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Father's footsteps: Boozer brothers pick Duke

Published in Breaking News
Friday, 11 October 2024 07:53

Five-star brothers Cameron Boozer and Cayden Boozer will follow in their father's footsteps, announcing Friday they're committing to Duke.

The Boozer twins, whose father is two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, chose the Blue Devils over Miami. They took visits to Duke, Miami and Florida in late August and early September.

"I'm proud of them. They've worked their butts off for this moment," Carlos Boozer told ESPN. "Really excited that they took their time. Decided to play together in college, which is amazing. They both complement each other so well. They made the best decision for them. Me and mom couldn't be any prouder. It's going to be a fun journey."

Cameron Boozer, a 6-foot-9 power forward, is ranked No. 2 in the ESPN 100 and has been considered one of the premier prospects in all of high school basketball for the past couple of years. He was even ranked ahead of projected No. 1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg entering the summer of 2023.

Boozer has had an incredibly dominant and productive high school career. He ranked in the top three in both points and rebounds as a rising junior on the EYBL 16U circuit, then performed even better going into his senior season. Last spring, he averaged 24.5 points and 13.4 rebounds at the 17U level -- leading the circuit in both categories. Boozer put up 20.4 points and 10.1 rebounds at the Nike Peach Jam in July, leading his team to the title.

He has also won two gold medals with USA Basketball. He was named MVP at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in 2023, averaging 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds -- including 24 points and 12 rebounds in the gold medal win over Canada. Boozer followed that up with yet another MVP award at the FIBA U17 World Cup last summer, averaging 20.1 points and 9.9 rebounds, highlighted by 24 points and 13 boards against Italy in the title game.

Cayden Boozer, a 6-foot-5 point guard, is ranked No. 17 in the ESPN 100, slotting in as the No. 5 player at his position in the 2025 class.

Boozer has been among the best passers in his class for the past couple of seasons, leading the Nike EYBL circuit last spring with 6.5 assists per game. He also averaged 6.9 assists at the Nike Peach Jam over the summer, including 11 in a semifinal win over Team Takeover. Boozer is a capable scorer, putting up 22 points against Montverde Academy last October and 22 points against Link Academy in December.

Like his brother, Cayden has also won two gold medals with USA Basketball -- with his international career highlighted by a 12-point, 9-assist performance against the Philippines last summer at the U17 World Cup. He led the U17 World Cup in assists with 6.4 per game despite averaging just over 18 minutes.

The twin brothers, who attend Christopher Columbus High School (Florida) and suited up for the Nightrydas Elite grassroots program on the Nike EYBL circuit, have formed an elite inside-outside duo throughout their high school careers. They've won three straight Florida state championships.

Cameron Boozer is the most fundamentally sound player in high school basketball. His offensive polish, relentless rebounding and high basketball IQ make him special. He's a low-post, back-to-the-basket threat and a face-up floor spacer who displays outstanding footwork and touch. Boozer's basketball IQ is evident; he understands spacing, execution and team play. He owns a winning résumé that is second to none. He rebounds and throws an outlet pass reminiscent of Kevin Love with the offensive polish of Paolo Banchero, and projects as a future high lottery pick in 2026.

Cayden Boozer is a trustworthy point guard who is strong, dependable and plays with physicality. He pushes the ball with good speed and pace. He is the best passer in high school basketball -- his passing accuracy and vision is on another level and he's constantly looking to create opportunities for an open teammate -- and demonstrates outstanding ball security. Boozer possesses the toughness, passing vision and leadership qualities of former NBA veteran Andre Miller. He is projected to be a first-round draft pick.

The Boozers are Duke's first commitments in the 2025 class, but they become the ninth and 10th five-star prospects to commit to the Blue Devils since Jon Scheyer replaced Mike Krzyzewski in 2021. Cayden Boozer is Duke's first five-star point guard since Jeremy Roach in 2020.

Gauff to face Sabalenka in Wuhan Open semi-final

Published in Tennis
Friday, 11 October 2024 03:48

American Coco Gauff secured her 50th WTA win of the year with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Magda Linette in the Wuhan Open quarter-finals.

The world number four will face top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals on Saturday, after the US Open champion beat Magdalena Frech 6-2 6-2.

Gauff, 20, made eight double-faults against Poland's Linette but was dominant on her opponent's serve, winning 14 of 21 return points in the opening set.

"I played well, overall, maybe two bad games," said Gauff, who has won her past nine matches.

Linette, 32, recovered slightly in the second set before one of her 22 unforced errors gave Gauff the only break of serve in the set, which wrapped up the American's win.

Meanwhile, two-time defending champion Sabalenka extended her unbeaten record in Wuhan to 15 matches.

The Belarusian, 26, hit 42 winners in 16 games against Frech of Poland, securing victory in one hour and 23 minutes.

Also on Friday, China's Wang Xinyu overcame Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6 7-5 7-6 (8-6) in their last-eight tie.

In the other quarter-final, China's Paris 2024 gold medallist Zheng Qinwen faces Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini of Italy from 12:05 BST.

Worcester confirm bid to return to professional rugby

Published in Rugby
Friday, 11 October 2024 02:50

Worcester join Wasps and London Irish in signalling their intent to return after all three clubs went out of business during the 2022-2023 season.

They are bidding to join a new look Championship which will expand from 12 to 14 clubs next season.

Wasps and Worcester are now owned by businessman Chris Holland, while businessman, Daniel Loitz, says he is in talks to resurrect London Irish, with the news being welcomed by the chief executive of Premiership Rugby, Simon Massie-Taylor.

"That is great for rugby, and good for the Premiership," he told BBC 5 live.

"The more rugby brands there are in the country, the better it is for the sport."

Lions tour is massive for me - Racing's Farrell

Published in Rugby
Friday, 11 October 2024 03:49

Racing fell just short of the semi-finals last season, and are currently 10th in the early-season standings after three losses in their opening five games.

Farrell has started all five matches, but has allowed scrum-half Nolan Le Garrec to take many of the tactical decisions and, in recent matches, the goal-kicking duties.

"I don't think anybody's going to come in to a new club and be overpowering, speak too much," said Farrell who admitted he was carrying a "little knock" which had limited his kicking.

"It's been nice for me to find my way and listen a lot and get to understand what the club is about, and French rugby and French culture.

"We've a long way to go, a lot of potential and it's about expanding that as quickly as possible."

Farrell took a break from England duty for the duration of last year's Six Nations to "prioritise his and his family's mental well-being".

"Not yet, I've only just got here!" said the 33-year-old, when asked if he was missing England.

"I'm enjoying how different it is, the French way of life, it's nice.

"I've got a long way to go with the language. I'm enjoying trying to learn it but I still need to make a big effort."

Andy Farrell and his Lions coaching staff will likely be watching more players than ever in France this season, with a host of potential Lions at Top 14 clubs.

England back row Jack Willis and Scotland back Blair Kinghorn ply their trade at champions Toulouse, while prop Kyle Sinckler has impressed at Toulon since his summer move from Bristol.

Scotland scrum-half Ben White is a team-mate of Sinckler's at Toulon, while England wing Henry Arundell, like Farrell, opted for Paris and Racing.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Screens are everywhere inside Delta Center. At one point a few of those screens, along with the rich voice of the building's public address announcer, issue a message to fans.

"We remind you to drink responsibly," is the message, and it's a rather common one delivered by teams throughout professional sports.

But then, the in-arena cameras immediately cut to a fan holding a beer. With an orange-red beard and dressed in Carhartt T-shirt, the fan promptly starts chugging and the crowd erupts as each ounce goes down. The cameras then cut to another person. And another person. And another person.

The "Celly cam" and its instant popularity produced two of the memorable moments in a night that saw the Utah Hockey Club win its first-ever game. The first was when the entire Delta Center crowd booed someone because they couldn't chug half of their beer. The second was when the arena was brought to its collective feet because another person poured their cup of beer into their Retro Jordan 1s and guzzled it down like they were Daniel Ricciardo after winning a Formula 1 race.

"We love it! We love the Celly cam!" said Christian Priskos, a lifelong Salt Lake City resident whose friends smile and nod in agreement. "We've never seen that at a Jazz game! This is a first in Utah history right here! Seriously, I've never seen a Celly cam at any Utah sports or anything in any sort of capacity at all. To have the hockey game, the first one, sets a precedent."

Utah's players noticed a difference too.

"That was pretty cool," said forward Dylan Guenther, who scored the first goal in franchise history. "That building was special. That was a ton of fun. A lot of fun to play in front of that crowd."

Goal horns. Goal songs. The pregame introductions. The breakout chants. The mascot. And the in-game highlights of thousands of people celebrating how someone drinks a beer. These are how an NHL team and its fans foster an identity.

After deciding in June that the team's name for Year 1 would be "Utah Hockey Club" (with no nickname), Tuesday was the first official step in the team's path toward creating something the franchise can call its own. Architects of this process often share how developing an environment takes time to perfect, while also admitting it can take years to craft a presentation that will never be perfect.

After an abrupt sale, and subsequent move from Arizona, the Utah Hockey Club had four months to figure out how to create an in-game experience that was unique, memorable and specific to its fans. They also had to create an entirely new identity, because the former owners of the Coyotes retained the name and intellectual property of that franchise.

The team did it with the hope that the big surprise it spent countless hours curating would be a big hit.

Although much of the UHC's game operations staff has experience doing this for the NBA's Utah Jazz, they still needed to figure out how their game experience would be different from a Jazz game. They had to create and execute ideas that they hoped would work -- with the knowledge that their plans could also fall flat on the most important night in franchise history.

Above all, they had to cultivate an experience that felt like both a hockey game and a Utah-specific event.

"It's been a challenge, but we've had unbelievable collaboration," Utah president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said. "We've had good collaboration internally and had some great agency partners that have helped us accelerate our output with the timelines we've had."


LAMONT BUFORD IS the vice president of entertainment experience and production for the Seattle Kraken. Eric Schulz is a senior lecturer at Utah State University, who once oversaw the Jazz's marketing department. Together, they provide the context necessary to understand what was at stake for the Utah Hockey Club.

Buford, who has worked for the St. Louis Blues and the Arizona Coyotes, was part of the team that developed the Kraken's in-game experience. The Kraken had nearly two years to create something ahead of their opening night. They used their time to observe crowd dynamics at other Seattle sporting events. They also had one employee who was dedicated to studying the nautical history of Seattle, given the team's name and how it is part of the city's sports fabric.

As Buford points out, the UHC didn't have that runway -- which only adds to what is an already high degree of difficulty.

"You have to think about every little thing, every little detail," Buford said. "You talk about the goal horn, then you have to think about the goal song. You're thinking about those other small nuances for a power play or a penalty kill. What's that thing that might be a tradition somewhere else, and is it something you can bring over? Or what is your tradition?"

Buford and those who operate in the field of in-game operations often refer to everything from the arena to the PA announcer's voice as a character. They view the game experience as a show, and as with all shows, there are characters who can make or break a production.

The challenge that comes with having characters is knowing when to use them, how to use them or if you even need them. Buford cited having a mascot as an example. He said that a mascot is one of the primary ways a team interacts with its fans because players cannot be everywhere.

"It's putting together all of that stuff and asking, 'What is Salt Lake City known for?'" Buford said. "'Are they a music city? What are they?' You have to figure out what that is and does that fit within the mold of what you're trying to put forth. Sports and entertainment has changed so much over the years. It's evolved that it's not just about the product on the ice. The product on the ice is very important, but how you're entertaining people and grabbing their attention is even more important."

Schulz explained what the in-game presentation landscape has historically looked like in Salt Lake City. He said it started 30 years ago when Grant Harrison, who was the VP of game operations for the Jazz, was among the first to lay the foundation for many elements now routinely seen throughout sports.

Harrison and the Jazz did everything from indoor fireworks to being among the first teams to use indoor blimps to drop tickets on fans to hosting cow-milking contests at halftime. They also created Jazz Bear, who is one of the seven NBA mascots to have been inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.

Jazz Bear ultimately paved the way for fans across Utah to have high expectations for their mascots. That continues today with Cosmo the Cougar, BYU's anthropomorphic mascot who has gone viral for smoothly pulling off everything from hip-hop dance routines to jumps through flaming hoops.

"Grant's philosophy was you can't control wins and losses on the court and some nights are going to be stinkers," Schulz said. "If we can entertain people and it doesn't matter what the final score is, they're going to be happy."


ARMSTRONG SAID THE UHC wants to create an environment that's respected by fans. Doing that meant it needed to address concerns about Delta Center's obstructed seats.

As a basketball-first building, Delta Center's setup for hockey includes seats behind each goal that are obstructed to the point that fans can see only the goal on the far end because of the steep angles.

Chris Barney, the Smith Entertainment Group's president of revenue and commercial strategy, said that the UHC has taken a transparent approach. Any fan who purchases one of those tickets receives a form acknowledging that the seat they're about to buy comes with an altered view.

"Transparency through this whole thing was really important to us," Barney said. "Lessons were learned from talking to other hockey clubs that had been in NBA buildings in the past. ... It's also the other end of the stick in that we are trying to develop a fan base and acclimate people to hockey and get them excited to support the team."

A day after the first game, the team issued a statement that it drew 16,020 fans to Delta Center by "leveraging the use of single-goal view seating to welcome more guests to watch the game live beyond the arena's typical hockey capacity of 11,131."

That's what makes relying on the characters Buford referenced so crucial. And for any team, the arena it plays in might be the biggest character of all.

That was even more evident with Delta Center's interior signage, which appeared to be more extensive than what most NHL arenas have. There were scoreboard screens tucked in the highest corners of the building, as well as smaller scoreboards closer to ice level, a detail that's associated with NBA teams.

Delta Center has a four-sided videoboard above center ice. It also has four smaller videoboards within the larger videoboard, in addition to an LED ribbon above the main one. That's how the UHC is able to create an immersive environment, such as when the team took the ice for the first time.

As the lights dimmed, all of the LED scoreboards went black, and then the screens started showing falling digital snowflakes which were then complemented by smaller artificial snowflakes that dropped from the ceiling and became visible when the arena's strobe lights started flashing.

It's all part of creating that unique fan experience that becomes part of the team's identity.

"In the spirit of the strength of the community in Utah, you're going to see us support Utah football, BYU football, the Jazz and Real Salt Lake," Armstrong said. "We share many of the same fans and have our own unique fans as well. At the end of the day, all of it is about the pride for Utah, the identity of Utah and showing the potential of this state."


DYLAN GUENTHER SCORING THE first goal in franchise history was an important moment. But it needed those other elements to make it feel even more unique. Shortly after Guenther scored, the UHC's goal horn blared. It wasn't one single sound. It was the combination of several goal horns from across hockey, a detail that Armstrong said was deliberate.

While the goal horn was something the team teased on social and in its one preseason game, the goal song was another matter. Immediately after the horn, the arena shook when its sound system began blaring "Papi" by Swedish electronic artist Kaaze. It's an anthem that needed a few seconds to let the beat build before the bass dropped with the same earworm tendencies that make "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes such an oft-played stadium favorite.

When it came to finding a goal horn, Armstrong said his team studied what it felt were the most iconic ones in the NHL. The in-game operations staff learned those horns generated a physiological response that brought fans to their feet. That's when the club worked with a sonic expert to create a horn that suited the building's acoustic range.

Choosing a goal song was -- and remains -- a conversation that continues to evolve because "it's a living and breathing thing," according to Armstrong.

"Through our first season, we'll get feedback from our fans," he said. "We may try to develop something custom over time. We're keeping an open mind there. In terms of our goal for when we launch, it was to really elevate and sustain the energy level of our building that we want to deliver to our fans. We also wanted something that had interactive components because of fan participation."

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Dylan Guenther scores Utah Hockey Club's first-ever goal

Dylan Guenther nets Utah's first ever goal in the NHL and the hometown crowd erupts.

Given the team has yet to choose a name and is currently called the Utah Hockey Club, how does that work when it comes to forming fan chants?

Armstrong said it wasn't an issue -- because the fans were already coming up with ideas. He said there was one chant in which fans in one part of the building screamed "U" and those in another answered with "TAH." The classic "Let's go, Utah" also was heard during the first game at Delta Center.

And for anyone wondering about a mascot, Armstrong said the team will have one, and it will be representative of the permanent team name that's eventually chosen. In the interim, Jazz Bear will do double duty at NBA and NHL games this season.

Asked whether team captain Clayton Keller gave away the team name at the NHL's player media tour in August -- "It sounds like it's going to be the Yeti, but I don't know," he told NHL.com -- the exec smiled.

"Kels, I think, was speaking to the public sentiment," Armstrong replied.


THEY HAVE A goal horn. They have a goal song. They have chants. They even have a temporary mascot with plans for a more permanent solution. They have many of the boxes checked, but some are left to answer.

For example: the national anthem. Nearly every NHL team's fans seemingly have some part of "O Canada" or "The Star-Spangled Banner" that they loudly sing as a fan tradition. There was no one moment that stood out during Utah's first game, but could it be possible that UHC fans scream "YOU" in the American anthem's first line as a way of invoking the letter U for Utah? Or could they go down another route?

These are the sort of details that will be figured out in time.

But as for the initial impression after Game 1, head coach Andre Tourigny, who previously coached the Arizona Coyotes, appreciated the extravagance of the franchise opener.

"Today was special, there's no doubt about it," Tourigny said. "One day we will look back. I received texts from about half of the head coaches in the league today. That means something, and it's because it's special."

There were fans who said they liked a lot of what they experienced during the first game, too. Priskos said what made something like the Celly cam so amazing is the fact that Utah has a history of being one of the nation's more restrictive states for alcohol.

"What I hope people realize is that whatever you've heard about Salt Lake City is just not true," Priskos said. "That it's a sleepy town. That's what the assumptions are. But it's Tuesday night and everything is happening. We're hosting the Olympics in 10 years. We're not this quiet town anymore, and people need to realize that the Stanley Cup now comes through Utah."

Dorival Junior optimistic of Brazil's progress

Published in Soccer
Friday, 11 October 2024 04:55

Brazil head coach Dorival Junior has said he is cautiously optimistic that his national team is moving in the right direction after their win against Chile in World Cup qualifying.

Dorival's side had only won three and lost four of their eight qualifiers before Thursday's 2-1 victory.

An 89th-minute goal by Botafogo forward Luiz Henrique lifted Brazil to fourth in the standings, six points adrift of leaders Argentina.

"We are moving step-by-step, with a lot to fix, but little by little finding the way," Dorival said after the game.

"I'm happy to see the team's maturity, even though they're very young. We had balance and tranquility."

Dorival was keen to point out that only four of the players in Thursday's starting XI -- Danilo, Marquinhos, Lucas Paquetá and Raphinha -- started for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.

"A [team] renewal is not simple," he said. "We don't have the structure that was set up for the previous World Cup and this ends up making the games even more difficult due to the balance between the youth of these boys and the experience of others that are there.

"We only had four players that finished the last match of the World Cup and that has considerable weight."

Dorival remained upbeat that his team will arrive at the 2026 World Cup ready.

"We will arrive with a strong team in two years, but we will face some difficulties," he said.

Thursday's late win, courtesy of goals from Botafogo attacking pair Igor Jesus and Henrique, brought relief after considerable criticism following recent results.

Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos, who started on Thursday, said it's only a question of time before Brazil win both consistently and convincingly while stating that a coaching change is not the answer.

Dorival was under pressure after Brazil's lacklustre performance in a 1-0 defeat at Paraguay on Sept. 10.

"Seeking changes is beside the point," Marquinhos said. "I'm happy with Dorival, with the work he's been doing.

"It's not easy, you have to give him time to understand the group he has in hand and use the pieces. Today we showed that we have quality, many good players. We know the coach's ability, what a great professional and person he is.

"We are fully focused on seeking to improve and grow as a group and team."

Brazil host strugglers Peru on Oct. 15 in Brasilia. They will have to do without West Ham midfielder Paquetá, who is suspended.

PSG chief on FIFA CWC: Don't like it, don't play

Published in Soccer
Friday, 11 October 2024 04:55

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has come out in defence of the new format of the FIFA Club World Cup, telling those who don't want to compete in the tournament to not play.

FIFA's revamped competition, set to debut in the United States on June 15, 2025, involves 32 teams playing over four weeks at stadiums around the country.

It has provoked criticism from several players over the added stress it will place on the calendar, with teams such as Manchester City and Real Madrid set for an 11-month season should they progress deep into the tournament.

Al Khelaïfi, however, said that clubs are excited for the event and will be recouping money lost to increasing player wages.

"The players or clubs who have complaints, don't play. If you have a complaint, don't play. Before, they complained because there were only two clubs or because there were only two per country. Now it's the players," he said at a news conference at the European Club Association's (ECA) general assembly in Athens, Greece.

"Of course we have to respect and protect the players. But clubs aren't just in it for the money. It's not like that, that's a mistake. We try to recover the money from their costs. The salaries go up and up, but the competitions are the same and the income is the same.

"The calendar is a topic of debate, obviously. It always has been. And, to be honest, I believe it's necessary for all the interested parties to get together and discuss it, in a prosperous way, and see what's best for everyone. All the clubs want to play in the Club World Cup."

In September, Al Khelaïfi, who is chairman of the ECA, admitted clubs were finding preparation for the Club World Cup "challenging" but remained confident in the tournaments success.

"ECA recognises there are challenges launching any new format or concept, but we firmly believe in the tournament.

"In time it will bring important revenues to both participating and non-participating clubs, without significantly adding to the overall calendar, and it will excite fans all across the world."

Last Friday, City manager Pep Guardiola said the Premier League had denied his club's request to start their season later as a result of the Club World Cup.

"The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery," he said. "Thank you so much. They don't postpone these games so that will be the moment of: 'Oh, what do we have to do?'"

England are bracing to play on "result wickets" for the remaining two Tests of their tour to Pakistan after winning by an innings on a lifeless pitch. The groundstaff in Multan, which will also stage the second Test of the series, were watering a fresh strip barely an hour after England completed their win on Friday, which will be prepared over the next three days.

Shan Masood has spoken repeatedly about wanting to play on pitches that bring his fast bowlers into play since his appointment as captain, but there was nothing for them to work with as England racked up 823 for 7 in Multan. Pakistan need to win both Tests to secure a first home series win since February 2021 and England believe they may gamble on a green pitch.

"There was talk about green surfaces," Chris Woakes said. "I suppose it did have a tinge of green on day one, but it just got better and better. The ball is firmly in their court. When it's a home series and it's only three matches, and you lose the first, you'd like to think that the next two are going to be result wickets, whether that be green or turners. We'll see."

Masood played down the role of the pitch, instead blaming his bowlers. "We take discussion of the pitch too seriously," he said. "You play a pitch for your squad and your strategy, but you can't control every aspect of the pitch What England showed us is you can find a way: they took 20 wickets on this pitch, so you can't say it's impossible to take 20 wickets on this pitch."

England hope to welcome Ben Stokes back into their side for the second Test after he missed the first due to his hamstring injury. He stepped up his rehabilitation this week, doing fitness work on every day of the Test, starting to bowl off a full run-up during intervals, and having several long batting sessions in the nets behind the media centre.

Ollie Pope, who stood in as captain for a fourth successive Test, was optimistic about Stokes' chances of playing next week. "I know he's been training really well this week, and he's as keen as ever to get playing again, so fingers crossed for everyone that he's all good He has had a good week training, but I will be ready if not."

If Stokes does return, England could face a selection dilemma depending on his availability to bowl - and the nature of the surface. The most likely change would involve him replacing one of their three seamers, but they could feasibly leave out one of their two spinners - most likely Shoaib Bashir - and instead give Joe Root a greater role with the ball.

For Woakes, this was a successful return to playing away from home after two successive winters without going on a Test tour. He finished with match figures of 2 for 110 but took one important wicket in each innings: Babar Azam in the first, whom he trapped lbw with the second new ball, and Abdullah Shafique, who lost his off stump to the first ball of the second.

"I probably didn't think I was going to get another opportunity to do this," Woakes said. "In a way, I'd probably given up on it. But when you get the backing of the dressing room, of Ben and Baz [McCullum], you feel 10 feet tall and like you can go out there and win games of cricket for England. I'm never going to average 25 in these conditions but I don't think many would.

"Thankfully in this Test match, I've been able to make a couple of breakthroughs with the new ball on a wicket which was offering pretty much bugger all, so I'm pretty pleased I contributed. There are going to be periods in these conditions where you do have to hold and you're working for the guys at the other end."

Western Australia 465 (Inglis 122, Whiteman 102, Connolly 79, Neser 5-68) and 263 for 6 dec (Marsh 94, Wildermuth 3-38) drew with Queensland 367 (Clayton 85, Labuschagne 77, McDermott 68, Gannon 5-57) and 120 for 1 (Khawaja 64*, Labuschagne 35*)

Mitchell Marsh smashed 94 as a specialist batter before the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Queensland petered out to a draw on a sedate WACA surface.

Set 362 runs off 62 overs, Queensland never went for the target and the match ended when the captains agreed to call it off midway through the final session on the last day.

Opener Usman Khawaja looked in fine touch and finished 64 not out to ensure Queensland avoided any late nerves. Captain Marnus Labuschagne tuned up for the Test summer with an unbeaten 35 on the back of his 77 in the first innings.

With Test allrounder Cameron Green facing a long stint on the sidelines due to a back injury, a number of players in the match were under the spotlight. Test aspirant Matthew Renshaw made an untimely double failure after edging behind to Matthew Kelly on 15 having scored just six runs in the first innings.

WA counterpart Cameron Bancroft, another possible option to open for Australia if Steven Smith shifts down the order, fared even worse after making a pair earlier in the match.

"He's [Bancroft] so resilient. He's been through so much in his career. He'll be fine," WA captain Sam Whiteman said after the match.

Batting at No.4, Marsh top-scored in WA's second innings of 263 for 6 dec after rescuing his team from a top-order collapse. He also scored 13 in the first innings, but did not bowl in the match.

"Mitch is in for a big summer. His workloads are going to be managed very carefully by Cricket Australia. We are hopeful we might see Mitch with ball in hand for the next Shield match," WA coach Adam Voges said after play on day three.

Allrounder Aaron Hardie, who looms as a like-for-like replacement for Green, missed the match due to a quad injury but is likely to return for WA's next Shield match against Tasmania starting on October 20 at the WACA.

Quick Lance Morris sustained a minor quad injury during training and is pushing to be available for the One Day Cup game against Tasmania on 25 October.

With WA resuming on 106 for 3, a lead of 204, there was intrigue over how they would approach the situation. Marsh had mostly been watchful late on day three, but was in a trademark aggressive mood as he reached his half-century with a push that rocketed to the boundary.

Fringe Test quick Michael Neser threatened by targeting a crack, but Marsh was unperturbed as he put the foot down. His most belligerent shot was smashing a short delivery from debutant Tom Straker that thudded into the ground's famous grassbanks.

Marsh tried to reach his century with one mighty blow, but mistimed and holed out much to his chagrin as he threw his bat in the air.

Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis backed up his first-innings century with a quick-fire 48 to claim Player-of-the-Match award. His confidence was obvious and he toyed with legspinner Mitchell Swepson, who had the last laugh but struggled to have much impact across the match.

The pitch flattened considerably after tough early conditions when WA lost the wickets of Bancroft and Jayden Goodwin off the first two balls bowled by Neser, who was Queensland's standout bowler with six wickets for the match.

"Phenomenal bowler and I was very happy how he started the season," Labuschagne said of Neser, who could also be in the Test mix.

Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth

Shan Masood drew a sharp line between his side's batters and bowlers after their innings defeat against England in Multan - he defended the batters and criticised the bowlers for failing to do their job. Speaking after the match, Masood lamented their inability to take 20 wickets, largely dismissing the pitch as a mitigating factor for their struggles.

"What England showed us is you can find a way. They took 20 wickets on this pitch, so you can't say it's impossible to take 20 wickets on this pitch," Masood said. "We can't find the easy way out to those 20 wickets, because then we wouldn't have scored a huge first-innings score. You have to find a way as a team, and the formula of Test cricket is you can't win a Test without taking 20 wickets. That, and first-innings runs.

"We've repeated mistakes, by setting up the match and then letting those positions slip. When you score 550 and bat for two days, there's a human element where there is scoreboard pressure. If in these conditions you are to set up a game, you put up a big score. And then not let the team take too big a lead."

It was a point - Pakistan's failure to take 20 wickets - Masood repeatedly brought up. There was significantly less introspection about Pakistan's showing with the bat in the second innings. He admitted losing "one or two fewer wickets yesterday" would have been useful, but that was about as far as Masood went in his evaluation.

Much of the wider talk has revolved around the placidity of the surface, and how little it offered the bowlers, even as the game wore on. Chris Woakes, who removed Babar Azam in the first innings and knocked back Abdullah Shafique's off stump off the first ball of the second, called it "a pitch that offered bu****r all". Mike Atherton, working as a broadcaster on the game, called it "a shocking pitch". Masood would have had little pushback if he'd chosen to line up behind them to exonerate his bowlers, but he opted to take a different route.

"It was the same pitch for both sides, and both sides were similar - three pacers and two spinners," he said. "They found a way, and we didn't execute as well. Conditions change over the course of a Test, and we have to learn to find a way.

"We take the discussion of the pitch too seriously. You plan a pitch for your squad and your strategy, but you can't control every aspect of the pitch. The last Test we played here in 2022, that was a slightly different pitch. England's squad was different, as was ours. Here, we expected this pitch to break up very quickly. Maybe around the end of Day 2 and the start of Day 3. Which is why we tried to prolong the innings."

"We have to look at the batting and bowling effort and how to combine them, and stay in the game. The third and fourth innings will only be match-winning when the bowling and batting innings are in tandem"

Shan Masood

Masood, in particular, blamed a "lapse" from the bowlers with the second new ball. By that time, England had gone past 400, with Harry Brook and Joe Root well into the partnership that would become the largest away stand in Test history. Abrar Ahmed had proved ineffectual, perhaps hampered by the illness that put him in hospital the following day. Pakistan did not make any inroads overnight, or the morning that followed.

"The pitch today and yesterday wasn't a Day 1 or Day 2 pitch," Masood said. "The new-ball bowlers got a spell; there was enough with the new ball and there were open cracks. That was an opportunity the bowlers had to drag the game back to Pakistan. We'll have to absorb pressure in that period and improve. These lapses have occurred before. You set up a big total and restrict the opposition, so you can drive the game on the third day. The 220 we scored, if we had conceded only a 50-run deficit, then scoring 170 in two sessions would have been a different story."

Masood's review of that period may come off as harsh, particularly on Naseem Shah. Late on the third day, he had Joe Root trapped in front off a ball that came in, but missed out because of umpire's call when a fair chunk of the ball was hitting leg stump. The following morning, Root pulled one off Naseem straight to Babar Azam at midwicket, and it went down.

The hostility of the conditions is unlikely to have helped the bowlers either. The Test has been played with temperatures hovering in the high 30s and the sun blazing down; high-performance coach Tim Nielsen said yesterday "the heat and length of time" Pakistan were out on the field ended up getting to them.

Meanwhile, there will invariably be criticism that Masood has been selective in the way he has framed his argument. Slumping to 82 for 6 on a surface England piled on the fourth-highest score in Test history can hardly be seen as spectacular batting, particularly in light of Pakistan's repeated third-innings failures. It's also worth mentioning that a 170-odd run fourth-innings target is precisely the situation Pakistan found themselves in during the second Test against Bangladesh, only for the visitors to knock it off with little drama.

Masood mentioned the importance of not falling into a huge deficit to help Pakistan's third innings, but even when that goal has been realised during his tenure, a decent third innings has not. In Sydney, Pakistan managed a narrow lead against Australia before slumping for 115, as they did during the second Test against Bangladesh after sneaking a 12-run lead in Rawalpindi. This is the largest lead they have given up during his time, but as he admitted, a spicier pitch may simply have meant a failure to put up the big first-innings total Pakistan did.

"We've got into good positions three times, and if you keep in mind the first-innings scores - 448, 274, 556 - you'd have to accept they are good innings scores. We have to look at the batting and bowling effort and how to combine them, and stay in the game. The third and fourth innings will only be match-winning when the bowling and batting innings are in tandem."

Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000

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