With the Champions Trophy nine months away, South Africa will see their five-match ODI series against Australia as the start of their preparation for the event

The Preview by Firdose Moonda29-Sep-2016Match factsSeptember 30, 2016
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)1:21

‘Important to win away from home’ – Smith

Big PictureIt’s not even October and the headline series of South Africa’s summer is already beginning. No disrespect to Sri Lanka, who are the only touring team to visit later this year, but the fans will regard Australia as a bigger draw, and even though they are playing ODIs, the series will generate significant interest.The Champions Trophy is nine months out but this will be the start of South Africa’s planning and, worryingly, it does not include AB de Villiers. The regular captain has been ruled out of the series with an elbow injury which leaves a hole in the leadership, in the batting line-up and in the field. It will be up to Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy to step up as senior players, while David Miller and Farhaan Behardien will need to find form with the bat and light up the fielding effort. South Africa’s squad as a whole must show they can cope in the absence of one of their biggest names. The bowling will be bolstered by the return of Dale Steyn, who was rested for the West Indies tri-series in June. He will have Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo for company.Australia have not packed their pace pack with the same power, leaving several frontliners at home while giving opportunities to a younger crop. They have brought their captain along for the trip, which is certain to provide fodder for some off-field banter – Steven Smith was sent home from Sri Lanka to prepare for the summer and among those critical of the decisions were South Africans. Steyn and Graeme Smith had a few things to say on social media and, given the tension between Steyn and former Australia captain Michael Clarke in the past, this could be episode two.Episode three, of course, will take place in November when what some will consider the real battle begins. South Africa travel to Australia for three Tests. For now, enjoy the opening act.Form guideSouth Africa WLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWWWLIn the spotlightDe Villiers’ absence for the next two months leaves Faf du Plessis in charge. Du Plessis has not been shy about expressing his desire to captain more and especially to lead from the front. With scrutiny over his scoring rate, this is the format in which he may feel he needs to prove himself. The middle overs are where South Africa don’t want to let the game drift and it will be up to du Plessis to push their cause.Mitchell Marsh struggled for consistency in length on his return to the ODI side against Ireland, after having been rested for the Sri Lanka series last month. None of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, James Faulkner or Nathan Coulter-Nile are in the touring party, so it will be up to Marsh to play his part in filling those roles. He has taken more ODI wickets in 2016 than in any other year but has also been expensive, with an average of 34.13 compared to his 2015 average of 23.35. He will want to tighten up against South Africa.Teams newsWith Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir back in the squad, Andile Phehlukwayo and Aaron Phangiso are likely to be the two casualties from the Ireland victory. In the absence of Chris Morris, both Wayne Parnell and Dwaine Pretorius are likely to keep their places. Hashim Amla was sick and he rested a day before the match, but du Plessis was “99% sure” the opener would be fine on Friday.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 JP Duminy, 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Dwaine Pretorius, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran TahirAfter Usman Khawaja’s unbeaten 82 in the Ireland match, Australia will be hard-pressed to choose between him and Aaron Finch. They may look to change their bowling attack with Chris Tremain coming into contention.Australia (possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch/Usman Khawaja, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Mathew Wade (wk), 8 John Hastings, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Chris Tremain/Daniel Worrall, 11 Scott BolandPitch and conditionsUnlike Benoni’s tacky and, at times, two-paced pitch, SuperSport Park is expected to produce a pristine surface packed with runs. There should be something in it for the quicks too. Summer has arrived on the Highveld and a warm day is forecast, with temperatures close to 30 degrees. There is also the possibility of an afternoon thunderstorm which may interrupt briefly.Stats and trivia In the last two years, South Africa and Australia have played eight ODIs against each other. Of those, Australia have won five and South Africa two, with one no-result. Faf du Plessis has led South Africa in four ODIs, of which they have won three. The only defeat came in his captaincy debut against New Zealand in Kimberley in January 2013.Quotes”Pretoria and Wanderers are generally wickets that don’t offer too much spin, but there is always a role for a spinner to contain the game. So I definitely see the role of a spinner, not much attacking, but by doing a holding job. For the first three games, we won’t see too much spin.”
“Both of our top orders play the same pretty much all around the world. Their job is to go out and play the way they play and be nice and positive. You can’t really ask David Warner and Aaron Finch to go block it around. It’s not the way they play and it’s not the way I want them to play either.”

Habib Bank Limited rode on Rameez Aziz’s 90 to recover from early bursts from Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Irfan to put up 236 against Water and Power Development Authority on the opening day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Mohammad Asif snared three early wickets, before Habib Bank Limited staged a recovery•Getty Images

Habib Bank Limited recovered from early bursts from Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Irfan to put up 236 against Water and Power Development Authority on the opening day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final at the National Stadium in Karachi.HBL were tottering at 21 for 6 after being asked to bat, but were lifted by Rameez Aziz and the lower order. Aziz struck 90 and went past 4000 runs in first-class cricket in the process before he was the last man dismissed. In reply, WAPDA’s openers Adnan Raees and Salman Butt, the captain, saw off five overs to take them to 23 for no loss.Asif set the tone for HBL’s early wobble with a wicket in his very first over by having Fakhar Zaman bowled, getting the ball to cut back in to the left-hander and go through the gate before crashing into middle stump. Asif then got one to move the other way when Imam-ul-Haq edged an awayswinger on a length to second slip. Two deliveries later, Imran Farhat was trapped in front of middle and leg and HBL’s score read 19 for 3.By then, Butt had already taken out opening bowler Waqas Maqsood after just three overs and replaced him with Irfan, who struck in his third over when Ahmed Shehzad top-edged a pull shot to mid-on. Irfan then got a double-strike in his next over, getting Jamal Anwar to edge to first slip before trapping Mohammad Waqas lbw. Aziz then joined hands with Fahim Ashraf to begin the repair job.Aziz made a slow start, scoring just 4 off the first 31 balls he faced before unleashing a cover drive off Maqsood. Aziz and Ashraf shared a seventh-wicket partnership of 84 that pushed the score past 100. The two batted out 26.5 overs before Ashraf lobbed a return catch to Khalid Usman, the left-arm spinner. Usman appeared to have hastened the slide by ending Amad Butt’s entertaining 21 when the batsman gave the charge and lost his stumps trying to force the ball across the line.Aziz, however, hung around and forged the second decisive partnership of the innings, putting on 99 for the ninth wicket with Abdur Rehman, the HBL captain. Rehman hit six fours en route to his 53 off 92 balls before Maqsood bowled him for his only wicket. One over later, Aziz miscued a pull shot to mid-on to fall 10 short of a century and give Asif his fourth wicket.While Asif and Irfan inflicted the bulk of the damage, they found support from Usman (2 for 40) and Maqsood (1 for 56).Butt got off to a brisk start in WAPDA’s reply, cracking three boundaries in his unbeaten 16 (17 balls). Raees was more sedate, playing out 15 balls and giving him company on 3.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said day-night Tests are likely to be the future of cricket, just the way Twenty20s have gained popularity over ODIs in the last few years. Misbah also expressed reservations about the visibility of the pink ball, but said it would probably lead to “a fair competition between bat and ball”.”At the moment, it looks like [the future] keeping in mind the interest of the audience, who want to watch Test cricket,” Misbah said a day before Pakistan’s first day-night Test, against West Indies in Dubai. “After they [spectators] come from work, it’s a good opportunity and you will see it mostly in future. Let’s see how it goes with the pink ball, it’s an experiment. First the one-day came, then Twenty20 came, so [day-night Test] is a good step to keep the Tests alive.”When asked about the pink ball in particular, Misbah’s main concern related to the timing of the Test; he said the players would have to readjust to the pink ball once the lights come on later in the day. Misbah also did not hesitate to crack a joke, when asked if the pink ball needed more grass to survive on.”The only difference is the different timing [of the matches], just the visibility because it’s different for red ball and white ball,” he said. “Maybe when the pink ball gets older, you have to look at it carefully as a batsman because it could be difficult at times [under lights]. You need to make a few adjustments here and there. Overall, it’s good playing under lights also. It’s not like it’s terribly difficult for the batsmen. It’s a fair competition between bat and ball.”Maybe the pink ball survives on grassy pitches but we also have to make sure that we survive as a team,” Misbah said with a laugh. “You look at your strengths and I believe that it’s up to the team; the better team performs well in all conditions and that is the bottom line. I think if you are a good team, then you do well irrespective of the circumstances. Forget about the pink ball and lights, just go out and perform.”Pakistan had recently moved to No. 2 in the ICC Test rankings after drawing 2-2 in England, and rose to the top for the first time since the current ranking system was introduced when India’s last Test in the West Indies was washed out. Now No. 2 again after India’s home series win against New Zealand, Misbah said they would rather focus on the upcoming series against West Indies than the rankings.”That’s not important for us,” Misbah said. “The most important thing is to do well; we are more attentive to our performance in this series. You can’t take West Indies lightly because they are a young side and they have everything to prove and such a side is more motivated. We have done well in the last six years, did well on the England tour so the expectations are high.”Misbah on Babar Azam’s chances: ‘I think there could be no better time than this to make his Test debut’•Getty Images

Pakistan would, however, be without Younis Khan for the first Test as the batsman was advised 10 days of rest to recover from a bout of dengue fever. That would probably mean a debut for an in-form Babar Azam, who struck three straight centuries in the recent ODIs, and maybe a shuffle in the batting order too. Pakistan had already moved Azhar Ali to No. 3 during the England tour after Shoaib Malik’s Test retirement last year, and tried Asad Shafiq ahead of Younis only for the fourth Test, in which Shafiq shone with a century.”I think at the start it was tough, we had to do that in England and considering the conditions it was tough. Not only promoting Azhar but also Asad for No. 3,” Misbah said. “Once we did that and it was successful, we know can do that again. It was a chance to bring in the fifth bowler and bring in a youngster at No. 7. I think a window has opened. I think opening and batting at No. 3 here is a good opportunity before the [upcoming away] New Zealand series, so it’s an advantage to do this before a tough series and settle down on a structure and a balance.”I think there could be no better time than this to make his Test debut,” Misbah said of Azam. “He has played mature innings and has developed well. He has played well not only here but also in New Zealand and looks a good prospect. He is lucky to get a chance at this time, unfortunately because of Younis’ absence due to ill health, but I think this is the best time.”Pakistan will be playing their 400th Test starting Thursday and Misbah said it would be a source of “motivation” for the players to make the historic match “memorable” for them.

Harbhajan Singh, India’s most successful offspinner at the moment, has opposed the kind of surfaces the team has played on at home over the last ‘four’ years. He’s stated as much in several interviews. He used the hash tag ‘tailor-made conditions for spinners’ while referring to the Indore surface. He went on to say his and Anil Kumble’s wickets tally would have been “something else” if they had bowled more on such pitches. Virat Kohli, to whom the mention of the word ‘pitch’ is a red rag, was told of Harbhajan’s comments after India had completed the whitewash of New Zealand inside four days in Indore.Kohli was then asked if he attributed these wins to pitches or “something else”. “Who made that statement?” Kohli shot back. “Harbhajan Singh,” he was told. “Oh? Okay,” he stopped.It must be mentioned that while the conversation around pitches has been subdued this season because they haven’t been as dramatic as they were against South Africa last season. Kolkata, in fact, was a seaming pitch, which brought the New Zealand fast bowlers into the game. However, Harbhajan’s is the first instance of someone criticising the pitches from inside the system. He is an active cricketer who was a part of the India squad in the Asia Cup played in Bangladesh earlier this year. Kohli refrained from directly reacting to Harbhajan’s statement although he did sound a little taken aback.”Obviously, I mean,” Kohli paused. “See even if it is a turning pitch you have to bowl well. There is no… spin doesn’t happen only off the pitch. Spin is about how many revs you impart off the shoulder first. And then the ball will do something off the pitch. I quite clearly remember after we lost to New Zealand in the World T20, suddenly their spinners were quality and we were found out. I don’t see anyone talking about that now. The same spinners have played. Why have they not been able to pick wickets? It is as simple as that. Our fast bowlers picked wickets everywhere. We never complained about anything. So… see you can give a guy a cement track to bat on. He [still] needs to have the mindset to score runs. It is as simple as that.”Earlier when asked about complete team performances on three different tracks and how much confidence that gives India for the England series, Kohli once spoke about the pitches. “Well, we knew before the series that people are going to start talking about pitches,” Kohli said. “But we made it a point that we… we knew that there are monsoons everywhere, wickets are not going to be as dry. Especially in Kolkata, we knew that it wouldn’t be dry; it was a newly laid wicket. We didn’t say anything once. We believe in our abilities, we should be good enough to do it on any surface and against any team.”That is a step in the right direction as far as our team is concerned. We believe in our skill much more, and not focus on creating atmosphere or conditions that might suit us partially. We just wanted to express ourselves the way we can on a cricket field. We finished two games in four days on perfectly fine Test cricket pitches. That gives us a lot of confidence.”

Leeds United right-back Cody Drameh is now "open to staying" at Elland Road this summer, according to Joe Donnohue.

What’s the latest on Cody Drameh’s future?

Drameh recently helped Luton Town win promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs, featuring in the Wembley final victory over Coventry City.

The full-back, who was sent to Kenilworth Road back in January when Jesse Marsch was still in charge, with the former Leeds manager saying:

"Yes, I see, no doubt, a future here for him. He and I have, I think, formed a pretty strong relationship over the last eight months.

“I told him when he left [on loan to Luton] that it was unfortunate that, with both Luke and Rasmus right now, that we just didn't have more opportunities for him to develop right here, right now with us. Because in many ways, I think he's ready for those challenges.”

Six months on, though, and he has been linked with a permanent Elland Road exit. The Englishman has just over 12 months remaining on his Whites contract and there have been reports that he wanted to quit Yorkshire to play in the Premier League next season.

However, he now appears to have had a change of heart in a new twist following Leeds’ relegation. Donnohue, journalist for The Yorkshire Evening Post, took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to share a new update regarding the right-back. He said:

“Cody Drameh open to staying at Leeds despite securing promotion with loan club Luton, who remain interested in a permanent transfer. Circumstances beyond his control meant he had to go out on loan again, while LUFC have since provided assurances.”

Who wants to sign Cody Drameh?

The latest report suggests that whoever comes in as Leeds’ next head coach would need to be on board with keeping Drameh, with Luton still keen on completing a permanent deal.

Drameh has excelled in recent seasons in the second tier, initially at Cardiff City, where he was called “outstanding” by former manager Steve Morison. He won Cardiff’s Player of the Year award that season and went on to make 19 appearances for Luton recently, taking his Championship tally to 38 appearances in total.

The 21-year-old appears to be an exciting young defender, and after attracting interest from Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Newcastle United back in December, keeping hold of his services for the Championship could be an exciting prospect.

Michael Klinger scored 87 off 78 to stud Western Australia’s 6 for 190 in 28 overs, before Andrew Tye took three wickets to ensure that Victoria fell 41 short of their revised target in a rain-affected match at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew Tye took 3 for 10 in three overs and also effected a run-out•Getty ImagesMichael Klinger scored 87 off 78 to stud Western Australia’s 6 for 190 in 28 overs, before Andrew Tye took three wickets to ensure that Victoria fell 41 short of their revised target in a rain-affected match at the WACA ground in Perth.Victoria won the toss and started well, dismissing Shaun Marsh for 15 and Adam Voges for a ten-ball duck, leaving the hosts at 2 for 30. But Klinger and D’Arcy Short then put on 92 off 87 for the third wicket, with Short contributing 52 off 43 before falling to Jon Holland. Klinger batted on, though, hitting three fours and three sixes in his knock as Western Australia added 66 in the last eight overs.With more rain disrupting play, Victoria found themselves chasing a D/L-adjusted target of 140 in 18 overs. But at no point were they able to even approach the required run rate. The opening stand added 25 in 5 overs and was ended by Jason Behrendorff, who got Marcus Harris caught behind. Behrendorff then got Glenn Maxwell for 9 in his next over. By the time Tye dismissed Dan Christian in the ninth over, Victoria had only managed 54 runs.That wicket opened the floodgates – a further six wickets fell for 28 runs in 36 balls to leave the visitors at 9 for 82 in the 15th over. They managed to scrape together 16 more runs and avoid being bowled out, but that would have come as scant consolation.Meanwhile, Western Australia, who tied their first match and lost their second, would be relieved to have their first win on the board.

Alastair Cook’s captaincy retains the full support of the England team, according to assistant coach, Paul Farbrace

George Dobell21-Dec-2016Alastair Cook’s captaincy retains the full support of the England team, according to assistant coach, Paul Farbrace.While Farbrace accepted that speculation over leadership was inevitable after a 4-0 defeat, he insisted that there was “no uncertainty” over the issue inside the dressing room and that the management had been planning on Cook leading the team for the Ashes tour.”We know he still has the support of the team and he’s a very popular bloke and very popular captain,” Farbrace said.”If he chooses to step down it would be a shame because we want him to carry on. We’ve planned, and have been planning, for Cooky to be captain going to the Ashes in Australia next winter. Personally, I hope that continues.”He’s captain. Everybody knows where they stand with him; there’s absolutely no uncertainty whatsoever within our team.”There is an understanding, though, that Cook will take some time to reflect on his position before deciding if he wants to continue. With England not playing another Test until July, there is no immediate hurry for Cook – or Andrew Strauss, the managing director of the England team – to come to a decision. The pair are expected to speak sometime in January.”When you lose a series 4-0, of course people will talk about the leadership,” Farbrace said. “We all know that.”He’s got that decision to make and as he said before the series started, he and Andrew Strauss will sit down in the new year and have a conversation about the way forward.”The most important thing is that Cookie will make the decision based on what’s right for England cricket, not what’s right for Alastair Cook.”Right back to the last time in Australia, he could quite easily have walked away from it. He didn’t and one of the things that’s driven him on is he feels his team is an improving one with a lot of good cricket to be played. We all think that as well.”We all, at the end of this series, have a think about what we can do better, what have we learned from this series, and what do we need to do to make this team win. Ultimately, that’s what we’re here for.”But there’s nobody looking round the dressing room thinking ‘ooh, I wonder who’s in charge?’. It’s very clear who’s in charge, and that hasn’t changed.”Farbrace also accepted that England had been outplayed by India. While he felt England had played some good cricket, the failure to maintain that over the course of a whole game had, he felt, cost them.”This last day sums up our series really,” Farbrace said. “We had one fantastic session this morning, when the two guys played really well, and then we’ve lost wickets throughout the rest of the day.”If you don’t play good cricket over five days here you won’t win. You get what you deserve if you can’t compete and string together high-quality days of Test cricket. We got what we deserved in the end.”The pitches have been excellent, fantastic cricket pitches. We’ve played some very good cricket in spells. But what we haven’t been able to do is string together days and complete Test matches, other than the first Test.”We came here with the hope that we could beat them, but we weren’t good enough to do it. We played some good cricket, but we weren’t good enough to do it over the five days.”

A lot of drama unfolded in Coffs Harbour where Australia and South Africa played out only the fifth tie in the history of women’s ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by ball- detailsMasabata Klaas’ run-out on the last ball led to the tie•Getty Images

A fourth straight ODI fifty for Ellyse Perry, second consecutive for Nicole Bolton, a four-for from Suné Luus, and a match-changing all-round performance from Dane van Niekerk combined to a dramatic tie in the fourth ODI in Coffs Harbour. South Africa women needed eight off the last over and later five off two, when Masabata Klaas slapped a four but was run-out on the last ball as both teams were all out for 242 in only the fifth tie in women’s ODIs. South Africa have still not beaten Australia in any format.South Africa were reeling in their chase at the score of 40 for 4, rattled by the Australian quicks and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen. After Jonassen broke the opening stand, Perry bowled Lara Goodall, Rene Farrell bowled Luus and debutant Amanda-Jade Wellington had Mignon du Preez stumped with her very first ball. Kapp and van Niekerk joined forces that only steadied them but also brought the chase on track with a massive partnership that lasted 30.3 overs. Wellington would have had her second wicket, of van Niekerk, in the 16th over but Meg Lanning could not hold on to a low chance at slip after the ball flicked the keeper’s glove on the way.Kapp and van Niekerk scored 144 runs together, the third-highest stand for the fifth wicket overall, and took South Africa towards 200. While Kapp was more circumspect in her sixth ODI half-century, van Niekerk scored at more than run a ball against Jonassen, Perry and Farrell.It took a run-out to break the stand when Kapp backed up too much at the non-striker’s end and walked back for a 104-ball 66, starting Australia’s fight back. South Africa needed 57 off eight overs and Van Niekerk’s fours during her third ODI fifty brought the asking rate under six before Jonassen bowled her for 81. Another run-out and nine runs later, the visitors needed eight from six but Elyse Villani, bowling for the first time in her international career, conceded seven. When they needed one to win, Klaas struck a full delivery to midwicket but could not reach the non-striker’s end on time.Australia had opted to bat and Bolton and Perry, who missed the last match with a groin injury, steered them for over 16 overs after Beth Mooney, who was promoted to open, and Lanning fell cheaply. Bolton and Perry’s partnership yielded 80 runs before Luus dismissed Bolton, for 63, and Jonassen in her consecutive overs.Alex Blackwell then allied with Perry with a quick 35 off 30 but van Niekerk disturbed their lower order. Perry helped them cross 200 and took them to the last five overs before Luus sent her back too and van Niekerk struck on consecutive balls with the wickets of Alyssa and Villani. The stutter meant Australia struck only 26 runs in their last five overs as debutants Wellington and Tahlia McGrath were dismissed off consecutive balls in the last over.Luus finished with 4 for 37 from her 7.5 overs and Van Niekerk returned figures of 3 for 52 from nine overs.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly planning something of a raid on relegated outfit, Leeds United, having been linked with moves for a string of the Whites' key men.

What are the latest Tottenham transfer rumours?

Following reports that the north Londoners are keen on snapping up the likes of Robin Koch and Jack Harrison from Elland Road, 90min has now claimed that the Lilywhites are among the clubs who are also showing an interest in midfield maestro, Tyler Adams.

The report outlines that the former RB Leipzig man – who made the move to Yorkshire on a £20m deal last summer – is likely to seal a swift exit from his current side, with a stay in England looking like his best bet at present.

The piece also notes that Leeds have seemingly 'accepted' that they are set to lose the 24-year-old following their recent drop into the Championship, with Football Insider recently reporting that the United States international could command a fee of around £35m.

Who could Adams replace at Tottenham?

The signing of the one-time Red Bull Salzburg sensation could well spell bad news for current Spurs starlet, Pape Matar Sarr, with the Senegalese youngster set to be nudged even further down the midfield pecking order.

The promising 19-year-old was originally snapped up from FC Metz back in 2021 before securing an immediate loan return to his former employers, having since gone on to play a bit-part role in his first full season at N17.

Amid a turbulent campaign that saw both Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini dismissed, the 20-year-old was restricted to just 17 appearances across all fronts, despite the respective injury woes of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur.

That lack of action has led to suggestion that the 6 foot 1 gem could be on his way to Marseille this summer amid his desire for further game time, with the arrival of Adams potentially set to push him out the door.

The difference in quality between the pair is showcased by the fact that Adams is something of a "tackling machine" – according to pundit Kevin Campbell – having averaged 3.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game from his 24 league appearances, while Sarr averaged just 0.6 and 0.5 for those same two metrics, respectively, from his 11 league outings.

Equally, the Leeds man also appears to offer a great creative quality from his deep-lying berth having averaged one key pass per game in 2022/23, while the current Tottenham man averaged just 0.2 in that regard.

With Sarr – who made just two league starts all season – having been rather on the periphery in north London, Adams, by contrast, was truly "instrumental" prior to his late-season injury woes, according to Campbell, with Leeds winning just two of the final 12 games of the campaign for which he was absent for.

On the evidence of his displays prior to that blow, the New York native could well thrive in the top-flight once again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next season, thus allowing Levy and co to move on young Sarr as a result.

Everton have been linked to a winger ahead of the summer transfer window, as Sean Dyche looks to make significant improvements in the break.

The Toffees confirmed their stay in the Premier League on the final day, as relief poured from Goodison Park after a challenging season both on and off the pitch.

The club have many things to improve on this summer, however, Dyche could add attacking strength to his inherited squad by signing a player already known on Merseyside.

What’s the latest on Ryan Kent to Everton?

Last week, it was reported that Rangers winger Ryan Kent could be on the move to Everton this summer, as a host of clubs around Europe keep their eyes peeled on the Englishman’s next move.

As reported by Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, Kent is of interest to the Toffees, who alongside Bologna, Fenerbahce and Udinese could battle for the free agent this window.

The Liverpool academy ace spent five years at Ibrox, with his contract expiring this summer and opting against extending his stay.

What could Ryan Kent bring to Everton?

The Oldham-born forward could be a strong option for Dyche in a bid to improve Everton’s goal-scoring form, with the club being the league’s second-lowest scorers this season.

Hailed as “dangerous” by former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard, the 26-year-old is an explosive outlet to have on the left flank, as told by his colourful career in Glasgow.

As per Transfermarkt, in a five-year stay the Englishman contributed to 90 goals, scoring 33 himself and assisting 57, showcasing his abilities in the final third whether it be as the finisher or creator.

Operating primarily as a left-forward, the experienced attacker has a playing style bearing many similarities to Dwight McNeil and could challenge or even provide an upgrade for the Blues forward.

While McNeil possesses a dazzling left foot, Kent is a right-footed wide player who enjoys to cut inside, posing a threat on both flanks.

As per FBref, the Rangers ace comes out on top of the Everton man in a range of attributes key to playing as a threatening forward, as highlighted by their statistics over the past year.

Kent averages 2.84 progressive carries per 90, with McNeil recording just shy of the 26-year-old with 2.74 per 90, with results similar in terms of successful take-ons, with the Everton ace coming just behind with 1.95 to the £18k-per-week gem’s 2.13 per 90.

The former Liverpool youngster is a more competent passer of the ball than McNeil, as revealed by Sofascore, with Kent averaging a pass accuracy of 89% this season to the Goodison forward's 76%.

Whether Dyche opts to deploy the winger as competition or as a partner in an attacking reshuffle this summer, it will be interesting to see how the future of the Englishman plays out, with a potential return to Merseyside on the cards.