Sunderland fans are in an absolute dreamland this season at the moment, with Regis Le Bris’ men now five points clear at the top of the Championship after picking up another victory in the league this weekend just gone.

It’s now a mightily impressive nine wins from 12 for the super confident Black Cats in the second tier, with a stunning Wilson Isidor strike sealing a 2-0 win over Oxford United last time out to further extend their points advantage in top spot.

Sunderland will just be glad Isidor’s loan spell is going so well, having been subjected to some failures in the loan market in recent years, away from the Frenchman taking to English football like a duck to water.

Sunderland's recent loan failures

You only need to cast an eye at Sunderland’s business from last season to see some mishaps in this department, with Mason Burstow utterly forgettable throughout his loan stint away from Chelsea.

The goal-shy striker would find the back of the net just once from 20 games in the Championship for the Black Cats, and would go down as a colossal failure consequently, when a move to the Stadium of Light should have been formative for the growing attacker.

There are other examples away from the striker positions, with Lee Camp one name that will instantly make Sunderland fans lament the past, as the ex-Nottingham Forest goalkeeper severely struggled situated in Wearside.

Camp would concede 22 goals from 12 games in-between the sticks for Sunderland during the 2017/18 campaign, which culminated in the Black Cats tasting the bitter pain of a second successive relegation down to League One, as the experienced ‘keeper failed to keep a single clean sheet across that torrid patch of games.

There have been many more loanees that have crashed and burned for the Black Cats, away from just these examples, including this one-time Sunderland attacker, who has since turned into a top star in the Premier League away from his underwhelming spell at the club.

The one-time Sunderland loanee now worth £50m

The player in question here is Antoine Semenyo, who barely featured for Sunderland during the 2019/20 season when the Wearside strugglers were all the way down in League One.

The Ghanaian attacker would only make seven appearances for the Black Cats before then being allowed to return to parent club Bristol City, failing to score or assist a single goal during his unmemorable stay at the Stadium of Light.

Now, however, Semenyo is one of AFC Bournemouth’s main stars in the top-flight, playing all across the forward positions for Andoni Iraola’s men as a crucial part of the jigsaw.

This campaign alone, the 24-year-old has three goals and one assist from ten games in all competitions – which included this sublime strike finding the back of the net against Southampton at the end of September – which takes his Cherries goal and assist total up to an impressive 15 from 57 games.

Stat – per 90 mins*

Semenyo

Season

23/24

24/25

Games played

33

9

Goals scored

8

3

Assists

2

1

Expected goals (xG)

4.64

2.99

Goal conversion %

11%

8%

Shots*

2.1

4.2

Big chances missed

5

2

Big chances created

6

2

Away from a quiet first season in the Premier League, Semenyo first introduced himself to the elite division as a tricky and skilful forward last campaign with ten goal contributions in total, a far-cry away from a much younger Semenyo who never got going in the third tier.

As a result, the Cherries ace is now being touted to move away from the South Coast to clubs such as Arsenal and Newcastle United as his stock increases more and more, with a bold £50m price-tag now next to his name.

Even branded as “unplayable” on his day by football journalist Ed Aarons after that sumptuous goal against the Saints, Semenyo looks like he’ll reach dizzier heights than Bournemouth soon enough, as Sunderland wonder what went wrong for him so early into his career at the-then third-tier outfit.

Key update on whether Wilson Isidor will sign permanent Sunderland contract

The Black Cats have a huge incentive to get promoted.

ByHenry Jackson Oct 29, 2024

Amid an almost perfect season so far, Celtic could now be handed a frustrating blow courtesy of the Premier League with clubs now reportedly beginning to race to sign their academy star.

Celtic transfer news

Of course, it’s not the first time that Celtic have faced the prospect of losing a young gem, having bid farewell to Ben Doak back in 2022 when Liverpool came calling. The quick winger has since starred on loan at Middlesbrough, who have been given a true glimpse of what he is capable of and the extent of talent that the Bhoys will now miss out on.

Even as the champions race towards yet another Scottish Premiership title, they’ve found star men such as Nicolas Kuhn linked with moves away from Glasgow in recent weeks in what could be a repeat of Matt O’Riley’s exit last summer. And as one of Brendan Rodgers’ main men potentially swaps the Bhoys for the Premier League, an academy star could follow suit.

According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, a number of Premier League clubs are now racing to sign Daniel Cummings from Celtic in a deal that would cost a reported compensation fee of just €310,000 (£257,000), as his contract expires at the end of the season.

The 18-year-old forward has been sensational form at youth level so far this season, scoring 18 goals in just 17 games in all competitions to highlight the top prospect that Celtic have on their hands.

Celtic now ready to agree huge salary increase to convince defender to stay

It could be the best deal they do this season at Celtic Park.

ByBen Browning Nov 7, 2024

Yet to make an appearance for Rodgers’ senior side nonetheless, Celtic aren’t exactly handing Cummings much incentive to stay put instead of following the likes of Doak to the Premier League.

"Spectacular" Cummings needs first-team chance

Whether it’s at Celtic or, indeed, elsewhere next season, Cummings needs a first-team opportunity. The teenager has more than proved his worth at academy level and is now at a stage where he’s too good for such a level. Scoring more goals than he has played games, Rodgers should hand his young striker a deserved chance or prepare to show him the exit door in the summer.

Praised by The Young Team, who scout young Scottish players, for his “spectacular strikes” and “resilient character”, Cummings is a man on the rise and the Bhoys must take full advantage of his clear potential.

Those at Celtic Park have seen the likes of Doak begin to thrive away from Scotland and must ensure that they avoid a repeat in the case of Cummings.

MatériaMais Notícias

O zagueiro Marquinhos valorizou a maneira como a Seleção Brasileira conseguiu a goleada por 4 a 0 sobre o Paraguai nesta terça-feira (1), no Mineirão, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo. Em entrevista na zona mista virtual, o defensor destacou a forma como pôde contribuir para o triunfo, ao fazer as jogadas que culminaram nos gols de Raphinha e de Coutinho.

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-É raro, é difícil, a gente quer ajudar sempre defensivamente, mas quando a gente tem espaço e ocorrem as situações, tem que ajudar lá na frente. Hoje, graças a Deus, dei dois passes – e frisou:

– A gente sabe o quanto é decisivo, num jogo que pode se complicar, às vezes um passe longo acaba no um contra um e a gente acaba abrindo o placar que acaba facilitando o jogo – completou.

O camisa 4 ainda detalhou o que proporciona os defensores a contribuírem ofensivamente com o Brasil.

-Com os meias mais avançados, a gente tenta quebrar as linhas. Se todo mundo vier buscar a bola no pé, é difícil da gente chegar no gol. Os meias estando altos, volante estando entrelinhas, é algo que a gente tenta saltar linhas e ter número lá na frente. A gente tem qualidade, o professor fala, os zagueiros têm qualidade para fazer a bola chegar lá. Nossos laterais também têm extrema qualidade. Os meias têm que se sentir à vontade lá na frente, e a gente tem que achar esse espaço senão eles vão começar a vir, buscar e, cada vez mais, trazer nossa linha para baixo – declarou.

Marquinhos ainda descrevou como foi a jogada que culminou no gol de Raphinha.

-A gente precisa muito da movimentação dos atacantes. Quando recebo a bola, tento ter a visão periférica para ver o que está acontecendo na minha frente. Primeiro olho o que está acontecendo na minha frente, na primeira linha, depois amplio um pouco mais a minha visão. Foi quando vi o Raphinha fazendo movimentação, vi que o zagueiro estava fazendo movimentação ao contrário. Vi que ele não estava impedido, que fez o movimento pela frente do zagueiro, tinha meu corpo mais virado para cá, virei o pé e consegui acertar um bom passe para ele fazer o gol – disse.

A Seleção volta a campo em 29 de março, para o confronto com o Chile. O Brasil já está classificado para o Mundial do Qatar.

Ilaix Moriba broke into the first team in 2020 but left the club at the end of that season, a decision which he has now come to regret.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Moriba regrets leaving Barca
• Left for RB Leipzig in 2021
• Currently on loan at Celta Vigo

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Barcelona wonderkid Ilaix Moriba has expressed his regret over the decision to leave the Catalans and seek pastures new, admitting that he committed a mistake by leaving the club. Moriba rose through the ranks at La Masia and broke into the first team at the age of 17 as he was seen at a huge talent with a big future at the Camp Nou.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Moriba has found a new home at Celta Vigo this season, where he is one of the first names on the team sheet. However, for a player as talented as him, he has experienced quite a lot of ups and down.

  After making his breakthrough at Barcelona under Ronald Koeman in the 2020-21 season, Moriba moved to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021 following a contract stand-off. However, his time at Leipzig was short-lived, making just six appearances before being loaned out to Valencia for a year and a half.

  Then, he moved to Getafe in January 2024 on loan for half a season, having made zero appearances for Leipzig after coming back from Valencia.

• WHAT ILAIX MORIBA SAID

  “I made a mistake leaving Barca. I was very young and had a lot of pressure,” Moriba admitted (h/t SPORT). “For a moment I thought it was all over. Luckily now I'm happy at Celta.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ILAIX MORIBA?

  Celta Vigo find themselves in 14th place on the table, six points above the drop zone. Moriba will be key to Vigo's chances of avoiding relegation, with just 14 games left in the season.

كشفت تقارير صحفية سعودية، النقاب عن تحديد البلد المضيف لـ البطولة العربية للأندية 2025، حيث وافق الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم على استضافة النسخة المقبلة من البطولة، والتي ستقام في الفترة من 25 يوليو حتى 11 أغسطس المقبلين.

وأوضحت صحيفة “الرياضية” السعودية، وفق مصادرها الخاصة، أن استضافة البطولة في هذا التوقيت يأتي بالتزامن مع مشاركة عدة فرق عربية في كأس العالم للأندية 2025، وهي الهلال السعودي والأهلي المصري والوداد المغربي والترجي التونسي والعين الإماراتي.

مرتضى منصور: لاعب الزمالك أفضل من شيكابالا 100 مرة.. وانقذوا النادي من ممدوح عباس

وأوضحت التقارير أن البطولة ستضم 25 فريقًا، على أن تقام التصفيات الأولية في العاصمة المصرية القاهرة، بمشاركة أندية من 6 دول، وهي جيبوتي، الصومال، جزر القمر، السودان، موريتانيا واليمن، وذلك لاستكمال الفرق الـ16 التي ستخوض دور المجموعات.

ويسعى الاتحاد العربي لكرة القدم إلى ضمان مشاركة أندية النصر، حامل لقب النسخة الماضية، الهلال، الأهلي، والاتحاد من السعودية، بالإضافة إلى الأهلي والزمالك وفريق ثالث من مصر، سيتم تحديده لاحقًا، كما تجرى حاليًا مفاوضات مع القنوات الناقلة والرعاة لضمان نجاح البطولة.

يذكر أن فريق النصر السعودي تُوِّج بلقب النسخة الماضية، “كأس الملك سلمان للأندية العربية”، بعد فوزه على الهلال بنتيجة 2-1 في المباراة النهائية التي أقيمت على ملعب مدينة الملك فهد الرياضية في الحوية.

Everton have long been praised for their production line, but not all who cut their teeth on the blue ground of Merseyside actually made it onto the Goodison Park pitch.

Leaving before their time, such stars that you will see below went on to forge impressive careers but ultimately recognised their talents away from Everton territory.

The best Everton talents who never played in the PL

Starting off this obscure blast from the past, we have Shkodran Mustafi, who played for Everton during his formative years and featured off the bench against BATE Borisov in 2009/20 – his first season as a professional. And that was all she wrote.

Mustafi cuts an infamous figure on the Premier League scene after several up-and-down years with Arsenal, who he played for 151 times but left having been branded a “horrendous” signing by journalist Charles Watts, even though he won two FA Cups.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have been all that for the Blues, though Arsenal signed the German from Valencia in a deal worth £35m. Thus, there was money to be made.

Antonee Robinson: Premier League Stats 2024/25

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

Assists

0.27

Top 4%

Progressive carries

2.55

Top 21%

Successful take-ons

1.09

Top 12%

Progressive passes (rec)

7.00

Top 6%

Tackles

3.00

Top 11%

Interceptions

1.82

Top 9%

Clearances

3.55

Top 16%

Stats via FBref

More presently, Everton must rue the sale of Antonee Robinson, who is thriving for Fulham, hailed as “one of the best left-backs in the world” by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley. Given that Robinson left for just £2m in 2019, this must rankle some.

Another oft-forgotten one-timer is Eric Dier, who might have made the club a pretty penny had he stayed on the books way back when.

Everton let Eric Dier get away

Dier has enjoyed a comparatively successful career, having been a mainstay at Tottenham Hotspur for the most part of a decade before heading to Bayern Munich last year, where he resides still.

Last term, the 30-year-old England international was hailed by journalist Henry Winter for “intervening calmly, defending resolutely and ensuring a clean sheet” after defeating Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Dier has been around the block and back again, but Everton sure must rue the fact that he never once plied his craft for the Toffees’ first team, despite cutting his teeth at the club, during an 18-month spell on loan at Finch Farm.

In 2011, Dier, who was a teenager fluent in Portuguese, returned to his homeland from Sporting Lisbon on a temporary basis for an initial six-month period, before extending that stint for a further year.

He notably captained the club’s U18s amid that promising spell, but returned to Portugal at the end of the 2012/13 campaign, albeit with Alan Stubbs subsequently revealing that David Moyes and co had targeted a permanent deal, only to be put off by his £1m price tag…

The Merseysiders must really regret not managing to ensnare him for good, for his value, as per Transfermarkt, rose to a peak of £34m after leaving. There was money to be made with this one.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

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Moreover, former Tottenham boss Antonio Conte even tipped Dier to become “one of the best” central defenders in the world, a further illustration of the quality that was carried within.

It’s a frustrating one, to be sure.

Related Everton wasted millions on Silva flop who earned far more than McNeil

Everton spent millions on a player who earned a fortune at the club

Posts ByRoss Kilvington Nov 12, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

Com David Luiz e Bruno Henrique entre os relacionados, o Flamengo enfrenta o Madureira, às 15h30 desta quarta, sem um de seus principais nomes: o meia Arrascaeta, destaque na vitória por 5 a 0 sobre o Nova Iguaçu, no domingo. A comissão técnica decidiu preservá-lo e o camisa 14 não é uma preocupação para o jogo do próximo dia 20, contra o Atlético-MG, pela Supercopa do Brasil.

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Arrascaeta treinou sem limitações nesta manhã, no Ninho do Urubu, mas ficou fora da relação final do Paulo Sousa. É a mesma situação do lateral Rodinei.

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Com a autorização da CBF, o Flamengo alterou sua programação inicial – que previa embarque para Cuiabá nesta quinta-feira, conforme regulamento da Supercopa do Brasil – e trabalhará até sábado no Ninho do Urubu. Depois da atividade, embarcará para a capital do Mato Grosso, que receberá a decisão entre o Rubro-Negro e o Atlético, no domingo, na Arena Pantanal, às 16h.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking to get ahead of the rest as they make contact with a January transfer target, according to a new report.

It has been a frustrating campaign for Gary O’Neil’s side so far as their wait for a Premier League win continues, but securing a point at Brighton last weekend after being 2-0 down could be the springboard the club needs.

Wolves send scouts to watch £20m midfielder as they eye January transfer

Wolves are keeping an eye on a player they are interested in signing in January.

1 ByBrett Worthington Oct 28, 2024 Wolves transfer news

Two points from nine games is a poor return for Wolves, and while they have done reasonably well going forward, their habit of conceding goals is letting them down massively. The Old Gold have so far conceded 25 goals in the Premier League, the most by any side.

Injuries haven’t helped O’Neil, as his backline is always being changed, so it was no surprise to see them being linked with a move for a defender. Wolves have sent scouts to watch young defender Nathan Zeze, as they look to sign the Nantes player in 2025. However, they are not the only side interested in the 19-year-old, as Aston Villa are also said to be keen.

As well as looking at adding in defence, O’Neil and Wolves are also keen on adding more firepower to their attack. The Midlands side have made Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze a top transfer target for January. Club scouts have taken in recent Watford games to watch the player, and he has now been “shortlisted” as a player to buy if they are able to do business in January. The Hornets could look to demand as much as £20 million for the midfielder, who only signed a five-year deal last month.

Given Wolves’ situation in the league, they are looking at ways of improving it, and they also have their eye on another forward-thinking player, this time someone from France.

Wolves now making early move to sign 21-goal attacker in January

According to Africa Foot, relayed by Sport Witness, Wolves have identified Toulouse winger Zakaria Aboukhlal as a target for January. The 24-year-old has been with the French side since July 2022, after he joined them from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.

Aboukhlal started his career at Willem II, and after progressing through the age groups, he then moved to PSV’s under-19s in 2017. He progressed to their under-21s, and in 2019, AZ decided to snap him up, and he went on to play 90 times for them in all competitions.

The 24-year-old has now been impressing in France with Toulouse, and this report states that Wolves have “established contact in recent hours” in order to convince the attacker to move to England in January. It goes on to add that the Premier League side are working on trying to secure Aboukhlal on a loan deal with an option to buy, but as of yet there is no mention of any figures involved.

Apps

65

Goals

21

Assists

6

Talks between the parties have started, but it is not made clear whether that is Wolves and the player’s representatives, the two clubs or both. Either way, Wolves look to be keen to land the winger in January, who has scored 21 goals since joining the French side, taking his career tally for club and country to 36.

Lack of runs in their first innings rather than leaking runs in India’s first cost South Africa the opening Test against India, according to captain Dean Elgar. After conceding 272 for 3 on the first day, thanks largely to a wayward morning with the ball, South Africa went on to take 7 for 49 on the third to bowl India out for 327. They were then dismissed for 197, where Elgar said the match was lost.”You need runs to compete and it’s safe to say we didn’t get that in our first innings,” Elgar said. “They bowled well with the new ball and the nature of Test cricket is that you’ve got to compete against the new ball. The way they started was something we struggled against. We know what it’s like scoring 250-plus runs here.”Just last year, South Africa piled on 621 runs on this ground, albeit against an under-strength Sri Lankan attack, and in four of their last five Tests here, they scored over 250 in the first innings. That they went on to win all those matches makes clear the importance of first innings runs, but for that you need a strong and somewhat reliable line-up, which can only be achieved with regular competitive game time against quality opposition.South Africa have only played six Tests this year, the last one six months ago. There have only been four rounds of domestic first-class cricket and of this squad only Duanne Olivier and Keegan Petersen played in all four.There is an obvious lack of match time, which both vice-captain Temba Bavuma and Elgar recognise as a weakness.”Playing four or five-day cricket is something you can’t replace but the schedule doesn’t allow for our players to play a lot of first-class cricket,” Elgar said. “So there’s a little bit of (a lack of) match awareness and match fitness. It’s by no means an excuse. We knew that coming into the series. There’s a lot of learning for us that the basics of the game still applies. I don’t think we had that with regards to the batting.”You may immediately ask why Petersen, the only one who played in this Test who has sufficient match practice to his name, was not more successful but there’s a reason for that too. South Africa’s opening stand has been particularly poor and has not crossed double figures in the three Tests Petersen has played.”KP has come in and played in three Tests matches and the three batting conditions that he has experienced have been relatively tough,” Elgar said. “He has had a bit of a rough start and it doesn’t reflect on him as a player. He is an extremely talented player – one of our better players in the first-class system. The stats don’t reflect his ability. I feel for him. I know he wants to make a play and is maybe a little bit anxious. We need to, as a leadership group, try and give him a better opportunity to try and contribute.”Dean Elgar: “In Test cricket facing the new ball and opening is not easy”•AFP via Getty Images

In order for that to happen, Elgar and Aiden Markram have to start better, which they know but can’t guarantee. “In Test cricket facing the new ball and opening is not easy. You get a good ball and you go and sit and watch the rest of the game. That’s the nature of the beast,” Elgar said. “Aiden and I have had the rough of the green but we are very mindful that we need to start well.”Another option is to swap Petersen with the (slightly more) experienced Rassie van der Dussen. “It is something that will be a conversation,” Elgar said.So will changes to the lower order. Olivier should be available for selection and should be an automatic pick at the Wanderers. Ordinarily, that would mean leaving out his replacement Marco Jansen. But the 21-year-old acquitted himself so well in his first Test that the discussion will turn to whether Wiaan Mulder, playing as an allrounder but not really contributing with the bat, should be benched to give Jansen the chance to stake a claim in that position.”Wiaan had a pretty good game with the ball. He is not living up to his standards with the bat which is something we will chat to him about,” Elgar said. “In this environment you have to have those open conversations in order for this environment to grow and for individuals to grow. Marco had a brilliant debut. He was our player of the game. And he came into a really tough situation. He didn’t shy away from his responsibilities within the side.”And Elgar is not hiding from his – as captain of a team that has to turn the corner soon and is feeling more and more sure that they can in three days’ time. “I don’t think we’ll lack any confidence heading into Johannesburg but it’s never nice losing a game especially when we know where we went wrong,” Elgar said. “It’s difficult to correct those wrongs during a game, but building into the second Test, we’ll have some time to reflect around what has happened.”

“If we can put the bowlers out there for an extended period of time, [we can] put them under pressure”

Andrew McGlashan14-Dec-2021Australia’s left-handed batters will be on notice with the expected return of Stuart Broad’s around-the-wicket skills in Adelaide after he tormented them with that line of attack in the 2019 Ashes. While it was Broad’s contest with David Warner – dismissing him seven times in the series – that took the headlines, he was a threat to all Australia’s left-handers and the majority of them are around for this series too.Marcus Harris goes into the second Test needing a substantial score to repay the selectors’ faith; he was removed by Broad three times in 2019. Travis Head also fell three times to him, but he will enter Adelaide on the back of the best innings of his career after flaying 152 in Brisbane.Related

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Broad did not feature in the first Test as he was held back along with James Anderson, and it was surprising that England did not use the around-the-wicket line more, especially to Warner, who faced just 43 deliveries of his 176-ball stay in the first innings from that angle.The split for Head was much more even, but Harris faced just one ball from around the wicket during his brief time at the crease. If Broad does line-up with the pink ball over the coming days it’s something Head feels ready for.”Not just on [facing] Broady, but generally batting [from] around the wicket – we looked at some stuff; personally I’ve worked really hard on around the wicket, we got found out a bit in England, personally, and maybe as a team,” Head said. “Over the last six months, I’ve gone away and worked really hard at that, how I line the ball up and where I try to play it.”You do your homework on Broady – he’s a fantastic bowler, he’ll be challenging here with the pink ball, but you’ve got other blokes who are similar.”Broad’s 37 Test wickets in Australia over the years have cost 37.17 and in day-night Tests, he has taken 10 at 27.30 in comparison to Anderson’s 14 at 19.28.Travis Head played the best innings of his career in the previous Test•AFP/Getty Images”Haven’t played [against Anderson]… Broad was tough in the Ashes, he was fantastic against the left-handers and probably got the upper hand,” Head said. “The conditions here, we are used to them, and if we can put the bowlers out there for an extended period of time, [we can] put them under pressure.”No doubt he [Broad] will be coming in excited about the Test and the pink ball. It does give the opportunity to swing it and he has had success against left-handers so he’ll be confident. But we’ve come off a fantastic Test and everyone in this team is in fantastic form, so it’s exciting.”Head, meanwhile, is back on home turf after his thrilling display at the Gabba where he crushed any hopes England had of keeping Australia’s lead manageable on the second day, when he raced to a century made entirely in the final session. He is well aware that most days will not be like that – and he said he only really took the decision to flick the switch in Brisbane after reaching his half-century – although the counter-attacking role in the middle-order can be one that changes Tests.”If the opportunities present itself, I’m going to try and take it, if it doesn’t then I feel like my technique is in a great space to go the opposite way,” he said. “It’s one innings, hopefully one innings that can kick start a nice little journey in the Ashes. It can hopefully show people I have got the talent to do it. I don’t want to be someone who doesn’t contribute over the next four Tests.”