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West Ham, in out of the ordinary fashion, have actually been one of the busier Premier League sides so far this window as they look to try and salvage anything from this increasingly doomed season.

Their crushing 2-1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night has left them even more stranded in the bottom three with Nuno Espírito Santo’s future looking very uncertain.

Nevertheless, it’s never over until the fat lady sings, and West Ham’s business so far this month suggests they’re desperate to rescue their campaign.

The first order of business was to complete a surprise double-striker deal for Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, who arrived from Gil Vicente and Lazio respectively for a combined fee of around £47 million.

It remains to be seen whether the centre-forward duo will be enough to keep West Ham afloat with seven points now separating them from safety, but the Hammers apparently aren’t done there.

According to some insiders, West Ham also want to splash the cash on a centre-back, a winger and a new goalkeeper in addition to the two new strikers they’ve already brought in.

Between the sticks, only one name has dominated the headlines — Al-Nassr’s Bento.

The Brazilian, who’s made just one Saudi Pro League appearance all season, is firmly behind Saudi international keeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi in the pecking order.

This has alerted interested clubs to the prospect of tempting the 26-year-old away from the Middle East this month, and West Ham are chief among them.

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According to Fabrizio Romano and other reliable media sources, West Ham are currently in talks over a deal for Bento, and a bid has already been made for the ex-Athletico Paranese star.

Romano didn’t go into too much detail in regard to the ins and outs of this offer, but Sky Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio has lifted the lid on some key aspects of West Ham’s bid.

Bento holds Tuesday exit talks as West Ham submit loan bid

Di Marzio writes that West Ham’s offer for Bento is a loan-to-buy worth around £4 million, and Bento held exit talks with Al-Nassr yesterday underlining his desire to leave this month.

However, it is also believed that the Irons are by no means the only club in the race for his signature.

Di Marzio also reports that Genoa have made an identical offer for the South American, and as things stand, the keeper actually prefers a move to Serie A over the Premier League.

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Because of this, West Ham are currently behind Daniele De Rossi’s side in pursuit of Bento, who wants a switch to Italy to showcase his very best ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

His situation at Al-Nassr is very intriguing when you factor in how he was basically undroppable in his debut campaign.

Bento played all but one of Al-Nassr’s games in all competitions last season, starting a seismic 49 matches and featuring over 4,410 minutes.

Still pretty young in goalkeeping years, Bento left Brazil in 2024 with huge potential, but it now appears West Ham have a fight on their hands to sign the £102,000-per-week ace before deadline day.

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Aston Villa are now preparing a contract offer to sign a “revelation”, who is available for a bargain fee this month.

Villa remain title contenders after Nottingham Forest triumph

Villa are still just six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, following a 3-1 triumph against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but despite his side’s top form, Unai Emery has hinted there could be some new additions to the squad, if the right deal is on the table.

Emery said: “We are alert. We signed Alysson and we are trying to understand how we can improve our squad, but of course intelligently, and as well, with the financial rules.

“But we are a team and my mentality is: always be alert in case we can improve something in the squad, to do it. We must be ready for different options we can have in the transfer window.”

Signing a new forward appears to be of particular interest, with the likes of Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush and Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt recently being named as potential targets.

However, according to a report from Caught Offside, Aston Villa are also keen on strengthening at the opposite end of the pitch, and they are preparing a long-term contract for Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza, who they are looking to sign on a deal until 2030.

Mingueza will be available for the bargain fee of just €8m – €10m (£7m – £9m) this month, with the Spanish club willing to sanction a departure for a low price, given that his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

There is no shortage of interest from the Premier League, with West Ham United and Newcastle United also named as potential suitors, and the defender’s versatility is of great appeal, as he is capable of playing at right-back, centre-back and in a back three.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini "Revelation" Mingueza could challenge for Cash's starting spot

Matty Cash has been a reliable option for Emery this season, with the right-back impressing from an attacking point of view, amassing three goals and two assists in 19 Premier League outings, and most recently setting up John McGinn’s opening goal against Forest.

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The Celta vigo defender is able to make an impact going forward too, chipping in with four goals and six assists in La Liga last term, during which time he was lauded as a “revelation” by journalist Zach Lowy.

The former Barcelona man has also displayed his defensive attributes as of late, making a number of important contributions as his side triumphed 4-1 against Valencia last time out.

Oscar Mingueza’s key statistics vs Valencia

Number completed

Tackles

4

Clearances

4

Duels won

6

Having averaged a SofaScore match rating of 7.05, Mingueza is Celta Vigo’s third-best performing player in La Liga this season, and he could be a smart addition for Villa for around just £9m, given their well-documented FFP issues.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to lose the player who scored the winner in the Europa League final last year, as Brennan Johnson inches closer towards the exit door.

Crystal Palace are reportedly confident that they will have him in the building for their clash with Newcastle United on Sunday, after they agreed a £35m fee with Spurs for the Wales international.

The £47.5m signing from Nottingham Forest is set to move on from North London after a return of 27 goals in 106 games, as shown in the graphic above, and the most memorable of those 27 strikes has to be his winner against Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Johnson, though, has only managed two goals and no assists in 16 Premier League appearances for Thomas Frank, per Sofascore, which may be why the Danish coach is willing to sanction this departure.

Spurs preparing offer for Premier League attacker

Spurs will need to be in the market for a replacement for the Welsh attacker, with his move to Palace days or hours away from completion, and they are reportedly looking at a Premier League forward.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to talkSPORT, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to sign Manchester City winger Savinho in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Lilywhites are preparing a fresh offer to bring the Brazil international to North London, after they failed to get a transfer over the line in the summer.

Manchester City rejected their attempts to sign Savinho in the summer in a deal that could have been worth around £69m, but this update states that Spurs hope Antoine Semenyo’s rumoured move to The Etihad will convince them to part ways with the Brazilian.

It adds that the left-footed star was keen on a move to Tottenham ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, which suggests that he would be open to a transfer this month.

Why Savinho would be an upgrade on Johnson for Spurs

If Spurs can get a deal over the line for the City attacker in the coming days or weeks, Frank could have an upgrade on Johnson at his disposal on the right flank.

Savinho does not offer the same threat as a goalscorer, with just five goals since the start of last season (Sofascore), but his all-round play on the flank suggests that he can contribute more to the team’s overall performance than Johnson was doing.

The chart above illustrates the gulf in quality between their performances at Premier League level in the 2024/25 campaign, as it shows that the Brazil international is significantly better in possession, particularly as a passer and a creator.

Savinho has registered 13 assists in all competitions since the start of last season, after recording ten in the 2023/24 campaign for Girona, and has the potential to be one of the most creative wide players in the entire division.

Most PL assists in 24/25

Player

Assists

Mo Salah

18

Jacob Murphy

12

Bukayo Saka

11

Bruno Fernandes

11

Morgan Rogers

11

Mikkel Damsgaard

11

Anthony Elanga

11

Savinho

10

Heung-min Son

10

Jarrod Bowen

10

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the left-footed wing wizard was one of the top creators in the Premier League last term, despite the fact that he only started 21 top-flight matches for the Cityzens.

Savinho has only started four times in the division this season, registering one assist, and Spurs could provide him with an opportunity to play more regular football, to allow his creativity and quality in possession to shine through once again.

Early on last season, the winger “sent (Riccardo) Calafiori for a hotdog”, per U23 scout Antonio Mango, in the build up to a beautiful assist for Erling Haaland against Arsenal.

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Unfortunately, the clip of Haaland’s goal cuts out the part where he skipped past Calafiori by the touchline, but you can see his sublime through ball in the post below.

This shows that he is capable of game-changing moments against top-quality opponents in the Premier League, and he did not only deliver assists against the lesser sides in a dominant City side last season.

Overall, the Brazilian winger’s all-round game, creativity, and scope to improve further at the age of 21 suggest that he would arrive as an upgrade on Johnson on the wing for Spurs if they can get a deal over the line this month.

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New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has said the “romance” of signing off at home played a major role in his decision to quit all international formats at the end of the forthcoming Test series against Australia, in February. McCullum’s Test retirement has been talked about for some time, but he was expected to travel to the World T20 in India, in March and April.A Dunedin native originally, McCullum’s last international game will be the second Test against Australia in Christchurch – the city in which he and his family now live.”I think there’s something pretty romantic about finishing playing cricket in front of New Zealand crowds and in New Zealand grounds,” McCullum said. “Also we’ll be playing in Christchurch and Wellington – two of the most amazing grounds.”The Basin Reserve has the history and means a lot to New Zealanders. And Christchurch is now my established home. There’s a little bit of romance there. That was certainly the focus for me. I can steel myself for another couple of battles – ones which I look forward to.”McCullum has played through back problems for some time, but suggested the prospect of spending more time with family was a more significant factor in his decision. “My body has been sore for a while, but that’s just international sport. That’s not it. In the end the time has come and you’ve got to move on.”There’s a few things I’ve got on the go – a matter of three kids to deal with. Maybe I’ll put some time and effort back into them after selfishly chasing my dreams for the last decade or so.”New Zealand experienced a substantial resurgence in the years of McCullum’s captaincy, most recently matching their record streak for undefeated home Tests – 13. The team also had its most successful Test year in 2014, when they won five Tests, and reached the final of the World Cup in March.”This is definitely the best team that I’ve been involved in,” McCullum said. “We’ve got some outstanding players. We’ve got some freakish players as well. We’ve had a great home record. If you can be bloody tough to beat at home and you seek success away from home – then you start climbing up the rankings. That’s what we’ve done in the last couple of years.”I guess it’s up to other people to decide what sort of state you’ve left the team in. Hopefully I’ve left it in a better position than when I took it over.”New Zealand have also been known to espouse a team culture of sportsmanship and magnanimity during his years at the helm. McCullum credited the support his team enjoyed during this year’s World Cup partly to their improved public image.”The last 12 months or so, I’ve felt cricket is in a lot stronger place in people’s minds now than what it was a while ago. There’s a real feel-good factor from the fans and a real care about our team in how we go about our work. I think they look throughout the line up and the see not just good cricketers, but good kiwi blokes as well. That’s always nice to see from a fans’ perspective.”The World Cup just captivated New Zealand. The playing numbers and the support we’ve been able to build up because of the way we played in the World Cup should see some great crowds for us this summer. That’s exciting.”McCullum stopped short of endorsing Kane Williamson for the Test captaincy, but spoke effusively about Williamson’s virtues as a batsman. Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said Williamson’s appointment as captain for the World T20 campaign was the “only [captaincy] decision we need to make” at present, but Williamson appears the frontrunner to take the reins in the longer format also, assuming he wants the role.Williamson was occasionally seen setting fields during the recent Test series against Sri Lanka, and had also taken on greater responsibility in facing media, in that series.”Kane’s taken over in the past and he’s done a great job,” McCullum said. “I know he’s looking forward to the challenge of the T20 world cup.”He’s a genius. He’s going to hate me saying that. He’s no. 1 in the world – and there’s a lot of people in the world that pick up a bat and a pair of gloves. He’s right at the top. He’s a consummate professional, a champion feller, and he’s only 25. He’s going to be one of the best players the game’s ever seen in my opinion.”

Taufeqq Umar has another chance to impress the selectors © AFP

Taufeeq Umar will lead the PCB XI in the one-day warm-up match against the South Africans at the Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground in Lahore on October 16. The match precedes the five-match one-day series between South Africa and Pakistan, starting in Lahore on October 18.Taufeeq also captained Patron’s XI in the three-day tour match against the South Africans before the first Test. Three of the players included – middle-order batsman Naved Latif, legspinner Mansoor Amjad and batsman Shahid Yousuf – have also been picked for the Hong Kong Sixes, starting later this month.Zulqarnain Haider is considered by many to be Pakistan’s second-choice wicketkeeper, hot on the heels of Kamran Akmal, who has been struggling behind the stumps off late. The bowling attack comprises Rao Iftikhar Anjum, who has turned out for Pakistan, and Mohammad Irshad, a promising young fast bowler.PCB XI: Taufeeq Umar (capt), Babar Naeem, Shahid Yousuf, Bazid Khan, Naveed Latif, Ahmed Shahzad, Adnan Raza, Mansoor Amjad, Zulqarnain Haider (wk), Abdur Rauf, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Mohammad Irshad, Umer Amin, Hafiz SaadCoach Aqib Javed, Team doctor Dr. Riaz

‘We’ve got to have our top six batters playing well…the emphasis will be more on our batting’ © Getty Images

Despite a poor Champions Trophy, Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s captain, believes his side’s batting is their biggest asset going into next year’s World Cup in the Caribbean. “You can definitely win tournaments if you win matches with batting,” Jayawardene told reporters. “We’ll have to make sure that the guys we have get the right preparation and mentally and physically be ready to take up the challenge.”Jayawardene felt that not having a side as experienced as the one that lifted the 1996 World Cup should not be a deterrent. “It would be very difficult to emulate the 1996 World Cup side because they had the experience. I honestly believe we do have the talent and, the personalities we have can do the same,” he said. “These days especially in one-day cricket, batting is very important. The emphasis will be more on our batting.”With the likes of Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya up the order, Jayawardene felt he had a solid line-up. “With me and Sanga [Kumar Sangakkara] in the middle and Marvan’s experience and [Tillakaratne] Dilshan in the middle, we’ve got the right combination,” he added. “[Chamara] Kapugedera is another good young player whom we feel has a lot of potential. He is a guy whom we can use in different positions whether opening or in the middle order. He is quite versatile.””I emphasise a lot on people taking on responsibility and showing character out there. The way forward is to take those challenges,” he added. “There is no other way around or any short cuts but to take those challenges head-on. To do that batting is very important. We’ve got to have our top six batters playing well. We have two good all-rounders who can do the same. We have the right bowling combination and our variety is really good. We have options now even with our reserves. It is just about executing our game plan.”Jayawardene felt that under Tom Moody, Sri Lanka had created a combination which they felt can handle any situation in any condition. “If we believe in something I think we should go with it rather than make drastic changes. If we lose one game and try to make changes we are actually going back. We don’t have that much time to come back after that,” he said. “After power play came into the picture we struggled in India, New Zealand and Australia to actually get the right combination, to see how we could handle the power play and the super sub. As a result we suffered heavy losses. But we learnt from it and moved forward.”

The Bangalore-based Unibic stepped up the marketing on Monday of their Bradman Chocolate Chip Cookies, which were launched in March and named after the legendary batsman, with the blessing of the Bradman Foundation.The first batch of biscuits had not left the production line before Bradman’s family launched a scathing attack on the proposal. A statement issued on behalf of the family accused the Foundation of failing in its duty to safeguard Bradman’s image. “Sir Donald is a loved and missed family member, not a brand name like Mickey Mouse,” the statement said. “Sir Donald would be adamant in his opposition to this use of his name. So is his family.” Before his death in 2001, Bradman was strict in protecting the commercial use of his name.But the Foundation defended its decision, arguing that it had been signing licensing agreements for years. “In its operations, the Bradman Foundation has at all times gone to great lengths to preserve the good name and reputation of the person acknowledged as the world’s greatest cricketer,” the foundation said. “In 1992, Sir Donald Bradman authorised and encouraged the Bradman Foundation to embark upon a program of commercial use of his name to ensure the financial future and stability of the charitable organisation. The foundation jealously guards the use of the Bradman name and has taken court action on a number of occasions over unauthorised usage.”The Foundation admitted that its relationship with family members had been less than harmonious in recent years. “The Bradman Foundation has received from John Bradman [his son] a series of complaints about wide-ranging subjects since shortly after the death of his father in 2001. The foundation has endeavoured to deal with John Bradman in a co-operative and sensitive manner.” Unibic said a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the biscuits would go to underprivileged children in India.In 2000, John Howard, Australia’s prime minister, changed the country’s corporation law to prevent businesses falsely suggesting a connection to Bradman. The move came after a sex shop attempted to register the name “Erotica on Bradman”.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Damien Martyn kept the Pakistan attack at bay with a classy 67 not out© Getty Images

For the second day in a row, Pakistan were unrecognisable from the side which capitulated without a trace at Perth. If Yousuf Youhana led the charge on the first day at the MCG, then Shoaib Akhtar was the hero on the second. His three strikes were largely instrumental in having Australia on the run, as they ended the second day on 5 for 203, still 138 behind Pakistan’s first-innings total.On a gloomy day when 16 overs were lost to showers and bad light, Pakistan showed little positive intent with the bat, dawdling for 17 overs to add just 23 to their overnight total before being bowled out. With the ball, though, they were all aggression – Akhtar hustled and hurried every batsman, managing extreme pace and uncomfortable bounce even on an easy-paced pitch, while Mohammad Sami and Danish Kaneria offered him excellent support. Only Damien Martyn, unbeaten with a composed and typically elegant 67, handled him with some comfort.There was a brief passage of play when Australia looked like taking charge, when Justin Langer (50) and Martyn added 90 for the third wicket, but even then Akhtar remained a threat, hitting Langer a couple of times on the arm and entering into a verbal duel with him which needed the umpires’ intervention.Consistently bowling at nearly 150kph, Akhtar started the Australian slide in his fifth over, nailing Matthew Hayden for the third time in three innings in this series. Five balls after Kamran Akmal dropped a skyer to reprieve Hayden, he slapped a short, wide ball straight to Shoaib Malik at point (1 for 13). Ricky Ponting was greeted with more fiery stuff, and he soon succumbed to the c Shoaib b Akhtar route, pulling one down square leg’s throat (2 for 32).Martyn started off with a streaky four through the slips, but got into his stride soon after with a series of delectable strokes, gliding Sami through gully and then clipping him off his toes with minimum fuss. As the footwork got more assured, so his strokeplay – his favourite one today was the square cut, which he employed repeatedly as Pakistan’s bowlers pitched short. He offered one half-chance, when an attempted tap over the slips ballooned and fell just short of Imran Farhat at third slip, but that was a rare blemish in what was otherwise a masterful knock.With Langer as effective, in not as fluent, as at Perth, Australia motored along till Langer miscued a sweep off Kaneria and holed out. The breakthrough achieved, Yousuf Youhana immediately brought back his primary strike bowler, and it paid off. An out-of-sorts Darren Lehmann flicked at a short one and was brilliantly held, at the second attempt, by Yasir Hameed at short leg (4 for 135).Clarke delighted briefly, tonking Kaneria for a superb straight six, but he was far less assured against the seamers. Sami should have had him on 10, when Clarke shouldered arms to an indipper which would have taken off stump. Not only did Rudi Koertzen turn down that perfectly legitimate appeal, he went on to warn Sami for running on the pitch a couple of overs later.

Shoaib Akhtar celebrates after nailing Ricky Ponting© Getty Images

Clarke’s luck ran out soon after, though, when he miscued one which bounced off the rough, and Akhtar completed an easy catch at long-off. Adam Gilchrist clattered a few fours in a typically energetic 26, and ensured that Australia could still hope to get close to, and even overhaul, Pakistan’s total.If the last two sessions of the day produced enthralling cricket, then the first one was completely soporific, thanks to Pakistan’s inexplicable approach with the bat. The chief culprit today was Abdul Razzaq. One of the most devastating hitters in the game when in the mood, today he went into self-denial mode, as if atoning for his senseless hoick off Shane Warne in the first innings at Perth. Blocking half-volley after half-volley, he remained undefeated on 4 off an unbelievable 76 balls. It would have been a commendable effort if Pakistan had been battling save a game; here, with his side in an excellent position to wrest the initiative, it was beyond comprehension.Australia didn’t mind that approach one bit, though. They chipped away at the other end, as four wickets fell for precious little in a shortened morning session. It ensured that Pakistan, instead of scoring close to 400 runs, finished with only 341. By close of play, however, that seemed a good enough total to test the might of the Australians.

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Scorecard

Graeme Smith: out for under 200, and hit wicket

Two wickets late in the day from Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison put England on top for the second day running in the third npower Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge. After building a large total of 445 in which Alec Stewart rolled back the years with a combative 72, England reduced South Africa to 84 for 2 on a misbehaving pitch. And to make Michael Vaughan even happier, they dismissed Graeme Smith for less than 200.Stewart now has a maximum of five more innings to overhaul Viv Richards’s total of 8540 Test runs (he currently has 8398) and he gave the initiative back to England after a sticky morning in which they lost three wickets. He shepherded the tail with some intelligent singles and booming boundaries and belted 11 fours in all, latching on to anything short or wide. He whipped Andrew Hall through midwicket for four and signalled the 400 next ball with a square cut for two. But he saved the best shot of the lot to bring up his fifty with a thumping back-foot drive off Hall.With the exception of Makhaya Ntini, the bowling was a much more demanding prospect for England than yesterday. Pollock again led the way on a two-paced pitch, and it was he who struck early. After his stirring century yesterday afternoon, Nasser Hussain slipped straight back to his intense self, but he was unable to find the same fluency as he was trapped lbw in front of off-and-middle (322 for 4). That ended an enterprising partnership of 104 between Hussain and Ed Smith.Smith showed none of his first-day nerves as he brought up his debut Test fifty, but any thoughts of a century were dashed when Jacques Kallis came up with the perfect awayswinger, which Smith nibbled through to Mark Boucher (334 for 5).

Alec Stewart: half-century to regain control for England

Smith was caught flat-footed as the ball wobbled away from him, but it was an impressive start from England’s bright new spark. He walked off to hearty applause in the knowledge of that, but whether he knows he is the 15th Smith to play for England, and that his 64 is the highest score on debut by any of them, is doubtful – even if he does have a double-first from Cambridge.Andrew Flintoff also unusually took his time, but never got going. He paid for his caution, and lack of footwork, when he edged Hall to Pollock at first slip for a 20-ball duck (347 for 6). Hall, like Kallis, was moving the ball away to good effect and Flintoff, like Smith, played away from the body to his peril. Ashley Giles (22), Kirtley (1) and Harmison (14) all hung around to give Stewart some valuable support, as he used all his nous to guide England towards 450.James Anderson opened with James Kirtley, the debutant, whose first ball in Test cricket went for four when Gibbs clipped him through midwicket. But Kirtley settled down to a tidy spell, finding the odd hint of away movement, although Anderson continued to struggle. He was determined not to feed Smith’s leg-side craving, but instead gifted two half-volleys outside off stump in the same over, which were both crashed to the boundary boards as Smith and Gibbs made a solid start.While Smith was subdued by his Bradmanesque standards, Gibbs was starting to fire. He clipped Flintoff past square leg and caressed a breathtaking cover drive in the next over. But, as in the second Test, his downfall was an inside-edge off Steve Harmison. It was a better ball than at Lord’s, full and straight with a hint of movement in to Gibbs, and it cannoned into middle stump off the bat (56 for 1).Harmison wasn’t brought on till the 16th over, and that wicket gave him the gee-up he and England needed. Bowling in tandem with Flintoff, they cranked up the pace and put the pressure on with aggressive and hostile deliveries. Bowling around the wicket to Smith, Flintoff forced him to play and miss a few times, and after he edged one just short of Marcus Trescothick at first slip, Flintoff wondered what he had to do to get shot of him.Well, the answer came in his next over as Smith’s charmed life came to an end in the most bizarre of circumstances. Leaping back to defend another quick Flintoff short ball, his left foot slipped back too far and trod firmly on his own stumps (66 for 2). Smith sauntered off shaking his head while Flintoff celebrated a deserved change of fortune.The two Jacques, Rudolph and Kallis, dug in till the end and Rudolph was lucky to survive an lbw shout from Anderson with four overs to go. They’re still 361 behind and with the wicket playing some tricks, they’re up against it.Click here for the Wisden Verdict

New Zealand’s Cricket Academy was 160/6, a lead of 199 at stumps on the second day of their match with the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy of Australia.The Australians staged a lower order recovery to reach 169 after play resumed late on the second day following overnight rain.Cameron White (41) and Xavier Doherty (36) were the picks of the Australian lower order.Canterbury fast-medium bowler Wade Cornelius picked up five Australian wickets at a cost of 55 runs while Sam Whiteman took three for 59. All-rounder Chris Cairns, in his last match before joining the CLEAR Black Caps in Australia took one for 28 from his 11 overs, the last five spent bowling into the wind.New Zealand got into early trouble in their reply when Jamie How was out for 18, with the score on 24, when trapped leg before wicket without playing a shot.Luke Woodcock, who opened the innings with How, was in good form and played some sparkling back foot shots. Cairns scored 34, with 32 of his runs coming from boundaries.