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A teasing Newcastle United claim has emerged on their pursuit of Moussa Diaby in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that the Magpies are now weighing up a swoop to sign the Bundesliga winger ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The reporter has also claimed that the Frenchman has not completely ruled out a switch to St. James’ Park and is willing to enter negotiations with the club.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “As I understand it, Leverkusen will only want a fee in the £40million or £45million region, not the £60million mark. But the add-ons are still going to take that deal to £60million and, as other suitors come in, Leverkusen may play hardball.

“Newcastle are seriously considering that move and the player has certainly intimated that he would be open to talking further to them.”

Supporters will be excited

This update will leave supporters excited as Diaby would be a sublime addition to the squad and one that would solve a key issue for Eddie Howe.

The winger has the quality to score and assist goals on a regular basis and Newcastle did not have anyone to do either in the Premier League last season. No Toon player managed more than eight goals or five assists in the top-flight as they spread the load across the squad.

Adding in a gem capable of hitting 10+ goals and 10+ assists would, therefore, improve the attack and give Howe’s team a huge boost at the top end of the pitch when gunning for an equalising or winning goal in a game.

In the Bundesliga last term, Diaby produced an outstanding 13 goals and 12 assists – creating 15 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in total. This came after the youngster managed four goals and ten assists in the previous campaign, which shows that he has progressed with more experience.

The 22-year-old is an exceptional young forward who has shown that he has the quality to perform to a high level in the here and now whilst also holding the potential to improve further in the future. This is why he would be a sensational signing for the Toon as he would be a huge player for the club in their short and long-term future.

Therefore, the fans will be excited by Jacobs’ claim that a bid may be on the way before the end of the summer window.

AND in other news, NUFC could land their own Vlahovic in Ashworth swoop for “exceptional” £40m predator…

Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

What’s the news?

According to the Daily Mirror’s recent live transfer updater (17 June, 20:24), the French club “have made a formal approach” to Leeds to sign the midfielder.

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The report continued: “The French giants have contacted Leeds to see how much it will cost them to prise the England ace out of Elland Road. Leeds are desperate to keep hold of the midfield ace but know a bid in the region of £55m would be difficult to turn down.”

Marsch will be gutted

The 26-year-old has also been recently linked with a move to Premier League champions Manchester City, with a report from The Athletic claiming that both Leeds and Man City believe that an offer for the Englishman will arrive soon.

Now that PSG have also registered an apparent interest in signing the midfield star, this could further increase the chances of seeing him depart Elland Road this summer, which would surely leave Jesse Marsch gutted.

A product of Leeds’ youth system, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 234 appearances for the club across all competitions.

In addition to being a boyhood Leeds fan and helping the club get back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence, Phillips’ presence in the team over the past two seasons has also shown why there would be so many supporters gutted to potentially see him leave.

The 2020/21 season saw the Yorkshire club lose seven of the nine league games that he missed, while in the following campaign they lost 12 of the 18 league games that they played without the midfielder in their team.

This highlights just how much of a problem it could be for Marsch to take the team forward without Phillips, if the player is sold.

However, having recently secured the signing of Marc Roca, this could at least offset the blow for Leeds and their manager should the Whites end up striking a deal with City or PSG for the England international in the coming weeks.

If Leeds do end up selling the local hero before the 2022/23 campaign kicks off, the recruitment and coaching staff will need to ensure that the team is capable of carrying on without the midfielder.

In other news: Leeds now eyeing “complete” £25m “Rolls-Royce”, he’s the perfect Phillips replacement

Alessandro Bastoni is one of Tottenham Hotspur’s top targets this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Eurosport transfer insider Dean Jones, who delivered a fresh update to GIVEMESPORT over the weekend, where he claimed:

“Bastoni is clearly the one they’re going after at Tottenham at the moment.

“It’s hard to look beyond that and it’s clearly a prime position that they’re looking to fix quickly. Bastoni is the one they would want.”

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Reports in Italy, via Calciomercato, suggest that Inter Milan would only accept an offer in the region of £51m, with Chelsea, both Manchester clubs and arch-rivals Arsenal also keen to sign him.

Big coup

Spurs are struggling in their attempts to lure the Italy international to north London, even despite him being in the English capital for a Finalissima clash with Argentina on Wednesday.

Antonio Conte is clearly desperate to add a left-footed central defender to his armoury. The Inter colossus is certainly a strong candidate, especially given that the 52-year-old has already coached him in his young career to date.

Jones’ firm statement about the Lilywhites’ interest in Bastoni is sure to leave many supporters absolutely buzzing as the prospect of Bastoni lining up alongside Eric Dier and Cristian Romero next season is very exciting indeed.

The 23-year-old defender has earned comparisons to the likes of Leonardo Bonucci and Alessandro Nesta and has been lauded as a “complete” “dominant” and a “tenacious tackler” by scout Jacek Kulig.

His passing accuracy (89.6%) in 2021/22 outranked every single one of Conte’s current options, whilst an average of 1.4 tackles per Serie A outing backs up those rave reviews.

Valued at £60m by CIES Football Observatory, who assess the transfer value of professional footballers on a scientific basis, signing him for £9m less would certainly represent something of a steal for Tottenham.

It’s a good time to be a Spurs fan heading into 2022/23.

AND in other news, “For sure..”: Italian journo drops £100m Spurs transfer claim…

Wolverhampton Wanderers look set to miss out on a permanent deal for Barcelona-loanee Francisco Trincao this summer.

What’s the word?

That is according to a journalist in Portugal, who claims that the 22-year-old winger has already decided his next move.

Taking to Twitter, the following statement was issued: “Sporting’s priority target, Trincão has already given the “yes” to being directed again by Rúben Amorim, with whom he worked at SC Braga. It is the ideal replacement for Sarabia. Talks for a 1-year loan are moving in a positive way – salary issues with Barcelona still need to be settled.”

The latest report echos the word ‘rebuild’ even louder around the Molineux, with Trincao yet another name who will leave at the end of the summer. Another face constantly linked with the exit door is Ruben Neves and it’s still uncertain whether he’ll be in the Midlands next term.

Wolves had an option to buy Trincao for around £25m, though Lage has not executed this and now it looks as though Sporting CP will seal a reunion between former Braga duo Ruben Amorim and Trincao.

Lage surely fuming

Having managed just three returns in the form of goals and assist across 27 Premier League games, Trincao has endured a rocky time at Wolves for the most part, but in fairness has shown glimpses of the quality that we saw in his final season at Braga, where he bagged goals and assists in 27 games.

His recent goal against Chelsea was one of these positive displays, though they have been few and far between for a player previously described as “magic.”

With the latest news around Trincao’s loan spell faltering to become permanent, Lage has a rebuild on his hands and this departure could add yet further complication.

In an ideal world, the Old Gold boss may have hoped for a straight swap deal between Adama and the £19.8m-rated Trincao, though, just like the option to buy, this is now not viable.

In this case, Lage will surely be kicking himself for his indecisiveness around a player who could have flourished next season, after taking this season to settle into what is such a fast-paced and physical league.

Tactically, it weakens the side, with a lack of inverted options at the right wing position, leaving just Pedro Neto as the only left-footed winger in the side. That’s a piece of news that will surely be gutting to Lage and his coaching staff.

In other news: Wolves now plot bid for “flourishing” £20m gem, he’s better than Moutinho 

Tottenham Hotspur are a side not currently short on central midfielders, with Antonio Conte currently being able to call upon the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr for either of the two positions in the heart of his typically deployed 3-4-2-1 formation.

However, it was reported over the summer transfer window that the 52-year-old manager was keen to add a more forward-thinking option to his current pool of midfielders, with Spurs being linked with the likes of Nicolo Zaniolo, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Nicolo Barella – although Fabio Paratici would ultimately fail to bring a new attacking midfielder into the club.

And, following Tottenham’s 2-0 Champions League defeat to Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night – a fixture in which Bentancur and Hojbjerg failed to create any real opportunities from the middle of the park – it is not difficult to understand why Conte would have been keen to add a more creative and decisive player to his current central options this summer.

Having said that, the answer to the Italian’s prayers could already be staring him in the face – in the shape of Tottenham Hotspur U21 captain, Harvey White.

While it is true that the 20-year-old has been deployed as a defensive midfielder more often than not so far in his career, the youngster’s excellent passing range, incredible set-piece ability and knack for both scoring and creating chances are undoubtedly all traits that would help to improve Tottenham’s current lack of creativity in the heart of midfield.

Indeed, the £540k-rated talent has been a continuous source of goals and assists during his time with the various age groups in the Spurs academy, scoring nine goals and registering seven assists over 25 appearances for the U18s, bagging one goal and providing one assist over 13 fixtures for the U19s and notching 14 goals and registering 17 assists in 57 outings for the U21s.

Furthermore, the £11k-per-weekÂplaymaker is also an exceptional free-kick taker, something he demonstrated during a training session alongside Son Heung-min and Eric Dier, in which the 20-year-old crashed an expertly placed free-kick into the top right-hand corner of the goal.

The midfielder also demonstrated his dead-ball speciality in a 4-1 victory over Leicester City U23s in November of last year, with his stunning direct free-kick perfectly mirroring his technique in the video above, something which demonstrates his consistency around the edge of the opposition penalty area.

Further still, the journalist, presenter and self-confessed Spurs supporter Ben Haines also appears extremely excited by Whites’ creative ability, stating of the midfielder in a post on Twitter back in January:

“Absolutely buzzing for Harvey White. Brilliant player in the making, beautiful passer and also a wonderful set-piece taker which Spurs absolutely could do with atm!”

As such, while it would be insincere to suggest that White is on the same level as a player such as Zaniolo at present, should Conte place his trust in the 20-year-old, the midfielder could prove to be a dream alternative to the AS Roma talent – as the Spurs sensation quite clearly possesses all of the traits required to become a real star in the heart of the Tottenham midfield.

The India and Karnataka opener talks about a glorious 2019 and how he aims to take forward the confidence into the new season

Interview by Varun Shetty09-Dec-20192:41

‘Winning matches and tournaments motivates me’ – Agarwal

Can you believe the year you’ve had?Definitely didn’t believe any of this. It’s unreal. Now it just feels like I’m in a dream. It feels terrific to have all of this and I’m very grateful for whatever has happened. There was a debut at MCG, then a World Cup call-up and some other things.If you could pick a favourite moment, which one would it be?I’m not a man of much comparison. I don’t believe in comparisons, but I would say winning the Test series Down Under. I’ve never felt something like that. When we won the series Down Under, that was a special feeling. Never felt anything like that. Getting picked for the World Cup was also a very different feeling, a very nice feeling. And India being on top of the World Test Championship right now and the kind of cricket we’re playing – it’s also a very great feeling to be part of such a set-up.Do you feel like you have evolved in this phase?Having experiences like these has changed me as a person. I have a lot more confidence now and I’m a lot more sure. [So I have evolved] On those aspects and [I am] also able to understand what are the things a person requires to keep continuing to grow.

“I have a lot more confidence now and I’m a lot more sure. [I’ve evolved] On those aspects and [I am] also able to understand what are the things a person requires to keep continuing to grow”Mayank Agarwal

Did you notice it specifically during any of your Test innings?I would say that I would be in a bit of a hurry previously. When I was batting on 70-odd, I would be in a hurry. But now having gone through that, I understand that I can be a lot more calmer through that.You’ve had immensely positive, attack-minded mentors at the domestic level in J Arun Kumar and RX Murali. Did it feel like an extension of that with someone like Ravi Shastri, the India head coach?The conversations we had were about playing your natural game, understanding the situation, adapting to the situation, [and] being smart about it. But also not losing your strength, not losing your key factors as a player – that X-factor which is special to you. But also understanding where you need to curb what to suit yourself to that situation.What was your first conversation with him like when you joined the squad?He (Shastri) said, ‘[It’s] good to have you score these many runs and come (into the Indian team) and obviously having scored that many runs, confidence is definite’. With that said, when they decided that I’m going to play the game, the talk was about what are the things I need to prepare. What are the challenges I could be facing going into my first game.So, were the challenges along the lines of calming your nerves down?And just giving that assurance, that positivity that you are good enough and that you don’t have to do anything drastically different. Stick to what you’ve been doing because that’s been working but understand that you also need a little more. Or you need to do things a little more differently. Don’t have to do different things, but things a little more differently than domestic cricket.

…domestic cricket in India is very valuable. You could’ve played international cricket, but when you come back and play domestic cricket in India, it challenges you. And challenges you in different ways.Mayank Agarwal

A lot of people are surprised by the intensity of how some established players train, among other things, when they enter the dressing room. Did you feel anything like that? Yeah! I was nervous when I walked into the dressing room. But KL [Rahul] was there. We’ve been the best of friends since a very young age so having him around helped. But the environment there was very calm, very relaxed and they were very welcoming. I never felt uncomfortable. Everyone did chip in to make me feel at home.How are you looking forward to the coming three months? You might get almost a full Ranji group stage with Karnataka?Really looking forward to playing Ranji Trophy. It is this tournament – and having scored runs in this tournament – that got me going up. So, obviously it is big. And domestic cricket in India is very valuable. You could’ve played international cricket, but when you come back and play domestic cricket in India, it challenges you. And challenges you in different ways. With that said, Karnataka having won the two tournaments [Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy] that we’ve played this year, we’re still hungry; we’re not satisfied. We want to play more and I want to try and see what are the best possible ways I can contribute to that.You only played two Ranji matches last year (2018-19 season); the tense semi-final against Saurashtra being one of them. Is that game something you guys still talk about, in terms of what went wrong?There was a lot we could learn from that semi-final game. We’ve had talks about what we could have done better. Obviously, it’s a pressure game and when pressure’s there, different people react differently – and how we could get better at a few things. But also not just looking at the negatives. We did a few things right as well. So, try and build on that while we reduce the negativity and improve.BCCIIt must have been a heartbreaking result, and a lot was going on – bad decisions, angry crowd. What was the immediate chat after that match?See, it was very disappointing, very heartbreaking. With that said, I think we gave our everything as a team. Yes, the result didn’t work out. We were sad. There was not a lot that was spoken. Lot of us were just quiet, trying to soak in our emotions to feel and understand what happened and then sit back and also give ourselves time to reflect. But just feel that staying quiet and being observant around what’s happening in those times helped because when emotions run high, it’s better to just be quiet at that time and see how it goes from there.Are you now focussed on getting that treble?To be honest, we’re not focussing on the end result. We’ve played good cricket this year. So there is a process that we’ve followed to play the kind of cricket that we’re playing. And we’d like to stick to that. Obviously, with a different format you’ve got to make a few changes. The goal is to reach there (the title and complete a treble), but still looking at following the process and being well within ourselves. Just doing things that have worked well for us.What would the ideal end of the home season be for you?It’s been a tremendous season for us. Getting full points from all the Tests we’ve played is something great. There is nothing more you could ask for as a player [than] being in a side which has played and won all the games at home.[The] Ideal end would be get a lot of runs for the side and Karnataka winning games going forward, and then again wherever the chance is given to [me to] represent India and Karnataka, score runs and win matches. There is something about winning matches and winning tournaments that motivates me. And probably not just me, motivates everybody else. So, it’s winning more number of matches. More number of trophies, that’s something you crave for.Not putting a number on it, like, a 1000 runs?(laughs) No. No I think I don’t believe in too many numbers. I believe in contributions or performances that win games. I give a lot of value to that.

Dropped after scoring tough runs on tough tours, Sami Aslam is back, and in his comeback innings scored a half-century that highlighted both his strengths and his puzzling inability to convert his starts

Osman Samiuddin in Abu Dhabi30-Sep-2017Here is the ballad of a Pakistani opener. In his 12th Test he was playing with his third different opening partner. After 11 Tests he had six fifties, which included two nineties and an eighty. In 2016, his first proper year of Test cricket, he was Pakistan’s fourth-highest run-scorer. As Azhar Ali, his opening partner in most of those, was top-scorer, it meant Pakistan had a workable opening pair. Also, he didn’t really have any easy Tests in 2016. He played in England, New Zealand and Australia.After 11 Tests, though, he was dropped, four innings after a 91 in Hamilton on a tour in which that innings – and one more from Babar Azam – were literally the only batting highlights. He was replaced by a man who is now banned, having been found guilty of corruption. He was then replaced by a man better known for taking selfies. And, finally, he was replaced by the man who is his partner in this Test, whom he has never partnered before. And if he fails now, by the way, the selectors seem inclined to replace him with a guy who only recently finished a five-year ban for corruption.Hello, Sami Aslam. Meet Pakistan, who have tried 16 different opening combinations in the last five years of Test cricket, the most by any nation. England, you may think you have issues too (with 14 different pairings) but at least you have Alastair Cook.This was not the innings that made a mockery of Aslam’s dropping and vindicated his return. Fifty-one is useful only as a statistical landmark – otherwise, in nearly all circumstances, it is a waste of a start. And not converting fifties into hundreds, as Aslam hasn’t, is precisely the kind of problem that can be held against a batsman if it lingers.His commitment to fitness was also said to be an issue around the time he was dropped and this regime at least seems to be serious in implementing these standards.Still, being dropped when he was, with what he had done that year behind him, must have stung. It did a little, though much in the vein of modern-player parlance. “In 2016, in 9 Tests, I scored 600-plus runs so I think it was a good performance,” he reasoned. “The tours were tough as well. When you are dropped you feel it a bit, but I’ve taken that positively.”I have worked hard. I got better results in my fitness tests than before. It wasn’t an issue before, but in domestic cricket, I did well. I am feeling better about myself now, so I utilised that time well.”But he is back for now and making light of unfamiliarity with Shan Masood, with whom he was opening for the first time at any level. Together the pair gave Pakistan the kind of start that makes it difficult – but not improbable – for them to lose.”If you have an understanding with the other partner, then it [being unused to a new partner] doesn’t make a difference,” Aslam said. “At the start it could be an issue, but in practice matches in Lahore, we became familiar. After that, in your calling and stuff, you become familiar, you develop an understanding and it’s not that difficult.”He was unfortunate with his dismissal, Dilruwan Perera trapping him with one that crept through low. It was another missed opportunity to break through to a maiden hundred, though it isn’t the kind of thing that occupies Aslam unduly.He gives the impression of a man who knows it will come, which, given his first-class record and hundred-scoring capacities seen at U-19 level, is not outlandish.”It is in my mind that I have to score a hundred,” he said. “As an opener, or anywhere you play, you want to score big runs for the team. I’m trying, but you saw what happened today – I was done by a ball that kept low and I played it wrong as well.”No, it’s nothing like that [getting nervous as he nears the landmark]. I am used to it. But I think each time the situation has been such. Once I was run out, then once, the team was going for runs and I got out hitting out. It’s nothing like that – I’m hoping I’ll get there soon.”

An openness to opportunities and a willingness to take bold decisions have made Leigh Kasperek an international cricketer

Shashank Kishore21-Mar-2016Born to Scottish parents of Polish origin, Leigh Kasperek stumbled upon cricket by chance, the game catching her fancy one rainy summer’s day in Edinburgh. At one point in her mid teens, she was keen on tennis and wanted to earn a sports scholarship and move to the United States of America. But, as fate would have it, she began to explore the possibility of taking up cricket seriously. Except, cricket in Scotland was far from being the No. 1 sport.A decade on, Kasperek, who is on her second tour of India with New Zealand Women, recounts with an air of confidence why the decision to move out of the comforts of home in Edinburgh, where she lived with her parents, was the best decision she has made in her life so far, bringing her much more than any scholarship or degree could have done.”I moved there just to taste a new culture, a new country. Maybe I just wanted to live outside of Scotland to get a perspective of life, I guess,” Kasperek tells ESPNcricinfo. “I wanted to adapt to a new place, new set of people and yet play cricket. It was extremely difficult to start with, living alone all of a sudden after having spent all my life with my parents back home in Scotland. But it’s a chance I took for my good. So far, things have worked out quite well.”Kasperek’s international career is still in its nascent stages – she made her debut against India in Bangalore last year. She picked up the wickets of Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy. Then she remained unbeaten on 21, nearly helping New Zealand Women – aka the White Ferns – pull off a tense chase before they fell 17 short. Over nine ODIs and as many T20Is, she has proved to be a useful offspinner, who can be effective with the bat.Kasperek’s talent was evident from a very young age. She was a regular in the Scottish national side and the European XI since the age of 14. But having graduated from school, she wanted to do something “out of the box” and explored possibilities of moving to another country. England would have been the most obvious choice, but she chose to move further afield.The fascinating thing is the route she took to get there – from Edinburgh to Otago via Perth, with Amsterdam being a vital link in the chain. Not quite like taking a flight from Chandigarh to Nagpur, with stopovers in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, like they did at the Women’s World T20, surely? It elicits a laugh, before Kasperek takes you on the journey.She was convinced to embark on her journey by Job van Bunge, the Netherlands coach, whom she met while playing for the junior European XIs. “Job wanted to forge better links between European cricket and Western Australia, so he came up with the opportunity,” Kasperek recalls. “It was basically a chance I took to see where I stood, and I was good at it so I knew chances would come. If they didn’t, I could always think about doing something else.”Kasperek partially funded herself while in Perth by coaching the Western Australia Under-15 girls team that took part in the national championships. She also served as a casual cricket officer with Western Australia. Her primary role, though, was to play and win matches for Western Australia Fury in the Women’s National Cricket League. It was during this stint that the next link in her cricket chain – Otago – was established.Suzie Bates was one of the overseas stars playing for Western Australia. She was already a superstar, having represented New Zealand Women’s basketball team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. She was on her way to becoming a top international batsman, and had represented New Zealand at the first two editions of the Women’s World T20.Western Australia Fury was coached by Steve Jenkins at the time, who had already worked as head coach of the New Zealand Women’s team.”They saw something in me and asked me if I could consider coming over to New Zealand to play,” Kasperek says. “Of course, there were no guarantees that I would get to play at the senior level or even break into the state’s starting XI immediately. But it was a chance I took, again. I mean, why not? I surely could give it a shot. After thinking about it for a bit, I thought, ‘Right, I’m going.’ So that was another turning point for me.”Kasperek headed home to Scotland for a break, before flying to Wellington, where she played for a year, before making a switch to Otago Sparks. Her peak performances coincided with her complying with her three-year eligibility criteria for national selection. The call she was waiting for finally came in June last year, from Haidee Tiffin, the head coach of the national team, when Kasperek was at the movies.”My parents were pretty rapt when I told them, although when I called them they had just woken up, so they were a bit dopey on it and it took them a bit to process it,” she remembers. “I wanted to learn in that environment, so getting to play was a bonus.”Having taken an unconventional route to the top, Kasperek hopes she can stay there for the better part of the next decade, at least. With New Zealand Women cricketers still moving towards professional from semi-professional, Kasperek says there are challenges that lie ahead. Still on a temporary work visa, Kasperek, who holds a UK passport*, hopes to get her permanent residency next year, which would enable her to start applying for a full-time education degree or jobs.”For now, while not playing cricket, I do gardening and paint pieces of art work for people,” she says, satisfied with how her time in New Zealand has been spent.Now for her to paint a pretty picture with the White Ferns in India.*09.35GMT, March 21: The article had erroneously referred to Leigh Kasperek holding a Scottish passport. This has been corrected.

Daniel Brettig15-Jan-2015You’ve been away from the Australian team but are now back in time for the World Cup.It’s great to be back. I’ve been looking forward to this ever since I got the call. I’ve been up in the north woods and actually the day I left it was 20 below zero Fahrenheit and there was 15 inches of snow following me as I drove to the airport six hours back to Chicago. Then I got out here and it’s 90 degrees out here – that was a wake-up call.When did you get the call to come back to the team?It’s been about a month I knew. Darren (Lehmann) called me and said get involved with the tri-series and the World Cup, so very pumped up about that.This will be your fourth World Cup campaign with Australia. Winning the trophy in 2003 and 2007, and knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2011, which was not so good. What do you take out of those campaigns?First of all let me comment on the not so good. Playing in India we made it to the knockout round and we played pretty well and almost beat India. What I take out of them is experience. Every World Cup game is important. I can pass on a few little things here and there from those World Cups but these guys know what they’re doing.In 2013-14 you worked with the team through the home summer and in South Africa and fielding standards were very good but then you didn’t continue. Why was that?Darren was just moving the staff around, making some changes. I’d been with the team and I’m back for now. Greg Blewett I know very well, he’s doing a great job, he and I talk every day. It’s good to inject new people – the coaching projection, to be quite frank, is if you’re doing a good job you want to make yourself redundant. It sounds crazy and people don’t like to hear that about most of their work, but there comes a time when they need to have another injection of a different personality to keep players sharp. I think what Boof’s done here is a really good job.

“Nobody on this planet in cricket respects how hard it is to catch a cricket ball more than me, because I didn’t play. When I got into the game I was amazed. These guys are the best in the world – you’re going to drop some balls, you’re going to catch some.”Mike Young

What have you made of their fielding performances this summer?I was in America, I followed it and read some things and I take offence to some of those things because there’s a lot of facts, and nobody on this planet in cricket respects how hard it is to catch a cricket ball more than me, because I didn’t play. When I got into the game I was amazed. For years in America on they’ve got the top 10 plays of the day. I called up New York City and said ‘that was a nice play baseball-wise, but I see two of those every match in cricket that are better than that’. All of a sudden I’m watching , they’ve got top 10 plays and there’s a cricketer on it. I was happy about that because they have no idea how hard it is. These guys are the best in the world – you’re going to drop some balls, you’re going to catch some.Catches win matches in any sport, but in a World Cup it’s even more important to hold those?The worst thing to do is to say it’s more important, honestly. Because why put the excess pressure on somebody when it’s already hard enough. You’re going to have good games and bad games – what I consider a drop and what other people consider a drop can be different – I see guys diving for a ball, it hits them one-handed and it’s labelled they put it down. Come on, it’s not that easy. I think that [the fielding problems] has been overplayed a bit.Darren has spoken about how it’s not an issue of training volume but more confidence dropping after a couple chances have been missed.Confidence is everything. But to their credit they’re so resilient, they’ve been through so much, they bounce right back. You’re going to drop a catch, no big deal. I’m going to go public on one thing – I’ve been around coaching for 30 years, I read something the other day and it doesn’t matter who wrote it, but I have a problem with people calling me a lucky charm. I have a problem with that as a professional. I’m not a lucky charm, I’m not a horseshoe. They don’t need a lucky charm, they’re good enough. I’m here to impart anything I can to help. My job is to help Blewey.Ricky Ponting wrote a column recently in which he said one of your qualities is that when later in a season guys are getting tired or have sore hands, they will still want to train with you because of how you operate.Ricky was the best thing for me because he loved fielding training. Being Ricky Ponting the superstar and the captain, if he’s going to do it people will follow. That made my job so much easier, and let’s not forget the talent. I just take a different approach, I come from a different background. This is my coaching style. Some guys might not like it, I don’t know, but I’m just there to help.Do you know what you’ll be doing after the World Cup?I have no idea. If they wish for me to continue I’ll happily do it – I’m an Australian, don’t let the accent fool you – I’d love to continue on but that’s not my decision and whatever it is I’ll support it.

England’s captain has proved the doubters wrong on many occasions and continues to improve as a batsman and play a key role for his side

George Dobell in Cardiff16-Jun-2013If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that we should never write off Alastair Cook.Cook proved the doubters wrong when, after a dismal time against Pakistan, he bounced back with a mountain of runs in the Ashes of 2010-11. He proved the doubters wrong again when he was appointed captain of the ODI side despite a modest record in the format and metamorphosed into a top-quality performer; he averaged 30.52 in ODIs before he was captain and 44.79 since he was appointed.And he proved them wrong, once more, when he led his England team to a remarkable Test series victory in India despite losing the first Test. If you asked Cook to give birth, he would find a way to do it smoothly, brilliantly and without fuss.The one format in which he has yet to prove himself is T20. Despite his protestations that he is a much improved player since he last played the format internationally in 2009 – he averaged 15.25 in four games – he has never won a recall.Perhaps now he will. In a game reduced to 24 overs a side, Cook produced the match-defining contribution demonstrating not just the calm head with which we are so familiar, but that increasingly broad range of strokes. It was an innings that played a huge role in seeing England into the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy.The days when Cook was a limited player, reliant on the cut, the pull and the nudge are long gone. During his period out of the England limited-overs side, he returned to county cricket with Essex and worked hard on developing his range of strokes. He even scored a domestic T20 century; one of only two England players to have done so. Ravi Bopara is the other.This innings contained two straight sixes – the first time he has struck two sixes in an international innings – a paddled scoop for four off the medium pace of James Franklin and numerous skips down the wicket and manoeuvres into space. It was, in short, a good T20 innings.Some caveats are necessary. Cook was dropped three times by Nathan McCullum, the last of them a chance so simple that it was almost harder to drop than catch and, even if he was to prove himself one of the best T20 cricketers in England, there would be a concern about adding to the workload of a man so central to England’s plans in ODI and Test cricket.Had Graeme Swann been fit – and England will take no risks with his tight calf for the rest of this tournament rendering him a major doubt for the semi-final – there would still have been only five members of the team that contested their last T20I – against New Zealand in February – involved in this game. Increasingly players, or management, are realising that it is not sustainable to play all three formats.The dropped catches were not the only area in which England were fortunate. They were also the beneficiary of a key umpiring decision. Replays suggested Stuart Broad’s delivery to dismiss Kane Williamson was as close to being a no-ball as can be imagined. On such moments games and trophies can be won and lost.Generally, though, this was a fairly typical England performance. They did the simple things pretty well and they made fewer mistakes than their opposition. It sounds simple but batting like Cook, bowling like James Anderson and taking diving catches like the one Joe Root claimed to dismiss Brendon McCullum requires huge skill. Such skill that it tends to force opposing sides into mistakes.

The England bowlers proved a point in this game. They produced a display that should have reminded their critics that they possess rare skills

Cook later rated the team performance as “pretty good” but admitted England had struggled to judge what a par total might be in such an abbreviated game. “Maybe we set our sights too high,” Cook said. “Our total was about par. But those first overs we bowled were fantastic and we kept taking wickets when we needed them. James Anderson and Stuart Broad were outstanding.”Certainly this was not a perfect England performance. The batsmen lost their last seven wickets for the addition of just 28 runs, including the loss of the final five in 12 balls for 10 runs, and Tim Bresnan endured another disappointing game with the ball and was out-bowled by the impressive Bopara. Bresnan’s fourth over, which cost 19, contained a full toss and a couple of long-hops and, though he came back well, he may struggle to keep Steven Finn out of the side for the semi-final.Eoin Morgan, who has passed 21 only once in his last 10 innings, also looks like a man in need of time in the middle. He may, in due course, reflect on his preparation for this event. Involved in the IPL until mid-May, he had not scored a run in England in any format of the game this year when he was selected for the first ODI against New Zealand. Bearing in mind the high-risk approach he is required to take, he is asking a great deal of himself to adjust to such different conditions so quickly.But generally, the England bowlers proved a point in this game. Harshly accused of ball tampering in the days ahead of the match, they produced a display here that should have reminded their critics that, whatever the allegations, they also possess rare skills. On a pitch on which New Zealand’s seamers had struggled to gain any assistance, James Anderson, in particular, generated sharp seam movement. Some former players and opponents who have condemned them without evidence might do well to reflect that just because they are unable to master a skill, it does not mean no-one else can. England used to take such an attitude to reverse swing and mystery spin; they have become a much better side since they stopped criticising and started admiring and learning.It is worth speculating about what would have happened if rain had forced an abandonment of this game and England were eliminated from the tournament. It seems safe to assume that some would have condemned England’s method with the bat and insisted on rebuilding the side ahead of the 2015 World Cup.So it is worth remembering that England have currently scored two of the three highest first innings totals in the tournament to date and that, in the 601 ODIs they have played, they have only lost 11 times when they have posted a target greater than the 293 they managed at The Oval against Sri Lanka. As Cook said, “the bowlers did not get it right at The Oval.” The facts simply do not support a negative verdict on their batting.England will not be among the favourites when the semi-final line-up becomes clear but, with only two more wins required to lift the trophy, now is not the time to change their approach.