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Matt Doherty is looking like a man possessed at Tottenham Hotspur under Antonio Conte.

On Sunday afternoon, the north London outfit moved into the Premier League’s top four with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Newcastle United and the Irishman notched his second goal and fourth assist from his last six outings.

It’s been a complete turnaround for the 30-year-old, who has seemingly been on the chopping block until now. A prolonged run in the side has catapulted his name into the Italian’s starting XI on a regular basis recently – even out of position, as with this weekend, he has delivered.

Signed in a £15m deal from Wolves by Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2020, Doherty had struggled to truly make his mark at the club. By February 2021, his future at the Lilywhites was described as ‘uncertain’ by ESPN, who claim that the Portuguese was unconvinced by his progress.

Mourinho could even be heard berating Doherty throughout one encounter against Liverpool. And then under his former Old Gold boss Nuno Santo at the start of this current campaign, he still couldn’t get into the lineup, which is rather damning.

The Athletic believed he was one player that could’ve been sold by Nuno and sporting director Fabio Paratici.

It’s a very good thing they didn’t because he’s now thriving under Conte and the weekend’s impressive win displayed his true qualities, playing in a system that suits him right to a tee.

As per WhoScored, the £10.8m-rated Doherty has now made 11 tackles, six interceptions and seven key passes across his last six outings, proving to be a major influence at either end of the pitch for Spurs.

He was one of a few players to be graded a standout 9/10 by Evening Standard reporter Dan Kilpatrick in his post-match ratings column.

‘Forced out of position to left wing-back, he finished with a goal and an assist to continue his resurgence. Has shown tremendous character to rebuild his Spurs career,’ he wrote.

Earlier in the year, Doherty was described as “utterly thrilling” by The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke, whilst analyst Statman Dave lauded him as “revitalised”.

Indeed, the £74k-per-week Mourinho flop is a completely different animal now.

AND in other news, Paratici could repeat Pogba masterclass at Spurs with “unbelievable” £36m-rated wizard…

England’s bowling coach, David Saker, has criticised his charges for a “complacent” performance on the third afternoon of the second Test at Edgbaston, during which Pakistan’s tail took advantage of the best batting conditions of the match to turn a likely innings defeat into a potentially tricky target of 118. Though the match was eventually won by a comfortable nine-wicket margin to hand England their sixth Test victory in a row, Saker insisted that such lapses cannot be tolerated if England are to pose a real threat when they fly to Australia for the Ashes later this year.”That’s the thing we’ve been trying to talk about since I came on board [in April],” Saker told Cricinfo’s Switch Hit podcast. “We’ve been trying to make sure that, when the conditions are a bit tougher, we have good plans and go about our job meticulously, and build up some pressure on the batsmen. So as far as I was concerned that was a bit of a worrying sign, and it showed a bit of complacency from the whole group.”Having excelled in swinging conditions to bowl Pakistan out for 80 and 72 in consecutive innings at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, England appeared to believe that the match was as good as over when Pakistan – still trailing by 97 – slumped to 82 for 5 in their second innings. However, Zulqarnain Haider escaped a king pair to top-score with a battling 88 on debut, and England’s frustrations were summed up by the 50% fine that Stuart Broad incurred after throwing the ball at Haider’s shoulder in a fit of pique.”There were definitely signs that we were going through the motions, and when we were put under pressure we didn’t think that well on our feet,” said Saker. “We made some fielding errors and we just weren’t on top of our game in that little period, so it wasn’t great. But moving forward we definitely need to work on that part of our game, because when we come up against Australia there are going to be times when the ball doesn’t swing and we’ll need to come up with some plans to be successful and get though the ten wickets we need every innings.”However, Saker – whose own playing career was notable for the occasional bout of “white-line fever” – came to the defence of Broad following the Haider incident. While accepting that his player had been in the wrong, he said that that there was no way he would seek to temper the aggression that he brings to his game, because the desire to get into the face of the opposition batsmen was an essential trait for any paceman, especially one who hopes to get the better of Australia.”He’s tall and he hits the wicket hard so he needs to be aggressive, and I like it,” said Saker. “He had some things building up – there was a caught-behind [off Haider] that most of our guys thought was out, and he didn’t get the rewards he wanted for a very good spell – but he knows there’s a fine line that you have to tread, and he’d be the first to admit that he went over it a little bit the other day. But there’s no way I’ll take that aggression out of his game. It’s just about focusing it and making sure it works for the team and not against us.”Even though there are still two Tests remaining of the Pakistan series, the spectre of the Ashes is looming ever larger, with the former Australian coach John Buchanan already in the country to help the ECB with their strategic planning. Saker, for his part, has also chosen to step up those preparations this week by introducing the Australian-favoured Kookaburra ball to England’s nets session at The Oval on Sunday.”We’re definitely not looking further ahead than the third Test against Pakistan, so we’ll be training with the Dukes ball as well,” said Saker. “It’s more about them getting the ball in their hands a lot between now and the Ashes, so that it’s not something that’s foreign when they first get thrown it in Australia. I’m convinced it’s a mind thing. The ball simply doesn’t swing in Australia like it does in England, so we as a bowling group have to come to terms with that and still have plans in place.”The timing may seem strange, coming in the midst of a series that is not yet over, but Saker said that the nature of the abrasive Oval wicket was a factor in bringing forward England’s experiments with the Kookaburra. “Seeing as it is more like an Australian surface, we might get a good idea of how it roughs up and what we can do to protect the ball, and what we can do to get reverse swing,” he said. “We’re still concentrating on the next Test and making it 3-0, but we have one eye definitely on another thing further down the track.”To that end, Saker was pleased with one aspect of England’s performance in the second innings at Edgbaston, and that was the effort of James Anderson, who excelled with 15 wickets in the first three innings of the series, but knuckled down to bowl 28 tidy overs second-time around when the skies cleared and the lateral movement eluded him. In years gone by, Anderson has searched for magic balls when conditions have been against him, and has leaked runs as a result, with his current record in Australia reading five wickets at 82.60. Now, however, Saker believes he is learning how to defend as well as attack.”We know how effective he is with the swinging ball, the pressure is on him to do that when we go somewhere where it is not swinging,” said Saker. “But what I’ve liked that I’ve seen of late is he’s not getting cut and hit off the back foot through point, or pulled and hooked. He’s bowling the ball in an area where he’s always putting the pressure on a batsman to make a good decision, and if he can do that, he’s always going to be an asset whether it’s swinging or not. We want him to bring the batsman forward, because we don’t mind him getting driven occasionally for four. We just don’t want him to be cut or pulled.”According to Saker, the same principle applies to all of England’s bowlers, especially on wickets such as Edgbaston where reverse swing doesn’t come into play. “We have set out a focus in the whole group of dropping our economy rates down, and if we can do that we’ll put pressure on any team,” he said. “If we can get that economy rate under three, we’ll be bowling sides out for less than 300, and if you do that you are in a good position to win Tests.”Despite his concerns about their hiccup at Edgbaston, Saker is confident that the squad of bowlers at his disposal – with Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad waiting in the wings – has the tools and the temperament to rise to the challenges that lie in wait this winter.”With the make-up of our team, with Jimmy the swing bowler, two taller bowlers in Broad and [Steven] Finn, and the best spinner in the world in Graeme Swann, I’m really excited, and confident,” said Saker. “When you’ve got taller bowlers on whatever surface you’ve got, if you are banging away on a good area for good periods of time, the natural variations of the wickets, allied to their height and pace, will cause some big dramas for the batting team.”But for me, it’s about making sure they are thinking in the right way, and that tactically they are aware,” he added. “If they are playing Test cricket they are pretty good cricketers to start with, so I don’t want to change their techniques too much, unless there’s something glaring that needs to be addressed. Steven Finn is young so he needs a bit of guidance, but with Broad it’s about keeping him team-orientated in every over he bowls, and with Jimmy Anderson it’s all about making sure his tactics are right, and how he thinks when he goes about his bowling.”

Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh fast bowler, has scotched doubts over his Test future, saying he definitely wants to continue playing the five-day game

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla20-Jun-2010

Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh fast bowler, has scotched doubts over his Test future, saying he definitely wants to continue playing the five-day game. There had been concerns that six knee operations in eight years might make him follow the example of other injury-prone fast bowlers like Andrew Flintoff and Brett Lee and give up the cricket’s most demanding format to prolong his career in the shorter ones.”I’m looking forward to it, not sure how long it’s going to take but I want to play Test cricket again,” Mortaza told Cricinfo after the Bangladesh side went through an extended practice session in Dambulla on Sunday.A year ago Mortaza was leading Bangladesh, and was their pace spearhead, but he broke down in his first Test as captain during the tour of the West Indies. That injury led to an eight-month layoff and more surgery on his knees. There was an aborted comeback bid in February, when Mortaza pulled out of the England one-dayers after one wicketless match.A wicket-laden performance in the domestic Twenty20 league pumped up his confidence, but after an injury-free World Twenty20, Mortaza asked to not be considered for the Tests in England. He has not had a happy time in the Asia Cup so far. The sharp pace of his prime is missing, and he had little answer against a Tillakaratne Dilshan on the loose.”Day by day I’m getting there, when I started bowling, I was not that confident but I am feeling better now,” he said. Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons was blunt in his assessment of Mortaza. “He’s going to have to improve a lot on his current form,” Siddons said. “Unfortunately there’s no ready replacement for Mashrafe at the moment, we’re hoping his experience will pull him through. We’ll keep looking for others and if Mash can’t stand up we’ll have to replace him.”It’s been a hard road back for Mortaza, who has shed 12 kgs in an attempt to reduce the load on his knees while bowling. “I was getting injured in the delivery stride, it took me 3-4 months to get my confidence back during delivery,” he said. “I need to get to 100% in the run-up and follow-through also. I don’t need to change my run-up, but I need change a bit of follow-through.”Besides being Bangladesh’s most successful fast bowler, Mortaza has also played some big-hitting cameos for them, but the focus now is solely on his main skill. “Now the first thing that has to be sorted is my bowling, then I’ll go for the batting.”After so many injury setbacks, Mortaza is keeping his targets modest – of maintaining his place in the side. “First are the ODIs against England, and then Scotland and Ireland. If I’m in the team, I want to perform well,” he said. “I need to play as much as possible, then I’ll come back [to my best]. When you come back after 12 months, not that easy to perform in the middle right away, it takes a bit of time.

With Aston Villa spending a reported fee of £25m for the services of Lucas Digne this month as well as a loan deal for Philippe Coutinho and adding teenage defender Kerr Smith to their youth squad for an undisclosed fee, the Midlands club have had a very busy transfer window month so far.

With some time left before the market closes, Villa could still strengthen their squad even further and take their January spending up higher.

One player that has been linked with a move to Villa Park in recent weeks is Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa, who also goes by the name Gabigol.

Current Villa strikers Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins have managed to score nine goals between them in a combined total of 32 Premier League appearances this season but with the club letting go of Keinan Davis on loan to Nottingham Forest and Wesley on loan to Internacional, this could pave the way for Villa to add some depth up front with a player like Gabigol.

Having scored 129 goals in 263 club appearances across his career, the 25-year-old, who is currently earning £49k-per-week according to Salary Sport, certainly has the ability to be a regular goalscorer.

In terms of a potential move to Villa, with the club not being shy in spending money on new players, a move for Barbosa may not be a difficult one for the Midlands club to pull off from a financial point of view depending on how much Flamengo would want to sell him for.

Also, with the lure of being able to play in the Premier League under a figure such as Steven Gerrard alongside two of his fellow countrymen Coutinho and Douglas Luiz, a move to Villa could be very tempting for Barbosa.

Having been described as a player that “has everything to be the greatest striker in Flamengo’s history” by Zico, it would also be beneficial for the Villans if he can hit the ground running in terms of scoring goals.

Consider how Ings only managed to have 26 touches of the ball in 76 minutes in Villa’s recent 2-2 draw against Manchester United, Gabigol may not find it that difficult to get some game time in Gerrard’s side if the Englishman keeps putting in underwhelming performances like the one he did on Saturday evening.

As a result, Villa should definitely make an approach to Flamengo this month to see if they can sign Barbosa. Luring him to the Premier League would see them end their impressive January window on a high note with some extra attacking power to deliver a further transfer masterclass.

In other news: NSWE could blow Aston Villa fans away with move for £51k-p/w “pearl” likened to Zidane – opinion

ScorecardJonathan Trott fell on day three to leave Warwickshire unable to prevent defeat to Lancashire•Getty Images

Lancashire’s bowlers made the completion of their County Championshipvictory over Warwickshire look easy during the fourth day at Old Trafford. The Red Rose county picked up 21 points as they won their opening Division One fixture of the new season for the second year running by bowling the visitors out for 197 in their unlikely pursuit of 319.Wickets tumbled again in the first hour, as had been the case on the previousthree days of this match, but not via the same method. Seam and swing had wreaked havoc on days one, two and three but this time it was rookie left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan who did the damage to the Bears middle order with three wickets in his first four overs.Preston-born Kerrigan, who claimed two wickets in the first innings, made hisdebut because of the broken collarbone suffered by veteran Gary Keedy inpre-season and finished with a maiden 5 for 43 from 17 overs.Lancashire completed the formalities on the 121-run victory nine overs into theafternoon session as Warwickshire captain Ian Westwood carried his bat to finish82 not out off 184 balls.Warwickshire had begun the day on 52 for 3 needing a further 267 runs butthat was out of the question when Kerrigan struck in his opening over and the12th of the day. Westwood and Jim Troughton added a further 47 runs this morning to theirfourth-wicket partnership of 65 before the latter was superbly caught by AshwellPrince on the run from mid-on.That left Warwickshire at 99 for 4 in the 41st over and they would have beenfive down in the next had Stephen Moore not dropped Rikki Clarke off SajidMahmood at second slip. But Clarke’s reprieve did not last long because he was stumped by Luke Sutton off Kerrigan for seven in the 47th. Having seen the quality of the shot fromClarke it would have been better for the ex-Surrey player had Moore clung onearlier.And Clarke’s dismissal was the first of two in three balls for Kerrigan whotrapped Tim Ambrose lbw for a duck to leave the visitors in major bother at 122for 6. Kerrigan only had to wait another three overs to claim his fourth wicket, thatof Chris Woakes caught by Paul Horton at first slip for a duck. The visitors,who also lost to Yorkshire last week, were now 128 for 7.Carter was the next to go courtesy of another ugly swipe, caught at extra coverby Prince off the medium pace of Tom Smith (two for 27 from 14) in the 54th. Kerrigan trapped Naqaash Tahir lbw to leave Warwickshire on the brink at 134 for 9 in the 57th over.Westwood and Imran Tahir (36) saved some face with a last-wicket stand of 63before the latter was caught by a diving Prince at short cover as he tried tofend off a Mahmood snorter.

Junaid Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim did everything that could have been asked of them in extending Bangladesh’s resistance into the fifth day of the first Test

Andrew Miller in Chittagong15-Mar-2010

Junaid Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim did everything that could have been asked of them in extending Bangladesh’s resistance into the fifth day of the first Test, as they dourly thwarted a medley of pace, spin and part-time bowlers for 37 overs and two-and-a-half hours, to heighten England’s frustration on another steaming hot day in Chittagong. However, both men know that their greatest challenge could be lurking just round the corner, as England prepare to get their hands on the second new ball.The ball is now 75 overs old, and to judge by the lack of assistance they extracted after tea (the odd hint of reverse-swing notwithstanding) England are ready to fling it far out into the Bay of Bengal, and instead revert to the pacy, bouncy line of attack that caused such havoc in Bangladesh’s top order in the first innings. In Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and, especially, the 6’7″ Steven Finn, England’s attack is lankier than anything the Bangladeshi batsmen are used to encountering.”We’ve been building pressure by going past the bat, but the new ball will be a different kettle of fish,” said Finn, who impressed with his discipline in his second innings as a Test cricketer, even if he did not have the figures to show for his efforts. “It will be a harder ball which will bounce more, and that’s something the Bangladeshi batsmen have struggled with so far in this Test match. Broad and Bresnan opened the bowling and caused problems for them, and we’ll be looking to exploit that tomorrow.”And yet, the efforts of Junaid and Mushfiqur proved once again the fight and tenacity in an ever-improving Bangladeshi outfit. For Mushfiqur, his unbeaten 47 was merely a continuation of the form and focus he had shown in his first-innings 79, when only an exceptional catch from James Tredwell could prise him from the crease. As Graeme Swann noted after the third day’s play, his five-foot-nothing frame proved adept at disrupting the lengths of all the bowlers, as naturally good-length deliveries became long-hops, and yorkers turned into half-volleys.The real surprise package, however, was Junaid, whose place in the side had been under serious scrutiny following a limp first-innings dismissal, when he and Imrul Kayes had been bullied from the crease by Broad’s rib-tickling bouncers. This time, however, he fought against his natural instincts, as he ground his way to an unbeaten 68 from 199 deliveries, which is already the longest he has batted in a Test-match innings.”I had a commitment within myself,” said Junaid. “I was practicing against the short ball, but it can’t be changed overnight, so I tried to fight with my strengths. The planning was to stay at the crease for a long period. It was a hot day, and in our conditions I believed that if I can survive a little while, it could be a problem for them.Stuart Broad and the rest of England’s bowlers were made to toil on a hot afternoon in Chittagong•PA Photos

“I think I have gained some experience after playing a long innings, and that has given me confidence,” he added. “I was lacking in confidence recently, and because of that it was not only short balls but also half-volleys that were getting me out. But I’ve been working hard on my technique in the nets, and we’re getting more used to facing tall players, such as Morne Morkel from South Africa.”But after a duck in his only appearance in the ODIs, and an indifferent performance for Bangladesh A last week, Junaid was in need of a score to preserve his place for the Dhaka Test. However, he did a good job of putting such thoughts to one side. “Every innings is important for a cricketer, so I never thought in this way,” he said. “Of course I needed some runs, and also it was needed for the team, but I never plan early. I always set my plan after going to the wicket. We were just enjoying our game, and trying to support each other, and hoping to see off the day.”Meanwhile, Finn did a good job of disguising any mounting frustration within the England camp. “At no stage did we sit back and say we were going to finish this game today,” he said. “We just want to bowl as many dot balls as possible, and build pressure on Bangladesh, because that will get us wickets. They aren’t going to be walked over because they’ve got good batsmen, but if we bowl enough good deliveries, hopefully they’ll get themselves out.”They played very well,” he added. “They didn’t score many runs, but they didn’t play any loose shots either. They didn’t give any chances – there were a couple of lbw decisions that weren’t given, but they probably weren’t out either. The Bangladeshi batsmen played well, but we expected that. We knew that coming over here on their own turf, we were going to have to work hard to take their wickets.”It’s still highly improbable that Bangladesh will escape with a draw, even with a reported threat of rain following two exceptionally humid days. But true to the spirit they have shown since Tamim Iqbal’s counterattack towards the end of the second day, the underdogs are determined to keep nipping at England’s heels, for as long as they possibly can.”It would be nice if I could tell you the future,” said Junaid. “We have already lost five wickets and their score is very high, but we will try to occupy the crease, and if we can get a good partnership then the positives will come out. Everybody has tried to stay at the crease since we had almost two days to bat, but we will just go session by session.”

Antonio Conte may have to turn to Ryan Sessegnon as his Tottenham Hotspur side return to Premier League action this evening…

What’s the word?

The north London outfit have seen their last two matches postponed following an outbreak of the virus at the club’s training base last week but the Italian’s depleted squad have been back in training since Sunday in preparation for this game.

It remains to be seen who is available but one player that isn’t expected to feature is Sergio Reguilon, who according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold is still out injured.

“I am told that Sergio Reguilon is not fully training yet after that one (his injury against Norwich City), he is on his way back but I just wonder if Thursday might come too soon,” he revealed to his YouTube channel this week.

Sessegnon chance

It leaves Conte light on options, especially as he utilises Ben Davies as a left-sided centre-back, so it’s likely that Sessegnon is gifted a rare chance to shine – he must take it.

The 21-year-old dynamo has played only 17 times since joining from Fulham in a £25m deal back in the summer of 2019 and was sent off in his first start under the Italian but here he has a chance at redemption.

Once dubbed a “big, big talent” by former Cottagers teammate Stefan Johansen, the young dynamo has the attributes to thrive in Conte’s system as he can contribute at either end of the pitch, as seen during his loan stint at Hoffenheim last season.

As per WhoScored, he provided two goals and three assists, whilst averaging two tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 0.7 key passes per game in the German top-flight.

The £16.2m-rated must fill the void left behind by Reguilon, who leads the squad for creativity, managing three assists and one key pass per game.

In replacing the former Real Madrid star in the win over Norwich last time out, Conte urged Sessegnon to do better. He told reporters (via football.london):

“I’m sure that he can do much better and he has quality. He has quality as a player with great power, he’s strong physically and he needs to take confidence. He needs to take confidence from the atmosphere and the stadium. Sess is a young player but if you stay in the Tottenham squad it means that you deserve to be here and you have to deserve this. He played a good game but he has to improve, like the other players.”

Conte must give him another chance to impress now.

AND in other news, Journalist drops exciting behind-the-scenes Antonio Conte claim…

With just 19 points on the board from 19 Premier League games so far this season, the January transfer window could provide Leeds United with the opportunity to make some changes to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad and improve their chances of ending the season on a high note and away from the relegation zone.

Looking ahead to the next few weeks, it seems as though the Yorkshire club have their eye on one player to bring to Elland Road that could end up solving a big issue for Bielsa.

According to a recent club-by-club January transfer guide from the Daily Mail, Leeds are interested in signing Marseille’s defensive-midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

Given how Leeds have their current defensive-midfielder, Kalvin Phillips, out for a significant period of time with a hamstring injury, Kamara could be just what Leeds need in their side while the Englishman is recovering.

As a product of Marseille’s youth academy, Kamara has made a total of 162 appearances for the French club across their senior and youth sides, scoring four goals and providing five assists in the process.

Labelled as a “phenomenon” in the past by Rolando, Kamara has made 21 appearances for the French club across all competitions so far this season, starting 17 of them, showing how important he is for the team.

While the 22-year-old may not have racked up the same number of tackles, interceptions or clearances per game in Ligue 1 that Phillips has managed to in the Premier League this season, his average of 1.4 tackles, one interception and 0.9 clearances per game shows that he is a capable defensive-midfielder.

Despite being a potentially useful replacement for Phillips while he’s out injured, in a recent report from The Athletic, it was claimed that Kamara, who is currently valued at £22.5m according to Transfermarkt, has chosen to leave the club at the end of the season as a free agent when his current contract expires.

With this in mind, if Leeds would be willing to spend a fee for him this month, this could be preferable for Marseille rather than let him leave as a free agent in the summer.

Leeds and Victor Orta should definitely explore the possibility of making a deal for Kamara this month to see if he can solve Bielsa’s issue of having such a defensive-minded midfielder like Phillips out on the sidelines and help the team stop leaking so many goals.

In other news: “Interested in” – Journo drops teasing Leeds transfer update that’ll have fans buzzing – opinion

Plays of the day from day one, South Africa v England, 4th Test, Johannesburg

Andrew McGlashan in Johannesburg14-Jan-2010Onions goes off
He’s saved two Tests for England, but it wasn’t enough to keep Graham Onions in the line-up with Ryan Sidebottom recalled for his first Test since Barbados last March. Onions had taken just eight wickets in the series, but had often bowled without luck and done the hard yards. Andrew Strauss said the attack needed some ‘fresh legs’ which suggested Onions perhaps hadn’t pulled up 100% fit after Cape Town, but whatever the reason Graeme Smith won’t have shed any tears at his omission.Drowning out
As the players walked out to begin play the Barmy Army began a stirring rendition of . The Wanderers PA clearly thought that was far too English so turned up the volume on his collection of pop songs to drown out the patriotic singing. With perfect timing the English contingent rounded off their tune just as Dale Steyn prepared for his ball…sadly, for England, it didn’t have the desired effect. Andrew Strauss flicked the first delivery of the Test off his hip and Hashim Amla took a stunning catch at backward short leg. Could you say Strauss had been drowned out?Did I catch that?
Wayne Parnell was one of two debutants for South Africa as they picked a horses-for-courses attack for a must-win match. His first piece of action, though, wasn’t with the ball but stood at mid-on where he held a catch to remove Kevin Pietersen. The short ball from Morne Morkel had been struck at some speed and Parnell appeared to catch it before realising quite what he was doing. In an instant reaction he then hurled it at the non-striker’s stumps before joining his team-mates in celebration.Harper’s thin line
We should have known the review system would be in for an interesting time with Daryl Harper in the seat. It’s fair to say he had a few ‘issues’ when he was in control during England’s series in West Indies last year. His first involvement in this match came when Alastair Cook was pinned lbw by Morne Morkel and asked for the review. The replay showed it to be perilously close to a no-ball and the England dressing room was convinced he’d overstepped. Harper was satisfied with the legality of the ball, however, and further replays showed Cook was stone dead. Andrew Strauss was unimpressed, but closer viewing of the TV pictures showed Harper was right…just.Much more than a blocker
There was no point in Paul Collingwood blocking this time. He was at the crease less than an hour into the Test. So instead he showed the other side of his game and took the attack to South Africa. He pulled a nervous Parnell over deep square-leg for six and quickly showed conditions were not so treacherous for batting. Then, facing the last ball before lunch, he swivelled on a short ball from Jacques Kallis and cleared the ropes again. That’s the way to play for the interval.Grassed it
Morkel was proving lethal with his extra bounce from a good length on a lively surface and regularly had deliveries flying past the edge and the head. One particularly brutish ball was almost too much for Ian Bell as it took the shoulder of the bat and flew towards gully. Ashwell Prince made excellent ground and grabbed the ball in his right hand, but the jarring of his heavy landing knocked it free. Prince admitted he wasn’t sure and the umpires went upstairs, and it soon became clear the ball had bobbled out of his hand. Bell survived, but not for long.The new boo-boy
Kevin Pietersen wasn’t quite greeted with a standing ovation when he walked out, but it certainly wasn’t a patch on the welcome he received in 2005. In fact, the loudest boos were saved for Stuart Broad’s arrival in the middle and he clearly hasn’t endeared himself to the locals on this tour. The memories of events at Newlands were still fresh and Broad took a few extra minutes to prepare himself to face his first ball.

Leeds United must finally sell Tyler Roberts amid Graham Smyth’s recent transfer update on the 22-year-old.

What’s the story?

The Wales international has endured a nightmare start to the campaign thus far, scoring no goals and providing no assists, but The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Smyth has insisted that a permanent exit from Marcelo Bielsa’s side makes “little sense”.

He said: “While Bielsa’s patience and trust are undoubtedly helpful, it’s not unreasonable to think of other action Leeds could take to benefit the player in the short term and the club in the long term. A January loan was briefly mooted midway through last season, but he stayed and enjoyed a run of a dozen Premier League starts.

“Having handed him a new contract in the summer and given that despite a relative wealth of experience he’s still only 22, letting him go permanently would make little sense. A Championship loan, however, if not in January then in the summer, would release him out from under the scapegoating and into space in which to breathe and develop.”Bielsa needs to sell him

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan has previously insisted that the £12.6m-rated forward hasn’t shown enough in the Premier League to convince Bielsa that he’s cut out for this level – he managed just one goal in 27 top-flight appearances all of last season, and even that came in the penultimate game against Southampton.

Whelan added: “Is he good enough? In my opinion he isn’t. I would love him to go out there and prove me wrong because I want everyone to succeed. I need him to show me more. He needs to show more fight and desire. I just do not see that.”

With a total record of just eight goals and nine assists in 96 games in all competitions for the Whites, the time for waiting around to see if he can really make his mark is running out.

Leeds need to be pushing to take that next step, and Roberts has simply fallen far too behind.

Victor Orta and co will no doubt be already making plans for the upcoming January transfer window and how best to strengthen the first-team squad at Elland Road, and an area in need of desperate improvement is in Roberts’ position.

Signing an upgrade on the Welshman would go a long way to ensuring that the Whites can still thrive whenever Patrick Bamford is missing, like right now for instance.

A genuine goal-scoring attacking midfielder come forward would be a welcome addition in January, and be the final nail in the coffin for Roberts’ career at Leeds.

Constantly backing him to eventually come up with the goods is simply holding the Whites back.

Meanwhile, Leeds have been handed a boost before Spurs…