Three young West Ham United fans have serenaded Declan Rice, Ben Johnson, Flynn Downes, Aaron Cresswell, Danny Ings and Jarrod Bowen ahead of their Europa Conference League final.

When is the Europa Conference League final?

The Hammers will be playing in their first European final since the European Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1976, and they’ve not actually lifted a major trophy in 43 years when they won the FA Cup.

Understandably then, fans are pretty excited with their team set to take on Italian side Fiorentina in Prague on June 7 – next Wednesday (8pm UK time).

In preparation for the hugely important fixture, David Moyes and co have been off in Europe for a three-day training camp in southern Portugal.

Beyond the obvious hard work they’ll no doubt be putting in, it seems they’ve found the time to have some fun along the way too. For instance, some players were spotted chanting and messing around at a local water park.

On top of that, footage has now been circulated on Twitter showing a number of senior players relaxing at a bar.

Three young West Ham fans sing in front of Declan Rice, Ben Johnson, Flynn Downes, Aaron Cresswell, Danny Ings and Jarrod Bowen at a bar in Portugal.
âš’ðŸ‘🻠pic.twitter.com/xGYsJ6J6uQ
— West Ham Central (@WestHam_Central) June 2, 2023

While the likes of Rice, Bowen and the others sit at the back of the pub garden, a few young Irons take to the stage to deliver a brilliant rendition of the club’s famous anthem “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” – also more simply known as “Bubbles”.

The players all offer a warm round of applause and it seems the efforts of the youngsters were also appreciated online. Indeed, here are some of the best reactions on Twitter…

Some fans even got emotional!

Match facts

September 30-October 4, 2016
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)3:25

Agarkar: Unfair to Dhawan if Gambhir plays

Big picture

One-nil down is a bad place to be for a Test team in India. Worse still if you are playing back-to-back games. The memories are too fresh. The heat too invasive. That one ball spins but the other not so much is basically just too much. In 83 years and 249 matches, only twice has a team won the series from this predicament. And New Zealand have to go up against history with their best player feeling “crook”.Kane Williamson picked up a bug and was unable to train at Eden Gardens on the eve of the match. At the pre-match press conference though, Tom Latham said there was “no discomfort” to his captain and added “he is just resting up and getting right for tomorrow.” India’s injury worries, on the other hand, seem to have dissipated with news that R Ashwin is likely to be fit. And with Ravindra Jadeja unlikely to lose his accuracy, they could well sit back and hit autopilot.The pitch was said to have some grass cover and was expected to assist the batsmen early on. And since it would also break up as the game goes on, first-innings runs will be crucial. Helpfully that’s when Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay average more than 65. Should they win in Kolkata, India will claim the No. 1 ranking once again.New Zealand weren’t decimated in Kanpur. They had two bad periods of play which need putting aside. Only, the human mind, when told not to do something, tends to … Let’s put it this way. If asked not to think of an elephant in pig tails, what do you do? Perhaps that was why Williamson and coach Mike Hesson advised their players to simply be vigilant for longer and to concentrate on making good starts. That isn’t a put down, nor is it generic feedback. Those are words of understanding and they provide direction. But will they still help New Zealand if they are forced to walk onto Eden Gardens – for the first time in 51 years – without their captain?

Form guide

India WDWDW
New Zealand LLDWW

In the spotlight

Virat Kohli says he doesn’t care about records and couldn’t care less about batting averages. His aim is to play a brand of cricket that will take India to the top and he believes such a time may not be far off. However, as a no. 4 batsman and captain of the side, he knows he cannot slack even if the team is doing well. He practiced with a rubber ball in the nets to be better prepared when the cricket ball bounces awkwardly – as two of them did in Kanpur to dismiss him. He clearly doesn’t want to be caught off guard in Kolkata.The baby face, the glasses, the mild-mannered persona, the thrifty left-arm spin and fine batting skills lower down the order. Mitchell Santner is going out of his way to emulate Daniel Vettori. But not too many of his team-mates would be disappointed if he tried to be New Zealand’s version of Jadeja and in the second innings in Kanpur, he tried his best to be – 33 overs, 11 maidens and two wickets.R Ashwin seems set to play, despite the corn on the middle finger of his right hand•Associated Press

Team news

KL Rahul’s hamstring injury provides a way back for Shikhar Dhawan. It is unlikely that Gautam Gambhir would be thrust back into the XI when he has not played Test cricket in two years. India think the pitch may help the batsmen and may be thinking about going with five bowlers. Offspinner Jayant Yadav may be in line for a Test debut with Kohli conscious about the number of left-handers in New Zealand’s batting line-up.India (probable) 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma/Jayant Yadav, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 9 Ravindra Jadeja, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh YadavNew Zealand have repeatedly placed faith in Martin Guptill’s ability at the top of the other and may not have any choice now considering the injuries they have had. If Williamson is ruled unfit, Henry Nicholls could get a look in. Offspinner Jeetan Patel may also play his first Test since 2013, unless they prefer the seam of Doug Bracewell and Matt Henry.New Zealand (probable) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson (capt)/Henry Nicholls, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Mitchell Santner, 6 Luke Ronchi, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Jeetan Patel, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The square at Eden Gardens was relaid for the first time in 12 years for the 2016-17 season and this Test will be the first first-class game on it. As for the 22 yards, Kohli saw some runs on it: “The surface is pretty nice, it has a little bit of grass covering. The wicket is what we see in Calcutta more often than not. It’s generally a very good batting wicket more often than not. We are expecting the same.”This is also the first Test in September in Kolkata. The weather has been overcast and there is some rain expected during the course of the match. As such the pitch has been under covers a lot. With sunset approximately at half-past five, bad light may be a concern although provisions have been made to use the floodlights, if necessary.

Stats and trivia

• It is instructive looking at the list of non-subcontinent batsmen who have done well in the subcontinent. It is dominated by batsmen known for defensive techniques and stubborn occupation of the crease. Allan Border, Shiv Chanderpaul, Jacques Kallis and Alastair Cook at the top and only later followed by those with a bit more flair – Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Ricky Ponting and Viv Richards.
• New Zealand last played at Eden Gardens in March 1965
• India will be playing their 250th Test at home.

Quotes

“You have to do all the cliché things you need to do at the start of an innings. We weren’t too far away in the first Test. As Hess has alluded to, we just need to do things for a little bit longer. If we can do that with bat and ball it will a good chance in this match.””I don’t get motivated by records. If you notice the cricket we played two years ago in Tests and now, it’s easy to get carried by these records. You’ll end up focussing on the process.”

Aston Villa are reportedly edging closer to sign a La Liga ace this summer, with Unai Emery wanting one of his former players to join him in the Midlands.

The Spaniard has transformed the club since his arrival in October, giving Villa Park the chance to experience European nights again after starting the season in relegation form.

Now, it seems the 51-year-old is aiming to regroup with players he has worked with in the past, with one notable talent being singled out as a potential boost to Villa’s defence.

What’s the latest on Pau Torres to Aston Villa?

As reported by FootballTransfers exclusively earlier last month, Aston Villa are interested in signing Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres this summer.

Since the first report, GIVEMESPORT have revealed that Villa are ‘leading the race’ to sign the Spaniard, as per journalist Rudy Galetti.

The 26-year-old has a reported release clause of €50m (£43m).

What could Pau Torres bring to Aston Villa?

Once lauded as an “extraordinary talent”, Torres has been one of the stand-out central defenders in LaLiga this season, as supported by his numbers.

The commanding figure in Villarreal’s defence averages a monstrous 4.40 clearances per 90, as well as making 1.31 tackles and winning 1.73 aerials per 90 as per FBref.

The most impressive attribute displayed by the Villarreal-born ace is his ability in carrying the ball forward, ranking him as one of the best in Europe to do so in comparison to other defenders in the continent's top five leagues.

With an average of 2.25 progressive carries per 90, the Spaniard ranks in the top 1% of defenders to take the ball upfield, as well as averaging a huge 5.83 progressive passes per 90, displaying his competencies to transition play from the back – as per FBref.

Hailed by Emery himself as being a player he has “never seen” a defender like, the 26-year-old could become an integral force in Villa’s back line, particularly if paired with the injury stricken Diego Carlos, who the Spaniard ensured will be a “big part” of his plans.

The centre-back has made just three appearances for the Villans since signing from Sevilla last summer after suffering a cruel rupture to his Achilles just months after making the move.

The two players could become a force to be reckoned with, as the Brazilian showed similar strengths in La Liga being a strong figure in the box in making 1.46 blocks per 90, as well as being trusted on the ball, like Torres.

As per FBref, the 30-year-old maintained a high pass completion rate of 87.3%, as well as ranking in the top 7% in the league for attempted passes, with an average of 66.81 per 90.

While the 26-year-old’s exploits in roaming upfield are more impressive, it suggests that the duo could form a partnership in opposing strengths, with Carlos having the potential to act as the anchor between the two.

Emery must act fast in sealing the deal for the centre-back, who is also reportedly being eyed by Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

In the practice match in Fatullah on Tuesday, England will be facing two young pace bowlers in the BCB XI who are such unknown quantities that even the BCB didn’t know one of their names correctly when announcing the 13-man squad

Mohammad Isam03-Oct-2016In the practice match in Fatullah on Tuesday, England will be facing two young pace bowlers in the BCB XI who are such unknown quantities that even the BCB didn’t know one of their names correctly when announcing the 13-man squad on Saturday.The BCB named one “Md Manik” which turned out to be Ali Ahmmed (whose nickname is Manik). The 20-year-old, 6ft 2in pacer is from Gopalganj, and is a regular at the Shere Bangla National Stadium nets. He caught the eye of Bangladesh’s new bowling coach Courtney Walsh, who suggested him to the national selectors.”This is a very big deal for me,” Ahmmed said. “I have been excited since I heard about it couple of days ago. I have spent four days under Courtney Walsh. He has worked with me about a few things, and I am focusing on those. My main strength is outswing. He told me to use my height. He worked on a mistake I have in my run-up. I have improved quickly so maybe he saw something in me.”Ahmmed made his first-class debut for Dhaka Division in October last year, and has only played two List-A matches for Cricket Coaching School in the Dhaka Premier League.The other rookie, Ebadot Hossain, made his first-class debut this season and has never played in the DPL. He is a volleyball player employed by the Bangladesh Air Force but he was picked in this year’s High Performance squad after impressing scouts in the pace bowlers hunt earlier in 2016.He impressed Aaqib Javed, who came for a week as a fast bowling consultant, during the HP camp in August. After making his first-class debut, he was also picked up by Rajshahi Kings in the BPL draft.He hopes to use this practice match as a platform for better things, though he is having a hard time getting past the excitement of sharing a gym with the Bangladesh players.”I have been trying to get better since the Robi Pacer Hunt,” he said. “I made it to the HP team and then played in the NCL. I now have a chance to bowl against England in the practice game. Hopefully I can do well and catch everyone’s attention. I got to do gym with the national players, which is thrilling for me.”

Leicester City midfielder James Maddison has finally spoken out after his side were relegated from the Premier League last weekend.

What has James Maddison said about Leicester's relegation?

It was an awful season for the Foxes. Even so, they still had survival hopes right up until the very last seconds of the final match.

Indeed, having beaten West Ham United 2-1 at home, they needed Everton to drop points against Bournemouth but the Toffees hung on to a 1-0 victory.

And so, just seven years on from lifting the Premier League title and only two on from winning the FA Cup, Maddison and co were relegated.

The Englishman had refrained from posting on his Instagram page in the time since but has now broken his silence with an honest assessment of things.

Indeed, he said: "Absolutely devastated to be relegated from the Premier League. I’ve took a bit of time to reflect on the outcome of the season and to be honest it doesn’t make it any easier at all.

"This will hurt for a very long time and probably stick with us all forever. But that’s life & it’s about how you bounce back from setbacks & failure and unfortunately that’s exactly what this season was.. a failure.

"We should never have been in the position we were, with the players we have. But we take responsibility for that & the negativity that comes with it & continue to stick together."

Who wants to buy James Maddison?

Of course, there will be a number of teams interested to read the tone of his message, to see if it gives away any clues about his future.

By the sounds of it though, the £110k-p/w midfielder is keeping his cards close to his chest. Indeed, this doesn't exactly read as a goodbye message even though he may well be leaving in the summer.

According to a number of reports in the media (collated on football.london), Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have all got an interest in signing the player.

As per the Daily Telegraph (via Independent), of those teams, Spurs are supposedly leading the race to land him right now but with the summer market yet to officially open there's still a long way to go.

While it seems Maddison has been coming to terms with his relegation over the past week, he'll likely soon turn his attention to what comes next in his career with a number of options on the table.

For the fifth time in the series Sri Lanka batted first and a vaguely familiar match played out as Australia ran down the hosts’ 195 in the 43rd over, zipping up the series 4-1

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDavid Warner came back into form with a hundred•Associated Press

For the fifth time in the series Sri Lanka batted first and a vaguely familiar match played out as Australia ran down the hosts’ 195 in the 43rd over, zipping up the series 4-1. Mitchell Starc was denied his customary early wicket this time, but Sri Lanka’s middle-order collapse happened anyway, as it often has in the past two weeks. Australia’s top order then delivered another consummate performance on a spinning track; the margin of victory was five wickets, but it seemed even more comfortable than that.It was David Warner, who provided the spine to this particular chase. He capped an outstanding eight days as captain by scoring Australia’s first ODI century in Sri Lanka – his 106 from 126 balls measured and delicate, in contrast to his usual maurauding style. Warner’s 132-run third-wicket stand with George Bailey effectively ended the contest. The pair had come together at 25 for 2, but Sri Lanka’s score always seemed about 40 runs light.The hosts had squandered their best start of the tour in their own innings, losing batsmen in clusters, then failing to produce significant partnerships before the next cascade of wickets came around. Dhananjaya de Silva and Danushka Gunathilaka were surging along happily against the new ball – making 73 for the first wicket – then three wickets fell for five runs. Before they had properly recovered from that dive, the next set of rapids was upon them. Sri Lanka lost their fourth and fifth wickets for eight runs, and sixth and seventh wickets for 20. And the last three fell within 11 runs of each other. Sachith Pathirana scored a fourth 30-odd of the innings, in the company of the tail, to go with those from the openers and Kusal Mendis.Starc made up for missing out on his customary early wicket by helping blast out the tail and taking 3 for 40. Each of the other five Australia bowlers also made at least one breakthrough.As has been the case for much of the tour, Australia’s bowling was disciplined rather than devilish, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen folded alarmingly when even a little pressure had built up. De Silva mis-hit James Faulkner to mid-on in the 14th over to set the collapse in motion. Six balls later, Gunathilaka misjudged the line of an Adam Zampa ball, and had his leg stump rattled when he missed a lap sweep. Dinesh Chandimal and Mendis were both out poking outside the off stump – though the latter did play some sublime strokes before the dismissal. Upul Tharanga slapped a Travis Head ball to point, and Dasun Shanaka was bowled by a Zampa slider. Starc’s full and straight deliveries were beyond the skill of Sri Lanka’s lower order to defuse.The new ball nipped around under lights for Suranga Lakmal, and Dilruwan Perera immediately had the ball spinning sharply, but beyond the first 12 overs, Sri Lanka failed to exert substantial pressure. Having opened the innings in place of Aaron Finch, who had injured a finger while fielding in the slips, Matthew Wade gloved a ball behind as he attempted to sweep, and Usman Khawaja was soon caught off the leading edge.Warner and Bailey had close calls themselves in the initial period, but soon began to sweep, reverse sweep, and advance down the track, with increasing confidence. Bailey was merely tapping into a body of strokes that has brought him success right through the tour, but Warner’s attempt to return to form was the more compelling of the two innings. He collected his first four with a reverse-lap off Dilruwan in the second over, but was content to score in singles and twos for much of his early stay – his second boundary did not come until the 21st over.Dinesh Chandimal rifled through his many spin options, and though half chances were created throughout the partnership, edges continued to fall into space, and marginal decisions went against the hosts. By mid-innings, the track had begun to take dramatic turn, yet Warner and Bailey marched on, scoring off the loose balls, and scratching together runs – the ball sometimes traveling to unguarded spaces off unintended parts of the bat. Warner reached his first half-century of the series off his 72nd delivery, then hit three fours off the next five balls to herald a more attacking approach. His second fifty came off 39 balls, and the celebration upon reaching his first ODI ton in Asia was uncharacteristically restrained, as the innings had been.Bailey fell with 39 runs to get, then Head and Warner followed not long after, but the wickets merely served to narrow the winning margin, rather than provide Sri Lanka with any real hope.Just about the only area of success for Sri Lanka was their opening partnership, which survived past the fifth over for the first time on tour. De Silva was particularly good against Starc again, driving him gracefully through the covers in the first over, then cutting and flicking him to the fence in the fifth. Gunathilaka was punchier, putting John Hastings into the sightscreen in the fourth over then leaning back to slap him over the point region soon after. Sri Lanka’s first 50 runs came in 9.1 overs, but once the wickets began to fall, they could not arrest the slide.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has retired from football in typical fashion after he snapped back at rival fans for booing him in his goodbye speech.

Why is Ibrahimovic retiring?

The AC Milan forward is finally hanging up his boots at the tender age of 41, having scored 511 goals for clubs including Paris St-Germain, Manchester United, Ajax and both Milan teams, while also winning league titles in four different countries.

Ibrahimovic has played only four matches in Serie A this season due to fitness struggles and his injuries are a big reason why he won’t have his contract renewed, with AC Milan confirming as much before this week’s game against Verona (via ESPN).

Despite not being able to feature much this term, he helped bring the Scudetto to San Siro in 2021/22 when he netted eight goals and claimed three assists in 23 games.

Having not been fit enough to play any part in the final game of the Serie A season this weekend, he still was in attendance and took to the pitch after the game to deliver an emotional speech.

However, as caught in footage shared on Twitter, the Verona fans were more than happy to boo him.

In typical Ibra fashion, he quickly quipped back: “Keep booing. This is the biggest moment in your year seeing me”.

As quoted by Sempre Milan, the rest of his speech was pretty emotional as he even shed a tear or two, saying: “I can’t breathe but it’s fine. So many memories and so many emotions here. The first time I arrived at Milan you gave me happiness, the second time you gave me love.”

He also added: “I want to thank the fans. You received me with open arms, you made me feel at home, I will be a Milanista for life. The time has come to say goodbye to football, not to you. See you around if you’re lucky, forza Milan and goodbye.”

After seeing the footage of those brutal comments he made to the Verona crowd, supporters on social media flocked to Twitter to have their say.

Here are some of the best reactions…

The compliments just kept rolling in…

West Ham supporters have reluctantly accepted that Wednesday's Europa Conference League final showdown with Fiorentina is set to be Declan Rice's final game for the club.

His potential departure is set to be a major blow for the Hammers to cope with next season, but ESPN reports that the Premier League side could look to replace Rice's leadership qualities by bringing in Harry Maguire from Manchester United, where he has fallen out of favour.

What is the latest with Declan Rice's future?

Regardless of the result in Prague on Wednesday, nobody can argue that Rice has not earned a move to – for want of a better word – a 'bigger' club than West Ham after impressing consistently over six years as a first-team regular.

The England international will leave huge boots to fill at the London Stadium – not least his leadership qualities, having taken on the role of captain following Mark Noble's retirement at the end of the 2021/22 season.

David Moyes openly admitted for the first time last month that he expects Rice to depart this summer, given the in-demand midfielder is now into the final year of his contract.

However, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all said to hold an interest, West Ham will not let their prized asset leave on the cheap. Indeed, Moyes said as much in February when valuing Rice in excess of £100m, despite his contract situation.

Can Man Utd's Maguire fill the Rice void?

It is little wonder West Ham are eager to receive a British-record fee for Rice, who is coming off the back of another hugely impressive season, even if West Ham have underwhelmed domestically.

The 24-year-old has added more of an attacking edge to his game this term, too, as reflected by his four goals and two assists in the Premier League, compared to four goals in the competition across the previous four campaigns combined.

Rice's ability to get the ball forward into dangerous areas will also be missed should he move on, highlighted by his 240 progressive passes this season – only seven others, Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Odegaard among them – played more.

Away from the tangible statistics, though, Rice's ability to lead the side cannot be understated, whether he is wearing the captain's armband or not.

England boss Gareth Southgate has previously described Rice as having "tremendous leadership qualities", with many expecting him to one day replace Harry Kane as skipper of the national side.

Finding a player with similar qualities is not easy, but Maguire may well be that man. The out-of-favour Man Utd defender – who earns £190k-per-week at Old Trafford, according to Capology – is widely expected to find a new club after being restricted to just eight league starts this term.

Maguire's playing style has failed to win over Erik ten Hag, but his qualities as a "leader" – as lauded by Jurgen Klinsmann – even when having to settle for intermittent appearances cannot be called into question.

As Ten Hag himself put it following United's 4-1 European win over Real Betis, Maguire "shows leadership, especially in those aspects of the initiative and dictating of the game."

Man Utd fans may well have seen the last of those qualities up close, but if West Ham are indeed serious with their interest in the former Leicester City player, then they will at least have resolved one issue brought on by Rice's imminent departure.

Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali says his side is excited about the opportunity to take part in a day-night Test for the first time, a sentiment echoed West Indies batsman Darren Bravo

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2016Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali has said his side is excited about the opportunity to take part in a day-night Test for the first time, a sentiment echoed by West Indies batsman Darren Bravo in Dubai less than 48 hours before the first Test in the three-match series kicks off under the lights at Dubai Sports City.”Obviously it’s different. It’s a first game for us with a pink ball and it’s a day-night game,” Azhar said at a press conference in Dubai on Tuesday. “We played one or two games, players have had experience with the pink ball in the domestic circuit but internationally it’s the first game. It’s a different challenge but we’re all excited about it and I think it will be very exciting for the crowd as well to come and watch this game.”I think the game is important but we had enough time in the middle. We had five to six sessions with the pink ball. The players also played in the first-class final and a few other games. They do have a little experience of that as well. We have been practising really hard and have had quite long sessions, so I think we have enough idea of this ball.”Though reviews from players have mostly been positive regarding the overall visibility of the ball during night-time training sessions, Azhar said one issue that had popped up was the ability to recognise the seam of the ball, in part because it is black on the pink ball whereas the seam is white on a red ball. Azhar felt it may pose a slight advantage for spin bowlers.”The seam is different,” Azhar said. “It’s hard to see the seam, especially with the spinners. You can’t really spot the seam. It’s a different challenge and we will get to know it better as we play more.”Bravo also said players from the West Indies had similar experiences with picking the seam, both in some first-class matches played in the West Indies last season as well as during the three-day warm-up match that concluded on Sunday.”I think most of the guys have complained about the fact that they’re not really able to pick up the seam that well,” Bravo said. “I don’t know for whatever reason but we can’t do anything about it. It is what it is and we need to accept the challenge as quickly as possible and just go out there and give it our best shot.”The West Indies batsman also stated that, despite some reservations about playing at night with a pink ball, he maintained a positive outlook for the concept, especially if it can help revitalise crowd numbers in places where attendances have been on the decline.”We played a couple first-class [day-night] games back home,” Bravo said. “It had a few crowds. Most of the guys had their take on it. It had some positive feedback, it had some negative feedback to be honest but whatever is put in place to encourage a crowd is definitely beneficial to Test cricket.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJason Holder took the first three Pakistan wickets, two of them with bouncers•Getty Images

For the first time on a long, fruitless tour of the UAE, West Indies found themselves ahead in a game, after a stellar century and a spirited bowling effort on the third day in Sharjah. Kraigg Brathwaite’s unbeaten 142 off 318 balls – he carried his bat – steered West Indies to a hard-earned lead of 56 in the first innings, before Jason Holder made three breakthroughs in a lively spell after tea.Pakistan lost four wickets before erasing the deficit, but Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed stabilised the innings with an unbroken 39-run partnership for the fifth wicket and took Pakistan to 87 for 4 by stumps.The inroads into Pakistan came via a short-ball barrage. Holder bowled a fast bouncer to Sami Aslam that the batsman could only top edge to fine leg. Another well-directed bouncer got big on Asad Shafiq and had him fending to Darren Bravo at gully. Then Younis Khan got a faint tickle on a leg-side delivery to give Holder his third. When Misbah-ul-Haq pulled offspinner Roston Chase straight to Devendra Bishoo at deep-backward square leg, Pakistan had lost four wickets for 11 runs to slip to 48 for 4.It could have been even better for West Indies. With Pakistan’s score at 71, Shannon Gabriel bowled a nasty, steep bouncer at Sarfraz, batting on 9, who fended it to Bravo at slip. But Gabriel had overstepped – for the 26th time in the series – by a big margin and Sarfraz survived. He moved on to 19 by stumps, while Azhar had 45. But with Pakistan’s lead still only 31, they were a fair distance from safety and heavily dependent on Azhar and Sarfraz to get them there. West Indies, for their part, had worked their way into a good position to push for their first win in 14 Tests.The foundation had been laid by Brathwaite, who became the fifth West Indies batsman to carry his bat. He was a paragon of patience and concentration for the majority of his marathon knock and his temperament was matched by an ability to work ones and twos to all corners of the ground. Though all but one of his 11 fours came behind the wicket, owing to the slow outfield, he scored evenly all around the field thanks to his ability to manoeuvre the ball into gaps.Resuming on 95 on the third morning, Brathwaite made that 99 with the first ball of the day, helping a slightly wide delivery from Mohammad Amir between gully and point. Brathwaite worked the fifth ball for a two through midwicket to bring up his fifth Test century.While Kraigg Brathwaite hit most of his boundaries behind square, he worked the ball for ones and twos to score heavily in front of the wicket too•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

His overnight batting partner was Holder, who started promisingly, looking solid in defence and playing a couple of sumptuous drives for four. The first, off left-armer Wahab Riaz, was a straight drive to a delivery angled into him from around the wicket. He kept his balance perfectly and timed the ball sweetly, beating mid-on to his left. The second, off Amir, was a gorgeous drive through the extra-cover region to a ball that was angled across him.But Holder’s dismissal came immediately after that second boundary. Amir, also a left-armer, changed the angle by going around the wicket to attack the stumps. Holder misjudged the line, shouldered arms and had his off stump rattled.Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, introduced in the 96th over for just his fifth over of the match, created the next two chances – in the space of four balls. First, he got Brathwaite to attempt a cut at one that was too straight. The ball bounced more than Brathwaite had expected and he got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Sarfraz, who fumbled it onto the grille of his helmet before it fell to ground. Then, off the last ball of the over, Bishoo swept onto his pad to Azhar at short leg, but he, too, fumbled it onto the grille of his helmet before taking the catch. While Michael Gough gave it out on the field, Bishoo reviewed and third umpire Richard Illingworth spotted the infraction.By that time, West Indies had taken the lead, and Brathwaite and Bishoo continued to build an eighth-wicket partnership that steadily extended it. Bishoo was more than adequate in the pair’s 60-run stand, mirroring some of the grit that Brathwaite had shown in spades. But he was the first to depart after lunch, nicking behind off Wahab. Wahab then accounted for Alzarri Joseph and Gabriel to wrap up the West Indies innings and claim his second five-wicket haul in Tests.That still left West Indies with a handy first-innings lead, and it looked handier still after Holder’s post-tea exploits.