rts the year among the favorites tod 30-24 in OT.On Sunday, Cleveland erased

Match factsAugust 18, 2016 Start time 1045 local (0945GMT)Big PictureThere is not much time for Pakistan to bask in their Oval victory. They have since hopped on a plane to Dublin as they switch into one-day mode with a two-match series against Ireland.The contrast between their rise in Test cricket and struggles in the one-day game has been stark: they sit ninth in the ODI rankings, outside of the automatic qualification places for the 2019 World Cup.Since the 2015 World Cup they have been captained by Azhar Ali who suffered a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh before two series wins over Zimbabwe - although they lost a match to them in Harare - and one against Sri Lanka. They took the lead against England last year before being comfortably beaten 3-1 and were overturned 2-0 in New Zealand in January.There are three players in this current squad who will have memories of the first meeting between these sides on that famous day in Jamaica: Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Umar Gul were part of the three-wicket defeat. Six years later, Hafeez and Malik were also involved in a tie in Dublin.But, like Pakistan, Ireland are struggling in the one-day rankings, currently adrift of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe at the bottom. Their crown of leading Associate has been challenged; they shared their recent series against Afghanistan 2-2. There is a concerning reliance on Ed Joyce at the top of the order - against Afghanistan he was almost 200 runs ahead of Irelands next highest scorer - and they need much more from the likes of Paul Stirling and captain William Porterfield.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)Ireland WLWLL Pakistan LLLLLIn the spotlightAzhar Ali regained his form in the final two Tests against England, making a fine century at Edgbaston, a solid 49 after being promoted to open the batting and then finishing the series with a six. Now he has to switch his focus back to trying to find a winning formula in one-day cricket. And he needs to score runs as well. After being appointed captain he enjoyed an early bounce with two centuries in first five games, but has now gone 11 innings without a fifty. His strike-rate, too, has come under scrutiny with the pressure it can put on the rest of the top order.Barry McCarthy, who plays county cricket for Durham, has enjoyed an impressive start to his Ireland career with 14 wickets in six ODIs. He helped cover for the absence of Boyd Rankin against Afghanistan and will be asked to do the same again after Rankin was ruled out of the rest of the season with injury. He can be expected to share the new ball with Tim Murtagh.Teams newsRankin has been ruled out with a stress fracture of the tibia which removes one of Irelands senior pace bowlers. But they have not called in a replacement with Craig Young now available after an elbow injury. The batting will be boosted by the return of Niall OBrien.Ireland (probable) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Ed Joyce, 3 Niall OBrien, 4 Gary Wilson, 5 Kevin OBrien, 6 Paul Stirling, 7 Stuart Poynter (wk), 8 Andy McBrine, 9 Tim Murtagh, 10 Barry McCarthy, 11 Peter Chase/Craig YoungPakistan may need to strike a balance between giving some of new arrivals, and those who have been sidelined during the Tests, some cricket and ensuring they do not take a half-hearted approach to these matches. Sharjeel Khan has been called up after a successful A-tour of England, while Umar Gul has the opportunity to show he can still deliver his pinpoint yorkers.Pakistan (from) Azhar Ali (capt), Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez, Baber Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Umar Gul, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Mohammad NawazPitch and conditionsThe forecast for Thursday is promisingly dry between two days of significant rain. Of the surface, Ed Joyce said: Were expecting two good pitches here as they normally are at Malahide.Stats and triviaWilliam Porterfield and Kevin OBrien are currently jostling to be Irelands leading ODI run-scorer: Porterfield sits on 2591 and OBrien has 2561Sharjeel Khan made 253 runs in four innings during the recent tri-series involving England Lions and Sri Lanka AThe overall head-to-head for these sides is 4-1 to Pakistan with one tie.QuotesIn the last few years we havent played very good cricket in one-dayers. Our performances are not as consistent as in Test cricket, and we need to really improve our skills.Azhar Ali takes a realistic approachThese guys are definitely favourites but weve got a good one-day team and are hopeful of giving them a few good games. Theres a lot of guys in good form in England which bodes well for us.Ed Joyce has a more optimistic approach Dee Ford Youth Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Dwight Clark Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. http://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Ya-Tittle-Jersey/ . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Patrick Willis 49ers Jersey . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Solomon Thomas Youth Jersey . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. LANDOVER, Md. -- His Cleveland Browns already were ahead late in the third quarter Sunday, and closing in on a score to pad that lead, when coach Hue Jackson called for a handoff to fullback Malcolm Johnson , a second-year player who had never run the ball in the NFL.So what happened? Well, these are the Browns, so you probably could guess: Johnson fumbled, the Washington Redskins recovered at their 9, and then drove 91 yards to a go-ahead TD.On Clevelands next possession, Duke Johnson fumbled , also in Redskins territory. And while he stood up holding the ball, it was ruled that the Redskins grabbed that one, too.And, yes, on Clevelands next turn with the ball, rookie quarterback Cody Kessler -- playing because of injuries to former Redskins QB Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown -- underthrew Terrelle Pryor for an interception , which led to another touchdown for Washington.Three consecutive second-half turnovers Sunday helped the Browns do themselves in yet again, losing 31-20 to the Redskins to drop to 0-4 in Jacksons first season in charge.Im not concerned about whats going to happen in our locker room, Jackson said, completely unprompted, during his postgame news conference.This was the third straight game that Cleveland lost despite leading. In Week 2, the Browns were up 20-2 against the Baltimore Ravens before losing 25-20. In Week 3, the Browns led the Miami Dolphins 13-10, then missed a potential winning field-goal attempt at the end of regulation before being defeated 30-24 in OT.On Sunday, Cleveland erased an early two-TD deficit to go ahead 20-17 in the third quarter.Theres no moral victories anymore when you do it three games in a row, offensive lineman Joel Bitonio said. Weve just got to take the next step as a team and turn one of these into a win.Probably wont get any easier next week: Cleveland hosts the New England Patriots, who will get quarterback Tom Brady back from his four-game Deflategate suspension.Against Washington (2-2), the Browns wasted another strong performance in the running game, with Isaiah Crowell gaining 112 yards on 15 carries, and Duke Johnson adding another 53 yards on nine runs.ddddddddddddBut neither was in the game -- the latter was being checked for a concussion -- on the pivotal first-and-10 play at the Washington 16 with a little more than a minute to go in the third quarter.Instead, it was Malcolm Johnson, a second-year back.Asked about that being the players first carry in the NFL, Jackson responded: That has nothing to do with it. Malcolm practices at that position, carrying the ball. Malcolm is a pro football player that gets paid on the football team and he can carry the ball.There were, to be sure, other issues for the Browns -- off the field during the week, and on the field Sunday.One example away from football: Right guard Alvin Bailey was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired after the loss to Miami and missed the game against Washington; Jackson confirmed Sunday the player was disciplined by the team.Im trying to lay the right foundation for our organization, the coach said. Im not going to put up with foolishness from any of our players.Another: Suspended receiver Josh Gordon said he is entering rehab, and Jackson said the Browns moved on from the playmaker.On Sunday, Austin Reiter filled in at center, but exited with an injured left knee.A week after putting up combined throwing, rushing and receiving stats not seen in more than 50 years, Pryor was dropped for a 6-yard loss out of a wildcat formation on Clevelands second snap and didnt get another carry. He never threw a pass. And he finished with five catches for only 46 yards, although he did come up with his first NFL TD grab (and then got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct with an homage to NBA superstar LeBron James).Clevelands biggest problem, though, were the turnovers.Its kind of a bitter taste, Crowell said, just because I felt like we had the `W in our hands and we gave it away.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '