All posts by h716a5.icu

Carl Hooper, the former West Indies batsman, has been appointed batting coach at the Sagicor High Performance Center in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2011Carl Hooper, the former West Indies batsman, has been appointed batting coach at the Sagicor High Performance Center in Barbados. Hooper, who scored 11,523 international runs in 102 Tests and 227 one-day internationals for West Indies will move to Barbados from Australia, where he has lived since retiring in 2004.He has been appointed for the ongoing semester and will work with the centre’s head coach Andre Coley, the former Jamaica wicketkeeper. Hooper’s appointment comes after another former West Indies batsman, Desmond Haynes, agreed to be batting consultant to the national side for the ongoing series against Pakistan, as the WICB makes efforts to involved more ex-players in the development of cricket in the Caribbean.

Australia’s 1-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, completed with a draw at the SSC in Colombo, was one of Michael Clarke’s proudest days

Daniel Brettig at the SSC20-Sep-2011Australia’s 1-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, completed with a draw at the SSC in Colombo, was one of Michael Clarke’s proudest days. Not only did he lead his team to success at the first time of asking across three Tests in unfamiliar conditions against a higher-ranked opponent, but Clarke also made the series safe with a telling contribution.There were equal parts of personal and team satisfaction as Clarke reflected on a tour during which Australia also won the ODI series 3-2. Of particular importance for Australian cricket was the emergence of a young group including Shaun Marsh, Nathan Lyon and Trent Copeland, who all debuted and contributed. Add to that the runs of Phillip Hughes, and there was plenty of progress made.”It’s as special a day as I’ve had, no doubt,” Clarke said. “We put in a lot of work to come on this tour and perform well. I know seven years ago Ricky [Ponting], in his first Test series as captain, won here so it’s certainly very special.”The way the boys played, the way [Michael] Hussey played, he had an amazing series. I was so stoked for Hughesy, Copes, Lyon and young Shaun Marsh. Everyone has contributed and that’s the most pleasing thing.”To get those three figures is a great feeling because it has taken such a long time. Throughout my career there’s been plenty of ups and downs but of late, in Test cricket, there’s probably been more downs than ups. My statistics have not been as I would’ve liked. I had a horrible Ashes series, as I’ve made very clear, and to be able to help this team win this series by making some runs today is very special.”The tourists still had plenty to do at the start of the final day, and scrounging out a draw has not been an Australian trait since the days of Allan Border.”The start of the day was pretty tough,” Clarke said. “I said to the boys, when they ran their first drinks out, that was as tough a 20 runs as I’ve scored in my career. Things got a little bit easier from there. Batting with Huss [Man of the Series, Michael Hussey] makes a big difference. He’s in some great nick and allowed me to play my way.”I was still trying to play positively, if we could get the runs quickly enough to try and set up a bit of a game. But as the day unfolded the wicket was very good to bat on, there was a little bit of spin and reverse swing but it was still a very good batting wicket.”I’m stoked to have made a hundred. It’s been way too long. It’s about time I guess but it’s very satisfying and a great feeling to have scored it under those circumstances.”Central to Clarke’s effort on the final day was a calculated attack on the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who ultimately had figures of 7 for 157. He could have spun Sri Lanka to a realistic last-day target had Clarke not shown courage in dancing down the wicket to deliveries that spun and bounced out of the rough.”It got me out in the end, didn’t it? I’ve always said that about spin. I feel I try to play as positively as I can against spin, and probably more positive once the ball’s spinning,” Clarke said. “But I get out a lot to spin as well, there’s obviously risk there. Fortunately, today I had a little bit of luck.”I hit some balls out of the middle, a couple of balls I don’t know how they missed the stumps and went between my legs. I was pleased I had the courage, like Hughesy yesterday, to be able to go and play my way. There’s always a risk, when the ball’s spinning away and you’re going down the wicket, there’s always a risk of missing it.”I think he’s [Herath] bowled really well throughout the series, he got seven today. He’s a wonderful bowler and I was just fortunate it was my day today.”

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has said the balance between the two sides is “probably even”, with both in a state of transition, although South Africa’s appears to have progressed further

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg16-Nov-2011Two hours of careless shot selection cost Australia the Newlands Test and a chance to set up a series win, but it may not serve as an accurate indication for how they match up against South Africa in the second game at the Wanderers.Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has said the balance between the two sides is “probably even”, with both in a state of transition, although South Africa’s appears to have progressed further. The real difference between the two sides may lie in the experience of their new players.”We’ve got certain areas that have been more consistent over a period of time but we’ve also got some new faces,” Smith said.South Africa’s two debutants, Imran Tahir and Vernon Philander, have played over 200 first-class matches between them. Australia’s young bowlers, Patrick Cummins and Trent Copeland have not even played 30. South Africa’s top six have each played a minimum of 36 Tests. Two of Australia’s, Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja, have not yet played 20 Tests between them.Smith said the value of years in the first-class game is sometimes unimportant but, when it does play a role, it can be crucial.”You get guys that come in at 21 or 22 and are able to handle it and perform well from the start. It depends on the make- up of the person and what they’ve been exposed to, in terms of their cricket,” Smith said. “Vern took a bit of time to regroup after the first time he was picked. He is probably a much stronger personality now than he was then.”With Patrick Cummins likely to become Australia’s second-youngest debutant in their Test history, Smith said it’s an exciting time for the 18-year old, but could turn into a tough one.”He’s got a lot of potential” Smith said. “But if things don’t go well he probably doesn’t have a lot to fall back on in terms of experience and know where to go from there. That’s the challenge of a youngster, when you are under pressure, where do you go from there?”Philander, whose performances in the last two seasons of first-class cricket made him an automatic choice for the starting XI, showed that he had a Plan B. When he tried to bounce Ricky Ponting, and was promptly dispatched, he immediately switched to a fuller length. That probably led to Smith handing Philander the new-ball and opting away from the Steyn-Morkel combination that became known as the most feared in Test cricket. South Africa now have the luxury of choice, with three frontline seamers who can open the bowling, and Smith said he will use them according to what the circumstances dictate.”The new ball was not taken away from Morne, it was more a tactical decision in how I felt the wicket was going to play. I thought Vernon would get the most benefit out of the new ball in terms of the style that he has,” Smith said. “Morne was really good in the second innings. He opened up that middle order for us in knocking over Michael Hussey. The competition amongst them is really good.”Morkel, Philander, Steyn and Tahir were four of the eight players who attended the optional net session on Wednesday, with the batsmen who did not get much time in the middle, like Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher and Jacques Rudolph also in attendance.”There was a real focus and a really good intensity,” Smith said. “We have to build on the things we did well. On day two and three [of the Newlands Test] our cricket really improved from what it was on day one. We were consistent in the areas we wanted to control. The areas that we hit and the pressure we created was far better than in the first innings.”A win at the Wanderers will see South Africa achieve something they have not managed to do since readmission – beat Australia in a series at home. Bowling coach Allan Donald described it as “the pinnacle,” and the start of what he hopes will be South Africa’s ascendency to Test dominance. Smith said South Africa are not looking too far ahead and although they will relish victory, it will be not be what defines their summer.”A lot of the players have won a series in Australia so for us, I wouldn’t say it’s the pinnacle but it’s something we really want to achieve,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest thing in our lives. Allan endured tough times touring Australia and playing Australia in their prime and obviously it means a lot to him. If we can provide him with that series victory that will be great.”An eight-wicket victory in less than two-and-a-half days usually suggests that the gulf between two teams is as wide as it is deep, but cricket is a sport where scorecards are not the best storytellers. This series could end by revealing that in terms of cricketing talent, team make-up, big-match temperament and closing out a game, there is little to choose between South Africa and Australia.

Ross Taylor has denied that his side were complacent in the final game of the three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan in which the hosts were routed by 103 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2010Ross Taylor, the stand-in New Zealand captain, has denied that his side were complacent in the final game of the three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan in which they were routed by 103 runs, the largest winning margin in contests between Test nations. New Zealand had already sealed the series after winning the first two games comfortably.”We wanted to win the series 3-0 after what’s happened over the last few months,” Taylor said, “and it’s disappointing to put out a performance like that in front of a pretty good crowd.”Chasing 184, New Zealand were bowled out for 80 in 15.5 overs, and at one stage were 3 for 4 with their top four batsmen – Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie and Taylor – all dismissed for ducks. “It’s a very disappointing way to end the series … when your four top batsmen get out for nothing it’s pretty tough chasing a total.”Taylor credited Pakistan’s bowlers for defending a target that he was confident his team would have been able to chase down. “The pitch changed a little bit but the way Abdul Razzaq and [Shahid] Afridi bowled was just outstanding,” he said. Afridi, the Pakistan captain, had career-best figures of 4 for 14 in 2.5 overs, and became the first player to reach the milestone of 50 Twenty20 wickets. He extended the New Zealand slide that began when Razzaq picked up three wickets with the new ball, while conceding just 13 runs in his four overs.Afridi said the win would come as boost to the Pakistan team that has struggled for consistency in recent times amid the spot-fixing allegations that have rocked the team. “This is the talent of Pakistan but we should be consistent,” Afridi said. “We’re trying to make a team combination before the World Cup (in February). I know we lost the series but this was a big win for us to keep our morale high.”The teams next play two Tests, the first of which begins on January 7. Taylor was hopeful that his team would be able to bounce back from what was a disappointing end to the Twenty20 series, after the initial optimism following John Wright’s appointment as national coach and their victory in the first two games.”The Test’s not far away, and it’s a bit disappointing to lose the momentum we had,” he said. “But the Test series is something where we did quite well in India, and hopefully we can improve on that back here in New Zealand.”

Australia’s cricketers have become free agents in Twenty20 and can begin signing up with the new Big Bash League franchises

Brydon Coverdale07-Jun-2011Australia’s cricketers have become free agents in Twenty20 and can begin signing up with the new Big Bash League franchises. Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) have signed off on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), despite shelving negotiations over the distribution of private investment money that could come in for the newly-formed city-based Twenty20 sides.The one-year extension to the existing MOU means that the players and administrators have a little extra time to come to an agreement over private investment, if and when backers begin to jump on board with the Melbourne and Sydney sides. The ACA chief executive Paul Marsh said that if private money came in before this summer’s inaugural Big Bash League, the players could still win a piece of the pie.”We have no idea what value if anything is going to come from the private investment money that may come in to these franchises,” Marsh said. “Until we get some certainty around that I don’t think it would have been a smart decision for us to lock in for more than one year. Next year, if we can get some certainty around that we may lock in for a longer term.”One thing we’ve negotiated into this deal is a clause that if and when that does happen, then we’ll sit down with CA and seek to negotiate an outcome. It would be fair to say we’re a fair way apart on that particular issue, so there’ll be some pretty robust discussions on that if and when that time comes.”James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, said the decision to side-step private investment had been necessary to keep the Australian game from grinding to an industrial halt.”Both parties have agreed it’s not an issue today,” he said. “It may be an issue in the future and if it is an issue in the future then we will in good faith sit down with each other and talk that through. In some ways perhaps ideally it would be great to be sitting here today and say we’ve locked that down and got some agreement on that.”But it’s a common sense, pragmatic approach to the situation, we want the show to keep moving on and we want to be absolutely focused in giving players the security around their future as much as possible.”The ACA has already had one major victory in the Big Bash League, with Cricket Australia agreeing to free agency as the method of recruitment. With eight teams in the new competition, which begins in December, existing state contracts will bear no relevance to who plays where, so a die-hard Victorian like Brad Hodge could end up playing for Hobart, or Adelaide, or Brisbane.Cricket Australia’s original preference had been for all players to enter a draft, which could have meant a widespread scattering of cricketers to unfamiliar parts of the country. But under the free-agency model, every player will be able to negotiate his own deal with a team of his choice, which Marsh said was a significant win for the players.”One of the great outcomes for us around the Big Bash is we fought very hard to get a player allocation model of free agency,” he said. “That means players can negotiate with the teams of their choice and agree to terms, the value of their choice. We fought hard for that and we’ve got to a point now where we have an unrestricted free-agency model, which is pretty rare in world sport.”It’s a big change from what we’ve traditionally had. We’ve come to some very good solutions here. It’s going to be a change and the players are going to have to get used to having two different contracts, two different employers. It is more complex. But in time we’ll get used to it and it will become the norm.”The ACA and Cricket Australia had struggled to reach common ground on the MOU for several months, with the private investment issue and a distribution of funds from a proposed redevelopment of the WACA the two key sticking points. In the end, those two issues were put aside so planning for the Big Bash League could stay on track, and the players will retain their share of 26% of Australian cricket revenue.”Australian cricket has one of its biggest summers ever coming up in terms of both fan appeal but also in terms of revenue coming into the game,” Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said. “The launch of the Big Bash League is important to us and to the ACA because of its long-term value in helping cricket recruit young people to become cricket fans; and the international programme we hope to announce later this week will offer current and new fans a big year of international cricket.”Recognising this, CA and the ACA have agreed to defer a number of outstanding issues until next year to ensure we can all get on with planning a big summer that will be important to fans and to players alike.”One thing they did agree on was a reduction in the number of state contracts, with each side having 14 to 18 spots available, down from the existing range of 16 to 20. Base contract levels will also dip slightly, but players shouldn’t be short-changed thanks to the promise of extra money from their new Twenty20 deals.The Big Bash League sides will have to work under a salary cap, but there will be no maximum contract figure for an individual player. Sides will be able to sign up to two overseas players in a squad of 18.

L Balaji produced some magic, Shakib Al Hasan had a double strike and the fielders hustled as Kolkata Knight Riders routed Rajasthan by eight wickets

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera17-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsL Balaji’s dismissal of Shane Watson was the beginning of the end for Rajasthan•Associated Press (Balaji, walk a little slowly) was the cry in 2004 when L Balaji charmed the Pakistan public with his skill and smile. Seven years later, post a career-threatening back problem, both the traits were visible tonight and Eden Gardens lapped it up in delight as a Balaji-inspired Kolkata Knight Riders routed Rajasthan Royals on a slow pitch.Balaji produced a magical delivery to knock out the dangerous Shane Watson in his first spell before he returned to torpedo the lower order. The delivery that took out Watson was one of the best, if not the best, delivery bowled by a seamer this IPL. It landed on the good length around the middle stump line and jagged away sharply past the waft to hit the top of the off stump. Balaji screamed, his team-mates were delirious, and the crowd roared; everyone knew the importance of Watson’s dismissal, accentuated even more by the absence of Rahul Dravid and Johan Botha in the line-up. He later returned to remove Ajinkya Rahane with an incutter and had Ashok Menaria upper cutting to thirdman.Buoyed by Balaji’s feat, a charged-up Kolkata applied the squeeze with discipline in bowling and desperation in the field. Iqbal Abdulla produced two sparkling moments: he first got one to dip and turn to leave Amit Paunikar stranded out of the crease before he produced a stunning effort in the field. He charged across and dived to stop a push-drive at short mid-on region off his own bowling and was shaping to throw at the striker’s end when he realised that damage had to be done at the other end. He switched his arm at the very last instant to fire down a direct hit to run out Faiz Fazal.The wicketkeeper Manvinder Bisla got in the act next to play his part in removing Ross Taylor in the 11th over. Taylor had overbalanced out of his crease, trying to flick a wide delivery down the leg side but Bisla reacted quickly to whip off the bails.It was then the turn of Shakib Al Hasan to leave his imprint on the game. He reacted quickly at midwicket to fire an accurate throw at the striker’s end to run out Abhishek Raut. Later, after Balaji had taken out Rahane and Menaria, Shakib took wickets off successive deliveries in the 15th over to hasten the end. Two arm-balls, with varying pace, took out Amit Singh and Shaun Tait for ducks, before Brett Lee rearranged Siddharth Trivedi’s stumps to give Kolkata a perfect finish.The chase wasn’t a stroll, though. Jacques Kallis fell for a second-ball duck, top edging a lifter from Shaun Tait, and Manvinder Bisla fell to Shane Warne after a scratchy knock. Gautam Gambhir, however, stayed till the end to finish the job.

Wayne Parnell, the South Africa left-arm fast bowler, has signed up with Sussex as their overseas player for the second half of the 2011 English domestic season

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2011Wayne Parnell, the South Africa left-arm fast bowler, has signed up with Sussex as their overseas player for the second half of the 2011 English domestic season. Subject to clearance from Cricket South Africa, Parnell, who is part of South Africa’s 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup, will take over from Pakistan bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan who will be with Sussex until the end of June.Parnell, 21, made his international debut at the age of 19, has played three Tests, 18 ODIs and 11 Twenty20 internationals. He averages 30.35 in ODIs for 31 wickets, including two five-fors, and 20.50 for 14 wickets in the T20 format. He’s also shown ability with the bat lower down the order.”I must be honest and say that I’m very excited about the prospects of playing for Sussex,” Parnell was quoted as saying in a release. “I believe it will be a great learning curve and I will definitely gain more experience playing alongside some seasoned professionals as well as international cricketers. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of winning trophies for Sussex”.Sussex’s professional cricket manager Mark Robinson said: “We are delighted that one of South Africa’s brightest talents has joined us. He will give us not only a wicket-taking threat, but the potential for valuable runs.”

Five English cricketers were named in the ICC’s Test team of the year, reflecting England’s rise to the No. 1 spot

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2011Five English cricketers were named in the ICC’s Test team of the year, reflecting England’s rise to the No. 1 spot, achieved during their 4-0 whitewash of India earlier this month. Two batsmen, Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott, and three bowlers, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and James Anderson, made the XI, but there was no place for Ian Bell despite his averaging 89.50 and making four hundreds during the qualifying period from August 11, 2010 to August 3, 2011.Dale Steyn, the South Africa fast bowler, made the team for the fourth straight year, while Sachin Tendulkar was named to the team for the third consecutive year. Three South Africa batsmen, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis, plus Kumar Sangakkara, the former Sri Lanka captain, made up the rest of the XI, while India fast bowler Zaheer Khan was named 12th man. Sangakkara was named captain and wicketkeeper, though he no longer performs either role for Sri Lanka in Tests.”While selecting the squad, the selectors didn’t rely only on statistics only, but took into account all other factors like the opposition, pitch conditions, match situation etc,” Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain and chairman of the ICC Awards selection panel, said in a release. “But when you have only 12 places to fill from a big group of world-class players, there will always be a few who will miss out. In the panel’s expert opinion, it has selected the best team based on performances over the past 12 months.”The ICC also released the short-list for its annual awards and Tendulkar will have a chance to repeat as Cricketer of the Year award but will have to fend off challenges from Amla, and the England pair of Cook and Trott to do so. Tendulkar wasn’t quite as prolific as last year, but still managed to score 973 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 64.86 and 513 runs from 11 ODIs at an average of 46.63.Cook and Trott were also short-listed for the Test Player of the Year award alongside their team-mate Anderson, with Kallis the other nominee. Cook was in particularly inspired form in Tests, making 1302 runs from 12 games at an average of 76.58 with six centuries and four half-centuries. Trott was almost as good, accumulating 1042 runs from 12 Tests at an average of 65.12 with four centuries and three half-centuries. Anderson meanwhile was a handful with the ball, picking up 50 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 25.48 and a strike-rate of 54.00.Amla was nominated for the ODI Player of the Year award as well, along with Kumar Sangakkara, Australia allrounder Shane Watson and India opener Gautam Gambhir. Watson continued to excel in the 50-over game, making 955 runs in 19 matches at an average of 59.68 and a strike-rate of 111.17, while also chipping in with 15 wickets.New Zealand’s Tim Southee’s five-wicket haul against Pakistan was up for the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year, alongside England’s Tim Bresnan, Watson and South Africa batsman JP Duminy.Test team of the year: (in batting order) Alastair Cook, Hashim Amla, Jonathan Trott, Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Dale Steyn, James Anderson, Zaheer Khan (12th man)The short-listsCricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla, Alastair Cook, Sachin Tendulkar, Jonathan Trott
Test Player of the Year: James Anderson, Alastair Cook, Jacques Kallis, Jonathan Trott
ODI Player of the Year: Hashim Amla, Gautam Gambhir, Kumar Sangakkara, Shane Watson
Emerging Player of the Year: Azhar Ali, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate, Hamid Hassan, Kevin O’Brien, Paul StirlingTwenty20 International Performance of the Year: Tim Bresnan 3-10 v Pakistan, JP Duminy 96* v Zimbabwe, Tim Southee 5-18 v Pakistan, Shane Watson 59 v EnglandWomen’s Cricketer of the Year: Charlotte Edwards (England), Lydia Greenway (England), Shelley Nitschke (Australia), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)Umpire of the Year: Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Ian Gould, Simon TaufelSpirit of Cricket: MS Dhoni for his recall of Ian Bell during the second Test match between England and India at Trent Bridge, July/August 2011, and Jacques Kallis for walking twice during the World Cup 2011 after clarifying with the opposition fielder if they had caught the ball cleanly
People’s Choice Award: Hashim Amla, MS Dhoni, Chris Gayle, Kumar Sangakkara, Jonathan Trott
Members of the voting academyFormer players: Andy Bichel, Naimur Rahman, Aamir Sohail, Pat Symcox, Nasser Hussein, Russel Arnold, Robin Singh, Shane Bond, Grant Flower, Desmond Haynes, and John Davison (Associate Representative Cricketer)Media: Greg Buckle (Australia), Abdul Majid Bhatti (Pakistan), Azad Majumdar (Bangladesh), Kevin McCallum (South Africa), Stephen Brenkley (England), Chris Dhambarage (Sri Lanka), Ayaz Memon (India), Tony Becca (West Indies), Bryan Waddle (New Zealand), John Ward (Zimbabwe) and KR Nayer (Associate Representative) Elite panel of ICC referees representative: Chris BroadElite panel of ICC umpires representative: Aleem DarChairman of ICC cricket committee: Clive Lloyd

Callum Ferguson has been starved of cricket over the past month but he cashed in with a swift century as South Australia finished the second day at 7 for 405

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2010
ScorecardCallum Ferguson scored a century in his opening first-class game after knee surgery last year•Getty ImagesCallum Ferguson has been starved of cricket over the past month but he cashed in with a swift century as South Australia finished the second day at 7 for 405 against Western Australia. After only 4.1 overs were allowed on the first day, Ferguson showed he was back in excellent nick in his opening first-class game since knee surgery last year.Aiden Blizzard also played a significant part as he brought up his first hundred in his second Sheffield Shield match for the Redbacks. After making 96 on debut, he backed up with 108 not out, hitting 12 fours and three sixes, including one to the legside which moved him to 95.Ferguson, who didn’t play during Australia’s one-day tour of India, breezed to 129 from 143 deliveries to set up South Australia’s bid to get some points over the next couple of days. He put on 176 with Michael Klinger (86) for the third wicket after Daniel Harris became Michael Hogan’s second wicket. Once Ferguson departed lbw, having been hit trying to sweep the spinner Michael Beer, Blizzard took over until bad light and rain ended the day.Mitchell Johnson has been on Western Australia’s books for two years but this is his first match for the Warriors as he prepares for the Sri Lanka ODIs and the Ashes. He struggled for much of the day and had 0 for 96 before he picked up Graham Manou, who left a ball coming back to be lbw. Daniel Christian then hit Johnson to backward point and he finished with 2 for 108 off 24 overs.

Tottenham Hotspur may have just edged closer to the signing of West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper and soon-to-be free agent Sam Johnstone, according to a Football Insider ‘source’.

The Lowdown: Spurs in pole position…

The Lilywhites, as per reliable reports, are the current favourites to snap up Johnstone on a Bosman transfer when his current deal expires at the end of 2021/2022.

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The Times and reliable football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold both suggest that Tottenham are in pole position for the 29-year-old who has also attracted interest from the likes of West Ham and Southampton in past months.

Antonio Conte is reportedly chasing the possible signing of a reserve goalkeeper who can provide sufficient back-up to number one Hugo Lloris, with Johnstone a real target (The Telegraph).

Now, as per FI, a major update has come to light this week.

The Latest: Johnstone wants to join…

According to a ‘source’, speaking to the outlet, Johnstone has now told friends he wants to join Tottenham – informing his inner circle that he desires a north London move.

This is despite the fact he would initially be an understudy to Lloris, a fact he’s comfortable with, mainly due to the belief he could eventually succeed Tottenham’s long-standing number one.

FI go on to add that Johnstone’s availability appeals to both Conte and Paratici.

The Verdict: Conte edges closer…

It appears, going by this latest update, Tottenham’s head coach has just edged closer to sealing one of his summer transfer demands.

Able to negotiate freely with clubs upon the expiry of his West Brom contract, the player’s green-light is seemingly the only obstacle to move past to seal a move.

As the 29-year-old becomes keen to join Conte and Spurs, it appears the Lilywhites have been given an almighty boost in pursuit of a player who pundit Paddy Kenny described as a would-be ‘top signing’ for them.

In other news: ‘That’s for sure’ – Sky Sports reporter backs big  transfer news out of Tottenham, find out more here.