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Selections of Livingstone and Ahmed proof of England’s willingness to challenge convention

Vithushan Ehantharajah28-Nov-2022First they said it couldn’t be done beyond one lucky Test at the start of the summer. Then, after they did it twice more to New Zealand, India were supposedly going to stop them in their tracks. Cue 378 being chased down with ease.Ah, but what of South Africa? Sure, that didn’t work at the start. Defeat by an innings and 12 runs inside three days at Lord’s drew plenty of pent-up derision from the sidelines, most of it from traditional supporters – many of them English – who were slightly put out by the suggestion that they were the ones who had got this format all wrong. Cue victories by an innings and 85 runs and nine wickets to take that series with ease, too. Six wins out of seven, two series in the bag, another all-square from 2021. What were you worried about?Now, of course, the ever-shifting “gotcha” has moved to “can you do it on a sunny (but chilly) and perhaps also hot and sweaty month in Pakistan?” And to be honest, quite rightly. Just as those hypothetical stumbling blocks were posited early in the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes tenure, so the challenge of taking this high-wire act abroad is a new one altogether.”We’ll find out,” McCullum shrugged, when asked how different things could be here compared to the English summer. “There will be times where it could be more extreme in regards to the conditions, there will be times we have to absorb more, and times to put it back on more, and I think that could be the difference between playing, say, in English conditions and playing these. But we’ll find out, as long as guys are living in the moment and they’ve got a positive mindset heading into it, we’ll give ourselves the best chance.”There are no preconceived notions for England’s first visit to Pakistan in 17 years. “Be where your feet are” and “if you’re present, you give yourself a better chance to adjust” were two phrases that stuck out when McCullum veered close to talking tactics, without ever quite taking his shoes off to dip a toe into those waters. He didn’t quite go full Henry Cooke and say: “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. But he wasn’t far off.McCullum did, however, appreciate that the contrast between home and away will be felt this week. The first Test, starting in Rawalpindi on Thursday, will have shorter days, with play beginning at 10am because the sun gives it the Irish goodbye not long after 5pm. Conditions, naturally, will be different.And if the crowds prove to be as packed as they were at times during the summer, they are unlikely to be as supportive. “But we can still bring the same sense of belief among the group,” McCullum said. “To have the same ambition to play entertaining cricket and, hopefully, when the time arrives, win the key moments. Isn’t it the greatest challenge? To win away from home and be successful.”As much as the noise and funk established in the UK is about to be brought around 4,000 miles away and five hours ahead, there is something tangible at play over here that will have a knock-on effect to cricket back home. So much of the domestic game is up for grabs at the moment, whether through the high-performance review or private equity interest. But the opinion of the England Test coach is one that matters. And it is when running the rule over two of his picks – Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed – that you get an insight into McCullum’s thoughts on where the domestic game is right now.McCullum gives directions during England’s practice session at Rawalpindi•Getty ImagesAhmed’s addition to the full squad last week – a plan all along, said Rob Key, the team’s director – is, without question, an educated punt. His displays in three first-class games for Leicestershire, along with his limited-overs work, both at Grace Road and for Southern Brave, have shown him worthy of acceleration.McCullum echoed many of the sentiments already voiced by Key and Ben Stokes in the past week: “a rough diamond… who can spin the ball both ways, dynamic in the field and he’s got a power game and likes to play the game at a high tempo”. However, he decided to go a little further still, perhaps pre-empting future questions if Ahmed simply bowls in the nets and carries drinks throughout this trip, which is a distinct possibility given the pitches will be tough to predict.”He’s nowhere near the finished article, we know that, but what’s the alternative? Leave him in a system which may not come through necessarily as the product you’d hope for in the end? So we get him in here and it’s a great feather in the cap for the skipper and the senior lads, the coaches, that we believe we can help get his talent through quicker. If we can’t, that’s our problem, not his. He’s a rare talent worth investing in, and we’ll make sure we’ll try to look after him.”Related

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It was a shot across the bows of County Cricket, though previous national coaches have administered similar. Duncan Fletcher was famously irked by the drop-off from international cricket to the domestic codes and others have dished out facsimiles of his complaints, particularly on the topic of spin. Given the dearth of reliable spin alternatives beyond Jack Leach, Ahmed’s inclusion – whether made in October or November – and that of Livingstone, has merit.When asked if it mattered that Livingstone had not played a competitive red-ball match since August 2021, McCullum responded simply: “Not really. I think he’s a good player, so we’ll find out I suppose.”That view is no surprise given it was the entire premise of Livingstone’s selection. The of Livingstone is the greatest pull, though that perhaps does a disservice to his previous red-ball work, which is worthy of respect. All but one of his seven first-class centuries came in his first two years in the format. While he has been pulled in other directions by the white ball, you don’t have to meet the logic too far along to understand why he is such an attractive proposition to this team.”I’ve seen a bit of him on the T20 circuit and international cricket and enjoyed his style of play – he bowls off-spin, leg-spin, fields well and smacks the ball out of the park – it’s hard not to get around a player who plays like that.”Beyond that, there is a view that Livingstone’s selection is a win for English cricket. He has not struggled for offers elsewhere, and was even the first draft pick for the BBL this season before having to pull out for this Test series. At a time when boards are fighting off encroaching franchises, Livingstone’s presence in the squad sticks out as a statement piece.”He carries himself in a great way and in a great manner. It’s a real feather in the cap for the skipper and some of the senior players within the group that one of the best T20 players in the world is desperate to be part of the squad, because of the goodwill that’s been built up over the last few months.”There is a sense, however, that McCullum’s suggestion that the Test side can itself make up for the shortcomings of County Cricket is unsustainable. And that, really, is what all the queries around his brand of Test cricket were concerned with – sustainability.But, maybe even to worry about that is to miss the point entirely. Internally it has been about rediscovering the enjoyment of Test cricket, and no-one can say that has not been the external effect. The twin objectives of success and entertainment have skipped down the road hand-in-hand up to this point. Even in defeat, who’s to say it won’t continue?English Test cricket has always been its own island, but right now there is a real sense that it is drifting further away from its roots. And while that seems alarming when you read it aloud, at this juncture, it may not be a bad thing.One of the most sought-after T20 batters and a fearless leg-spinning allrounder are knuckling down for the longest format, in a part of the world where an English Test side has not set foot, since 2005. Who knows how this will end up in the next month let alone beyond that? Perhaps it really is about being where your feet are.

“We tried to hurry up Jasprit Bumrah, and see what has happened,” chief selector Chetan Sharma said

Shashank Kishore31-Oct-2022Did India try to rush Jasprit Bumrah back from injury during their build-up to the T20 World Cup?Chief selector Chetan Sharma seemed to suggest so at a virtual press conference on Monday to announce four squads across two tours – New Zealand and Bangladesh – in November-December 2022.Related

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Not surprisingly, Bumrah missed the cut for those matches as he continues to recover from the back injury that forced his absence from the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia.”I always say that we have to manage players,” Sharma said. “And when we do that, the media sometimes writes about why some players are not playing, different players are playing, different captains are coming.”The selection committee has to deal with workload management which we follow very closely. Now, we tried to hurry up Jasprit Bumrah, we tried to get him with the World Cup coming. And see what has happened? We are without Jasprit Bumrah in the World Cup.”Bumrah was first diagnosed with a stress reaction in his back in August and was ruled out of India’s Asia Cup campaign later that month. However, in September, Bumrah was declared fit and was picked in India’s T20 World Cup squad. The same squad also featured in India’s build-up to the tournament with home games against Australia and South Africa. Bumrah featured in two of the three T20s against Australia, but was pulled out on the eve of the South Africa series, India’s last before the World Cup, after he complained of back pain.Since then, Bumrah has been undergoing a rigorous rehab programme at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Even as he exuded hope of Bumrah being available soon, Sharma was non-committal about timelines.India play six white-ball games in New Zealand before flying to Bangladesh in early December for three ODIs and two Tests. They then host New Zealand and Sri Lanka for a white-ball tour to kick off the 50-over World Cup year, before finishing their World Test Championship assignment with the Border-Gavaskar series at home against Australia (four Tests).”The NCA team and the medical team are looking after him very well. And he will definitely be part and parcel of the team very soon, in the sense definitely against Australia (series in 2023). But for Bangladesh we are a little cautious with Jasprit Bumrah as opposed to like we tried to bring him back early (post the Asia Cup). So we don’t want to do that this time.”That is why I always request the media that when we rest a player there is a reason behind that. No selector fancies that we keep changing the team or the captains – it is only that there is so much cricket, and there is so much workload management to look after that we have to keep looking after the player’s body. End of the day they are humans. He will be back soon. The NCA team is working on him properly and I hope he will return soon to play for India.”

Aston Villa are linked with one of Europe's top young strikers amid uncertainty about Marcus Rashford's future at the club.

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Villa linked with Rashford alternativeSamu deal could cost £50mChelsea nearly signed him last summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

has reported that Villa are showing interest in Samu Aghehowa, who has scored 24 goals for Porto this season. The Spanish talent only joined the Portuguese club last summer and an offer of £50 million ($66m) could be enough to prompt a deal. Villa are thought to be keeping an open as to the attacking make-up of their squad next season, with doubts over Rashford and even Ollie Watkins.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Rashford is on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season. The England forward comes with a £40m ($53m) option to buy, but there are far from any guarantees that Villa will trigger it, with Rashford reported to prefer the idea of joining Barcelona and concerns about meeting his sky high wage demands after his parent club has covered a sizeable chunk of that salary since January. Interest in Samu could be an indication that Villa are preparing to look elsewhere.

DID YOU KNOW?

The striker, previously known as Samu Omorodion, was close to joining Chelsea last summer. A £35m ($47m) deal was in place with Atletico Madrid, but the Blues were not satisfied by the outcome of a medical assessment, prompting the transfer to collapse. Porto then offered the player a deal instead.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Villa must make a final decision on Rashford, whether to retain him at the option price or not. If they let the forward return to United, the club's transfer department will be more free to pursue targets they want to strengthen up front.

West Ham United have held recent talks with an “underrated” forward’s camp as Graham Potter’s side ponder signing him on a free transfer this summer, but the Hammers face stiff competition for his services.

West Ham already making summer transfer plans

In the January window, West Ham backed Potter with the loan signing of Evan Ferguson from Brighton, who came in to bolster their striking options after both Michail Antonio and Niclas Füllkrug were diagnosed with long-term injuries.

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Antonio’s horrific car crash means the Jamaica international is ruled out for the remainder of this Premier League campaign and beyond, while Fullkrug is expected to be out until around April with a hamstring injury (The Times).

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen has played in a makeshift centre-forward role under both Potter and Julen Lopetegui this term, most recently in a 2-1 defeat away to Chelsea, but Ferguson’s arrival provides the east Londoners with a much-needed extra option up front.

Brentford (home)

February 15th

Arsenal (away)

February 22nd

Leicester City (home)

February 27th

Newcastle United (home)

March 10th

Everton (away)

March 15th

The Republic of Ireland international could make his West Ham debut against Brentford on Saturday, but it is unclear whether he’ll start or come off the bench, as Potter could also seek to ease him in gently and start Bowen as a striker once again against Thomas Frank’s side.

It is worth pointing out that West Ham do not have an option to buy Ferguson at the end of his loan deal, meaning the club are making contingency plans for whether they cannot or do not strike a permanent move.

Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has been linked with a summer move to West Ham this week, and Man United forward Rasmus Hojlund is also believed to be on Potter’s list of transfer targets as alternatives to Ferguson.

West Ham are also in pursuit of wide forwards, not to mention younger players with high potential who can bring the average age of their squad down.

West Ham hold talks with Antonio Cordero's camp ahead of free transfer

According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, Malaga winger Antonio Cordero is subject to real interest from West Ham.

The Spain Under-19 international is out of contract in July, meaning Potter and co are able to snap him up on a free deal. West Ham have apparently held talks with Cordero’s camp recently, but face a lot of competition from other interested sides, both abroad and in the Premier League.

Newcastle United are believed to be favourites for his signature right now, and the Magpies are convinced that they’ll end up winning the race for his signature, but there could still be time for West Ham to spoil the party.

The exciting 18-year-old boasts four goals and six assists from 25 appearances in all competitions so far this campaign, standing out as a shining light in an otherwise under-performing Malaga team, with scouts from elite clubs taking notice of his impressive performances.

TEAMtalk analyst and freelance scout Ben Mattinson has called Cordero an “underrated” attacker who’s comfortable playing on both wings, with the teenager also possessing a tendency to shoot at goal often.

He brushes aside concerns about Rodrigues’ form, says “she will bounce back very soon”

S Sudarshanan19-Dec-2022India batters Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh will have set roles when they join the Youth team for the first Women’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa in January. India’s acting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar revealed on Monday that the reason for sending two already established internationals to a U-19 tournament was to get them used to the country where the next Women’s T20 World Cup will be held in two months time.As a result, both Shafali and Richa will miss India’s T20 tri-series against South Africa and West Indies at the end of January.Related

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“We’ll have a few things we want them [Shafali and Ghosh] to continue doing in terms of preparation [for the Women’s T20 World Cup],” Kanitkar, who took over days before the start of the five-match T20I series against Australia, said on Monday.”I’ll have a word with the Under-19 coach so that the communication goes to both ends. We’ll have a few [discussions so that] there’s clarity with the coach as well as the players, and there’s no confusion on what we want and what they should be doing. Obviously, they’ll play for the Under-19 team and [we] want that team to win. And that’s always the case. But we also want them to prepare a certain way.”Shafali and Ghosh are the two players with international experience in India’s Under-19 T20 World Cup squad. The pair has been in good form in the ongoing home series too. Shafali has 127 runs in four games, the most for India, including a half-century in the third T20I. Ghosh’s batting in the lower middle order has been like a breath of fresh air. Her strike rate of 190.74 has been the best for India this series and her 13-ball 26 was crucial in the hosts tying the second game. She almost propelled India to a win in the fourth game, too.Batting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar speaks to the players•BCCI”They are growing in confidence for sure,” Kanitkar said. “They know the game a little bit better, from a batting point of view. I really give a lot of importance to learning from each and every one of our experiences and not just go by if ‘you’ve scored a fifty, it’s a good day’. It doesn’t work like that. Every day you learn something and you use that to get better the next day… it could be zero, it could be a hundred, it could be 20.”I think they buy into that and we are pretty frank about sharing views. If somebody has played well, got runs and then you know should have continued and didn’t continue, I’ll call a spade a spade. But I’ll make sure it’s positive.”Kanitkar also brushed aside concerns about the form of Jemimah Rodrigues. The No. 3 batter has scores of 0, 4, 16 and 8, and while she has looked in good touch – take the three fours in the third game or the cover-point drive in the fourth – the big scores have eluded her.”It’s absolutely not [a concern],” Kanitkar said. “I think she’s got a lot of ability and has proven that in the past two-three games. I’ve had so many times where I’ve had four or five games that didn’t go my way. That doesn’t mean a player is not good.”It’s not always the technique; it could be technical, it could be tactical, it could be mental. There are so many things to it. Technique is the easiest thing that you put in place – you watch videos, you know this is happening, that’s happening, you change this, change that, draw a few arrows on the screen and all those things.

“We’ll have a few [discussions so that] there’s clarity with the [Under-19] coach as well as the players, and there’s no confusion on what we want and what they should be doing.”Kanitkar on Shafali, Ghosh’s role with the Under-19 side

“But many times, it’s deeper than that and about how you think in a certain situation. These things can’t change in five minutes. Jemi is hitting the ball well, as we saw she’s striking it well. It’s not like she’s struggling to play those bowlers. But it’s something that’s a bit of a work-in-progress and she’ll bounce back very soon.”Kanitkar was non-committal about his tenure as the acting head coach but said that the team will soon have a bowling coach. He said that knowing the players from before – he was the batting consultant when India toured Sri Lanka in late June – also helped him go about with his methods.”I know what works for each one as individuals,” he said. “So that helps in talking to them, discussing things with them, and how they understand. It helps to know your players and that’s made it a little easier.”We’ve been able to address a few things that we could in a short time, and things are turning around. I think we are on the right track. But we are in the middle of a series so there’s only so much you can do. You can’t take everything off the rails and then do it [from scratch].”

Everything you need to know about Luuk de Jong's salary details playing for PSV

Dutch striker Luuk de Jong enjoyed a stellar first spell at PSV, playing five seasons with the club between 2014 and 2019, before moving to Sevilla in Spain.

Although his goal-scoring numbers declined, De Jong played a key role in Sevilla's Europa League triumph, proving instrumental during the campaign.

He was later loaned to Barcelona, where, despite a slow start he became a cult hero. De Jong delivered crucial, clutch goals for the Catalan side during a difficult transitional period marked by Lionel Messi's departure and the club’s participation in the Europa League.

After his loan spell ended, De Jong returned to PSV, where he has since regained his scoring form and remains a constant threat in attack.

His current contract with PSV runs until June 2025, with renewal talks currently underway, though no agreement has been finalized yet.

Under his present deal, De Jong earns a substantial salary, ranking among the top earners in the squad.

So, exactly how much does he earn?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

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Luuk de Jong's wages at PSV in numbers

Under de Jong's current contract with PSV, the Dutch player receives a weekly salary of €38,077 and an annual salary of nearly €2 million, ranking him as the fifth-highest paid at the club.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in Euros

Annual wages in Euros

Luuk de Jong

Dutch

€38,077

€1,980,000

AdvertisementAFPTop earners at PSV

Sergino Dest is the highest-paid player at PSV, followed by Rick Karsdorp, Ricardo Pepi, Tyrell Malacia, and Luuk de Jong in second, third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in Euros

Annual wages in Euros

Sergino Dest

American

€75,385

€3,920,000

Rick Karsdorp

Dutch

€56,731

€2,950,000

Ricardo Pepi

American

€45,192

€2,350,000

Tyrell Malacia

Dutch

€45,192

€2,350,000

Luuk de Jong

Dutch

€38,077

€1,980,000

Top earners in Eredivisie

Jordan Henderson, formerly of Liverpool, has the highest salary in the Eredivisie. Sergino Dest from PSV is next. Daniele Rugani, an Italian player, is third, with Ajax's Brian Brobbey and Steven Berghuis in fourth and fifth.

Player

Club

Weekly wages in Euros

Annual wages in Euros

Jordan Henderson

Ajax

€90,000

€4,680,000

Sergino Dest

PSV

€75,385

€3,920,000

Daniele Rugani

Ajax

€75,385

€3,920,000

Brian Brobbey

Ajax

€57,692

€3,000,000

Steven Berghuis

Ajax

€56,731

€2,950,000

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AFPHighest paid players in the world

Eredivisie player salaries are significant but lower than those of top global footballers, with none in the highest ranks.

The top five earners are in the Saudi Pro League, with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr having the highest salary.

Karim Benzema, formerly of Real Madrid, is second, followed by Riyad Mahrez, previously with Manchester City and now at Al-Ahli, in third.

Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, both from Senegal, are in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

Player

Club

Weekly wages Euros

Annual wages Euros

Cristiano Ronaldo

Al Nassr

€3,846,154

€200,000,000

Karim Benzema

Al Ittihad

€1,923,077

€100,000,000

Riyad Mahrez

Al Ahli

€1,003,846

€52,200,000

Sadio Mane

Al Nassr

€769,231

€40,000,000

Kalidou Koulibaly

Al Hilal

€667,308

€34,700,000

They might not have had the trophies to show for it, but Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with some incredible players over the last decade and a half.

For example, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were arguably the best strike partnership in the Premier League for large parts of the late 2010s, while the likes of Mousa Dembélé and Toby Alderweireld helped to make Mauricio Pochettino’s greatest team an absolute nightmare for opposition attackers.

However, in going back even further, you come to the utterly sensational Gareth Bale, who, in his pomp, had a claim to being the most dangerous attacker in the country.

The Welsh icon was a goalscoring force of nature for the Lilywhites, and in some ways, Ange Postecoglou might have his own version in the squad today.

Bale's Spurs career

Tottenham completed the £10m signing of Southampton’s 17-year-old Bale in May 2007, and while he was a highly-rated youngster tipped for greatness at the time, it took a while for that to happen in North London.

For example, early on in his Spurs career, the Cardiff-born dynamo suffered a ligament injury in his ankle, and when he returned to the fold around eight months later, nothing went right for him.

In fact, the then-full-back famously didn’t win his first game with the Lilywhites until the 25th attempt, and it became such a talking point that Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly told Harry Redknapp to drop him from the team because he was a bad-luck charm.

The Englishman didn’t listen to the Manchester United boss, and on top of sticking by the young talent, he opted to move him up the pitch from left-back to left midfield and left-wing part way through the 09/10 campaign, which, as we all know today, was an inspired decision.

In all, the 35-year-old ended up scoring 55 goals and providing 50 assists in 203 appearances across his first stint with the club before adding another 16 goals and three assists in 34 games during the 20/21 campaign.

Appearances

203

34

Goals

55

16

Assists

50

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.51

0.55

However, it was the 12/13 season that truly established the former Saints gem as a genuine world-class talent and secured his £85m move to Real Madrid, as in just 44 appearances, the 111-capped international scored 26 goals and provided ten assists, coming out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.22 games.

Overall, Bale has to go down as one of the best players Spurs have had in the modern era, and excitingly, they may have someone who can replicate some of his output in the squad today.

Tottenham Hotspur's new Bale

So, while this season has been something of a disaster for Postecoglou and Spurs, there are still several incredibly talented players within the squad.

The likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Djed Spend and Lucas Bergvall, for example, could all be key members of the next great Lilywhites team, but when it comes to their new Bale, it can be one man: Brennan Johnson.

The talented forward joined the club for around £47.5m from Nottingham Forest in September 2023, and before the pitchforks come out, we are not saying he is as talented or will ever be as talented as the multiple Champions League winner, but there are a couple of clear similarities.

The first is, as the Cardiff-born legend was, the 23-year-old is a key member of the Welsh national team and has already racked up 33 senior caps, in which he’s scored five goals and provided four assists.

The second reason is that the former Forest star also endured a slow start to life in N17, as while he didn’t need 25 appearances to pick up his first win, he didn’t score his second league goal for the club until matchweek 22 last season.

Appearances

34

34

Minutes

2248′

2211′

Goals

5

14

Assists

10

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.44

0.50

Minutes per Goal Involvement

149.86′

130.05′

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, after another slow start to this year, the “frightening” dynamo who can “make something happen,” as dubbed by podcaster and content creator HLTCO, has become a reliable source of goals and assists from the wing.

For example, in just 34 appearances this season, totalling 2211 minutes, the Nottingham-born ace has scored 14 goals and provided three assists, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every other game, or every 130.05 minutes.

Now, it seems incredibly unlikely that he will be able to match Bale’s sensational tally from the 12/13 campaign, but as things stand, we wouldn’t put it past the former Forest star to reach 20 goals in all competitions before May.

Ultimately, things might not have gone too well for Spurs this year, but in Johnson, it looks like they have an incredibly talented winger and someone who could reach another level next season should the players around him remain fit.

A £82m superstar in the making: Spurs struck gold on "ridiculous" dynamo

The sensational talent has a bright future with Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 21, 2025

England seamer happy to talk up rivalry ahead of attempts to reclaim the urn this summer

Alan Gardner29-Mar-2023Ollie Robinson has been likened to Glenn McGrath for his height and metronomic bowling style, and the England man seems keen to fulfil a similar pantomime villain role when it comes to the Ashes.Having suggested a couple of weeks ago, in an interview with BBC local radio, that England could give Australia “a good hiding” this summer, Robinson was happy to once again talk up his side’s chances while on pre-season media duties for Sussex at Hove. “The way we’re playing cricket, we feel like we can really stick one on them and win the series comfortably,” he said with a smile.For Robinson, who ended the previous Ashes in Australia under scrutiny about his fitness levels, having been last man out at Hobart to complete a 4-0 drubbing, this summer’s contest also represents an opportunity to atone – albeit 11 wickets at 25.54 put him second on the England averages in 2021-22.Related

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England could give Australia 'a good hiding' – Robinson

Bancroft's case for Test recall could prove hard to ignore

“There’s definitely a desire there still, a hunger to put it right,” he said. “I felt when I got back from that trip I didn’t leave it all out there and I’d let myself down and the side down a little bit. So it’s definitely something I want to put right and there’s a few fellas in that position as well. So there’s a lot of hungry boys this summer to beat the Aussies again.”Of his recent comments, he said he was happy to have fired the first shots in the 2023 Ashes phoney war: “I was talking to local radio but I was happy that it got out. I mean it’s been happening in every Ashes series for years – Glenn McGrath says 5-0 every Ashes. We say 5-0 every Ashes. It’s one of the biggest series we play, it only comes around every four years in England, so why not talk it up? Get it going, get it big and give the fans what they want.”I think the cricket we’re playing at the moment makes it such an exciting time to play them. We’ve been dominating teams in all conditions for 12 months now. In England we dominated, in Pakistan we dominated and in New Zealand we played most of the cricket for nine days and lost on the last day because we probably weren’t quite there. But I think the way we’re playing cricket, we feel like we can really stick one on them and win the series comfortably.”Robinson is currently No. 6 in the world on the ICC’s bowler rankings, and looks a leaner, fitter presence after heeding the advice of his Test captain, Ben Stokes, last year. He is set to play “three or four” of Sussex’s opening six County Championship games, as part of his preparations for the Test summer, and said that he had already begun to focus his training on pitching the ball up again, after feeling that he had slipped into bowling “pretty” lengths during England’s 1-1 draw in New Zealand last month.He will also be able to practice his Ashes smack talk in the dressing room in a few weeks, with Australia’s Steven Smith due to arrive for a three-game stint with Sussex in May.”It’ll be good to have him here,” Robinson said. “For county cricket it’s great to have Steve Smith at Sussex. For myself, it’s not going to change a huge amount. I’ll prepare the same way. I might get a better look at him in the nets.”I might not bowl at him to be honest. We’ll see how it goes. But we had [Cheteshwar] Pujara here last summer and we played India and I bowled at him a lot. I don’t read too much into it. He’s a good player, he’s going to get runs whether I bowl at him here or not. It’s one of those things.”The signing of Smith, who will be looking to attune himself to English conditions ahead of Australia’s appearance in the World Test Championship final against India, and then the subsequent Ashes, prompted familiar questions about whether the county system should be providing such a service for England’s great rivals.But Paul Farbrace, Sussex’s new head coach and England’s assistant the last time they won the Ashes in 2015, argued that the presence of Smith could potentially be of benefit to Stokes and Brendon McCullum in the long run – with Tom Haines, who scored a century on debut for England Lions over the winter, foremost among a crop of young batters at Hove who will be looking to learn from the way Smith goes about his business.”We want to keep county cricket strong and we want the best players coming to play county cricket,” Farbrace said. “In Tom Haines we’ve got a player who could very much be playing for England in the next 12-18 months. If he spends a month with Steve Smith, batting in the middle and learning about international cricket from him, then Steve Smith is doing English cricket a huge favour.”As long as we can remember, county cricket has been the finishing school for cricketers from all over the world. I was lucky enough to play against Viv Richards and Richard Hadlee and people like that. These players came over and enhanced county cricket. Either we want county cricket to be the best version of cricket in the world it can be or we want it to be second-rate where we don’t want overseas players.”If you ask members and supporters, they want to watch the best players. We moan when we can’t see our own international players, so let’s get the best internationals we can over here and make county championship cricket the best it can be. If it means Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne come and get an opportunity before the Ashes, why not? Absolutely why not?”

Tottenham Hotspur have scheduled transfer talks with an elite club, as chairman Daniel Levy eyes further forward signings alongside their potential option-to-buy deal for Bayern Munich loanee Mathys Tel.

Tottenham preparing for Europa League second leg against AZ Alkmaar

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou is pinning all of his hopes on the Lilywhites’ Europa League campaign to make good on his early-season promise of winning silverware during his second full season in charge.

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The Australian watched on as his side fell to a 1-0 defeat in their Last 16 first leg tie against AZ Alkmaar, and with the second leg on Thursday, Postecoglou will be busy plotting how best to set up the Spurs team to overcome this deficit.

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Chelsea (away)

April 2nd

Southampton (home)

April 5th

Wolves (away)

April 12th

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Tottenham are 13th in the Premier League table, having lost 14 top flight matches already, and are out of both domestic cup competitions after a very underwhelming campaign blighted by injuries to key players.

To make matters worse for Postecoglou, reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold broke overnight news that defender Kevin Danso could be set for a spell on the sidelines after he picked up a muscle injury in Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Bournemouth over the weekend.

The Austria international was signed in a last-minute hijack from Wolves to provide much-needed central defensive cover for previously injured first-team duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, with Danso even emerging as a leader behind-the-scenes at Tottenham since then.

His absence will come as a major blow for Postecoglou, especially considering van de Ven and Romero have proved very unreliable when it comes to availability this term.

Tottenham are reportedly planning to reinforce the squad this summer to avoid a repeat of their disastrous 2024/2025 campaign, with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi a top target for Spurs as they plan to reopen talks.

They also want to bring in more attacking options, and Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman has now become a viable option for them.

Tottenham set to be offered Kingsley Coman in talks with Bayern Munich

According to GiveMeSport, Spurs are set for end-of-season negotiations with Bayern over completing a permanent deal for Tel, and during these sit-down discussions, the possibility of signing Coman will arise.

Indeed, it is believed that Bayern will offer Tottenham the chance to sign Coman during these conversations, as Vincent Kompany’s side are eager to offload the Frenchman and find him a new club.

It is unclear what Spurs’ stance is on striking a deal for the 28-year-old, who has suffered from his fair share of injury problems throughout an undoubtedly illustrious career, but other reports suggest Bayern have set a price tag at up to £34 million.

Levy and co also want more potential forward signings with a permanent move for Tel, so this could be one to watch as we slowly head into the summer. Called “unbelievable” by Rio Ferdinand, Coman has been used more as an impact player under Kompany – scoring six goals and assisting four others in all competitions with half of his Bundesliga appearances coming off the bench this term.

A late goal from the captain ensured Mikel Arteta's side finished their campaign with three points on the south coast

A late strike from substitute Martin Odegaard saw Arsenal claim a 2-1 win at Southampton as they brought the curtain down on their Premier League campaign.

Kieran Tierney, who will return to Celtic on a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer, marked his final Gunners appearance with a goal to give the visitors a deserved first-half lead at St Mary's. But Arsenal were pegged back by their relegated hosts early in the second period when Ross Stewart rose highest to head home from a corner.

That looked like being enough to condemn Mikel Arteta's side to a 15th draw in the league this season, but Odegaard had other ideas, and his fine late strike was enough to secure a third-successive second-placed finish for the Gunners, who ended the campaign 10 points behind champions Liverpool.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from St Mary's Stadium…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

David Raya (6/10):

Couldn't get the clean sheet he wanted, though did still claim a share of the Golden Glove. Made one good save in the second half, but could do nothing with the goal.

Ben White (7/10):

Still looks a bit rusty. Was wasteful in possession at times in the first half, although did set up Tierney's goal with a nice overlapping run and cross from the right. Improved as the game went on.

Jakub Kiwior (7/10):

Continued his solid recent form. Has enjoyed a really strong to the end of the season.

Kieran Tierney (8/10):

Capped his final Arsenal appearance with a really smart goal. Great send off for a hugely popular player.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (7/10):

Put in some good crosses from the left. Also curled one fine effort just past the far post in the first half and had one goalbound shot blocked in the second.

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Thomas Partey (6/10):

Ended up at centre-back in the second half. Kept things ticking over as always in what could potentially be his final game for the club.

Declan Rice (7/10):

Not at his best. Didn't have a poor game, but not as influential as we have come to expect. Saw one effort superbly saved by Ramsdale.

Ethan Nwaneri (6/10):

Never really got into the game. Had one shot in the second half that Ramsdale spilled, but was always on the fringes of things.

AFPAttack

Raheem Sterling (4/10):

Sent one effort wide quite early on, but aside from that the game just passed him by. Story of his season.

Mikel Merino (6/10):

Hit the bar with a header in the first half and sent another good chance over.

Gabriel Martinelli (6/10):

Was denied by Ramsdale when clear through. Put in some good crosses from the left and was lively before being replaced by Havertz.

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Bukayo Saka (7/10):

Immediately looked dangerous when he was introduced. Set up a good chance for Zinchenko and had a header ruled out for offside.

Leandro Trossard (6/10):

Got himself involved. Showed some nice touches.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (6/10)

Added a bit of energy late on.

Kai Havertz (5/10):

Never really got into the game.

Martin Odegaard (7/10):

Superb goal to win the game late on. Brilliant strike from outside the box

Mikel Arteta (6/10):

Watched his mismatch team from the stands due to his suspension. Will have been disappointed that his fringe players didn't make more of an impact, but his subs ended up winning the game.