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Aston Villa could use the money from Carney Chukwuemeka’s sale on new signings before deadline day on September 1st, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke…

What’s the word?

The Midlands outfit completed a lot of their business early with sporting director Johan Lange bringing in as many as five signings, including a £26m swoop for Diego Carlos from Sevilla and Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer from Marseille.

Chukwuemeka, who had rejected Villa’s latest contract offer, is now on the verge of signing for Premier League rivals Chelsea in a £20m deal, as per The Athletic, and O’Rourke has tipped them to reinvest instantly.

And PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare is one name that has been ‘mentioned’ around Villa Park. The Ivory Coast international has been linked with a move to B6 throughout the summer window.

Speaking to Football FanCast, the reporter said:

“I think it gives Steven Gerrard more money and space in the squad maybe to go and bring in another new signing as well.

“Obviously they were quite busy at the start of the window, bringing in Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara, but I’m sure Steven Gerrard would like to add further to his squad.

“Sangare has been mentioned as a possible target. He’s had a couple of really good seasons as PSV Eindhoven. I think he’s got a buyout clause in his contract as well. He looks a talented player.

“I’m sure Aston Villa will be exploring the market right now to see what they can do to try and improve their squad.”

Sangare swoop

With uncertainty over the future of Douglas Luiz – who is courting interest from AC Milan – and a gap opening up in Gerrard’s squad, a move for Sangare could make a lot of sense but Lange and his recruitment staff will need to act quickly to get their man.

It’s thought that the release clause that O’Rouke has mentioned is in the region of €37.5m, meaning Villa would need to stump up around £31m to secure his signature, as per Voetbal International.

Premier League rivals Liverpool and Newcastle United have also been mooted with interest in Sangare, only increasing the pressure on the Midlands hierarchy to deliver, sooner rather than later.

The 24-year-old PSV star could be an instant hit in England as he has been likened to two former top-flight monsters in Michael Essien and Yaya Toure.

“Physically, he’s like Yaya Toure but he reminds me of Michael Essien,” African journalist Alpha Balde claimed (via GOAL). “I saw Essien at the start of his career and they had the same physical strength at an equal age. Sangare is also passionate.”

The 6 foot 3 brute, who has also been dubbed a “complete player” by former Toulouse boss Alain Casanova, was a key cog in PSV’s midfield last term, having averaged a squad-high 3.3 tackles and 2.6 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

Meanwhile, only Cody Gakpo managed a better average rating for the whole campaign, which highlights his impressive consistency and reliability in the engine room.

As such, he could be a mighty fine addition to Gerrard’s squad this summer transfer window and now that the club have seen their coffers bolstered with a nice £20m, it would make sense for that to be reinvested in a talent like Sangare.

AND in other news, Talks ongoing: Lange could strike gold at Villa as Ashley Preece drops 9-word contract update…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are plotting a move for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos this summer, a player who manager Bruno Lage knows very well.

According to claims made by one Portuguese-speaking journalist on Twitter recently, Wolves re-opened talks for the player who they initially were interested in signing last season.

He’s seen as “negotiable” by Benfica who would be willing to let him leave for a fee of €40m (£34m), and Wolves are one of several clubs interested in his services along with Paris Saint-Germain and Nottingham Forest.

Ramos is a player that the Old Gold manager Lage has worked with before, during his spell as manager of Benfica he appeared on the bench a number of times.

This might give them an advantage, but if Wolves are really serious about signing him then they need to move fast or they risk missing out.

Throughout his career, the 21-year-old has scored 44 goals in 114 appearances and has earnt praise from many, including Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig who has dubbed him “incredibly prolific.”

If he could replicate his goalscoring form for the Old Gold then just imagine the firepower they would have up front. One of the players he could partner with would be his compatriot Pedro Neto, and they could form an exciting duo.

Neto didn’t feature too many times for Wolves last season due to injury, but in the games he did play he proved exactly why they would work well together.

The 22-year-old created three big chances in just 13 games which is the same as Ramos created all season. Their similar age also means that they would be able to develop together and lead the line for Wolves into the future.

Neto scored an impressive pass accuracy percentage of 85% per game and he could link up well with Ramos who averages 1.9 shots per game.

It’s a transfer that makes a lot of sense, and with rumours circling that the out-of-favour striker Fabio Silva could leave Molineux in a bid to rejuvenate his career, Wolves could need depth going forward.

They should look no further than Ramos to provide that.

AND in other news: Great news: Teasing Wolves transfer claim will surely leave Bruno Lage excited…

The Daily Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards has now revealed some Newcastle United transfer news on Arnaut Danjuma and Lucas Paqueta.

The Lowdown: More business?

The Magpies have already brought Matt Targett, Nick Pope and Sven Botman to St James’ Park this summer, and will now focus on other potential targets.

They have been linked with moves for both Danjuma and Paqueta, as Eddie Howe looks to strengthen in the attacking areas of the pitch.

The Latest: Edwards’ update

Taking to Twitter, Edwards has now revealed that Newcastle will not be pursuing deals for either Danjuma or Paqueta this summer, although the situation regarding more potential incomings is ‘very relaxed’ at this moment in time.

The report tweeted: “It’s very quiet on transfers as I said it would be. #nufc haven’t had any bids for players they don’t need and are continuing to wait for right attacking players to become available. Told it’s very relaxed but Paqueta still a no as is Danjuma from Villarreal in this window.”

The Verdict: Shame

It would be a shame if the Magpies were to miss out on Danjuma and Paqueta this summer, especially if they move to other clubs in the Premier League.

Rated at £45m and £31.5m on the market respectively, they are two players who have not yet reached their peak at 25 and 24 years of age.

Danjuma managed an impressive 16 goals and four assists across all competitions last season (played under Eddie Howe previously at Bournemouth.

Paqueta managed a handy 11 goals and seven assists from midfield (good friends with former Lyon team-mate and fellow Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes, who now plays for the Magpies.

Nonetheless, Newcastle should not sleep on either if the opportunity becomes available to sign them later in the summer.

Newcastle United are close to sealing a deal for Reims striker Hugo Ekitike as Eddie Howe aims to bolster his attacking options ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports News reporter Keith Downie, who relayed the transfer update from his colleague Dharmesh Sheth via Twitter.

He outlined: “Personal terms are close to being agreed with Hugo Ekitike ahead of his proposed move to Newcastle, according to @skysports_sheth. If teems can be agreed it’s hoped, he can travel to Tyneside for medical & to complete move next week. Ekitike currently having some time off.”

Newcastle fans will love it

This news will surely delight the Toon faithful, and it now seems only a matter of time before the signing is formally announced.

Howe has overseen a remarkable turnaround at Newcastle since being appointed last November, leading the team away from the drop zone and into a comfortable 11th-place finish in the Premier League last season.

Further improvement will be needed to satisfy the club’s new owners, though, and with no shortage of money available for transfers, the 44-year-old looks like he is building a squad which can challenge the European place, with the probable signing of Ekitike a particularly impressive coup.

The 19-year-old scored 11 times last season whilst adding a further three assists in a breakthrough campaign which has also attracted interest from the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.

Compared to positional peers in the big five European leagues, Ekitike ranks in the top 7% for non-penalty goals (0.64 per 90) and in the top 3% for dribbles completed (2.12 per 90), with the latter metric proving that he isn’t afraid of taking players on and showcasing his abilities.

With 2.69 shot-creating actions per match also, the striker appears keen to give himself as many chances as possible to score, showing great maturity at only 19 years of age.

Ekitike might not be the finished product just yet, but his potential could see him become one of the most feared strikers on the continent over the next few seasons. Imagine what a delight it would be for the St James’ Park faithful to see him becoming just that in Newcastle colours.

AND in other news, NUFC in the mix to sign “frightening” £528k-p/w “freak of nature”, Howe would love him…

Recent reports have seen Arsenal heavily linked with re-signing Germany international Serge Gnabry from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, the 26-year-old having initially joined the Gunners’ youth ranks in 2011, before departing five years later after failing to establish himself in the first team at the Emirates.

With just ten Premier League appearances for the north Londoners under his belt, the Stuttgart born gem joined Werder Bremen on a permanent deal in 2016 after a disappointing season-long loan stint at West Bromwich Albion.

The 31-cap speedster was famously deemed not good enough for the Baggies by then-boss Tony Pulis during his dismal period at the Hawthorns, although has since made that assumption look truly ridiculous, having gone on to win a plethora of major honours at the Allianz Arena.

Having joined his current side in 2017 – initially spending the first campaign on loan at Hoffenheim – Gnabry has gone on to score 64 goals and register 40 assists in 174 appearances in all competitions, notably winning four successive league titles as well as the Champions League in 2020.

Once moved on by Arsene Wenger for just £7m, the latest indication is that the £115k-per-week menace could now cost as much as £34m, with that figure having only been reduced due to his contract expiring next summer.

There is, as expected, a great deal of excitement regarding a potential return to English football, although one club that will no doubt be fearing the worst is rivals Tottenham Hotspur, with the Lilywhites having been on the wrong end of a Gnabry masterclass a few years ago.

Then Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino saw his side completely dismantled by Hansi Flick’s rampant Bayern outfit in a brutal Champions League group stage mauling back in October 2019, with the hosts suffering the further ignominy of being torn apart by the aforementioned former Gunners gem.

In a scintillating showing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gnabry hit four in a remarkable 7-2 victory for the eventual tournament winners, with the result seemingly contributing to Pochettino’s sacking just a month or so later.

The encounter had been relatively even heading in at the interval as the visitors led 2-1, before a blistering second period saw Flick’s men surge to victory in ruthless fashion, with the former Arsenal man becoming the first player to hit four second-half goals in a Champions League game.

His first illustrated his lightning speed as he tore past a lunging Davinson Sanchez before cutting onto his right foot to unleash a remarkable precise finish past Hugo Lloris, before bettering the Frenchman again with a composed finish off the post with his weaker left foot.

The £63m-rated man then put the game out of sight late on with another quick-fire double, wrapping up his hat-trick after racing clear to again slide the ball past a helpless Lloris, before completing his haul with a divine strike across goal that gave little chance to the flailing ‘keeper.

In truth, his greatest impact for Arsenal did in fact come in the red of Bayern, as the Gunners supporters revelled in that display, before he again punished a London outfit by netting twice against Chelsea in the last-16 a few months later.

Not living on past success, however, he has again impressed in the most recent campaign, netting 17 goals and ten assists in all competitions for the German champions, while he also compares remarkably well to those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, ranking highly in a string of attacking metrics as per FBref.

Once described as “magic” by Transfermakrt’s Stefan Bienkowski, the lethal forward has that rare quality to make an impact at the highest level on a consistent basis, with his arrival only set to bolster Arteta’s hopes of returning to Europe’s premier competition.

If not to aid them in getting back into the top four, Arsenal simply must sign Gnabry so that he can torment their north London rivals once again.

In other news, Arsenal eye bid for £76.5m-rated “fighter” who “always creates”, he’s better than Saka

West Ham United are reportedly eyeing a move for Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall, according to reports.

What’s the word?

As per The Sun, the Hammers are keeping tabs on the 25-year-old, with the club contemplating a move should Steve Cooper’s side fail to secure promotion in this weekend’s Championship playoff final.

Victory for the City Ground outfit at Wembley would likely see the former Rangers man stay put, although should Huddersfield run out winners then David Moyes and co may have a chance, with the player having been described as “destined for the Premier League” by pundit Des Oldham.

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The east Londoners will face competition from the likes of Leicester City and Fulham for the player’s signature, however, according to the report.

The next Bowen?

Although the £3.6m-rated colossus may not play in the same position as current Hammers star Jarrod Bowen, he could well mirror the former Hull City man in making the step up from the Championship to the top-flight at the London Stadium.

Plucked from the second tier back in January 2020 in a £20m deal, Bowen has since made the jump to the higher level with relative ease, notably bagging 12 goals and ten assists in the league this season, with suggestions that he may now be worth as much as £75m.

The 25-year-old’s swift adjustment has shown there is a pathway for players to emerge from the lower divisions and cement themselves into the West Ham first team under Moyes, with Worrall seemingly having the talent to follow suit next term.

The towering 6 foot 4 brute has enjoyed a fine campaign as the Forest skipper thus far, notably keeping 16 clean sheets in 39 regular-season games, averaging 3.1 clearances, 1.9 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game, while also winning a solid 63% of his total duels.

One dubbed a “fantastic player” by Steven Gerrard, the former England U21 international has gone from strength to strength over the last few seasons, playing a key role in the club’s run to the FA Cup quarter-final earlier this season.

Should GSB and Moyes make a move for him this summer, it could prove to be another market masterstroke from the Scotsman, with Worrall potentially another star that he can pluck from the EFL, in the mould of Bowen.

IN other news, Cost £1.5m per goal: GSB made a colossal blunder on “strong” £40k-p/w West Ham flop 

Aston Villa would need pay Geoffrey Kondogbia more than €120,000 (£101,000) a week if they want to sign him this summer, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Villa keen on Kondogbia

Kondogbia has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent days, with Villa manager Steven Gerrard potentially seeing him as a primary summer transfer target.

It has been stated that Gerrard ‘appreciates’ him as a player, with the Frenchman proving to be a key part of Atletico Madrid’s midfield this season and the Villans boss even jetting off to watch him in action.

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Kondogbia has made 23 appearances in La Liga, as well as nine in the Champions League, averaging a respective 2.7 and 2.2 tackles per game.

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The Latest: Fresh update emerges

According to Mundo Deportivo [via Sport Witness], the midfielder is looking for a pay increase in order to trade Atletico for Villa this summer.

A ‘much higher wage’ than his current €120,000 (£101,000) per week is mooted in the report, with the Villans aiming to sell players in order to afford what would be a ‘very expensive transfer.’

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The Verdict: Could be hard to get done

While Kondogbia is clearly a top-class midfielder who would strengthen Villa’s midfield, paying him such extortionate wages could be a tricky situation.

Danny Ings (£120,000) is the only current player earning over £100,000 a week, so the France international would come straight in as one of the club’s highest earners.

Not only that, but he doesn’t seem overly convinced by a move to Villa Park, according to the report, so paying such big money for a potentially money-hungry player feels like a big risk.

In other news, Ashley Preece has dropped a key Villa transfer claim. Read more here.

The former Hong Kong captain relocates to India where he hopes to qualify as a local and “one day play Test cricket”

Shashank Kishore13-Sep-2019After fighting his way up the cricketing ladder in Hong Kong only to hit a dead end because of lack of exposure and financial viability, Anshuman Rath, who was their captain until recently, has put a temporary hold on his international career to move back to India, the country his family hails from. He hopes to now qualify as a local and “one day play Test cricket.”Having made himself unavailable for Hong Kong’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers campaign in October, Rath, 21, is set to move to Mumbai, a city he will live and train in, as he looks to break through into India’s first-class system. Having held talks with a number of associations through his agent and father, who hails from Bhubaneswar, Rath has his eyes trained on Vidarbha, the two-time Ranji Trophy champions.

“When the Indian national anthem was played, I got goosebumps and was humming to the tune even though we were playing against them. That moment I thought maybe I could potentially play for them in the future.”Rath on playing India at the Asia Cup

Over the past few weeks, he has held talks with Prashant Vaidya, the VCA’s Director of Cricket, and while no formal agreement has been reached yet, Rath is hopeful of completing the paperwork soon. However, just merely holding an Indian passport won’t guarantee an immediate entry into India’s domestic system. Rath will have to serve a one-year cooling-off period before becoming eligible in October 2020. At the same time, his moving away from Hong Kong for good and his Indian citizenship means he can enter the IPL auction as a local uncapped player. For the moment, though, he is set to feature in club cricket in Nagpur.”The VCA has spoken to Saba Karim (BCCI’s general manager) about my road map, and all indications are that they are the team I’m most likely to turn up for, provided I put in the hard yards in club cricket and show them performances that will help my selection,” Rath told ESPNcricinfo. “They have been very professional. They have won the Ranji Trophy for two years in a row now, and they have a credible reputation.”The amount of talent there is in India, it’s easy for state sides to overlook me, but the VCA have been very transparent and supportive. Their message is: ‘The door is open’, but I have to do whatever I can to put myself up for selection. I’m not going to be put on a pedestal. At the end of the day, if you’re scoring runs, you will be picked. Hopefully, I can do that. They’ve kept me in the loop with everything, and about the club system there. The facilities are top notch and I’m looking forward to it.”ALSO READ: The brains and the brawn behind Vidarbha’s rise to the topThe India move is the latest chapter of what Rath calls a “nomadic” career. As a 14-year old, he moved from Hong Kong, where his family was based, to the UK and went to the famous Harrow School. As a teenager, he emerged as one of the most promising pathway cricketers alongside current England stars like Sam Curran and Ollie Pope at Middlesex. However, “complex visa rules” that don’t allow players from Associate countries to feature as full-time professionals left him with no option but to return to Hong Kong after putting his college degree on hold.”It’s been brewing for a while now,” he said. “Being in the English system and having grown up there, you understand simply how different the Associate system is. My dream is to play Test cricket and unfortunately Associate cricket doesn’t provide that platform. Mark Chapman is a prime example. He used Associate cricket as a benchmark to play a higher level of cricket in New Zealand. The opportunities are rare, it’s not financially viable playing in Hong Kong. I don’t want to have three-four years here and then move away. I’m looking at the next 10-15 year horizon, and for that, the India move is the best way forward.”Rath had a quick chat with Simon Cook, the former Hong Kong coach who had a decade-and-a-half long career with Middlesex. It merely reinforced the decision he had already made. “Simon Cook knew of my ambitions from when I was playing in England,” Rath says. “I knew this was likely to happen one day, so it’s a bittersweet feeling for me, even though I’m excited about going to India. The guys at Hong Kong Cricket have been extremely cooperative about it and understand the choice I’ve made.”At this time last year, Rath nearly orchestrated a mighty upset against the Rohit Sharma-led India at the Asia Cup. He put on a 174-run opening stand with Nizakat Khan to set the tone for a chase of 286; Hong Kong eventually fell short by 26 runs. Twelve months on, he looks back at that game with a lot of fondness. Incidentally, that was his last official ODI for Hong Kong, for whom he finishes with an average of 51.75 in 18 ODIs.

“Vidarbha’s message is: ‘the door is open’, but I’ve to do whatever I can to put myself up for selection. I’m not going to be put on a pedestal. End of the day, if you’re scoring runs, you will be picked”Rath on his next move

Hong Kong have endured a bumpy road since that memorable Asia Cup outing, finishing last in WCL Division 2 in Namibia earlier in the year, where Rath topped the run charts. This relegated them to the third tier of the ICC’s 50-over competition for Associates, with the side having already lost its ODI status in 2018. Partly, Rath’s decision also stemmed from the ICC’s decision to reduce the World Cup to a 10-team show. With things unlikely to change for 2023, it’s a decision he says he had to make “sooner than later.””When I wasn’t allowed to play in England, I had to find a new base to develop my game and progress,” he says. “If you told me a year ago that I’d be in the Indian system, it’s not like I would’ve said ‘you’re joking’ because I had to decide at some point. In that game against India, when the Indian national anthem was played, I got goosebumps and was humming to the tune even though we were playing against them. That moment was when I had the realization that I could potentially play for them in the future. I want to give myself every opportunity to do so. There are no guarantees, but at least I know the ball is in my court and there is a structure and a pathway for me to make it happen.”

James Anderson’s six off Kagiso Rabada was just his third in his 123-Test long career. Who else comes close on the most-innings-per-six stakes?

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2017James Anderson, 169 innings, 3 sixesJames Anderson’s batting often invokes his “Burnley Lara” nickname among fans, commentators and team-mates alike. His six off Kagiso Rabada today was just his third in a long career spanning 123 Tests, in his 169th Test innings, and had his new Test captain Joe Root in splits on the Lord’s balcony. It was his first in over five years, and the first-ever instance of him hitting a fast bowler for six in Test cricket. Saeed Ajmal and Paul Harris are the only others to have been carted over the fence by Anderson.VVS Laxman hit just five sixes over the course of his career•Getty ImagesVVS Laxman, 225 innings, 5 sixesSilken touch and sublime timing were Laxman’s greatest assets, but surely, with that ferocious pull, he would have managed more than a handful of sixes in his career? Turns out the number is just five, an average of one every 45 innings. Some of them barely crossed the boundary, including the time Mluleki Nkala stepped on the rope after catching Laxman’s pull on the fence, way back during that memorable 2001 season.Michael Atherton was not the biggest six-hitter going around•Getty ImagesMike Atherton, 212 innings, 4 sixesAnother technically correct batsman with a copybook technique and one of the best cover drives in the game’s history, Atherton was not one to take the aerial route too often, as a six every 53 innings attests to. It is a fact Anderson, his Lancashire compatriot, can keep handy to bandy about, whenever someone ribs him about his batting abilities.Wristy flicks, sublime drives, and a grand total of one six in 299 international innings•Getty ImagesHashan Tillakaratne, 131 innings, 1 sixTillakaratne hit 540 fours over the course of his Test career spanning nearly 16 years, hitting bowlers all around the park with a combination of magnificent driving and hefty wristwork. A sole six is all he has against his name, hit towards the end of his career in 2001, off West Indian legspinner Dinanath Ramnarine.Dour, doughty Boon hit a pair of sixes in a long career•Philip BrownDavid Boon, 190 innings, 2 sixesBoon hit 16 sixes in 14 fewer innings in ODIs, but was a lot more cautious in Tests, as is to be expected. An accumulator who would stick it out and compile innings of importance for Australia, Boon’s restraint and discipline in the game’s longest format is evident from the grand total of two sixes in 107 Tests.

Both captains couldn’t have predicted how much a contentious DRS decision could affect the entire flow of a day’s play and, possibly, the course of the Test

Melinda Farrell in Adelaide28-Nov-2015In the lead up to this pink puzzle of a Test, both captains were asked about strategies they could employ to take advantage of the varying conditions as day turned into night and floodlights replaced sunshine.Brendon McCullum mused about over-rates and controlling the tempo, while Steven Smith who acknowledged the pink ball’s behaviour would vary, was less forthcoming on whether or not tactics would stray too far from those favoured in red ball cricket.But neither captain would have predicted how much a contentious DRS decision could affect the entire flow of a day’s play and, possibly, the course of this match.The Test was progressing at a rapid rate when third umpire Nigel Llong gave Nathan Lyon a controversial reprieve.Up to that point New Zealand’s bowlers had done an admirable job of suffocating Australia, as their seamers bowled tightly and patiently through the afternoon – when conditions were favourable for batting. The impact of McCullum’s tactic of spin from both ends was immediate as Mark Craig accounted for Smith and Peter Siddle in his second over, while Mitchell Santner bowled Josh Hazlewood soon after.Australia had slumped to 8 for 116 from 5 for 109 when Lyon joined Peter Nevill at the crease. With uncertainty surrounding the fitness of Mitchell Starc, New Zealand must have been confident of coming in to bat with a decent amount of sunlight remaining when Santner’s delivery appeared to graze Lyon’s bat.After Llong’s decision, in the second over after tea, Australia added 106 runs and, of equal – if not greater – importance, ate up valuable hours of sunlight. Nevill and Lyon, who swept with the freedom of a condemned man given a last-gasp pardon, dismantled the attack, and once Lyon was removed, a hobbling Starc was even more devastating.”That was the first time we knew Starc was going to come in, when Nevill stayed out there,” said Ross Taylor. “We always thought we would try to hang in there and we were only a couple of wickets away. The new ball does a lot under lights if we were able to a bit longer in that middle session it might have made things a bit easier.”Taylor denied that New Zealand had dropped their heads, but it was evident their rattled attack fell flat and were perhaps guilty of not searching for wickets in their eagerness to avoid facing the new ball under lights. “We have got limited knowledge of the pink ball but we know it’s going to do a bit more under lights and there’s a bit of a glow around it,” said Taylor. “It’s a little harder to see at the start of your innings. Everyone knows it’s going to do a little bit, how much, no one really knows.”The timing for the start of New Zealand’s second innings could hardly have been worse and, as for Australia the previous night, the final session was a test of survival skills.”We haven’t really seen an older ball at that time of night,” said Taylor, who managed 32 before being trapped lbw by Hazlewood. “If you have a 60-70 over ball, it won’t do as much. When it got to 60 overs, when we bowled, it didn’t do a lot. Anything upto 40-45 overs there’s still quite a good shine on the ball and the bowling team has a pretty good chance of getting wickets. Survival is a big thing but you’ve also got to score some runs too.”Timing and light are likely to be just as crucial on day three, and New Zealand will be clock-watching as they attempt to build a defendable lead, whatever that may be.”[There’s] definitely no figure, but whatever we end up with we’ve got to get wickets,” Taylor said. “Getting that new ball as close to twilight as possible. If we can keep our bowlers from not bowling as many overs tomorrow we give ourselves the best chance. Regardless of what happens we’ve got a couple of fighters out there and Hazlewood has to come back and bowl a few overs, hopefully he’s not as potent. No team’s been able to get to that second new ball.”As with so many factors in this experimental Test, while some pieces of the puzzle are falling in to place, the full picture has yet to emerge.