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India are set to embrace a more dynamic approach to their T20I batting, which has tended in the past to blend caution with aggression. The main ingredient that prevented India from being more aggressive in the past, according to captain Virat Kohli, was a lack of batting depth. The squad picked for their five-match T20I series against England has addressed that issue, in Kohli’s view, while also adding several “X-factor” players.”The kind of players we have added into the squad is precisely to give our batting line-up more depth and not play in a similar kind of pattern that we have played with in the past,” Kohli said on Thursday, the eve of the first T20I. “We want to be a side that plays free cricket, not have any baggage of lack of depth and one guy having to bat long enough to make sure we get to a big total.”We have explosive batsmen in the team now, who can change the game at any stage even if you are two or three wickets down. That’s exactly what we’ve tried to address in picking this squad. So this time around, you will see guys a bit more expressive in terms of approaching the innings, and playing more freely. Not worried about whether we have enough batsmen to take care of things if we lose a couple of wickets early, which was the case before to be honest. We didn’t have enough depth in the batting to be able to play freely throughout the first 10 or 12 overs. But I see us being much more positive and free from this period onwards.”Related

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• Kohli: We weren't aware of what we had to do on that pitch

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• Rohit advises Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan: 'Enjoy the moment'

• Spin questions for England as India try on new big-hitting avatar

In the past India leaned towards the conservative approach of keeping wickets in hand for a final-overs charge, as against the strategy favoured by teams like England and West Indies (when at full strength), who bat deep and consequently go hard from the start. The presence of players like Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, alongside allrounders such as Washington Sundar and Axar Patel and newcomers like Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, is likely to free up the top order and allow them to be more expansive.That also means that of the three openers in the squad – Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan – only two can be fitted into the XI, and Kohli said Rohit and Rahul are India’s first-choice options.In the past, India have leaned on their top order to bat deep into T20 innings•BCCI

“If Rohit plays, then it’s quite simple, KL and Rohit have been consistently performing at the top of the order for us and those two would start,” he said. “In a situation where Rohit takes rest or KL has a niggle or something like that, then Shikhi obviously comes in as the third opener. But the starting composition, Rohit and Rahul will be the ones who start.”Earlier, one of the openers or Kohli at No. 3 have tended to take on the anchor’s role, and India haven’t done too badly with that approach. But the evolution of the T20 game has meant it’s time to take the next step. Since 2018, while batting first, India’s run rate while batting first in T20Is is 8.79, behind only England (9.05) and New Zealand (8.87). However, their run-rate during powerplay overs, a key indicator of the strategy adopted by the top order, is 7.99 in this same time-frame, fifth best among the top ten sides.On the other hand, in that same period, India’s batting average of 35.24 is the only one above 30 among the top ten sides. And their powerplay average of 45.95 is the second best overall, behind Australia’s 48.38. Now, with more batting depth, they can trade-off average for run rate – batsmen going harder would typically mean more wickets falling, but also give them a better chance of putting on extra runs.With the firepower of Pant and Pandya available in the middle order, and the added freedom for them of having bowlers who can bat in the lower order – especially when Ravindra Jadeja returns – India have recognised that keeping wickets in hand could be counter-productive.”I think we have played with a certain kind of pattern in the past. We didn’t probably have a big tournament to work towards, but if you look at the squad and the additions we’ve made, we’ve tried to address a few things that we needed in specific: guys who can be X-factors with the bat, do things which are the need of the hour in T20 cricket,” Kohli said. “These guys have done so in the IPL on a regular basis. We have tried to cover all those bases.”Now it’ll be interesting to see how they go about things in these five games because these are the only games we have as a team before the World Cup and we want to see how these guys fare out there in the middle. I feel like the squad right now with what we have, barring Jaddu [Jadeja] who will come back whenever fit, is the squad that I feel is the most balanced in terms of all the options readily available for us to take on the field as and when we want.”

Rain wiped out nearly all of the last session of day four soon after Australia had set India 328 to win the Gabba Test. India’s openers had only faced 11 balls, and still had a possible 23.1 overs left to negotiate before stumps, when rain sent the players hurrying into their dressing rooms for the second and final time on the day.On a pitch where inconsistent bounce has grown into a frequent menace, Australia should still have enough time left, in theory, to bowl India out and wrap up a 2-1 series win, but the weather forecast for day five isn’t encouraging.India will have been the happier side at stumps – not so much from the standpoint of the match situation as much as the fact that the bowling attack they cobbled together for this Test match, with each of their senior options unavailable, managed to challenge Australia again and keep them from running away with the game.For one, they bowled Australia out. This hadn’t seemed likely when David Warner and Marcus Harris had extended their opening partnership to 89 and left Australia effectively 122 for no loss some 40 minutes into the day’s play. But India regrouped, with Shardul Thakur breaking the partnership on his way to an impressive four-wicket haul and Mohammed Siraj capping off a stellar debut series with a maiden Test-match five-for.Thakur had been wayward through the first innings but showed much better control in the second, changing the mood of the game by replacing an erratic T Natarajan and testing the left-handers with his angle from over the wicket, landing the ball within the line of the stumps and forcing them to play, and drawing a series of plays-and-misses with movement off the deck.A short ball brought the breakthrough, with Harris leaving his gloves in the way of the ball while trying to duck underneath it. Washington Sundar, Thakur’s partner in crime with the bat on day three, then had Warner lbw with one that went with the arm to leave Australia 91 for 2 with two new batsmen at the crease.Those two batsmen, Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith, threatened to take the game away once more with a counterattacking stand full of daring forays down the pitch to Sundar’s offspin. But having raced to 25 off 21, Labuschagne had no answer to Siraj when he got one to straighten in the channel after angling into him, and Rohit Sharma pouched a thick edge at second slip.Three balls later, Matthew Wade was caught down the leg side off Siraj, his duck capping a miserable series that has put his place in doubt.Either side of tea, Smith – batting with adventurous use of feet and hands – and Cameron Green – blocking stolidly with a rather mechanical-looking forward stride – added 73 in 23.2 overs, stretching the lead past the 200 mark.On 42, Smith gave India a chance when he stepped out and miscued a lofted hit off Sundar, but Siraj misjudged the catch at long-on and dropped it while off-balance. But soon after he’d moved past fifty, Siraj made up for the miss by getting a ball to leap at Smith from just short of a length. He made an impressive effort to survive the delivery, but couldn’t pull his bottom hand off the handle before the ball had struck his glove, and lobbed to gully.By the time Thakur sent Green back with an away-seamer in the corridor – it gave Sharma his fifth catch of the match – Australia’s lead had passed 250. Inconsistent bounce was becoming more frequent, with the long, vertical cracks on the pitch now having widened significantly. Natarajan had got one ball to creep through at ankle height and narrowly miss Green’s off stump. Thakur got one to spit up at Tim Paine and hit his glove. Australia may have felt they already had enough for an early declaration, especially given the danger of the erratic bounce injuring one of their bowlers.But they batted on, perhaps wary of having their bowlers – each of whom has played all four Tests, and all of whom have got through grueling workloads in India’s second innings in Sydney and their first innings here – get back on the field too soon. The runs came quickly, either side of a rain interruption that almost entirely coincided with the tea break, even as Siraj and Thakur chipped steadily away at the wickets. The bowlers survived this period largely unscathed, even though Pat Cummins suffered a smack on his right elbow from Siraj and a glancing blow to the back of his helmet from a Thakur bouncer that kept unexpectedly low.Eventually, Cummins made an unbeaten 28 – his highest score in 22 Test innings, a lean run stretching all the way to India’s previous tour of the country in 2018-19 – as the last four wickets added 67 to Australia’s total.

A 5 for 1 collapse. A five-wicket haul. An over with four no-balls: fans at Eden Park were spoiled

Alagappan Muthu27-Nov-2020″It feels strange,” Kieron Pollard said at the toss as West Indies played New Zealand in the first T20I and he stood in the middle of Eden Park surrounded by a crowd. Covid-19 had changed cricket, but the first signs of the game starting to heal and move on were evident in Auckland as the people in the ground reveled in some sensational – and at times unbelievable – cricket.Watch cricket on ESPN+

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There was Lockie Ferguson, insisting that he won’t bowl a click slower than 150. He picked up his first five-wicket haul in T20Is and while that is memorable on its own, the spell that he bowled – the way he had the world champions ducking and weaving and wearing the ball because they were too slow to react – was the more riveting spectacle. Ferguson finished with figures of 4-0-21-5, with West Indies not in control of 18 of the 24 balls he delivered on Friday evening.Pollard vs Ferguson was only a two-ball event – “Didn’t face him. Smart boy.”, the West Indies captain said with a chuckle at the post-match press conference – but the rest of the New Zealand bowlers took a pasting. From 59 for 5 in the sixth over, Pollard took his team to 180 for 7 in a rain-reduced 16-overs-a-side game.”For me, when the bowlers have their tails up, you have to try something as a batter,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to make one mistake. The rain and the nature of the pitch sort of helped us, with the ball coming through. The opening bowlers were a bit short. But he (Ferguson) changed his length and bowled a bit fuller, and that’s why he was successful. Again, daunting task, but these are the situations you train for as individuals, when you’re team is in trouble you try to get them out.”‘Special having a good day with nan watching over us’ – Ferguson

Lockie Ferguson’s best performance in a T20I came on the back of a personal tragedy.
“My nan, who I was pretty close with, passed away about a month ago which was a shame. I couldn’t be back for her funeral which was a shame. So pretty special having a good day out with her watching over us.”

Ferguson knew – even though he was ripping them apart – that West Indies would be able to recover if their captain stayed at the crease long enough.”When you face these guys – especially Kieron, who has been very successful – over the last few months, winning every competition there is, you’re under the pump [as] Eden Park gets even smaller,” Ferguson said.ALSO READ – Ferguson, Neesham, Conway star in topsy-turvy win”I thought we bowled a couple of yorkers that only missed by a little bit and they went a long way into the boundary. Once again, we have to look at our plans and execute them better going forward. That’s pretty cliché in T20 cricket. You have good days and you have bad [days]. If we continue to improve, we’ll be better for it. But you’ve got to tip your hat when a guy plays an innings like that, especially after we got quick wickets but he settled himself and had a quick burst in the end.”Pollard made 75 off only 37 balls, and if that sounds like he walked in and went berserk, think again. He took care to get himself in. He respected New Zealand’s momentum when they took five wickets for one run. He fought against it, bit by bit, until the umpire mistakenly ruled him out lbw in the ninth over. The review was emphatic. The next ball went for six. The sleeping giant had awakened.When asked about the official’s decision and his animated response to it, Pollard said, “You take it in whatever perception you want. I’m not gonna say anything. Just wanted it to be consistent. Asking for consistency. Being a visiting team, there are some things you expect but we’ll continue to fight.”Lockie Ferguson celebrates the wicket of Shimron Hetmyer•Getty Images

A grand spell of fast bowling. A back-to-the-wall batting masterclass from a T20 legend. A hint of controversy. This riveting game turned in the end due to some rusty cricket from West Indies, who had only come out of quarantine yesterday.Keemo Paul then bowled four no-balls in the 14th over of the chase – one overstep and three high full-tosses. New Zealand had slowly been whittling down a frightful asking rate. From 115 required off 60, to 82 off 42 and then to 39 off 24, but at the end of that ten-ball over, they needed only 15 off 12.”In terms of our disciplines, in the bowling aspect, I thought we were a bit erratic,” Pollard summed up. “And in international cricket, if you bowl so many no-balls and if you’re so inconsistent, you are definitely going to end up on the losing side. But it was an entertaining game of cricket for the fans and the general public, something they haven’t got to see in a very long time.”West Indies’ waywardness was the result of their search for yorkers and they were forced into a place with so little margin of error by Jimmy Neesham. He came in after a run-out sent Ross Taylor back for a duck in the seventh over, but instead of that breakthrough proving a turning point for West Indies, it ended up one for New Zealand, as the left-hander carved up 48 match-winning runs in only 24 balls.”Jimmy was a bit of a big brother to me in high school and we played a lot of age groups together,” Ferguson said. “But to be fair, the Black Caps are a pretty tight bunch of mates and when anyone does well and wins the game for us, then of course we get around them.””I think that’s a big part of our culture. We try to drive that. Obviously pumped that Sants (Mitchell Santner) and Neesh could get some runs and bat well at the end there. Certainly, we’ll celebrate tonight. It was one of the craziest games I’ve ever been part of. I was in the changing room for our whole batting innings not sure what to do!”

Olly Stone gave England’s selectors a nudge by taking three top-order wickets in an intra-squad T20 warm-up match at Paarl, before Sam Curran and Joe Root’s rapid fifth-wicket stand sealed a comfortable victory for Team Buttler against Team Morgan.Stone, the 27-year-old fast bowler, has not played limited-overs cricket for England since his debut series in Sri Lanka two years ago, but won a recall to the ODI squad for this tour on the back of some impression domestic form for Warwickshire. He is not part of the 15-man squad for the T20I series against South Africa which starts on Friday, but provided a reminder of his talents by removing Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow in a two-over burst.Moeen Ali’s cautious 41 underpinned Team Morgan’s total of 139 batting first, with Stokes and Bairstow both batting twice as wickets fell regularly. The run chase looked to be in some danger as Team Buttler lost their second, third and fourth wickets with the score on 50, but Curran and Root blitzed 91 runs in 50 balls between them to secure the win.ALSO READ: Olly Stone ‘trying to bash that door down’ for England placeAfter Tom Banton was caught in the deep off Chris Jordan, Stone caused Stokes early problems. First, he miscued a short ball over mid-on, and he top-edged a pull to Sam Billings in the deep soon after. A chance off Bairstow on the leg-side boundary was spilled over the rope for six, but then Stone had Livingstone caught in the deep, and ripped through Bairstow to knock back his off stump for his third wicket in the space of only eight balls.Tom Helm, a member of the reserves for both T20I and ODI series, struck twice in his second over. First, Eoin Morgan steered a short ball straight to third man, before Chris Woakes skied one straight down Jofra Archer’s throat. Sam Curran dismissed brother Tom before some lusty blows from Moeen off Archer made the first-innings total look somewhat respectable on a slowish surface.In the run chase, Reece Topley started with a wayward first over that went for 17, before Woakes had Buttler caught at short midwicket in his only over. Jason Roy scored freely, hitting five boundaries in his cameo of 28, before edging behind off Tom Curran immediately after Dawid Malan had played Mark Wood onto the base of his stumps. Curran then removed Billings, caught at wide slip, bringing Curran and Root together.Sam Curran swings one over the leg side•Getty Images

After keeping the scoreboard moving by nudging singles and the odd boundary for four overs, Curran then smashed Livingstone’s spin for four, six, four in the space of three deliveries, and then went six, four, six off Moeen to put the game to bed as a contest. Root was then in on the act, smiting Livingstone for a four and a six, then clipping a two to take them past their 140-run target.Team Buttler continued to bat on even after passing their target to give their players time in the middle under the floodlights, with Root – who is not in England’s T20 plans – retiring out immediately after scoring the winning runs. It was the second time that Buttler’s side had claimed the bragging rights in three days, following their convincing win in Saturday’s 40-over warm-up.While England are unlikely to have learned a huge amount from their evening’s work, it was notable that Bairstow came in at No. 4 in the first innings. With Buttler and Roy set to open and Malan primed to continue at No. 3, that may be where he finds himself listed to bat on Friday night.Sam Curran’s blitz will also give England further temptation to pick him at No. 7 ahead of Moeen after an impressive IPL with the Chennai Super Kings, and while Root and Stone are unlikely to be added to the squad barring injury, they will have done their prospects of future inclusion no harm.”Looking at those two teams, they were both so strong,” Curran told the PA news agency. “Morgs and Jos were very clear that we should make this competitive because come Friday, South Africa are going to come hard. Any time you’re out in the middle is great training. I think we’ll be ready for Friday.”

West Indies batsman also learning to play the pull shot better

PTI10-Oct-20205:43

Hetmyer came out to bat with a gameplan – Dasgupta

Learning the art of playing a perfect pull shot from the peerless Ricky Ponting is a dream that Shimron Hetmyer is living during his stint with the Delhi Capitals. The West Indies batsman showed glimpses of his destructive self during his 24-ball-45 knock against Rajasthan Royals on Friday. The first of his five sixes was a pull shot executed to perfection.”It’s been fun to be around Ricky,” he told PTI. “A very good guy. He is right now working on my pull shot. He has observed that in last few games, people have been bowling short to me. So far he is working on my pulling and he has done one hell of a job with me. He is teaching me the art of being a better finisher and I am getting there gradually.”Hetmyer has been tasked to bat in the death overs at the Capitals, something he’s still coming to grips with. “The role of a floater is not something that I was accustomed to really. I am still working towards getting better with each and every game,” he said. “What I try to do now is to ensure that every game, I have to hit a six. At least, one six. Working towards that at moment.”.Hetmyer is a much better player of spinners among his Caribbean contemporaries, something he attributes to growing up in Guyana, which back in the day used to be one place that assisted slow bowlers.”It could be, yes I agree,” he said. “The pitches in Guyana are pretty similar to what we get here and in the Indian subcontinent with regards to spinners. I had no choice but to adjust to it and get better. Playing spinners from an early age helped me get better and then coming to international cricket, it helped that I was able to rotate strike if the sixes are not coming.”He is a couple of months short of his 24th birthday and has already become a vital player across formats for the West Indies. He admits to have been surprised at how quickly he has transitioned to where he is today.”Probably, I moved a bit faster (transition) than I expected to be honest,” he said. “I didn’t expect to be where I am at the age of 23 actually but I thank God everyday and all the people, my support system who have helped me to reach where I am today. There have been ups and downs. but ups mostly. I am working at getting better and finishing more games for my team or at least get them to winning positions.”A junior World Cup in his bag as a captain, does West Indies captaincy cross his mind? “I try not to think about West Indies captaincy that much. But if I am honest, it will always be at the back of my mind somewhere. Everyday, I wake up, I only think about cricket and get better at my game,” he said.Delhi Capitals’ core is pretty young with 23-year-olds Hetmyer, Rishabh Pant, 25-year-old skipper Shreyas Iyer, pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada who is also of same age and opener Prithvi Shaw, weeks short of his 21st birthday.Having peers around helps when one needs to stay put in a bio-bubble, which is not the case for fun-loving blokes in their early 20s.”It’s been pretty tough personally. I am someone who likes to go shopping and stuff. Being locked up and not being able to go out see this sights has been a little bit tough for me.”It’s been better, having good friends around, having a young team also helped me a little bit more free. Us being basically the same age group, it helps a lot to have all those guys around.”

When Ambati Rayudu fell for 71 after putting on a 115-run stand for the second wicket with Faf du Plessis, the Chennai Super Kings still needed 42 off 24 balls against the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2020 opener.Conventional wisdom suggested Kedar Jadhav or MS Dhoni, one of the two outright batsmen, would come out at No. 5 to push Super Kings to victory, but out came Ravindra Jadeja. It looked like Dhoni was employing the tried-and-tested method of going with a right-hand-left-hand batting combination to disturb the rhythm of the Mumbai Indians bowlers, as James Pattinson prepared to bowl the 17th over. The plan seemed to work, with Jadeja crunching ten runs in four balls, and Pattinson leaking 13.But Jadeja fell to Krunal Pandya off the 18th over’s first delivery, and the equation now read 29 off 17 for the Super Kings. Surely MS Dhoni would walk out now? Well, not quite. In came the Super Kings debutant, Sam Curran, and he crunched two sixes and a four off his first five balls before falling to Bumrah with ten balls to go. The game was now truly in the Super Kings’ hands. With ten needed off ten, du Plessis and Dhoni – who finished on 0 not out – finished the game with four balls to spare.Was it a tactical move or some of the famous Dhoni gut feel that made him push Curran ahead of himself and Jadhav?”At some point, I thought we needed to give Jadeja and someone like Sam [Curran] to go ahead in the batting order and express themselves,” Dhoni said after the match. “They still had two spinners remaining, and we tried to intimidate the bowler a bit, it was just a psychological aspect. We know we bat quite deep, and wanted them to go after the bowler. If you clear one or two [sixes], then it is easier for the batsmen to follow.”Curran, who had taken 1 for 28 earlier, said Dhoni’s move “surprised” even him. “I was actually really excited when I was coming to [the] Chennai [team],” the England allrounder said. “Haven’t met a lot of guys, straight on the bus, haven’t had much to think, landed two days ago [from the England-Australia series] and straight out there to do what I do.”To be honest, very surprised I went in [at No. 6] but he’s a genius, he obviously thought something. Great win in the end. I think [left-right combination was his plan]. That [18th over from Pandya] was the over we wanted to target – a six or out approach mentality. Take the risk, and if it comes off it comes off, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”Dhoni also said that the key to the win was adjusting quickly to the bowling conditions on offer in Abu Dhabi. “You can practise a lot, but when you go out, you need time to gauge what is a good length on this wicket,” Dhoni said. “[In the first innings], I felt if there’s not much swing, it’s better to peg the length back a bit. Initially, Mumbai Indians batted well and put pressure.”Overall very positive, still some areas to improve on. What teams will learn [is] that if the match [start] timing is same, that in the second half you’ll get a bit of movement if the ball isn’t wet.”Mumbai Indians, who lost their eighth season opener in a row, were hurt by their batsmen not expanding on their starts, according to captain Rohit Sharma.”Our batsmen didn’t carry on once they got in like how du Plessis and Rayudu did,” Sharma said. “You got to make it count when you’re in, that’s something we failed to do. We were 15-20 short and should’ve carried on from 80-something at the ten-over mark [to a better total]. But credit to CSK bowlers, they kept us guessing all the time. A few things for us to learn from his game, and that we don’t commit those mistakes. Early days but credit to CSK.”We’ve got to understand and adapt to the pitches. The pitch got better towards the end with dew coming. It’s not that we’ve not played at bigger grounds [like the Abu Dhabi stadium]. We’ve got to try and hit those gaps and make sure we get singles and doubles, and focus on that part of the game as well. It’s not just about hitting the shots. It’s all about understanding what one needs to do and it’s something that we failed to do today.”

Leeds United went into the Championship play-off final having to start a goal-shy Joel Piroe up top, with Patrick Bamford sidelined through yet another injury.

Piroe barely left a lasting impression on the Leeds masses nervously watching on at Wembley, failing to have a single shot on Alex McCarthy's net as the Southampton defenders contained the Dutchman with ease all afternoon.

It's not as if Bamford would have done any better when you look at the barren sequence of games he had endured before injury troubles got the better of him again, only managing to ripple an opponent's goal with one strike in his last seven clashes before the treatment room inevitably beckoned.

The focus, therefore, could be on getting a new lethal striker in through the door in West Yorkshire this summer, as Leeds eye up a promising attacker who has had difficulties in the treatment room himself as of late.

Leeds looking at in-demand youngster

Still only 20 years of age, it does, however, feel like a lifetime ago since Daniel Jebbison was first making waves at Sheffield United across in neighbouring South Yorkshire.

Bumped up to the senior mix after six goals from six in the U18 ranks, Jebbison has had his struggles since with the entirety of this season – minus the final game – curtailed owing to a serious blood clot.

Yet, that hasn't stopped a number of suitors from beginning to sniff around for the unlucky young striker this summer, with Leeds notably interested according to journalist Graeme Bailey.

The likes of Everton, Brighton and Hove Albion and Leicester City are all further credited with being keen on the attacker, who could leave the Blades on a free in the off-season, as his contract begins to run out at Bramall Lane even after such a promising start to his career at the club.

Top five youngest-ever goalscorers for Sheffield United

Player

Age when they scored

1. Regan Slater

17 years, 1 month, 29 days

2. Simon Stainrod

17 years, 2 months, 2 days

3. Daniel Jebbison

17 years, 10 months, 5 days

4. Mick Jones

18 years

5. Jonathan Forte

18 years, 1 month, 24 days

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Third in the esteemed list above, after instinctively scoring for United away at Goodison Park, Leeds will hope they can turn back the clock and get this Jebbison back if he signs, finally ditching Bamford in the process.

What this move could mean for Bamford

Although Bamford did have moments of magic last campaign for the Whites, with that first-time screamer against Peterborough United in the FA Cup etched into every Leeds' fans brain, he also very visibly struggled to keep up with the pace at points.

His final full outing at Elland Road before a knee injury struck saw Leeds frustratingly draw 0-0 with Sunderland, with Bamford only managing a meagre 31 touches and one off-target effort to try and win his lacklustre team all three points.

In the grand scheme of things, results like that one at home and a further 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers after this killed Daniel Farke's men and their hopes of gatecrashing the top two in the division.

Therefore, injecting the squad with a fresher option in Jebbison wouldn't be the most out-there shout, considering the former teenage starlet for the Blades only needed two men's appearances before bagging away in Merseyside.

Described as being "fantastic" when it came to his physical strength by then Sheffield United coach Jack Lester, even when United had dropped down a division and he struggled for fitness once more, Jebbison would be able to give the likes of Mateo Joseph and Joe Gelhardt a run for their money to add spice to the competition for places up top.

It would, no doubt, be risky swapping out the injury-prone Bamford for a man who missed nearly all of last season, but a risk worth taking if Leeds can get the former England U20 international back up to speed quickly and firing on all cylinders again.

Related Leeds hit gold with in-demand star who could leave for more than Phillips

Leeds United could be set to cash in a hefty amount on this unbelievable star.

Posts ByKelan Sarson May 31, 2024

A positive test on arrival in the UK had left him self-isolating in Worcester as a precaution

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2020

Kashif Bhatti has been allowed to rejoin the Pakistan squad, after a scare over a positive Covid-19 Test in the UK had left him self-isolating from the rest of the squad as a precaution.The left-arm spinner had travelled to England with a delayed third batch of players after initially testing positive in Pakistan in tests conducted under the PCB’s protocols. Having tested negative twice subsequently under those protocols, as well as once with the airline he was travelling on, Bhatti was cleared to fly to the UK.However, an initial test on arrival in the UK, this time conducted under ECB protocols, returned a positive result and Bhatti was asked to self-isolate from the rest of the squad in Worcester. Two more tests since, however, have both returned negative and so he’s been allowed to integrate with the squad. There was confusion over the initial positive test in the UK but an ECB spokesperson said it was “for the remnants of a previous Covid-19 infection”.”The player had returned a positive test result for the remnants of a previous Covid-19 infection and in consultation with Public Health England and a virologist, a safety-first approach was taken to isolate the player,” the spokesperson said. “The player has now returned a second negative test with no risk of infection to other players and staff.”Bhatti had travelled to the UK with Haider Ali and Imran Khan as well as Malang Ali, the team masseur, all of whom were among the group of players and support staff who returned positive tests in Pakistan. A second batch of players – which included Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz – tested negative on the retest and arrived in the UK after a second negative test, a few days after the bulk of the squad landed on June 29.Bhatti and the others had tested positive in retests in Pakistan and duly had to wait until two negative tests before they could fly out. They arrived in the UK on July 8 and Bhatti had been in self-isolation separate from the squad since then, although he was in the team hotel. He did not train and when the team travelled to Derby from Worcester, he did so separately from them. Haider and Imran had reintegrated into the squad earlier, having tested negative on arrival.Pakistan’s squad has undergone several tests since their arrival in the UK, as part of the ECB’s protocols to ensure the safety of their biosecure bubble.

The European transfer window closes Friday, and the 22-year-old American is the subject of a big-money move to the North London club

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• Tottenham agree $33M fee for USMNT's Cardoso
• Deal is for future transfer
• Unknown if Spurs will trigger before window deadline

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Johnny Cardoso could be bound for the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur reportedly agreeing a transfer fee with Real Betis for the U.S. national team midfielder. Spurs are prepared to pay $33M for the 22-year-old, according to GIVEMESPORT.

  The agreement, however, is a prearranged fee for a future transfer. It's unknown when or if the North London club will trigger the agreement.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Johnny has been linked with top clubs from all over Europe this summer, including La Liga giants Barcelona.

  The U.S. international represented his nation at Copa America 2024, where he featured in two of their three Group Stage matches at the tournament. In total, he has 15 caps for the USMNT, and is widely-seen as one of the most important dual-national recruits from the Gregg Berhalter era, as he was born in New jersey to Brazilian parents, and grew up in the South America.

  His meteoric rise in 2024 has caught the attention of the footballing world, with Spurs now the latest suitor.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  AC Milan were also a rumored destination for Johnny this summer. The Rossoneri were in the market for a midfielder, and if the move were to have come to fruition, he would have been the third American at the club alongside Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JOHNNY?

  It remains to be seen if Spurs sign a deal with Betis for the 22-year-old before the end of the European transfer window.

Chelsea have confirmed that Joao Felix has joined the club on a permanent transfer from La Liga side Atletico Madrid.

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• Felix joins Chelsea for second spell
• Moves on permanent transfer from Atletico
• Portugal star 'happy to be back'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Felix has returned to Chelsea for a second spell with the Blues after spending time on loan with the Premier League side during the 2022-23 season. The Portugal international has arrived on a six-year deal, with the option for one more, and a fee thought to be in the region of £45.5 million (€53m/$59m). Felix has said he is happy to be "home" and has vowed his best years are still to come.

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• WHAT FELIX SAID

  He told the club's official website: "It’s a chance for me to find a home. After two loans, Chelsea and Barca, I needed to stay permanently in one place. There is no better place for me to be than Chelsea. I see a perfect place to shine. It was a little bit of a lot of things that made me want to come back: the project, the club, the league, the fans, the time I spent here that I loved. I felt really good when I was here, despite the results we had. I’m really happy to be back.

  "I’ve developed as a player in a lot of ways: the perception of the game, and the spaces the ball can arrive easily where I can make more impact. I try to figure it out by watching some videos of me of my games. I’ve kind of changed since I was last here. I’m 24 now. I’ll be 25 in November. I feel like I grew up as a player. That’s normal with age. I’m more prepared for the Premier League. I feel like my best years are ahead of me. I have no doubt about that. The best years are still to come. And this year is going to be a good year, because now I am permanently at home, and I can enjoy home."

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  Felix becomes Chelsea's 10th signing of a hectic summer and he will hope that he can finally make an impact after a tough few years. The Portugal international failed to live up to his lofty price tag after signing for Atletico in a club-record deal and was sent out on loan to Chelsea and Barcelona. Felix failed to find a regular spot in the starting XI with the Catalan giants last season, but will aim to make an impact at Stamford Bridge amid intense competition for a place in the the starting XI.

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• DID YOU KNOW

  Felix was sent off on his Chelsea debut against Fulham in his first spell with the club, but went on to score four times in 20 appearances.