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Newcastle United journalist Aaron Stokes has been left stunned as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) eye up a move for Moussa Diaby.

The Lowdown: On the radar

As per Sky Sports journalist Pete Graves, the 22-year-old is on the Magpies’ ‘radar’ ahead of a potential move to St James’ Park this summer.

However, PIF have an ‘extensive’ list of attacking targets, and it is unclear where the Bayer Leverkusen winger falls on that.

The Latest: Stokes stunned

Taking to Twitter, Stokes was left stunned by the prospect of Diaby moving to Newcastle, claiming that the Frenchman would be a ‘marquee’ signing and that the Tynesiders would be hitting the ‘jackpot’ if they sign him.

The Chronicle reporter tweeted: “When it comes to marquee signings, #NUFC would be hitting jackpot with Moussa Diaby. 31 G/A in 42 games last season, electrifying pace, good with both feet + fearless on the ball. A remarkable deal if they persuade Bayer to sell + the player to join.”

The Verdict: Sign him

Of course, a player of Diaby’s quality would likely not come cheap, but he could be the marquee signing to take Eddie Howe’s team to the next level.

France Football magazine journalist Christophe Larcher has suggested that the 22-year-old is even better than Allan Saint-Maximin, who was yet again one of Newcastle’s key players last season, ranking as their second-best performer in the Premier League with five goals, five assists and six man-of-the-match awards to his name (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, Diaby is three years younger than the 25-year-old, so his potential is quite riveting to think about if you are a Newcastle supporter.

Nottingham Forest are reportedly eyeing a move for Manchester City right-back Issa Kabore, according to The Guardian.

The lowdown: Career so far

Signed from Belgian outfit KV Mechelen in 2020, Kabore was immediately sent back on a season-long loan deal before spending the 2021/22 campaign at Ligue 1 side Troyes.

The 21-year-old Burkina Faso international, named the best young player at AFCON earlier this year, has been a long-standing target at the City Ground and could be the alternative option to the seemingly Tottenham-bound Djed Spence.

Now, it appears as though the Forest hierarchy have stepped up their pursuit of Kabore as Steve Cooper’s squad begins to take shape…

The latest: ‘In talks’

As per The Guardian, Nottingham Forest are believed to be ‘in talks’ with the 27-cap star regarding a potential move.

It’s claimed that Kabore has ‘attracted interest from several Premier League clubs’, as well as Ligue 1 outfit Nice.

The report confirms that the two clubs are ‘yet to reach an agreement’ over a transfer fee for the youngster hailed as a ‘fantastic talent’ by journalist Zach Lowy earlier this year.

The verdict: Make it happen

Under contract at Man City until 2025 (Transfermarkt), if the Reds were able to reach a permanent transfer for Kabore then it would be a superb piece of business instead of using up another loan spot on the talented full-back.

Last season, the marauding sensation – who is equally adept as either a conventional right-back or as a right-sided midfielder – earned a 6.60 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.7 duels and completing 1.5 successful dribbles on average per game in the French top-flight.

With the likelihood of a move for Spence scuppered by the admiration from Tottenham and a swoop for Liverpool starlet Neco Williams seemingly some way off, bringing Kabore to Trentside is certainly a viable option for Forest.

Liverpool’s incredible history has almost always included a serial goalscorer in their side, from Ian Rush, King Kenny Dalglish and Fernando Torres, to Luis Suarez and Mohamed Salah. Where there is a Liverpool squad there is a world class striker, a couple of anomalies aside.

In the last decade, the Reds have been particularly blessed, having had the privilege of watching Suarez torment the rest of the Premier League, with Norwich City feeling the most of his wrath, before Salah followed in his footsteps a few years later.

Of course, there was a brief spell in which Brendan Rodgers lined up the likes of Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli, and Fabio Borini. But that has been discreetly put into the past now, never to be seen again, with Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football writing a new chapter in the Liverpool history books.

It has been a chapter full of success, too, and a front three worthy of the number of honours. The transition from Lambert, Balotelli, and Borini to Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane epitomises just how far Liverpool have come since 2015.

Stats from TransferMarkt revealed one dominant attacker when it comes to goal contributions since 2012, however. Below we’ve listed the player with the most goals and assists from the last ten Liverpool seasons.

12/13: Luis Suarez – 43

When Fernando Torres left on Deadline Day of January 2011, not even the most optimistic of Liverpool fans would have expected a quick fix. Yet, in came Luis Suarez – an unfamiliar name at the time that would soon become the thorn in every Premier League team’s side.

The 2012/13 season is when things really began to take off, with the forward scoring 30 goals, and assisting a further 13 in all competitions.

13/14: Luis Suarez – 50

If the 2012/13 version of Suarez was impressive, then the Suarez we saw a season later was out of this world. After missing the first five games through suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic, the Uruguayan went on to score 31 goals in 33 league games to pick up the Golden Boot, and assist 17 goals in all competitions.

With 48 goal contributions in the league, Suarez single-handedly dragged Liverpool into the title race at times, before eventual heartbreak, with Manchester City winning the title following Steven Gerrard’s famous slip against Chelsea.

14/15: Jordan Henderson – 22

Can you tell that this is the season after Luis Suarez left? Because we certainly can. Jordan Henderson is by no means a goalscoring midfielder, either. Yet, with an impressive 15 assists and seven goals, topped Liverpool’s goal contributions list in a campaign to forget.

It’s no surprise that the Reds finished sixth, with their highest contributor going from 50 to just 22 in the space of a year.

15/16: Roberto Firmino – 22

Back to a more positive outlook, the 15/16 season saw the arrival of Klopp and the beginning of turning the doubters into believers. And what better player to highlight that change in attitude than one of the best to play for Klopp? Firmino proved an instant hit in his first season, with 11 goals and 11 assists.

16/17: Philippe Coutinho – 24

Speaking of Liverpool’s Brazilian players, Philippe Coutinho had a season to remember under Klopp in 2016/17, with 24 goal contributions.

With Mane and Firmino alongside him, the midfielder flourished, with particularly impressive performances against Arsenal on the opening day and West Ham away, in which he scored two braces.

His last full season at Liverpool, it’s fair to say that he went out with a bang, having helped Klopp’s side to a Champions League return.

17/18: Mohamed Salah – 60

If you’re not a fan of Mohamed Salah, it’s probably best to look away now, because from 2017 onwards, he has been dominant in a Liverpool shirt.

Starting with his debut campaign, the Egyptian instantly proved any doubters wrong, and in some style, too. By the end of the season, he had broken the record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League season by scoring 32 to seal his first Golden Boot.

A season of 44 goals and 16 assists led Liverpool to the Champions League final, where they suffered heartbreak against Real Madrid, as Salah was forced off with injury early in the first-half.

18/19: Mohamed Salah – 39

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Here’s Salah once again at the forefront of Liverpool’s attacking exploits. This time, there may have been no record for the former AS Roma man, but he did, at the very least, end the season with another Golden Boot to his name, with 22 league goals.

In all competitions, meanwhile, Salah netted a total of 27 goals, and assisted a further 12 as Liverpool bounced back from Champions League heartbreak the season before to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final, partly courtesy of Salah penalty in the first minute.

19/20: Mohamed Salah – 36

Guess who? Yep, the Egyptian King is out of this world, isn’t he? And, this time, his contribution led to Liverpool’s first-ever Premier League title. With 23 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, Salah once again shone at Anfield.

Salah’s Most impressive performances came in the 3-1 win over Manchester City and the 2-0 win over Manchester United, in which he scored late on to cue the famous celebration at the Kop end and all but confirm the title.

20/21: Mohamed Salah – 37

Now onto Salah’s most difficult season yet in a Liverpool shirt.

With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing games to be played behind closed doors, and Klopp left with Nat Phillips, Ozan Kabak, Rhys Williams and makeshift centre-back Fabinho to turn to after a flurry of injuries, it was Salah’s goals, at times, which kept Liverpool in the hunt for top four.

31 goals and six assists in all competitions gave the Reds hope. And, by some miracle, an Alisson Becker header put them on course for a third-placed finish to end a nightmare campaign.

21/22: Mohamed Salah – 47

Salah’s best season numbers wise since his debut campaign, there was a period of time throughout last season when a Salah goal became an expectancy rather than a possibility.

He ended the season with disappointment, of course, having lost the Champions League final after missing out in the title race. But with a Golden Boot, Playmaker award, League Cup and FA Cup medal to provide comfort, we think he’ll be alright.

With 31 goals and 16 assists in all competitions, Salah was more than worthy of the PFA Premier League fans’ Player of the Year.

Liverpool are expected to pip Leeds United to the signing of Aberdeen youngster Calvin Ramsay, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Ramsay heading to England

The 18-year-old has emerged as one of the Scottish Premiership’s brightest young players in the last 12 months or so, shining with his performances for the Dons.

Ramsay made a total of 33 appearances for the first team this season and has not looked out of place at right-back, with chairman Dave Cormack describing him as an ‘elite’ level talent.

The teenager has been linked with a move to Liverpool a number of times and a fresh update has now acted as a further boost.

The Latest: Liverpool favourites for move

Writing for The Athletic, Leeds journalist Hay claimed that the ‘high likelihood’ is that the Reds will pip the Whites to Ramsay’s signature this summer.

He has made 39 appearances for Aberdeen in total, scoring once and registering an impressive nine assists.

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The Verdict: Great long-term prospect

Bringing in emerging talent is vital for Liverpool in the coming years, allowing Jurgen Klopp to build another great squad and ensure that the team doesn’t all go past their primes at once.

Ramsay fits the bill to perfection and he could come in as an ideal understudy to Trent Alexander-Arnold, learning from arguably the world’s best right-back.

It would also mean Liverpool would be able to offload Neco Williams permanently, bringing in more funds for new signings in the summer window.

In other news, a fresh Liverpool transfer rumour has emerged. Read more here.

Sunderland face off against Wycombe at Wembley in the League One play-off final on Saturday with a place in next season’s Championship on offer to the winner.

Alex Neil is in with a shot of securing promotion to the second tier after joining the club midway through the campaign to replace Lee Johnson.

The club were unable to fight their way into the automatic places and Kristjaan Speakman may look back at the business done in the market ahead of the season and wonder what he could have done differently.

It was reported, last summer, that the Black Cats were one of the teams in the race to land Welsh centre-forward Sam Vokes from Stoke.

He ended up signing for the club’s rivals, Wycombe, and has enjoyed a phenomenal season for the Choirboys under Gareth Ainsworth.

Former Potters boss Nathan Jones previously dubbed him a “marquee” player and he has lived up to that tag in League One this season.

He has racked up 17 goals and seven assists in the third tier as he has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.25 across 45 appearances. The experienced forward has won a whopping 10.7 aerial battles per game as he has provided his team with a focal point at the top end of the pitch.

Vokes has consistently delivered in the final third with all-round performances and goal contributions to lead his team to the final of the play-offs. He is capable of finding the back of the net, assisting his teammates, and beating defenders in the air to hold the ball up or win flick-ons for his fellow attackers to run onto.

Ainsworth claimed that it is “ridiculous” that Wycombe have a player of Vokes’ talents and his aforementioned statistics prove that the word sums up his ability at this level. He has been terrific and Sunderland may now be wondering what a striker partnership consisting of him and Ross Stewart would look like.

Instead of him firing in the goals alongside the Scot, he may be scoring the goal that consigns the Black Cats to another season in the third tier on Saturday.

Vokes’ phenomenal form this season proves that Speakman had a howler by failing to snap him up last summer and a telling contribution at Wembley would represent kicking him whilst he is already down.

AND in other news, Speakman nightmare: SAFC had a disaster on “instrumental” 27 y/o who’s “outstanding”…

Dinesh Chandimal looks back at his 18 stop-start months in charge

Interview by Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Dec-2018You took over the captaincy when the team was in a rough state. What were those first few months like?
It was a big challenge. We had Zimbabwe first up, and we had to get through that with a win. After that there were some tough tours. What I’ve talked about is how to be a team player, and what we individually had to do to benefit the team. You can’t do those things by yourself. You need support. And I got that support from everyone.Almost 18 months in, is there anything that has surprised you about the job?
I didn’t notice anything especially different. I’ve captained teams since the under-17 level, in my school, club, development and Sri Lanka A teams. So that experience really helps. I was T20 captain for a while too. So I learned a lot through those experiences.What’s different about the captaincy at the top level?
On the pressure side of things, it’s a lot different. Sometimes it feels like everyone in the world is watching how the Sri Lanka team is doing.Do you think you have grown as a captain since getting the job?
I think there has been a lot of growth. I got the captaincy at a very challenging time. We’ve been able to progress a little in Tests since then. When I took the captaincy itself, I said, I can’t turn things around all of a sudden. Give me a little time. My ultimate goal is to take us to No. 1. We’ve had our opportunities to make progress in that direction, but because we didn’t have the ability at the time, we’ve probably had a few setbacks. But we were No. 8 when I took the captaincy, and now we’ve moved to No. 6. I do think that’s a good achievement, given the challenges we have had recently.What moments have you really enjoyed in your captaincy?
Winning that second match against Pakistan in Dubai – when that last catch was taken, there was a spilling over of joy. That’s the best feeling I’ve had in my captaincy.AFP/Getty ImagesYou must have regrets as well.
There are, and they would be those Tests in India – in Kolkata and Delhi. I really feel as if we could have won one of those games. But those things are in the past. If we had won one of those games, it would have been a big achievement. We haven’t won a Test in India yet. We’ve also not won in Australia. I have that aim in my heart, to go to these two countries and win a match.You’ve missed six Tests in all since taking over the captaincy, for various reasons. How tough has it been to watch the team play without you?
I think I’ve missed at least one match in all the last three series. I had an injury in one series, and a suspension in another. I couldn’t be with the team, and that does have an impact, because everyone’s captaincy style is different. You can’t be with the team and go through the same experiences as them and not have that unity. The best thing I can do is to make sure I am clear of injury by maintaining my fitness. I really made that a focus over the last few weeks.Do you feel you’ve not been able to roll out your vision with this team because you’ve missed so many games?
Well, Suranga’s been the stand-in captain, and generally we are on the same page on what the team should be doing, so that’s made it a lot easier. When I can’t play, the two of us have talked and he goes in that direction. The main thing is my not having been able to be with the team.How disappointing was the 3-0 against England, just as the team seemed to be building up some Test form?
It was very tough. I wasn’t able to play the second and third Test, and as I watched those games at home, I really thought we had chances to win both of those matches. With some of the dismissals we didn’t have a lot of luck. When we seemed to be doing well, something would happen that turned the game their way.What are your realistic expectations from the three big southern-hemisphere tours in front of you now?
They are three big challenges, given the conditions we will face. What we’re thinking about with the team that we have is: “How do we compete?” If we can get to a stage where we are consistently competing, those opportunities to push for victory will come as well. That’s our plan, and if we can execute that, there will be chances to win matches.AFP/Getty ImagesYou’ve got a few promising young fast bowlers in your team now, which is not something a lot of Sri Lanka captains have been able to say. What has been your approach to managing them?
Just to give them the benefit of my experience, and the confidence to do well. The good thing about the young bowlers is that they ask a lot of questions. That’s a big plus point. “How do we react to the kinds of conditions we will face here?” has been something they’ve asked a lot. If they can do well in these three series, they can take some steps up on their personal journeys.There can be a high turnover rate in the Sri Lanka captaincy, sometimes by the captain’s own choice. Are you in it for the long haul?
I don’t have a timeframe for it. That’s a selection-committee decision. All I’m doing is try to give my best to it while I’m here, and also to groom a new generation of young leaders within the team.Some captains have faced pressures from administration in the job. How have it been for you?
Pressure is something we have to deal with, not just as a captain but as a player as well. But one thing I will say is that once a tour starts, I really restrict the time I spend on my phone. I control how much time I spend reading news or going on social media. Until the tour ends I try to block out as much of that as possible. There are times when there are unavoidable complications. But you have to learn to deal with that.Since you’ve been in New Zealand, the new chief selector Ashantha de Mel has criticised your captaincy a little bit. What was your response to that?
Has he said something like that? I honestly don’t know. If he’s said something like that, he should tell me. The chairman of selectors hasn’t said anything to me.What’s your relationship with coach Chandika Hathurusingha like?
The captain and coach should pull in the same direction. We have to make those short- and long-term plans together, and decide together what the team needs. We all know how good a coach Hathurusingha is. What we can do is get the best out of him. There are ups and downs in personal life and in your career as well. Just because you’re down, you don’t have to stay that way. We’re hoping we can turn it around in New Zealand.Who are the key players for you over the next couple of weeks?
Everyone has a big role to play, but we know how good Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis are. They are guys who can change a match at any time. There are others who have put in a lot of effort over the last few weeks in preparation as well, and anyone could play an important role.

Peter Moores talks about life as Nottinghamshire head coach, Datagate, his son Tom, and Joe Root

Jon Culley12-Mar-2017Peter Moores does not seem like the kind of person to dwell on the past. So, as the spring sunshine streams through the windows of the players’ dining room at Trent Bridge and he talks excitedly about the challenge that is about to begin in earnest for him as Nottinghamshire’s new head coach, it possibly does not occur to him that it is two years almost to the day since a defeat to Bangladesh put the mother of all tin lids on England’s abject campaign at the 2015 World Cup.Two years, what’s more, since he sat down in front of a microphone at Adelaide Oval after that game to offer his thoughts on England’s 15-run defeat and appeared, in one short and infamously misquoted sentence, to write his own epitaph as England coach.Our meeting is not constrained by time limits and when the discussion moves away from Nottinghamshire’s chances of making an immediate return to Division One of the Championship to the impact on his own well-being of his second sacking from the national team, he willingly offers his thoughts. At least up to a point.That point arrives when I ask about whether it was ever explained to him, by incoming director of England cricket Andrew Strauss, why he was being dismissed, and he firmly but politely calls a halt. “It didn’t really happen like that,” he says. “And to be honest, I don’t really want to rake all that up again. I’ve moved on. We’re here now, there is a new season to tackle and I’m excited about it.”

“Coaches don’t have to judge a player, the game does that for you. If people get runs, they are good players; if people take wickets, they are good players”

Yet he has said enough for it to be clear that a sense of frustration and injustice is still eating away, just a little, in the background. Particularly when it comes to “Datagate” and the misquote that spawned a misconception of his character that he found hard to stomach.”We’ll have to look at it later” transmuted to “We’ll have to look at the data”, and so was born the mythical figure of Moores the stats nerd, obsessed with analysis, a decision-maker by numbers.”People meet me for the first time even now and say, ‘Oh, you’re nothing like I thought you were going to be,'” he says. “‘I thought you were going to be all clipboards and computers.'”Coaching is a funny thing because people can’t always see you doing it. It is like a hidden art. A lot of the work goes on behind the scenes. But the public perception of me as a coach is just wrong. It is different from what it actually is. The players will tell you that.”That’s why it meant a lot that Joe [Root] should come out and say what he did. It is not because it is an ego thing. It just means that, yes, you did make a difference. It is good for your family to hear that too.”As a coach you become a bit more resilient because you know you’re going to be criticised. But you feel for your kids or for your dad or your mum or whatever [who have to listen to the comments] because sometimes the only version that the public have got is the one that is written.””It is all about building relationships with people to help them try to understand the best version of themselves and how they are going to get there”•Getty ImagesYet he is not so resilient that he did not feel his own pain.”The BBC apologised and said it was an accident. But when it came out, that was the story, that we were trying to run the team by clipboard and whatever, which is frustrating because it goes completely against what you do as a coach and how it works.”You take it on the chin. I’m pretty good at moving on, although it took a few bottles of red wine this time for me to get my head around it.”Slowly but surely, though, you get there. I love the game and it doesn’t owe me anything, so you move on.”As it happens, it was only six weeks before the opportunity arose to become involved at Trent Bridge, less than a half-hour’s drive from home. Moores, originally from Cheshire, has lived in rural Leicestershire since he left Sussex to become director of the ECB National Academy in Loughborough in 2005.It would be an exaggeration to say that the invitation to join the Nottinghamshire coaching staff saved him from falling into some slough of despond but he admits it helped the healing process.

“People meet me for the first time even now and say, ‘Oh, you’re nothing like I thought you were going to be. I thought you were going to be all clipboards and computers'”

“I was just watching my son Tom, who was in the 2nd XI here,” he said. “Mick [Newell] put it to me that a fresh voice in the dressing room would be quite good for them at the time and said to come along and try it.”I hovered a little bit and I wasn’t really going to do it at first but he said, ‘Let’s give it a couple weeks and see how it goes.'”In fact, it was a good thing to do, a healthy thing. When this sort of thing happens, part of you wants to hide away but it got me back out there.”I’ve got loads of mates in the game and loads of people who I’ve spent a lot of time with in the game, and to talk cricket again with people who know you becomes pretty therapeutic.”What was at first a semi-formal consultancy role for the second half of the 2015 season turned into a contracted position for the 2016 campaign, at the end of which the head coach role became vacant when Newell, who had done the job since 2002, acknowledged that with relegations (three) outnumbering Championships (two) on his record, it was time for a change.In a wide-ranging shake-up, Newell became director of cricket – in which capacity he was operating anyway as well as being senior coach – with Notts stalwart Paul Franks promoted from 2nd XI duties to assistant head coach and Ant Botha, the South African-born former Adelaide Cricket Club coach and Derbyshire assistant coach, hired to look after the 2nd XI and Academy teams. James Pipe, meanwhile, has arrived from Derbyshire as first-team physio.Matt Prior is one of the players Moores guided from a young age•Getty ImagesMoores will focus solely on the first team, which will free him to devote his energies to the skills that he employed in helping both Sussex (2003) and Lancashire (2011) win the Championship, a unique achievement in that no other coach has won the title with two different counties, and one that doubtless escaped the knowledge of some of those critics lining up to trash his reputation two years ago.A big part of those successes was his talent, universally acknowledged within the game, for working one-to-one with individual players to bring out their best, in which the only analysis he draws on is instinctive, the product of years of accumulated knowledge about how to tap into a player’s character and help make the most of their ability to play.”I love that part of coaching,” he said. “For me, the role of the coach is to try to see in people what they could be rather than what they are.”It is all about building relationships with people to help them try to understand the best version of themselves and how they are going to get there. You can’t do it for them but you can sometimes help raise their awareness about what they are doing at the moment and whether it works or not for them.”When people learn to make the right connections [between doing something and achieving their goal], then you don’t have to tell them to do it because it makes sense to them.”Lots of things have given me lots of satisfaction as a coach but helping a player become the best player they can be is especially fulfilling.”

“I’ve got loads of mates in the game, and to talk cricket again with people who know you becomes pretty therapeutic”

The example he quotes is that of Matt Prior, the former England wicketkeeper and his protégé at Sussex.”I was coaching Matt when he was 12 and you could see even at that time that he could go on to play for Sussex or even England.”At 12 or 13 a player might dream about those things but once he begins to see the reality of that and then starts doing it and the dream starts to become real, then that’s really exciting.”Those with the potential to excite Moores in that way at Trent Bridge include Jake Libby and Billy Root – Joe’s brother – among the younger batsmen, and the pacy Ben Kitt, who took 100 2nd XI wickets last year, among the bowlers, inspired by the rapid progress of Jake Ball.And then there is Tom, his 20-year-old son, like him a wicketkeeper-batsman, who impressed on loan with Lancashire last season and had broken into the Nottinghamshire team by the end of the season. He has since signed his first full professional contract.”Tom is doing well,” he said. “He had an ankle operation three weeks ago and he is coming back from that. He and Ben are both trying to find the consistency to put a bit more pressure on the players in the team. Tom is an aggressive player with an exciting style as a batter and as a keeper.”Moores with his son, Tom•Getty ImagesMoores admits that coaching his own son presents a challenge. They are both learning about their relationship as coach and player as well as father and son.”The hard thing in some ways is not to be too hard on your own,” Moores said. “You want to be fair.”What was good for Tom was that he went to Lancashire on loan last year and under his own steam got into the T20 side and then the Championship side, which was good experience for him.”Both Tom and his older sister live at home still; 23-year-old Natalie works for a PR and marketing company on the southern outskirts of Nottingham.”She is loving it and putting up with the cricket,” he said. “Tom loves the game, loves talking about the game. We don’t have any special rules [about not taking cricket home]. If he wants to have a conversation about cricket, I will talk to him about cricket. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I’m led by him.”He is a good player but I would say to him, like anybody else, that coaches don’t have to judge a player, the game does that for you. If people get runs they are good players, if people take wickets they are good players.”

Moores helped both Sussex (2003) and Lancashire (2011) win the Championship, a unique achievement in that no other coach has won the title with two different counties

If Moores is proud of Tom, you sense there is an almost paternal pride, too, in seeing Joe Root elevated to the England captaincy, given Moores’ role in restoring the young Yorkshireman’s confidence after the battering he and others took on the 2013-14 Ashes tour.”It’s the right time for him,” he said. “He is a natural, very open, has a good cricket brain and always gives everything. He has that right level of humility, I think, and I think the players will have the utmost respect for him.”If there is a pang of regret, of jealousy even, that he is not in the England dressing room to see Root realise his potential, he hides it well.”I’m excited about the challenge here,” he said. “I am always confident I can build something better. How long it takes, you never quite know. We didn’t play well enough last year and we need to step up.”It is not simple but to me the goal is absolutely clear, to get back into the First Division and do it this year and to win a one-day trophy. In my head it is pretty clear. Then you get stuck in and try to do it.”

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2015Adil Rashid removed Burns with a full toss after an opening stand worth 76•Getty ImagesDavid Warner played with a little more caution but still went to a half-century from 57 balls•PA PhotosRashid got Warner shortly after, however, and continued to chip away at Australia’s middle order•Getty ImagesMark Wood had Glenn Maxwell caught down the leg side…•Getty Images…and the run-out of Shane Watson left Australia in trouble at 193 for 6•PA PhotosHowever, Matt Wade’s punchy, unbeaten 71 from 50 balls dragged Australia up to a total of 305 for 6•PA PhotosJason Roy made his maiden international half-century as England got off to a good start in reply•Getty ImagesAlex Hales had fallen with the score on 70 and Roy then went in Maxwell’s first over for 67•Getty ImagesJames Taylor was bowled for 49 as England’s innings began to hit the buffers•Getty ImagesWatson removed Taylor and he also got rid of the key wicket of Eoin Morgan•Getty ImagesTwo wickets in two balls from Nathan Coulter-Nile effectively sealed England’s fate•Getty Images

Once again this year, despite having the opposition under the cosh, Sri Lanka’s attack allowed a position of strength to slip away from them

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle06-Aug-2014SL may request Hotspot and Snicko

Marvin Atapattu said that Sri Lanka may consider asking their board to have Hotspot and Snicko available for use in order to improve the quality of DRS decisions.
Sri Lanka have not made good use of referrals in their home series this year, failing to overturn several not-out calls against South Africa last month, before declining to review a plumb lbw shout off Younis Khan, when the batsman was on 21 on Wednesday. Younis used DRS superbly, surviving the umpire’s raised finger twice, to go on to 133 not out by stumps.
“We were coming from a series in England where they had all the tools, but here we’re missing at least a couple,” Atapattu said. “At the start of the South Africa series it was a bit tough for us to digest that. Some of the things we saw in England, you don’t see here.
“Now that we have experienced having DRS with all the tools, we might take it into consideration [to request SLC uses those tools]. In England, there was clear evidence in decisions coming out of that third umpire’s box.”
The absence of Hotspot was most keenly felt at the SSC against South Africa, when Mahela Jayawardene was given out, despite the fact the ball did not appear to touch glove or bat. Replays, however, did not present enough evidence to conclusively rule him not out, so the third umpire upheld the original decision.
“In times to come I’m sure that the authorities will do certain things to make sure that the decision stays right. We were in a situation like this in the last Test we played against South Africa. That’s the way it goes”

Stranded on a far-off island where one day’s routine was hardly different from the next, Daniel Defoe’s put a cross in the ground and began to make a daily notch, hoping to wrap his mind around the passage of time.Weeks wound by without change. Months melded into one another. When Crusoe was rescued, he learned that even with his wooden cross, he had not managed to accurately count the days he had spent cut off from civilisation.On another island, also teeming with palm trees, but with fewer vindictive cannibals, the Sri Lanka attack had another day that seemed just like so many others they have recently endured. Younis Khan was their quick-footed tormentor this time, as he has been on many other occasions. By biding his time, and choosing his moments wisely, he moved to within 60 runs of scoring an unprecedented 2000 Test runs against Sri Lanka.Patience is the Sri Lanka unit’s style, though really, they have arrived at that method by process of elimination. There were hopes Ajantha Mendis would become the sharp end of the attack following Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement. Once opponents unraveled his secrets, what once appeared to be magic now seems like common trickery.Attacking quicks like Dilhara Fernando did not prove effective enough to be retained. Even aggressive spinners like Suraj Randiv were tried for a while and then cut off, at least for now. The men that remained were those that were willing to run in and tirelessly repeat the same, well-rehearsed routine, just like castaways stuck in a Groundhog Day of toilsome survival.In the past two series, Sri Lanka had long outings in the field in every match they have played. Bowling first at Lord’s they had three down for 74, then four for 120, but ended up conceding 575 for 9. At Headingley, England were five down in 26.2 overs in the second innings, but it would take 90.3 more overs for Sri Lanka to eke out those final five wickets, on a turning fifth-day pitch.At the SSC, South Africa defied the hosts for 134.5 overs in the first innings, then 111 in the next. Rangana Herath has now completed 517 overs since December 31 of last year. Wednesday must have felt like a day-long déjà vu.When South Africa had finished on 255 for 5 on another first day at Galle less than a month ago, bowling coach Chaminda Vaas had been upbeat about his attack’s returns. Acting head coach Marvan Atapattu reasoned there was little more Sri Lanka could have done against Pakistan as well.”The match situation has a lot to do with the wicket,” Atapattu said. “It settled down, and that’s the way it is in Galle. We played two fast bowlers and it doesn’t do much after the first session. Slowing the run rate, and making it tough to score is what we can do when you get a wicket like this. If you can do that you can expect a poor shot, so that’s our hope.”It is easy to sympathise with Atapattu and Sri Lanka, given the personnel available, but even on such tracks, opposition bowlers have found the means to be truly penetrative. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel shared 16 wickets on a dry pitch to win that game for South Africa. Those two are nothing less than the best new-ball pair on the planet, but they did help illustrate how the X-factor can transcend conditions and transform a series.Sri Lanka’s wins this year have highlighted Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal’s value, but beyond those two and Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka might do well to find bowlers who are a little more pizzazz and a little less working-class.Test-quality pace bowlers are thin on the ground, especially when at least one of the two premier quicks has found a way to be unfit in every match since the fast men’s demolition of Bangladesh in Dhaka, in January.But there are options for Sri Lanka in the spin department. Twenty-one-year-old Tharindu Kaushal takes bagfuls with big-turning offspin almost every time he plays, and though he has been in two Test squads, the selectors are worried he does not yet have the control to squeeze opponents opposite Herath.The time for a shake-up is approaching, however. In Muralitharan, and in Herath for a time, Sri Lanka had men that were at once workhorse and spearhead. But those are not roles that anyone but the supremely gifted can hold for long. Herath bowled two excellent balls to claim his wickets on day one, but if he is to have the workload that he has been saddled with this year, Sri Lanka cannot also expect him to be fresh enough to be a major wicket-taking threat as well.South Africa had six fewer runs and had lost one more wicket than Pakistan at the end of their first day in Galle. In the end, they batted for most of the second day, hit 455 for 9, and seized control of that Test.Sri Lanka require wickets while the ball is still new, and while there is still a little help from the pitch. Else, another long day when minutes drag and hours stretch may await them.

James Tredwell faces a tougher financial climate at Canterbury than his predecessor but shares Rob Key’s ambition on the international stage

Tim Wigmore19-Nov-2012James Tredwell inherits the Kent captaincy in a very different situation to Rob Key seven years ago. That is not a reflection of Key’s success in the job but rather of the changing financial climate.Kent embody the truth that county cricket has shown itself not to be immune from recession-era problems. Last season’s dire weather hit all counties but Kent were particularly unfortunate, losing nearly the entire Tunbridge Wells festival to rain. Losses at the festival could have cost the county £50,000, although financial results have yet to be announced.But Jamie Clifford, Kent chief executive, is adamant that, contrary to some reports, the financial statement for 2012 is “certainly not going to be the worst in the club’s history”. He says financial restructuring means that, “Other than the weather issues we’re very much on course.”Clifford also credits the response to an appeal to members and supporters to “come and help make a difference” in the second half of the season which Kent issued after the Tunbridge Wells washout.Nevertheless, there is no getting away from reality. “In a wet summer our gate receipts are way down on what we would expect,” Clifford said. “It’s been a bit of a setback really but I imagine most counties will be saying the same.”As well as the weather, last season’s reduction in T20 matches is another common factor that will help to explain if, as widely expected, county financial reports show a marked deterioration from 2011.Clifford says five home T20 games per county, as opposed to eight, caused “a big hole in gate receipts” but he declares himself “very pleased with the whole set-up” for 2014, when each county will play 14 T20 matches, something that will help make up the shortfall after what Clifford euphemistically describes as a “knocked-off-course type year” in 2012.As with many other counties, Kent are undergoing an age of limitations. At the start of Key’s reign in 2006 he says he “had the resources” to focus on making Kent a formidable limited-overs side, notably through signing belligerent hitters Justin Kemp and Azhar Mahmood, the county’s recruitment policy is now governed much more by value for money.Canny recruitment policy underpinned the encouraging performance of last season, when Kent narrowly missed out on Championship promotion and the CB40 semi-finals. Experienced players with points to prove, like Mark Davies and West Indian Brendan Nash, combined well with academy players including Matt Coles and Sam Northeast. Perhaps indicative of the era of county restraint, Mahmood left midseason – he could earn more playing in the Sri Lankan Premier League. He will not return to Kent in 2013.The financial resources may differ but Tredwell shares the same anticipation of national selection that Key enjoyed when he became captain. As Key was in 2006, Tredwell is on the periphery of the England set-up. He took six wickets in his solitary Test, against Bangladesh at Dhaka in March 2010, and bowled with impressive control and nous in ODIs against Australia and South Africa last season.But Tredwell was left out of England’s squad for the current tour of India. As well as the records of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, Tredwell’s omission reflected England’s belief that, in his words, “If you’re going to play two spinners, perhaps you do want people that turn it in opposite directions.” With fellow offspinner Swann the first choice slow bowler in all three formats of the game, Tredwell needs to convince the England selectors that he can be a useful addition – rather than merely a stand-in – to Swann.Tredwell is adamant he is not too similar to play alongside Swann. “I tend to bowl fractionally slower and change my pace a little bit more than him. I think I get the ball up in the air a bit more in terms of flight, whereas he’s a much bigger spinner of the ball. We’ve got our own ways of getting people out. I tend to entice batsmen to hit me a bit more than him, and that in itself is a very different style.”But if he is to have the opportunity, Tredwell will have to prevent the captaincy from affecting his game. While Key was a consistent scorer in all three forms of the game as captain, he never matched his feats in the two seasons before he was appointed, during which he averaged 70.00 and 59.84 in first-class cricket. For all Key’s talent, 10 runs in England’s World T20 defeat to the Netherlands have been the sum of his England contributions since he became Kent captain in 2006. Tredwell will hope the challenges of captaincy, made greater by Kent’s financial difficulties, do not have a similar affect upon his own England prospects.