admitted. “I always said that we over-achieved last year.”

Following their landmark win against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, Afghanistan have qualified for the ICC one-day rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2014Following their landmark win against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, Afghanistan have qualified for the ICC one-day rankings. They come into the rankings with 32 rating points, which puts them in 12th place behind Ireland and the Test nations. Should they register another win in the Asia Cup, they will leapfrog Ireland on the table.The win against Bangladesh was Afghanistan’s first against a Test-playing nation, and it came less than five months after they had secured their place in World Cup 2015 by finishing second in the World Cricket League Championship – the ICC’s top one-day tournament for non-Full Members.To gain promotion to the main rankings table, an Associate either needs to win two ODIs against Full Members, or register one win against a Full Member and have a winning percentage of over 60% against other Associates in the qualifying period (since August 2010). Afghanistan have met the second criterion.A team also needs to have played a minimum of eight matches, in the format, in the qualifying period to get a ranking. Afghanistan have played 12 ODIs since August 2010.

Darren Sammy does not think the events of the 2012 final will give West Indies an edge going into their World T20 semi-final, but says it will play on Sri Lanka’s minds

Abhishek Purohit in Mirpur02-Apr-2014Darren Sammy does not think West Indies have an edge going into their World T20 semi-final against Sri Lanka because of what happened in the final of the previous edition. Sri Lanka had tied down the West Indies batsmen completely for more than half of their innings in Colombo before Marlon Samuels’ counter-attack lifted his side to a title-winning score. Sammy felt, however, that the incidents of that night would be in the minds of the Sri Lankans.”Cricket is not about what happens before,” Sammy said. “It’s (about) what happens on a cricket field on that present day. We defeated them in the World Cup (2012 final) and in the practice game here but they have played some good cricket and we have a lot of respect for them.”Last final will be at the back of their mind, the practice game will be at the back of their mind. Once West Indies turn up, West Indies are dangerous.”No team has successfully defended the World T20 title before, but Sammy said West Indies were confident they could become the first side to do so.”When we left the Caribbean, we had that as the motivation factor for us,” he said. “In the last World Cup, the mantra was one team, one goal and the mission was to win the World Cup. This year the mantra is the same: One team, one goal, but the mission is to retain the title. It’s something that no team has done before and we are very confident that we can do it.”Once we play the brand of cricket that we played in the last three games, there is every possibility that we can do it. We have been peaking at the right times (and) doing some good things with our team spirit and our never-say-die attitude. Hopefully, that will be contagious. Hopefully, we have another good semi-final like we did in the last World Cup (against Australia).”When asked about Rangana Herath’s astonishing return of 5 for 3 against New Zealand, Sammy said it was offspinners who had troubled West Indies. “The off-spinners are the ones who have got wickets against us so we don’t mind their left-arm-spinner,” he said. “Hopefully, we don’t play him as the New Zealanders did. We know what we are going to come across or against, but this bunch of guys in the dressing room are very confident even when everything seems gloomy.”

South Africa haven’t won in four matches in Durban, something they will be out to correct. India stood up in Johannesburg, something they will be out to repeat

The Preview by Firdose Moonda25-Dec-20130:00

Dravid: Big challenges after taxing Test

Match facts December 26- December 30, 2013
Start time 1000 local (0800GMT)Jacques Kallis will be playing his final Test•Getty ImagesBig Picture Test match cricket probably does not get tougher or tenser than the Wanderers last week. It also doesn’t get more tight. After five days of one of the best quality matches in recent times, there was no winner which has increased what’s at stake in this Boxing Day Test.For South Africa, that grew even more when Jacques Kallis announced the Durban match would be his last. South Africa will want to give him a send-off that includes a series win but will also have on eye on important points on the ICC rankings and intangible ones the teams need to prove to themselves and their fans.India have already done the last of those. Their batsmen performed beyond expectation and showed their ability to adjust to conditions that are regarded as some of the toughest in the world. Their bowlers had the measure of their opposition for the majority of the first Test. Having pushed the No. 1 ranked team to the edge, India will see no reason why they can’t tip them over, especially given the venue of the second Test.Durban is where India beat South Africa the last time they were here. Graeme Smith’s men have not won any of the last four matches they have played at Kingsmead, which gives them all the more reason to push for one here. They are a proud and proven team, who have claimed victories all over the cricketing world and now need to get an important one on their own turf and will take heart from their record to do that.South Africa have not lost a series in almost five years. Their last defeat came in February 2009 against Australia. Since then, they have played 13 series, won seven and drawn six. Of those, four of the shared spoils came at home. Being the top-ranked team is important to them and this series will play a crucial role in staying there.India’s next assignment is against New Zealand while South Africa take on third placed Australia at home so the outcome of this match could be crucial for the rankings over the next few months.Form guide (last five completed games most recent first)
South Africa DWLWW
India DWWWWIn the spotlightIt was always coming but it arrived unexpectedly soon. Jacques Kallis will play his last Test in Durban. After 18 years as a Test allrounder, Kallis has decided to reserve the time he has left for limited-overs cricket only with an eye on the 2015 World Cup. That doesn’t mean he won’t want to go out with a bang. After last scoring a century more than a year ago, Kallis has the perfect stage to do it here.Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander were, according to Graeme Smith, the two men who made the decision to play for a draw in Johannesburg because they wanted to leave the open the possibility of winning the series in Durban. Much of the burden of doing that will fall on them. After going wicketless in the second innings at the Wanderers, Steyn will be looking forward to the possibility of swing in the air at Kingsmead while Philander, who has not played a Test at this ground will want to show his style of bowling can be as successful in these conditions as they are anywhere.Having recently become the fastest Indian bowler to 100 Test wickets, R Ashwin may not be used to playing a bit-part role but that’s what he had to do at the Wanderers. Ashwin bowled only six overs in the first wickets and although his load was six times more in the second, he went wicket-less. That should change in Durban. With spin certain to play a role, Ashwin should have the opportunity to come into his own in the latter stages of the match. His contributions with the bat on what could be a tricky surface will also be needed.Team news Morne Morkel’s quick recovery from his ankle sprain means South Africa may not have to choose any replacement seamer and can stick to the same pace attack. Should something go wrong for Morkel, one of Rory Kleinveldt or Kyle Abbott will take his place. They seem certain to make a change in the spin department with Robin Peterson likely to step in for Imran Tahir.South Africa: (likely) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 JP Duminy 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir/Robin PetersonAfter the way their batting line-up stood up at the Wanderers, India do not have any need to make changes. They may ponder playing a second specialist spinner with Ravindra Jadeja a possibility, but will then have to leave out a batsman. Their pacemen showed what they are capable of in Johannesburg and unless one of them is carrying legs which are too tired to carry on, they should field the same trio in that department.India: (likely) 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Ajinkya Rahane, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Mohammed ShamiPitch and conditionsDurban is the South Africa’s most Indian city – in terms of weather and demographics – and the pitch may end up reflecting that. The surface is expected to be slower than usual and should take turn as the match enters the final two days. Despite Durban gaining a reputation for washouts, the first three days are forecast to be sunny and hot. Rain is scheduled for all of Sunday, with the final day cloudy and cooler.Stats and trivia South Africa’s record at Kingsmead reads like this: played 39, won 13, lost 13, drawn 13. India have only won two Tests in South Africa before this tour. The first was in Johannesburg and the second in Durban – both of which were the venues of this series. Jacques Kallis will play his last Test at Kingsmead. He has four hundreds at the venue, which come consecutively between 2002 and 2006. Quotes “That workload will be in their legs somewhere in the Test match, especially if we can get a good partnership somewhere in their line-up. The more confident we’ve got, the less the toss is a worry for us.”

“We gained a lot of confidence and there a lot of positives for us. We batted really well. We bowled really well. So if we can repeat the same thing then we have a very good chance of winning this test match.”

Tamim Iqbal is expected to return to cricket within two or three weeks, after he underwent arthroscopic evaluation and surgery on his left knee in Melbourne on Monday

Mohammad Isam29-Dec-2014Tamim Iqbal is expected to return to cricket within two or three weeks, after he underwent arthroscopic evaluation and surgery on his left knee in Melbourne on Monday.According to Dr David Young, the orthopaedic surgeon performed the procedure, the batsman will be able to make a comeback to nets following rehabilitation which will begin immediately.Bangladesh’s chief selector Faruque Ahmed said that Tamim will be considered for Bangladesh’s 15-member World Cup squad, which is expected to be announced next week. Bangladesh will have a short camp at home from January 12, and Tamim is likely to return before the team leaves for Brisbane on January 24.”He [Tamim Iqbal] will be considered one hundred per cent,” Faruque told ESPNcricinfo. “The report has given us optimism as he will have ample time to rehabilitate from the surgery and begin nets in due time.”Tamim had complained of pain while playing for Legends of Rupganj in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League two weeks ago, following which the BCB sent him to see Dr Young.According to a BCB press release, their senior physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury informed that “the BCB medical team will decide on the management plan for the player in consultation with Dr Young after evaluating the complete report on the surgery”.

Bangladesh will prepare for the upcoming World Twenty20, which they are hosting, with three T20 matches against their A team

Mohammad Isam03-Dec-2013Bangladesh’s preparation for the upcoming World Twenty20 begins next Tuesday as the senior side gear up to face the A team in three Twenty20 matches. A two-man selection panel has picked a youthful second-string side against a Bangladesh team which includes Shakib Al Hasan, the allrounder having recovered from dengue fever, which he contracted on the eve of the first ODI against New Zealand in October.The team will however be without the experience of Tamim Iqbal, as the left-hand opener is still recovering from an abdominal injury that resulted in him missing out on the third ODI of the New Zealand series, as well as the one-off T20 match. They will be led by Mushfiqur Rahim, who has been given an extension till the 2015 World Cup as captain.Nasir Hossain will lead a strong A team which includes Imrul Kayes, the second-highest scorer in the Dhaka Premier League, as well as Marshall Ayub who played two Tests in October. The side is packed with three allrounders in Farhad Reza, Muktar Ali and Alauddin Babu – who, admittedly, recently conceded 39 runs off an over in a DPL match.All three matches will be held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, with the first two – on December 10 and 12 – being played in the evening. The final game, on December 14, will be played in the afternoon.The series is the brainchild of Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen who, like the members of the team management, is looking to fix the team’s problematic T20 setup. Bangladesh are currently No. 10 in the ICC Twenty20 rankings, 15 rating points behind Ireland. They have won only two of their last ten international matches in this format.In the World Twenty20, which they are hosting, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Nepal in the first round of the competition, from which only one team will qualify to the following stage.Squads
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Anamul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Naeem Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah , Abdur Razzak, Sohag Gazi, Mashrafe Mortaza, Ziaur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Al-Amin Hossain.Bangladesh A: Nasir Hossain (capt), Jahurul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Marshal Ayub, Sabbir Rahman, Nazmul Hossain, Farhad Reza, Arafat Sunny, Elias Sunny, Muktar Ali, Alauddin Babu.

Steven Smith started this series in form but out of the side. Matthew Wade started it out of form but in the side. Together, they set up a series victory by plotting one of Australia’s most remarkable one-day international chases

The Report by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG21-Nov-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:09

Steven Smith seals series for Australia

Steven Smith started this series in form but out of the side. Matthew Wade started it out of form but in the side. Together, they set up a series victory by plotting one of Australia’s most remarkable one-day international chases, in front of one of the MCG’s most remarkably small international crowds. Smith’s 104 was reminiscent of Michael Bevan’s heroics at the SCG on New Year’s Day 1996, delivering victory from a position where defeat seemed inevitable.Smith and Wade came together with Australia’s score at 5 for 98 in pursuit of 268. Effectively, they were 6 for 98, for Nathan Coulter-Nile’s hamstring injury meant he was unlikely to bat. But instead of panicking, the pair summed up the situation sensibly. There was plenty of time and nothing silly was required. Tick the score along at a run a ball, don’t get out, and blast it home at the end. Smith was skilled enough to make it happen.Almost. With two runs required, he was bowled trying to slog sweep Robin Peterson, but there were still seven balls remaining, and the victory arrived with a single next ball from Pat Cummins when his shot to mid-on was picked up on the bounce by David Miller; the third umpire checked for a clean catch and found it had bounced. Australia had pulled off victory by three wickets with six balls to spare.James Faulkner had played a key role after Wade fell for 52 late in the chase. Faulkner struck six boundaries in his unbeaten 34 from 19 balls and made sure the pressure did not build once the 121-run Smith-Wade partnership was broken. That occurred when Wade – who entered the series having scored only 101 runs at 16.83 in the recent Matador Cup – hooked a catch into the deep off Wayne Parnell.He had struck four boundaries and one six, also off Parnell, and provided valuable assistance for Smith. After the previous game in Canberra, AB de Villiers described Smith as a nightmare for opposing captains. It was not a nightmare de Villiers could shake. Smith knocked the ball around and stayed at the crease, bringing up his 50 from 63 balls. He played a few of his adventurous Smith-style strokes, notably a tennis smash over mid-off for four off Kyle Abbott, but he took few real risks.Steven Smith produced a wonderfully paced innings to secure the series for Australia•Getty ImagesSmith scored his runs all around the wicket and his hundred came from 109 deliveries to show why he is viewed with such excitement as a likely future leader of this side. In front of 14,177 Melbourne spectators, Smith not only delivered a series win but also ensured he will be a permanent member of this ODI outfit after starting the series out of the side.He came to the crease with early wickets having hurt. South Africa had drastically altered their attack from the previous game and the changes initially paid off. Abbott struck early by having David Warner lbw for 4 and his first spell was brilliantly miserly – four overs for five runs. Ryan McLaren, down on confidence after struggling in Perth, perked up after having Shane Watson caught behind flashing at a wide ball for 19.Then came the big blow – Aaron Finch, who had made a century in that similar chase against England earlier this year, pulled a catch to deep square leg off Parnell for 22 off 37 balls. When captain George Bailey battled to rotate the strike and was caught behind trying to smash one outside off from Dale Steyn for 16 off 29, things looked grim for Australia. Another flash without footwork ended in Glenn Maxwell edging to slip off Steyn for 2.Not until Smith settled in did Australia enter de Villiers-style batting mode. Having promoted himself to No.4, de Villiers milked runs and struck only six boundaries during the course of his 91 from 88 balls. Only once did he face three consecutive dots and by ensuring the pressure did not build, he allowed Miller to build an innings without feeling he had to go hard.They combined for a 122-run stand that ended when Miller’s patience did in fact desert him, and during the batting Powerplay he tried to clear cover off Faulkner but was caught in the deep for 45. Faulkner, who was yet to play in the series, was one of Australia’s better bowlers and finished with 2 for 45 after he bowled Robin Peterson during the dying stages.But the big wicket was that of de Villiers, who now has 271 runs in the series at 67.75 and seemed destined for his first hundred of the tour. However, he was caught slapping a slower ball from Cummins to deep midwicket with seven overs remaining, and the loss of their settled batsman seriously hurt South Africa’s momentum. Only 51 runs came from the final 10 overs for the loss of four wickets; their 8 for 267 should have been far more.Still, it was something for their bowlers to defend after the top three batsmen all fell within the first 17 overs. Hashim Amla hooked Coulter-Nile to square leg and was brilliantly caught low to the ground by Cummins for 18; Quinton de Kock was caught and bowled by Maxwell off a leading edge for 17; and Faf du Plessis was caught behind off Cummins for 28, his first ODI wicket since June 2012.All of Australia’s frontline bowlers made contributions – Mitchell Starc took 1 for 40 from 10 overs after claiming the late wicket of McLaren – and between them they ensured South Africa stuttered. Australia’s batsmen stuttered too, but Smith didn’t. He engineered Australia’s first ever ODI victory over South Africa at the MCG, which could be an important mental barrier overcome if they meet there for the World Cup final in March. For now, they ensured Sunday’s SCG match is a dead rubber.