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Leeds United have one final friendly match left to tick off on their bumper pre-season schedule before the gruelling, new Premier League season kicks off.

A trip to Ireland to face off against AC Milan will be that last summer runout for Daniel Farke’s Whites, with the German manager dishing out some home truths last time out against Villarreal in a 1-1 draw, after declaring his squad ‘not ready for Premier League level’.

Thankfully, there is still a month or so until the chaotic transfer window officially closes, as Leeds look set to be busy right up until September’s early deadline.

Leeds hold interest in £35m star

With both Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph not in the ex-Norwich City manager’s plans, it looks as if a new striker is a must through the door.

Everton attacker Beto is allegedly on the Whites’ shopping list this summer as they seek out a Premier League-ready centre-forward, with Fulham marksman Rodrigo Muniz presumably a target they’re still chasing after to add reinforcements up top.

Away from filling in holes in the centre-forward department, the top-flight newcomers will also want more strength in depth in the number ten spot on the pitch.

Bilal El Khannouss’ name keeps popping up, as the Leicester City number ten attempts to stay put in the Premier League after the Foxes’ dismal relegation. But another name has now emerged, who also once called Carrow Road home, like Farke.

Indeed, as per a report by CaughtOffside, Leeds are in the race to sign former Norwich midfielder Gabriel Sara, but face stern competition from Aston Villa, Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Villa is even stated as being close to entering into talks with the £35m Brazilian, with Leeds having to move quickly if they want to land the dazzling South American over their competitors, as they line up a swoop for the left-footed ace.

Sara might even be a better option to pick up than the much-talked-about El Khannouss, as the 26-year-old readies himself for an opportunity in the Premier League that’s well-deserved.

Why Sara would be a better signing than El Khannouss

Of course, El Khannouss would also be able to offer Leeds plenty of quality from that number ten role.

After all, even as Leicester did succumb to their dire relegation fate, the Moroccan would stand out as a bright spark throughout, as seen in his promising two goals and three assists, with more assists perhaps coming his way if he was surrounded by more eager teammates, off the back of the 21-year-old creating eight big chances overall in league action.

However, if Leeds want immediate quality that will be able to take the top-flight by storm, Sara should be their desired man over the up-and-coming Leicester number 11.

When staring at the table above, it’s clear why Sara was branded as an “incredible” talent by U23 scout Antonio Mango during his heyday in Norfolk, with a whopping 36 goals and assists collected in Championship action across his two seasons donning Canaries yellow and green.

On top of these standout numbers in the EFL, Sara has also proven himself at a challenging, top-flight level in Turkey, with 12 big chances created for Galatasaray last season across 30 Super Lig encounters. That tally, with eight assists to boot as well, blows El Khannouss’ numbers out of the water.

Further dubbed as being “gifted” by football analyst Ben Mattinson, this could well be the standout signing – at the £35m mark – that allows Farke to breathe a little easier about his side’s Premier League credentials, rather than relying on the Moroccan to mature quickly wearing Leeds white.

Leeds won’t want to be left in the dust when it comes to Sunderland’s mega spending, with a deal for Sara to join for a hefty £35m making the Premier League more aware that the Whites will put up a valiant fight next season to survive, and possibly, thrive.

Chris Wood 2.0: Leeds pursuit of £26m star is a "work in progress"

Leeds United are reportedly still considering a swoop to sign a Premier League forward who could be Chris Wood 2.0

ByDan Emery Aug 2, 2025

Nottingham Forest have deployed a scattergun transfer approach in the transfer market since their promotion back to the Premier League for the 2022/23 campaign.

Since the play-off final triumph at Wembley, the Reds have splashed the cash, with owner Evangelos Marinakis investing over £200m on new players in the hope of establishing the club as a modern-day Premier League outfit.

The club have unearthed some gems from all over the globe, with youngsters Murillo and Danilo joining from Brazil since promotion, with the duo proving excellent value for money – potentially bringing the club a hefty profit in the years ahead.

However, not all of the Reds' signings have been successful, with Emmanuel Dennis joining the club for £20m but failing to make an impact on Trentside – rejoining Watford, the club they originally signed him from, on loan for the second half of the 2023/24 season.

Despite Dennis' lack of impact at the City Ground, one player appears to have been a complete disaster after his big-money arrival at the club during last summer's transfer window.

Ibrahim Sangare's stats at Nottingham Forest in 2023/24

After splashing £30m on his signature, Ibrahim Sangare arrived at the City Ground with high expectations after Steve Cooper targeted the Ivorian for multiple windows following promotion.

He's since endured a disappointing first season in the East Midlands, featuring just 16 times in the Premier League, out of a possible 37 games.

The former PSV midfielder has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Nuno Espírito Santo, starting just three times following the Portuguese manager's appointment in late December.

Sangare has been unable to dislodge Danilo and academy graduate Ryan Yates, with the 26-year-old's market value suffering as a result of his lack of game time in 2024.

Ryan Yates

33

Danilo

27

Nicolas Dominguez

25

Orel Mangala

20

Ibrahim Sangare

16

Cheikhou Kouyate

11

Ibrahim Sangare's market value in 2024

Less than a year on from his move to the Ivorian's move to Nottingham, his market value has plummeted, with Sangare only valued at £20m, as per Football Transfers, a £10m decrease in just eight months at the City Ground.

In contrast, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who also joined the same day as the 26-year-old, has seen a huge rise in value after his recent run of form that has seen him score seven times since February – including two in the crucial win against Sheffield United last Saturday.

The former Chelsea talent now boasts a value of £23m, an astronomical £20m jump on the £3m that the club paid for him last summer, with the attacker finally finding a new settled home after a torrid time with injuries at Stamford Bridge.

Although Sangare's time in the Premier League has been disappointing, there's certainly time for the Ivorian to turn around his fortunes and become a key player under Nuno next season.

However, for the time being, he's failed to prove any sort of worth after his £30m move, with the club potentially able to save their money and stay within the confines of the league's PSR rules, had they not decided to sign the midfielder.

Nuno must offload Nottingham Forest dud who hasn't featured since January

The club have found this position a problem in recent months.

ByEthan Lamb May 8, 2024

Eddie Howe provided an update on Alexander Isak's future at St James' Park as he hinted that Newcastle United could allow the striker to leave this summer, amid strong interest from Liverpool. Isak has been training alone and was even left out of a club event earlier this week after he strongly expressed his desire to leave the Magpies and secure a transfer to Anfield.

• Howe provided update on Isak's future
• Newcastle could sell Isak to Liverpool
• Rejected the Reds' initial transfer bid

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Earlier on Saturday, reports emerged that Newcastle United do not intend to sell Isak in the summer transfer window, despite the player's wish to leave the club. The club's decision even left the Sweden international fuming, who has been training alone, away from the first team. 

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  Now, Magpies boss Howe has provided an update on the transfer of the player, as he claimed that he will only work with players who want to play for the club. The statement was a clear hint that Newcastle have changed their stance and could now actually sanction Isak's transfer. 

• WHAT HOWE SAID

  Speaking to journalist Craig Hope, the Newcastle manager said: "No, that’s not something I'm aware of. I have no knowledge of that. I want players who really want to play for this club."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ISAK?

  It remains to be seen if the Reds would come up with an improved offer for Isak after seeing their initial bid worth £110m rejected by Newcastle. 

David de Gea has sent Manchester United captain and old team-mate Bruno Fernandes a cheeky message ahead of his Old Trafford reunion with Fiorentina.

• De Gea had 13 years at Man Utd
• Set for Old Trafford return with Fiorentina
• Sends cheeky message to Bruno

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  De Gea left United in 2023 after 12 years at the club before joining Fiorentina in August 2024. On Saturday, the Spaniard's side will face off against the Red Devils in a pre-season friendly at Old Trafford, and after Fernandes said he hopes to "score some goals" against the 34-year-old, the goalkeeper poked fun at the Portugal international. 

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• WHAT DE GEA SAID TO FERNANDES

  In a video message, he said: "Hello. As you know, I'm coming back to your home. For sure, it's going to be a special game for me. Bruno, you cannot score against me and if you score it is because I let you score, so people will keep singing your name! No, but obviously, I can't wait to see you, my friend. I can't wait to see you all at Old Trafford… so, I'll be there on Saturday. See you soon."

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  During more than a decade at United, De Gea made 545 appearances – putting him seventh in the all-time club list. After leaving on fairly unceremonious terms two years ago, the ex-Spain international will get a pre-match presentation to honour his time at the Red Devils in a show of respect. 

MatériaMais Notícias

da bwin： Nas últimas partidas, visando driblar os desfalques no setor defensivo, Crespo escalou o São Paulo com uma opção que chamou a atenção, ao entrar em campo com Reinaldo como zagueiro. Após a derrota contra o Santos, por 2 a 0, o treinador falou sobre a sua decisão.

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da supremo：
CONFIRA A TABELA ATUALIZADA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DO BRASILEIRÃO DE 2021!

Lateral de origem e sendo um jogador de melhor rendimento ofensivo, Reinaldo foi mal contra o Santos, na Vila Belmiro, rendeu questionamentos da torcida ao treinador por escalá-lo como zagueiro.

Perguntado sobre o porquê de entrar com Reinaldo na zaga e Welington como ala, o treinador falou sobre a estratégia que o fez tomar essa decisão.

– Pela dinâmica de Welington para fazer pressão no Pará, pois Welington é mais rápido, e a experiência de Reinaldo poderia dar maior tranquilidade ao Welington – afirmou o treinador.

Como zagueiro, o camisa 6 falhou no lance do primeiro gol do Peixe e, ainda por cima, tomou um cartão amarelo que o deixa de fora da próxima partida da equipe.

Sem poder contar com Reinaldo, o Tricolor volta a campo na quarta-feira (23), às 19h, no Morumbi, para enfrentar o Cuiabá, em partida válida pela sexta rodada do Brasileirão.

O São Paulo ainda não venceu no torneio, somando três derrotas e dois empates até o momento. Diante do Cuiabá, a equipe tem a oportunidade de conquistar sua primeira vitória na competição, embora os desfalques preocupem.

Former India opener and two-time IPL-winning captain Gautam Gambhir believes it’s time for the Royal Challengers Bangalore to look beyond Virat Kohli as captain. Gambhir made his comments on ESPNcricinfo’s show T20 Time Out after the Royal Challengers lost the Eliminator to the Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets, ending their season with seven wins and eight losses. Since finishing runners-up in 2016, the Royal Challengers have ended at the bottom in two of the last three seasons – 2019 and 2017 – apart from finishing sixth in 2018. This time, they scraped into the playoffs on net run-rate despite a strong start to their campaign, but crashed out on Friday night with their fifth straight loss after not being able to defend 131.Under Kohli’s captaincy since 2013, the Royal Challengers have made the playoffs three times in eight seasons. Gambhir said it was time Kohli put his hand up and took responsibility for the results.When asked if he would change the captaincy if he was in charge of the franchise, Gambhir said: “100%, because the problem is about accountability. Eight years into the tournament [without a trophy], eight years is a long time. Tell me any other captain… forget about captain, tell me any other player who would have got eight years and wouldn’t have won the title and would have still continued with it. So it has to be accountability. A captain needs to take accountability.”It’s not only about one year, it’s not only about this. I have nothing against Virat Kohli but somewhere down the line, he needs to put his hand up and say, ‘yes, I am responsible, I am accountable’.”Eight years is a long, long time. Look at what happened to R Ashwin. Two years of captaincy [for the Kings XI Punjab], he couldn’t deliver and he was removed. We talk about MS Dhoni, we talk about Rohit Sharma, we talk about Virat Kohli… not at all. Dhoni has won three [IPL] titles, Rohit Sharma has won four titles, and that’s the reason they’ve captained for such a long time because they’ve delivered. I’m sure if Rohit Sharma wouldn’t have delivered for eight years, he would have been removed as well. There should not be different yardsticks for different people.ALSO READ: ‘Nerves and hesitation’ – Kohli disappointed with RCB batting“The problem and the accountability starts from the top, not from the management nor the support staff, but from the leader. You’re the leader, you’re the captain. When you get the credit, you should take the criticism as well.”You can keep saying ‘we qualified for the playoffs and we deserved to qualify for the playoffs’, absolutely not. RCB actually never deserved to qualify for the playoffs. If you see the last four or five games, and even that one Super Over against Mumbai Indians, they were very fortunate that Navdeep Saini bowled that over brilliantly. Otherwise they didn’t have a great season. From the batting point of view and the bowling.”Eight years is a long time. It’s not that Kohli isn’t experienced. He captains India, he captains whichever team he plays for, but you’ve got to give results, you’ve got to deliver. Sport is all about delivering.”Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers walk off the field as yet another RCB season ends in disappointment•BCCI

The Royal Challengers opened the batting with Kohli for the first time this season on Friday, after 14 games. Gambhir said if Kohli had to open, it should have happened right from the start of the season, instead of changing the combination in a knockout game.”There was so much talk about Virat Kohli opening the batting, if you wanted to open the batting, you should have done that right from the start of the tournament,” Gambhir said. “And then they should have had a squad, probably if Virat wanted to open, they should have picked a middle-order batter in the auction. But again it was all about Virat and AB [de Villiers].”The Royal Challengers’ reliance on Kohli and de Villiers continued. Even though their leading scorer this time was 20-year-old opener Devdutt Padikkal with a tally of 473, closely followed by Kohli (466) and de Villiers (454), an inexperienced middle order meant they were dependent on de Villiers yet again for strong finishes. De Villiers struck five half-centuries – including one on Friday – and ended IPL 2020 with a strike rate of nearly 159.”Imagine if AB would have had a bad season, tell me what would have happened to RCB,” Gambhir said. “He was the one who actually won them two or three games out of seven. I don’t think as a unit they’ve done anything different from what they did last year. It’s exactly the same this year as well. Only because you’ve qualified for the playoffs, just because of one individual’s absolute brilliance, it doesn’t make you a strong contender to win the IPL.”Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar agreed with Gambhir on the show about the change in leadership required for the Royal Challengers, but he said the onus for that was with the owners of the franchise.”The onus is not so much with the captain himself, it’s got to be with the owners because they are the people who appoint the captain and decide what kind of leadership they want for the team,” Manjrekar said. “A couple of years back I had made this comment that when you look at what’s going wrong with RCB, you’ll see that the results are not at all good and what’s been the same has been the leadership in the team. For a long time Daniel Vettori was Virat’s coach, and the captain has been the same.”If you want to change the scenario and a change of results, you’ve got to change the captain. But I’m not expecting Virat Kohli to put his hand up and say, ‘I have not delivered’. I want the owners to do their job. If at all RCB are not winning the title, firstly I’ll hold the owners responsible for not having the right leader to perhaps give them the winning results and the planning that has gone all along.”Gambhir also said he felt for the support staff of the franchise, which has changed over the years, while the captain has remained the same. Gambhir said it was “very difficult” for people like Simon Katich and Mike Hesson because if the coaches or directors of the team were “blunt” and asked for the captain to be removed, “they’ll be the first ones to be removed”.”Hopefully, this could be the final sort of… where the penny will drop for the franchise. So good luck to RCB,” Manjrekar said.

ECB Reporters Network01-Sep-2020Former South Africa Test batsman Heino Kuhn marked his first innings as a father with a match-winning 42 not out from 31 balls to see Kent a six-wicket victory and their opening win of this season’s Vitality Blast south group qualifiers.On a slightly two-paced Canterbury pitch, Kuhn, whose wife Trudie gave birth to a baby daughter last week, maintained a cool head to score four boundaries and see Spitfires over the line on his season’s Blast debut.Kuhn and Grant Stewart, with a muscular, unbeaten 21, added an unbroken 48 for the sixth wicket to rescue Kent from a mid-innings wobble.Chasing Surrey’s 161 for 4 at an asking rate of 8.1 an over, acting Kent captain Daniel Bell-Drummond (25) gave his side a fluent start with four boundaries in the opening three overs.Zak Crawley opened his boundary account in the next over with a clipped four and a whipped six against Gus Atkinson as Kent’s openers sprinted to 49 before Bell-Drummond’s miscue against Matt Dunn skied to Will Jacks at mid-off.Kuhn watched Crawley smash three successive fours during Atkinson’s next over as Kent reached 68 for 1 in their Powerplay.Slow left-arm spinner Daniel Moriarty struck with his fourth ball and ended Crawley’s cameo stay worth 32 after an uppish drive flew into the hands of Laurie Evans at extra cover.Reigate-born Moriarty struck again in his next over when Alex Blake chipped an innocuous delivery straight to mid-wicket as Kent reached 91 for 3 at the mid-point of their reply.Surrey continued to take pace off the ball by giving leg-spinner Scott Borthwick an over. The experiment initially failed as Jack Leaning cracked two fours, but then Leaning (21) under-edged a long-hop into the gloves of keeper Ben Foakes.Kent’s slide continued as Moriarty pinned Jordan Cox leg before walking across his stumps and aiming leg-side as the 21-year-old rookie spinner chalked up a competition-best return of 3 for 25.With 25 needed from the remaining 24 balls, Kuhn plundered four off Dunn, then Stewart raised Kent’s 150 with a sliced drive over extra cover against Reece Topley to reduce the target to nine off 12 balls.Stewart, who finished unbeaten on 21, muscled a back-foot six over long-off and then sprinted a couple to deep mid-wicket to win it with nine balls in hand.Earlier, classy knocks by Test batsmen Hashim Amla (75) and a competition-best unbeaten 56 from Rory Burns underpinned a Surrey total of 161 for 4 after the visitors had made a shaky start in stumbling to 28 for 3 inside four overs.Batting first on a testing pitch and after losing the toss, Surrey lost their first wicket to the 11th ball of the match when Jacks sliced an attempted drive against Fred Klassen to Alex Blake at extra cover.Tim Groenewald dismissed a couple more in his opening over, the fourth of the game. Laurie Evans flicked leg-side to be caught by Cox, who replaced Oli Robinson behind the stumps. Then, four balls later, Foakes got a thick inside edge on a full delivery only to drag the ball onto his leg stump as Surrey ended their batting powerplay on 39 for three.Kent turned to spin for the 8th over but Imran Qayyum’s first ball of left-arm spin, a full toss, was reverse swept by Burns for the opening six of the match to raise Surrey’s 50.Burns and Amla joined forces to post a 50 stand from 46 balls, Amla reaching the milestone with a clipped six from a Klassen length ball that Blake, positioned at cow corner, could only finger-tip over the ropes.Stewart, who unveiled a full bag of tricks, finished a fine four-over stint with nought for 23, after which Amla reached a 40-ball half-century with four fours and a six.The fourth-wicket partners extended their stand into three figures as Groenewald finished his bowling stint with two for 31, then Amla pressed the run-rate accelerator by swatting left-armer Klassen for another maximum.Burns duly reached his second T20 half-century from 44-balls with only a brace of fours and a six, but Amla’s fun ended in the final over when he risked a second run to Crawley at deep point to be run out and end a partnership that added 127 off 98 balls.

Chennai Super Kings owner N Srinivasan has said he believes Suresh Raina’s return to India from the UAE on Friday would not impact the team’s preparations ahead of the IPL season. However Srinivasan, a former BCCI president and ICC chairman, said Raina would “certainly realise” what he would be missing, including the “money he is going to lose” by skipping the IPL.Srinivasan also said the Super Kings were confident about their prospects for the season because MS Dhoni, the captain, was “unfazed” not just by the Raina issue but also by Covid-19’s impact on the contingent: at least 13 members of the Super Kings unit including two Indian players – one international and one uncapped – have tested positive since landing in the UAE.This is the first time Srinivasan has commented on the Raina issue, which caught the Super Kings management by surprise. Raina returned to India on Friday from Dubai, less than 10 days after the Super Kings had landed in the UAE for the IPL.On Friday, the Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan said on the team’s Twitter feed that Raina had left for “personal reasons” but did not elaborate on what they were. It is understood that a personal tragedy, as well as concerns over the team’s biosecure bubble in the UAE, led Raina to his decision.”The season has not begun yet and Raina will certainly realise what he is missing and certainly all the money he is going to lose,” Srinivasan said, speaking to the magazine.On Monday*, Srinivasan told the that Raina’s contribution to the CSK franchise “has been phenomenal through the years”. He also said it was “important to understand what Suresh is going through right now and give him space.””The franchise will always stand by him and he has our complete support in these times of distress,” Srinivasan is quoted as saying.ESPNcricinfo reached out to Srinivasan, Viswanathan and Raina for clarifications, but they are yet to respond.Raina has been part of the Super Kings set-up since the inception of the IPL in 2008, and is the franchise’s highest run-getter and a key figure in the team reaching reaching multiple finals and winning the title twice. In 2018, Super Kings retained three players before assembling the rest of the squad at the layer auction. Dhoni was the first player retained at INR 15 crore, Raina was the second at INR 11 crore and Ravindra Jadeja the third at INR 7 crore.Srinivisan also said he had spoken to Dhoni, who reportedly assured him that things would be under control. “I spoke to MS and he has assured me that even if the numbers go up, there was nothing to worry,” Srinivasan said. “He spoke to the players through a Zoom call and asked them to remain safe. You really don’t know who is a passive carrier”I have got a solid captain. Dhoni is simply unfazed by anything. That is giving everyone in the team a lot of confidence.”

Arsenal have eyes on an "interesting" Victor Osimhen alternative who could be signed for a "significantly cheaper" fee this summer, according to reports.

Edu eyeing new striker for Arsenal this summer

The Gunners' imperious run of goal-scoring form has been a real talking point since the beginning of 2024, with Mikel Arteta's side scoring 33 goals in their last eight Premier League matches.

Arsenal in "constant" talks with star, ready to offer him £200,000-per-week

The Gunners aren’t messing around here.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 15, 2024

Regardless of their attacking form, or the resurgence of summer signing Kai Havertz going forward, it remains the case that sporting director Edu and the Arsenal board are keen to bring in a new number nine.

Edu will know exactly the type of striker who he wants through the door, and as he's previously explained, Arsenal are putting particular emphasis on younger players with bright futures.

Bukayo Saka

13

Kai Havertz

8

Leandro Trossard

7

Declan Rice

6

Gabriel Martinelli

6

"We already have our targets,” said the Brazilian (via TNT Sports).

“We have planned a lot ahead and I will be worried if we don’t score a lot of goals and if we’re not creating chances, which is the opposite because we create a lot and score a lot of goals. Many times in certain conversations to recruit the players you don't see the character of the player or the character of the player does not fit well with what we are trying to do and then you have to move on and try to find what we’re really looking for. If you see all the signings we’ve made since we started together, everyone is almost the same, young, energetic and passionate, and good talents with big, beautiful futures ahead of them.”

A striker who seriously fits that mould is Napoli star Osimhen. Not only has the 25-year-old been one of Serie A's most prolific marksmen of the past few years, but he's also got a fair few years ahead of him.

The only issue for Edu and co is that they will most likely have to the Nigerian's £115 million release clause and contend with a number of high-profile clubs to sign him this summer. Arsenal are said to be in "constant communcation" with Osimhen's camp ahead of this summer, but they do have alternative options they're scouting.

Arsenal have eyes on "significantly cheaper" Sesko

As per Ben Jacobs, speaking to GiveMeSport, Arsenal have been scouting RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko as a "significantly cheaper" option over Osimhen.

"I think it's true that Arsenal have scouted Gyokeres and Sesko," said Jacobs.

"I think that Sesko is an interesting one, potentially for Arsenal but also for Chelsea and PSG, and his release clause at €50m (£43m) is naturally significantly cheaper than Victor Osimhen for example."

The 20-year-old has bagged seven goals and a further two assists in the Bundesliga this term, but could only get better given his tender age, making this one to watch.

Young seamer worked hard on reverse-swing methods in training during England’s New Zealand tour

Matt Roller30-Jan-2020Saqib Mahmood, the young England seamer, would “look forward” to using a Kookaburra ball in County Championship fixtures if a round of games with the ball was introduced.Mahmood, who made his T20I debut on England’s New Zealand tour at the end of last year and was an unused member of the Test squad, said that he had “made good strides” learning how to bowl with a Kookaburra in the nets, and suggested that using the ball instead of a Dukes in domestic cricket would “bring in a different skillset to be successful with”.ALSO READ: Mahmood, Stone, Overton given ECB pace-bowling development contractsWhile there are no plans to introduce a round of games with a Kookaburra ball for the 2020 Championship season, it was discussed as an idea by the ECB’s cricket committee at the end of last year, and Ashley Giles, the managing director of England cricket, has described it as “an issue we should get our head around”.”It helps playing [home games] at Old Trafford,” Mahmood said at an England Lions training camp, “but if it did come across I’d look forward to it. It would bring in a different skillset to be successful with, rather than bowling a few dibbly-dobblies.”If we had that in the Championship for a couple of rounds, how would teams react? What kind of bowlers would they pick? Guys who haven’t had a look-in might start to get a look-in – teams will have to find a way to take 20 wickets.”Mahmood emphasised the difference in how the two balls behave with an example from the nets in New Zealand, when Paul Collingwood, one of England’s assistant coaches, bowled to him with both.”I had Colly bowl to me with a Dukes in New Zealand and I couldn’t hit it,” he said, “then when he had the Kookaburra it was a different ball game.”While he bowls at good pace by English standards, Mahmood has attracted attention in his fledgling career primarily due to his ability to make the ball reverse-swing, shining in last season’s One-Day Cup as one of the few bowlers able to make the white ball move off the straight at the end of an innings.He is set to make his ODI debut in South Africa next week, and was a late addition to the T20I squad as a replacement for the injured Jofra Archer. Following that series, he will travel to Australia to join up with the England Lions squad in time for the final two red-ball games of their tour, games in which he will hope to impress with half an eye on the 2021-22 Ashes series.Although Mahmood did not come close to a Test debut in New Zealand, he is sufficiently highly regarded by the ECB that he has become one of three seamers – along with Olly Stone and Craig Overton – handed a pace-bowling development contract, which will see him work closely with the England set-up in an attempt to help his progress.”I wasn’t involved in [the first Test at] Mount Maunganui,” he said, “so it was a case of watching how the New Zealand guys bowled – I was watching quite closely, seeing the fields they have, the tactics… looking how to bowl outside of England and with a Kookaburra.”I’d watch, then go into the nets, try things, and very quick I was picking up on reverse swing. That’s something which I can use as one of my strengths away from England and with the Kookaburra. It’s also [about] practising new skills for unresponsive pitches.”It was learning how best I can use [the Kookaburra]. I found in the nets if I bowled seam upright, it looked nice and pretty but I didn’t think I was very effective. So it was [a case of] pitching the ball up a bit, bringing both edges into the game. The ball I try to swing is the variation, rather than the stock ball as it is in England.”Saqib Mahmood’s ability to reverse swing the ball has earned him plenty of attention•Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Mahmood also heralded Darren Gough’s work as a short-term bowling consultant in New Zealand, where he spent two weeks with the England squad ahead of the Test series. He had developed a bad habit in his run-up during the T20I series, which had gone unnoticed, but Gough’s “fresh set of eyes” spotted the problem almost immediately.”As soon as I put that back into my training I felt good again and thought ‘God, I wish someone had told me this two weeks ago’,” he said. “Exposure to high-pressure situations can do things: you start to try harder and that can have a backward effect.”It was really good, because I obviously get reverse when I bowl but I wouldn’t know how to go about it as best as I could before I worked with Goughie. He told me how much he practised it, which I was nowhere near.”When you’re trying to reverse swing a ball back into a right-hander, your mind is telling you to push the ball, but you don’t want to do that. As easy as it sounds, it does take a while to get used to it. By the end of the trip I was doing ten balls at the end of every session and I actually got pretty good. I made good strides.”