'How we forced the red card was brilliant!' – Oliver Glasner praises Crystal Palace for 'attacking and fighting' as new manager gets off to winning start against Burnley

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner was thrilled with his side's 3-0 win over Burnley and how their attack "forced" their opponents to go a man down.

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Palace beat Burnley 3-0Brownhill sent off for ClaretsGlasner thrilled with victoryGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Eagles got Glasner's tenure at Selhurst Park off to a winning start thanks to second-half goals from Chris Richards, Jordan Ayew, and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Their pressure eventually told after Josh Brownhill was sent off in the 35th minute, with former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Glasner praising the performance and the way their attack led to the midfielder's dismissal.

AdvertisementWHAT OLIVER GLASNER SAID

He told : "Sometimes the players forget about keeping the balance in the game but how we forced the red card was brilliant and we attacked very high. It was really nice to see. We had a great spirit from the beginning and the players tried to do everything that the analysts prepared for them. Also thank you to my staff because we were only here for three days. My feeling was the fans were happy to see the players attacking and fighting, they were very loud, this is what we want. They had a great afternoon and now they can go somewhere in a pub and enjoy one or two beers."

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Ex-Wolfsburg manager Glasner replaced Roy Hodgson as Palace boss earlier this month after the latter agreed to step down from his role following a health scare and a poor run of results. While this win over relegation-threatened Burnley will not solve the club's issues, it does put them eight points clear of the bottom three. Conversely, Clarets boss Vincent Kompany will be under intense pressure to keep his job as they are 19th and eight points from safety.

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WHAT NEXT?

Glasner's Palace side, who are up to 13th in the table, travel to London neighbours Tottenham in their next Premier League outing on March 2 whereas Kompany's Burnley host Bournemouth in the English top-flight a day later.

Taylor, Hartley, Beaumont among KSL switches

Several England players have moved teams ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018Several England players have moved teams ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League (KSL). Sarah Taylor has left Lancashire Lightning for Surrey Stars, with Alex Hartley going the other way, while Tammy Beaumont moves to Southern Vipers from Surrey.There has also been a straight swap between Loughborough Lightning and Yorkshire Diamonds of Jenny Gunn for Beth Langston.The changes are overseen by the ECB and aimed at keeping a balance between the six sides, ahead of the third edition of the T20 competition. Each of the teams will still be able to recruit their own overseas players.”The latest player movements are to ensure the best balance between the six sides and to maintain a fair and competitive competition with the over-arching principle of trying to ensure a best versus best competition,” KSL general manager Jo Kirk said.”We want the KSL to continue to go from strength to strength in its third year. Attendances rose by 44% last year and we’re looking forward to even more fans attending games this summer, hopefully culminating in a sold-out Finals Day down in Hove.”This year’s KSL begins on July 22 and features an expanded group stage, with the teams now playing each other twice. The top three will then go on to Finals Day at Hove on Bank Holiday Monday, August 27.

Man Utd issue fresh statement on Marcus Rashford following showdown talks with Erik ten Hag after Belfast clubbing controversy

Manchester United have issued a fresh statement on forward Marcus Rashford in the wake of crunch talks with manager Erik ten Hag.

  • Rashford missed Newport win
  • Has been spotted nightclubbing
  • Met with Ten Hag for talks
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Rashford was back at Manchester United on Monday for talks with Ten Hag after missing Sunday's FA Cup win over Newport County. The Red Devils said Rashford was absent from the game due to illness, but he has become embroiled in controversy after being spotted in a nightclub in Belfast and missing training. United have now issued a further update on the situation.

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    WHAT MAN UTD SAID

    The club said in a statement: “Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions. This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed."

  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Manager Erik ten Hag has history of exiling players who do not fit in with his methods, or who misbehave outside of the club, with Jadon Sancho one such example. He claimed the United boss had made him a "scapegoat" and thereafter, refused to apologise. He was subsequently loaned to Borussia Dortmund.

    By comparison, Rashford is back in training and is available for selection against Wolves on Thursday.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    United take on Wolves looking to bounce back from a loss to Nottingham Forest and a draw with Tottenham in the Premier League. They were last in action against Newport County, winning 4-2 in the FA Cup.

Australia battle through after Root's toss gamble

England managed to take four wickets – including that of Steven Smith for 40 – but Australia had nevertheless built a solid platform after Joe Root’s decision to put them in

The Report by Brydon Coverdale02-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt is a bold captain who sends the opposition in to bat in any Test match, let alone in the Ashes, let alone away from home, let alone on an obviously good batting pitch. But that was the decision Joe Root made on the first day in Adelaide; by stumps it still looked a bold call, and not necessarily a good one. Australia were not exactly unscathed by the close of play, but at 4 for 209, neither were they as scathed as Root had intended.Two recent field-first decisions by England captains in Australia stick out in the memory. When Nasser Hussain sent Steve Waugh’s men in at the Gabba in 2002, he knew his mistake by the fifth over of the match. Australia closed the first day at 2 for 364. But at the MCG in 2010, Andrew Strauss was rewarded for his brave move when Australia were skittled for 98, and by stumps England were 0 for 157 in reply. Root’s call falls somewhere in between.There was some swing and seam movement early in the day, but Australia’s openers left well and were untroubled during a rain-affected opening session. Under lights in the evening, the ball again moved around, and here Australia lost two key wickets: Usman Khawaja edged behind to a James Anderson ball that moved away, and Steven Smith played on to the debutant fast bowler Craig Overton.Such was Smith’s impact at the Gabba that Root might almost consider getting Smith for 40 to be worth the bowl-first decision in itself. As Root noted in the lead-up to this Test, take out Smith’s score at the Gabba and Australia lost the rest of their wickets for less than 200. Still, England failed to run through the Australians after snaring Khawaja and Smith, and by stumps Peter Handscomb was well set on 36 and Shaun Marsh had 20.Australia were hoping that one of those two men would cash in, for David Warner (47), Smith (40) and Khawaja (53) had all made strong starts that did not evolve into great innings. No partnership lasted 20 overs, and England continued to chip away through the rain-shortened day.In fact, there was much chippy behaviour from both sides, not surprisingly after the Jonny Bairstow headbutt saga of the Gabba Test. Smith was welcomed to the crease by an aggressive spell from Stuart Broad that included many exchanges of words, and later Smith found himself involved in a petty turf-war with Anderson, who was fielding at catching mid-on to Handscomb, very close to where Smith was stationed as non-striker.In the end, it was Overton who did the important job of actually removing Smith, and not just annoying him. Overton found the perfect length to trouble Australia’s captain, who was caught in no-man’s-land between playing forward and back, and inside-edged onto his stumps. Picked in place of Jake Ball, Overton justified his inclusion with that one delivery.Earlier in the final session, Anderson had stopped Khawaja turning his start into something more when he moved one away just enough to be edged to gully, where James Vince took a sharp catch moving to his left. Khawaja had failed to add to his dinner score, and his departure must have relieved Mark Stoneman, who had dropped a gettable chance in the deep when Khawaja had 44 and top-edged a hook off Chris Woakes.Khawaja was not the first Australian to flirt outside the off stump when he felt set: Warner fell for 47 when he dabbled at Woakes and was caught behind by Bairstow. Warner was frustrated at himself after working patiently for 102 deliveries, and he wasn’t the only Australian left frustrated by David Warner.After the opening session was reduced to 13.5 overs due to persistent rain, it took only four balls for England to strike upon the resumption. Warner pushed Broad towards cover and a misfield from Moeen Ali resulted in Warner calling Cameron Bancroft through for a single. But Warner changed his mind and Bancroft was caught short at the non-striker’s end by a direct hit from Woakes. Perhaps Bancroft’s heavy head slowed down his turning speed.It was just the boost England needed after few balls threatened the stumps in the opening session. Still, Root had to find a way through the rest of the top order and it was therefore a little surprising, given Khawaja’s struggles against spin, that he waited until Khawaja had faced 26 balls before introducing Moeen. By then, Khawaja was set, and he had no qualms about advancing and lofting Moeen over mid-off.By the time Khawaja had the second half-century of his Ashes career, and stood alongside Smith at the crease on 2 for 139, Root’s gamble at the toss was looking poor. At least when stumps arrived, Root was well out of Hussain territory.

Maharastra say Pune curator suspended, not dismissed

Maharashtra Cricket Association also says it will conduct a probe into the matter which will be independent of the ICC’s investigation

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Oct-2017Contrary to the BCCI’s assertion that Pandurang Salgaoncar has been “dismissed” from his role, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) says it has only suspended him as head groundsman of the Pune pitch. The MCA will appoint its own committee to conduct a probe, which will be conducted after investigation being carried out by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU).”He has been suspended as curator and as also the MCA member because of any actions which might bring disrepute to the association,” a MCA official told ESPNcricinfo. “There will be an inquiry and depending upon the verdict a final decision will be taken.”Action was taken against Salgaoncar on Thursday, hours before the India-New Zealand T20, for “malpractice” that was captured on camera by undercover reporters from . The decision to suspend Salgaoncar was unilaterally taken by the MCA president Abhay Apte, after the footage was released. It is understood that Salgaoncar had come to the ground on the morning of the T20, but Apte met him and explained the seriousness of the issue. Apte informed Salgaoncar that he was left with no choice but to suspend him. He also said that the best solution was for Salgaoncar to leave the ground.According to the MCA official, Salgaoncar asked if he could watch the match sitting in an MCA box, but Apte declined such a request as the curator’s presence would have added to the media furore. “There was the issue about perception. There is an issue about faith, about trust, and it was not appropriate to let him continue in the job and it would be incorrect,” the MCA official said.The MCA was relieved once ICC match referee Chris Broad gave the match the go-ahead upon examining the pitch.On Thursday, in an emergency meeting, Apte explained to the MCA members the logic behind suspending Salgaoncar. “The MCA suspended him pending enquiry. We cannot terminate him without any proof and finding. And we cannot let him go just based on a perception that he had done something wrong.”Asked whether Salgaoncar had committed a breach of the ICC’s ACU code, the MCA official agreed there was a violation. “Prima facie there is evidence and misconduct and hence he was suspended. If it is confirmed that there was [misconduct] then he will be removed. If it confirmed that was not the case, then he will be reinstated.”

Bairstow hundred sets up stroll to 4-0

Jonny Bairstow made his second century of the Royal London series to help England to a resounding victory over West Indies

George Dobell at the Ageas Bowl29-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonny Bairstow made his second century of the Royal London series to help England to a resounding victory over West Indies.Bairstow, who was promoted to open the batting following a spell of poor form that saw Jason Roy dropped, followed his maiden ODI century at Old Trafford in the first match of this series with an accomplished innings of 141 from 114 balls. It was the highest ODI score by an England batsman in an ODI against West Indies and the first time an England player has scored two centuries in the same bilateral ODI series against them.With the recalled Roy also taking his opportunity – he followed his innings of 84 at The Oval with an innings of 96 here – it suggested Alex Hales could face a prolonged period outside the team. Hales is not currently considered available for selection following a night out in Bristol.The competition for places in the England squad is more intense than anything they experienced on the pitch at the Ageas Bowl. Set a modest 289 for victory, they eased to a nine-wicket win with an eye-watering 12 overs remaining. That sealed a 4-0 series win and stretched England’s record against West Indies to 16 out of their last 17 ODIs.While Roy and Bairstow’s opening partnership of 156 in 21.2 overs will probably gain the plaudits after a disappointingly one-sided game, the key period arguably occurred much earlier. From the moment West Indies went more than 20 overs in mid-innings without hitting a boundary it became apparent they would set an inadequate total.But for a brief flurry from Chris Gayle, when he thrashed 34 in six successive deliveries from Jake Ball, West Indies were oddly passive for much of their innings bat and allowed England’s spinners – Man of the Series Moeen Ali and legspinner Adil Rashid – to bowl their 20 overs for a cost of just 78 runs. West Indies went from the final ball of the ninth over to the fifth ball of the 31st without hitting a boundary.The day had started poorly for England. With Ben Stokes’ immediate future uncertain, the importance of Chris Woakes to England has grown further. So it was far from ideal that he reported some stiffness in his lower back after the match at The Oval and was rested as a consequence. There are currently no plans for a scan but England will be anxiously monitoring his progress over the next few days.In his place, Tom Curran came into the side for an ODI debut and produced a quietly impressive performance. Most notably, he demonstrated admirable skill and composure in producing a perfectly delivered back-of-the-hand slower ball to deceive and dismiss Gayle in full flow. It will prove a memorable maiden ODI wicket in a performance that may well have propelled him above Ball when it comes to future selection.Ball found, like many before him, that bowling to Gayle in the Powerplay is no easy task. Despite starting with a maiden to Gayle, who didn’t get off the mark until his 15th ball, the final three deliveries of Ball’s third over were all thrashed – to say they were driven would hardly reflect the terrific force with which the ball was struck – for six by Gayle, while the first three of his fourth conceded two more sixes and a four to the same batsman. In all, Ball conceded six of the 10 sixes hit by West Indies during the innings.Also deserving of credit for the Gayle dismissal was Liam Plunkett. Keeping his eye on the ball while running back from mid-off, Plunkett clung on to an outstanding diving catch to capitalise on Gayle’s mistimed drive. A few overs later Plunkett took an equally good reaction chance off his own bowling – pouncing low and to his left, he clung on to a mistimed drive – to account for Kyle Hope, who came into the side in place of the injured Evin Lewis.That wicket brought Shai Hope and Samuels together. And, while the pair were rarely troubled in adding 57, the fact that it took them 16 overs played into England’s hands. Samuels’s miserable series culminated in an innings of 32 from 60 balls with just one boundary and meant he finished the series averaging 15.25 at a strike-rate of 49.19. By the time he ran past one from Moeen Ali that slid on, it was hard to gauge whether it was England or West Indies supporters who were happier.Shai Hope, at least, eventually found his form. Having not hit a boundary for the first 77 balls of his innings, he then hit three in succession as he started to anticipate Curran’s variations.Sunil Ambris, brought into the side in place of Jason Holder who returned to Barbados for the funeral of his uncle, also looked an accomplished, aggressive player. With Ashley Nurse, who hit 31 from 12 balls, he added some impetus at the end of the innings to partially compensate for the overs used up by Hope and Samuels. But, on another decent track, the West Indies total always looked a little short of par.Not for a moment did Bairstow and Roy appear troubled. And, if it was the crisp striking that was a feature of the latter part of Bairstow’s innings, it was his brilliant running between the wickets that left West Indies’ stand-in captain, Jason Mohammed, scratching his head. Joe Root completed proceedings by hitting the final ball of the match for six and, in the process, becoming the third-fastest man in history to reach 4000 ODI runs.The result completes the longest international season in England’s history. In the 147 days since May 5, England have won 18 of the international games they have played (with one no-result), including Test and ODI series victories over South Africa and West Indies. All of which sounds excellent. But the failure to win the Champions Trophy and lingering fears for the future of Stokes cast significant shadows over those results.West Indies, meanwhile, clearly have a great deal of work in front of them if they are to gain qualification to the World Cup.

Tottenham Could Fill Trippier Void With £10m "Baller"

Tottenham Hotspur have already acted quickly this summer to secure the signings of both Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison to help bolster Ange Postecoglou's squad, with chairman Daniel Levy having also wrapped up both Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro on permanent deals following their respective loan spells.

In the case of the latter man, the 23-year-old joined on loan from Sporting CP in January in a deal that included a £39m obligation to buy at the end of the season, with the Spaniard having been earmarked as the long-term solution for the Lilywhites at right wing-back.

The arrival of Postecoglou, however, is likely to see a shift to a flat back four, hence the possible concerns as to whether the one-time Manchester City asset can be deployed in a more orthodox right-back berth.

As football.london's Alasdair Gold wrote last term following the grim 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United last season, the 5 foot 8 ace 'doesn't look like a natural full-back', while The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare has revealed that is 'well known' that he is an 'excellent attacker but a questionable defender'.

As such, it is no surprise that the north Londoners are believed to be looking to the transfer market to find a possible alternative, with Tuttosport recently reporting that Levy and co are interested in signing Torino's Wilfried Singo, with the 22-year-old potentially available for a fee of just €12m (£10m) due to his expiring contract.

If Spurs are able to pull off a deal for the 6 foot 3 ace, it could allow the Premier League side to finally fill the void that was left behind by Kieran Trippier's exit back in 2019.

How good is Kieran Trippier?

There's no denying that Tottenham have endured issues at right-back since the Englishman moved on to Atletico Madrid on a £21.7m deal just over four years ago, with the likes of Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal failing to truly establish themselves in recent years.

Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier

In the case of Doherty, the Republic of Ireland international was moved on in January after making just 54 starts in all competitions following his arrival back in 2020, while Emerson was branded a "liability" by ex-Spurs man Jamie O'Hara last year amid his difficult start to life in England.

That duo seemingly proved unable to plug the gap that was left behind by Trippier, with the one-time Burnley ace having been part of the side that reached the Champions League final in 2019, having contributed 23 assists in 114 games for the club across all fronts from his right-sided berth.

Having returned to the Premier League at Newcastle United 18 months ago, the 32-year-old's all-round quality has been evident, as he finished fourth in the division in 2022/23 for big chances created, while also averaging three tackles and interceptions per game as part of the joint-best defence in the league.

Spurs are seemingly in need of their own version of the Bury-born gem, hence why Singo could be a dream addition, with the Ivory Coast international having been hailed as the "complete defender" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Also lauded as a "baller" by Kulig, the towering titan – who registered five goals and assists in Serie A last term – can provide an attacking threat from the flanks as he ranks in the top 13% among his European peers for successful take-ons, while his defensive nous is shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 2% for aerial duels won.

Like Trippier – who has been described as a "defensive animal" by England boss Gareth Southgate – Singo is also rather "tenacious", according to Kulig, ensuring he proves to be a stern test for any opposition winger.

While it remains to be seen if Spurs will invest again in that department following Porro's capture, the Torino menace would no doubt be an ideal, bargain Trippier heir.

Not-so-subtle hint! Jadon Sancho reactivates Instagram account and teases Borussia Dortmund return ahead of loan from Man Utd

Jadon Sancho has reactivated his Instagram account ahead of his return to Borussia Dortmund on loan from Manchester United.

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Sancho already in DortmundReturns to Instagram just hours after landingLoan deal set to be announcedWHAT HAPPENED?

The 23-year-old has already flown to Germany before his impending move to the Black & Yellows. And immediately upon his return, Sancho reactivated his Instagram account which he had to deactivate due to a row with Erik ten Hag for his'scapegoat' remark that left him exiled from all first-team facilities since August.

He has deleted all former posts and teased his imminent move to Dortmund on his display picture with an image from his earlier stint at Signal Iduna Park.

@sanchooo10 Instagram

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It will be a straight short-term loan with no-buy option, which means that Sancho will return to Manchester in the summer. He had been training with the academy players at Carrington to keep himself fit and ready for a fresh challenge after it was made abundantly clear that he had no future at Old Trafford.

DID YOU KNOW?

Jadon Sancho is the only player since 2004-05 who has scored and assisted at least 15 goals each within a single Bundesliga season, doing so in 2019-20 (17 goals and 16 assists).

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Sancho is set for his medical at Dortmund before re-signing with his former employers until the end of the campaign. It remains to be seen if Sancho is handed a run-out on Saturday by coach Edin Terzic against Darmstadt in the Bundesliga or if he is made to wait until January 20 to get back to competitive action against Koln at RheinEnergie Stadion.

Zinedine Zidane the next manager of Man Utd? Ex-Red Devils striker quizzed on whether fellow Frenchman would want to succeed Erik ten Hag

Zinedine Zidane continues to be linked with Manchester United, but Louis Saha is not convinced that the legendary Frenchman would want the job.

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Questions being asked of Dutch coachReal Madrid legend still out of workHas avoided English jobs in the pastWHAT HAPPENED?

There is not a vacancy to be filled in the Old Trafford dugout at present, with Erik ten Hag still calling the shots. Questions have, however, been asked of how long the Dutchman will be sticking around for as United scratch around for consistency in Premier League and Champions League.

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Former Real Madrid boss Zidane has been mooted as a potential United boss in the past, and figures prominently in current betting markets, but ex-Red Devils striker Saha has – speaking in association with – told GOAL when asked if the World Cup winner would be interested in a prominent English post: “Zinedine Zidane has been linked with Manchester United before but he’s a legend of the game and he’s willing to take his time. He’s had a lot of opportunities, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and we heard his name with United before. I’ve seen reports that he might not be willing to come to the Premier League, so I'd be surprised if things have changed in that sense. Manchester United are still one of the biggest attractions but it’s a difficult place to come and have the success that we’re all looking for. That’s the biggest challenge, and whether he wants it is up to him.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Ten Hag is under contract until 2025 and did deliver Carabao Cup glory for United last season. Quizzed on whether he should fear the sack if collective performances do not improve, Saha added: "Being a manager of Manchester United, you have to accept the pressure of being sacked. That’s the reality of being manager of Manchester United, especially when you’re not playing well. Big managers before Erik ten Hag have come in and been sacked.

"But last year, Ten Hag came in and changed a lot of things but now there’s some frustration which we saw with other managers. He has to be aware of that and I'm sure he is. There won’t be any surprises, even if he somehow manages to create Ten Hag mania, it always comes down to results. Even Sir Alex Ferguson was under pressure at United, and that’s a normal position that Ten Hag will just have to get used to. He has to get points in the league and the Champions League as well as getting the team back on track because at the moment, it’s not quite there."

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United are sat eighth in the Premier League as things stand, with 15 points collected from nine games, while they finally got off the mark in Europe last time out when edging out FC Copenhagen 1-0 – with Andre Onana required to save a stoppage-time penalty in that contest.

'I still want to play Test cricket'

Having averaged over 50 in first-class cricket over the last three years, Aaron Finch seems to have come of age as a red-ball batsman and hopes he can one day wear the Baggy Green

Brydon Coverdale14-Feb-2017Over the next week, Aaron Finch will break a record. And yet it’s a record he hopes he will not hold forever. Assuming he does not miss any of the three T20s against Sri Lanka, Finch will overtake David Hussey to become the man with the most international caps for Australia without having played a Test. Hussey finished his career with 108 combined ODIs and T20Is; Finch begins this series on 107. But he still dreams of a baggy green.It is a goal that may or may not happen, but at least Finch has improved his chances by greater first-class output over the past few years. At times, Finch has not even found a place in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield XI, but before Christmas this summer he produced his first Shield century for six and a half years. County assignments with Yorkshire and Surrey have helped him find his way in long-form cricket.And Finch freely admits that he had lost his way. In the past three years, Finch has averaged 54.53 as a first-class batsman; in his entire career until then, he had averaged 27.47.”I think it was a combination of a few things,” Finch told ESPNcricinfo. “There were a couple of small technical flaws – at the time I was batting at No.3 for Victoria – that probably got exposed a little bit more with the moving red ball compared to the white ball that swings for a handful of overs. As an opening batter in the shorter form, your job is to go out there and try and make a real statement early on in the game. That risk-reward is slightly more in your favour in the shorter forms.”I missed out a few times and started to doubt my technique, and then I started to doubt my ability, and then I got into a real bad case – my self-talk was all negative. It was almost as if I was walking out there to bat just hoping to do well, and if I got any runs it was almost a surprise, because I’d just talked myself out of it before I started. It wasn’t until I thought, ‘you know what, this is doing nothing for your career’.”I wasn’t very happy, to be honest. I always had the shits because I wasn’t getting runs, but I wasn’t helping myself in any way, shape or form at the same time to do anything about it. That was a combination of a bit of technique and a real mental battle that I was having with my game, and also with myself. It’s something over time that I’ve learnt to deal with.”Finch says holding down a consistent place in the middle order for Victoria, Yorkshire and Surrey has helped him settle down as a long-format batsmen•PA Photos

Finch’s talent has never been in doubt – hence his regular presence at the top of the order in Australia’s ODI and T20 teams over the past few years – but his struggles in the longer form might have led to some observers writing him off as a red-ball player. However, Finch is now coming off 102 in his last Shield game before Christmas and 49 and 71 in Victoria’s low-scoring win over South Australia this week, and he is looking forward to more Shield cricket after the upcoming T20s against Sri Lanka.”It’s always good when you get a good run of four-day cricket in a row,” Finch said. “I’ve been lucky enough to have that in England the last three years. I really enjoyed being able to prepare in blocks, whether it be for three or four games in a row. I just feel like I hadn’t had that opportunity in Australia – through my own fault as well, through not making enough runs to warrant being picked every time.”But I’m really excited about four-day cricket. I still want to play Test cricket – that’s why I choose to go to the UK and play some county cricket instead of taking on the T20 circuit. I still want to play Test cricket … I think having a little bit of consistency with where I’ve batted has helped. I think I’ve batted four, five and six with Victoria, Yorkshire and Surrey.”That’s a place I enjoy batting – in the middle order in the longer form. I’m comfortable mentally and technically with where my game’s at, which makes you walk out into the middle a bit more excited, a bit more upbeat about what’s going to happen. Whether you get runs or not, that’s a different story.”

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