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Tottenham Hotspur are ‘in talks’ with two clubs regarding a move for Sergio Reguilon, according to a report from the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: Out of favour

Signed from Real Madrid along with a deal that saw Gareth Bale return to north London in 2020, Reguilon made a promising start to life at Spurs, making 36 appearances during his first season.

He was called ‘brilliant’ by BBC pundit Micah Richards this time last season, who gushed over his mixture of speed, crossing and defensive ability.

Fast forward 12 months however, and the 25-year-old Spain international has found himself behind Ryan Sessegnon and Ivan Perisic in the pecking order under Antonio Conte recently and could therefore be looking elsewhere for regular action, especially with a World Cup later this year.

Having previously been linked with a switch to Barcelona and Nottingham Forest, now it appears that Reguilon could indeed be on the move prior to the September 1 deadline…

The latest: Two clubs battle

As per the Daily Mail online, Fulham and Lazio are both ‘in talks’ to sign the six-cap ace.

It’s claimed that both want Reguilon on an initial loan move, however, Lazio would be keen on making the deal permanent at the end of the season.

The report also states that the Spaniard – who was described as ‘phenomenal’ by journalist Alasdair Gold – is ‘deemed surplus to requirements’ at Hotspur Way.

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The verdict: Come back soon

Yet to be named in a match-day squad this season by Conte, it seems highly unlikely that Reguilon will get an opportunity this term barring a major injury crisis.

As such, allowing the marauding full-back to leave and obtain regular senior action would be the best move for all parties, although Spurs would be best to avoid an option to buy at this juncture in order to reassess their options next summer.

Albeit both are clearly favoured in terms of quality, Sessegnon faces a pivotal campaign having been plagued by injuries and at 33, it’s unclear whether Perisic will be able to cope with the rigours of an entire Premier League campaign as well as cup duty.

Valued at £22.5million and under contract at Tottenham until 2025 (Transfermarkt), there is certainly no rush for the Lilywhites to cash in and a loan exit with a view to returning would definitely suit all parties.

Newcastle United have reportedly ‘also asked’ about Harvey Barnes as well as James Maddison.

The Lowdown: Maddison offer

The Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope claimed on Saturday morning that the St James’ Park outfit had made a ‘structured’ £35m offer for Maddison.

However, a deal is likely to prove ‘difficult’, so ‘other options’ are currently being explored by the Magpies.

The Latest: Barnes too?

Taking to Twitter, Daily Mail reporter Tom Collomosse has now revealed that Newcastle have ‘also asked’ about Barnes, but Leicester City value the 24-year-old in the region of £50m to £60m.

He tweeted: “Maddison not the only player attracting Newcastle interest. Believe they have also asked about Harvey Barnes but again, Leicester value their homegrown star highly – £50-60m mark.”

The Verdict: Big coup

If the Tynesiders could sign Barnes as well as Maddison, it would certainly be a big coup.

Hope claims that the Foxes winger would ‘be a tremendous signing’ for Newcastle, and it is hard to argue with that, given that his numbers in the Premier League are impressive.

His six goals and 10 assists last season was his best return in the division so far, and he has managed 22 goals and 24 assists in total over the last four campaigns (Transfermarkt).

It may be difficult to sign both players, given that Maddison is also thought to be valued closer to £60m, but if the Magpies could sign the duo, it would send out a real statement of intent to the rest of the top flight.

In the process, they would also be seriously weakening one of their rivals in Leicester.

Nottingham Forest are closing in on the signing of Stuttgart midfielder Orel Mangala, reliable journalist Florian Plettenberg has claimed.

The Lowdown: Mangala linked with Forest move

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to the Reds in recent times as Steve Cooper looks to bolster his midfield options ahead of his team’s return to the Premier League.

Mangala has grown into a key player for Stuttgart, making 28 Bundesliga appearances last season and chipping in with one goal and three assists in the German top flight.

He is known as primarily a defensive-minded midfielder, an area in which Forest could arguably do with strengthening, such is the importance of that role at Premier League level.

The Latest: Transfer looks close

Taking to Twitter, Plettenberg claimed that Mangala’s proposed move to Forest is edging close, with a move possibly even being completed by the end of Monday.

The journalist tweeted:

“News #Mangala: Next one from the Bundesliga! Mangala is on verge to join Notts Forest. Last details have to be clarified. Negotiations since days. Transfer fee around €15m – bonus payments included. All parties hope for a total agreement in the next hours.”

The Verdict: Dominant midfield addition

Mangala is another exciting prospective addition for Forest, should the move be completed, in what has become an increasingly positive transfer window at the City Ground.

The Stuttgart midfielder has won one cap for Belgium and been described as a ‘real talent’ by their manager Roberto Martinez, enjoying an 83.6% pass completion rate and completing 1.5 dribbles per game in the Bundesliga last season.

Forest could do with players of Mangala’s ilk to come in and make the team more solid and dominant in the middle of the park, as they prepare to come up against some genuinely world-class midfielders in the Premier League this term.

Rangers have been linked with an English midfielder recently, and he could give Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s his own version of a Ballon d’Or nominee at Ibrox.

According to 90min, the Light Blues – along with a plethora of Premier League clubs – are interested in signing former England international Harry Winks this summer.

The Tottenham academy graduate has struggled for regular game-time since Antonio Conte’s arrival at the north London club, starting just eight league matches under the 52-year-old. It seems likely that he will be moved on this summer, with reports suggesting that he could cost around £20m, although Rangers may well explore a loan deal.

The 26-year-old has made more than 200 appearances for Spurs in his career so far, and while his form hasn’t been the best in recent years, regular football at Ibrox could see him get back to his best.

While he doesn’t offer much goal-scoring threat, Winks is extremely adept at keeping the ball, with WhoScored suggesting that his main strengths are passing, through balls and interceptions.

This is very similar to Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, who is also very strong at passing and playing through balls. The Italian’s performances in 2021, where he enjoyed Champions League and European Championship success, were enough to see him rank third in last year’s Ballon d’Or.

FBRef also suggests that Jorginho is the most similar player to Winks in terms of style of play, so the Englishman could definitely add some real quality to Van Bronckhorst’s midfield this summer.

Winks will be keen to have regular game-time if he has any aspirations of earning a spot in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad and could establish himself as a key player at Ibrox if given the opportunity to make the move north of the border.

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Mauricio Pochettino was full of praise for the midfielder in 2019, saying: “He deserves the praise because the whole action is amazing. He recovered the ball like a full-back, we started to build from the back and then he arrived for the cross from GK, which was fantastic – we have to praise him too.

“It’s amazing, amazing, because we were talking in the last few weeks that he had to score and to have more presence in the opposition’s box because he has the quality to do it.”

If Winks can get back to his best with Rangers, there seems little doubt that he would be a quality addition, so Van Bronckhorst should definitely look to bring him in this summer.

In other news… “Working very hard” – Rangers closing in on next signing, supporters will be buzzing

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Christian Eriksen in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Times, the Magpies are one of the teams in the running to land the Denmark international on a free transfer.

The report claims that they have made a contract offer to him, alongside other Premier League sides, as they enter talks to convince him to join Eddie Howe’s squad.

Eriksen is said to be weighing up his options after spending the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Brentford.

Eddie Howe needs him

The Toon head coach needs the midfielder at St. James’ Park next season as he would provide some much-needed creativity in the side.

Outside of Matt Ritchie (1.6), no Newcastle player created 1.5 chances or more per game in the Premier League last season. Bruno Guimaraes came in and hit the ground running with five goals in the top-flight but he was not a consistent creator as he managed 0.7 key passes per match.

Allan Saint-Maximin (1.4) was the only non-full-back to create more than 0.9 chances per game and Joelinton’s 0.8 per match was the creme of the crop in central midfield.

These statistics suggest that the club lack a player capable of consistently delivering killer passes in the final third to create chances and goals.

In Eriksen, Newcastle can find the creative wizard that they need. Thomas Frank claimed earlier this year that the gem is “world-class” and his former teammate Dele Alli described him as a “magician on the ball”.

The 30-year-old, who has scored 153 senior goals for club and country, showcased his magical quality for Brentford in the Premier League last season.

He averaged a sensational SofaScore rating of 7.54 in 11 outings for the Bees as he scored one goal and provided four assists. The gem created a whopping 2.8 chances per game and five big chances in total as he showed that he still has what it takes to be a star in the English top-flight.

This means that he created twice as many chances per match as Newcastle’s top creator from midfield – Saint-Maximin – and would, therefore, be a terrific signing to bolster the team.

Hopefully, the Magpies are able to do enough to convince him that a move to Tyneside is the best one for him to make ahead of next season.

AND in other news: “Newcastle are willing..”: Keith Downie drops huge claim that’ll frustrate supporters…

The summer transfer window officially opens next week and Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst will likely be in the market to improve his squad.

He won one trophy in his debut campaign in charge of the Light Blues, lifting the Scottish Cup, and he will now be hoping to go all the way in the Premiership and in Europe in 2022/23.

In order to do so, he may feel that he needs to add to his team by working with Ross Wilson to bring fresh faces to Ibrox in the coming months.

One player for whom they have been linked with a swoop is Wales international winger Rabbi Matondo, as Guardian journalist Will Unwin revealed last month that the Gers are one of the clubs who are keen on snapping him up from FC Schalke.

He tweeted: “Rabbi Matondo has turned down a number of offers in Belgium and is most likely to return to England, I am told. Vincent Kompany was interested in him at Anderlecht prior to his departure.”

Unwin added: “He came very close to agreeing terms with Anderlecht before Kompany’s exit. Rangers and Celtic are both very interested in Matondo.”

Ryan Kent 2.0

The Welsh gem, who has been on loan at Cercle Brugge, can be Van Bronckhorst’s Ryan Kent 2.0, as he is a quick, direct winger who can score and create goals.

His former national team manager Ryan Giggs once heaped praise on the 21-year-old’s speed, saying: “Just like Dan James he has electrifying pace. And that always keeps you interested.”

Born in Liverpool – 37 miles from Kent’s birthplace Oldham – Matondo came up through the youth ranks at Manchester City before moving to Schalke 04 in Germany.

He struggled to break through in Gelsenkirchen before being loaned out to Cercle Brugge for the 2021/22 campaign, and this allowed him to make great strides in his development.

The Belgian club reportedly have an option to sign him permanently for €3.5m (£3m), although it remains to be seen whether or not they will take it up after an impressive year in the Pro League, where his 6.84 Sofascore rating made him the squad’s sixth-best performer.

The statistics in the above image show that the Welsh magician enjoyed a strong season out on loan as he made a big impact in the final third in the Pro League.

He also registered an assist against Poland in the UEFA Nations League this week as he showed that he can produce on the international stage, as well as at club level.

Meanwhile, Kent registered two goals and eight assists in the Premiership for Rangers this term, following on from 10 goals and nine assists in the campaign prior. He has proven himself in the Scottish top flight and shown that he can regularly contribute at the top end of the pitch, just like Matondo has for Cercle Brugge.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst can find his new English-born wing wizard by striking a deal with Schalke to bring the Wales international to Glasgow this summer.

AND in other news, Big blow: Behind-the-scenes Rangers development emerges that’ll frustrate GvB…

Bruno Lage’s first season in charge of Wolves looked rosy for such a long time but once the campaign was said and done in May, supporters will have been disappointed.

What’s the word?

That’s because they ultimately finished tenth in the Premier League table, missing the chance to qualify for European football.

A lack of goals can be attributed to that so it’s crucial the Old Gold act in the summer transfer window.

TEAMtalk have reported that Blackburn Rovers forward Ben Brereton Diaz is a target for Lage and co but they face plenty of competition.

It’s thought the likes of Leeds and newly-promoted Nottingham Forest are keen on the player who was valued at around £30m in January.

Best signing since Neto

Last summer Lage made some valuable acquisitions to the squad with players like Jose Sa impressively greatly as Wolves conceded the fifth-fewest goals in the Premier League.

Sadly, the goals didn’t particularly flow in at either end if you attended Molineux this season.

That’s due to the fact that Raul Jimenez finished the campaign as the club’s top scorer with just six goals.

Granted he had just returned from a horrendous skull injury but it’s clear to see the Mexican isn’t the same potent threat he once was.

Neither was young forward Pedro Neto who struggled with his own injuries in 2021/22, registering just the two goal involvements in 13 matches and 463 minutes of top-flight action.

However, this is a player who in the previous campaign ended the term as Wolves’ player of the season after bagging five and claiming six assists.

A new player of his dynamic qualities being added to the squad would only benefit their struggles in goal and thus, Diaz could be their best signing since the aforementioned Neto.

Described as “extraordinary” by former Blackburn boss, Tony Mowbray, the Chile international was in devastating form for the Championship outfit in 2021/22.

He scored a whopping 22 times, proving that he’s got the talent and hustle to become a Premier League regular.

With a goal tally like that it’s hardly a surprise that he’s caught the imagination of the top-flight.

It also explains why he’d be the club’s best acquisition since Neto as Diaz would be arriving at a crucial time with goals dry and options limited.

Adama Traore will return to Wolves this season while Hwang’s temporary stay has been made permanent too but the pair only contributed to seven goals themselves.

As a result, both of them fail to offer the consistency that Lage needs right now so a more deadly threat simply has to be added to the squad. It’s time for Jeff Shi and co to act on their interest in Diaz.

AND in other news, Wolves can seal dream summer swoop in “special” £36m-rated gem, he’s better than Neto…

There is ‘lots of interest’ in Newcastle United youngster Elliot Anderson, according to The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder.

The lowdown

Anderson sealed a loan move from Newcastle to Bristol Rovers in the January transfer window.

He went on to play 21 League Two matches, scoring eight goals and providing five assists.

And the 19-year-old played a vital role as they dramatically secured promotion on the final day of the season by putting seven past Scunthorpe United.

Andersen scored one and set up two more to help Joey Barton’s side pip Northampton to third on goals scored.

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The latest

Ryder tweeted on Monday afternoon that Rovers are ‘eager to re-sign’ Anderson on a further loan.

He’s highly coveted with ‘lots of interest’ from elsewhere, but Barton has been ‘brilliant’ for his development so far, and that could be key.

In the attached story, he explains that Barton and Anderson have a great ‘rapport’ and that the player would be ‘assured’ of game time at Rovers.

They’re hoping that will be enough to see off competition from the Championship, but there’s also a chance that Eddie Howe will consider integrating him on Tyneside.

The verdict

Anderson’s loan move has been a resounding success, and Newcastle’s academy boss Steve Harper should be very satisfied.

The teenager has scored or assisted every 135 minutes from a midfield berth and been labelled the ‘stand-out player on the pitch’ by Barton, who regards him as a ‘huge talent’, while Gary Lineker was even stunned by his ‘amazing’ goal at the weekend.

But his strong performances do present the club with a dilemma.

Do they favour enquiries from the Championship in the belief that playing at a higher level will better prepare Anderson for the first team? Or do they keep him a lower-level environment where he’s already comfortable, and may be better-placed to thrive?

Howe may even decide that he’s most valuable as a squad player, though he might still be a year or two away from that kind of status.

In other news, read this insider’s key Jamaal Lascelles claim.  

Four years after a meteoric rise and fall, the young left-arm spinner has gathered experience on bowling, international cricket, and life

Daniel Brettig31-Dec-2017In the four-and-a-half years since his memorable Ashes debut at Trent Bridge, Ashton Agar has shed the boyish brown hair and gained plenty of experience about spin bowling, international cricket, and life.His recall to the Australian Test team as a second spin bowler in the squad for the SCG match – a tradition in itself – is far from the surprise that surrounded his selection ahead of Nathan Lyon in 2013, having toured India as an intern earlier in the year. That experience was an adrenaline rush for many, particularly when he put together a masterful 98 at No. 11 alongside Phillip Hughes.But it is now generally accepted that Agar needed more time to develop his skills as a bowler and a lower-order batsman, something that he has now gained over numerous years of struggle and improvement. “I don’t look back on that too much,” Agar said. They are great memories, but I’ve definitely moved forward since then and I feel like I’ve improved as a player.”I was a kid. I was 19… I’m certainly better for the experience. I’ve grown up a lot since then. Life experience and cricket experience. I’m still reasonably young, but the time is now, so I’m just going to give it a good crack.”Agar’s first state captain, Michael Hussey, has written about the whirlwind of Agar’s initial selection. “After just three first-class games, the Australian selectors invited him on a national team tour to India to be a net bowler and gain experience from being around the team,” Hussey wrote in . “It sounded like the right thing to do, but the alarm bells went off for me immediately. I knew he would bowl really well, I knew the selectors had doubts over Nathan Lyon, despite investing eighteen months of hard work in him, and I had a sneaking suspicion they would see Ashton as the bolter who could fix everything.”Unsurprisingly, Ashton turned heads while with the team in India. I remember getting a message from the assistant coach Steve Rixon saying, ‘How good is this Ashton Agar? I think he should play the first Test in India.’ I thought to myself, ‘No way! Please don’t make this mistake!’ Ashton was nowhere near ready. In my opinion he needed three or four seasons of first-class cricket to learn and grow and have some idea of what he would be in for if he was to play Test cricket.”The selectors did not pick Ashton to play in India but he was thrown into the side for the first Ashes Test not long afterwards. I felt it was a huge mistake. Like in India, playing in the Ashes is akin to being in a cauldron. There are a multitude of distractions. There is so much hype and expectation. There are functions to go to, people to meet and huge interest from the media. There was no way this young fella could have been ready for that. For him to come out and score runs in his first match was a great achievement but it also created a perfect storm.”Hussey then watched as Agar slipped from public view and wrestled with his youth and his game. “For some time after the Ashes, Ashton was on a high while the public raved and the media loved him. But the wickets began to dry up,” Hussey wrote. “The harder he tried, the worse he performed. He became frustrated and had too little experience to draw from to help him to change course. Eventually, he got suspended in a match for showing dissent to an umpire.Ashton Agar celebrates his first wicket in Test cricket•Getty Images”Ashton went from Ashes superstar to possible has-been in an alarmingly short time. In my opinion the whole episode was very poorly handled. The duty of care to this young Australian cricketer was pretty much ignored. If everyone associated with making the decision to pick Ashton had just been patient and let him develop, he would have held on to his youthful zeal, grown gradually in confidence, expanded his knowledge and been much better off in the long run.”He could have made the regular mistakes that young guys do and worked his way through them away from the spotlight. He should have been given space to learn about bowling, learn about life and enjoy the maturing process. I believe Ashton will come through this chastening experience and become a fantastic player. But I worry it will happen a lot later than it otherwise would have.”At 24, Agar is now in the position where the selectors wish to employ him as often as conditions will allow, the better to help him grow into the sort of spin bowler Australia will need for future Asian assignments such as facing Pakistan in the UAE in 2019, before facing India once more in 2021. At the same time, he has worked to better groove his bowling action, evidence of which was seen in Bangladesh earlier this year. Other spin bowlers, such as Jon Holland, Steve O’Keefe and Mitchell Swepson, have also emerged, but there is no question about the preference for Agar in the minds of the selectors.”We’ve worked on my action a little bit a few years ago. Its just been a lot of bowling and self-confidence,” Agar said. “All you’ve got is yourself out there and it’s certainly grown. It’s more just understanding my basics and how to consistently bowl my best ball – which is what you have to do in Test cricket.”You have to consistently hit that length and challenge the batter’s forward defence, so that’s what I’ve worked on. I feel better coming into a Test match now. It doesn’t feel too fresh or too out of the blue. Playing the one-dayers in India was a pretty whirlwind experience. So I certainly feel a lot better walking out onto the SCG now.”Lyon, of course, has made enormous strides in that time too. Four years after Agar unseated the older Lyon, the pair may now finally play an Ashes match in tandem.

After Faf du Plessis chose to bat in cloudy conditions, several batsmen punched their way to starts but none pressed on, leaving South Africa needing a counterpunch

Firdose Moonda in Durban19-Aug-20161:17

Moonda: South Africa threw punches, but they didn’t land

South Africa promised to throw the first punch as part of the new approach to Test cricket and they did. But they didn’t land nearly as many as would they have wanted as they staggered through the first day of their first Test in seven months sans a major contribution from anyone in the line-up.It may have been a little easier for South Africa to stomach where they sit now had New Zealand’s attack been a little more aggressive. Although Trent Boult’s bowled two threatening spells, Tim Southee found movement and Neil Wagner got his short ball going, New Zealand were not a constant threat. In their attempts to assert themselves, South Africa brought on their own demise to some extent and will have to find other ways of being forceful upfront.With an overhead cloud, warm air and two of the best swing bowlers on the circuit, Southee and Boult, to face, Faf du Plessis made his first statement of intent when he chose to bat. Conventional wisdom still favours putting runs on the board before allowing the opposition to, but with South Africa, by their own admission scarred from last summer and specifically their tour of India in which only AB de Villiers – not playing this series because of injury – crossed the fifty mark, it was a brave decision.The first ball drew the immediate gasps of the few hundred people in the ground when it seemed to swing violently. Stephen Cook looked to play to square leg but his outside edge ended up bobbling through gully. But the ball had not danced around a corner, Cook was just early on the shot. That’s not to say there was no movement. Southee found enough to keep the openers watchful but it was Trent Boult who properly challenged them, with deliveries that moved late.Picture a puppy whose owner teases him by pretending to throw a ball. The puppy cranes his neck, even begins to run after the imaginary object, only to find that the ball is still in the man’s hand. Dean Elgar was that puppy. Sometimes he played too late, others times he was beaten and he never looked entirely comfortable.Much like Graeme Smith used to, Elgar survived through will rather than technique, which only made the way he got out look worse. He allowed Doug Bracewell to tempt him into the drive twice in the over. When Bracewell did it a third time, Elgar bit again and nicked a catch to second slip.Hashim Amla’s response to the loss of the two openers was to send the ball to the boundary seven times in the next five overs but it’s not as though New Zealand weren’t asking for it. Southee had offered several spank-me deliveries, often after he had strung together some better ones, and Amla spanked. Overpitched? Four. Short and wide? Four. Bracewell? Four. Four. Four.Who was this man and what had he done with the Amla who averaged less than 19 at the ground that was his home for more than a decade before he chose the Cape Town-based Cobras as his domestic team? He was a man making a statement. So was the person who decided to send in JP Duminy at No. 4, perhaps to keep the left-right hand combination going, but also to allow a man who is experienced enough to be taking more responsibility. Duminy squandered the chance.JP Duminy has failed to pass fifty in 10 completed innings dating back to August 2014•Associated PressAlthough he looked better than he did through all of last summer, especially on the front foot, his first sign of uncertainty came when he swept in the penultimate over before lunch. A short leg was in place for that exact shot and Duminy almost played the ball into his hands. It was hardly surprising then, that Duminy fell into another trap after the break when a fine leg was waiting for a mistimed pull and, on cue, Duminy top-edged Wagner straight to the man. His shot selection would come into discussion about his future in the Test side.Duminy has now failed to pass fifty in 10 completed innings dating back to August 2014 in Zimbabwe but whether South Africa have the depth to replace him still needs to be examined. For now, Temba Bavuma has shown he can hold his own. He began in the same aggressive vein as Amla but then followed du Plessis’ lead and shut shop mid-way through the second session.In 14 overs before tea, South Africa eked out just 15 runs but not because New Zealand forced that on them. The bowling was not particularly miserly, Kane Williamson had spread the field and the scoreboard needed runs. Du Plessis and Bavuma showed they had perfected the leave and the block, which may come in handy on another day, but only served to stall a decent start on this one.When du Plessis’ innings was ended by a headline-grabber of a catch from his opposite number, he had spent an hour and 53 minutes at the crease and faced 84 balls and all he had to show for it was a demonstration of why an overly defensive approach does not always work. In this situation, the reality was that if the watchfulness did not turn into something worthwhile, it would be in danger of being a wasted effort. So it was.Quinton de Kock was never in danger of doing that. He top-edged the first ball he faced and not even the realisation that he only got away because the fielder was too square to take the catch could force him into a more conservative style of play. De Kock took advantage of a New Zealand attack that went searching with width, and played some of the shots of the day. A full-blooded drive to long-on, a carve through the covers and then two charges to drill the ball over mid-off and through midwicket off Mitchell Santner. Like Elgar, de Kock went one strike too many. The third time he ran down the pitch to Santner, he did not get the contact he wanted and skied the ball to mid-off to end an innings that could have gone on to better Amla’s.So, South Africa find themselves on the ropes again, a position they are used to fighting back from. In pre-match build-up, du Plessis even went as far as to say there was a stage when South Africa were the only team around who were willing to take the time to dig themselves out of holes. They did not want to have to call on that skill but they have left themselves no choice. If things are to go their way in the rest of this Test match, they will have to counterpunch.