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South Africa have named an unchanged squad for the second and final Test against New Zealand at Centurion starting on Friday. South Africa won the first Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg by a record margin of 358 runs.Batsmen Boeta Dippenaar and Neil McKenzie, who were considered for selection for the first Test, will now have to wait until the home series against West Indies next month to fight for a place in the squad. Both played for South Africa A in the tour match against the New Zealanders in Potchefstroom, with McKenzie scoring 182 while Dippenaar was unfortunate to miss out on his hundred. Dippenaar also captained the side to an 85-run win. Fast bowler Morne Morkel wasn’t considered for both Tests, owing to the injury he picked up in Pakistan.Squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Ashwell Prince, Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher (wk), Andre Nel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock

Gilchrist slammed four sixes at the WACA during the third Test against England in 2006-07 © Getty Images

1. Saqlain Mushtaq – hit to midwicket, Test No. 2 v Pak, Hobart, 1999
2. Paul Wiseman – extra cover, Test No. 7 v NZ, Auckland, 2000
3. Mahendra Nagamootoo – straight drive, Test No. 14 v WI, Sydney, 2001
4. Harbhajan Singh – mid-on, Test No. 15 v Ind, Mumbai, 2001
5. Harbhajan Singh – long-on, Test No. 15 v Ind, Mumbai, 2001
6. Rahul Sanghvi – midwicket, Test No. 15 v Ind, Mumbai, 2001
7. Rahul Sanghvi – long-on, Test No. 15 v Ind, Mumbai, 2001
8. Ashley Giles – mid-on, Test No. 18 v Eng, Edgbaston, 2001
9. Mark Butcher – midwicket, Test No. 18 v Eng, Edgbaston, 2001
10. Mark Butcher – long-on, Test No. 18 v Eng, Edgbaston, 2001
11. Mark Butcher – square leg, Test No. 18 v Eng, Edgbaston, 2001
12. Craig White – long-on, Test No. 18 v Eng, Edgbaston, 2001
13. Phil Tufnell – midwicket, Test No. 22 v Eng, The Oval, 2001
14. Nathan Astle – long-on, Test No. 23 v NZ, Brisbane, 2001
15. Daniel Vettori – long-on, Test No. 24 v NZ, Hobart, 2001
16. Daniel Vettori – long-off, Test No. 25 v NZ, Perth, 2001
17. Chris Cairns – straight drive, Test No. 25 v NZ, Perth, 2001
18. Andre Nel – square leg, Test No. 29 v SA, Johannesburg, 2002
19. Nicky Boje – midwicket, Test No. 29 v SA, Johannesburg, 2002
20. Nicky Boje – extra cover Test No. 29 v SA, Johannesburg, 2002
21. Neil McKenzie – square leg, Test No. 29 v SA, Johannesburg, 2002
22. Andre Nel – midwicket, Test No. 29 v SA, Johannesburg, 2002
23. Neil McKenzie – square leg, Test No. 29 v SA, Johannesburg, 2002
24. Nicky Boje – midwicket, Test No. 29 v SA, Johannesburg, 2002
25. Nicky Boje – square leg, Test No. 29 v SA, Johannesburg, 2002
26. Paul Adams – straight drive, Test No. 30 v SA, Cape Town, 2002
27. Paul Adams – midwicket, Test No. 30 v SA, Cape Town, 2002
28. Danish Kaneria – midwicket, Test No. 33 v Pak, Sharjah, 2002
29. Ashley Giles – straight drive, Test No. 35 v Eng, Brisbane, 2002
30. Ashley Giles – straight drive, Test No. 35 v Eng, Brisbane, 2002

Gilchrist’s 204 at Johannesburg in 2001-02 improved his record by eight © Peter J Heeger

31. Richard Dawson – midwicket, Test No. 36 v Eng, Adelaide, 2002
32. Richard Dawson – mid-off, Test No. 36 v Eng, Adelaide, 2002
33. Mark Butcher – long-off, Test No. 37 v Eng, Perth 2002
34. Pedro Collins – midwicket, Test No. 40 v WI, Georgetown, 2003
35. Vasbert Drakes – long-on, Test No. 40 v WI, Georgetown, 2003
36. Marlon Samuels – midwicket, Test No. 41 v WI, Port of Spain, 2003
37. Mervyn Dillon – midwicket, Test No. 41 v WI, Port of Spain, 2003
38. Tino Best – midwicket, Test No. 42 v WI, Bridgetown, 2003
39. Tino Best – midwicket, Test No. 42 v WI, Bridgetown, 2003
40. Omari Banks – long-off, Test No. 42 v WI, Bridgetown, 2003
41. Andy Blignaut – square leg, Test No. 46 v Zim, Perth, 2003
42. Ray Price – mid-on, Test No. 46 v Zim, Perth, 2003
43. Ray Price – mid-on, Test No. 46 v Zim, Perth, 2003
44. Trevor Gripper – long-on, Test No. 46 v Zim, Perth, 2003
45. Ray Price – midwicket, Test No. 46 v Zim, Perth, 2003
46. Anil Kumble – long-on, Test No. 49 v Ind, Adelaide, 2003
47. Sachin Tendulkar – midwicket, Test No. 49 v Ind, Adelaide, 2003
48. Kaushal Lokuarachchi – long-on, Test No. 53 v SL, Kandy, 2004
49. Sanath Jayasuriya – mid-on, Test No. 53 v SL, Kandy, 2004
50. Muttiah Muralitharan – long-on, Test No. 53 v SL, Kandy, 2004
51. Rangana Herath – midwicket, Test No. 54 v SL, Colombo, 2004
52. Rangana Herath – midwicket, Test No. 54 v SL, Colombo, 2004
53. Lasith Malinga – midwicket, Test No. 56 v SL, Cairns, 2004
54. Upul Chandana – long-off, Test No. 56 v SL, Cairns, 2004
55. Anil Kumble – long-on, Test No. 57 v Ind, Bangalore, 2004
56. Anil Kumble – long-off, Test No. 57 v Ind, Bangalore, 2004
57. Harbhajan Singh – long-on, Test No. 57 v Ind, Bangalore, 2004
58. Anil Kumble – midwicket, Test No. 59 v Ind, Mumbai, 2004
59. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 61 v NZ, Brisbane, 2004
60. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 61 v NZ, Brisbane, 2004

Another six came in his 144 against Bangladesh in 2006 © Getty Images

61. Daniel Vettori – long-on, Test No. 61 v NZ, Brisbane, 2004
62. Craig McMillan – square leg, Test No. 61 v NZ, Brisbane, 2004
63. Danish Kaneria – long-on, Test No. 64 v Pak, Melbourne, 2004
64. Danish Kaneria – long-on, Test No. 65 v Pak, Sydney, 2005
65. Mohammad Asif – square leg, Test No. 65 v Pak, Sydney, 2005
66. Mohammad Asif – straight drive, Test No. 65 v Pak, Sydney, 2005
67. Shahid Afridi – straight drive, Test No. 65 v Pak, Sydney, 2005
68. Shahid Afridi – long-on, Test No. 65 v Pak, Sydney, 2005
69. Daniel Vettori – long-on, Test No. 66 v NZ, Christchurch, 2005
70. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 66 v NZ, Christchurch, 2005
71. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 66 v NZ, Christchurch, 2005
72. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 66 v NZ, Christchurch, 2005
73. Daniel Vettori – extra cover Test No. 66 v NZ, Christchurch, 2005
74. Nathan Astle – midwicket, Test No. 66 v NZ, Christchurch, 2005
75. Chris Martin – mid-on, Test No. 67 v NZ, Wellington, 2005
76. Chris Martin – long-on, Test No. 67 v NZ, Wellington, 2005
77. Daniel Vettori – long-off, Test No. 67 v NZ, Wellington, 2005
78. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 67 v NZ, Wellington, 2005
79. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 67 v NZ, Wellington, 2005
80. Paul Wiseman – long-on, Test No. 68 v NZ, Auckland, 2005
81. Matthew Hoggard – straight drive, Test No. 72 v Eng, Nottingham, 2005
82. Daniel Vettori – long-on, Test No. 74 v ICC, Sydney, 2005
83. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 74 v ICC, Sydney, 2005
84. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 74 v ICC, Sydney, 2005
85. Daniel Vettori – midwicket, Test No. 74 v ICC, Sydney, 2005
86. Shaun Pollock- extra cover, Test No. 80 v SA, Sydney, 2006
87. Shaun Pollock – midwicket, Test No. 80 v SA, Sydney, 2006
88. Mohammad Rafique – long-on, Test No. 84 v Bang, Fatullah, 2006
89. Enamul Haque – midwicket, Test No. 84 v Bang, Fatullah, 2006
90. Enamul Haque – long-off, Test No. 84 v Bang, Fatullah, 2006
91. Enamul Haque – long-off, Test No. 84 v Bang, Fatullah, 2006
92. Enamul Haque – midwicket, Test No. 84 v Bang, Fatullah, 2006
93. Enamul Haque – midwicket, Test No. 84 v Bang, Fatullah, 2006
94. Monty Panesar – long-on, Test No. 88 v Eng, Perth, 2006
95. Monty Panesar – long-on, Test No. 88 v Eng, Perth, 2006
96. Monty Panesar – long-on, Test No. 88 v Eng, Perth, 2006
97. Matthew Hoggard – long-on, Test No. 88 v Eng, Perth, 2006
98. Lasith Malinga – midwicket, Test No. 92 v SL, Hobart, 2007
99. Muttiah Muralitharan – midwicket, Test No. 92 v SL, Hobart, 2007
100. Muttiah Muralitharan – midwicket, Test No. 92 v SL, Hobart, 2007

Mohammad Asif thought good domestic performances and seven wickets against England might have earned him a recall © Getty Images

Mohammad Asif, whose seven wickets yesterday ensured that England’s batsmen would continue to struggle at the start of their Pakistan tour, has expressed surprise at not being called into Pakistan’s squad to take on the visitors in the first Test at Multan.After the day’s play, Asif was quoted in local papers saying, “Given my performances for the Pakistan A team and in the practice matches plus domestic cricket I was confident the selectors would consider me for a recall. But when my name was not included, I was surprised, not disheartened.”The selectors have their tactics and requirements when they pick the Pakistan squad so I don’t blame them but I just hope now I will get a chance to play again for the senior team.”Asif played one Test for Pakistan against Australia last year in Sydney and although he didn’t pick up a wicket, he reportedly impressed the management with his attitude and his doughty, committed batting in both innings. He has been kept in mind by the selectors, however, and Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, has said that Asif is among the most improved players he has worked with in Pakistan.Hasan Raza has at least been picked in the 16-man squad and is now pushing for a place in the starting XI. It is widely acknowledged that Raza, captain of Pakistan A in this match, is on the verge of a Test spot and after his resilient innings of 34 yesterday, coupled with Asim Kamal’s appalling run of form, he will have done his chances no harm.He told reporters that he was disappointed with the lack of application of his batsmen yesterday. “The pitch eased out a bit but the ball was seaming around but still, we should have applied ourselves and got more runs. After bowling them out for 126 it was a golden chance to win the match but now the game is wide open and we will have to bowl very well again in the second innings. I was disappointed not to get my half-century but I tried my best and they bowled well.”Raza last played for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in November 2002 and since his debut in 1996-97 – reportedly as a 14-year-old – he has played only five Tests. In his third Test, against Australia in the disastrous 2002-03 series played in Colombo and Sharjah, Raza scored two half-centuries as Pakistan’s inexperienced batting repeatedly collapsed.That performance won him praise from Steve Waugh, the former Australian captain, who was apparently surprised that Raza was not in the Pakistan squad that toured Down Under in December last year.Murmurings over an attitude problem and a weakness against short-pitched bowling have given his career a stop-start feel but with the management now impressed by his maturity, as a person and as a batsman, the chances of a recall are brighter than ever before.

Donate to the US Red Cross appealThe extent to which Sri Lanka’s cricketers suffered from the tsunami disaster was spelt out clearly by four of the players whose families and relatives were directly affected by it.The cricketers related their tales of woe at Sri Lanka Cricket’s headquarters on Sunday, with Sanath Jayasuriya holding centre stage along with three of his team mates Nuwan Zoysa, Upul Chandana and Dilhara Fernando.Jayasuriya related how his mother Breeda, 64, had gone to the Sunday market in Matara and was caught when the wave that hit the town. She was swept towards a river before she managed to get a hold onto a branch of a tree and cry out for help.She was one of the few who were lucky to survive, although she was left with a grim reminder of her ordeal with a large area of skin pealed off from her hip downwards by the polluted salt water. Jayasuriya said his parents’ house, which was near the seafront, was badly damaged but he was thankful that the rest of his family had survived. He said his mother was being treated at the Nawaloka hospital.Chandana also had a sad story to tell. Mulin Umagiliya, the youth who saved his 69-year-old mother from drowning, was killed soon afterwards when the roof onto which he had climbed collapsed. He had clambered on top to call for help on his mobile phone. Chandana said that his mother had suffered injuries but was out of danger.Zoysa said he lost his aunt and four other relations in Galle, while Fernando suffered losses from his wife’s side when three relatives travelling by train to Galle were killed.Marvan Atapattu, Sri Lanka’s current captain, also had some anxious moments when his father was held up at Kataragama when the disaster occurred. Atapatttu senior was later able to get in touch with his family and returned to Colombo safely.Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lankan team manager, said the team first came to know about the calamity in Sri Lanka soon after the first one-day international at Auckland at around 6pm local time.”Initially we did not feel the gravity of it,” Kuruppu said. “But as the days passed by and the death toll began to rise the players became extremely worried and concerned. The team’s mental preparations was not towards cricket but what was happening back home. The players wanted to return home and be with their loved ones not clearly knowing what fate had befallen them.”

This time he is ready to hang on to the England gauntlets, writes Peter English in the July issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly

Chris Read: rated by Rodney Marsh as one of the best young players he has seen

Chris Read’s hands look small and delicate. When he sits he rests them on the table, one protecting the other. He knows safe hands are mandatory and is aware of the dangers of waiting for a chance, whether it is a caught-behind or a call from David Graveney. “It’s possible you won’t get an [England] opportunity for three or four years, so when you get one you’ve got to take it,” he says.Read has a beaming smile and since the start of the season there has been a lot to be happy about. Alec Stewart challenged the selectors to choose a young keeper for England’s ODIs and Read was suddenly in a two-man tussle with James Foster. Then the ECB Academy director Rod Marsh, who rates Read as one of the best young players he has seen, was named as the fourth England selector. “It goes without saying that it was good news,” Read says. “But it’s up to me to prove I’m good enough to be given a chance and to prove I can play at that level.”At the end of May Read’s smile briefly disappeared when he broke a thumb playing for Nottinghamshire in a National League game against Sussex at Horsham. International wicketkeeping dreams begin and end with shattered bones. Ian Healy has Ian Botham to thank for launching his record-breaking 119-Test career. Botham broke the finger of the Queensland incumbent Peter Anderson in 1987-88 and four first-class games later Healy was playing for Australia.Standing up to the medium-pacer Gareth Clough, Read was struck on his right thumb and suffered a hairline fracture, potentially a three-week injury. The selectors stuck to their guns and picked him in the one-day squad, with Foster on standby.Read knows about big breaks. He was picked on an England A tour before playing a first-class game and when he moved from Gloucestershire, where he was stuck behind Jack Russell, to Nottinghamshire, Wayne Noon was injured early in the season. Read stepped up, was picked for a second England A tour and in 1999 made his Test debut at 20.It is difficult to talk to Read without looking back. He sits in the Horsham pavilion looking out at a portable practice net six days before suffering the injury. No one stops for autographs and only his county coach Mick Newell interrupts to leave a map to the hotel and a key to lock up the dressing room. He is not Alec Stewart.Read has been forgotten for a long time but is honest about the past and realistic about the future. “Looking at my record, three Tests and five innings, to score 38 runs is not really good enough,” he says.The three Tests were against New Zealand but his eight dismissals on debut at Edgbaston were swiftly overshadowed by the footage of his embarrassing misjudgement of a Chris Cairns slower ball that bowled him at Lord’s.He still went to South Africa as cover for Stewart and was pleased with his returns in nine ODIs. “But I probably had my worst season after that. Since then I’ve been making improvements and my game has been on the up.”A winter at the Academy under Marsh put more polish on his glovework and after a National League century in the opening match against Northamptonshire he was under most microscopes as ODI replacements were canvassed following World Cup retirements. “Second time round it’s a lot easier because I’m three or four years wiser,” he says of the pressure. “The first time it was a bit of a shock and I wasn’t quite prepared. Now I have experience and know what to expect.”Marsh and Read clicked in Adelaide. Read was impressed by Marsh’s positive attitude and his work ethic. The feeling was mutual. “Rod said in his last season he didn’t miss a chance and that’s my aspiration,” he says. “I remember missing two chances last season. There was a catch against Gloucestershire, diving low to my right and I couldn’t get my hand underneath it, and I missed a stumping off MacGill that spun a mile.”Read’s spin is that he does not want to be pigeon-holed as a limited-overs player and his wicketkeeping voice, slightly squeaky but very clear, would suit the longer game if only to annoy the batsmen with his constant chatter. He believes England’s transition towards the 2007 World Cup is natural and it will be up to the new players to “get on with it and make the best of it”. “Knight, Caddick, Stewart, Hussain, they are big names,” he says, as if suddenly realising that they are all missing. “It gives guys opportunities. There are young guys all over the country who are desperate for a chance to perform.” He now has a second one.Click here to subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly

The July 2003 edition of Wisden Cricket Monthly is on sale at all good newsagents in the UK and Ireland, priced £3.40.

We live in the visual age. So it comes as no surprise that the Doordarshan programming schedule for the month has put off VVS Laxman’s comeback to first-class cricket by a day.A fully-fit Laxman, the captain of the Rest of India side for the Irani Trophy clash against Ranji champions Baroda, will take the field on October 13 instead of October 12.BCCI executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar said in Mumbai that the match was postponed by a day to ensure that Doordarshan had no problems in showing the match live to the millions of cricket lovers in every nook and cranny of India.Heavy showers in Pune have also seen the match being relocated to Nagpur.The Irani Trophy is the domestic season opener. VK Ramaswamy of Hyderabad and Vijay Chopra of Delhi are the two umpires for the four-day match that will end on October 17. Bhagwandas Suthar of Madhya Pradesh will be the match-referee.Laxman has only recently recovered from a knee injury that he sustained during India’s tour of Sri Lanka. The Irani trophy match will be important for him as it will help him prepare for the upcoming Test series against South Africa.Rest Of India (from):VVS Laxman (Captain), Akash Chopra, Rahul Sanghvi, Vinayak Mane, Dinesh Mongia, Sarandeep Singh, Yere Gowda, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Debasish Mohanty, Ajay Ratra, Salab Srivastava, Tinnu Yohannan, Surindra SinghBaroda (from):Connor Williams (Captain), Satyajit Parab, Nayan Mongia (w.k.), Tushar Arothe,Himanshu Jadhav, Rakesh Solanki, Rakesh Patel, Irfan Pathan Jr., Irfan Pathan Sr., Umang Patel, Milap Mewada, Hrishikesh Parab, Harkid Parmar. Vinit Wadkar(Coach)

Leeds United are interested in signing Al Saad SC striker Baghdad Bounedjah, according to Algerian news outlet FZ Foot.

What’s the story?

The 26-year-old Algerian international hasn’t played any club football in Europe but has maintained a remarkable scoring record so far in his career.

At current club Al Saad SC in the Qatar Stars League, he has scored 64 goals in 57 games in all competitions.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Tell us here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

According to the report, Leeds have made an offer for the prolific striker who is valued at £3.15million on Transfermarkt, but the player rejected the approach as he wants a salary equivalent to what he is currently earning.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257599″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Leeds’ opening fixtures for the 201819 Championship season”]

Out of the blue

This is certainly one of the more unusual transfer stories emanating from Elland Road this summer, particularly as they are already looking to sign strikers Matej Vydra and Jerry Mbakogu.

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There’s no denying that Bounedjah has an eye for goal and he has a remarkable scoring record, but the quality of defending in the QSL is certainly not Championship quality.

Perhaps he is worth a punt to see if he can carry on scoring at a higher level, but in truth it’s probably best if Leeds stick to players who have proven it against similar high level opposition.

Celtic pundit Frank McAvennie has been reacting to a transfer update involving on-loan defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Transfer update

The American has become a regular in Glasgow after joining on a season-long loan, making 35 appearances in green and white.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-copy-2/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Celtic have the option to make his move permanent in the summer for an initial £6m, although Tottenham insider John Wenham believes that asking price has rocketed, with a number of Premier League clubs now keen on the 24-year-old’s services.

Leicester City and Wolves are the latest to show an interest in Carter-Vickers, and McAvennie has been reacting to Wenham’s reveal.

The Latest: McAvennie’s comments

Talking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that it would be a ‘massive mistake’ if the Hoops now need to pay more for Carter-Vickers than their agreed option-to-buy fee, hitting out at Celtic chiefs in the process as he raged:

“I would have thought a price would be agreed during the loan talks.

“If it hasn’t then someone at Celtic hasn’t done their job. You can’t have someone coming up, impressing, then the price goes up.

“You can’t have that so if a price hasn’t been agreed it is a massive mistake.

“He’s been brilliant and I would like him to stay around so hopefully something can be arranged.

“We haven’t had too much news about that up here so I can only hope it’s not true.”

The Verdict: The waiting game…

Ultimately, Carter-Vickers will be the one to have the final say when it comes to his next move, regardless of any figures involved.

Hopefully he will be open to staying at Celtic Park, as he has already made more appearances for the Hoops than any other club. He has starred under Ange Postecoglou, becoming the club’s best performing centre-back and winning three man of the match awards. [WhoScored]

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On that basis, you’d like to think that he’s found a new permanent home in Scotland in what is his seventh loan spell away from north London, but only time will tell whether or not he lays down roots in Glasgow.

In other news: Journalist shares even more positive Celtic injury news; ‘phenomenal’ star now close to return

Whether it’s the long term revival of Borussia Dortmund or the shorter term resurgence of Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Bundesliga is becoming accustomed to comebacks. Looking on a smaller scale, Freiburg and Augsburg can be proud of their resurgence in 2012. Neither club has the history or the tradition of Dortmund or Gladbach but nevertheless, their recent runs of form have been impressive.

Let’s not be too cliché – all was not lost after the first half of the season. However, both occupied the two automatic relegation spots and hadn’t illustrated much to think this would change radically in the second half.

This is slightly harsh on Augsburg who flickered into life before Christmas after a solitary win in their first fifteen Bundesliga games. Mainz was the scene of that victory. After visiting Bavaria on Saturday, they became the only side so far this season to be beaten home and away by Augsburg.

The 2-1 victory over Mainz meant Jos Luhukay’s side had only lost one of their last eight games. Having gone behind to a Sami Allagui strike, Augsburg struck back through Ja-Cheol Koo with the winner  then coming from Sebastian Langkamp. He has also been superb for the Bavarians at the back recently contributing to a defence which has conceded three goals in their last four.

Strong defence isn’t something Freiburg have been synonymous with this season – they have the Bundesliga’s worst in fact. However, since the turn of the year, there have been marked improvements under new coach Christian Streich. This looked improbable too when their main attacking outlet, Papiss Demba Cissé, left for Newcastle having been an integral part of the team since his arrival in 2009.

In 2012 though, Freiburg have nearly doubled the amount of points they gained in the first half of the season. This was helped by picking up another three at Hamburg on the weekend. Goals from Johannes Flum, Daniel Caliguri and Cedric Makiadi ensured the third win of the Streich era.

Now as much as Freiburg and Augsburg deserve credit for their recent upturn in form, it needs to be put into perspective – the teams around them have been abysmal. Below, Hertha Berlin and Kaiserslautern are having scoring difficulties. That’s being very kind. Between them in 2012, Hertha and ‘Lautern have managed a pitiful six goals in eighteen games. Together they shipped ten at the weekend against Bayern Munich and Schalke respectively.

More confidence can be taken by the two teams above the resurgent pair also. Cologne and Hamburg are panicking. Hannover thumped the Billy Goats 4-1 on Sunday afternoon whilst Freiburg saw HSV’s problems up close on Saturday in their 3-1 victory.

It doesn’t matter then whether Freiburg or Augsburg glance up or down – the signs are good in both directions. They can take encouragement from being the most in-form sides in the bottom six of the Bundesliga. Better organisation has unsurprisingly led to both sides playing with greater confidence. Having been favourites to go down just over three months ago, they’re certainly best set to escape from the relegation battle.

For more on the Bundesliga, follow @arhindtutt

Matchday 26 Results:

Hoffenheim 1-2 Stuttgart

Augsburg 2-1 Mainz

Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Gladbach

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Werder Bremen

Hamburg 1-3 Freiburg

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Hertha Berlin 0-6 Bayern Munich

Kaiserslautern 1-4 Schalke

Hannover 4-1 Cologne

Bundesliga Table

Rank

Club

Matches

W*

D*

L*

G*

GD*

PTS*

1

Borussia Dortmund

26

18

5

3

53:16

+37

59

CL*

2

FC Bayern Munich

26

17

3

6

64:17

+47

54

CL*

3

Borussia Mönchengladbach

26

15

6

5

39:16

+23

51

CL*

4

FC Schalke 04

26

16

2

8

58:34

+24

50

CL* Qual.

5

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

26

11

7

8

39:34

+5

40

EL* Qual.

6

SV Werder Bremen

26

11

6

9

40:39

+1

39

EL* Qual.

7

Hannover 96

26

9

11

6

34:36

-2

38

8

VfB Stuttgart

26

10

6

10

43:34

+9

36

9

VfL Wolfsburg

26

10

4

12

34:47

-13

34

10

1. FC Nuremberg

26

9

4

13

25:37

-12

31

11

1. FSV Mainz 05

26

7

9

10

38:41

-3

30

12

1899 Hoffenheim

26

7

9

10

29:37

-8

30

13

1. FC Köln

26

8

4

14

33:50

-17

28

14

Hamburger SV

26

6

9

11

30:48

-18

27

15

FC Augsburg

26

5

11

10

27:40

-13

26

16

SC Freiburg

26

6

7

13

33:53

-20

25

Play-offs

17

Hertha BSC Berlin

26

5

8

13

26:47

-21

23

Relegation

18

1. FC Kaiserslautern

26

3

11

12

17:36

-19

20

Relegation

Table from Official Bundesliga Website

Lovech took another step towards clinching the Bulgarian A-League after a 4-1 win over Montana on Wednesday.Lyuboslav Penev’s team maintained their five point lead at the top and were untroubled by their 11th-placed opponents.

A brace from Brazilian attacker Doka Madureira had Lovech 2-0 up after half an hour and when defender Alexandre Barthe made it three early in the second half, the points were sealed.

Forward Georgi Ivanov pulled a goal back for Montana, but full-back Petar Zanev responded five minutes later to make it 4-1.

Lovech would have wrapped up the title if not for Levski Sofia’s 3-0 derby win over Slavia Sofia.

A brace from midfielder Hristo Yovov, either side of a Vladimir Gadzhev strike, kept Levski’s hopes of winning the title alive with two games to go.

In the relegation battle, none of the bottom three were able to record a win.

Rakovski, who sit in the relegation play-off spot, managed a 2-2 draw at home to Minyor Pernik.

Aleksandar Branekov and Atanas Ivanov had given them a 2-0 lead after an hour, before conceding twice to settle for a point.

Fares Brahimi struck first on 67 minutes and Tomislav Pavlov hit a 92nd-minute equaliser for Pernik.

Akademik Sofia lost their sixth-straight game after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

Zdravko Lazarov opened the scoring for Plovdiv from the penalty spot, before Asparuh Vasilev equalised for Akademik.

But Sergio Organista scored an own goal to hand Lokomotiv three points and leave his team in second-last.

Bottom-placed Sliven’s struggles continued as they suffered a 2-0 loss against Lokomotiv Sofia, following goals from Marco Dafchev and Vladislav Romanov.

In other games, Georgi Iliev and Rumen Nikolov struck in the first quarter of an hour as Cherno More beat Kaliakra 2-0.

Beroe struck twice in the first half through Simeon Mechev and Vladislav Zlatinov in their 2-0 win at Chernomorets Burgas.

CSKA Sofia ensured their Europa League place after playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Pirin Blagoevgrad.

Rumen Trifonov and Apostol Popov struck for CSKA, but Dimitar Iliev and Ivan Tsvetkov were also on the scoresheet as the teams shared the spoils.