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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has made it 'very clear' to Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount that he is a 'priority target' at Old Trafford this summer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest transfer news involving Mason Mount?

According to reports, United have already had two initial bids for the England international turned down by the Londoners.

However, another bid is expected to land shortly with the Red Devils are still considered as being the side that are in pole position to sign the £80k-a-week ace.

Nevertheless, Simon Jones, who is a journalist for the Daily Mail, has delivered another update in his Transfer Confidential that may worry Manchester United fans, revealing that their pursuit of Mount has now put them in a position where Ten Hag might need to choose between signing a high-profile striker or goalkeeper this summer, as their budget won't allow them to strengthen both positions.

Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane was also a target for the Red Devils previously; however, any move to bring in the 29-year-old now looks to be off the table.

Manchester United star Luke Shaw spoke about Mount when asked if they had been in contact in an interview cited by METRO while on international duty, stating:

"Yeah, obviously he’s not here [Mount was injured]. I think it’s all just a bit of banter really, obviously we have a joke and a laugh about it. I am not too sure what goes on behind the scenes; it’s to do with the club really.

"But of course when we’re here and together we have a joke about it but like I said I don’t know too much what’s going on."

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, renowned journalist Romano has signalled that Manchester United have communicated their vision to Mount at Old Trafford.

Romano stated: "They believe that this is kind of a strategy game, so let's see if Chelsea will change their position on the price in the next few weeks.

"Manchester United have sent very clear messages to the player in recent days, telling him they want him and that he is considered a priority target."

How did Mason Mount fare at Chelsea in 2022/23?

Mount endured an inconsistent campaign for Chelsea, in all honesty, though he still showed flashes of quality in a collectively underwhelming time of things at Stamford Bridge.

As per Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old made 35 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, registering three goals and six assists in the process.

WhoScored detail that Mount had no problem trying to force the issue for Chelsea and showed bravery when on the ball, completing 1.3 key passes on average per match in the Premier League.

According to FBRef, Mount was a handy presence in the engine room with regard to chance provision and successfully mastered 83 shot-creating actions over the course of the term.

Being handed a fresh opportunity somewhere else to show his capabilities may be the best option for the Portsmouth-born ace's career moving forward and Ten Hag could potentially take him to the next level at Old Trafford.

Glasgow Rangers supporters of a certain vintage will remember the marauding Croatian striker Dado Prso as he bulldozed his way through opposition defences with ease, while also showcasing a clinical nature in front of goal.

Indeed, across his three seasons with the Ibrox side, Prso managed to score 36 goals in 124 matches, which on the surface, doesn’t sound like the best of ratios, however, it was more the manner which he scored them, with vital strikes coming against Celtic and in the Champions League during his spell in Glasgow.

With the Gers on the lookout for a new striker ahead of next season due to Alfredo Morelos’ departure after six years with the Glasgow giants, they have been linked with a move for young forward Matija Frigan according to Football Insider and he could cost the club £5.2m.

Could the 20-year-old perhaps be the next Prso to grace the club and follow in the footsteps of fellow Croatian strikers such as Nikica Jelavic and Antonio Colak.

Could Matija Frigan join Rangers?

There is no doubt that Michael Beale wants to add another one or two strikers to his first-team squad following the capture of Sam Lammers recently, and Frigan would be a wise investment.

The youngster managed to score 15 goals across just 31 games last season for Croatian outfit HNK Rijeka, showing his ruthlessness in front of goal, while he was praised by Jacek Kulig as “another extremely interesting youngster from Croatia” and Beale could certainly do with a player of his talent chipping in with goals.

Like Prso, Frigan doesn’t just rely on goals to get by as a centre-forward, having created three big chances and averaging 0.6 key passes per game while also making 0.5 successful dribbles per game last term and it proves that his skills could be utilised as either an out and out number nine or a deep-lying forward, looking like he could adapt to both extremely well.

Frigan also has gained three caps for the Croatian U21 side as he is clearly impressing enough to be achieving international recognition and if he continues his current scoring rate, it might not be long until a bow for the senior side is made.

Prso – who was hailed as "awesome" and "like a beacon" by former boss Alex McLeish – was a cult figure at Ibrox due to his unorthodox nature and knack for scoring vital goals. Frigan might be a slightly more clinical player, however, Kulig also described him as a “complete forward” and this could suggest the starlet could be very much like Prso should he join the Gers.

Cricket Australia’s CEO James Sutherland has outlined plans for league structures in ODIs and T20 internationals, which would reduce the amount of cricket played by major nations

Daniel Brettig27-Oct-20163:34

Brettig: Bowlers playing IPL a worry for Cricket Australia

Less will be more under the structures currently being proposed for the future of international cricket, which would for the first time place limits on how many matches and series could be scheduled by any one nation.Speaking at the Cricket Australia AGM, which underlined the game’s financial reliance on bilateral tours, the chief executive James Sutherland outlined plans currently under discussion for league structures in ODIs and Twenty20 matches, plus a mooted “conference” format for Test matches.These structures, Sutherland said, would mean that the game’s financial powerhouses like Australia, India and England would play less international cricket than they presently do, while raising the volume of cricket played by other nations. This would be possible due to the increased context and meaning given to each match by league formats that gave players, fans, broadcasters and sponsors a clear idea why each match was being played.”If you bring in some structure around international cricket and you create formats that are a league type arrangement you put limits around that, and any other cricket that’s played outside of that is even more meaningless than other cricket that is played at the moment,” Sutherland said. “From that perspective it would put some really significant structure and limits around the amount of cricket that’s played.”With one day cricket and Twenty20 cricket we are contemplating a 13-team league where everyone plays each other, home and away over a three-match series over the course of a three-year period. That means you play six one day matches away, six at home every year. There doesn’t seem any point playing any more than that because those are the matches that count.”Similar structure for T20 cricket and I think that’s something that’ll be really beneficial for world cricket. Not just in terms of putting those limits in place, but also creating third party interest, making sure there’s real relevance and context to every single match.”The limited-overs league structures would mean each nation in the 13-team competition would play each other in one series, either home or away, over three years leading into each World Cup year, with the home team for that series then playing away in the next cycle to follow. Similarly, the conference structure for Tests would grow out of an ICC event-style draw, with seeded teams and others drawn to play them. A 12-team structure has the added bonus of bringing the likes of Ireland or Afghanistan into the fold.”I think things need to change absolutely and we certainly believe that additional structure moving towards a Test Championship of one form or another, probably on some sort of a two-year cycle would be a real positive,” Sutherland said. “We’re betwixt and between a little bit original suggestions about two divisions, then looking at perhaps a system where people play against each other and we used ranking points to decide who the champions are.”But the one that’s floating around at the moment is two conferences and perhaps matches being played inside of conferences with a little bit of cross-conference activity as well inside that two-year period and then having a champion team in each conference play off in a two-year cycle. I think there’s some real merit in that, I don’t think it significantly undermines some of the traditional series that are played and all in all very positive where every match would count, every series would count and I think it’d be very keenly sought after, the right to play in that final.James Sutherland: “I think things need to change absolutely and we certainly believe that additional structure moving towards a Test Championship … would be a real positive”•Getty Images”It also really exposes performances as well and the opportunity to bring a couple of countries into Test cricket would be a real positive as well.”Sutherland admitted that in the current environment, it was impossible to apply equal priority to every international series, as shown by the recent tour of South Africa or the near convergence next year of the Test tour to India with the T20 home series against Sri Lanka. The IPL, of course, blocks out more than a month of the year for most nations.”We make decisions from time to time in the best interests of a player, to make sure they’re available at the times that we see as the most important for them to be available,” he said. “There’s absolutely no doubt that at times we have to prioritise certain events, series, matches ahead of others.”Certainly for the bowlers it’s just not possible for them to play all of the time. If you include IPL in there as well there are prioritisation discussions that need to be held all the time. they can be long-term planning discussions but they also need to be short-term planning according to how the player is dealing with injuries, niggles and also mental health.”However Sutherland pushed the vital importance of making sure international cricket remained the top priority for the game ahead of domestic Twenty20, a point he has pressed home at successive ICC chief executives committee meetings in recent times. The example he can point to is the Big Bash League, devised to run alongside the international season and succeed without Australia’s best Test players.”I’m not sure my point of view is seen to be agreed to by everyone in international cricket, but our perspective here is that IPL is unique and then there’s all the other domestic T20 competitions around the world. As far as I’m concerned international cricket comes first, and is the absolute priority. We’ve been true to that word in the way we’ve scheduled the BBL. People said the BBL couldn’t be a success without Australian players playing in it.”The facts of the matter are that it’s a great success, and it’s scheduled during the middle peak time of our Australian summer. International cricket needs to be the priority and you cannot schedule international cricket around domestic T20 competitions as far as I’m concerned, and that will be one of the things we need to work through. Some countries may try to massage the program in such a way that they can do that, that’s up to them. But first and foremost we need to be fully committed to international cricket for it to be sustainable.”The proposed changes to the international game are due to be discussed in further detail at the next round of ICC meetings in February, and Sutherland said the hope was for a fully rejuvenated model to kick in beyond the 2019 World Cup in England.”I would say certainly within five years,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a lead time because of preexisting contracts and things like that, but certainly the planning is very heavily focused on a line in the sand around the World Cup in 2019. We see that post-that there’s an opportunity to roll into a new structure for the three formats.”

Liverpool are considering making a summer approach to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves, according to reports.

What's the latest on Neves to Liverpool?

The Old Gold captain first arrived in the Premier League back in 2017 and has since gone on to make 250 appearances at Molineux, but his future heading into the upcoming window is in the air.

The Portuguese international will be out of contract at the end of the next season and reports have claimed that he is ready to quit and embark on a new challenge, so with this set to be the final chance for Julen Lopetegui’s side to cash in, potential suitors are already circling, including the Reds.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed in April that Jurgen Klopp does have the 26-year-old on his list of midfield targets but that a move was not “imminent”, though a fresh update has now emerged which suggests otherwise.

According to Spanish outlet Sport (via TEAMtalk), Liverpool, alongside top-flight rivals Arsenal and Manchester United, are all “strongly considering” making an official approach for Neves. The Wolves skipper is “keen” on a move to Barcelona, who are also name-checked as admirers, but it’s the trio that are the ones “in the race” to secure his services. The Midlands outfit have set a price tag “in the region” of £40m for their prized asset, though there’s a chance that could be increased given the calibre of clubs chasing him.

Would Neves be a good signing for Liverpool?

Liverpool have clearly been long-term admirers of Neves and it’s no surprise that he’s attracting interest being Wolves’ overall top-performing player this season with a WhoScored match rating of 6.99, so he would certainly be a fantastic acquisition for FSG and Klopp.

The Nike-sponsored star, called "incredible" by his teammates, is naturally a defensive midfielder who sits just in front of the backline, which is proven by him ranking in the 98th percentile for clearances amongst midfielders, but he’s also capable of contributing to efforts in the final third.

The World Cup and Europa League participant has recorded a total of 72 shot-creating actions and 62 shots since the start of the current term which is higher than any other member of his squad, as per FBRef, not to mention that he’s got seven goal involvements to his name as a reward.

Finally, Neves has been dubbed a “beast” by the United States’ former professional Jimmy Conrad, so for all of the valuable qualities that he would add to the squad, he could be the perfect Fabinho successor.

Eoin Morgan wants his England one-day team to keep pushing themselves to new heights and believes there is a confidence in the squad that anything is possible

Andrew McGlashan17-Aug-2016Eoin Morgan wants his England one-day team to keep pushing themselves to new heights and believes there is a confidence in the squad that anything is possible.England’s focus now returns to white-ball cricket with Morgan back in charge for the five ODIs against Pakistan followed by a one-off T20 which finishes the international season.The importance given to 50-over cricket is reinforced by there being no rotation in the one-day squad for this series as eyes remain firmly fixed on the Champions Trophy next June.Since the beginning of the last home season, England’s reinvigorated one-day side has ticked up an impressive list of batting feats: a first total over 400, another total of 399, chasing down 350 with six overs to spare, a ten-wicket win chasing 255 and, individually, a record 46-ball century from Jos Buttler plus Jason Roy’s 162.Since May 1, 2015 they have scored their runs faster than any other team and hit more sixes.”The key phrase is pushing the side. Over the last 12-18 months we’ve seen the progression of everyone and the skill levels,” Morgan told ESPNcricinfo at a NatWest Cricket grassroots event. “There’s a huge amount of belief. It’s almost as though there are no restrictions to anything we can do.”However, Morgan wants more consistency from the side – series win against New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been tempered by losses to Australia and South Africa since the last World Cup – and a climb from their current position of No. 5 in the rankings. Within the next year, the period which includes the Champions Trophy, he wants England within the top three.”Realistically, if we want to be favourites going into the Champions Trophy or the World Cup then we need to work our way up the rankings which means showing more consistency in all three facets. We want to be in the top three three years before the World Cup. You still need to deliver in the tournament itself, but getting the results to move up the rankings builds confidence.”Morgan believes that one of England’s most significant results of late has been the tie they earned in the opening ODI against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge when Liam Plunkett launched the final ball for six following a stand of 138 between Buttler and Chris Woakes to revive the chase.”We were down and out,” Morgan said. “It’s about building the belief that no matter how far behind the game you are there is an escape route.”‘I had my first hit two days and didn’t walk out of the net thinking I’m that far behind’•NatWestMorgan said he sees “17 or 18 players” that the Champions Trophy squad will come from next year in England. But he added that the squads for the tours to Bangladesh (security permitting) and India will be selected with those specific conditions in mind. He indicated four spinners could be the picked for those trips, something England have edged towards with Liam Dawson’s call-up against Pakistan.Morgan explained that, in a perfect world, he would be able to call on a left-arm quick who can bowl 90mph – that is now available in T20 with Tymal Mills, but he is not an option for 50-over cricket. However, Morgan has been delighted by the battering-ram role played by Plunkett and is excited to have Mark Wood’s pace back.”We probably have three guys who can do it [bowl at 90mph] at the moment and you want to have one in the side that can hurry up the batsmen when the ball is offering nothing else. That’s important in the 50-over game where it can stand still for periods.”From a personal point of view, this series will be Morgan’s return to action having been out for almost a month with a chipped bone in his finger. He led from the front in 2015 home season with prolific series against New Zealand and Australia, but has been the most underwhelming of a dazzling top order since.He hasn’t hit an international half-century in 23 innings but made an unbeaten 47 off 39 balls in the T20 against Sri Lanka, and was frustrated that the injury struck when he was finding form having made a century for Middlesex in late July.”The finger doesn’t look great but it’s functioning better than it looks,” he said. “I had my first hit two days ago and didn’t walk out of the net thinking I’m that far behind. That was quite nice because I actually broke it when I was finding a bit of form which was a bit of a pain. I’ve had breaks away before, then come into series without having scored many runs, so am very relaxed and feel quite refreshed”Eoin Morgan was speaking at the NatWest U13 Club Championships Final. NatWest are proud partners of grassroots cricket. To find out more visit natwest.com/cricket

AB de Villiers has identified the last 10 to 12 overs of South Africa’s innings as the period of play that cost his side the match in their tri-series opener against hosts West Indies in Guyana.South Africa had made 130 for 2 in 30 overs, before de Villiers got out off the first ball of the 31st. Thereafter, the innings fell apart, with the last five wickets falling for 16 runs to leave South Africa 188 all out.”It’s a disappointing loss tonight,” de Villiers said. “Definitely, in the last 10 to 12 overs with the bat in hand we lost our way a bit. I thought we set it up exceptionally well and the communication was that 220-plus would be a winning score. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get there. I had a nice partnership going with Riley [Rossouw], [but] I got out and after that there were no partnerships and we just lost our way. Like I said, 30 or 40 runs more would have been a very competitive total, probably a winning score.”Despite the defeat, de Villiers was happy with the team’s assessment of the conditions in Providence.”The positive out of that is that our assessment [of the pitch] was good. Unfortunately the execution wasn’t spot on in the last 10 overs with the bat in hand. We knew that it would be a turning track, very slow. That’s why we played the extra spinner. Our [team] balance was the same as that of the West Indies team. So we got all of that right.”De Villiers was also full of praise for his spin duo and for the bowling effort as a whole. Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso took 5 for 81 in 20 overs between them as South Africa fought hard to defend a low total.”I thought Imran Tahir and [Aaron] Phangiso had a great partnership going there, so I was proud of the way they performed. Unfortunately, one or two just went over the boundary. That could have changed the game a little bit, but those are the small margins of this beautiful game we play.”There’s nothing more the bowlers could have done. Maybe one or two half-chances could have gone our way, but, as I said, it is with the bat in hand that we cost ourselves tonight.”

Sam Robson equalled the Middlesex record for most runs in a match and showed a discipline that will reawaken the interest of England’s selectors

George Dobell at Lord's20-Apr-2016
ScorecardSam Robson: a quiet man making a big impression again•Getty Images

Sam Robson’s second century of the match secured a draw for Middlesex and provided another reminder of his skills for the England selectors.Robson, who followed his first innings of 231 with a second innings of 106, set a new record for the most runs in a first-class game by a Middlesex batsman (overtaking Jack Robertson, who made 331 in one innings against Worcestershire at New Road in 1949, and Paul Weekes who scored 171* and 160 against Somerset at Uxbridge in 2009) and became the first Middlesex played to make centuries in each innings since Neil Dexter, who did so in 2009 against Kent.The manner in which this match ended – with all 11 members of the Warwickshire side having a bowl and Jonathan Trott keeping wicket – might suggest Robson’s second innings runs were somewhat soft, but it is not so. For the majority of his innings, Warwickshire retained hopes of forcing a win. Had he failed, they may have been successful.It remains true, though, that batting is a more comfortable business at Lord’s when the sun comes out. On this slow wicket, Warwickshire were unable to gain much lateral movement and what variable bounce there was from the indentations made on the first day was expertly negotiated by Robson.Robson really isn’t the type to roar “pick me” at the selectors. Either vocally or with his actions. He described this achievement as “nice” and looked slightly embarrassed by the fuss. Instead, he reasoned that he was better off “focussing on scoring runs for Middlesex” and allowing selection to “be a product of that”. Besides, he knows he will be opening the batting in Durham within a few days and what a great leveller this game can be.But scoring 337 runs in a match tends to catch the eye. And, from a situation a week or so ago where he was some way down the list of those vying for selection, Robson will have forced his name into contention.It has been some time since there has been so little certainty over the identity of England’s top five in Test cricket and it seems fair to suggest that, alongside Alex Hales, Adam Lyth and Nick Compton, Robson is now a realistic candidate to accompany Alastair Cook to the middle when England play the first Test of the summer at Leeds. It may be relevant that Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, was among those at Lord’s to see Robson’s second innings.”It’s been a special few days,” Robson said afterwards. “I’m very proud. “I’ve played enough cricket to know there aren’t many days like this.”There has been a sense in recent months – not least from Trevor Bayliss – that England would, in an ideal world, prefer a dynamic opening partner for Alastair Cook. But if they conclude they do not have a player of similar style to David Warner, the likes of Robson and Compton offer an admirably solid alternative. It remains perplexing that, with Cook offering a pretty decent template for the role of opening batsman – he has scored more runs than any Test batsman ever to represent England, after all – that the team management seem to want his opening partner to play in such a different manner.Robson’s qualities are not so different from Cook’s. He has an apparently insatiable appetite for runs, he has excellent powers of concentration and he knows his limitations and works within them. He was, along with Trott, the only man to bat with comfort against frontline bowlers in the match – both Keith Barker and Adam Voges profited from prolonged spells of support bowling – and showed a solidity on off stump that used to be seen as the hallmark of Test-quality opening batsmen. Tests, particularly those in England in early summer, still require such skills.With Robson’s innate modesty to the fore, it was left to the two captains in this match to praise his contribution. Ian Bell described him as “a fantastic player” while Adam Voges suggested Robson would “knock the door down” if he maintained such form in the run-up to the first Test. “He’s made history,” Voges said. “That’s one of the best innings I’ve seen from a teammate.”Warwickshire rarely threatened on the final day. With Barker unable to gain much swing, Rikki Clarke offered the most trouble. He dismissed Compton, falling slightly to the off side as he played across one, with a full delivery and John Simpson missed one from Jeetan Patel but by then the match was all but safe and Warwickshire were reluctant to flog their top bowlers.While the thought of watching Bell and Trott in tandem was an appetising prospect for Warwickshire supporters ahead of this season, few can have thought they would see them share a new ball spell. By the time Tim Ambrose gave up his wicket-keeping gloves and claimed the first wicket of his 16-year first-class career – Voges caught on the mid-wicket boundary attempting to slog a long-hop somewhere towards Baker Street – this game was begging to be put out of its misery. Middlesex took 12 points; Warwickshire 11.Warwickshire leave with spirits boosted, however. Not only can they take renewed confidence in the presence of Trott in their side – he briefly captained the side on the final day and will stand in officially if Bell and the vice-captain Chris Woakes are absent – but they believe both Boyd Rankin and Chris Woakes will have recovered sufficiently to be available for their next game, the Championship match against Yorkshire starting at Edgbaston on Sunday.Middlesex, meanwhile, know they must wrestle with their team selection before their game in Durham. The presence of four seamers – two of whom have unusually long run-ups – puts them under pressure as regards over-rates at all times and may, arguably have cost them a chance to win this game.The spell of 60-minutes when they utilised part-time bowlers on day three released the last bit of pressure they had exerted on Warwickshire. The position of James Franklin, a fifth seamer and No. 7 batsman, looks most precarious.

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe could be set to raid former club Bournemouth this summer, amid reports that the Magpies are interested in signing defender Jordan Zemura from the Vitality Stadium.

What's the latest on Zemura to Newcastle?

According to 90min, the Tynesiders are among a number of Premier League clubs who are said to be 'admirers' of the 23-year-old, with the Zimbabwe international facing an uncertain future with his current side with just a matter of months remaining on his existing deal.

As per the report, the 5 foot 8 gem was recently dropped by manager Gary O'Neil due to his ongoing contract dispute, with that situation having seemingly alerted clubs across the division to his potential availability.

The St James' Park hierarchy – including sporting director Dan Ashworth – may have a battle on their hands if they are to make a concrete approach any time soon, however, with West Ham United said to be currently leading the race for the player's signature.

Would Zemura be a good signing for Newcastle?

There will likely be a sense of Deja vu among Newcastle supporters regarding this potential interest in Zemura, with the northeast side having previously snapped up Ryan Fraser from Bournemouth on a free transfer back in the summer of 2020.

Much like Zemura, the Scotland international had endured a turbulent and somewhat toxic end to his time on the south coast having decided against signing a brief, short-term extension on his deal in order to continue playing in that Covid-impacted 2019/20 campaign, with Howe – who was in charge at the time – taking the decision not to call upon the diminutive speedster for the remainder of that season.

That "disgraceful" exit – as per Dorset Live's Daniel Davis – undoubtedly left a bad taste in the mouth among those of a Cherries persuasion, with Fraser having since been dealt a dose of Karma after struggling to make his mark at St James' Park, scoring just three goals and providing only six assists in 59 games in all competitions.

Those woes have been compounded by the fact that the 29-year-old has now been banished from the first-team squad by Howe, with it looking as if a summer exit is now an inevitability – bringing to an end a rather failed deal for all concerned.

With Newcastle still paying the price for that signing, there may be concern among Ashworth and co in enduring a repeat scenario by snapping up another contract rebel in the form of Zemura, particularly with the London-born ace rather inexperienced at the top level.

The one-time Charlton Athletic academy graduate has made 19 top-flight appearances so far this season and has averaged 2.1 tackles per game in that time, albeit while contributing just a solitary assist and recording an average match rating of only 6.57, as per Sofascore – the 18th worst rating among his teammates.

The promising talent did enjoy a positive campaign in the Championship last term – with former boss Scott Parker stating that he has a "lovely forward drive about him" – after scoring three goals and providing one assist, although has since racked up just a solitary goal involvement this time around.

Considering that the highly-coveted asset has hardly pulled up any trees this season – and bearing in mind the comparison to the Fraser deal – Newcastle may well be wise to refrain from pursuing a summer swoop.

The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Steven Lynch22-May-2006The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:

Dilip Vengsarkar scored three hundreds in his first three Tests at Lord’s © Getty Images
I noticed that all Sri Lanka’s batsmen at Lord’s scored more runs in the second innings than they did in their first. How often has this happened in Tests? asked Nirmalan Wigneswaran and Steve Howe
It’s certainly very rare: the instance in the first Test at Lord’s was only the third in Test history. The last time it happened was way back in 1924, when all South Africa’s batsmen bettered their first-innings score second time around against England at Edgbaston. (It wasn’t difficult, as they were all out for 30 in the first innings but made 390 in the second!) England also managed it against Australia at Melbourne in 1894-95. Bangladesh achieved the feat in reverse – everyone scoring more in the first innings than the second – in their inaugural Test, against India at Dhaka in 2000-01.Was Sri Lanka’s total at Lord’s the highest in the second innings of a Test? asked Ajith Gunasinghe from Chilaw
Sri Lanka’s 537 for 9 at Lord’s was their own highest in the second innings of a Test – comfortably beating their 448 for 5 declared against Pakistan earlier this year in Colombo – but it was some way short of the overall Test record, which coincidentally was scored against Sri Lanka. That was New Zealand’s 671 for 4 at Wellington in 1990-91, when Martin Crowe (299) and Andrew Jones (186) shared a record stand of 467. There have been five other second-innings totals of more than 600.Mahela Jayawardene has now played two Tests at Lord’s, and scored two centuries. How many other visiting batsmen have done this? asked Nishan Seneratne from Colombo
The Indian batsman Dilip Vengsarkar uniquely scored centuries in each of his first three Tests at Lord’s, in 1979 (103), 1982 (157) and 1986 (126 not out), before falling short with “only” 52 and 35 in 1990. Only seven other visiting players had scored two Test centuries at Lord’s before Mahela Jayawardene joined them last week. Australia’s Warren Bardsley was the first, with 164 in 1912 and 193 not out 14 years later in 1926, by which time he was 43, but he missed out in his other three Tests at Lord’s; George Headley collected both of his in the same game, with 106 and 107 for West Indies in 1939 (but he had done less well in 1933); the inevitable Don Bradman reached three figures for Australia in 1930 – with 254, which he felt was the best innings he ever played – and 1938, with 102 not out (but he missed out in 1934 and 1948); his fellow Australian Bill Brown made 105 in 1934 and 206 not out 1938 (but also failed to repeat the feat in 1948); Garry Sobers hit 163 not out in 1966, and 150 not out in 1973, but didn’t reach 100 in his other three official Tests at Lord’s; another West Indian, Gordon Greenidge, scored 214 not out in 1984 and 103 in 1988, having missed out in his first two visits, in 1976 and 1980; and finally Martin Crowe hit 106 in 1986 and 142 in 1994 (but did less well in 1983 and 1990). Sobers did, however, slam 183 for the Rest of the World against England at Lord’s in 1970 (he also took 6 for 21!), in what was thought to be a proper Test at the time but was later deemed unofficial. And Greenidge hit 122 against the Rest of the World in the five-day MCC Bicentenary match at Lord’s in 1987.Did Fred Titmus play for England again after his terrible accident? asked Maureen Bird from Southsea
The accident you’re referring to happened during England’s tour of the West Indies in 1967-68. Fred Titmus, the Middlesex offspinner who was Colin Cowdrey’s vice-captain on that trip, lost four toes when his left foot tangled with the propeller of a motor-boat – the propeller was unusually placed in the middle rather than at the back, and Titmus let his legs go underneath the boat while he was holding on to it. He was lucky in one way, in that the big toe – which is important for balance – was virtually undamaged, and he returned to county cricket a couple of months later. It did look, however, as if his England career had stalled after 49 caps – but he received a surprise recall for the 1974-75 tour of Australia, and played four Tests there to take his total to 53, in which he took 153 wickets at 32.22. He made his last appearance for Middlesex in 1982, when he was 49. Titmus joked that “the only real problem the accident left me with was counting – afterwards, I always had trouble going over 16!”When (and where) is the next women’s World Cup? asked Anuka Jain from Delhi
The next one will be played in Australia in 2009, when the Aussies will be defending the trophy that they won for the fifth time at Centurion in South Africa last April. Four years later, in 2013, the tournament will be played in India.Who called his autobiography Beating the Bat? asked James Lee from Crawley
That was the name of the memoirs of Derek Underwood, the Kent and England left-arm bowler who finished up with a tantalising total of 297 Test wickets. The book came out in 1975, when Underwood’s first-class career still had a dozen years to run, so maybe it’s time he wrote another one! Having said that, he did update his story a little in Deadly Down Under, which came out in 1980, but that was mainly an account of England’s tour of Australia the previous winter.

Mark Richardson talks to Herschelle Gibbs about betting scandals, the Test series against Australia and dropping the 1999 World Cup

17-Dec-2005

Herschelle Gibbs knows he won’t be able to slip under the radar this summer. Australian fans never let him forget his role in a betting scandal which brought down his captain Hansie Cronje, or the moment of madness when he dropped Steve Waugh at the 1999 World Cup.On his third tour of Australia, Gibbs is intent on making his name through his deeds with the bat rather than as the target of a Waugh sledge which, he believes, probably never happened. Despite the pressure he will face from fans and foes, Gibbs knows he has the natural resilience and ability to succeed on the toughest tour of all. But he believes he has yet to show his true abilities, starting with a first tour in 1998.”I wasn’t really an established player but I played in a couple of Tests and four or five one-dayers,” he tells . “We actually probably had our best and most established side at this time. Allan Donald was really quick, Polly [Shaun Pollock] was still firing at around the 140kph mark and we still had Hansie [Cronje], but for me it was very much a learning experience.”And what did he learn? “It is the toughest tour from a mental point of view,” he says. “It is just so mentally tough and draining – on and off the field. It is not just the players you play against; the media and public are very much in your face too.”In 2001, South Africa returned to Australian shores being touted as the second best team in the world. It was a series so keenly awaited that in a moment of frustration against New Zealand, who were the summer’s entrée, Glenn McGrath enquired of a batsman: “When are you lot going to bugger off so we can play a real team?”The Kiwis eventually “buggered off” and in stepped the South Africans. “We didn’t just lose; we got hammered in all three Tests,” Gibbs says. “It was such a disappointment. There was so much tension going into the first Test at Adelaide. Justin Langer described it as being like two heavyweight title fighters apprehensively waiting for the first big punch to be thrown, which I reckon was a pretty accurate description.”The first telling blow was landed and it came in the form of the tag-team duo of Langer and Matthew Hayden. “We simply got outplayed,” he says. “Langer and Hayden made merry all throughout the series and set Australia up for scores of 500 to 600 in all three Tests. We simply couldn’t get in the fight.”And his disappointment doesn’t start and end with the team’s results. “I’d come off a Man-of-the-Series performance against India so I can’t say I was short on confidence and in fact I got off to a good start with 80-odd, but after that I guess the nerves just got the better of me,” he says. “I got too up for the challenge and in the second Test when McGrath chirped me about the Hansie thing I reacted badly. It was a mistake on my part. I’ll admit to being intimidated, but that is quite a common thing for many players in Australia.”

However, Gibbs bounced back from some pretty nasty episodes to fashion a very impressive Test and ODI record. Without a doubt the nastiest episode was his six-month ban in 2000 for his part in the match-fixing scandal. “Perhaps Hansie was as much to blame for my downfall as his own, but I accept I made a mistake,” he says. “Everyone makes mistakes in their lives and their chosen careers and yes I made a big one, but I’m just glad I only got six months off and have been allowed to move on.”Boy it was hard coming back and first-up against Sri Lanka I was so nervous. I think I got a couple of ducks straight up and then in Australia in 2001 I copped a heap from the crowds. But time heals most things and even though I expect to get a little ribbing this time round, I accept it is in my past.”Also in the past is the famous dropped catch off Waugh, who reportedly told him he had just dropped the World Cup. Gibbs believes that story is more myth than legend. “If he did say it I didn’t hear it,” he says. “Maybe he made comment of it in the press conference, but I definitely didn’t hear anything on the field.”That was in limited-overs cricket and Gibbs has pretty strong views as to where that rates. “You never hail the one-day heroes,” he says. “You never really hear about one-day runs. No, it is all about Tests. The greats are measured on their tally of Test runs and averages. I’m not really bothered about my ODI average, strike-rate is perhaps more important.”When it comes to Tests there is no doubt Gibbs is aiming for a tally that will place him among the world’s greats. “I aim to score 1000 Test runs per calendar year,” he says. “If I play another five years I then should have 10,000 Test runs.”Five years is quite conservative for one of the game’s better athletes and a man who has taken over the fielding mantle of Jonty Rhodes. He takes his fitness seriously and prides himself on being in the top three when the South Africans are assessed. It is an understatement when he says: “I’m blessed with natural speed.”This summer Gibbs will have more faith in his natural ability than on the past two tours. It probably helps that his last Test innings against Australia was a century made in the final match of the home series in 2002. “It started to fall into place because I got a little more comfortable against them,” he says. “In the past they knew they could rattle me and I’d lose concentration, but I’ve played a lot more games now and this time I’m where I want to be and it is comforting to know what I’m up for as not much has changed with them.”For many Tests he had been the more flamboyant half of two successful opening partnerships; firstly with the retired Gary Kirsten and later with Graeme Smith as they began to build a record to rival the Langer-Hayden combination. Gibbs is now walking in to bat at No. 5 and while it may not be his favoured position, he has accepted the challenge. He even reckons Australia may not be the worst place to find success in the middle order.

“I got frustrated in the West Indies,” he says. “I’d come in with 300-odd on the board, the ball would be soft, no pace to work with and I just couldn’t play my natural game. In Oz, at least the wickets are quicker, which might help with my natural game.”So how does a natural born ball striker and opener with a terrific record find himself in the middle order? “We didn’t know what to do with AB de Villiers – he has done so well, however no one has really filled their boots at No. 5 or 6 so I’ll do it and see if can provide some solidity. I mean at the end of the day I could have said stuff the team and de Villiers would have had to bide his time, but putting the team first is more important.”It is an attitude that shows Gibbs is far from the naive kid once influenced and manipulated by Cronje. He is now a leader and along with Jacques Kallis carries the experience in the batting lineup. “This is possibly the best top six we have had for a while: inexperienced but talented,” he says. “Obviously myself and Kallis must lead by example but looking at the others they are all quite attacking. We all must play our natural games. We will definitely have a few discussions about going out and being natural.”