All posts by h716a5.icu

Dele Alli isn’t the only player to benefit from Tottenham Hotspur’s change in management this season.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder was quickly becoming a forgotten man under Jose Mourinho, featuring in just 15 league matches for a total of 617 minutes.

Since former Wolves boss Nuno Santo has taken to the Spurs dugout, however, the Englishman has started 100% of their league games this far, already playing more than a third of his total minutes from last season.

Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez have looked an entirely different prospect too, keeping three straight clean sheets despite being lambasted as “one of the worst” partnerships in the Premier League by ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara last season.

Another name who appears to have been given a major lifeline is academy graduate Harry Winks.

According to The Sun on deadline day, the 25-year-old has left an impression on the Portuguese coach throughout pre-season and he is expected to garner much more game-time than last term.

Winks’ lack of minutes on the pitch saw him miss out on a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2020, despite being capped ten times by the Three Lions boss.

During the summer, he was regularly linked with a move away. There was £25m interest from Manchester United, whilst the likes of Leeds, Aston Villa and Everton were all mooted as potential destinations.

However, Winks has started both of Tottenham’s UEFA Europa Conference League matches and could well play a big part as the season goes on.

The £18m-rated ace made 15 appearances in the Premier League last season, playing a total of just 860 minutes. This is a player who Mauricio Pochettino once likened to Spanish legends Andres Iniesta and Xavi, yet he struggled to break into the squad under Mourinho.

Per the Evening Standard, Spurs’ former head coach said in 2018: “Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player. His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and Iniesta, he’s like this type of player.”

This is surely the sort of profile of midfielder that Nuno would love, having had the pleasure of coaching Joao Moutinho at Molineux for the past few seasons.

That could be a big reason why he hasn’t allowed the deep-lying playmaker to leave in this transfer window, and as the report suggests, we could well see Winks as the latest Spurs player to be reborn under the new Spurs boss.

AND in other news, Dier out, Ndombele in? Nuno Santo’s best Spurs XI after Deadline Day…

Graeme Smith must have nightmares about facing Mitchell Johnson after the fast bowler broke both of Smith’s hands in separate incidents over the past three months

Cricinfo staff02-Apr-2009Graeme Smith must have nightmares about facing Mitchell Johnson after the fast bowler broke both of Smith’s hands in separate incidents over the past three months. Friday’s first ODI in Durban will provide Johnson with another chance to bowl to Smith, who has been passed fit for the five-match series.It will be Smith’s first game since a rising delivery from Johnson struck him on the right hand in the Test at the same venue. Johnson said he was keen to get stuck into the South African captain once more on a bouncy Kingsmead pitch.”I’m look forward to the challenge again,” Johnson told . “It’s always good to get the opportunity to bowl with the new ball against an opening batsman like Smith. He’s such a great player. He’s a strong leader and his team look up to him. They will enjoy having him back in the squad and I’m looking forward to trying to get his wicket.”Smith will take over the reins from Johan Botha, who led South Africa to a 2-0 victory in the Twenty20 internationals. It could be a challenge lifting his side for the final leg of what has essentially been a four-month campaign against Australia but South Africa’s coach Mickey Arthur was confident the squad would be able to hit top gear.”We’ve prioritised what we want to get out of the series, and there’s a nice air around the squad,” Arthur said. “The guys are very fresh and looking forward to it. We’re getting a nice balance now. I’m very happy with the mix we have now.”Within our squad, we have two recognised spinners, and we have JP Duminy, who can bowl for us as well, so we’re starting to get quite a nice mix in terms of variation in our attack. And the return of Makhaya [Ntini] and Morne [Morkel] in our attack is really good because they give us variation of a different kind.”The return to the 50-over format, in which South Africa triumphed 4-1 in Australia, will be a change after the Twenty20 games. Arthur said it was pleasing to have had such success in the shortest format but it would be dangerous to assume the momentum would carry through to the ODIs.”It’s always good to be in a dressing room that’s winning – it’s a good place to be – but we’re not looking too much to that,” he said. “Friday is where we want to put our marker in the sand, and that’s why we’ve been building up hard this week. Friday, for us, is huge. We want to go one-nil up, and hopefully take momentum from that. So, yes, nice to win the Pro20s, but it’s a different beast.”

Aston Villa pushed hard to sign Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse in the summer transfer window, and they must now make a renewed attempt to land him in January.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that Dean Smith’s side were lining up a swoop for the Saints star, but a deal failed to materialise before the deadline.

Football Insider have now claimed that Villa “pushed hard” to sign the England international and that extensive talks were held over a potential deal.

The report added: “Southampton initially placed a £40m valuation on their academy product but would have accepted an initial lower fee. It is believed that the England international was open to moving to Villa and was keen to accelerate talks at one point.

“There was also interest in Ward-Prowse from a top-six Premier League side. His representatives were able to use the bids and high-level interest in their client to negotiate an improved contract last month.”

Dean Smith needs him

Dubbed a “machine” by his teammates at Southampton, the £27m-rated Ward-Prowse had a fine season in the Premier League last year.

The £75k-a-week earning ace would offer something that Villa really missed last season – goals from midfield. The Saints star managed eight goals in the Premier League, as well as chipping in with seven assists, numbers which are far better than anything that Smith’s current options produced (John McGinn was the closest with three goals).

Sealing a deal for Ward-Prowse, an England international and a captain of a Premier League rival, would be fantastic business for Villa, and it’s no surprise that it has received a lot of backing from the likes of former Three Lions goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

He said: “He would be a great signing for Aston Villa though and in truth, Villa are moving forward faster than Southampton. They are a bigger club as well.

“If he moved I think it would enhance his international opportunities and for that reason I think it is a move the player will try and push through. Southampton will not want to do business but they are a club that will do business at the right price, of that I’m sure. I think Villa can get the deal through if they are willing to pay.”

As per fbref.com, Ward-Prowse’s passes in the Premier League last season progressed for more than 10,000 yards, a real indication of how he is always looking to move things forward rather than keeping things simple.

That stat ranks him 49th in the entire division for 2020/21, a pretty impressive achievement considering that most of the players above him are goalkeepers and defenders – in terms of midfielders, only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ashley Westwood, Rodri and Granit Xhaka exceeded the 26-year-old’s tally.

While they missed out on his signature in the summer, and Ward-Prowse has since put pen to paper on a new contract at St Mary’s, Villa must surely look to test the waters once again in January.

Meanwhile, Villa had a transfer masterclass with this star…

The ICC has warned players against signing up for a new unauthorised league being established in the USA

Martin Williamson24-Apr-2009The ICC has warned players against signing up for a new unauthorised league being established in the USA.The American Premier League, the brainchild of local entrepreneur Jay Mir, is a Twenty20 tournament scheduled to be held in October on a converted baseball field in Staten Island, New York City. Although there remains some uncertainty about the whole venture, it is believed that a number of current and former players have been approached to take part.The ICC issued a statement earlier this week cautioning that the event was unauthorised, and in effect would have the same status as the rebel Indian Cricket League, whose players have been banned from international and much domestic cricket. That could mean that anyone taking part in the APL would face similar sanctions, and any team fielding such an individual would be barred from the Twenty20 Champions League.To date, the only named signings have come from Pakistan, but rumours, many emanating from the organisers, have linked the league with several current county players. The Daily Telegraph claimed that David Collier, the ECB chief executive, had warned county chairmen, about their players signing up.John Aaron, the secretary of the USA Cricket Association, confirmed to Cricinfo that the board’s “blessing was not sought in promoting the tournament”. He added that “the entrepreneurial sprit is alive and well in the USA, therefore many individuals continue to seek opportunities to arrange events”.The ICC were less concillatory. “The organisers have not sought the approval of the USA Cricket Association or the ICC, although I understand that the APL is approaching players directly to participate in the event. Members are therefore precluded from releasing their players to play in this event until such time as ICC confirms that the event has been approved.”There was some good news, however, for the APL with the announcement that Sir Richard Hadlee had joined as an executive consultant.A further question mark over the whole venture is the timing, as the weather in New York in October is not really suitable for cricket. One veteran administrator in the USA told Cricinfo that “unless they have plans to play indoors, this whole idea is, to put it mildly, ambitious”.

Tottenham Hotspur kickstart the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League group stages with a trip to France to face Stade Rennes later this evening and manager Nuno Santo has plenty to ponder in terms of team selection.

The north London outfit head saw their unbeaten start to the new Premier League season come to a crashing end after they were defeated 3-0 by Crystal Palace, so the Portuguese coach will be looking for a reaction in a competition that they are amongst the favourites to win.

Spurs are facing plenty of injury and availability problems.

South American trio Davinson Sanchez, Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso are not back in the country just yet, whilst this game may come too soon for the likes of Heung-min Son, Steven Bergwijn and Eric Dier.

One of the biggest takeaways from Saturday’s disappointing result was that the midfield Nuno deployed just doesn’t work, though there is an easy solution to that problem.

He opted for Harry Winks to partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp in the engine room but that turned out to be very one-dimensional and not balanced whatsoever.

In fact, the 25-year-old Englishman was hooked after just an hour, which should be rather damning on his chances of starting over in Rennes this evening, especially with the more creative and technically gifted Tanguy Ndombele back in the squad.

It was only four years ago that Winks ran the show during Spurs’ shock win over Real Madrid, where he outshone former Spurs midfielder Luka Modric in the Champions League.

Soon after, Mauricio Pochettino lauded him as the “perfect” midfielder, comparing him to Barcelona duo Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

But after his lacklustre display against Palace this weekend, The Times’ Gary Jacob described the £18m-rated Hotspur Way youth product as ‘stale’, whilst club legend Gary Roberts dubbed him an “average player” back in June.

Although Winks made 91% of his passes, these were mainly sideways and behind, without much effort to get forward. By comparison, the Eagles’ loan star Conor Gallagher made himself available all over the pitch and would’ve been the perfect option to have in there alongside Hojbjerg and Skipp.

Nuno must look to bounce back and kickstart Spurs’ quest for glory in Europe with a positive performance in France, and that just won’t happen if Winks is starting in midfield.

It’s time for him to be ruthless and axe him from the XI later this evening.

AND in other news, Nuno Santo receives huge Spurs boost as Harry Kane update emerges…

West Ham may have missed a trick as mooted summer target Divock Origi continued his fine recent form this week…

What was the word?

Throughout the transfer window, the Liverpool fringe star was linked with a switch to the London Stadium, with one of the most reliable Irons insiders talking up their interest.

According to ExWHUemployee back in early August, the hardly-seen 29-cap Belgian forward was a potential target for David Moyes late in the summer but ultimately, the east Londoners would not go onto sign any striker whatsoever.

One that got away?

With Jurgen Klopp needing to rotate his Reds’ side, Origi has been gifted some rare opportunities to impress.

The £10.8m-rated frontman started and provided an assist in their Champions League group stage win over AC Milan and then scored and assisted against Norwich City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening.

As explained by Football FanCast after the match, Origi was a real star of the show for Klopp and the Merseyside giants – not only did he contribute on the scoresheet but he also turned provider, also creating two key passes.

West Ham’s need for frontline additions is no secret. They have been without depth in the position since last January when the Hammers hierarchy sanctioned the exit of club-record flop Sebastien Haller to Ajax.

It left Moyes with a historically injury-prone Michail Antonio, who on his day is certainly one of the best finishers in the English top-flight, but he cannot do it all and he definitely cannot do it all across as many as four competitions.

He needs a rest from time to time, especially given his sketchy injury record.

Perhaps Origi was the solution they were crying out for.

Last week, Klopp revealed his shock at the lack of interest in his backup forward. He told BT Sport (via Sky Sports):

“[Divock] played a beautiful game. People forget how good he is, it’s difficult to get into this team.

“In the summer transfer window we all thought there would be a proper offer for him, but obviously people don’t watch football enough. He’s a sensational striker and he did really well today.”

Once hailed as a “monster” by Man City legend Vincent Kompany, it certainly seems as if the Irons were one of the teams to miss out on the untapped exploits of the forgotten Liverpool striker this summer.

AND in other news, Moyes has played a blinder over “unplayable” West Ham gem, his value has increased 50%…

Inzamam-ul-Haq has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board’s “unprofessional thinking” for dropping three ICL players from its list of probables for the World Twenty20

Ajay S Shankar10-Apr-2009Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board’s “unprofessional thinking” for dropping three ICL players from its list of probables for the World Twenty20 in June after initially naming them in the squad. Inzamam, who is also captain of ICL’s Lahore Badshahs, said the Pakistan board and the selectors should have shown more respect to the three players who have represented the country.Inzamam also criticised the ICC’s move to implement stringent guidelines on unofficial cricket from June 1 to prevent future ICL models, and said the governing body was only scared of losing sponsorship money to independent organisers.On Tuesday, the PCB backed out of a potential face-off with the ICC by dropping three ICL players – Abdul Razzaq, Imran Nazir and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan – from its list of 30 probables for the ICC World Twenty20 in June. Nazir and Naved-ul-Hasan played under Inzamam last season and Razzaq appeared for ICL’s Hyderabad Heroes.”The Pakistan board should not have announced the list if they were not clear about all aspects of the selection,” Inzamam told Cricinfo. “One day they announced the list, and the next day they reversed it. This is the result of unprofessional thinking by the board and the selectors. If the PCB didn’t have an ICC clearance, it had no right to name these players in the list and then tell them after a day that ‘Look, we don’t respect you’.”Asked about the ICC’s move to crack down on unofficial cricket, including imposing stricter rules and a proposed cooling period for players who want to return, Inzamam accused the governing body of adopting double standards.”The ICC is just scared that the money they generate from the game should not go to others,” Inzamam said. “The ICC is bothered only about that. During the days when there was not so much money in cricket, players used to play in tournaments which had no official status in countries like Bangladesh; the ICC had no problems. The ICC is just worried that their sponsorship money would splinter. The ICC is worried about ICL only because of the money, otherwise they know these players are only playing cricket and not committing any crime.”Reacting to reports in the Pakistani media that Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, was keen to include ICL players in the national team, Inzamam said it was the right way for a leader to think. “If Younis feels that with the return of ICL players, his team will get better or stronger, it’s absolutely the right thought,” he said. “The presence of players like Mohammed Yousuf, Nazir, Razzaq and Naved-ul Hasan will only strengthen the Pakistan team.”Pakistan’s next international engagement is a five-match ODI series and a Twenty20 against Australia in Abu Dhabi from April 22-May 7.

Nathan Hauritz has won a national contract for the first time in six years, but now he is viewed as Australia’s main man

Peter English14-May-2009Nathan Hauritz has won a national contract for the first time in six years, but now he is viewed as Australia’s main man instead of back-up for Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill. Hauritz was the only specialist spinner picked in the 25-man group on Thursday and his unexpected re-emergence highlights the falling away of the country’s slow-bowling stocks while providing an opening for a long-term adventure.A week before his Test return in November Hauritz was omitted from the New South Wales side, but an ankle injury to the national incumbent Jason Krejza, who until then had experienced similar good fortune, allowed some international space for Hauritz. He has done enough to stay with the side and convince the selectors he is the man for the future, but has been criticised, most recently by Ian Chappell, for his defensive method.”I try to stay away from it as much as I can,” Hauritz said of the public analysis. “It’s not my job to report on what we do. The most important thing I can do is bowl well. As long as I’m prepared, that’s all I can do. I know that at the moment it’s a good talking topic. It’s always going to be.”Hauritz last held a full national contract in 2003-04, the season before his Test debut, but he faded as quickly as some of the contenders since MacGill’s retirement last year. Krejza, Beau Casson and Cameron White were quickly crossed off as bowling options – in decisions ranging from sensible to strange – and Bryce McGain appears to be headed the same way after he missed a contract following a punishing welcome in March.That leaves Hauritz to control the major spin duties along with the part-timers of Marcus North and Michael Clarke. He did not play a Test in South Africa but has appeared in every one-day match since the end of the home season, topping the wicket list with eight victims in the five Pakistan encounters.Despite the confusing nature of the spin hierarchy, Hauritz is comfortable as the man with the best grip on the roundabout. “I haven’t minded it,” he said. “The one thing is it has made more competition for spots, and you just enjoy your time there all the time.”There’s such a good breed of fast bowlers coming through who are the same age, and when those fast bowlers are picked the side wins. The focus is a little bit off the spin bowling, but there’s always a spot for a spin bowler in a Test. We’re just part of the unlucky situation coming after Warne and MacGill.”Further confirmation of Hauritz’s anointment should come on Wednesday with the naming of the Ashes squad. “I’m trying not to focus on it,” he said. “I didn’t play any cricket in South Africa to put my name up for the Test squad, so it’s really up to the selectors, what way they want to go, whether it’s Bryce or myself. There’s not a great deal I can do. Fingers crossed that I get picked, if I don’t then that’s part of life.”Hauritz understands how it works in the national set-up works and that a player in his situation is never safe. “You still wait to know, you’re still trying to work things out and I guess you never really do feel secure,” he said. “It can all be gone away so quickly.” Spinners all over the country know that feeling.

Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race to sign Kingsley Coman this January, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Spanish publication Fichajes claim that Spurs are thinking about a move for the 34-cap French winger ahead of 2022 as they look to bolster Nuno Santo’s attacking options. Premier League rivals Liverpool and struggling Serie A giants Juventus are both also mentioned with interest in the report.

It’s thought that Coman could leave Bayern Munich at the turn of the year due to a lack of opportunities, and clearly he won’t be short of suitors.

It very much remains to be seen how much the 25-year-old attacker would command, with CIES Football Observatory currently valuing him at €50m (£43m).

Creative fix

After recording three straight 1-0 victories to kickstart the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, Spurs have hit a brick wall in what has been a very disappointing week.

Nuno’s side have been beaten 3-0 in back-to-back Premier League matches and had to come from behind to salvage a point in their UEFA Europa Conference League group opener against Rennes.

Their lack of creativity and chance creation has duly been highlighted massively.

As per The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare, Spurs have recorded the lowest expected goals (xG) of any top-flight team this season, with a total of 4.42, which is lower than teams in the bottom three, such as Burnley (6.05) and Newcastle United (5.54).

Spurs have also had the second-fewest shots (46, an average of 9.2 per game) and created the joint-fewest number of big chances (two).

The potential arrival of Coman could go to great lengths in solving this major issue this January – he has stepped up admirably to fill the voids left behind by Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery at the Allianz Arena.

Last season, the French dynamo registered eight goals and 12 assists in just 36 appearances across the Bundesliga and Champions League, via WhoScored.

Whilst a career average of two key passes per 90 minutes further highlights his ability to create big chances for his team – that’s the same number Spurs have managed all season, which is rather damning.

Currently, Steven Bergwijn (1.3 key passes per game) sits atop the creativity charts and last season, only Harry Kane and Heung-min Son provided more than four assists all year.

“We know that Kingsley has extraordinary skills that aren’t easy to find,” explained Bayern teammate Thomas Muller to Bundesliga.com. “If he puts his foot down on the gas – and he has incredible horsepower – every opponent has a tough time against him. He worked the left flank well. He’s always been fleet-footed. If he can now add chances that lead to goals then he is solid gold to us.”

That sort of skill set is exactly what the Portuguese head coach needs in his attack this season, so sporting director Fabio Paratici must work his magic to secure a player that he once landed for Juventus back in 2014.

AND in other news, Cruel blow: Spurs dealt huge injury setback ahead of Wolves clash, Nuno will be gutted…

Not since 1989 have Australia sent a slow bowler to England and expected so little

Peter English17-Jun-2009Not since 1989 have Australia sent a spinner to England and expected so little. Twenty years ago the leggie Trevor Hohns, who would become more notable as Australia’s successful selection chairman, was the slow-bowling specialist in a pace-dominated squad. He wasn’t picked for the first Test, but was employed in the next five matches of the 4-0 triumph, impressing and surprising with 11 wickets at 27.27. If Nathan Hauritz matches that over the next three months he will be allowed to jig on a balcony at The Oval while swinging a stump and blowing smoke rings.Hauritz and his contemporaries started their careers admiring Shane Warne’s all-dancing routines, but are now caught in an un-choreographed discipline in which uncertainty is the only guarantee. Life in England is going to be hard for Hauritz, just as it would have been for Jason Krejza, Cameron White, Jon Holland, Beau Casson or any of the other fringe spinners mentioned for national service since Warne retired with his re-gripping of the Ashes in 2007.After more than a decade – and four England tours – of stability, Australia began interchanging their slow-bowling stocks like AFL players until the selectors stuck with Hauritz, a 27-year-old offspinner in his second life as an international following a shooting star ending to his initial experience. Fortunately for Hauritz, success in his genre is now determined on a scale more familiar to those who remember Hohns and the 1980s. Back then a couple of wickets an innings were fine if the main bowlers were firing and anything more was toasted with showers of beer.”I haven’t minded it,” Hauritz said of the tense spin situation, during a driving holiday from Sydney to Queensland’s Hervey Bay before leaving for the Ashes. “The one thing is it has made more competition for spots, and you just enjoy your time there all the time. There’s such a good breed of fast bowlers coming through who are at the same stage, and when those fast bowlers are picked the side wins. The focus is a little bit off the spin bowling, but there’s always a spot for a spin bowler in a Test match. We’re just part of the unlucky situation coming after Warne and [Stuart] MacGill.”There has always been talk of a tight spinner’s club, where all secrets are shared, but despite the common aims of the country’s twirlers, there doesn’t appear to be a strong bond. “We don’t really keep in contact with them,” Hauritz said. “We say g’day when we play against them, but there’s not much said about it. At the end of the day, you’re all trying to play for Australia and stay there and play for a long time.”In England Hauritz’s main competition will come not from another specialist, but three part-timers who prefer to bat. Marcus North, Simon Katich and Michael Clarke are likely to be handed extended opportunities during the series, particularly if Hauritz struggles for impact in Cardiff, where the pitch is predicted to turn. Mostly this trio will be seen as bowlers who can help the over-rate and offer rest for the fast men. Any wickets, along with those from Hauritz, will be treasured.Hauritz has been given the closest thing to stability in the hope he can become a consistent contributor. A national contract followed an extended run in the one-day team and his status as the country’s No. 1 was confirmed when he outlasted Bryce McGain to earn the Ashes job. For the past eight months Hauritz has travelled with the side, playing sometimes and training a lot. In South Africa he watched McGain’s nightmare debut of 0 for 149 off 18 overs, a performance which left Hauritz as the last spinner standing.”No, I never thought that could be me,” he said of McGain’s international entry. “It was tough to watch. That was his journey, he was destined to bowl there. He had to accept and deal with it the best he could. It’s always tough to see a fellow team-mate go through that. It can only make you stronger from there, I believe, having been through that sort of thing myself. When I came back from India [in 2004] I had a few days like that and it made things very tough.”In his first Test Hauritz captured five wickets, including Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, but there were two problems: Clarke ripped six second-innings breakthroughs in 26 balls, exposing the relative lack of impact from the specialist, and Australia lost. When he returned to Queensland Hauritz slid out of state cricket and by the end of the summer was a club bowler. Feeling as flat as his trajectory, Hauritz wanted a change and in 2006 moved to New South Wales with no promise of any action. Slowly, benefitting from hard work and good fortune, he increased his position and last year was elevated to the Test team when Krejza hurt his ankle before the second match against New Zealand.With four wickets, he convinced himself that he could be an international bowler, but the selectors remain unsure when to use him. He was dropped for Perth, called back in Melbourne – he tricked a sweeping Jaques Kallis for his favourite wicket of the summer – held his spot in Sydney and watched the series in South Africa from the dressing room.

“At the end of the day I’m always trying to take wickets, but sometimes the situation is you have to bowl a role”Nathan Hauritz

He re-entered through the one-day side, appearing in every game in South Africa and the UAE. “It was fantastic to play, and great to have the backing from Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke,” he said. “It was tough not playing in the Tests, but I always said it’s much better to be there than not be there.”It is the brief of Troy Cooley, the bowling coach, to monitor Hauritz on tour, which seems insufficient considering Cooley’s main duties revolve around the position of Mitchell Johnson’s wrist and getting the attack to deliver reverse-swing. At home Hauritz relies on Murray Bennett, a left-arm orthodox who gained three Tests in the 1980s, and John Davison, the South Australian turned Canadian turned Centre of Excellence spin coach. Trent Ryan, a Queensland assistant who stuck with him during his troubled summers at the Bulls, also stays in touch.These are not the usual names associated with slow bowling in Australia, but Hauritz is not a modern style of operator. There is rarely sharp spin, no outlandish tricks and he is regularly called a defensive bowler, a trait recalled by Ian Chappell, who said containers should be limited to the shipping industry.”At the end of the day I’m always trying to take wickets, but sometimes the situation is you have to bowl a role,” Hauritz said. “They might not attack you, you might have to just bowl a line. Or the wickets might not turn as much and you’re easier to face. I never go out to think I’m not going to take wickets, or bowl defensive, I’m always just trying to bowl consistent, tight and take wickets.”He tries not to read the criticism and when describing his bowling classes himself simply as “a spinner”. “I don’t really know if there is such a thing as an attacking spinner or a defensive spinner,” he said. “I just think there’s a spinner. I bowl offspin, that’s what I see myself as.””I spoke to Stuart MacGill at length about this. He said: ‘There’s a difference between being aggressive and bowling poorly.’ I see that when the game comes into the fourth or fifth day I can be more aggressive and set more aggressive fields, and bowl different lines. Early on, I bowl tighter lines with more defensive fields, it’s part and parcel of the game.”These are the methods that worked before Warne flicked his wrist and they might be successful again. Hauritz hopes they are in England, where he played a season with Nelson in the Lancashire League in 2005. The pitches were wet, sticky and easy to bowl on. This time he wants them dry and dusty.Twenty years ago it was a hot summer in England and Hohns was able to benefit in between the stints of the more celebrated fast men. His most memorable moment was bowling Ian Botham with a flipper at Old Trafford and at the end of the series the 35-year-old retired. Hauritz will push for similar opportunities and wish that by the conclusion of the contest he will still have a say in the direction of his career.