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Liverpool have reportedly made a breakthrough regarding a new-and-improved contract for one influential Reds player, according to a new update.

Which Liverpool players could sign new deals?

The Reds are in fine form at the moment, recovering from such a poor 2022/23 season and enjoying an eye-catching beginning to the current campaign. In the Premier League, they have picked up four wins and a draw from their opening five games, not to mention winning 3-1 away to LASK in the Europa League on Thursday night.

While new signings have come in, most of whom have hit the ground running since arriving at the club, it is also key to retain the services of some of the most important players at the club. Two of those are unquestionably Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the former wanted by Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, who saw a £150m bid for him turned down by Liverpool. Meanwhile, the latter is out of contract in 2025, as is the case with his Egyptian teammate, so time is slowly ticking down on his deal.

Now, a key update has emerged regarding his future, as the Reds look to tie down one of their star talents, not to mention their possible future captain, for as long as possible.

What's the latest Liverpool contract news?

According to Football Insider, there has now been significant progress made between Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold when it comes to him extending his stay at Anfield, with a breakthrough in talks:

"Liverpool have reached an agreement in principle with Trent Alexander-Arnold over a new contract, sources have told Football Insider. The 24-year-old has just under two years remaining on his current deal and the Merseysiders are keen to end any speculation over his future.

"Top clubs across England and Europe would love to prise the full-back away from Anfield, but a well-placed source has told Football Insider that he is committed to Liverpool and has no plans to leave. It is believed there is a willingness from all parties to do a deal and extend his contract."

This is massive news for Liverpool, with Alexander-Arnold someone who embodies the club, having grown up as a Reds supporter and worked his way through the youth team, maturing into a world-class talent along the way.

Still only 24, the hope is that the Englishman has at least decade ahead of him at the club, becoming just as legendary as his childhood hero, Steven Gerrard. He is surely happy where he is, especially with Jurgen Klopp turning things around after a below-par season, and he seems to be enjoying life in his new hybrid role.

The fact that Alexander-Arnold has been hailed as "world-class" by former Barcelona and Brazil right-back Dani Alves speaks volumes about his brilliance as a footballer, and journalist Neil Jones has also labelled him as a "genius", such is his level of quality on the ball.

Salah may not be around forever, especially as he is now 31 years of age, but in Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool have someone who can replace Virgil van Dijk as permanent captain one day and become one of the greatest players in the club's history.

Glasgow Rangers have endured a poor start to the season, already exiting the Champions League at the final qualifying stage following a 7-3 aggregate defeat to PSV Eindhoven.

Michael Beale made nine signings during the summer transfer window but it's fair to say that not many of them have clicked yet, and the international break comes at precisely the right time.

Out of those nine fresh faces, four of them are forwards, but they haven’t enjoyed the most productive of starts, as Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, Abdallah Sima and Sam Lammers have netted just seven goals between them across nine matches in all competitions.

With the Light Blues losing cult figure Alfredo Morelos during the summer upon the expiration of his contract, Beale knew he was going to have to replace his goals – 124 across 269 games – and the jury is still out on a few of the summer arrivals.

The Ibrox side could have avoided this had they swooped for a player over three years ago who has gone on to shine in the Premier League in the subsequent years – Ivan Toney.

Were Rangers close to signing Ivan Toney?

Under Steven Gerrard, the Gers had endured two trophy-less seasons but during the summer of 2020, things began to change.

They were even linked with Toney, who was playing for Peterborough United at the time, before the record-breaking 2020/21 season which saw the club claim their first league title in a decade.

Speaking on the Diary of a CEO Podcast (via The Daily Record), Toney discussed his potential missed opportunity at joining the Light Blues, saying: "I did speak to other clubs. I actually went up to Rangers and spoke with the manager there, which was Steven Gerrard at the time.

"We spoke a bit, but there were two strikers at the time and they were looking to bring another one in, so there would've been four strikers. I think the formation that they played, the majority of the time was one striker up top. So I would have been third choice, something like this.

"We went to Celtic, we spoke to Celtic and I think it was the same there. I'm one of three strikers or something like this. I think at the time when I was moving, I wanted to be the main guy. The crucial thing for me is playing games.

"Even though I back myself when I’m competing with other strikers, I want to know when I go in, bursting through the door I’m the main man up front. It’s up to me and when I spoke to the manager at Brentford he pretty much said ‘you’re the main guy and I don’t see anyone taking your spot so make sure you produce the goods and it’s yours really’.”

If things had been different, Toney’s career trajectory may have gone in another direction, and he could have been lining up for either of the Glasgow sides, competing for trophies and playing in the Champions League.

He joined Brentford for a fee of just £5m and that now looks like a wonderful bargain.

How much is Ivan Toney worth now?

The striker is currently banned by the FA until January having been found guilty of numerous gambling breaches, yet this hasn’t stopped other teams showing interest in the player.

The Bees currently value their prized asset at £80m following two excellent seasons in the Premier League, and he has attracted interest from clubs such as free-spending Chelsea of late.

The ship has certainly sailed when it comes to Rangers' interest in Toney, clearly missing a major opportunity three years ago when he was available for as little as £5m.

How many goals has Ivan Toney scored?

The 27-year-old sealed his move to Brentford having netted 49 goals in just 94 appearances for the Posh in two seasons, and he showed no signs of slowing down upon arriving at the Bees.

In three full seasons for the Premier League outfit, Toney has scored 68 goals and grabbed 21 assists in just 124 games, and he enjoyed his best top-flight season yet during the 2022/23 campaign.

68

49

13

15

6

7

2

Stats via Transfermarkt

Not only did the forward finish the season third in the list of top scorers with 20 goals, behind only Harry Kane (30) and Erling Haaland (36), but he also ranked highly for numerous performance metrics in the Brentford squad.

Not only did he rank first for overall Sofascore rating (7.25), but the striker also topped the pile for goals and assists (24), shots on target per game (1.3) and penalties won (three), while finishing in the top three for big chances created (12) and key passes per game (0.8), clearly demonstrating that he has turned into one of the finest forwards in the top flight.

How many times has Ivan Toney played for England?

The 5 foot 10 machine has been heavily praised recently for his goal-scoring antics, with Jamie Carragher claiming he was “one of the best attacking players in the league” upon receiving his first ever call up to the England squad back in March.

The “special footballer” – as lauded by Thomas Frank – went on to make his England debut against Ukraine in the qualifiers for the 2024 European Championship, and it looked as though he could play a key part in their future matches.

Unfortunately, his ban has come at the wrong time for the striker, and he will be missing for both club and country until January as he currently sits on just one cap for England so far.

Gerrard certainly missed a trick in not splashing out on Toney in 2020. Although they went on the win the league that very season, his goals would certainly have aided the likes of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Beale in subsequent seasons to win more trophies than they currently have.

With the current frontline seemingly struggling during the opening matches of the 2023/24 season, it’s evident that having a player such as Toney may have added something extra to the Gers' attack and fired them to glory.

The failed move will definitely go down as one of the club's biggest transfer blunders in recent times, there’s no doubt about it.

كشفت رابطة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم لاليجا، عن رجل مباراة اليوم بين فريقي برشلونة وألميريا، في إطار منافسات البطولة.

وفاز فريق برشلونة على مضيفه ألميريا بنتيجة 2/0، في إطار منافسات الدوري الإسباني، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ36 من الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، على ملعب “باور هورس”، (لمتابعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وبهذا الفوز، ارتفع رصيد برشلونة إلى النقطة 79 نقطة في المركز الثاني بترتيب الدوري الإسباني، بينما تجمد رصيد ألميريا عند النقطة 17 في المركز العشرون.

اقرأ ايضاً.. تقارير إسبانية: برشلونة يحسم مستقبل سيرجي روبيرتو مع الفريق

وحسبما كشفت الرابطة، حصل لاعب فريق برشلونة، فيرمين لوبيز، على لقب رجل مباراة اليوم ضد ألميريا، وفقًا لتصويت الجماهير.

وتمكن لوبيز من تسجيل هدفين في شباك ألميريا، حيث جاء الهدف الأول عند الدقيقة 14، فيما أحرز هدفه الثاني بحلول الدقيقة 67 من الشوط الثاني.

وشارك لوبيز في المباراة كأساسي رفقة برشلونة، طوال 90 دقيقة أمام ألميريا ولم يتم إستبداله في المواجهة.

وحصل لوبيز على تقييم 9.2/10 في مباراة اليوم أمام ألميريا، بحسب ما جاء في شبكة “فوت موب”.

 

The Pakistan pacer is expected to be out of action for at least six months as a result of the injury

Umar Farooq04-Nov-2017Usman Khan, the Pakistan left-arm pacer, has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the back in what is a career-threatening blow. The 23-year-old bowler, who had stunned Sri Lanka with figures of 5 for 34 in just his second ODI two weeks ago, will be out of action for at least six months as a result of the injury.He picked up the injury after second T20 against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, and missed the final game of the tour – the landmark T20 in Lahore. Medical screening confirmed lumbar-bone stress in his back. He had struggled with the same injury in the early days of his career, in 2013, after making debuting for Pakistan in T20 cricket. He has sustained back injuries twice before and missed a major chunk of season of 2014-15 as a result. “It is disappointing but this [course of treatment] will give him the best chance of recovering as quickly as possible,” Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan head coach, told ESPNcricinfo.Usman was brought into the ODI side for the Sri Lanka series after Mohammad Amir pulled out due to injury, and he made an immediate impact. His five wickets in the second game against Sri Lanka came within the space of 3.3 overs. The performance was a throwback to four years ago, at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, when he announced himself with five wickets for nine runs in 3.1 overs for Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan.Usman’s injury is the latest in a string for Pakistan. Amir recently missed the ODIs against Sri Lanka before returning for the T20 series, and Ruman Raees Babar Azam and Imad Wasim are recovering from a wrist impingement, groin strain and knee injury respectively. When asked whether he was concerned by this sudden spate of injuries, Arthur said: “A little bit, but a lot of them niggles just needed a bit of rest and that is why we have put such a lot of effort in working on our bench strength.”

Arsenal are reportedly interested in Barcelona starlet Ansu Fati, as Mikel Arteta and Edu venture in the market to introduce additional reinforcements this summer.

The duo have already spent over £200m on talent to strengthen the side, however the spending isn’t showing signs of slowing, with the pending arrival of Brentford goalkeeper David Raya set to be announced as part of a £30m deal.

News in Spain has suggested that the Gunners are now chasing the Barcelona star, who has already been linked to the Premier League this window.

Could Arsenal sign Ansu Fati?

As reported by Sport, the Catalan giants have received significant interest from Arsenal for Ansu Fati.

The report claims that the Gunners have been ‘seriously interested’ in the 20-year-old, who was mentioned in relation to a move to Wolves earlier in the summer as part of a rumoured deal for Ruben Neves, that came to no avail.

Sport added that the Londoners have made a ‘very tempting offer’ for the £199k-per-week forward, which is said to have been rejected by both parties involved with the sole intention to keep him at the club.

There is however a glimmer of hope for the Premier League side, with Barcelona boss Xavi unable to conclude the Spaniard’s future due to Financial Fair Play (FFP), as relayed by Fabrizio Romano, who branded the players movements as “one to watch”.

How good is Ansu Fati?

While the speculation leads to a firm wall in terms of Arsenal’s reported pursuit of the versatile attacker so far, there’s little to deny the impact he could have within Arteta’s budding young set-up at the Emirates.

Once lauded as “special” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the 20-year-old had everything set up to become Barcelona’s eventual heir to Lionel Messi, even handing the starlet the number 10 shirt.

A product of the infamous La Masia set-up, the youngster has the skill and quality to excel on the biggest stages of football, however so far his development has been hindered by injury.

From falling down the pecking order after such struggles, the Spaniard has picked himself back up under Xavi, making 36 appearances in La Liga last term as part of Barcelona’s league-winning campaign.

In that time, the winger scored seven goals and recorded three assists from only 12 starts, averaging only 39 minutes per game which despite his clear value in the side, has sparked debate over his future.

For Arsenal, this could be a good thing, with the club chasing one of the most promising talents in Europe in a signing that could encapsulate an aura of forwards before him in north London.

In 2009, the Gunners captured the talents of dynamic winger Andrey Arshavin, who made an instant impact after arriving in January.

After just 12 appearances in his debut campaign in the top-flight, the Russian netted six goals and registered eight assists to quickly become a favourite at the Emirates.

105 appearances later, the forward departed the club with 23 goals and 27 assists to his name in the Premier League, via Transfermarkt, seeing him described in the past as having an “amazing football brain” by agent Jon Smith.

A similar aura surrounds reported target Ansu Fati, who showcases his innate footballing IQ from the wide areas to penetrate an attacking sequence in the final third.

As per WhoScored, the Russian’s approach to play can be traced in the Spaniard’s style, where he averaged 1.9 shots and one dribbles per game for Arsenal in the 2010/11 Premier League season, similar to the youngster's 1.7 shots and 0.6 dribbles per game for Barcelona last term.

The Gunners have seen a host of talent take to the left wing over the years, with not many having an impact as immediately explosive as Arshavin, who could be delicately replicated by the club’s chase for Fati.

Manchester United are reportedly expected to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo this summer in a deal worth €30m.

What’s the latest Man United transfer news?

The Red Devils have made two signings so far in Mason Mount and Andre Onana from Chelsea and Inter Milan ahead of Erik ten Hag's second season in charge at Old Trafford.

A third player looks set to be confirmed shortly in forward Rasmus Hojlund. An agreement worth a total of £72m has been reached with Serie A side Atalanta, with the player now in the UK finalising a deal.

It is believed that a transfer for Hojlund could be confirmed around the pre-season friendly against Lens on Saturday at Old Trafford, and attention could soon be on more signings.

Read The Latest Man United Transfer News HERE…

Fabrizio Romano recently said that United’s focus will be on another new midfielder after Hojlund, although he did claim that Todibo is still being monitored after club scouts watched the player back in April.

“I mentioned in April that Man United sent their scouts multiple times to follow both Todibo and Disasi – they’re very attentive to French market.

“Todibo is still being monitored, and we’ll have to wait and see how Man United will act. The priority will be a midfielder for now, so there’s nothing imminent on Todibo.”

It looks as if the club are expected to bring in the defender, though, going off fresh speculation in recent days.

TEAMtalk relayed an update from Spain in the last 48 hours regarding Man United and a move for Todibo. The report claims that the player has given the green light to an Old Trafford move, although Barcelona have been given the option to bring the player back to the Nou Camp.

However, it is the Red Devils who are expected to sign the defender in a deal worth €30m (£25.8m), with Todibo set to fill the void left by Harry Maguire, with an Old Trafford exit thought to be likely.

How good is Jean-Clair Todibo?

Todibo is 23 years of age and appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €30m Transfermarkt valuation. The Frenchman made a permanent move to Nice back in 2021 from Barcelona following a loan spell and has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the French side.

An out-and-out centre-back, Todibo has been hailed as “solid as a rock” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig and has even been compared to United's Lisandro Martinez over the past 12 months, as per FBref.

He ranks in the top 3% for ball recoveries and top 5% for tackles won, showing his defensive qualities, and the player has even impressed in possession. Todibo also ranks in the top 5% of centre-backs for successful take-ons, top 4% for carries and top 5% for short passes completed.

Therefore, it looks as if he could be a shrewd addition to rival the likes of Martinez and Raphael Varane in the upcoming campaign and beyond, and should Maguire leave Old Trafford, with West Ham interested, we could see Todibo arrive as his replacement.

كشفت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية أن هناك لاعبين من صفوف ريال مدريد قد رفضا تسديد ركلات الجزاء أمام مانشستر سيتي في إياب دور الثمانية من دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ونجح ريال مدريد في تخطي عقبة مانشستر سيتي بركلات الجزاء بنتيجة 4-3 بعد التعادل الإيجابي 1-1 في الأشواط الأصلية والإضافية.

وبحسب التقرير طلب لوكاس فاسكيز الظهير الأيمن الذي شارك كبديل في المباراة عدم المشاركة في تنفيذ ركلات الجزاء بجانب زميله، فيدي فالفيردي.

وأرجعت صحيفة “ماركا” طلب الثنائي لذلك بأنهما كانا متعبين للغاية مع نهاية المباراة، ولكنهما كانا واثقين في زملائهما في مواجهة حارس مانشستر سيتي، إيديرسون.

اقرأ أيضًا.. هنري: ريال مدريد كان أفضل من مانشستر سيتي ويستحق التأهل

وأفادت الصحيفة أن ركلات الجزاء كانت لها أسرارها حيث كانت هناك مشاورات حول الخمسة لاعبين الذي سينفذون أمام مانشستر سيتي بالتحدث بين كارلو أنشيلوتي ومساعده، دافيدي أنشيلوتي.

وكذلك تدخل حارس ريال مدريد البديل، كيبا أريزابالاجا، في المشاورات وبعض اللاعبين وتم تعديل الأسماء التي كتبها المدرب المساعد.

مساعدة كيبا كانت إيجابية فهو كان مع تشيلسي ويعرف تحركات إيديرسون جيدًا وانتقم من مانشستر سيتي عن طريق، أندريه لونين، خاصة وأن الحارس الإسباني عانى أمام كتيبة بيب جوارديولا في عام 2019 بنهائي كأس كاراباو.

ونصح كيبا زميله الأوكراني بالزاوية التي سيسدد بها، ماتيو كوفاسيتش، لأنهما تزاملا في تشيلسي من قبل.

Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe "will certainly" leave the Emirates Stadium "soon" as the Gunners have shown to be "ruthless", says reporter Charles Watts.

Who will leave Arsenal?

The Gunners have been very busy this transfer window, having spent north of £200 million already and further additions haven't been ruled out.

Germany international winger Kai Havertz put pen to paper on a £65 million move from Chelsea, while Arsenal eventually confirmed the club-record signing of midfielder Declan Rice in a £105 million deal.

Former Ajax defender and Netherlands international Jurrien Timber is now an Arsenal player as well, strengthening Mikel Arteta's ranks significantly ahead of the 2023/2024 Premier League season.

However, to balance the books, certain stars need to be ejected from the squad. Thomas Partey, who has attracted interest from Saudi sides in the Middle East, is being repeatedly linked with an Arsenal exit while their USA international Folarin Balogun can also leave for around £50 million.

Pepe, who was once Arsenal's club-record acquisition after his £72m move from Nice in 2019, is certainly on the chopping block as journalist Watts explains to TEAMtalk.

“He’s got one year left on his contract and he’s not part of Arsenal’s plans. It’s very, very clear," said Watts.

“He’s on such high wages; they’ve ended up cancelling contracts with a lot of those big name players from that era at the club. Pepe is probably the last of them who they haven’t managed to deal with.

“[Sead] Kolasinac, [Shkodran] Mustafi, as well as [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil. They’ve shown they can be ruthless.

“Edu’s talked about it before. He’d much rather cancel a contract than have someone on big wages just sitting around for a season because he says that does a squad no good at all. He’s gone on record as saying that.

“It would not surprise me if that happened which seems remarkable when you think this is Arsenal’s club-record signing, a £72m signing.

“We’ll have to wait and see but I think Arsenal, from their point of view, they would love someone from Saudi Arabia becoming interested in Pepe.

"We shall wait and see what happens but one thing’s for sure: he’s got no long term future at Arsenal. He’ll certainly be gone soon. He’s one of the highest earners, probably in the top five.”

How good is Nicolas Pepe?

Despite some injury problems on loan at Nice last season, Pepe displayed moments of real quality – chipping in with six goals over his temporary spell (WhoScored).

Statistically, he was actually one of the Ligue 1 side's most potent threats in the final third – completing more successful take-ons per 90 than any other player in their squad (WhoScored).

The 28-year-old also ranked in Nice's top two for both attempts at goal and key passes completed on average – making him a credible candidate for any side who wish to add firepower.

After-all, there's a reason Arteta's side once smashed their transfer record to bring him to north London.

However, his salary could be an issue for any interested side, so the player himself may need to take a considerable pay cut on his reported £140,000-per-week wages.

AB de Villiers will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore if Virat Kohli fails to recover from a shoulder injury for the IPL opener next week against Sunrisers Hyderabad. According to Daniel Vettori, Royal Challengers’ head coach, Kohli will join the squad on April 2 and then reassess a date of return with the team’s medical staff.There has been no definitive update on Kohli’s right shoulder, which he hurt during the third Test of the series against Australia in Ranchi. After India won the series 2-1 in Dharamasala, Kohli had said he was not 100% fit yet, and was waiting for a final word from the Indian team physiotherapist.Vettori said there was no “clear picture” on Kohli’s return date. “He [Kohli] will come in on April 2. Between now and then, the BCCI doctors and physio will speak to us (on his condition) and our medical staff will get a clearer picture,” Vettori said as RCB assembled for the season’s first training session in Bangalore. ” Right now, we don’t have a clear picture on his availability. We’ll know in the next few days.”According to Vettori, de Villiers would be on standby if Kohli is unavailable. De Villiers, who will play for Titans in the Momentum One Day Cup final on Friday, will arrive in Bangalore on April 2. “The likely scenario is that de Villiers will take over the duties but we’ll answer that once we find out if Virat is out,” Vettori said.Kohli played a pivotal role in Royal Challengers reaching the final last year, but his absence would offer an opportunity for youngsters like Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan to take on more responsibility. “”Fortunately, we have a number of exceptional batsmen who haven’t got many playing chances like Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh. It’s a huge asset for us that someone else can fill in those gaps.”

Faf du Plessis struck the second-highest score by a South African in ODIs to help them win by 40 runs and move within one win to become the No. 1 ranked team

The Report by Firdose Moonda07-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Faf du Plessis unleashed a variety of drives during his 185 – the second-highest score by a South African in ODIs•Getty Images

A Sri Lankan line-up that was dismissed for under 190 in the first three ODIs and had not topped 300 in any format on the current tour of South Africa made a fist of chasing a record total at Newlands, but eventually fell 40 runs short. South Africa’s batsmen filled the boots by posting the highest total at the ground, overtaking the 354 for 3 they put on against Kenya in 2001. It proved enough to extend their winning streak at home to 13 matches and put them one win away from the No.1 ODI rankings.Dickwella, Rabada fined for breaching code of conduct

Sri Lanka opener Niroshan Dickwella and South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada have both been fined 50% of their match fees for breaching the ICC’s code of conduct during the fourth ODI in Cape Town. In addition to the fines, three demerit points have been added to both Dickwella and Rabada’s disciplinary records.
The two players were found to have been in violation with Article 2.2.7, which relates to “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other Person (including a spectator) in the course of play during an international match”.
The incident took place in the 12th over of Sri Lanka’s 368 chase when Dickwella and Rabada made contact with each other, after the batsman had completed a single, at the non-striker’s end.
Since both players admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by Richie Richardson, the match referee, there was no need for a formal hearing.

Quinton de Kock scored his first fifty of the series, AB de Villiers his 50th ODI fifty, but Faf du Plessis stole the show. His second century of the series also made him the holder of the second-highest individual score by a South African, surpassing de Kock’s unbeaten 178 against Australia in September 2016 and three runs short of Gary Kirsten’s 188* against the UAE at the 1996 World Cup.Sri Lanka’s reply started strongly as Upul Tharanga and Niroshan Dickwella plundered 100 runs off the first ten overs. Tharanga went on to score the first century by a Sri Lankan batsman on this trip but was dismissed in the 30th over. It left Sri Lanka with a tough task of having to sustain momentum.Sandun Weerakkody, playing in just his second ODI, ensured that by bringing up a maiden half-century to keep Sri Lanka within range, and even put them ahead of South Africa at times. After 45 overs, Sri Lanka were 317 for 7. In comparison, South Africa had only reached 317 at the end of 46 overs. But as is so often the case for South Africa, Imran Tahir came up with crucial incisions.He took two wickets in his final over – trapping Nuwan Kulasekara lbw and having Weerakkody caught at backward point – to leave Sri Lanka needing 51 off the last four overs with just one wicket standing. They didn’t get there, but neither have 22 other chasing teams in day-night matches at Newlands. Sri Lanka, however, put on the most runs among all sides that have attempted to chase down totals.South Africa knew the advantages that could be gained from setting a target and chose to do that on a flat deck. Hashim Amla was dismissed early but that only gave du Plessis enough time to settle in and build an innings. He shared a century stand with de Kock by the time Sri Lanka could have their first drink. De Kock brought up fifty off 40 balls and was threatening more but added five more before he edged Sachith Pathirana to Tharanga at slip.If Sri Lanka thought that would slow South Africa down, they were wrong. De Kock and du Plessis had motored on at a rate of 6.89; de Villiers picked up exactly where they left off and put on 137 runs with du Plessis at 6.90. Their contributions were almost mirror images of each other – du Plessis scored 70 runs in their stand; de Villiers 64. Du Plessis’ fifty came off 46 balls with a drive off a half-volley. De Villiers reached his fifty off 51 balls, the delivery before du Plessis dug out a Kumara yorker to get to a hundred. De Villiers only added another 14 runs before being bowled around his legs; du Plessis did not give them any such let-off.As his innings went on, he batted more aggressively. His first fifty came off 46 balls, his second off 43 and his third off 40 as he brought out everything from a straight drive back over the bowler’s head to a scoop over fine leg, once in the same over.Farhaan Behardien was not simply a passive observer. He scored almost half the runs (31) in a 74-run stand but was happy to hand strike back to du Plessis as he went in search of the record. Du Plessis wanted it and hit Nuwan Kulasekara for six in the penultimate over to overtake de Kock and then tried to repeat the feat with four balls to go. Du Plessis did not get enough power behind his shot and long-on took the catch to end his quest. For Sri Lanka, though, the damage seemed done.Their batting throughout this trip has left much to be desired but with nothing to lose, they came out blazing. Tharanga and Dickwella, who had already scored two half-centuries on this tour, enjoyed the batting conditions as much as South Africa had. Wayne Parnell and Dwaine Pretorius opened the bowling, JP Duminy was given the ball when it was three overs old, Imran Tahir was called on in the powerplay and Tabraiz Shamsi was not used until the 14th over. By then, Sri Lanka had made their intent clear.Pretorius made the first breakthrough in his second spell, when he had started to use the short ball more. Dickwella played early to a delivery that got big on him and he top-edged to Behardien at deep square leg to end a 139-run opening stand. Like du Plessis, Tharanga continued almost completely unaffected by a dismissal and brought up a 73-ball hundred.At the halfway stage, Sri Lanka had scored more runs they had in this series so far – when their best performance was 186 – and had brought the required run-rate down to just under seven an over. Much rested on Tharanga though, especially when Kusal Mendis walked across his stumps and gloved a Parnell delivery to de Kock. Tharanga only managed two more shots in anger before he steered Parnell to backward point and Sri Lanka’s challenge looked over.But there was some depth to the Sri Lankan effort and it came in the form of Weerakkody. He started slowly and lost Dhananjaya de Silva to an lbw, but put on a 79-run fifth-wicket stand with Asela Gunaratne, the intent against Shamsi and Pretorius’ short ball was noticeable. He brought up fifty off 46 balls to keep them alive. But Tahir had other plans to give South Africa an opportunity of inflicting a series whitewash.