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England will play their first day-night Test match at home next year, the ECB has confirmed

Alan Gardner06-Oct-20161:39

Edgbaston to host day-night Test match

England will play their first day-night Test match at home next year, the ECB has confirmed. The first Test of West Indies’ tour, at Edgbaston on August 17-21, will be contested under lights with a pink ball in a move designed to try and increase attendances and drive interest in the oldest form of the game.Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, said it was worth experimenting in order to try and “make cricket more accessible to new audiences”. So far, the only Test played under lights with a pink ball was between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide last November, although a second, between Pakistan and West Indies in the UAE, will take place this month. Another two are scheduled for the forthcoming Australian summer.”It’s a great opportunity to build on a lot of the thinking and the strategy that has been going on for the last 12 months,” Harrison said. “It’s been all about new audiences and doing all we could to make the game more accessible at every level, and this gives us an opportunity to find out if Test cricket played at a different time of day, under certain conditions, in a city centre at a time of year where people possibly don’t get to go to the all day game – we’ll see if that has a dramatic impact on attendance.”It’s also outside London, so there’s more opportunity to see an impact of day-night cricket. England historically love playing at Edgbaston, it’s a great venue. We are taking an open and hopeful view and are expectant that it will have an impact on our market as we look to make cricket more accessible to new audiences.”Harrison added it was important to “embrace opportunities when they come”. Warwickshire held a trial in a 2nd XI game in August, which was deemed a success despite some issues with the deterioration of the pink ball (both Dukes and Kookaburra varieties). The club were unable to hold further tests in a first-class match but, with tickets due to go on sale next week, they have agreed to take the plunge for next summer.”Bringing day-night Test cricket to England is an innovative and very exciting development for the game, and we’re thrilled that Edgbaston will be the first venue to host a match played in this format,” Neil Snowball, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said.”Edgbaston staged the UK’s first day-night domestic match in 1997 and has a great history of hosting and selling out some of the biggest fixtures in the game. In turn, the Edgbaston atmosphere and match-day experience has become iconic, with England having a fantastic record of victories here.”Playing hours for the Test have been provisionally scheduled from 2pm until 9pm, with the final session set to take place under floodlights as the sun goes down. Dukes will continue to supply the ball; those used in the 2nd XI match at Edgbaston, in contrast to the Kookaburra version, featured a dark seam.”I’m sure it will drive some new thinking in the way that tickets are sold and I’m sure it will have an impact on the ability of families to come and watch cricket,” Harrison said. “It’s a sincere drive and strategy to make cricket as accessible as possible, particularly for young people. To create a Test cricket audience among young people.”Cricket Australia has been the board most enthusiastic about day-night Tests and it is likely that the 2017-18 Ashes could feature a pink-ball game – although the current captains, Alastair Cook and Steven Smith, have expressed reservations. “It’s useful to have one before we go to Australia,” Harrison said. “Giving guys the chance to play with a pink ball under lights, before an Ashes Test in similar conditions. It’s a good opportunity to stick a stake in the ground to say we are keen to innovate.”Player concerns about the conditions required to keep the pink ball from deteriorating were a feature of the Adelaide Test, where an unusually grassy surface was prepared and the match was over inside three days. Harrison said the ECB was “comfortable with the development of the ball”, which has been tested extensively by the MCC – who first proposed the idea – notably in the Champion County match at the start of the English season.He added that the England and West Indies players had been assured they will be given opportunities to prepare for playing under lights. West Indies’ third three-day tour match, which takes place in Derby the week before the first Test, will be played as a day-night match.”Players have taken some time to get around this,” Harrison said. “It’s not a new concept in terms of global international cricket and many boards are looking at ways to introduce this and as they have gone down this journey they have looked at all the things that need to come together, like lux levels at grounds, local council approval, public transport. They are all different in the day-night scenario. There is a bit more work to do, but we can start to get excited.”I’m sure we will convert those who are less than convinced about it. We will work hard to make sure we are not treading on traditions here. In London we put a Test match on and it sells out. Outside London it’s not as simple as that. Maybe this helps bring in some of those new communities that haven’t been to Edgbaston before. There will be a lot of marketing about, in a very busy summer for us across all formats.”

Arsenal remain keen on bolstering their threadbare backline, and one move might allow Edu and Mikel Arteta to once again emulate the success of their Premier League rivals…

What's the latest on Edmond Tapsoba to Arsenal?

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners remain keen on a move for Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, among others of England's elite.

He wrote on Twitter: "Premier League clubs are now tracking Edmond Tapsoba ahead of the summer transfer window — he’s one of the CBs to keep an eye on.

"Arsenal and Tottenham scouts have monitored Tapsoba in recent games but the race is absolutely open — Bayer will only sell for huge bid."

Given that the German outfit demanded a fee of around €70m (£61m) back in 2021, it can be expected that this remains in line with the "huge bid" they will demand in the upcoming window. Edu will be keen to do his due diligence before sanctioning such a large outlay.

How good is Edmond Tapsoba?

The 24-year-old has been around the German top flight for many years now, and as such, his experience is far beyond many others of his age. For a central defender, this instantly puts him at a higher level than most.

With 136 games already played for his current club, and the expectation that the 6 foot 4 titan will be a key defensive pillar they can build Xabi Alonso's new regime upon, it is no surprise to see they are so wary to lose him.

After all, the Burkina Faso international has once again proved himself a dependable defensive asset this campaign, having averaged 1.1 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and three clearances per game, via Sofascore.

However, the peak of his powers undoubtedly came during the 2020/21 term. Whilst these defensive figures remained the same, his pass accuracy rocketed to 90% and he was successful in 65% of his dribbles. Despite his youth, Tapsoba established himself as one of Europe's top ball-playing defenders on his way to a 7.17 average match rating, via Sofascore.

It was just before that year when journalist Dominic Fifield lauded him as an "outstanding young talent" before the defender went on to prove he was more than just a prospect. He was already a star.

Having launched his career from humble beginnings, he revealed in an interview with The Athletic exactly who he had modelled his game around: "John Stones, at Everton. I really enjoyed watching him, he made a huge impression on me.

"His manner on the ball, and the way he played with the ball. I loved that. I still go back to Stones when it comes to playing in a certain style."

When harking back to those aforementioned statistics, it is clear to see how the England international has influenced Tapsoba. His remarkable pass accuracy and ability to glide with the ball out of defence is akin to the 28-year-old, who has just helped Manchester City win yet another league title. FBref showcases this, as when compared to others in his role across Europe, the former Vitoria Guimaraes ace ranks in the top 4% for progressive passes and the top 7% for successful take-ons.

For comparison, this season has seen Stones maintain a 93% pass accuracy and an 86% dribble success rate. He is far beyond that of his alternative; however, putting this growing star into Arsenal's impressive team could fast-track his growth towards that level.

Given Arteta is in desperate need of additional centre-backs to compete with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, they could do much worse than a defender who has aspirations of emulating the five-time league winner.

The ECB has dismissed as premature reports that players will be allowed to miss the tour of Bangladesh even if the board’s security consultants decide it is safe to go ahead

George Dobell12-Aug-2016The ECB has dismissed as premature reports that players will be allowed to miss the tour of Bangladesh even if the board’s security consultants decide it is safe to go ahead.While some news organisations have reported that the ECB is to give players the option not to tour the country due to fears over potential terrorist attacks, it insists that the relevant security visit has not yet started and that any decision will be delayed until that is complete. The players have not yet been approached on the issue.The ECB’s security advisor, Reg Dickason, is currently inspecting venues in India with PCA chief executive, David Leatherdale, and ECB director of cricket operations, John Carr. They are expected to arrive in Bangladesh in the next few days. Dhaka, the nation’s capital, suffered a terrorist attack in July that left many dead, while Australia cancelled their tour to the country at the end of last year due to security concerns.But Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, described reports that the ECB had offered players an opt-out as “news to me” and insisted that they would wait until the security visit was completed before making any decisions.”There has been no discussion on players being allowed to opt out,” Farbrace, who was in the Sri Lanka team coach that was attacked by terrorists in Lahore in 2009, said. “We had a chat with the Test and ODI squads about 10 to 12 days ago and we agreed we wouldn’t talk about Bangladesh until they [the security team] get back and make a report. Until they get back, there is nothing to talk about.”It would be a huge call to decide not to tour. Teams not going to Pakistan is a dreadful shame. I was on bus in Lahore and we were lucky to survive that. Player and staff safety is paramount but it’s a huge decision for a country to decide not to go. Bangladesh are looking forward to us going.”While giving players the opt-out option remains a possible, perhaps even likely, scenario, it does present potential problems with the dressing room dynamic. A team that has built an “all in it together” culture could stand the risk of being fragmented and, while promises not to take account of the decision in selection can be well-intentioned, allowing another player an opportunity is always a risk. If the replacement player performs, it could prove hard for the original player to regain their place.There is also precedent for such a decision. England players were given the option not to tour India in 2001, due to security concerns in the wake of the attack on the World Trade Center, with Andy Caddick and Robert Croft deciding to opt out of it. Croft never played for England again.”The safety and security of our players and management is always of paramount importance and this will continue to apply to all teams representing England on overseas tours and attending training camps,” an England spokesman said. “The ECB’s security advisor Reg Dickason and director of cricket operations John Carr are currently completing a pre-tour inspection in Bangladesh. As we have said before, once we have received and evaluated their report, we will discuss it fully with the England players. “

Leeds United were once a club renowned for giving their academy stars regular opportunities in the first-team, with the Yorkshire outfit reaping the financial benefits of Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke and Lewis Cook in recent years.

However, their Premier League struggles in the last two campaigns, which could culminate in relegation this season, have meant that those at Thorp Arch have struggled for regular game time in the top flight.

The club opted to loan out defenders Charlie Cresswell and Cody Drameh to the Championship, with both catching the eye with their performances for Millwall and Luton Town respectively, in a time when the Whites' defence has been leaking goals left right and centre.

Cresswell averaged a superb 7.08 rating from WhoScored as Millwall narrowly missed out on the playoffs, while Drameh has been a mainstay in Rob Edwards' side as they reached the playoff final on Tuesday night, earning an impressive 7.20 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Unsurprisingly, the 21-year-old's lack of opportunities at Elland Road, combined with his superb displays in the second tier, has meant that he is now reportedly likely to leave this summer, with the Yorkshire Evening Post suggesting that he will depart despite his contract not set to expire until 2024.

A promising young player leaving on the back of a potential relegation to the Championship may well remind Leeds fans of James Milner, who departed for Newcastle back in 2004 after the Yorkshire outfit failed to retain their Premier League status.

Could Drameh be Leeds' next James Milner?

Although Milner was a more established member of Leeds' first team than Drameh, having featured 53 times, it is far less common these days to see teenagers become regular starters in the Premier League, and the right-back does have eight senior appearances under his belt for the Whites.

He also has 40 Championship appearances to his name across spells with Cardiff City and now Luton, and is one game away from reaching the promised land of the Premier League with the Hatters, where he could ironically swap places with his parent club.

It is something of a surprise that the Thorp Arch sensation has been given so few opportunities at Leeds given that both Luke Ayling and Rasmus Kristensen have struggled in the right-back position this season.

Indeed, they have averaged simply woeful 6.59 and 6.64 ratings from WhoScored respectively, with both also recording far fewer tackles, dribbles and key passes per game than the academy graduate has done at Luton.

His "phenomenal" displays at Cardiff, in the words of former manager Steve Morison, should have seen him earn more Premier League minutes but Leeds failed to put their faith in him and look set to lose another talented youngster as a result.

If he goes on to have even half the career that Milner has done since leaving Elland Road, with the 37-year-old winning every English trophy and the Champions League in his time with Manchester City and Liverpool, then losing Drameh could be another disastrous blow for Leeds.

James Anderson hopes his vast experience can help him compensate for a drop in pace over the remaining years of his career

George Dobell01-Aug-2016James Anderson hopes his vast experience can help him compensate for a drop in pace over the remaining years of his career.Anderson, who turned 34 over the weekend, returned to the Test team at Old Trafford with a performance that showed his control and skills remain undimmed by age or injury. But it was noticeable that his average bowling speed in the game – about 81mph – was some way down on his peak.While Anderson hopes he was simply “rusty” and that he will be able to generate more pace at Edgbaston, he accepts that he may be at the stage of his career where he has to rely more upon other attributes if he is to continue to flourish.”I didn’t feel like my speeds in Manchester were where they could be,” Anderson said. “I felt a bit like Matthew Hoggard at the end of his career when he slowed down a bit but his control was pretty good.”With the skills I have, I can do a job even if my speeds did drop. With experience you can stay one step ahead in your head. It is like an old defender in football who might not have the pace of a quick striker but he’s two steps ahead of him upstairs.”Anderson has been sidelined by several injuries over the last year or so. After sustaining a side strain during the Edgbaston Ashes Test 12 months ago, he missed the first Test of the series in South Africa due to a calf injury and then the Lord’s Test against Pakistan due to a shoulder injury.But, after a modest tour of South Africa, he was back to something approaching his best at the start of this English summer. He claimed 21 wickets in the three Tests against Sri Lanka at an average of just 10.80 apiece – albeit in helpful conditions at times – and remains the No. 2-rated bowler in the ICC’s rankings for Test cricket. He is just one ranking point behind India’s R Ashwin.He denies that the relative glut of injuries are necessarily a reflection of ageing and suggests that he could emulate Glenn McGrath and play until he is 37 years old.”The way I feel at the moment, mentally, I’ve still got a hunger to play the game and a hunger to take wickets and help my team win matches,” Anderson said. “As long as I’ve got that hunger I’m going to keep working, keep improving and keep working on my fitness and if I get to 37 then great. I just try to concentrate on staying fit for the next game.”I thought I bowled well against Sri Lanka. I’m not sure it’s the best I’ve ever bowled but I felt in really good form and I just wanted to build on it, but the injury meant it wasn’t possible.”Fitness wise I keep working hard. My practice over the years has gone from searching for perfection to just doing as little as possible. The bare minimum. But when I do practise I try to make sure it’s absolute quality rather than going through the motions. If I don’t practise much I make sure what I do do is to the highest quality possible.”The England selectors took a lot of criticism for their decision not to risk Anderson in the first Test of this series at Lord’s. Although he was fit to bowl in the nets ahead of the game and subsequently played in part of Lancashire’s Championship match against Durham, he now admits it was “probably wise” not to rush him back into the Test team before he had gained match fitness after his shoulder injury. He hopes that, having had that Championship game and the Test in Manchester, he should be somewhere near his best at Edgbaston.Chris Woakes gets some advice from James Anderson in the England nets•Getty Images”Looking back, without having had any game time before that first Test, it was probably wise to get some overs under my belt before I came back into the Test side,” Anderson said. “I think it was probably the right decision.”There was some rustiness in Manchester. I bowled 20-odd overs at Southport after four weeks out of the game, and then at Lord’s with the weather before the game I only bowled six overs outside so there was a bit of rustiness. But now I’ve got that match practice under my belt hopefully I can build on that and my speeds go up rather than down. The age I’m at, four or five weeks without bowling shouldn’t make me lose my form that much.”As Anderson matures, so his role within the squad may start to change. It has been noticeable over recent months that Chris Woakes, in particular, has started to use the wobble-seam delivery demonstrated with such success by Anderson and, at times, started to hide his grip of the ball until the point of delivery so that batsmen cannot anticipate which way it will swing.But Anderson denied that Woakes is the obvious inheritor of his art and insisted that he is learning from England’s younger bowlers as much as the other way around.”Chris has a lot of skills, but I don’t see us as similar bowlers,” Anderson said. “I don’t know why. He’s got more pace, he’s got a lovely action, that’s what he’s got going for him, a nice repetitive action that will help him for the rest of his career. I’m not forcing myself upon him.”As a group of bowlers we are talking to each other all the time. We are trying in the nets to give each other bits of information that are going to be useful whether it’s on the opposition, tactics or specifics in skills and we all learn from each other.”I learn from Chris Woakes, I’ve learnt from Steven Finn and Stuart Broad, we all pass information round to each other, it’s a really open forum and I think that’s how it should be. I think that’s how teams get better.”Poor weather in Birmingham means the Test pitch may lack just a little of the carry that England enjoyed when defeating Australia a year ago. But the surface is still expected to provide some assistance to seamers, especially on the first morning and with the new ball, and little encouragement for spinners. As a result, England look highly likely to go into the game with four seamers and Moeen Ali as their main spinner.

Eintracht Frankfurt have confirmed that manager Oliver Glasner will leave at the end of the season, after claims Tottenham Hotspur want him.

What’s the latest Spurs manager news?

Chairman Daniel Levy and Spurs are intensifying the chase for Antonio Conte’s replacement and are said to have completed the due-diligence stage of their managerial search.

Interviews and discussions have been held with a few candidates, including the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique, coming after the out-of-work pair departed their most previous sides.

Meanwhile, currently employed managers are also attracting interest, with Xabi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim among the coaches admired by Levy.

Glasner, who led Eintracht to Europa League glory at the expense of Scottish giants Rangers last season, has also been linked with a move to north London recently.

Indeed, the 48-year-old has apparently been subject to contact from Spurs, with reports suggesting at the time there was a temptation from Glasner to succeed Conte.

After claims that Tottenham have been eyeing him as a potential managerial contender, Eintracht now confirm he will part company.

Despite still having another year left on his deal, the tactician is set to depart 12 months early, as the Bundesliga side release a statement on social media.

They explained:

What could Glasner bring to Spurs?

Rumoured to be a target and in Spurs’ thinking fairly recently, it appears Levy and co will now have a free run at appointing Glasner with no club standing in the way this summer.

He has his credentials, not least his experience clinching European silverware, with Glasner even possessing know-how as a sporting director – having held that role alongside being manager at LASK for four years from 2015 to 2019 (Transfermarkt).

Glasner deploys a 3-4-2-1 formation – potentially meaning Spurs wing-backs like Pedro Porro could benefit from not having to go through the adjustment period of adapting to a back four.

The former Wolfsburg boss has also been praised by rival coaches, like Marco Rose, who’ve praised his “intense” and “aggressive” style.

Rose explained:

“Oliver Glasner’s intense and aggressive football has brought big success to Frankfurt. They have solutions in and out of possession.”

England will tour Bangladesh for the first time since 2010 for two Tests and three ODIs in October. The visitors will start with the tour a warm-up one-day match in Fatullah on October 4

Mohammad Isam26-Jun-2016Schedule

Sept 30: England arrive in Dhaka
Oct 4: Warm-up one-dayer, Fatullah
Oct 7: 1st ODI, Dhaka
Oct 9: 2nd ODI, Dhaka
Oct 12: 3rd ODI, Chittagong
Oct 14-17 Two two-day warm-up matches, Chittagong
Oct 20-24: 1st Test, Chittagong
Oct 28-November 1: 2nd Test, Dhaka

England are set to tour Bangladesh for the first time since 2010 for two Tests and three ODIs in October.In their third multi-format tour to the country, England, who are likely to arrive in Dhaka on September 30, will start with a warm-up one-day match in Fatullah on October 4.The first two ODIs will be played on October 7 and 9 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The teams will travel to Chittagong for the third.The visitors have been given back-to-back two-day warm-up games at the MA Aziz Stadium before the first Test begins on October 20 in Chittagong. The second Test will be held in Dhaka from October 28.Having played only T20s this year so far, this will be Bangladesh’s first ODI and Test series since last November. England will depart for their tour of India on November 2.*11.40am GMT, June 28: The full schedule was added, including the warm-up fixtures in Chittagong.

Stuart Broad has already begun “plotting” a path back into England’s 50-over plans after being left out of the ODI squad announced earlier this week

Alan Gardner16-Jun-2016Stuart Broad has already begun “plotting” a path back into England’s 50-over plans. Broad was left out of the ODI squad announced earlier this week and has only played twice since the 2015 World Cup but he refuses to give up on playing white-ball cricket for his country again, to the extent that he will contemplate taking part in overseas domestic competitions to try and nudge the selectors before next summer’s Champions Trophy.Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, has left the door open for Broad, who retains hope of playing in the 2017 Champions Trophy and 2019 World Cup, competitions that will both be held in England and Wales. However, Broad’s involvement with the Test side, and England’s busy schedule, has prevented him from gaining any significant practice in the shorter formats: in addition to two ODIs in South Africa, he has played one List A and one T20 match for Nottinghamshire in the last 12 months.Broad’s form with the red ball saw him rise to No. 1 in the ICC Test bowler rankings earlier this year, and he could still have another 11 Test matches to play in 2015, with a home series against Pakistan and tours of Bangladesh and India before Christmas. England will then have a six-month gap without a Test, during which time Broad is planning to prioritise his white-ball game above a well-earned rest.England’s leading ODI bowlers

James Anderson 269 wickets at 29.22

Darren Gough 234 at 26.39

Stuart Broad 178 at 30.13

Andrew Flintoff 168 at 23.61

Ian Botham 145 at 28.54

“It’s tricky because I haven’t played any white-ball cricket,” he said of his omission from the group to play Sri Lanka. “I think I saw a quote saying this squad had been picked on merit and I can’t argue with that at all because it’s not as if I’ve gone out there and taken a certain amount of white-ball wickets. I’m going to have to find a way to do that.”I’m going to look at scheduling, whether it’s home or abroad, to try to play some white-ball cricket and there might be a decent opportunity after Christmas this year because there’s not a lot of Test cricket then until I think July. The only way I’ll get back is by playing white-ball cricket and that’s the only way my skills will improve, too.”Broad’s focus on reclaiming his ODI spot means he would prefer to play 50-over cricket rather than appear in T20 leagues, such as Australia’s BBL – which will begin at around the same time England are expected to conclude their five-Test series in India – the IPL and the Pakistan Super League. One such option could be New Zealand’s 50-over competition, the Ford Trophy, which ran throughout January in the 2015-16 season.The changes to the county schedule for next year have also caught Broad’s eye, with the Royal London Cup set to be played in April and May, as a prelude to the Champions Trophy. He could even push for selection in the inaugural North v South series, to be played in the UAE next March.”I’m going to have to carefully plot how to do it and the schedule next year might massively work in my favour because I think the Royal London Cup is going to be played more in a chunk at the start of the season and I think the Twenty20 competition is played in a chunk too – whereas this year there’s no 50-over cricket for me to play to put my name in the hat. If I suddenly have a belting six weeks of 50-over cricket people might say, ‘Actually this bloke can bowl with the white ball. He has got a hundred-odd ODIs behind him and he could still be in the frame.'”England’s newly enlightened attitude to white-ball competition might be tested by Broad’s desire to keep pushing his case, rather than save himself for Tests. But, while England have moved on from a generation of ODI stalwarts such as Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and James Anderson, Broad is unwilling to view himself as a cricketing senior citizen, still keen to try and kick it with the kids in three years’ time.”I’m still only 29 but because I’ve played a lot of my cricket with Belly and Jimmy who are a bit older I sort of get put in that category,” he said. “A lot of people have played at World Cups at 32 and that’s certainly not an old age for a cricketer so I’ve got huge goals to be a part of that and have to pick some stuff to get involved in.”Stuart Broad tries his hand at making hoppers at a Taste of London event•EtihadHe did concede that the pace of change in the limited-overs formats had left him feeling “as if I hadn’t played in a long time” during his involvement in South Africa. The challenge seems to enthuse him, however, and the impression that Broad is chalking out new plans of attack, chewing on his pencil as contemplates the ideal level of torque on a slower ball, staying up late trying to concoct a new “slog-proof” delivery in the lab should indicate how serious he is about the endeavour.”I almost need a bit of a unique selling point in one-day cricket,” he said. “I can’t just be a regulation line-and-length bowler, I have to be something a bit different and whether that’s me going round the wicket and looking to improve my skills in that way, making the batsman think: ‘What’s he doing here?’ Not just to shut down one side but maybe changing the angle, maybe my legcutter from round the wicket would be hard to slog to the leg side. This is just me thinking aloud. There might be something I can find that batsmen will struggle with.”And while some would point to his rarefied form in Tests without limited-overs noodling to distract him, Broad prefers to look at his development – such as the “stark improvement” in his record to left-handers – and imagine how he can make similar strides with a white ball.”I don’t want to say not playing any white-ball cricket has helped my red-ball form because it weakens my argument but certainly it has given me time to improve on my red-ball performances and I did have improvements to make,” he said.”Now I need to develop my white-ball bowling as part of that improvement. For instance, I haven’t bowled round the wicket to left-handers with a white ball. I’ve had such success like that with the red ball that it might be something I have to look at.”I almost need to sit down with a pen and paper and say: ‘Right I want to play here, and this is the type of delivery I need to work at’ and hopefully we’ll be sat here next year and I’ll have some stats behind me. Then I can go to the selectors and say: ‘You told me you were picking the team on merit. Well there you go.'”Etihad Airways, a global partner of Taste Festivals, is the first ever official airline partner of the England cricket teams. Etihad Holidays will have a range of cricket tour packages for the upcoming England tours to Bangladesh and India: www.etihad.com

Liverpool have ramped up their transfer activity in recent weeks after the heartache of missing out on Jude Bellingham.

The England star looks all set to sign for Real Madrid with the Reds having identified Alexis Mac Allister as their alternative. That said, it's not the only move FSG have their hands full with.

What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are working on a deal to sign Bayern Munich youngster Ryan Gravenberch.

The report initially states interest from Manchester United who have now entered the race for the 20-year-old.

The Red Devils are ready to go 'head-to-head' with their Premier League rivals in order to complete a deal.

Liverpool appear to be leading the race at the moment with the Anfield outfit having admired the youngster for a while now. They have already followed up on their interest and are believed to be working behind the scenes to get a move completed.

According to CIES Football Observatory, the player is valued at a bargain £26m.

What is Gravenberch's style of play?

For those of a Liverpool persuasion, it will perhaps pique their interest that Gravenberch plays in a similar manner to fellow transfer target, Mac Allister, with the players noted as 'similar' as per FBref's player comparison model.

The Argentine is now a World Cup winner and has been going from strength to strength with Brighton, so much so that Jurgen Klopp and co are favourites to acquire his signature.

That interest is unsurprising given Liverpool's burning desire for a new midfielder this term. After missing out on Bellingham they will need to act decisively to silence those who doubt their capabilities in the transfer window.

Turning to Mac Allister, who has scored 12 goals and registered two assists this term would certainly be a promising way of bolstering the midfield but in Gravenberch, they'd have a fine alternative or even partner for the Seagulls star.

Although the Bayern gem has only scored twice himself this term, his immense attacking qualities were showcased by the fact he'd contributed to 14 goals as a teenager across two seasons with Ajax.

That output might not be on a similar level to Mac Allister quite yet but in other areas of the game, they are distinctly alike.

Their ball carrying is a particularly eye-catching attribute with the crafty technicians boasting a similar success rate in the last year with the Bundesliga star amassing 2.04 per 90 minutes to the Argentine's 2.02, as per FB Ref.

There is just 0.6 between the pair when it comes to short pass success rate (both over 90%) and only 0.4 between them in their medium pass success rate (both over 91%).

A similar number of chance creations are carved out too, with the two midfield maestros within 0.4 of each other for goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (0.19 v 0.25 in favour of Mac Allister).

The duo aren't just alike in their ability to fashion opportunities and beat the opposition but they can do the dirty side of the game too, with Gravenberch having made 1.67 successful tackles per 90 to his opposite number's 1.31.

Even if Liverpool do complete a deal for Mac Allister, it's evident that the Dutch "top talent" – as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig – would still be a valuable signing. After all, with the latter still having work to do in the goal department, perhaps he could sit deeper in a six, with the former playing further forward as an 8.

Manchester United are more likely to sign Tammy Abraham than Dusan Vlahovic this summer, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

Is Abraham shining for Roma this season?

The Englishman has been at Roma since 2021, having moved to Italy from Chelsea after not being promised regular playing time at Stamford Bridge. The £93,000-a-week attacker has impressed there overall, scoring 36 goals in 99 appearances, as well as registering 12 assists.

This season, Abraham hasn't been quite as effective, however, scoring just eight times in 33 Serie A outings, and it could be that Jose Mourinho is happy to see him leave at the end of the current campaign. United are one of the clubs who have been linked with a move for the 25-year-old, as they look to bring in an out-and-out striker who is an upgrade on both Anthony Martial and Wout Weghorst this summer.

It is a key position for the Red Devils to improve in, in order to go up a level next season, and a new update has emerged regarding the situation.

Could Abraham make switch to Man United?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said that Abraham is more likely to move to Old Trafford than Juventus attacker Vlahovic, although he didn't confirm that there is clear interest from United:

"So I'm not wholly convinced that this is able to happen. To be honest, if I was to predict a Serie A striker to move to Old Trafford, I'd probably go with Tammy Abraham ahead of Dušan Vlahović at this point."

While Abraham is clearly a good striker – one who has been described as "outstanding" by journalist Henry Winter in the recent past – but United need to look at players who are a level up from him, when it comes to acquiring the services of an elite attacker this summer.

The three-goal England international isn't at the world-class standard of fellow United targets Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen, for example, both of whom are relentless providers of goals and could help the Reds become Premier League title challengers next season.

Abraham would be a good backup option, but for the money he would likely cost, they would be better off bringing in a cheaper alternative for that squad role, and going big on either Kane or Osimhen. The fact that the former Chelsea man has had a below-par season also suggests his bubble may have burst at the very top level, despite still only being 25.