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Players who have represented both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

A rivalry between two of the biggest clubs in Germany, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have given football fans some incredible memories to cherish.

Every rivalry is defined by the players who feature for the teams, and in the case of Bayern and Dortmund, a lot of greats ended up playing for both teams in their careers.

Want to know who these players are?

GOAL takes a look!

imagoMichael Rummenigge

One of the great Germany attackers of the 1980s, Michael Rummenigge joined Bayern Munich in 1982 and went on to achieve legendary status at the club, scoring 44 goals in 152 appearances.

He then joined Borussia Dortmund in 1988 and played 157 games for them, scoring 36 goals. Rummenigge remains one of the few players who played more than 150 games for both German clubs.

He won three Bundesliga titles with Bayern, among multiple other trophies. At Dortmund, Rummenigge won the DFB Pokal and DFL Super Cup.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesJurgen Kohler

German centre-back Jurgen Kohler joined Bayern Munich from Koln in 1989 and played for two seasons there, winning a Bundesliga title and the German Super Cup.

In 1991, he moved to Italy with Juventus, making over a century of appearances for the Italian giants until 1995, before returning to Germany with Borussia Dortmund.

Kohler was part of Dortmund's golden generation as he featured for them in 191 games over seven years, winning two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League trophy, among other accolades!

Getty ImagesTorsten Frings

Mainly known for his time with Werder Bremen, Torsten Frings actually featured for both Bayern and Dortmund in his career.

He spent two seasons at Dortmund before a solitary campaign with Bayern, making 76 appearances in total for both clubs and scoring some absolute world class long range goals in his time there.

Frings won the Bundesliga with Bayern in the 2004-05 season. He then went on to make over 150 appearances for Bremen.

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Getty ImagesChristian Nerlinger

Graduating from Bayern Munich's academy, Christian Nerlinger made his senior debut for the club in 1992. He played for six years in Bavaria, making 156 appearances.

In 1998, the combative midfielder joined Borussia Dortmund and featured for them for three years, making 59 appearances.

At Bayern, Nerlinger won two Bundesliga titles and a UEFA Cup among other accolades, however, he didn't manage to win silverware during his stint at Dortmund.

Which of the continent’s all-time greats never graced the grandest stage of all?

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty ImagesMohamed Aboutrika

Aboutrika’s intense loyalty to Al-Ahly during his club career means he never got to test himself in the European arena, but his failure to make the World Cup is a more baffling failure.

The playmaker was a key figure in the Pharaohs side that won three Africa Cup of Nations titles in a row between 2006 and 2010, but several successive failures in World Cup qualification means that that great side never got to represent the continent at the grandest stage.

Aboutrika was present for the heart-breaking defeat by Algeria in the playoff of 2009, and was part of the side crushed by Ghana four years later.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesAbedi Pele

Ghana great who was a Champions League winner with Olympique de Marseille and, for a time, could be considered among the most scintillating players in the European game.

However, while the three-time African Footballer of the Year and three-time Ligue 1 champion won the Africa Cup of Nations as a youngster in 1982, Ghana never reached the World Cup during his career.

GettyKalusha Bwalya

Zambia’s greatest player, Bwalya is the Chipolopolo’s all-time top scorer and their most capped international.

He reached a Nations Cup final in 1994, and may well have reached the World Cup that year had his teammates not perished in a tragic plane crash off the coast of Gabon.

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WikipediaGodfrey Chitalu

Chitalu, who died in that aforementioned air disaster of 1993, is Africa’s most prolific international footballer of all time, having struck 79 goals in 108 games for Zambia.

Quite remarkably for a player of his sensational goalscoring qualities, he spent the entirety of his 18-year career in his homeland, having represented Kitwe United and then Kabwe Warriors for long spells.

The Ajax pair are dominating transfer rumours, but they are not the only exciting youngsters excelling in the Netherlands' top flight

With Ajax's Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt heavily linked to the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City, the Eredivisie has been thrown into the limelight in recent months.

The pair spearhead an exciting new generation in Dutch football, but they are well-backed by a whole host of young compatriots and still just a drop in the bucket of talent in the Netherlands' top flight.

From the top of the table right down to the bottom, from the Netherlands to Brazil and even Japan, here are 15 rising stars in a league where its trust in youth continues to be justified.

GettySteven Bergwijn (PSV, 21)It’s no surprise that PSV have a perfect record in the league this season as, in addition to Hirving Lozano’s contributions on the opposite wing, Steven Bergwijn has provided five goals and six assists. The skilful 21-year-old is a fantastic dribbler with incredible pace, all attributes that have earned him his first senior caps for the Netherlands and links with Liverpool and Manchester United.AdvertisementGettyMatthijs de Ligt (Ajax, 19)Matthijs de Ligt’s name will be familiar to many as it’s one linked with Manchester City, Juventus and Barcelona. The 19-year-old centre-back is a brilliant reader of play, a strong tackler and has an aerial presence that proves effective at both ends of the pitch. Mature beyond his years with technical ability that is typical of any Dutch defender, De Ligt is expected to earn his big-money move sooner rather than later.GettyRitsu Doan (Groningen, 20)Groningen desperately gathered together the funds to make Ritsu Doan’s loan deal permanent in the summer, and it’s clear to see why. The creative midfielder, who is also effective out wide, scored nine times and provided three assists in his debut season and, with Manchester City having shown an interest, it seems unlikely the Dutch club will keep their star man much longer.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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GettyKasper Dolberg (Ajax, 21)Recruited to Ajax by the same man who brought in Christian Eriksen and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kasper Dolberg is a ruthless finisher with excellent technique. His ability was abundantly clear in his 16 goals across 2016-17, before the Dane lost his place, and his confidence, last term. Dolberg is looking back to his best again though, despite injuries in pre-season, with five goals in five starts this year.

For Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, Tuesday’s judgement was far worse than the franchises expected and the initial reaction was to hunker down, close ranks and reflect on the situation rather than react

Arun Venugopal14-Jul-2015For Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, Tuesday’s judgement was far worse than the franchises expected and the initial reaction was to hunker down, close ranks and reflect on the situation rather than react. Speculation abounded in the absence of any official comment from either franchise, including rumours that suggested the franchises might be up for sale, but it seems whatever decisions are to be taken will be done after consideration and not in a knee-jerk manner.As the initial shock wore off concerns shifted to the huge hit the franchises’ brand identity would have taken. The immediate impact of Super Kings’ suspension, for instance, was felt in the stock market as India Cements’ share price dipped in the afternoon. Later in the day Aircel, one of Super Kings’ key sponsors, said in a statement that it was “reviewing our position in the matter [its association with the team].”One senior Super Kings official, however, said they had not once entertained thoughts of giving up the team. “You know, we have worked very hard to nurture the team over eight years,” he said. “Besides, will anyone even come up to buy the team now? We will never sell the team.”The official swiftly dismissed as rumour news of Super Kings appealing against the order. “All that you have been hearing and reading are rumours,” he said. “We haven’t taken any decision and neither will we arrive at anything without consulting our in-house legal counsel. We will be sitting down to discuss this in a day or two. The pros and cons of an appeal will have to be considered. We are not in a hurry.”The official, however, admitted that the outcome was “shattering.””We were trying to brace ourselves for this as everyone was talking about a possible suspension. But we didn’t expect to be suspended for two years. In that way, it has been very disappointing,” the official stated.The Royals management, meanwhile, were nervous ahead of the announcement in the morning, but slipped into a huddle soon after. It is understood they, too, are in consultation with their legal team to study the different aspects of the order.”I thought we would get away,” one Royals source said. “I don’t know whether it was the heart thinking or my head. So, the suspension was a bit of a shock.”The biggest impact, as the Super Kings official said, would be on the brand identity. George John, manager, marketing and operations, Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, said it was too early to speculate on how much the team will be hurt on the sponsorship front. He, however, said sponsors had not abandoned them even in the wake of the 2013 spot-fixing scandal that saw top Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan being arrested.”We have never had any problem with our sponsors,” John told ESPNcricinfo. “They have always stood by us. They know what we stand for.”Brand consultant Harish Bijoor felt while the reputation of the two teams had corroded, advertisers and broadcasters were unlikely to pay a huge price. “They are all fair weather friends,” Bijoor said of advertisers and broadcasters. “Their money is totally protected, their contracts are reasonably waterproof to protect themselves against these things. Contracts are clean and sharp. The only people who suffer are the two franchise owners.”Please note that the recommendations are that these two teams don’t play for two years. It’s quite likely that many of the stars of these teams are likely to be figuring in other teams. Two or three teams, theoretically, might come into the IPL. End of the day, the net count of the matches will remain the same if not go up. Nobody loses except the franchises.”Bijoor said it was the end of the road for both Super Kings and Royals as brands, “even if not legally.” “Brands have morality elements. The real custodian of the brand is the viewer. The problem is this brand is not like EPL. It is not as old as a Manchester United is, or as old as a Chelsea is. And loyalties are portable. People will take their loyalties to a new brand. At the end of the day, nobody is wedded to a team as much as to a [MS] Dhoni or a [Suresh] Raina or a [Rahul] Dravid.”He suggested that the teams re-brand themselves if and when they come back into the league, either after the term of suspension or after a change in ownership: “Brands enjoy positive karma and negative karma. This is a bit of negative karma as far as these brands are concerned. Changing the name, the ownership, the entire ethos and putting together a set of corporate governance laws will change that. It has to be an amalgam of many things. It’s a brand restructuring guy’s delight.”

South Africa will not dare to take Afghanistan lightly as they bid to bounce back from their chastening opening-round defeat to England at the Wankhede Stadium, according to Hashim Amla

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2016South Africa will not dare to take Afghanistan lightly as they bid to bounce back from their chastening opening-round defeat to England at the Wankhede Stadium, according to Hashim Amla.Despite a riotous start to South Africa’s innings, Amla’s 58 from 31 balls and a 91-run stand for the first wicket with Quinton de Kock proved insufficient to set up a victory. England, inspired by Joe Root’s 83 from 44 balls, chased down a massive 230 to win by two wickets with two balls to spare and put the pressure on South Africa ahead of their second Group 1 game against the Associate qualifiers.”I still think 230 is a very good total, no matter which venue,” Amla said. “Can you ever be satisfied with any score? I guess I could have hit that ball for six and that ball for four, but that’s not how it goes. We would definitely have taken 230 at the start of the game, we have to be grateful to get that on the board.”Looking ahead to the challenge of Afghanistan, who South Africa have only met once before, Amla said: “You can’t take any team for granted. We saw how they played against Sri Lanka and the shorter the format the more the minnow teams are in the running. We have to play our best players to beat them.”He admitted, however, that he wasn’t fully acquainted with the players he will be facing. “What we know is basically what we’ve seen in their game against Sri Lanka and the preliminary tournament. We leave that to our brains trust, but they are a good team and you don’t take them lightly.”South Africa know that defeat in their first game means the pressure is on them but Amla said captain Faf du Plessis had told his players not to panic after conceding the second-highest successful chase in T20 internationals.One area they can definitely make improvements in is the amount of extras conceded; South Africa gave up 20 runs in wides, compared to England’s two, which may have been the difference between winning and losing in a close finish that came down to the last few deliveries.”Faf has spoken about trying to be as simple as we can with our plans,” Amla said. “The difference in the game last night was us conceding too many extras and we will have to leave it at that.”We have a quality bowling attack, I believe they will be hurt, along with the team, for not executing as well as they would have liked. I’m sure in the games to follow we can bounce back.”

Ross Taylor said he decided to turn back the clock in an attempt to rekindle his form, and the early signs are that the the move could pay off

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2015Ross Taylor said he decided to unleash the shackles in an attempt to rekindle his form, and the early signs are that the move could pay off. He produced two counter-attacking innings during the second Test at Headingley then warmed up for the one-day series against England with 77 off 62 balls against Leicestershire.Taylor made a valuable, but scratchy 62 in the first innings at Lord’s, and admitted it was not really his style of batting. With another period of one-day cricket now upon New Zealand – following a short break after the England trip they tour South Africa in August – he is keen to bring some freedom back to his batting.He chipped in during New Zealand’s World Cup campaign – making a top score of 56 against Bangladesh – but did not produce a stand-out performance and had comfortably the lowest strike rate, 61.55, of all New Zealand’s batsmen.”I haven’t scored as many as I would have liked and I have made a conscious effort to express myself and get back to the way I want to play – to hit the ball like when I first played for New Zealand,” Taylor said after the warm-up match against Leicestershire.”You can go two ways, you can try to graft it out a bit which I did at Lord’s or try to play your shots as I did at Leeds and against Leicestershire. It was nice to get a few out of the middle and get some rhythm back.”Taylor does not have to go back too far to remember a golden run in his one-day career. Last year, he scored three hundreds in consecutive innings, which made him the first New Zealand batsman – and only seventh in history – to achieve that feat. Currently Taylor has 12 ODI hundreds, putting him second in the New Zealand all-time list behind Nathan Astle who made 16.He was barely needed with the bat last time New Zealand faced England in an ODI, at Wellington during the World Cup. Tim Southee’s 7 for 33 hustled out England for 123 before the hosts rattled off the runs in just 12.2 overs as Brendon McCullum struck 77 off 25 balls.It will be a very different-looking England side on show at Edgbaston on Tuesday with potentially just five survivors from the Wellington match, although one of them could be Steven Finn who was torn into by McCullum.”You’ve got to respect the opposition and after the way they performed in the World Cup they’ll want to put in a good performance,” Taylor said. “There are a lot of new faces we’ve not seen before. But hopefully we can start again, we have the confidence.”

All the chairs with a good view of the play at Heagingley on day three were filled with people ready to resume watching Cheteshwar Pujara and Jack Leaning butcher James Vince’s attack during an unbroken fifth-wicket stand that gave Yorkshire control.

Paul Edwards at Headingley12-May-2015
ScorecardCheteshwar Pujara made his first century for Yorkshire•Getty ImagesIt is rather easy to see why Yorkshire is providing English cricket with such a deep pool of executives, coaches and players.This is a county where the game matters very much indeed to a large percentage of the population and where four-day games attract decent attendances. As Andrew Gale’s team built a winning position on the third day of their match against Hampshire, one only had to visit the pavilion at tea-time to find the bars thronged with people escaping the westerly wind that had turned cool in mid-afternoon. All the chairs with a good view of the play were filled with people ready to resume watching Cheteshwar Pujara and Jack Leaning butcher James Vince’s attack during an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 95 off 72 balls.When Gale called off the slaughter, Pujara had made an unbeaten 133 off 182 balls in what was his last innings for Yorkshire this season and he had provided discerning spectators with as good an illustration of how to play the cut shot as they are likely to see. Vince’s bowlers may wake in the dead hours of the night with visions of being wristily conjured to anywhere between point and third man. More significantly for the game, Pujara’s fine century had left Gale’s bowlers with 21 overs in which they could subject the technique of Hampshire’s top order batsmen to a tough examination.The visitors found the test rather too rigorous for them. In the second over of the innings Jack Brooks’s extra bounce was sufficient to catch the edge of Sean Terry’s bat and fourth slip Tim Bresnan pocketed a good low catch. Next ball Michael Carberry was adjudged to have feathered a fine delivery to Jonny Bairstow, although there was some thought that he had not got a touch. Four overs later, Vince himself nicked yet another good nut from Brooks to Adam Lyth at second slip, and when Liam Dawson was lbw on the front foot to Adil Rashid for 16 three overs before the close, Hampshire’s fate seemed all but sealed.This, then, was the sort of day to which those Yorkshire spectators have become accustomed but it has not always been so. In 2011 the county was relegated from the First Division and as Gale skilfully defended questions about the possible recruitment of coach Jason Gillespie to the vacant England job, he also considered what had changed in Yorkshire since the bleak September when Colin Graves made some frank criticisms of the players.”I think we have the right people in the right places,” Gale said. “They say you’ve always got half a chance if you get the right people on the bus and after we were relegated, we got rid of some old faces and brought in some new people. We now have a strong stability in the club from the top to the bottom. There’s an expectation that we will do well and we have high standards. And as we showed when we didn’t select Liam Plunkett for this game, we’re not scared of making hard calls if people don’t meet those standards.”It might also be argued that Yorkshire have abandoned dogmatism. Long gone are the days when you had to be born in the county to play for it but there was still some comfort to be had in noting that seven of the side in this game were indeed Yorkshireman and that two of the other four, Jack Leaning and Will Rhodes, are products of the justifiably lauded Academy.As for Hampshire, their players have made significant contributions to this game but they spent most of the day paying the penalty for losing their last six first-innings wickets for 32 runs, a collapse that was completed by Brooks and Rashid in the first 15 balls of the third day’s play.Vince’s bowlers then removed Lyth, Alex Lees and Gale at a cost of 80 runs, only to find Pujara and Bairstow in their finest form. Indeed at one stage it seemed that Yorkshire’s wicketkeeper-batsman might become the first man to score a century in each innings of a first-class game at Headingley. It is one cricket’s more curious facts that neither the county’s great batsmen nor, indeed, Don Bradman, have managed this feat. Having edged or gloved a sweep off Liam Dawson to Sean Ervine at slip when he had made 59, Bairstow must now wait for another opportunity.It barely mattered in the context of the game. Leaning joined Pujara and the pair plainly enjoyed themselves hugely. As, of course, did the home spectators watching the game intently and clutching their hardback 2015 handbooks as carefully as if they were copies of the King James bible or the . For all the hokum that still surrounds Yorkshire cricket, it suddenly seemed possible on this afternoon of blustery wind and White Rose dominance to see why people regard playing for the county as a calling rather than an occupation. The net may have been thrown wider but the summons to Headingley is still rather noble.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has been allowed to return to domestic cricket under the auspices of the PCB with immediate effect

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-20153:43

Samiuddin: Amir returning to Pakistan fold will be tricky

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has been allowed to return to domestic cricket under the auspices of the PCB with immediate effect. Amir’s five-year ban for his role in spot-fixing during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 was due to end on September 2.The ICC said after its board meeting in Dubai: “The ACSU Chairman [Ronnie Flanagan] had exercised the powers vested in him under Article 6.8 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code after he was satisfied that Amir had cooperated with the ACSU by fully disclosing his part in the matters that led to his disqualification, admitting his guilt, showing remorse and cooperating with the Unit’s ongoing investigations and by recording messages for the ACSU education sessions.”Soon after the news of his re-admittance, Amir said it would not take him long to get match ready. “I have been playing some unregistered club cricket but the sort of body I have I think it won’t take much time to get the momentum. I think a month and half will be enough for me to stand up. Being a fast bowler, I have all the varieties and ability to bowl both inswing and outswing, so what I need now is to work hard.”Confirmation that Amir’s return is limited to cricket overseen by the PCA ends any intention by Amir, or his representatives, to seek a deal in English cricket – a prospect, in any case, that might have run foul of visa problems.The PCB had written a letter to the ICC in November, requesting the governing body to review the conditions of Amir’s ban. As per the new anti-corruption code, banned players could be allowed to return to domestic cricket before the end of their penalty if they meet certain criteria. The ICC later interviewed Amir to determine if they could find any difference in the player.In the last four years, Amir had completed an Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) education program with PCB, showed a high degree of remorse, and disclosed relevant information to the PCB as well as the anti-corruption units.With the Pakistan domestic season about to finish before starting again in October, Amir’s only chance of competitive cricket would be a possible return in the Super Eight T20 Cup in Pakistan after the World Cup. However, a few Grade 1 teams had already shown a keen interest to sign the player for next season. National Bank of Pakistan, who had revoked Amir’s contract after his ban, later offered to retain the bowler upon his return.

At the end of a tumultuous summer, Michael Clarke admitted he spoke of a World Cup victory based on skill over emotion as a way of convincing himself that he could endure the toll of this most draining season

Daniel Brettig at the MCG29-Mar-2015At the end of a summer when Australia went through the unspeakable grief of bidding farewell to Phillip Hughes, Michael Clarke admitted he spoke of a World Cup victory based on skill over emotion as a way of convincing himself that he could endure the toll of this most draining season.Clarke spoke fully and frankly of the longest of summers after lifting the Cup in front of a world record MCG crowd and signing off from limited-overs cricket with an emphatic win over New Zealand. But it was clear how much it had stretched Clarke, from the emotional tumult around the death of Hughes to running battles with the selection panel over his fitness to lead.”The summer has been different because it’s not just about the physical side of the game,” he said. “I think we’ve all experienced the mental side and the emotion of what’s happened, and I guess that’s why the boys deserve even more credit, to be able to continue to get up every single day and want to perform and help the team have success with that emotion that runs through your body.”I think through the whole World Cup, I made it very clear that it was going to be skill, not emotion that won us the World Cup, and I think a lot of the things I’ve said in press conferences have actually been for myself. I’m saying it out loud so I can hear it myself, and I think that’s probably one of the main things I’ve been saying, skill over emotion will win the World Cup for us, and I think I’ve needed to hear that, as well. I’ve needed to say it out loud because it has been emotional, there’s no doubt about it.”To fight my backside off and work as hard as I possibly have to get back into the team, number one, after surgery, and then I guess to deal with what we’ve all dealt with over the last few months and to win a World Cup in front of your home fans, it’s taken amazing discipline from all the players, a lot of hard work, and it’s a fitting reward, like I say, for the pain everyone has gone through.”Clarke said he had found it harder to deal with the gap left in his life by his friend and “little brother” as the summer went on, spending a lot of time speaking with the Hughes family, whom he had shepherded through the days before and after the 25-year-old’s death.”Hughesy is thought about and spoken about on a daily basis,” Clarke said. “I think probably the last couple of months for me personally, it’s probably been harder than when he first passed away. I’ve been in regular contact with his sister and his family. And I know they would have been watching tonight. I guess that’s what makes it so special, that we are still thinking about him. We are still talking about him, and we always will.”Like I say, I won’t play another game, I certainly won’t play a Test match without his Test number on my heart, and I’ll wear this black armband for the rest of my career. You know, we’ve spoken about it as a team. We believe we played this World Cup with 16 players in our squad, and that will continue for the rest of my career, that’s for sure.”A little more than a day after he had announced his ODI retirement, Clarke was convinced the team was in good hands. Marshalled by the coach Darren Lehmann and Clarke’s likely successor Steven Smith, they can be expected to carry on in the same aggressive vein that typified their success in this World Cup. Certainly Clarke had no doubt he was leaving the side in better shape than when he first led it in 2011.

I think the team is in a great place. I think that talent will not just be talent, it’ll be consistent performance. Like I said, I think it’s the right time for me to go now

“Now I know it’s the right time,” he said. “There’s no such thing as fairytales in sport but that’s as close as it gets for me, not only to win a World Cup but to win in front of your home fans. There was a lot of expectation, a lot of added pressure, the fact we were playing in Australia in front of our home fans. I think the boys soaked that up from day one and loved every minute of it.”We’ve worked really hard. Even today once we bowled New Zealand out, six or seven of the guys went to the nets for a hit in the lead-up to our batting innings just to make sure they were as well prepared as they possibly could be and ready to walk out and chase those 180 runs. It shows the discipline and the dedication to wanting the team to have success. I’m extremely proud and really happy with how the day panned out.”I think the team is in a great place. I think they’ll continue to have success. I think they’ll continue to get better. I think that talent will not just be talent, it’ll be consistent performance. I think, like I said, I think it’s the right time for me to go now. I think this team is ready to move forward and continue to have a lot of success all around the world.”As for the timing of his retirement announcement, something a few had questioned on match eve, Clarke gave a simple and logical explanation. In doing so he illustrated how much attention he has paid to the media cycle during his career, both its bouquets and brickbats.”Because I think tomorrow’s press is going to be about the team, and if I announced it tonight, then tomorrow’s press wouldn’t have been about the team,” Clarke said. “I’ve probably taken one day of media rather than a week of it. I’m hoping the next week is full of positive things about every single player in that change room and what they’ve achieved in this tournament. But you guys will dictate that.”

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has said his side needs to improve its fielding and batting against the short ball to be competitive at the 2015 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2014Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has said his side needs to improve its fielding and batting against the short ball to be competitive at the 2015 World Cup in February and March. Pakistan lost the fifth ODI against New Zealand by 68 runs in Abu Dhabi on Friday to concede the series 2-3.”We need to improve our fielding,” Waqar said after the game. “It is not up to the mark and [we] must improve a lot. We also need to work hard on short balls as we have to go to Australia and both these things need to be spot on if you want to compete in the World Cup.” The only international games Pakistan have left before the tournament are two ODIs in New Zealand on January 31 and February 3.New Zealand scored 275 for 4 in the final ODI of the series in the UAE, with their captain Kane Williamson making 97. Pakistan were dismissed for 207 in 43.3 overs in the chase. Despite the defeat, Waqar said the series had not been a complete write-off. “We did achieve what we needed but not 100%. Now we have a one-day cup back home and hope that things will be clearer after that.”Williamson hailed the series victory as a “big achievement,” especially because New Zealand were without regular captain Brendon McCullum, and fast bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult. New Zealand bounced back from conceding the series lead twice before winning the decider.”There is still time for the World Cup, it’s good it will be in our conditions and this series win is a big achievement,” Williamson said. “We learned from our mistakes, beat a strong Pakistan side and have shown improvement. In a series that went up and down, it was fantastic to learn from the Pakistan side and to win in such an evenly-fought series has been great.”It was important to keep adapting our plans, the personnel changed quite a lot, we had a lot of injuries. It has been a great series, an emotional series for many reasons and both teams put on some fantastic cricket.”New Zealand will travel home to host Sri Lanka, beginning with the Boxing Day Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.