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The left-arm quick faces an extended period on the sidelines as all options are considered as to the best way to tackle his ongoing back problems

Alex Malcolm21-Sep-2019Australia fast bowler Jason Behrendorff has been ruled out of action indefinitely due to ongoing back issues as he considers all options including the same lower spine surgery that James Pattinson underwent to prolong his career.Behrendorff, the 29-year-old left-armer from Western Australia, was forced home from a short stint with Sussex in the T20 Blast in England in late August after experiencing some back soreness and scans confirmed it was connected to the repeated stress fractures he has suffered in the past. He had been managing his back problems over the past couple of years, which included stepping away from first-class cricket completely to play limited-overs only.He will miss the Marsh One-Day Cup and the Western Australia and Cricket Australia medical staff are considering all options, which includes exploring surgery as well as just an extended rest before the BBL. ESPNcricinfo understands Behrendorff is set to speak to both Pattinson and former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond about the spine surgery both men had to fix similar issues.If surgery is a more viable option Behrendorff could head to New Zealand soon to consult with Christchurch-based surgeon Grahame Inglis, who performed the surgery on both Bond and Pattinson, to see whether he can undergo the procedure that could help prolong his career and potentially get him back playing all three formats. The recovery time for such surgery would be between nine and 12 months and next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October 2020 would be factored into the equation as to whether surgery is the correct route.Bond, who was Behrendorff’s bowling coach at the Mumbai Indians during this year’s IPL, first had the surgery in New Zealand in 2004 and it extended his career by six years. The surgery involves fusing screws and a titanium cable into the lower spine to stabilise the stress fracture which would not heal conventionally.Pattinson had the same surgery in New Zealand in 2017, having also consulted with Bond, as a last resort after fears his career might end prematurely aged 27. He has made a remarkable recovery to play Test cricket again for Australia, featuring in the recent Ashes series having last played Test cricket in 2016.New Zealand paceman Matt Henry, who was a key contributor to New Zealand’s World Cup campaign, also had the same surgery in 2012.Behrendorff, who is the same age as Pattinson, has not played a first-class game since November 2017. After a lengthy recovery he made the decision to step away from long-form cricket to manage his workloads. After a successful time in Australia’s ODI and T20 teams last summer he was selected in the World Cup squad and took 5 for 44 against England at Lord’s.Behrendorff does have an excellent first-class record for Western Australia having taken 126 wickets at an average of 23.85. He took 40 wickets in the 2013-14 Sheffield Shield season and was named Australia’s domestic player of the year in January 2015. He claimed a career-best 14 for 89 against Victoria in 2017 including 9 for 37 in the first innings.

With European and league competitions still to play for as the injuries pile up, one eye at Villa Park has turned to the summer transfer window.

Villa keep up top four push despite injury crisis

For a side that have fought their fair share of adversity over the previous decade, the last two seasons have felt like heaven for Aston Villa fans. Securing European football for the first time in thirteen years last season, they now look set to go one better and play Champions League football next year.

Currently occupying that lucrative fourth spot in the Premier League, the Villans have seen their form dip recently, losing all three of their last games at home. Unai Emery's men secured a 2-1 win over Fulham last weekend to get things moving in the right direction, but injuries to the likes of Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara have left a sour taste.

Emery hit the jackpot by selling "strange" Aston Villa man in 2023

Aston Villa have enjoyed plenty of success in the transfer market since Unai Emery took over

ByRoss Kilvington Feb 21, 2024

Whilst success on the pitch is welcome, some unnerving chatter in the boardroom has left Villa fans with slight concern for the future. The Emery-era has seen some hefty transfer fees come through the door at Villa Park, leading to many questioning how close the club are treading to the dreaded FFP line.

However, with a rumoured £50million windfall expected from Champions League qualification, there could be some inclination for NSWE to open the chequebook this summer, with the ownership already interested in one high-profile player.

Villa interested in Leverkusen star

Whilst most fans outside of Germany assume the Bundesliga to be a forgone conclusion most seasons, the incredible campaign enjoyed by Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen has caught the attention of the entire footballing world. With one hand on the title, it is likely some of their biggest stars will be in line for moves this summer.

Reports from out of Germany, via Sport Witness, suggest that Aston Villa have expressed an interest in Leverkusen midfielder, Exequiel Palacios, who could add some depth alongside Kamara. The outlet reveals that Villa's Premier League rivals, Newcastle United, are also in talks, but both sides will have to fork out €40million to secure the services of the 25-year-old.

A World Cup winner with Argentina, Palacios has excelled in Germany, acting as the defensive linchpin for Alonso's high energy, attacking play. An agile player with the "aggressive" style synonymous with South American midfielders, Palacios leads his side for tackles with 2.7 per game, higher than anyone in Villa's ranks.

Constantly linked with moves to some of Europe's elite clubs, the intention for Palacios could be to either replace Douglas Luiz – who has been linked with moves to several huge clubs – or cover for Kamara as Villa look set for another season of European football.

Midfielder League Stats 2023/24

Tackles

Interceptions

Passes Completed

Goals + Assists

Exequiel Palacios

46

27

1410

5

Douglas Luiz

45

17

1317

11

John McGinn

39

13

685

8

Boubacar Kamara

43

21

922

1

Youri Tielemans

20

9

406

5

Whilst the threat of FFP sanctions looms large over Aston Villa this summer, if they are to lose Luiz to transfer and/or Kamara to injury again, there would be few more suitable replacements than Palacios.

Lazio have reportedly increased their offer for Manchester United outcast Mason Greenwood, but remain some way short of his full asking price.

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Forward starred on loan at GetafeLinked with teams across EuropePremier League side open to offersWHAT HAPPENED?

The Serie A giants are considered to be leading the race for Greenwood after seeing domestic rivals Juventus cool their interest. Teams from Spain – where the 22-year-old impressed on loan at Getafe last season – are also said to be exploring other options.

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United are open to offers, with there seemingly no way back for Greenwood at Old Trafford. They are, however, said to be looking for around €50 million (£42m/$54m) from a sale. That is an unrealistic figure for many of his suitors.

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With that in mind, claims that Lazio have pieced together a €25m (£21m/$27m) package that includes a large sell-on percentage of any future transfer fees – potentially as much as 50%. are, however, reporting that Ligue 1 side Marseille are also in the mix.

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One-cap England international Greenwood is said to be open to the idea of moving to France, with there a desire on his part to resolve the outstanding issues regarding his future quickly – allowing a new challenge and fresh start to be embraced.

Mike Hussey and Ryan Harris set to be part of the coaching staff for the T20Is against SL and Pakistan

Daniel Brettig20-Oct-2019Drew Ginn’s first significant move as the new high-performance supremo for Cricket Australia has been to sever a key link to the Pat Howard era by moving on Darren Holder, the Brisbane-based elite coaching manager who had helped the governing body take a top-down approach to the way the nation’s best cricketers were mentored over the past five years.Under Howard, some states paid far closer attention to the approaches and instructions of CA than others, with Victoria and Tasmania – where Ginn was the head of high performance for two years – among the two most vocal conscientious objectors.Holder, who was informed of the decision to make him redundant shortly after the conclusion of the Ashes series, had helmed numerous projects geared at developing coaches at both national and domestic levels, with his ideas not always taken to kindly by the state associations.He was instrumental in projects like an American study tour last year, when the national men’s coach Justin Langer, men’s Test captain Tim Paine, plus Howard and former CA chief executive James Sutherland spent time with organisations such as Chicago Cubs and Dallas Cowboys.Another of Holder’s initiatives was to help link up Langer with American coaching expert and academic Wade Gilbert, who offered a useful perspective to the new coach and his support staff last year when they were finding their feet in the wake of the Newlands scandal.As recently as May this year, Holder had hosted a high-performance coaching conference at the National Cricket Centre in which the likes of Dan Cullen, Jono Dean, Jodie Fields, Alex Pyecroft and Clive Rose were taken through a week of lectures and training sessions.Nevertheless, CA chief executive Kevin Roberts had made plain that the governing body would be taking a more federal and less prescriptive approach to all of its functions after last year’s wide-ranging and ultimately damning cultural review, presented by The Ethics Centre, and Ginn’s move is believed to have been welcomed by the state associations as a further indication that coaches will in future be schooled at domestic level before graduating to the national team.Ryan Harris looks on•Getty ImagesLanger himself was an embodiment of this, having coached Western Australia for six years prior to replacing Darren Lehmann, while the promotion of Tasmania coach Adam Griffith to be a key lieutenant and bowling coach during this year’s World Cup campaign in England was another.Ben Oliver, who took over as the head of national teams when Howard’s former role was split in two, is seeking out replacement assistant coaches for David Saker and Brad Haddin, who left Langer’s side in February and September respectively. Michael Hussey and Ryan Harris are set to be part of the coaching staff for the T20Is against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, while former West Indies and South Africa coach Ottis Gibson is reportedly in the running to be Langer’s assistant on a longer-term basis.With CA currently also on the lookout for a selector to join Langer and Trevor Hohns – out of contract next year – on the national panel, Roberts has said that closer relationships and better communication between CA and the states was vital, something that applies as much to coaches as it does to selectors and state and national levels.”The main thing I would say is certain is that we need to deepen the links through the state system and domestic competitions and make sure that we’ve got the best possible view of all players who are in contention to play,” Roberts said last month. “What sort of form are they in, how’s their physical health, how’s their mental well-being. That’s a key consideration these days in all walks of life and the same certainly goes for players.”One of the benefits of splitting the old role and having Ben Oliver playing the national teams role and Drew Ginn the high-performance role working with the states is Drew can then work with the states and make sure we’ve got a very clear overview of the top ‘x’ number of players, their position in terms of form, physical and mental well-being and everything else that contributes to how they’re going as a player. I’m really looking forward to that coming to fruition too.”Among Roberts’ first moves when named as chief executive in place of Sutherland was to hasten the departure of Howard and remove another senior executive in Ben Amarfio, by way of emphasising change in the organisation both internally and to the rest of the cricket community. By moving on Holder, Ginn has made a similar statement within the realm of high performance.

Jurgen Klopp's teenage strikeforce secured victory for Liverpool in the FA Cup to continue a remarkable season that has already secured the Carabao Cup trophy in tough circumstances, with wasteful Southampton beaten 3-0 at Anfield.

The second-tier outfit took advantage of some understandable discordancy from the hosts to find a host of promising goalscoring chances but couldn't make it count, with 18-year-old debutant Lewis Koumas weaving and scoring with a deflected effort just before the break.

In the second half, Liverpool started to assert their control despite further squandered efforts from the travelling Saints, with Jayden Danns cementing himself as one of English football's brightest teenage talents to net an emphatic brace off the bench and set up a quarter-final tie away against Manchester United.

Jayden Danns takes his chance vs Southampton

Danns has made quite the impression since his second-half introduction against Luton Town in the Premier League one week ago, also enjoying a cameo against Chelsea in Sunday's final to test Djordje Petrovic and lift the first major honour of his career.

But against Southampton, he proved his innate striking ability with an expertly dinked attempt over Joe Lumley's goal when placed through by Harvey Elliott to quell the visitors' hopes of a fightback and set Anfield rocking.

Not quite done, the 18-year-old marksman exhibited his anticipation to latch on to a well-saved rebound from Conor Bradley's shot and rifle into the net, bagging a delightful brace before receiving his first professional starting appearance.

As per Sofascore, the rangy forward only took six touches in an efficient striker's performance to leave Erling Haaland taking notes, very much deserving the effusion of chatter to bring his name into the limelight.

While Danns' display was exciting, and rightly took the headlines due to his attacking prowess, he wasn't the only young gun to have saved the day for Klopp's injury-hit Liverpool team, with Bobby Clark sublime in his performance in the centre of the park.

Bobby Clark's performance in numbers v Saints

Rarely have so many academy members been tasked with filling in for their sidelined senior peers in one deluge of concern, but the likes of Clark have sparkled and proved themself capable of competing for a Liverpool side searching for honours across multiple fronts.

The elegant midfielder, aged 19, signed for Liverpool from Newcastle United when he was 16 years old and has started to earn regular opportunities in recent weeks, with his starting showing against Southampton the eighth senior performance of the campaign.

The Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle certainly saw the teenager's quality, handing him an 8/10 match rating and writing: 'Good run and pass to create the opener and fashioned another chance for Gakpo first half and excellent after break. What a talent this young man is.'

Minutes played

90'

Assists

1

Touches

70

Accurate passes

42/46 (91%)

Key passes

3

Dribble attempts

1/3

Possession lost

12x

Tackles

2

Clearances

2

Source: Sofascore

Indeed, Clark played the full 90 and impressed with his crisp distribution – notably completing 91% of his passes – his energy, creativity and defensive application, really starting to cement himself as one of the Reds' standout up-and-comers.

One Liverpool analyst even saw exciting similarities to former star Adam Lallana in his gliding gait, ease when in progression and effectiveness when wheeling around and driving toward goal, with the ex-Southampton man hailed for his "brilliant" quality by Klopp in the past.

It's another win in the bag and more excitement for Liverpool as this remarkable set of players move steadily toward a grand slam finish.

Will they achieve it? Who knows. But Klopp has created something truly special and his legacy transcends silverware, the emergence of players such as Clark showing just how far Liverpool have come.

It does feel like it's all streamlining at Tottenham Hotspur this season, with Ange Postecoglou leading the charge toward European football once again.

Last year Spurs fell by the wayside in the Premier League and chairman Daniel Levy knew that, having dismissed Antonio Conte, he had to get it right, lest his outfit sink further into the mire of midtable.

Postecoglou had never managed in a top-five European league but his work in Scotland with Celtic with Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos spoke of his credentials and Tottenham made their move.

Tottenham remain a distance away from Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, both literally and figuratively, but shrewd transfer recruitment and an entertaining and effective new playing style have rekindled the fires of belief in supporters' hearts.

That recruitment has seen improvements not only in the type of player but how deals have crossed the line, with James Maddison arriving from Leicester City for £40m, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario moving from Empoli for an initial £17m fee and Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski both completing permanent moves for relatively shrewd fees.

At first, Micky van de Ven's £43m transfer fee from Wolfsburg appeared to be somewhat steep; Liverpool were also interested in the Netherlands international but reportedly pulled out of the race in July with financial concerns.

But the 22-year-old has been a bona fide success and his acquisition looks to be more of a bargain each time he graces the Premier League with his athleticism and defensive strength.

Micky van de Ven's Spurs career in numbers

Van de Ven has unquestionably been one of the Premier League's best and most influential additions of recent years, with his singular defensive skill set, blended together with the elite aggression of Cristian Romero, elevating Tottenham's backline and putting the woes of the 2022/23 campaign into distant memory.

As per Sofascore, he has completed 95% of his passes and has come out on top in 66% of his ground duels, also averaging 1.7 tackles, 5.8 ball recoveries and 2.8 clearances per game.

Moreover, he ranks among the top 3% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 1% for successful take-ons and the top 16% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, highlighting how energetic and proactive he is in his duties.

His remarkable pace and innate ease in his defending have already eradicated any questions surrounding the £43m paid for his signature, and while that fee is large – though not inordinately so – the fact that his services were wrapped up with a weekly salary of £50k-per-week speaks volumes regarding the astute dealing from Levy and co.

Timo Werner (*loanee)

£165k-per-week

Radu Dragusin

£85k-per-week

Guglielmo Vicario

£75k-per-week

Brennan Johnson

£70k-per-week

Manor Solomon

£60k-per-week

Micky van de Ven

£50k-per-week

Believe it or not, the Dutchman actually pockets the measliest earnings of any of Tottenham's signings since Postecoglou's anointment last summer, and while he's only young this represents a promising and refreshing change of track.

Take, for example, Tottenham's £27m move for Steven Bergwijn back in January 2020. Van de Ven's fellow Dutchman left Ajax to head to the English capital with a weight of expectation, but he flattered to deceive and lasted just a season-and-a-half at the club.

Steven Bergwijn's earnings at Spurs

Bergwijn was 22 years old at the time of his arrival unlike Van de Ven he struggled to carry over the fine form in his homeland that had seen him post five goals and ten assists across his final 16 Eredivisie appearances.

Journalist Phil Casey – rather scathingly – called Bergwijn a "useless makeweight" for his inability to perform for Tottenham, with such remarks derived from the player's return of just eight goals from 83 fixtures in all competitions for the Lilywhites.

Despite some slick skills and fleet-footedness that caused English opposition problems, the 5 foot 10 forward really did flatter to deceive and started just four times in the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, ending Bergwijn's stay and allowing Ajax to swoop back in and re-sign him on a club record £26m deal.

Considering he earned a £75k-per-week wage with Spurs and indeed the same amount at Ajax – some £25k-per-week more than Van de Ven – it can only go down as a failed acquisition and one that is very much emblematic of the dismal few years following Mauricio Pochettino's tenure.

How Steven Bergwijn has performed since leaving Spurs

Last season, Bergwijn plundered 16 goals and six assists from 45 matches for Ajax but failed to stop Feyenoord from running away with the Eredivisie title. Still, his sublime ball-playing skills and electric movements returned and left Spurs questioning what had gone wrong.

And this year, while his outfit have been suffering with some dreadful performances, Bergwijn has taken his performances to a whole new level, scoring seven goals and adding four assists from just 16 top-flight games but, moreover, completing 87% of his passes and averaging 3.9 ball recoveries, 2.1 dribbles and 4.9 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.

The clip above shows a simple but noteworthy whipped cross into the path of his teammate Brian Brobbey; at his best, Bergwijn combines his natural attributes with polished technicality and selfless creativity to form the make-up of a Premier League star.

It didn't work out at Spurs but at 26 years old he may yet return to English shores and catch the eye, ranking among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Dutch Eredivisie for pass completion, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, to showcase this point.

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Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

Ultimately, Van de Ven and his fellow Postecoglou signings all look to be successes and this is a demonstration of the new approach at the club that might just sprout success. It's a new era and the Lilywhites must not look back.

The 16-year-old fast bowler has found a support system within the Pakistan team to help him cope following his mother’s death

Umar Farooq19-Nov-20192:38

From Lower Dir to top tier, the Naseem Shah story

When Pakistan began their tour match against Australia A in Perth last week, Naseem Shah’s foremost concern was to show the world why he had been called up to the national squad at the age of 16, and to push for a place in the pace attack for the first Test.His world, however, was soon turned upside-down by news that his mother had passed away.Naseem broke down instantly when he heard the news. He wanted to go back home. But the journey of more than 9000km, to Lower Dir in the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, would take more than 48 hours. The funeral couldn’t wait for longer than 24 hours. The PCB’s logistics department tried to arrange his transport, but the quickest route would still take two days.Naseem’s brothers convinced him to stay back in Australia and make his country proud.Pakistan asked if they could field a replacement player in the warm-up game, and Cricket Australia was ready to strip the match of first-class status in order to accommodate the incoming player.In the end, Naseem stayed on, chose to not bowl in the first innings, and came out in the second innings to send down eight hostile overs, taking the wicket of Marcus Harris with a snorter that spat up from just short of a length.It’s been an ordeal for Naseem, but through it he has had sources of support to lean on, particularly his team-mate and best friend Muhammad Musa, and team manager Mansoor Rehan. The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit made an exception for Naseem during the match, allowing him to use the team manager’s phone in the dressing room whenever he wished to speak to his family.Naseem Shah picked up the wicket of Marcus Harris•Getty Images”I think a parent is irreplaceable, and the guts and courage he showed coming out to the ground were quite commendable,” Shan Masood, the Pakistan opener, said at a press conference. “At 16, he is that mature. If we only talk about his cricket right now, that is a lot of maturity right there.”But losing his mother and still stepping out in the field, when he’s all the way in Australia, at the other end of the world… yet he’s not going back, and staying here. Putting his hand up. He wants to do well for the team, for the country. That is commendable. That is going to reward him.”That is the sort of attitude we are looking for in all the guys and as a team. We are going to stick behind him. All we can offer is support, prayers, and hope for his well-being. We are all very happy the way he is responding and hopefully, he is going to be a star in the making.”Masood is excited by Naseem’s potential as a fast bowler.”It’s very exciting to see a 16-year old come to the fore and he’s sort of taken domestic circuit by surprise,” Masood said. “I don’t know if you followed our domestic season, but the pitches were docile and he (18 wickets at 19.27 in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy) has been the standout bowler. After the sad loss of his mother, I think it took guts, and we should appreciate what he did, stepping out in the field in the second innings at the Optus, producing really good spells. I hope he plays, I am sure if he plays he is going to enjoy bowing on such tracks against a formidable side like Australia.”

Copa America walks in the footsteps of the Super Bowl as they have got onboard Shakira to perform at the halftime show during the final.

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Copa America set for musical extravaganzaShakira to dazzle the audience in a special half-time showColombian pop star to belt out her chart-topping numbersWHAT HAPPENED?

The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami will be teeming with Colombian fans this weekend as Colombia faces Argentina in the final of the 2024 Copa America. Leading the charge for Colombia are notable players such as James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz, who aim to secure their nation's second international trophy. However, when the players go down the tunnel after the opening 45 minutes Shakira will take centre stage in the first-ever half-time show of Copa America.

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Shakira has previously headlined major sporting events including the Super Bowl and three World Cups. This time, her performance will hold special significance as her home country vies for a historic victory. Incidentally, her upcoming performance will be held at the same Hard Rock Stadium where she shared the stage with Jennifer Lopez during the 2020 Super Bowl.

WHAT SHAKIRA SAID

In the lead-up to the final, Shakira expressed her excitement and support for the Colombian team on social media. “Go Colombia! We have a great team! See you this Sunday at the Copa América final!” she wrote.

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Throughout the tournament, Shakira's presence has been felt as her song ‘Puntería,’ although not the official Copa America song, has been featured prominently in Televisa/Univision’s coverage. And fans can expect to hear the song live during the show. Additionally, tracks from her latest album ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran’ are expected to be part of her setlist as the performance is likely to serve as a preview of her upcoming 17-date US tour set to kick off in November. Moreover, her performance should also include some of her greatest hits like ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),’ the official song of the 2010 World Cup – which has become an anthem for football fans globally and would resonate deeply with the audience.

Daniel Brettig13-Dec-2019A nearby grass fire wafted the unmistakable odour of smoke across Perth Stadium early on another enervating day in the west. By the close the only fire was that being breathed by Mitchell Starc, as Australia cornered New Zealand’s batsmen under lights despite the damaging loss of Josh Hazlewood to a left hamstring strain.Two grinding sessions in daylight saw Australia eke out 416 following the loss of early wickets before the pitch and the match burst into furious life in the third, floodlit session. Starc and Hazlewood blasted out Tom Latham and Jeet Raval in their opening overs, only for Pat Cummins to be drafted into early service when Hazlewood pulled up lame before delivering his ninth ball of the Test match.Ross Tayor and Kane Williamson threatened to form a pivotal stand with Australia’s bowling resources shorn by a quarter, only for Starc to coax an edge from New Zealand’s captain that was intercepted by the flying right hand of Steven Smith diving into where third slip might have been. Henry Nicholls and Neil Wagner were swiftly accounted for, and Starc had a hat-trick ball bunted away by Taylor before the close.Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head had earlier looked capable of dominating for the hosts, but both were dismissed in circumstances they would have been disappointed by as part of eight wickets shared between Wagner and Tim Southee.That meant the remainder of the innings was something of a slog for the Australians, as the captain Tim Paine forged partnerships with Cummins and Starc in an effort to not only advance the scoreboard but also ensure that New Zealand’s innings would commence in the harder batting conditions under lights at day’s end.Latham certainly looked to have trouble finding the Starc short ball that lobbed off the shoulder of the bat and back to a grateful bowler to the delight of a crowd of 20,018, and Raval was even further away from a Hazlewood in-dipper that clattered his stumps after several deliveries angled across him towards the slips.Williamson was fortunate to survive early on when a thin edge – picked up by snicko – evaded the attention of every Australian but Smith, whose strangled appeal and brief attempt to call for a review was ignored by Paine, who did not enjoy an entirely pleasant evening with a couple more painful blows to his troublesome right index finger. The early loss of Hazlewood from the attack even had Paine resorting to Matthew Wade’s speculative right-arm mediums inside the first 10 overs.Nathan Lyon’s extravagant turn out of a day two pitch pushed Taylor into a thrilling counter-attack, and at 2 for 77 the visitors had a toehold on the match. But Starc returned and beat Williamson with one superb delivery moving away from him, and then the New Zealand skipper fenced at a wider ball to give Smith the chance to make what is now a trademark full length dive to his right for a spectacular catch.Nicholls, never entirely comfortable, touched one of Starc’s few ordinary deliveries for the evening down the legside to Paine, and next ball Wagner was too crooked and late on a yorker that he dragged onto the stumps. Taylor and BJ Watling did well to survive the day’s remaining deliveries, but they will be starting the third afternoon with a yawning deficit of 307.Labuschagne had begun the second day with designs on a third consecutive score in advance of 150, after a fluent start, as he and Head asserted themselves. But he was left annoyed and confounded by Wagner, who found another way past an international batsman of strong repute when he angled a fullish ball into Labuschagne from around the wicket and snaked it behind the No. 3’s pads and into leg stump. Wagner’s celebration was prolonged, indicating that like most of his wickets, this was no accident.Head was then left with the responsibility for building the innings, but on 56 he leaned back to hammer Southee through the off side and picked out the fieldsman at cover. Head threw his head back in disgust at the dismissal, as did the former captain and sometime Australian team mentor Ricky Ponting in the commentary box.Paine, who had made a circumspect start, was joined by Cummins, and the pair worked their way to the long break in the hope of adding plenty more to the total. They re-emerged with a clear plan to bat for as long as possible, even to the exclusion of scoring, to keep New Zealand in the field and also to ensure that the home side’s bowlers would get to use a new ball once the sun had gone down.This made for some absorbing if not exactly pulse-quickening cricket, as the partnership soaked up 135 balls for 38 runs. Cummins was teased out by the part-time leg breaks of Jeet Raval, bowled around his legs trying to sweep after the bowling had convinced Kane Williamson to bring the deep backward square leg in from the boundary. The arrival of Starc brought a rise in the scoring rate, but Australia’s 400 was still their second slowest in a home Test since 2000.Starc ultimately fell when an attempt to hit Southee out of the stadium finished in Williamson’s hands, and Nathan Lyon hooked a couple of boundaries before picking out fine leg to hand Wagner his fourth wicket. Paine hooked Southee into BJ Watling’s gloves to end the innings on the stroke of the tea break. Fireworks would follow.

Chelsea have named their price for Trevoh Chalobah after leaving the defender out of their pre-season tour squad.

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Chalobah snubbed by new boss Enzo MarescaBlues have now named price for defenderThree Premier League clubs already interestedWHAT HAPPENED?

Chalobah looks to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge after being left out of the Blues' pre-season squad for their United States tour. The Blues are willing to sell the 25-year-old for £35 million (£45m/€41m) this summer, with three Premier League clubs having already made contact, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

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New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has opted to leave Chalobah at home as he has plenty of other options in defence in the shape of Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi and new boy Tosin Adarabioyo. Manchester United have been linked with Chalobah previously but it remains to be seen if the Red Devils remain interested as they have just signed Leny Yoro from Lille and are still chasing Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt. West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace have also been linked with Chalobah.

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Chalobah has been at Chelsea since he was nine years old and signed a new contract with the club two years ago that runs until 2028.

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(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHALOBAH & CHELSEA

Chalobah is now expected to listen to offers with it seemingly clear he is not in Maresca's plans for the new season. Meanwhile, Chelsea are due to take on Wrexham, Celtic, Club America, Chelsea and Real Madrid in North America as Maresca shapes his squad ahead of his first Premier League season in charge of the Blues.