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Eddie Howe is now 190 games into his tenure in the Newcastle United hot seat with only Marco Silva, Mikel Arteta, and Pep Guardiola being in their respective Premier League jobs for longer than the Magpies boss.

Yet, the 47-year-old – despite being such a long-standing fixture at St James’ Park – isn’t above criticism, with only three wins collected so far this season in league action troubling his once rock-solid grip on the Toon job.

Indeed, away from Nick Woltemade lighting up the Premier League already as a £69m summer recruit, with four top-flight strikes next to his name, the majority of the Magpies starting XI right now feels stale and in need of a refresh.

Even Howe could be viewed as a rusty figure, with the under-fire manager now left with plenty of time to think about what immediate changes he needs to make to ensure his Newcastle team is a force to be reckoned with again, as the international break is now in play.

The biggest selection dilemmas facing Eddie Howe at Newcastle

Not even the likes of Sandro Tonali were safe from his manager’s wrath against the Bees, with the usually lively and energetic Italian only winning one meagre duel last time out, as Newcastle collapsed to a 3-1 defeat on the road.

He does, however, have some significant credit in the bank by starring more often than not across the entire campaign to date, with Tonali even being branded as an “absolute joke” of a talent by journalist Andy Sixsmith, when picking up an assist in the Toon’s recent EFL Cup success over Tottenham Hotspur.

On the other hand, Tonali’s common midfield partner in Joelinton could find himself more at risk of the first-team chop shortly, with his poor showings extending far past his 24-minute run-out against Brentford.

Indeed, the Brazilian epitomised Newcastle’s “leggy” showing against West Ham United – as it was branded by Tyneside great Alan Shearer – when winning just two of his ground duels, as Lucas Paqueta stole the midfield show for the Hammers, instead.

With no goals and assists also next to his name in the Premier League this season, Howe could be tempted to throw in the likes of Jacob Ramsey in his place.

There could also be a great deal of change at the back. While Malick Thiaw has been serenaded as their player of the season so far, his colleagues in the backline haven’t been much of a help.

Indeed, it was Sven Botman’s ball-watching that led to Igor Thiago’s second goal on Sunday and it was Dan Burn’s red card that turned the tide for the hosts beforehand. Nick Pope also failed to cover himself in much glory for Kevin Schade’s equaliser.

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Newcastle's defensive duo must never play together again

Howe has become too comfortable selecting the same faces week in, week out, with the 47-year-old very much set in his old ways, having been at St James’ Park for so long now.

Still, with the emergence of Woltemade from Stuttgart this summer, and Thiaw, who has barely put a foot wrong in the main Newcastle XI since joining from AC Milan, the time could be right for Howe to start ditching figures he once heavily relied on.

Both Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier will be worried that they will be victims of this approach.

Minutes played

90

73

Goals scored

0

0

Assists

0

0

Touches

81

61

Accurate passes

47/59 (80%)

20/32 (68%)

Accurate crosses

0/5

0/1

Possession lost

19x

18x

Tackles won

1/1

1/2

Interceptions

0

0

Clearances

2

11

Blocked shots

1

1

Ball recoveries

7

1

Total duels won

4/11

8/17

It’s strange to think that in the Champions League that both the ageing defenders combined for Newcastle’s opener against Athletic Club, as the 6-foot-7 warrior headed home a perfect free-kick delivery from the ex-Atletico Madrid full-back.

But, when watching them together back in the Premier League against Keith Andrews’ Bees, it’s clear that this is a full-back partnership that cannot continue in the bread and butter of domestic action, with both Trippier and Burn combined giving possession away a costly 37 times in West London.

Moreover, before Burn piled on the Magpies’ misery by being sent off, both Newcastle veterans also failed to register a single accurate cross, with the away side stunted down either flank as a result.

On top of that, only two tackles were won between them, as Brentford ultimately felt no fear piling forward with ease, up against the Toon’s ageing backline.

Howe will have to get rid of Burn automatically when Premier League action gets back underway, owing to his suspension, but, with Tino Livramento tipped to return to the first-team picture for the Manchester City tie up next, after injury, it wouldn’t be the greatest shock to see Trippier ditched for fresh blood down the right.

Likewise, with Lewis Hall also putting in an energetic cameo against the Bees, that makes him a prime candidate to start as Howe’s left-back against Guardiola’s men.

As bad as Botman: Howe must drop Newcastle dud who lost the ball 20x v Bees

Newcastle United had another away day to forget in the Premier League when losing 3-1 versus Brentford.

2 ByKelan Sarson Nov 10, 2025

Manchester United are now back in talks to sign highly-rated Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba in 2026.

The Red Devils’ midfield needs to be a key area of focus next summer, due to Casemiro being out of contract at Old Trafford when the season ends.

The Brazilian has enjoyed a resurgence of late, scoring in United’s 2-2 draw away to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last weekend, however, he still isn’t the player he was and will soon need to be replaced by a younger model.

Baleba emerged as one of the front-runners to join the Red Devils in the summer transfer window, but in the end, he stayed put for the time being, with no defensive midfielders added to Ruben Amorim’s squad.

The 21-year-old Seagulls ace is sure to have plenty of suitors moving forward, though, with a switch to United still very much on the cards, following a new update.

Man Utd willing to pay £90m for Baleba

According to reports relayed by Caught Offside, Manchester United are once again negotiating over the signing of Baleba from Brighton, and INEOS would be willing to pay as much as £90m for his signature.

An official bid is expected to be incoming for the Cameroonian, as the Red Devils look to complete a significant piece of business next year.

Baleba may not have hit top form yet this season, with his focus arguably affected by the level of interest in him from various clubs, but he has all the tools to enjoy a fantastic career.

He is a force both in and out of possession, averaging 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League last term, as well as scoring three goals, and Alan Shearer has hailed him as “absolutely wonderful” on Match of the Day.

As mentioned, Casemiro is not the player he once was, no longer being to cover so much ground at pace, but Baleba could bring that to United’s team, suddenly making them far harder to run through.

Man Utd in pole position to beat Man City to Jeremy Monga signing

The Red Devils could land one of England’s finest youngsters in a cheap deal due to a key reason.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 3, 2025

He has so much time to improve further as a player, and while his age means that some inconsistency may be a part of his game to begin with, he feels like a leading option for Amorim, as the Red Devils look to bring in the perfect addition to a vital area of the pitch.

Casemiro isn't the only Man Utd star who has saved his career under Amorim

Alana King fights with three wickets but can’t avoid 89-run loss at Chester-le-Street

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025

Durham 257 (Armitage 111, Windsor 55, King 3-31) beat Lancashire 168 (Fraser 3-33) by 89 runsAn excellent century from Durham captain Hollie Armitage led her side to an 89-run win in their Metro Bank One Day Cup clash with Lancashire Thunder.Durham’s total of 257 was supercharged by Armitage’s century, the first scored by a Durham player in professional women’s cricket, but three wickets from Alana King restricted the hosts in the closing period of the innings.Lancashire’s chase got off to a bad start as they found themselves 59 for four and they never really got going after that, with Durham bowling them out for 168 to continue their quarter-final pursuit.Armitage won the toss and elected to bat, but the hosts’ innings got off to a bad start as Lancashire got a moment of good fortune when Bates was run out backing up for 12.Armitage then came to the crease and played a delightful shot through the covers off the bowling of Sophie Morris, while Marlow played a tidy shot off her legs for four to keep the Durham total ticking over.The Durham pair were looking good, but a mix up between the wickets meant that Marlow had to depart as she was run out for a well-made 37.King then got her first as Mady Villiers edged a delivery straight into the hands of Eve Jones at slip for one. Armitage then passed fifty for the fourth time in the competition, with this one coming from 61 balls.Emily Windsor, making her Durham List A debut, joined Armitage and looked good as she launched a Morris ball down the ground for four.Lancashire had a chance to get the key wicket of Armitage when she mistimed a slog sweep off Tara Norris but Seren Smale failed to take a catch on the boundary with the Durham batter on 71.The attention quickly turned to a milestone at the other end as Windsor picked up her first half-century in a Durham shirt, with it coming from 47 balls.Windsor didn’t last much longer as King got her caught behind for a fluent 55, but Armitage continued to flow as she picked up back-to-back fours off Norris, but two quick wickets fell at the other end as King got Heath and Phoebe Turner was run out.However, Armitage managed to get her seventh List A century from 110 balls, but Norris got Katherine Fraser with the next ball.Gaur then got Grace Thompson, while Armitage and Sophia Turner were run out in the final over to leave Durham on 257 all out.Lancashire’s opening pair of Emma Lamb and Eve Jones guided their side through the opening overs with minimum fuss, but when Mady Villiers came into the attack that changed as she got Lamb, the top run scorer in this competition, caught behind for 12.Durham struck again to remove Tilly Kesteven for four as the Lancashire batter mistimed a cut shot off the bowling of Fraser and Thompson produced a superb diving catch at backward point.Lancashire’s poor start to their chase continued as Jones chipped one straight back to Fraser for 24 and the visitors were in trouble at 47 for three.Ellie Threlkeld relieved some pressure as she smashed Phoebe Turner’s first ball down the ground for four, but the Durham bowler struck back as she bowled the Lancashire captain with a beauty.Ailsa Lister played a glorious shot over the field on the offside for a much-needed boundary.Smale continued to tick the score along for the visitors, knowing that her partnership with Lister was key to any Lancashire victory hopes, but that partnership didn’t last much longer as Katie Levick got Lister caught at cover for 18. King failed to have the same impact with the bat as she did with the ball as she was caught behind off the bowling of Levick for four.Durham were on the brink of victory as Villiers got Smale LBW for 32 to leave Lancashire seven down.Kate Cross looked to offer some resistance as she played a pair of nice shots off the bowling of Phoebe Turner, but Fraser picked up her third as she removed Norris.Sophia Turner then got in on the act as she bowled Cross for a resolute 34 and she wrapped up the win, bowling Morris for a golden duck.

High-flying Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is wanted by La Liga club Athletic Club, who are plotting a succession plan. Iraola, who moved to the Premier League from LaLiga, could return to his homeland after three years next season if he agrees to take charge at Athletic Club as their new manager to replace Ernesto Valverde at the helm.

Iraola's success as Bournemouth boss

After spending just two-and-a-half years in Bournemouth, Iraola has already become a crowd favourite for the success he has attained at the Cherries. His stock has only risen after the Cherries' consistent performances in his first two seasons, where they finished 12th and ninth in the Premier League.

After finishing among the top 10 teams in the Premier League last season, Bournemouth dealt with a setback as three out of their four first team defenders departed the club in the summer transfer window, including star centre-back Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid and full-back Milos Kerkez to Liverpool. However, despite losing a host of their stars, Iraola has guided Bournemouth to a strong start in the 2025-26 campaign as they are occupying the second position in the league table with 18 points from the first nine matches, where they have won five and lost just one game.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesIraola could head back to Spain

According to , La Liga side Athletic Club are plotting a succession plan as veteran coach Ernesto Valverde is all set to exit the team next summer. Valverde, 61, is in the final year of his current contract and has yet to hold talks over a new deal with the club. Accordingly, the Basque club have started their search for Valverde's replacement and their sporting director is considering making a move for the Bournemouth head coach.

The club also have Rayo Vallecano manager Inigo Perez and Elche’s Eder Sarabia on their shortlist, although Perez is likely to put pen to paper on a new Vallecano contract and stay back at the club on a long-term basis. 

Iraola's managerial journey so far

Iraola, who graduated from Athletic Club's youth academy in 2000, spent 12 seasons as a player with the club's senior side from 2003 to 2015, where he finished runners-up in the Copa del Rey thrice and once in the Europa League during the 2011-12 campaign. In the final two years of his stay at San Mames, he played under Valverde's tutelage, a manager he could replace next year. 

The Spaniard began his managerial career at the age of just 36 after retiring from professional football, as he took charge of top division Cypriot side AEK Larnaca and guided them to the league title in his maiden season as a senior head coach. He moved back to Spain a year later, in 2019 and briefly managed Mirandes before joining Rayo Vallecano. Since his move to England in 2023, Iraola has won the Premier League Manager of the Month award twice, in March 2024 and January 2025.

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Iraola was linked with Spurs job

After Spurs sacked Ange Postecoglou in the summer following their Europa League triumph last season, Iraola was strongly linked with the head coach's job. In the last two season's Iraola's Bournemouth have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the Premier League, which is also down to his well-thought-out transfer choices. The likes of Evanilson, Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert and Milos Kerkez have all been hit signings at the Vitality Stadium, and Iraola's knack for spotting talent held him in good stead to succeed where Postecoglou failed at Spurs.

However, Iraola stayed back at Bournemouth over the summer, while Spurs went ahead and signed Thomas Frank from Bournemouth as their next manager. 

“The good thing for RCB is that they will play the last game and they will know exactly where they stand and what they need to do,” Anil Kumble says

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-20251:01

Did RCB get their bowling tactics right?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) didn’t to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday night in Lucknow, but they would have wanted to: a win would have given them a great shot at finishing in the top two of the IPL 2025 league table. It didn’t happen. Now, Tom Moody wants them to “move on very quickly”, while Anil Kumble is still backing them to get there – after all, they will play the last game of the league phase and will know “what they need to do.””I think you need to move on very quickly. I think you’ve got to patch up your wounds – and they’ve got a few scars there – but I don’t think you dwell on it too much,” Moody said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show after RCB’s 42-run loss. “Because they have done a lot of good things this season, and that should be the focus, try to draw out some of the positives of this game – the opening partnership of 80, [Phil] Salt back in the side [and] finding some form – he hit five sixes. So try to keep it upbeat, try to keep it as positive as possible, because now is not the time for people to be second-guessing what they are doing or what their role is in the side.”Salt finding form was certainly one of the positives. His last appearance was back on April 24, almost exactly a month ago, before he fell ill. Then came the break because of the India-Pakistan border tensions. Then came RCB’s first match upon the IPL’s resumption, which was washed out. They have lost Devdutt Padikkal and Josh Hazlewood (though he might return) to injuries, and Jacob Bethell and Lungi Ngidi are done for the season because of responsibilities with their national sides. And Tim David might have done his hamstring on Friday.Related

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The circumstances can get you down, but Kumble liked what he saw from RCB in their chase of SRH’s 231 for 6, especially the start of 80 runs in seven overs from Virat Kohli and Salt. Though he did point to the mistakes in that chase too.”The start was extremely good. Though Virat Kohli was the dominant partner in the opening stand with Phil Salt, who was playing after a month and looked rusty, but one of them needed to bat deep,” Kumble said. “If that had happened, we would be talking about an RCB win. I also think that the 25-odd balls that Mayank [Agarwal] and Rajat Patidar played together made it tough for RCB. But their game plan was right. The fall of wickets and Tim David’s injury didn’t help.”Agarwal, who has been brought in from the cold to replace Padikkal, scored 11 in ten balls, and Patidar, back from a hand injury and playing as a batter-only scored 18 in 16. Coming as their innings did after the frenetic start, it did peg RCB back.Jitesh Sharma, standing in for Patidar as captain, said after the game that he didn’t mind the result. “I think sometimes losing a game is a very good sign because you can check, analyse where we are lacking.” Kumble wasn’t buying it. But with RCB playing Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to end the league phase on May 27, Kumble hasn’t given up on his old team making the top two.”You need to say these things. You shouldn’t be losing at this stage. You needed to win this to make it easier to finish in the top two. We know the importance of a top-two finish,” he said. “It can still happen. Mathematically, anything can happen on the table. But the pressure will be on RCB. The good thing for RCB is that they will play the last game and they will know exactly where they stand and what they need to do.”

حسم فريق نادي الزمالك مباراة القمة أمام الأهلي، لصالحه، في اللقاء الذي أقيم بينهما، اليوم السبت، في منافسات بطولة دوري الجمهوربة مواليد 2009

والتقى فريقا الأهلي والزمالك، على ملعب النادي الأهلي بمدينة نصر، ضمن منافسات الجولة التاسعة من بطولة الجمهورية.

طالع | القنوات الناقلة لمباريات كأس السوبر المصري 2025

وحقق الزمالك الفوز على غريمه الأهلي، بنتيجة 3-1، سجل ثلاثية الفارس الأبيض، طارق هشام، أدهم محمد حسيب، وأحمد صفوت.

وسجل هدف الأهلي، لاعبه أحمد عبد الهادي بتسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء.

وشهد اللقاء، تصدي حارس النادي الأهلي لركلة جزاء من لاعب الزمالك أحمد عبد الله.

It was the first time in IPL 2025 that the captain winning the toss chose to bat

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2025

Pat Cummins called it right at the toss and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opted to bat first in the day game against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Vishakhapatnam. It was the first time in IPL 2025 that the captain winning the toss chose to bat.KL Rahul will be playing his first match in IPL 2025 after he missed DC’s opening encounter for the birth of his daughter. Sameer Rizvi made way for Rahul’s return in what was the only change for the home team.Cummins backed his batters to continue with their trend from last season – bat first, put up a big score and defend it successfully. With the sun baking down and expected to slow the pitch as the game goes on, SRH opted to bring in an extra spinner for a fast bowler. As a result, legspinner Zeeshan Ansari, who plays for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit, came in for fast bowler Simarjeet Singh.Axar Patel said that he would also have batted first, given “ball does more in the second innings”. He backed his bowlers to be brave and resort to death bowling right from the start if need be.The square boundaries were 66m and 60m in Vishakhapatnam, with the straight hit being 73m. WV Raman, at the pitch report, said that spin could come into play as the game goes on because of the sun baking down.Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Zeeshan Ansari
Impact Player options: Sachin Baby, Eshan Malinga, Simarjeet Singh, Adam Zampa, Wiaan MulderDelhi Capitals XI: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Abishek Porel, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Axar Patel (capt), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Vipraj Nigam, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mukesh KumarImpact Player options: Karun Nair, Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurna Vijay

The uncontracted trio of James Neesham, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert are in New Zealand’s plans for the 2026 T20 World Cup after they made themselves available for all of New Zealand’s T20I series in the lead-up to the next ICC tournament, selection manager Sam Wells has said.The three were in action in the 50-overs Ford Trophy before being reintroduced to New Zealand’s T20I side for the upcoming five-match series at home against Pakistan.”Yeah, look, we’ve had some discussions with these guys and New Zealand Cricket has really emphasised preparing well for these pinnacle events and the guys have committed to being available for all of our T20 campaigns moving forward, if selected,” Wells said. “So that’s a real positive. And credit to those guys, they’ve come back and played domestic cricket, played Ford Trophy and performed well.”So, these guys are still really hungry and made it very clear they’re still very hungry to play for their country.”Related

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Neesham, who last played for New Zealand in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, reminded everyone of his all-round skills when he clattered a career-best 128 not out off 82 balls and followed it up with figures of 3 for 53 to propel Auckland into the Ford Trophy final.Allen returned to captain Auckland in the Ford Trophy after finishing his BBL stint across the Tasman Sea with Perth Scorchers.Seifert also returned to play for Northern Districts in both the Ford Trophy and the Plunket Shield despite having turned down a domestic contract. Against a strong Canterbury attack comprising Kyle Jamieson, Zak Foulkes, Henry Shipley and Ish Sodhi, Seifert hit an unbeaten 109 off 71 balls from No. 3 in the Ford Trophy.”That [the hunger to play for the country] is why they come back and play domestic cricket to stake their claim,” Wells said. “And they’ve done well as well as performing in the various franchise leagues they play around the world. But it is really helpful from a selection perspective to see them competing in domestic cricket against the guys and see them in the flesh. So, look, we’re really happy with where they’re at.”Legspinner Sodhi, who was not picked for the 2025 Champions Trophy, has also returned to the white-ball team with an eye on the spin-friendly surfaces in India at the next T20 World Cup. In the absence of captain Mitchell Santner, who will miss the home series against Pakistan owing to his IPL commitments, Sodhi is the only frontline spin-bowling option in the squad apart from stand-in captain Michael Bracewell.In a glance: New Zealand’s T20I squad for home series against Pakistan•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sodhi’s recent form is also encouraging: he picked up nine wickets in 12 Super Smash matches at an economy rate of 7.00, which was second only to Jamieson among all bowlers who had bowled at least 20 overs in the competition.”Look, I think in India, you’re going to be playing two or three spinners,” Wells said. “And you see Ish come back into it. I think most teams are playing a wristspinner in both forms. So, we’re giving Ish an opportunity. He’s been a great performer in the T20 format. I thought he had a really strong Super Smash. But obviously, missing Mitch, who’s a bit of a linchpin in the bowling attacks.”So, that’ll be a challenge for Ish and Michael to really step up and take those roles if given a chance. But obviously, the boundaries are pretty small in New Zealand grounds and not taking as much turn. So, we might see an additional seamer playing where we think that’s appropriate. But it’s just about having that balance where we can.”Wells also delivered a glowing appraisal of Bracewell’s abilities as an allrounder and leader.”Michael led the T20 side over in Pakistan last year in the series we had over there and it was quite a young and experienced side and we were really impressed with the way he led that group,” Wells said. “He sort of cemented himself in both white-ball teams as a really pivotal cog. He’s experienced at domestic level, having been a captain in the side, and is well respected and knows how to run the cutter really well. So, look, he’s ticked a lot of boxes. He hasn’t got a huge amount of international experience but is an experienced cricketer and has done well when given opportunities in a leadership role.”

Tahmid said switching between formats quickly is something the pair worked on

Mohammad Isam28-Dec-2024On the night before the Boxing Day Test, Sam Konstas told his batting coach Tahmid Islam that he would only play the scoop against Jasprit Bumrah after he reached 150. But, after a number of early plays and misses against the champion fast bowler on debut at the MCG, Konstas brought forward his plans for the scoop. It hardly surprised Tahmid, Konstas’ 29-year-old batting coach.Tahmid said as much in a conversation with Bangladeshi journalists on Saturday, a chat arranged by Prime Bank Cricket Club, Tahmid’s team in a short stint in the Dhaka Premier League several years ago. The news of Tahmid being Konstas’ batting coach has made headlines in Bangladesh.Tahmid, speaking via Zoom, said Konstas’ instincts took over on Test debut. “We were having dinner the night before when he told me that the plan was to only scoop once he got to 150,” Tahmid said. “It wasn’t really part of the plan [to play the shot so early]. But he is someone that plays on instinct. He plays with a lot of freedom. He doesn’t really think of the consequences of what people are going to say if he gets it wrong. I think it is his biggest skill and asset. Whereas loads of players think about the consequences like ‘what if I fail doing it’ or ‘what if I get out playing it’ or ‘the media and coaching staff will have a go at me’.”Related

Konstas arrives at the Test arena like a supernova

Konstas on taking on Bumrah: 'Beauty of being young and naive'

“Sam is quite assured in his game. After playing and missing six times in his first ten or 12 balls, he thought that the best way to put pressure on Bumrah was to try to put him off his length. He threw a different challenge at Bumrah, which was really good for Sam. It really shell-shocked India. They weren’t expecting a 19-year-old to come out and play with that sort of freedom.”Tahmid, who works with Elevate Cricket Coaching, said that he was hardly surprised by Konstas’ choice of shots against a bowler of Bumrah’s class.”It isn’t a surprise. The reason Australia picked him was to throw India a different challenge. Sam took on the Indian bowling attack, minus Bumrah, during his century for the Prime Minister’s XI against India about three weeks ago. He played with a lot of freedom. He played the reverse-scoop. He ran down the wicket to play back over the bowler’s head.”Sam is someone who will play some shots and put people off their lengths, as opposed to the traditional approach. It was a bit of a gamble. It paid off for Australia. Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith were talking about how Sam’s innings gave them the opportunity to go out and express themselves as well. It was the freedom which they probably lacked in the first three games.”Debutant Sam Konstas obliges fans at the MCG•Getty ImagesTahmid, who first took up coaching when he was playing in the Yorkshire Premier League in 2013, said that he first met Konstas when he was 14 years old, at Cranbrook School where Konstas was on a cricket scholarship. “Five years ago, I took up coaching at Cranbrook in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. That’s where Sam got a scholarship to go to school. That’s where we initially met. He was 14 years old. We had this really good connection from the first couple of sessions that we did in school.”Tahmid narrated the story of how he formulated a plan for his cricketing future with Konstas’ father. “I was having dinner with his dad one night. We had some Greek food, which is their heritage. I put together a bit of a programme for him to try to target for the next phase of his life, which was to play Under-16s cricket in the New South Wales (NSW) system. It was where it all started for him. It was about his technical, mental and tactical game.”As the journey evolved, we were lucky enough to have Shane Watson involved in the mindset side of things. I worked quite closely with Shane over the last few years. I worked with him in Major League Cricket (MLC) with the San Francisco Unicorns.”

“He is someone that plays on instinct. He plays with a lot of freedom. He doesn’t really think of the consequences of what people are going to say if he gets it wrong.”

Konstas added power to his game in the last 18 months when, alongside Tahmid, he worked on his white-ball skills. “He was always a technically sound player growing up. He had the fundamentals of the game. He wasn’t a very powerful player though,” Tahmid said. “He didn’t score very quickly growing up, so he focused a lot on his white-ball cricket in the last 18 months.”He made his BBL debut two weeks ago. The focus was to make him a better T20 player. He was contracted last year but didn’t play any games. That’s where his white-ball game really started to develop and come along.”Tahmid said that his friendship with England batter Harry Brook helped him mould Konstas’ cricket. “Someone that we use [as a reference] is Harry Brook, with whom I was lucky enough to play in Sydney. He is the No. 1 [currently No. 2] Test batter in the world. He is a fantastic all-format player, with whom I am really good friends. I get a lot of information from him, which I relay on to Sam, on how to transition between formats.Sam Konstas debuted in the BBL earlier this month, and a baggy green followed quickly•Getty Images”It can be quite challenging but nowadays, you have to switch between formats. Sam plays Big Bash five or six days before the Boxing Day Test. If you don’t have the ability to switch between formats, you will get left behind.”Of course Konstas also didn’t just come out with the scoops, reverse-hits and ramps overnight. He has worked hard at these shots in the nets. But, Tahmid said, to execute the same shots in a high-profile match at a packed MCG takes a lot of confidence, which remains a defining feature of Konstas. “He has been doing reverse-ramps for five or six years in the nets. It doesn’t happen by mistake. They need a lot of preparation to go out and execute in a game. And when you have clarity from your captain and organisation, it helps you to go out and express yourself. You don’t have the fear of getting dropped.”I think he was always a confident person. He always wanted to be the best player in the field. He used to tell me after training, ‘what celebrations do you want from me when I get a century tomorrow?’ That’s what he told me before the Boxing Day Test too.”