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Kent skipper Sam Northeast scored more than half his side’s runs before he was last out for 110 in the Specsavers County Championship match against Durham

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2017Sam Northeast made a battling hundred but Durham claimed a slender lead•Getty ImagesKent skipper Sam Northeast scored more than half his side’s runs before he was last out for 110 in the Specsavers County Championship match against Durham at Chester-le-Street. All out for 206, with Graham Onions taking 6 for 62, Kent trailed by 11 and in 22 overs Durham reached 57 for 2 in their second innings.They were also indebted to the all-round efforts of Mark Wood on his comeback from the heel injury which had sidelined him since the second Test against South Africa in mid-July. His career-best 72 not out rescued Durham from 77 for 7 in the morning and he followed up with 3 for 48.Wood shared an eighth-wicket stand of 106 with James Weighell, who made 55 before Mitch Claydon took the last three wickets to finish with 5 for 54 on his old stamping ground.In recording his best figures for two years, Onions was on the mark from the outset, pinning Sean Dickson lbw then beating Joe Denly’s forward defensive push to take out the off stump.The fact that 18 wickets fell in the day made Northeast’s effort all the more remarkable. He went in at 14 for 2 and got off the mark with an edged four when trying to withdraw his bat. But at tea he had propelled his team to 134 for 3 from 26 overs. He sped to fifty off 45 balls with ten fours, despite losing Daniel Bell-Drummond, who grafted hard for his 26, only to surrender when he tried to pull Wood and lobbed a catch to mid-on.Starting with the second ball after tea, Kent then lost five wickets for 13 runs. Zak Crawley was lbw to one from Wood which looked a little high and three balls later Darren Stevens hung out his bat and edged behind.Left-hander Calum Haggett pushed limply down the wrong line to have off and middle rattled by Onions and the surrender continued as Adam Milne edged a lavish drive. Sam Billings, suffering from a migraine, went in at 147 for 7 and departed first ball, having his leg bail trimmed when aiming for midwicket.Claydon clubbed three fours in contributing 16 to a stand of 28 before driving to deep mid-off to give Onions his sixth wicket.On 81 when last man Imran Qayyum joined him, Northeast farmed the strike and cut Wood over backward point for six on the way to his 102-ball century, which included 17 fours. He finally fell when he edged a forcing back-foot shot off Weighell to give wicketkeeper Michael Richardson his third catch.With Billings resting, Kent emerged with Bell-Drummond behind the stumps and he held the catch off Haggett which removed the struggling Keaton Jennings for 13. Haggett also brought one back a long way to bowl Cameron Steel, shouldering arms, for nought.

There has been an update regarding Manchester United's pursuit of Atalanta striker, Rasmus Hojlund, as manager Erik ten Hag steps up his search for a new centre-forward…

What's the latest on Hojlund to Man United?

According to one source, the Red Devils are said to have reached a "total agreement" for the signing of the Denmark international – as well as Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat – having already secured moves for Mason Mount and Andre Onana this summer.

It is not made clear as to whether that 'agreement' relates to personal terms as well as a transfer fee, with recent reports having claimed that United are unwilling to go above £60m in their quest to land the 20-year-old marksman.

The former Sturm Graz ace – who has been valued at around €50m (£43m) by CIES Football Observatory – has emerged as the leading centre-forward target for the Old Trafford outfit, despite recent whispers that the club are still "circling" in the hope of landing Harry Kane, according to journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

Would Hojlund be a good signing for Man United?

Unlike Kane – who netted 30 Premier League goals last season to take his total tally in the competition to 213 – Hojlund is a far less proven option to lead the line for Ten Hag next season, having scored just nine Serie A goals last season.

Although still seemingly a "remarkable" talent who has "very similar characteristics to [Erling] Haaland", according to manager Gian Piero Gasperini, the emerging gem does only boast 27 club career goals to date, making him a potentially expensive gamble as far as United are concerned.

There may also be worries over the Dane's apparent likeness to former Chelsea flop, Timo Werner, with the pair noted as similar players due to their recent statistical record, according to FBref.

The two men are notably alike due to their reliance on their speed to hurt the opposition, with Werner "someone who can devastate with his pace" – according to talkSPORT's Tony Cascarino – while Hojlund has been branded as "scary quick" by journalist, Sacha Pisani.

That desire to utilise their explosive speed is shown by the fact that the latter man ranks in the top 1% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for progressive passes received, as he regularly looks to get in behind, while his striking counterpart ranks in the top 5% in that regard.

As Werner found out during his time at Stamford Bridge, however, a striker will need more to his game if he is to make the grade in the Premier League, with the German dud having notably been rather "erratic" for the Blues, according to pundit Gabby Agbonlahor.

The RB Leipzig man – who is in his second spell at the club – was snapped up by then-boss Frank Lampard on a £45m deal in the summer of 2020 after netting 28 Bundesliga goals the year prior for his former employers, although the 27-year-old went on to score just ten league goals during his two-year stint in west London.

As United legend Rio Ferdinand said at the time, the Stuttgart native was often "too loose in possession" when leading the line, with it then somewhat concerning that Hojlund's average pass completion rate of 73.1% is actually lower than that of Werner (74.6%), across the last 365 days,

Having seen the dour nature of the latter man's time at Chelsea, United supporters will certainly not want the Old Trafford hierarchy to endure a repeat scenario with the signing of Hojlund.

The second Test was delicately poised after a oscillating day with West Indies taking a lead of 169 before Mark Stoneman and Joe Root led England’s reply

The Report by Andrew McGlashan27-Aug-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWest Indies remained in a position to push for their first Test victory in England since 2000, in no small measure due to the all-round efforts of their captain Jason Holder, but Joe Root carried his team’s hopes of being able to set a testing chase having been reprieved by West Indies’ fielding for the second time in the match. England closed on 171 for 3, a lead of two, on a surface offering some assistance for the spinners and the occasional sight of uneven bounce.Mark Stoneman’s maiden Test fifty, completed after he suffered a dislocated little finger on 35, was an encouraging innings but, when he was dismissed, England were 94 for 3 and still 75 behind. It could have been better for West Indies had they spotted a thin edge from Dawid Malan when he had 4 and, more importantly, not dropped Root on 10 – this time by Kyle Hope at gully – with the fourth-wicket pair having added 77 by the close.It had taken Root 21 balls to get off the mark against some excellent pace bowling, and it was a rare jittery innings from the captain, but he started to find more fluency after the life. Holder thought he had cut him off on 35 when he was given lbw, but the DRS saved Root – as it did Kraigg Brathwaite twice yesterday – with the ball shown to be missing leg stump. While Holder was excellent with bat and ball, it was odd captaincy that he only gave legspinner Devendra Bishoo two overs on a dry surface, the second of them five minutes before the close.West Indies’ unbeatable lead

133 – Highest first innings lead for West Indies after which they lost a Test, coming against England at Lord’s in 2000. They earned a lead of 169 in this Test. They have gained a first innings lead of 150 or more 117 times and never lost.

2009 – The last time England overturned a lead in excess of 150 to win a Test – 179 versus New Zealand at Old Trafford.

3 – Five-wicket hauls for James Anderson in the last two Tests at Headingley. He had taken 5-fors in both innings against Sri Lanka last year and took another 5 for 76 in the first innings of this match. In his first seven Tests at Headingley he had picked up only 19 wickets at 41.36 with not even a single four-for. He’s now three short of 500 Test wickets.

2014 – Last instance of West Indies scoring a 400-plus total, which came against Bangladesh in Kingstown. Their last away from home was in Dunedin in 2013-14 when following-on.

West Indies’ lead was swelled by a crucial stand of 75 between Holder and Jermaine Blackwood after James Anderson had struck with the first two deliveries of the day to give England hope of swiftly beginning their second innings. However, the stand could have been broken with just four added but Moeen Ali spilled a simple chance at mid-on when Blackwood had 21. They could yet be vital runs.Stoneman and Alastair Cook began solidly after the lunch break, bringing up just England’s second fifty opening stand of the season, before two wickets for Holder in an impressive 12-over spell either side of tea shored up West Indies’ position. Holder found increasing movement during his burst and beat Cook twice in three balls from round the wicket before finding the edge when the former England captain was threatening one of his long-term stays in the middle.Tom Westley’s immediate Test future was then plunged into further doubt when he played a horrid, wild drive at a wide delivery and sent a thin edge to Shane Dowrich. It came the over after there had been a horrendous mix-up between him and Stoneman, which should have left Westley run out. However, there was a poor return from the deep and Bishoo couldn’t complete the opportunity. The shot that followed was of a slightly frazzled mind.The debates around Westley will continue to swirl ahead of the final Test at Lord’s, but Stoneman will be causing the selectors fewer headaches – for a short while, at least – after an accomplished 124-ball stay. He got his innings underway with three boundaries in four balls off Kemar Roach and kept his composure after taking the blow on his left little finger in the first over after tea which required the physio to pop his digit back into place. Given the problems trying to find an opening batsman, the selectors could have felt the position was cursed had they lost their latest candidate to an injury.Stoneman’s half-century came from 107 deliveries but, for the second time in three innings, he was on the receiving end of a gem of a delivery. After Roach took his off stump at Edgbaston, Gabriel did the same here with a wonderful ball which straightened from round the wicket – although Gabriel was mighty close to overstepping on a day where he delivered five no-balls (with others not called). Millimetres, at most, saved him.From there, England held firm to end the day positively – as they had started it. Shai Hope had resumed on 147 but didn’t make it past the first delivery of the morning when he nibbled at one outside off from Anderson and feathered an edge to the keeper. One ball later, England thought they had hauled themselves back into the match when Dowrich edged to second slip, giving Anderson his third five-wicket haul in as many innings at Headingley, where he had previously taken none in seven outings.However, Moeen’s drop knocked the stuffing out of England. Blackwood was always going to play positively, but having reached 10 off 20 deliveries Holder also cut loose with three consecutive boundaries off an agitated Broad with increasing style: a swivel-pull behind square, a back-foot drive through the covers and then the best of the lot – a glorious cover drive which any batsman in the world would be happy to claim.Blackwood didn’t find scoring as easy and found a variety of ways to add to his boundary count. There was a leading edge over Ben Stokes at gully (after his demerit point last night, Stokes needed to keep his thoughts to himself) and then another four to third man when he ducked a bouncer, but left his bat in the air, the ball flying off the toe end.The lead was quickly approaching 150 – the mark that Anderson said last night would make the game very difficult to turn around for England – when both batsmen fell in the 40s. Holder tried to take the aerial route down the ground, a shot he had played well previously, but was well held by Moeen running back from mid-off to give Chris Woakes his first wicket. Blackwood was then run out one short of fifty by a strong throw from Stokes and a good gather at the stumps by Bairstow.

Rumesh Ratnayake’s appointment does not have any immediate impact on Chaminda Vaas, who is the fast-bowling coach presenting working with the national team

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Aug-2017Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed former quick Rumesh Ratnayake to the top fast-bowling coaching job in the country. As SLC’s head of fast bowling, Ratnayake will work closely with Sri Lanka’s high-performance centre, and will oversee the work of the board’s other fast-bowling coaches, including whoever is posted with the national team. He may not himself work and tour with the Sri Lanka side, however.”Ratnayake will head the national fast-bowling programme, spearheading its talent identification, skills development and training processes in cohesion with the national high-performance plan,” an SLC release said.Ratnayake’s appointment does not have any immediate impact on Chaminda Vaas, who is the fast-bowling coach presently working with the national team. SLC cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha did state, however, that the fast-bowling coach embedded with the Sri Lanka side may change from tour to tour.”All the fast-bowling coaches will work under Rumesh,” Gurusinha told ESPNcricinfo. “We will then work with the high-performance centre to get the specialist coaches in whenever the national team needs. We will take specialists to different tours. If the head coach says, ‘I want so-and-so’, we will put a request to high performance and get that coach.”Ratnayake’s most recent high-profile coaching position with Sri Lanka was during the 2015 World Cup, where he worked as a supplementary fast-bowling coach with the national team, also alongside Vaas. He had also been interim head coach during Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka in 2011.One of the fastest Sri Lanka bowlers in the 1980s, Ratnayake had taken 73 Test wickets at an average of 35.10 during his playing career.

In many ways, Antony is the perfect example of just how much football’s transfer market has suffered inflation in the last few years.Five or so years ago, £82m would have got you a game-changer; someone who could single-handedly win a side several trophies. Now, however, it gets you a winger who was involved in just six Premier League goals in his debut season.Eyebrows were raised at the time of Antony’s move to Manchester United last summer, given the staggering price tag, and he has since only shown glimpses of what he is truly capable of.Cutting inside and finding the top corner in Robben-like fashion one moment, the winger has the tendency to spurn golden opportunities in the next. And that’s been the issue. Antony has simply lacked consistency.If the former Ajax man was looking to build confidence in pre-season, too, then his open goal miss in United’s 3-2 defeat against Borussia Dortmund wouldn’t have exactly worked wonders.

Antony misses open goal in Borussia Dortmund defeat

The embarrassing miss – in which this footage shows fans reacting with shock – occurred on the rebound of Marcus Rashford’s initial effort, which was palmed into the path of Antony by Dortmund shot-stopper Alexander Meyer.

You can also see it better on the official Manchester United YouTube page highlights (at around 3:39).

With the goalkeeper out of position, the Brazilian had the easy task of side-footing home. Instead of completing that task with ease, however, Antony completely miss-hit his effort, firing wide of the mark, failing to equalise for the Red Devils late on.

Erik ten Hag will be disappointed with the winger, especially given the fact that United went on to lose the game 3-2.

The Premier League giants initially took the lead against their Bundesliga opponents through Diogo Dalot, before Donyell Malen struck twice in as many minutes to flip the game on its head.

Perhaps summing up his inconsistency, Antony managed to get on the scoresheet prior to his open goal miss to level things up at 2-2. Alas, Youssoufa Moukoko sealed victory for Dortmund from the bench in a back-and-forth affair.

Recently speaking to the club website about Antony, United legend Jap Staam said: “You know Antony’s got quality, of course, on the ball.

“He’s got decent pace, even if he’s not lightning. He needs to become, and I know we were talking about being predictable in a way of playing, then he needs to step up a gear to make a change.

“As a winger, you always need to be very decisive. You need to take initiative on the ball. You need to go forward. You need to take on your one-v-ones and you need to make it difficult for your opposition by, one time, going inside and, the other time, going outside.”

How many goals has Antony scored for Manchester United?

Antony isn’t exactly a natural goalscorer, often opting for showmanship more than anything else, epitomised by the impressive nature of the small number of goals that he has scored during his time at Old Trafford.

In total, the Brazilian has found the back of the net eight times in a Manchester United shirt, whilst also recording three assists in his debut season.

He got off to the perfect start in the Premier League, of course, when he scored an incredible curling effort against local rivals Manchester City, as his new side fell to a frustrating 6-3 defeat.

Things haven’t gone quite so well since then, and fans have been reacting to Antony’s open goal miss, some of which you can see below:

Having warmed the bench in the Champions Trophy, Ajinkya Rahane has said he was eager to perform well in the Caribbean

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-20173:14

‘Perfect innings for me as an opening batsman’ – Rahane

Before the five-match series in the Caribbean, Ajinkya Rahane last played an ODI against England in January 2017. With a fit-again Rohit Sharma reuniting with Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order in the Champions Trophy and Kedar Jadhav bedding into the middle order and providing handy offspin, Rahane was benched for each of India’s five matches in their run to the Champions Trophy final.The decision to rest Rohit for the West Indies then tour paved the way for Rahane’s recall in the XI. Opening the batting with Shikhar Dhawan, Rahane made three successive fifty-plus scores, including a hundred in the second ODI in Port of Spain. His latest contribution – a measured 72 off 112 balls in the third game in Antigua – laid the groundwork for India securing a 2-0 lead in the series. After warming the bench in England, Rahane has said he is keen to ‘make it count’ in the Caribbean.”When I was not playing in the Champions Trophy I was focussing on my fitness training as well as my batting,” he said. “It is good to learn something or the other about your batting and about your fitness as well but when we came here I was hungry and wanted to do well. I was batting well in the nets here as well as in England. So, I wanted to make it count.”Rahane scored 19 off the first 19 balls he faced, but slowed down later on a sluggish pitch. His strike-rate of 64.28 was the second-slowest since 2010 for openers batting first and facing 110 balls.”That was a perfect innings for me as an opening batsman,” Rahane said. “Even before that game I got 62 runs [in the first ODI] and I was batting really well. In the second game I wanted to make it really count, the century felt really good.”Rahane, though, wasn’t flustered about his underwhelming strike-rate on Friday and insisted that sussing out the conditions was the key. “I can make up for it [slow start]. This wicket was completely different,” he said. “I do practice different shots in the nets but in the game situation you have to read the conditions and play according to that. I was completely comfortable in the middle. I knew I took some time but I knew if I stay there I can make it count in the end. I was not worried at all and I don’t take things for granted.”MS Dhoni and Kedhar Jadhav then built on Rahane’s work and smashed 81 together in 46 balls to lead India to 251 for 4. Rahane said that the late blows were vital in stretching India’s total by an extra 20 runs.”Kedar is a completely different player. He is aggressive, he likes to play his shots, express himself,” Rahane said. “Today was the perfect situation for him, last 8-10 overs, just go out there and express himself. I felt that partnership between Mahi bhai and Kedar was very important. We were looking to score 225-230 but we got 20 extra runs in the end.”

Aston Villa could continue their strong feat in the transfer window with a move for Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson.

The Villans have been linked to the playmaker for some time, however, Unai Emery and Monchi could finally secure the talent on the back of three impressive deals.

Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby have already made the switch to Villa Park, with more activity anticipated this summer.

Who wants to buy Brennan Johnson?

As reported by the Daily Mail earlier this month, both Villa and Brentford have an eye on the Welshman, who is valued at around £40m by Forest.

The 22-year-old has been of interest to the Midlands side since May, when FootballTransfers named the Villans as a potential suitor for him in the summer.

The Garibaldi have remained reluctant to sell their star man, however as per the Daily Mail’s report, the club may be forced to accept an offer to ease Financial Fair Play (FFP) concerns.

How good is Brennan Johnson?

Rising through the academy at the City Ground, the Nottingham-born gem has found his feet in recent years, cementing himself as one of the club’s key players.

A loan spell at Lincoln City in the 2020/21 season brought the youngster's talent to light, where he scored ten goals and assisted 12 in 40 League One appearances.

From there, the intricate forward hasn’t looked back, playing a pivotal role in Forest’s promotion to the Premier League in 2022, where he scored 16 goals and registered nine assists, as well as scoring twice in the play-offs, via Transfermarkt.

Johnson has truly worked his way through the ranks, with his form failing to slow down in the top tier, where he netted eight goals for Steve Cooper’s side in his debut term in the Premier League.

While the Welshman's form comes as a thing to be celebrated by Forest, it’s also gathered the type of attention that the club feared, with fellow side’s hoping to pry the 22-year-old away from Nottingham.

For Villa, Johnson could become a valued member of Emery’s squad, adding individual brilliance and providing a fresh outlet for others in the side.

Like the Wales international, Emiliano Buendia shone in the Championship, however, has struggled to transfer his form to the Premier League.

Lauded as “unbelievable” by national team manager Robert Page, the Villa target could prove to be the key to unlocking the Argentine’s past form in the Midlands, through his lively nature in attack.

The 26-year-old secured 17 assists in the Championship before making the switch to Villa Park, highlighting just how efficient he can be as a playmaker.

Clocking the second-fastest top speed in the league last season at 36.70 km/h, via OptaJoe, Johnson could be the desired presence in the side to give Buendia a deadly outlet to target in the final third.

In the 2020/21 Championship campaign, the former Norwich sensation averaged 3.31 key passes and 0.41 through balls per 90, via FBref, highlighting just how deadly he could be if given a pace-ridden spark like Johnson to release.

Emery could add a host of threats to his front line by equipping the Forest star in his side, in a move that could benefit the club on multiple dimensions.

Nathan Lyon made his first mark in the County Championship on another frustrating day for Derbyshire and Worcestershire in the Division Two match at Derby

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2017
ScorecardNathan Lyon claimed his first Championship wicket•Associated PressNathan Lyon made his first mark in the County Championship on another frustrating day for Derbyshire and Worcestershire in the Division Two match at Derby.The Australian Test offspinner claimed his maiden first-class wicket for Worcestershire by removing Alex Hughes for 53 before a storm forced play to be abandoned at 5 o’clock.Luis Reece had top scored with 59 before he and Billy Godleman were dismissed in the space of 10 balls early on the second morning but Hughes and Daryn Smit added 78 in 21 overs to take Derbyshire to 200 for 6.Worcestershire bowlers could have taken more than three wickets on the first day and they soon had two more with Jack Shantry tempting Reece into pushing at a ball he could have left and Tom Kohler-Cadmore took a good low catch at first slip.Joe Leach claimed a second victim when Billy Godleman edged behind which left Derbyshire to regroup and Hughes and Smit showed good judgement to bat through 10 overs before rain held up play until early afternoon.The break appeared to have disrupted the Worcestershire bowlers who struggled for consistency and Hughes took advantage, cutting a short ball from Ed Barnard for his seventh four to move to 50 from 56 balls.Lyon had looked like a bowler whose last first-class appearance was in the fourth Test against India in the Himalayan city of Dharamsala in late March but he was celebrating before the rain returned.Hughes moved across to try and work him to leg but was pinned lbw and that was the last action of the day as a downpour left large pools of water on the outfield.”It’s tough to just try and block him because he’s so good he will get you sooner or later so you have to try and put a bit of pressure on him,” Hughes said.”I enjoy playing against spin and it’s a good test against someone you’re used to watching on the TV, especially in India, and do well against even though he’s now got me out twice in two games.”The action he gets on the ball is very different to the average spinner, he gets a lot of revs on it and a lot more bounce. He doesn’t bowl many bad deliveries and if this pitch gets dry and I think he could be a tough prospect if we have to bat in the third innings.”Leach said: “I don’t think we got our just desserts with the ball, I feel we bowled quite a bit better than 200 for 6 so hopefully that will change and we can knock them over really cheaply in the morning.”It was good for Nathan to get his first wicket, he bowled very well again today so it was a good reward for him to get off the mark and hopefully he will have a bigger part to play in the rest of this game.”

Tottenham Hotspur could be set to take a patient approach in their bid to find a possible successor to in-demand talisman, Harry Kane, following an update regarding the club's interest in Brentford hotshot, Ivan Toney.

What's the latest on Toney to Tottenham?

According to Football Transfers, the Lilywhites are said to be 'willing to wait' until the winter window in order to snap up the one-time Newcastle United ace, with the 27-year-old currently serving an eight-month ban after breaching FA betting rules.

With the one-cap England international's suspension set to end in mid-January, that could then allow the north Londoners the opportunity to pounce midway through the season, if Kane is to depart in the near future.

With the latter man attracting hefty interest from Bayern Munich at present, there is a possibility that the 29-year-old could depart before the September deadline, with the Three Lions skipper having just a year left on his existing deal.

As per the report, there is a chance that such an exit would then see Toney join Spurs this summer, although chairman Daniel Levy is said to be keen to hang on to the club's record scorer until January, when he would then acquire a replacement in the form of the Bees ace.

Who should replace Kane at Tottenham?

Amid the mounting uncertainty over Kane's future at N17, there have been notable links to high-profile targets who could potentially fill the void in Ange Postecoglou's side next term, with Juventus hitman, Dusan Vlahovic reportedly among those being considered.

The Serbian machine initially caught the eye after bagging 49 goals in just 108 games during his time at Fiorentina, having since gone on to net 23 goals in 63 games after making the move to Turin on a £66.6m deal in January 2022.

While lauded as a player who could become "a generational talent" in future, as per journalist Emmet Gates, the 23-year-old hardly set the world alight last term at the Allianz Stadium, notably scoring just ten goals and providing only four assists in 27 Serie A outings.

Toney, by contrast, was far more impressive in the Premier League as the £20k-per-week sensation chipped in with 20 goals and laid on four assists in 33 league outings, with Kane the only English player to have netted more times in the top-flight last season.

A player with the "mindset of a lion", according to his manager Thomas Frank, the Northampton-born marksman has particularly impressed due to his ability to link play and provided quality service for those around him, showcased by the fact that the 5 foot 10 ace created 12 big chances in the league in 2022/23, eight more than Vlahovic achieved in Italy.

Also a figure who has proven himself in the Premier League – having contributed 12 goals and five assists in the division the year prior – Toney also offers the bonus of his willing work ethic in attack, showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 9% among his European peers for interceptions, as well as in the top 19% for aerial duels won.

That is a far superior record to that of Vlahovic despite the Juve man's 6 foot 3 frame, with the Belgrade native ranking in just the bottom 33% and the bottom 34% for those same two metrics, respectively, across the last 365 days.

While the latter man's record in Italy is nothing to be sneered at, the impact that Toney has already made in England's top flight should make him a more worthy option for Postecoglou and co, even if it means Tottenham are forced to play the long game with regard to his arrival at the club.

Mark Wood enjoyed a successful return for England in the first ODI against Ireland but he admitted his uncertainty after coming back from a third ankle operation

Andrew McGlashan06-May-2017On Friday in Bristol, Mark Wood did what fast bowlers like to do: zipped one through a batsman at close to 90mph, shattering the stumps. But there was added significance for Wood when he removed Paul Stirling because he feared he may never get the chance to do it again.A third ankle operation within a year followed by a rehabilitation that was slow and, at times, lonely allowed his mind to wander. “I thought the dream was gone at times,” he said after a successful comeback outing against Ireland.It was a million miles away from the joy of claiming the Ashes-clinching wicket at Trent Bridge in 2015. That was, of course, “Stuart Broad’s Test” but Wood will always be the man who claimed the final scalp of Nathan Lyon to spark celebrations. Since then, though, joy at international level has been fleeting for him: three more Tests – the same number as surgeries he has had – and a handful of one-day internationals spread over two English seasons.The first of his operations came at the end of 2015 when he left the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE, the second early in the 2016 season and the third at the end of the summer after, gallingly, putting his body on the line to earn Durham a Championship victory that appeared to secure their Division One status only for ECB sanctions to mean otherwise.Three operations on the same part of the body, especially one so crucial to a fast bowler who relies on an explosive delivery stride at the crease, led to a player outwardly so cheerful and upbeat as Wood to have doubts. It was not helped when two possible comeback dates – the one-day series in the West Indies and a Lions tour of Sri Lanka – came and went.”I had questioned at times whether I would actually ever play for England again,” he said. “After the first two operations, I always believed I would get back but then this one, because it [the recovery] didn’t happen at the same rate as it did previously, I was a little bit unsure if I would ever get back to the standard I wanted to set and the pace I wanted to bowl at. It just took a little bit longer than I expected, but it’s good to finally get there.”Wood said he did not feel any pain in Bristol because the adrenalin was surging through his body, but the concerns over his ankle had remained as recently as last month when finishing pre-season with Durham. They manifested themselves more so when he was bowling on his own at a set of stumps and he spent time with the England psychologist, although it wasn’t until he had got through a few spells at the start of the Championship season that his worries were eased.In the most recent of those four-day matches, against Gloucestershire, he tweaked his groin, but he called that “a blessing” because it stopped him thinking about the ankle.”The physios were telling us ‘it’s normal to feel pain, you’re sensitive in that area’. When I am going to nets by myself and having to bowl at cones and stuff, you’re not in the game scenario, the adrenaline’s not pumping. I’m looking for my ankle, ‘is that niggling, is that hurting?’ If I feel anything I could bowl five overs but if I felt one ball, I’d be thinking ‘why is this still hurting?'”Now it’s sort of changed. I spoke with the England psychologist and it was to change my mindset. Rather than looking for pain, [it is] can I still perform with a small amount of pain there? So now, if it doesn’t affect my performance then I am happy. If it was ever to affect my front leg position, if it’s not braced, then I’d be a little bit unhappy but now I deal with it a lot better.”Wood accepts he will probably never be pain free and the ankle will trouble him from time to time. He has had special bowling boots designed to try to stop his front ankle rolling when it slams down in the delivery stride and has also worked with Kevin Shine, the ECB’s lead fast bowling coach, to try and to ensure the leg and foot come through straight rather that splaying to the left and putting pressure on the ankle.He also acknowledges that he probably can’t play every game, but just a short time on from wondering if he would bowl for England again now believes he can withstand the demanding schedule ahead to play a part in Test cricket – including the Ashes – once more.”If you ask me now, I am confident. If you’d asked me before the Durham Championship games, I might have been not sure about how it was going to go. I’m pretty confident now I could get through any sort of international cricket be it Test, one-day or Twenty20.”I wouldn’t say it’s honestly ever going to be totally pain free, I think that’s just the trouble I’ve had – three operations and the way that I bowl, it’s just going to flare up from time to time. Hopefully, that’s the end of the major pain. I haven’t got any bones left in there that are sticking out or anything like that. I’m held together with a bit of tape pretty well.”