The 19-year-old batsman had a breakout season in the Women’s Big Bash League, finishing among the top five run-getters

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2017

In a season of breakthroughs for women’s cricket in Australia, Ashleigh Gardner is set to become the latest by becoming the first indigenous cricketer to debut for Australia women since the pioneering figure of Faith Thomas started out all of 59 years ago.Gardner’s barnstorming displays with the bat for the Sydney Sixers – she scored 414 runs in 16 matches with three fifties – have earned her a spot in the squad for both the Twenty20 and 50-over matches to be played against New Zealand women over the next month. More pointedly, they offer her a chance to earn selection in the squad for the World Cup, due to be played in England later this year.Australia women squads for NZ matches

Twenty20s: Meg Lanning (capt), Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell, Lauren Cheatle, Rene Farrell, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington
ODIs: Meg Lanning (capt), Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell, Nicole Bolton, Lauren Cheatle, Rene Farrell, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry (subject to fitness), Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Australia’s captain Meg Lanning was delighted by the 19-year-old’s selection, having seen her destructive potential up close during the Women’s Big Bash League. “It’s great to see, a big step for her but she’s really deserved it,” Lanning said. “She’s come of age I guess in the last 12 months and really dominated, which is what we want to see.”She’ll fit into the group really well, a great kid, so looking forward to having her around and hopefully she can take her opportunity. Consistency takes time, you come in and make a few scores but it’s about being consistent and she’s done that throughout.”She’s often come in to bat under pressure during the WBBL after a few wickets have gone down early, and she plays her own game, players to her strengths and takes the game on, which exactly what we want in the side. She’s played some outrageous shots in innings throughout the WBBL, so it’s exciting to see young girls coming through and putting up their hand at state level and being rewarded.”A hamstring strain means that Ellyse Perry will be unavailable for the T20 matches but Lanning said she was hopeful of a return in time for the Rose Bowl 50-over series. “Having Ellyse Perry missing for the T20s isn’t ideal but it gives an opportunity to someone else coming through,” Lanning said.”We’re getting closer to the side we want to have for the World Cup, but there’s still opportunities for everyone to impress. It’s a very important series against New Zealand and we’re looking forward to the challenge because we know they’re a very good team.”We’ll just have to see how she’s tracking, it’s disappointing for her to miss out but once she’s fit she’ll come back in and we know what a special player she is. You’ve just got to adapt to these things and do the best you can.”The transition from T20 to 50-over cricket is something Lanning and her team will have to make over the next few weeks, having experienced a glut of the shortest form via the WBBL but now needing to refocus ahead of their defence of the World Cup. “It’s mostly about patience with bat and ball,” she said.”Even in T20 cricket you’ve got more time than you think, so one-dayers tend to drag on a bit now we played so many T20s. It’s just really knowing your game plan and what suits your team and individuals and having the patience and really just backing yourself. We’ve been in good form in one-dayers of the last couple of years so it’s really important that we become really consistent with it.”New Zealand will travel to Australia for three T20Is, which will be played between February 17 and 22 in Melbourne, South Geelong and Adelaide. Australia will then visit New Zealand for three ODIs, in Mount Maunganui, between February 26 and March 5.

Ashish Nehra has expressed a strong desire to make a comeback to India’s ODI team. Though he last played in the format in the 2011 World Cup, Nehra has said he retains hopes of playing fifty-over cricket for India again when they land in England in June for the Champions Trophy.”I would love to play in the Champions Trophy,” Nehra told ESPNcricinfo. “When you go to England you will take at least four fast bowlers in addition to two spinners. I know I can bowl anywhere: up front, in the middle overs and at death. I can also share the experience I have with the other young fast bowlers.”Nehra’s last competitive fifty-over match – the recent practice game against England notwithstanding – was in December 2015. But that doesn’t deter him. He says he has worked out a detailed plan for his comeback, which includes playing at least half of Delhi’s six matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier one-day tournament.”I aim to play at least three matches to build up my match-fitness. Fifty-overs is a different challenge and Vijay Hazare is a good platform to test myself,” Nehra said. “I bowl about eight overs even in the nets while preparing for a T20 match. It is not about fitness. It is about the feel of playing in a 50-over match.”It was Nehra’s success in the IPL, initially at Chennai Super Kings and then with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, that brought him back in contention for India in T20 cricket. The selectors could not ignore the key role he played for those teams, keeping it tight with the new ball and bowling yorkers at the death. The confidence gained from a successful reintegration to international cricket is apparent in Nehra. “Once I play these Vijay Hazare matches I will be fit enough to play and good to go for the Champions Trophy.”During his time out of the ODI team, Nehra has maintained form through the IPL•BCCI

Nehra’s original timeline had him working towards returning to one-day cricket with the New Zealand series last October but he fell ill and was forced to spend a couple of months on the sidelines.A match-winning 3 for 28 against England in the second T20I and more recently hauls of 2 for 35 and 3 for 26 for North Zone in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy suggest Nehra has regained his fitness. At 38, he is the oldest active player in the Indian team but that does little to diminish his value. Nehra still bowls at speeds of 135 to 140 kph and his experience – he will complete 18 years in international cricket at the end of February – makes him sort of a father figure for the young fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, too, has acknowledged Nehra’s importance, saying he can be handy in English conditions.Nehra is hopeful these assets help make him an attractive pick for the Champions Trophy but felt it premature to think as far as the next ICC tournament. “The 2019 World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away. We are going to play at least 50 one-dayers in between. For me every tournament is important. I will try to play as much as I can.”

Newcastle United have secured the blockbuster signing of Sandro Tonali from AC Milan. The midfielder arrives on Tyneside after signing a five-year contract, becoming Eddie Howe's first major deal of the summer transfer window.

Tonali joins with the Magpies preparing for a first Champions League campaign in 20 years, with their new Italian a semi-finalist last term, as his Milan side were knocked out by neighbours – and beaten finalists – Inter.

It marks a statement of intent from Howe and PIF as Newcastle look to consolidate their place among England's elite – their fourth-place finish last season was their highest since the days of Sir Bobby Robson, who secured the Toon's most recent qualification to Europe's premier competition.

But how will Tonali affect the Newcastle team? Football FanCast takes a look at what we can expect from the Italian star as he prepares to make his Premier League bow.

Who is Sandro Tonali? Position: Centre-midfield; also capable of playing as a roaming no 8 and a half-6 Age: 23 Club: AC Milan Nationality: Italian Height: 5 foot 11 Value: £55m What were Tonali's stats like in 2022/23? Games played – Serie A: 34 / Champions League: 12 Goals (domestic): 2; underperformed xG of 2.4 Assists (domestic): 7; overperformed xA of 5.7 Pass completion: 75%

The 23-year-old is a typical ‘Milanista’, born in Lodi – south-east of Milan, Tonali is a huge fan of the club, and despite the cliché, it really was a dream come true for him when he transferred from Brescia to the Rossoneri in July 2021 on a five-year-deal, with fees totalling €25m (£21.6m).

He told Milan News: “In the summer of 2020 I had talked a lot with my mum, my girlfriend and my agent, I dreamed of Milan. The first days were a frenzy. The first year was difficult: dividing being a fan and player, it wasn’t easy, but after a period of adjustment, I made it.”

Not short of passion, Tonali was so determined to force a move to Milan that he took a €400k annual pay cut (from €1.6m to €1.2m per year), which assisted the negotiations that took place for a considerable amount of time, as well as snubbing more lucrative offers from other clubs.

What is Tonali's best position?

Tonali spent most of last season playing in a double pivot as a No 6 in a 4-2-3-1 formation for Milan. However, the Italian possesses the versatility to also play as a roaming No 8 who likes to play in the half-spaces between the wingers and the No 10.

This versatility is something that Eddie Howe highly admires in his players, with the likes of Joelinton, Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon just a few of the many midfielders he has utilised in more than three different positions throughout the season.

Additionally, although Tonali is typically a ‘regista’, this fluidity to play a No 6/No 8 hybrid would help to create a dynamic passing structure in the Magpies’ build-up play as well as in transition. In turn, this would add a level of unpredictability which would benefit Howe’s men, with pundits bemoaning other sides being able to suss Newcastle out in the second half of the campaign.

Despite many defensive midfielders dropping to receive the ball between their team’s two centre-backs – something Jonjo Shelvey had always done – Tonali consistently positions himself in the passing lanes between the opposition's press. This would allow Newcastle to further control the possession in the early stages of the defensive build-up and further encourage the team to play out from the back – something Howe likes to do.

This would give Newcastle the option to continue playing long balls to the likes of Joelinton and Callum Wilson, who both attain enough physicality to win a lot of their aerial duels, which would be effective in games where the opposition is playing with a medium block.

If Newcastle were to sign the 23-year-old, he would undoubtedly be deployed as a No 6 in the centre of the Toon's midfield trio within their 4-3-3 formation. This would allow Bruno Guimaraes to play as an attacking no 8, which is what the Brazilian considers to be his most effective position.

Consequently, if United are to sign an elite CDM – in this case, Tonali – Sean Longstaff would become a squad player and used as a rotation option throughout the season in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and the Champions League.

What will Tonali offer to Newcastle?

One of Tonali’s best attributes is his ball progression which is assisted by his excellent vision and keenness to move possession forward. He managed 159 recorded progressive passes, which is pretty exceptional – for reference, this is something only Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier did more often last season (as per FBref).

The Italian also plays with both feet comfortably and is great at regaining the ball from a high press, which is a solid attribute to have in the Premier League with the ever-growing deployment of high presses, even from bottom-half clubs.

Tonali plays with very high aggression and is a tenacious ball-winner. His physical strength has really developed in the last year and is now one of his marquee attributes. This was initially hindered in 2020 with the player suffering from multiple muscular problems, yet has since been put aside.

In terms of his press, he would suit Howe’s intensity well. Although not blessed with a great overall pace, the player's mentality and aggression combine well to help him press effectively. Under Stefano Pioli at Milan, he was a cardinal mechanism in the way Milan pressed; rather than simply rushing to the ball, Tonali alternatively presses “intelligently”, meaning he not only applies pressure to the opposition, but also cuts other teams' most common passing lanes off, forcing mistakes.

When exploring his defensive actions, statistically, Tonali made 64 tackles, 34 blocks and 25 interceptions last season – very similar to Guimaraes, who made 78 tackles, 28 blocks and 36 interceptions.

Yet, as previously mentioned, the 23-year-old can also play as a roaming No 8, so let’s take a look at what he’s like in the attack.

In terms of player development, Tonali has gradually become more statistically involved in the attack over the last two years since joining Milan, accumulating 16 goal involvements in his last two seasons.

The midfielder initially struggled to make an impact in his first season, making only 17 starts for the club and failing to register a single goal or assist. However, Tonali openly admitted he felt an added pressure when joining the Italian giants as he was such a huge fan of the club, and naturally, that was expected for a 20-year-old.

Now playing with more confidence, he’s a player who makes surging runs depending on the type of attack. For example, playing under a conventional gegenpress for Pioli, which emphasises pressing and vertical counter-transitions, Tonali would tend to run into space in the counter-attacking phase and position himself between the lines of the opposition's centre-backs and full-backs.

This was something he developed playing for Brescia as his team generally only had around 40% of the ball and scored their goals through counter-attacking. However, with Milan averaging 56% possession, Tonali likes to be on the ball a lot more and dictate play.

In fact, he accumulated the fourth-highest amount of touches in Milan’s squad with 1,836, which was only behind defenders Fikayo Tomori, Pierre Kalulu and Theo Hernandez.

Tonali enjoys playing direct, progressive balls in the final third by deploying low-driven passes to the forwards, who drop between the lines to make use of his outstanding vision.

Furthermore, the midfielder likes to switch the play to break out of presses, as well as using his fine level of agility to dribble into open space. Indeed, he progressed the ball 2,809 yards last season, though he was only successful with 39.1% of his take-ons, which is something he needs to improve.

His shooting is generally good, but can still be worked on. His numbers are nowhere near as impressive as Nicolo Barella's, who Newcastle were also linked with recently. He created 3.35 shot-creating actions per 90 last season, with Guimaraes, only slightly bettering that, averaging 3.63 SCAs per 90 in the most recent term.

However, it appears that Tonali can be wasteful in some attacking positions and often rushes a pass, working on this would help increase his passing accuracy rise from 75%.

In terms of set pieces, he is excellent at dead-ball passes, often opting to use an in-swinging technique to deliver the ball into the box. Yet, it is unlikely that Tonali would be good enough to remove Kieran Trippier from set-piece duties.

All in all, there is clear promise in the 23-year-old, and whether he is able to pay off his transfer fee will be down to how well he can gear the Toon towards further successes, with the club's long trophy drought looking as vulnerable as it has for a long while.

Why are Newcastle signing Tonali?

Overall, Tonali’s expected transfer to the Magpies is marvellous business from the club. He is one of the most sought-after young midfielders in the world and already boasts a solid amount of experience in the Champions League. He also knows what it takes to win domestic titles, having won the Serie A with Milan in the 2021/22 season.

Newcastle will be delighted to all but have the transfer wrapped up so early on in the window, so the midfielder will be able to freshen up and adapt to Howe’s style of play before pre-season starts. The golden age really is back on Tyneside.

Royal Challengers Bangalore defended 157 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium against Delhi Daredevils to register their first win of the tournament

The Report by Nikhil Kalro08-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:38

Agarkar: Losing de Kock as big as losing Kohli or de Villiers

IPL 2017 witnessed its second thriller in five games. Royal Challengers defending a meagre 157, by the M Chinnaswamy Stadium’s standards, caught Delhi Daredevils by the throat and strangled the life out of their chase to register a 15-run victory, their first win of the tournament. Daredevils needed 21 off the final two overs with Rishabh Pant, in tremendous hitting form, and Amit Mishra at the crease. Shane Watson conceded two runs off the penultimate over, and Pawan Negi allowed just three runs off the final over, his first of the season. For the first time since 2013, a team had successfully defended under 160 in the IPL at this ground.Royal Challengers surprised many when they chose to bat, and were quickly reduced to 55 for 3 in the ninth over. Kedar Jadhav not only resurrected a faltering innings but put his team on course for a par score at this ground. But the majority of the work was done by Royal Challengers’ bowlers, all of who contributed with at least a wicket each, to complete one of the toughest tasks in the IPL.Ignoring the dataIn the tournament opener, both teams – Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore – wanted to chase. Sunrisers were put in but negated that disadvantage by batting Royal Challengers out of the game.On a small ground, in terrific batting conditions, Royal Challengers wanted to ensure they didn’t suffer the same fate. In a data-driven format, they ignored all the stats and opted to chase. It was only the second time a team had batted first at this ground since IPL 2015 – the only other time was the 2016 IPL final.In the previous 10 T20s at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, five totals of over 200 have been defended and the five under 200 have been chased down. Royal Challengers knew their target. But had no fail-safe if their batting malfunctioned.Rishabh Pant blitzed a 36-ball 57, but it wasn’t enough•BCCIOne bull, two bearsRoyal Challengers opened with their best batsmen in the XI – Chris Gayle and Shane Watson. Both looked fluent, choosing timing over their preferred modus operandi of brute force. It worked well until Gayle mis-timed a full toss from Chris Morris to mid-off. Mandeep Singh chopped on. Shane Watson was stumped for just the third time in the IPL. Shahbaz Nadeem delivered 4-0-13-1, his most economical four-over figures in the IPL. It was Royal Challengers’ first bear market.Then came Jadhav: full of form, confidence and belief. All of it was discernible with his timing and shot selection despite Royal Challengers’ shaky footing. He brought out the inside-out lofted drives and the off-balance flicks through midwicket. Jadhav’s natural flair was uninhibited. He struck five fours and five sixes in his 37-ball 69. Suddenly a score of close to 180 seemed possible.Clichéd as it may be, wickets turned the game again. Zaheer Khan had Stuart Binny caught at midwicket and then flummoxed Jadhav with a slower ball. In between, he contributed to debutant Vishnu Vinod’s run-out. Seventeen of Chris Morris’ 24 deliveries were dot balls as he returned figures of 3 for 21. The last four overs yielded just 23, and Royal Challengers finished with an under-par 157.Another impressive debutHaving impressed with his pace in the Big Bash League for Adelaide Strikers, Billy Stanlake was bought by Royal Challengers for his base price INR 30 lakh, in the second round of the auction. Stanlake used possibly the quickest surface in the competition to zip through Daredevils’ top order with accuracy and sufficient lateral movement. He went through Karun Nair’s defense with a length delivery that moved away and then harried Sanju Samson for pace with a short delivery, picking up two wickets to keep a packed crowd squealing.Hit and missPant smashed his first ball of the season for a massive six over midwicket. Even as his innings wore on, his timing didn’t fail him. Daredevils’ middle and lower order crumbled around him, but he kept his composure to take his team within 21 with two overs remaining. Bowling the penultimate over, Watson’s plan was clear: beat or get under the bat outside off. He varied his lengths and pace to concede just two runs, including four dot balls to Mishra.With 18 to defend off the final over, the game was still not done. Watson opted for the left-arm spin of Negi to Pant. “Pant had not seen him all night. Iqbal Abdulla had bowled three overs to him,” Watson explained at the post-match presentation. Negi’s dart hit leg stump off the first ball, and Watson was vindicated.

Faf du Plessis confirmed Morne Morkel will return to South Africa’s Test XI after more than a year, banking on his experience to get him through despite lack of match fitness

Firdose Moonda in Dunedin07-Mar-20172:54

Moonda: Playing Morkel a gamble

After more than a year out of Test cricket, it’s now or never for Morne Morkel, who will make his international comeback in Dunedin on Wednesday. South Africa have decided to gamble on their lanky quick, despite his lack of game time, and are banking on his experience to pull him through.”He looks good. If he is not going to be able play now, then we will never know if we don’t take the chance. He is a fantastic bowler,” Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s Test captain, said. “I have said to him over the last six months that every time he has bowled in the nets, it felt to me like he was bowling at his best. His consistency is really good. It’s just an opportunity we have to take as a team and see where Morne is with his back. All the reports say he is 100% fine. He’s bowled a lot of overs and he is pretty confident. He will just have to step out and see what he can do.”Morkel has only played two matches this year, both List A games for his South African franchise, Titans which takes his total to six matches since the CPL last July, where he sustained the back niggle that has sidelined him for seven months. Since then, he hasn’t quite gained full fitness. He traveled with the South African Test team to Australia and participated in all three practice matches but the injury scares recurred too frequently and he could not play any of the Tests. Then, he was ruled out of the home series against Sri Lanka and a planned recall in the ODIs was pushed back after Morkel could not play a provincial game because his symptoms flared up again.In the lead-up to this series, Morkel revealed the bulging disc in his spine was considered serious enough to end his career but he wanted to give playing at the highest level another go and underwent intensive rehabilitation. Even when it seemed other players had gone past him in the pecking order, Morkel kept training and his determination has now seen him edge out three other pacers – Duanne Olivier, Wayne Parnell and Chris Morris – in the starting XI.Of those, Olivier may feel the most hard done by. He made an impressive debut at the Wanderers and topped the first-class bowling charts. There’s not much more he could have done to make a case for inclusion in the Test team and du Plessis is certain his turn will come, maybe even on this tour. “Duanne is going to play a huge role for us going forward. It’s nice to have the opportunity to have him with us this whole series and I think even in conditions where the ball might swing and a bit of pace, Duanne can be a factor to still challenge for a spot in our strongest XI,” he said.Morne Morkel last played a Test in January 2016•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

But for the first match, South Africa want to go with what they consider to be their most lethal combination, and they have decided that Morkel is part of that. Not only does he have 71 Tests and 242 wickets to his name, but he gets good bounce and, as Dean Elgar reminded on Monday, he has a knack of troubling left-handers, of which New Zealand have three in the top five. “That’s one of the reasons he got the nod ahead of Duanne. You’ve got to make sure you pick your strongest team for the guys you are playing against,” du Plessis said.Morkel surprises left-handers with the angle that he delivers the ball, which “is almost pointing to first slip,” according to du Plessis. “It goes either into right-handers or away from left-handers and obviously bounce is a huge factor. He is terrible to face in the nets as a right-hander because you always feel like you can get hit in the ribs and obviously it’s the opposite to lefties, it goes away. The angle he can create from around the wicket to get the ball to come in and move away is extremely hard to face,” du Plessis said.If South Africa win the toss, New Zealand will get to experience that first-up. Du Plessis confirmed that he will follow the trend of bowling first, as has been the case in the last 22 Tests played in New Zealand. “That tells a pretty good story and you will have to be pretty brave to go against that,” he said. “I assume the conditions up above also plays a role in how it looks.”Cloud has dominated the build-up to the Test but temperatures have plummeted which, as Neil Wagner hinted, suggests swing may not be a factor. However, humidity is set to increase through the Test and it should get slightly warmer so du Plessis will still hope for some movement. But he laughed off a suggestion of perusing the nearest sweet shop – although there is an entire Cadbury’s factory about a kilometre away from the ground – for assistance in shining the ball the same way he did in Australia.”I don’t know these conditions so I have to see what the guys think is the best way to shine the ball is but I think saliva is the process that I am following for the next while at least,” he joked. “Swinging the ball would be a huge factor in these conditions, so you have to keep the ball as shiny as possible. I don’t think reverse swing will play too much of a role in these conditions with the ball getting too wet, so it’s just about making the ball swing.”

Since the takeover of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham, the Welsh club have enjoyed a fitting Hollywood script, which is yet to reach its end. Last season saw things get even better, with Phil Parkinson’s side securing the National League title, and, therefore, promotion to League Two, and back to the Football League for the first time since the 2007/08 season.Ending 15 years of misery, it seems as though the actors are only just getting started, with their sights firmly set on League Two, and ensuring success in the next few years.When the Hollywood duo first arrived, there may have been some hesitation when it came to supporting them. After all, why Wrexham? And then when the cameras came out for the documentary, more fans may have been slightly wary. Yet, so far, they’ve simply understood the club from the bottom to the very top.They arrived without an ounce of knowledge about a sport they even called soccer previously. Now, it could be said that Reynolds and McElhenney are one of the best ownership partnerships in football, based on just how far Wrexham have come.In League Two, such is their ambition, they’ll be looking to do more than just survive. And, with that said, Phil Parkinson recently revealed his transfer plans for this summer.

Who are Wrexham going to sign this summer?

Speaking to the TWS Sports Podcast, Parkinson said: “I don’t think we need loads of players. I think we already got 20-plus players and if we can bring one or two key players, then I will be happy. If we didn’t and we continued with the same squad, I won’t be complaining.

“We are looking abroad as well. So we are looking at those markets as well. There’s been new rules brought in recently, the rules to bring in a couple of foreign players have been relaxed, so we are looking at those markets as well. Obviously, it’s quite complex judging players at those levels. We are looking across the board really, and we are trying to get the best quality we can in our budget.”

Is Wrexham the oldest football stadium?

Playing at the Racecourse Ground – the oldest international football ground still in use since hosting its first international match on 5 March 1877 – the club will hope to see some exciting new faces arrive over the coming months.

With the summer transfer window well underway, Wrexham are reportedly interested in making a move for Bristol City’s Kai Naismith this summer, according to Thomas Wynne Lewis of North Wales Live.

The versatile defender made 25 appearances for the Robins in the Championship last season, and would be an incredible coup for the Welsh side, given his quality to play far higher than the League Two level.

The fact that Wrexham have even been linked with a Championship defender shows just how far they’ve come. Players are attracted to the Reynolds and McElhenney project. They are willing to drop a level or two just to benefit from where the duo could take the club in the future.

We saw Paul Mullin make the drop-down to the National League in 2021, and he has thrived since, finding the back of the net a sensational 74 times in just 90 appearances for the club.

So, whether it be transfer targets in England or abroad, the attraction to play for Wrexham is there for all to see this summer.

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has defended the introduction of a new T20 tournament, slated to get underway in 2020, by insisting that the concept will “future-proof” the game in England and Wales.Harrison also stated he would like “as much cricket as possible” to be broadcast free to air, and insisted that a key aim of the new competition would be to underpin the future of Test cricket.Speaking in between presentations with all members of the ECB – the first-class counties, the MCC and representatives from the recreational game – Harrison confirmed the organisational details of the new competition, as published by ESPNcricinfo earlier this month – and expressed his confidence that he will receive a mandate to progress plans for the tournament within the next few weeks.To further those plans, the ECB’s executive board will meet on Tuesday to agree a ground-breaking amendment to the constitution of the ECB that will allow them, for the first time, to run a competition that excludes some of the 18 first-class counties. After that, a letter will be sent to all 41 members of the ECB (the 18 first-class counties, the MCC, the 21 recreational boards and the Minor Counties Cricket Association) asking them to approve those constitutional changes. The ECB requires 31 positive responses within 28 days of the date on the letter for the changes to be passed. A non-response is effectively a no-vote.Realistically, it is most unlikely that the ECB’s plans will be derailed at this stage. All 18 counties and the MCC have now signed media deeds assigning their broadcast rights to the ECB – the final county signed a couple of days ago – after the ECB threatened to withhold funding (£1.3m per county per year for five years, starting in 2020) if they delayed further.Several counties are deeply unhappy – one complained of being “co-coerced” while another stated that “Devon and Dorset are telling the Test grounds how to run their business” – but those grumbles are now likely to remain below the surface. Depending on your point of view, the non-first-class counties have been won over by the ECB’s plans, or won over by the ECB’s offers of extra money.One or two concessions have been won by recalcitrant counties. The ECB have confirmed that the change to the constitution will apply only to the new-team T20 competition – meaning all three existing competitions will continue to feature 18 teams – and they have confirmed that are aiming for eight of the 36 games in the new-team competition to be broadcast free to air. After what will have been a decade-and-a-half behind a paywall, that might yet prove to be the most significant development of all.Most of all, though, Harrison sought to explain the motivation behind the advent of the new competition. Accompanied by England’s limited-overs captain, Eoin Morgan, who attended the meetings to add his support, he drew on research that suggests that the imprisoned spend more time outside than many of today’s children in the UK, and that only 2% of British kids list cricket as their favourite sport. In short: cricket needs to act if it is to remain relevant.”It is very clear we are not currently talking to as big an audience as we should be, because our tournaments are not as relevant as they should be,” Harrison said from the Royal Institute of British Architects, where the meetings were held as the offices at Lord’s are currently being refurbished. “We have to think differently if we’re going to be successful at attracting family audiences to our competitions. We need to change our thinking on that to be relevant to a new generation that responds to big box-office occasions.”This is about creating something different. If we’re successful at that, we’ll be successful at boosting our existing tournaments as well as creating something dramatically different for English cricket and for a thriving new audience for English cricket.”Arguing that plans to play the new-team competition at the same time as the 50-over competition and Test cricket did not risk “cannibalising” the existing audience, Harrison insisted that the aim was to find an entirely new and different audience for the game.”We don’t see the audiences for Test cricket being impacted by the new T20 competition,” he said. “We’ve done an awful lot of work in understanding our county championship audience, our Blast audience, our 50-over audience. What this is designed to do is complement that with a whole new audience that we’re currently not talking to.”This is about growth. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to create something that appeals to an entirely new audience, grows cricket’s overall audience, and enable us to control something that has real value for the long term.”Key to that will be the ECB’s ability to strike a better balance between subscription and free-to-air broadcasting. While Harrison can make no guarantees – it is, after all, up to the broadcasters to decide what they show – he confirmed that discussions with free-to-air providers were positive and on-going.”In an ideal world, I’d like to maximise revenue and reach,” he said. “I would love to have as much cricket as we could [on free to air]. But we’re a pay-TV business. We’re underwritten by pay TV. Right now, there aren’t too many alternatives to that, so we have to be smart about how we package and work with our commercial partners to make sure we get that balance right between reach and revenue.”We’ve a great opportunity. There’s a desire from free-to-air to partner with us on new T20. They’re excited about where we’re taking the game. These are not conversations you can have if you’re not presenting something very clear, very exciting and very different to the market. So we’re in a very strong place.”Defending the accusation that the 50-over tournament would be diminished by being played in the shadow of the new T20 competition, Harrison said: “The 50-over tournament will be where county members can see young players coming through. It will give young players a chance to showcase their abilities earlier in their career than they would otherwise get. There’s reason to be very cheerful about the 50-over tournament.”In theory, it is just about possible that individual counties could lobby their chairmen and chief executives over the next couple of weeks and demand they reject the constitutional amendment. Realistically, though, from the moment the counties voted to pursue the new-team competition as their only option from 2020 onwards this was an inevitable outcome.

There has been an update regarding Tottenham Hotspur's pursuit of Wolfsburg defender, Micky van de Ven…

What's the latest on Van de Ven to Tottenham?

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Lilywhites are said to have lodged a "verbal" offer to sign the 22-year-old, with Ange Postecoglou and co pressing on in their bid to land the 6 foot 4 ace.

Writing on Twitter regarding that developing story, the respected insider revealed: "Understand Tottenham have submitted verbal opening proposal for Micky van de Ven. Negotiations ongoing now with Wolfsburg — not done deal yet.

"No issues on personal terms, parties are close on contract details — up to Spurs and Wolfsburg."

This follows a report from football.london's Alasdair Gold which suggested that the north Londoners are set to decide whether to sign the promising Dutchman – who is valued at around £30m – or fellow centre-back, Edmond Tapsoba, as Postecoglou seeks to freshen up his backline ahead of the start of next season.

Who is Micky van de Ven similar to?

As a towering, left-footed central defender who comes from the Netherlands, there is an easy comparison to be made between Van de Ven and his compatriot, Sven Botman, with the latter man – who also stands at 6 foot 4 – having enjoyed a stellar debut season at Newcastle United last time out.

After making the move to St James' Park on a £35m deal from Lille last summer, the 23-year-old quickly made a "huge difference" to Eddie Howe's side, according to journalist Josh Bunting, having helped to stabilise a previously leaky defence that had shipped 62 top flight goals the year prior.

As it proved, the one-time Ajax youth star went on to form part of the joint-best defence in the league – alongside champions, Manchester City – as the Tynesiders conceded just 33 goals in 38 league games, with that solidity seemingly proving vital in the club securing a remarkable top four finish.

Such has been Botman's impact in English football so far, the one-time Heerenveen loanee has been tipped to go on to become the Premier League's best-ever centre-back, according to Sky Sports pundit, Jamie Redknapp, with that a marker of his undoubted talent.

For Tottenham to then find their own version of the £90k-per-week sensation could prove to be a real shrewd piece of business for Postecoglou, with Van de Ven – who has been described as a "jewel" by talent scout Jacek Kulig – having the credentials to be able to follow in his fellow Dutchman's footsteps.

Much like Botman – who is "very good technically but also has that physical presence that you need as a centre-half", according to pundit Danny Murphy – the Wolfsburg monster is also able to combine his defensive prowess with real composure in possession.

As Kulig noted, the emerging ace is a "complete & dominant" asset defensively, although is also "confident & comfortable on the ball", thus showcasing his likeness to the Newcastle man.

Those shared traits can also be shown by last season's statistical record, with Van de Ven keeping 11 clean sheets, averaging 1.4 tackles and enjoying an 88% pass accuracy rate from his 33 Bundesliga outings, while Botman also kept 11 clean sheets, averaged 1.1 tackles and had a pass accuracy rate of 87% from his 36 Premier League appearances.

Such a likeness would appear to suggest that if Spurs are able to get a deal over the line, then the Netherlands U21 international could also potentially make a 'huge difference' to the backline – as Botman has done in the northeast…

انتقد حلمي طولان المدير الفني السابق للزمالك، اختيار حسام حسن مديرًا فنيًا لمنتخب مصر، مؤكدًا أنه ليس الأجدر لقيادة الفريق القومي.

وقال طولان في تصريحات عبر برنامج “نجوم في عز الضهر”، على إذاعة “أون تايم سبورت: “حسام حسن ليس الأجدر لقيادة منتخب مصر، لكنه وجد دعما كبيرا، عكس حسام البدري وإيهاب جلال، لا أعلم هل يخشاه الناس؟”.

سيد معوض: تجاهل محمد صلاح لـ منتخب مصر “طبيعي” بعد سبّه طوال 5 أشهر

وتابع: “أقسم بالله العظيم اتحاد الكرة ليس له أي دور في تعيين حسام حسن، ولو أنا من المجلس سأتقدم باستقالتي، لكن لم يكن بمقدورهم أن يتقدموا باستقالتهم”.

وأضاف: “عندما يكون اتحاد الكرة ليس لهم دور في إدارة الكرة في مصر، إذا لم يكن منهم فائدة فيجب أن يرحلوا، قرار اختيار المدير الفني للمنتخب لم يتدخلوا فيه”.

واختتم: “حتى وزير الرياضة أشرف صبحي ليس له دخل بالموضوع، لأنه كان اتفق مع اتحاد الكرة على 3 مديرين فنيين أجانب قبل تعيين حسام حسن”.

وكان حسام حسن قد تولى مهمة منتخب مصر خلفًا للمدرب البرتغالي روي فيتوريا، بعد وداع الفراعنة لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا.

حسام حسن نجح في قيادة منتخب مصر للفوز على نيوزيلندا في أولى الوديات التي خاضهم، بهدف دون رد سجله مصطفى محمد.

ويستعد منتخب مصر لمواجهة كرواتيا في نهائي كأس عاصمة مصر، مساء غدًا الثلاثاء، على ملعب استاد العاصمة الإدارية.

Liverpool have begun discussions with Southampton over a move for 19-year-old Romeo Lavia, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Is Romeo Lavia joining Liverpool?

One of the few players to have come out of last season with credit in the bank at Southampton was Romeo Lavia. The Belgian was impressive in his debut Premier League season and was one of the few positives the Saints could take from a bitterly disappointing campaign.

Arriving from Manchester City last summer, the teenager probably didn't expect he would have to play so much at St Mary's Stadium, featuring 34 times at senior level for Southampton.

Lavia's potential has made him a target for some of the Premier League's biggest clubs, with Fabrizio Romano stating on his YouTube channel that Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all hold an interest in him.

However, the Italian has revealed that it is Liverpool that have opened talks with Southampton over a potential move for Lavia in recent days, with the club sounding out how much a potential deal may cost.

"So, Romeo Lavia is in Arsenal's list," said Romano. "But, from what I understand, also Liverpool have opened talks to sign Romeo Lavia. So, Liverpool have an interest in Lavia."

"Man United asked about the situation, Chelsea did the same a few weeks ago. So, both clubs are informed, but at the moment they are not that close or active on this deal because it depends also on the timing. But for Liverpool, Romeo Lavia is one of the players they are considering."

"We know about [Khephren] Thuram, we know about Manu Kone, especially Thuram in this moment for Liverpool is a concrete target, but we have to add also Romeo Lavia to their list because he is one of the players they appreciate. Let's see if they decide to bid."

One stumbling block could be the price tag, however, with Romano stating that Liverpool would need to fork out over £40m for Lavia, with Southampton desperate to cash in on their star.

Liverpool have already added Alexis Mac Allister to their squad, but they need more than one midfielder given the departures of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner on free transfers.

As Romano mentions, Nice's Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach's Kone have been linked with Anfield, as have Nicolo Barella, Gabri Veiga and Ryan Gravenberch.

Should Liverpool sign Romeo Lavia?

One of the reasons for Liverpool's performance issues last season was the lack of midfield resilience, as well as the dwindling influence of defensive midfielder Fabinho.

Therefore, the introduction of a highly-talented holding midfielder at the other end of their career could be exactly what the Reds need, as well as easing the workload on the shoulders of Liverpool's number three.

Jurgen Klopp hailed Southampton's midfield for their "proper football" last season, of which Lavia was a huge part, and the starlet's defensive acumen makes him a tempting option for the German coach.

Per 90 minutes last season, Lavia, who has been hailed as a "monster", put in an average of 1.9 blocks, 2.43 tackles and 1.34 interceptions in a team that left him laughably exposed as the anchor. His 7.48 ball recoveries per 90 highlights his impressive ability to read play defensively, something Liverpool are crying out for in midfield.