Newcastle United are exuding confidence and swagger in abundance at present but must ensure that the newfound cohesion is fortified by an iron-clad underbelly.

Since the £300m PIF takeover, the Magpies have completed a score of signings and have swiftly asserted themselves as one of the Premier League's most captivating high-fliers, perched in third place with just four matches to play.

Liverpool, in fifth, are three points behind and have contested an additional fixture, and a glorious return to the Champions League after 20 years away could alight St. James's Park in sparkling glory.

Manager Eddie Howe has led his team to a remarkable resurgence and everything is falling sweetly into place in Newcastle, with throngs of promising talents pushing for a place in the 45-year-old's plans to coincide with the first team's emphatic exploits.

The crème de la crème, perhaps, is exuberant midfield prodigy Lewis Miley, who will be pushing to make an appearance in some form next season despite his tender age.

Who is Lewis Miley?

Having flourished during his formative years on Tyneside, the 17-year-old Miley signed his first professional contract with Newcastle, with academy director Steve Harper "delighted" to secure his signature and saying that "his hard work, attitude to learning, and training, as well as his technical ability, has got him to this point."

Since that momentous day for the teenager, he has partaken in a training session with the first team and looks set to increase his responsibility on the training front as Howe slowly nurtures him towards a position where he can compete for sporadic spots in match-day plans, perhaps starting with the early phases of domestic cup competition.

Hailed as a prospect with "bags of potential" by reporter Lee Ryder and lauded as "talented" by Miles Starforth, Miley has scored four goals and supplied six assists from 16 appearances at youth level – including seven direct contributions from nine Premier League 2 displays.

Furthermore, he has even featured as an unused substitute against Bournemouth for the seniors in the English top flight this term.

Already at this maiden stage, Miley has the look of an ell-encompassing and dynamic midfield option, with journalist Mark Carruthers describing him as "a powerful runner, good close control and can pick a pass."

The eight-cap England U17 international could even be said to bear a certain semblance to distinguished Magpies machine Bruno Guimaraes, who has been in scintillating form for his Premier League outfit since signing from Lyon for £40m in January 2022.

Having forged 53 showings for the Toon, the Brazilian has scored nine goals and served five assists and has been praised as "world-class" by teammate Dan Burn after his transformative effect on his side.

The £120k-per-week machine ranks among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for assists, the top 19% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for progressive passes and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, with a playing style that Miley can use as a faultless blueprint as he looks to mould his own game to ascend towards prominence.

The excitement surrounding youth players always comes with a layer of caution, with countless cases of precocity in the academy ranks falling flat when the time to grace the senior pitch arises, but there is a sense that Miley could evade this narrative.

If Howe invests time and effort into this midfield talent, there is no telling how high his ceiling could stretch, especially with a peer of 'world-class' stature in Guimaraes to nurture him to prominence.

Virat Kohli said India’s players had reached a stage where they could no longer be content with learning from every performance, but needed to start dominating Test matches regularly to become a better team

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Antigua25-Jul-20163:19

‘Probably the perfect finish’ – Kohli

Bat once, bat big, bowl the opposition out twice, and achieve all of this inside four days. In the first innings, the fast bowlers take eight out of ten wickets. In the second, the spinners take eight out of ten. India were expected to win, and keep winning, when they arrived in the West Indies, but they may not have expected to start the series with a win that ticked off every box to make up the perfect Test-match template.Virat Kohli, India’s captain, couldn’t have been more pleased with the manner in which his team went 1-0 up in the four-Test series. He said India’s players had reached a stage where they could no longer be content with learning from every performance, but needed to start dominating Test matches regularly.”If you look at it logically, that’s probably the perfect finish, which every team looks for,” he said. “The seamers usually dominate the first innings when you play away from home. The wicket tires out on day four and five. That’s when the spinners come into play. In the first innings, spinners are taking couple of the breakthrough wickets. In the second innings, fast bowlers are doing this for you and then the spinners will open it up again.”I think it was wonderful partnership bowling by all our bowlers in the two innings. And the batsmen as well. We have spoken about one thing, that we have the skill and ability to declare innings more often than not rather than struggling to get to 350 with our lower order. So that’s the kind of mindset we need to play with.”You know when you start off with five batsmen, obviously you need to take more responsibility. I think they are all good enough to do that. As I’ve said before, we are not at a stage now where we need to come and improve. We should be ready enough in international cricket to start dominating Test matches and win those crucial situations and sessions. That’s how we become a better team.”If you think we are going to keep learning every series, learning every game, we will never get that hunger and that mindset to win games from difficult situations. We need to challenge ourselves a little bit, which this team has been willing to do and which is a wonderful sign. The way we finished the Test, it all panned out pretty nicely.”R Ashwin was the standout Indian bowler on the fourth day, finishing with figures of 7 for 83 as West Indies’ second innings folded half an hour after tea. While Kohli hailed Ashwin’s bowling, he said Amit Mishra had also played an important role at the other end.”It was a very good effort from the bowlers [to spend two days on the field and bowl West Indies out twice],” he said. “The good thing was that we didn’t bowl that much in the first innings, so everyone’s mindset in the second innings was, yes, we can bowl again.”[It] becomes crucial to have bowlers who can get you those one or two wickets at the end. Their role becomes big. If you end up bowling 15-20 extra overs [in the first innings], this doubt comes into your mind whether you can start [bowling again] or not.”I think [the first innings] ended at a perfect time for us last evening, and then we got 13-14 overs and got a wicket again, so it was good to get some rest in the evening, and the bowlers’ attitude was very good, all of them voluntarily said, yes, we’ll bowl, and the spinners took the responsibility.”They knew the fast bowlers had done a lot of bowling in the first innings, so we’ll have to take that responsibility. Ashwin obviously bowled very well, and Mishra also bowled very well but didn’t get wickets. But both kept the pressure on, and we talk about partnership bowling – that was a classic example, that the spinners didn’t have to bowl that much in the first innings, but took the responsibility from the fast bowlers in the second innings, and did the job fully.”Kohli also felt the team needed to avoid losing wickets close to breaks in play and try and bowl the lower order out quicker•AFP

When India came back after sealing the win, Kohli said Anil Kumble, their head coach, made “special mention” to players whose contributions may not have leaped out of the scorecard.”In the first innings, four wickets each to Umesh [Yadav] and [Mohammed] Shami, but the way Ishant [Sharma] bowled and Mishi picking up those two wickets in the end also played an important role,” Kohli said, when asked to elaborate on these contributions. “Otherwise you have to play the guys who have bowled a bulk of the bowling and tire them out more for those final two wickets.”There the guy who takes the wickets at the end finishes off the game and helps the other bowlers stay fresh. Someone like Ishant maintained the pressure, the run-rate did not go beyond two in the first innings. All those things count massively in the course of the game. This morning, Umesh getting one wicket for us, Ishant an important breakthrough last evening. These are the moments that don’t get much attention but they are very important to winning a Test match.”Despite the ease of the win, and the range of contributions, Kohli felt there were still areas India needed to improve in. One of these – which he had mentioned before the Test match as well – was to avoid losing wickets close to breaks in play.”I think [there are] a couple of areas with the bat we can improve on, especially not losing wickets close to the breaks,” he said. “I think we did that three times. [Cheteshwar] Pujara was one, Shikhar [Dhawan] was the other, just before tea [on the first day], and then myself soon after lunch on day two.”See, these are the things, which if we have enough runs on the board and start scoring quickly, you tend to ignore these things. But I have that it in my mind pretty strongly because every team will want to challenge you strongly and will want to dry those runs out. So you have to capitalise [on] those important moments so the team doesn’t lose that momentum and can start scoring runs again.”We’ve lost wickets in those moments previously. That’s one area I still think we need to tighten up a little bit more if we want to be in complete control of things in all the sessions that we play. We’ve done really well in this game, but that’s one area we have addressed before and we certainly want to improve on.”Another area in need of improvement, he said, was to try and bowl the lower order out quicker. West Indies raised their score from 144 for 7 to 243 in the first innings, and from 132 for 8 to 231 in the second.”That’s an area we need to address. It also happens that you take the top-order wickets quickly, so you become a little desperate to keep taking wickets, and forget the things that got you those initial wickets. It becomes very important that the fielders also stay relaxed, don’t get frustrated, and bowlers also don’t get frustrated.”It’s important that we still keep bowling in consistent areas. If you’re getting the pure batsmen out, you don’t need to do anything different to get the tailenders out. That’s one thing we’ll have to play out smartly in the remaining Test matches, so that we save our energy, and don’t end up bowling 8-10 extra overs, and if we get the tail out quickly, that’s a good habit as well, so obviously we’ll plan and see how we can do this. We’ll look to keep playing the same kind of cricket, and if we get the opportunity to win each match, we’ll try to win each match.”

ScorecardMatt Parkinson claimed five wickets on debut to propel Lancashire into a strong position•Simon Pendrigh

‘Mutare vel timere sperno’, as they rarely say in Horwich. And the Bolton School motto – ‘I scorn to change or to fear’ – carried a rich resonance on the third day of this game at Emirates Old Trafford.For it was one Old Boltonian, Matt Parkinson, who displayed unwavering accuracy as he took five wickets on debut to give his side an advantage; and it was another, Haseeb Hameed, who exhibited no fear as he sought to preserve that advantage with an unbeaten 81 against a strong Warwickshire fightback led by the Manchester-born seamer Keith Barker.By the close, Lancashire had extended their 45-run lead on first innings to 215 but they achieved that slight advantage only at the cost of five prime wickets. This quite marvellous game remains finely balanced going into the final day and perhaps it is only right that two 19-year-old cricketers have played important roles in the four-act drama.For although thousands of children did not reappear at Old Trafford on Wednesday, a childlike simplicity lingered on. It was best expressed at 12.35 when Parkinson turned the ball through a gap between Olly Hannon-Dalby’s bat and pad which was not so much a gate as a portico. That wicket completed the leg spinner’s first five-wicket return at a cost of 49 runs from 23.1 beautifully disciplined and skilful overs.The recent history of English cricket is strewn with the reputations of promising young leggies. Some are now specialist batsmen; others are selling VHS recorders. Leg spin can be a thankless calling. So let us murmur a quiet prayer as we say that Parkinson is one to watch. His accuracy, his economy and, more than anything else, his ability to turn the ball suggest he has a fine future.On Tuesday he removed Jonathan Trott and Varun Chopra. On Wednesday he had Barker, who made 64, caught by Neil Wagner at short fine leg when sweeping and he then mopped up the tail. Each wicket saw him embraced by his team mates and the members rose to him as he walked off into the distant dressing rooms at Old Trafford, still clutching the ball with which he had become only the second leg-spinner to take five wickets on Championship debut since the war. In less than a day Lancashire supporters have gone from: ‘Who’s this lad, Parkinson’ to ‘Parky’. If he takes more wickets in the second innings, there may be folk songs.But this game has been the finest entertainment because both Lancashire and Warwickshire have played excellent cricket, albeit spiced with occasional fallibility. Tim Ambrose’s undefeated 70 in the visitors’ first innings was a tribute to understated, professional efficiency and when Lancashire had progressed smoothly if slowly to 87 for the loss of Tom Smith, Ian Bell’s bowlers proved for the third time in this match that this is a wicket on which one wicket often brings four.In the third over after tea Luke Procter’s defensive push merely edged a catch to Chopra at slip. Four overs later, Alviro Petersen came down the wicket to the same bowler but only chipped a catch to Rikki Clarke at a slightly short cover. Croft, perhaps knackered by leadership, his first-innings century and over a hundred overs’ wicketkeeping, played a tired defensive shot to his first ball and nicked off to Ambrose. And when Patel had Karl Brown caught at the wicket for one just three balls later, Lancashire had lost three wickets in five balls and four batsmen had been swept aside for 17 runs in five overs.Hameed watched all this from the other end with no doubt increasing concern yet his technique remained quite unaltered. At its most serene the Lancashire opener’s batting is as calming as a Chopin nocturne, as reassuring as the late-night shipping forecast. There were boundaries in his innings, five of them, in fact, and not all of them behind the wicket. Pulled fours off Barker and Rankin provided evidence of attacking capability yet Hameed’s first instinct is, as yet, to make his wicket hard to take. ‘Something there is that doesn’t love a wall’ wrote Robert Frost. But then he never saw the great Rahul Dravid.And in the last 90 minutes of play Hameed was joined by Livingstone, whose lovely ability to hit the ball very hard made him a perfect foil for his partner. This pair added 66 in an unbroken stand that left Lancashire slightly ahead in this game, if only because they have the runs on the board. Livingstone’s 39 not out has already included cover-driven boundaries off Patel and a wondrous pick-up for six off Clarke which sailed deep into the crowd at long on.Hameed, for his part has batted 268 minutes, faced 223 balls and is 19 runs short of what will be the first of many hundreds. When he returned to the dressing room, he no doubt received the congratulations of Parkinson, the happy courtesy of earlier in the day equally happily returned.And perhaps it is not surprising that Parkinson and Hameed should join forces. This area has never been short of effective double acts: Jack Simmons and David Hughes, David Lloyd and Barry Wood, Minnie Caldwell and Martha Longhurst. And now they have Has ‘n’ Parky, appearing soon at a cricket ground near you.Some would counsel caution, of course. They would say that to be a young cricketer is to receive a crash course in life’s turbulence. They might echo the final words of another Boltonian, the grumpy and troubled Ezra Fitton in Roy Boulting’s 1966 film “That’s life, son. At your age it’ll make you laugh but one day it’ll break your bloody heart.”But no. It would be better for both Hameed and Parkinson to pay no attention whatever to the words of that rather miserable old bugger. For the moment, they live in the green world of debuts, new grounds and first experiences. But maybe we all do, if we would only open our eyes…and look.

Liverpool have deployed chiefs to assess Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha ahead of a potential summer move to Anfield, according to reports.

What's the latest on Palhinha to Liverpool?

The Reds are known to be in the market for a few new central-midfield additions during the upcoming window, with four players in that position set to be out of contract and therefore likely to be on their way out, and Palhinha has been identified as a possible candidate.

The Portugal international only arrived at Craven Cottage back in July, but has taken the Premier League by storm, as in his 31 appearances to date, has quickly become Marco Silva’s best-performing defensive player with a match rating of 6.99, as per WhoScored.

GiveMeSport reports that Jurgen Klopp had his eyes on the SW6 talisman even before he joined the Whites, so has clearly been a long-term admirer of his target, though a deal won’t be easy to complete with another four years still to run on his contract at Craven Cottage.

According to Football Insider, Liverpool have “sent scouts” to monitor Palhinha on several occasions as they weigh up making an official approach ahead of the 2023/24 term. The Merseyside outfit have a “strong relationship” with his agency, Gestifute, which is owned by Jorge Mendes – the same agent who also acts for Fabinho, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez. The Reds are hoping to bring in “multiple” midfielders at the end of the season as the boss plots a huge overhaul and the £50k-per-week talent is one of the names on his list of options.

Would Palhinha be a good signing for Liverpool?

Palhinha may not be as high-profile a player as the likes of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and Chelsea’s Mason Mount, who Liverpool have also been linked with, but the man dubbed an “artist” by journalist Josh Bunting, could be a fantastic acquisition at Anfield.

The 6 foot 3 ace is naturally a defensive midfielder, as displayed by him ranking in the 99th percentile for tackles – making 105 this season alone, winning 60 in total, which is higher than any of his fellow teammates, as per FBRef.

The Lisbon native is also capable of contributing to his side’s efforts in the final third having scored four goals since joining, with this form at both ends of the pitch. And perhaps more importantly, his influence on the Fulham team is stark.

Indeed, Fulham have lost every game he has not featured in this season, such is his impact in midfield. Therefore, whilst his price tag remains to be seen, we think there is enough evidence for FSG to splash the cash to secure his services later in the summer.

Leeds United have a "problem" with midfielder Weston McKennie at the moment, according to an update from journalist Dean Jones.

How is McKennie doing at Leeds?

The American made the move to Elland Road during the January transfer window, deciding to fight for a place as a standout star instead of staying put as a rotational player at Juventus. He was seen as an exciting signing at the time, given his pedigree and performances in the World Cup, but he hasn't necessarily been a success so far.

McKennie has made 15 Premier League appearances for Leeds, but he hasn't yet registered a single goal contribution for the Whites, not enjoying the influence in the middle of the park that many hoped for. He needs to up his game in the coming weeks, as the relegation battle reaches its conclusion.

There are numerous players not pulling their weight, with goals being conceded at an alarming rate game after game, but he has arguably been a standout poor performer.

Are Whites fans happy with McKennie?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said that McKennie has become something of a boo boy among Leeds fans, presenting an immediate problem upon Sam Allardyce's arrival:

"When things aren't going well, it seems like he's not really somebody that rises to the challenge and that's absolutely not what Leeds are going to settle for at the moment. I know a lot of the fans have got a problem with McKennie. Not personally, but as a player in the team at the moment. I think they'd rather he wasn't there."

In truth, this is a fair assessment of McKennie, with the 24-year-old someone who should be dragging Leeds through these must-win matches, instead of being ineffective in them. He arrived with the reputation of being a midfield battler, but that has been nowhere to be seen too often.

On this evidence, the Whites would be wise to steer clear of signing him permanently in the summer transfer window, and if they are relegated and he continues to play badly, he is a player who will forever be held in low regard by the fanbase. Now is the time for the 42-cap USA international to change their perception of him.

This is someone who is established footballer at both club and international level – he has made 96 appearances for one of Europe's biggest club in Juventus, which is no mean feat, and been hailed as "excellent" by journalist Adam Pope – but there has been nowhere near enough quality and influence on show.

Sophie Ecclestone, the uncapped Lancashire left-arm spinner, has been named in England Women’s 15-member squad for the three-match T20 series at home against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2016Sophie Ecclestone, the uncapped Lancashire left-arm spinner, has been named in England Women’s 15-member squad for the three-match T20 series at home against Pakistan. Her Lancashire team-mate, Kate Cross, however, was left out. Kent left-arm seamer Natasha Farrant, who was not picked for World T20 as well as the ODI series against Pakistan, replaced the injured Anya Shrubsole.Ecclestone and Farrant are the two changes to the squad that swept Pakistan 3-0 in the ODI series. Ecclestone, only 17, is the second left-arm spinner in the squad behind Alexandra Hartley, who made her international debut against Pakistan in the third ODI in Taunton. She is yet to play a T20 international.England Women’s squad for Pakistan T20s

Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Natasha Farrant, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alexandra Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones (wk), Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt

“The T20 series brings a new set of challenges and further opportunities for the players, and I’m really pleased to call-up Sophie Ecclestone for the first time, and to welcome Tash Farrant back into the dressing room,” Mark Robinson, the head coach, said.”Sophie brings youth, vitality and another left-arm spin option alongside Alex Hartley into the squad. We have two world-class offspinners in Danielle Hazell and Laura Marsh, but we also need to be aware of the talent that we have underneath, and making sure that we are developing the likes of Alex and Sophie, by having them in the group and giving them international match-day experience.”Robinson said that it was a “real shame” that seamer Beth Langston missed on of selection again, because of injury. “She worked tremendously hard during the winter and had a great tour to Sri Lanka with the England Women’s Academy, but unfortunately hasn’t been able to get involved so far this summer because of her ankle,” he said.Robinson also said that Cross was still in the side’s plans, despite being overlooked for the Pakistan T20 series. “Kate Cross has been left out of this squad to face Pakistan, but we do see her as a Twenty20 bowler moving forwards,” he said. “There is no reason why she can’t be an outstanding bowler across all formats of the game, and we feel that there’s a window now where we can do some focused technical work with her away from match situations to help get her ready to perform at her best in the Kia Super League next month.”The T20 series begins with the first match at the Brightside Ground in Bristol on Sunday.

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has warned the PCB to stop hosting its “home” series in the UAE or it will damage Pakistan cricket

PTI03-Aug-2016Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has warned the PCB to stop hosting its “home” series in the UAE or it will damage Pakistan cricket.”Playing on the flat and low-bounce pitches of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai has already affected our cricket and our players, and if we don’t stop organising our series there it will eventually damage our cricket,” Yousuf told PTI.He said that playing in the UAE for the last six or seven years had an adverse effect on the skills and technique of Pakistan batsmen. “If it is all about creating records, fine. But it is not helping our cricket in anyway and we will stop producing players capable of playing on any surface in a few years’ time if we continue playing our home series in UAE.”Yousuf said that it was a point of concern that against Australia in two Tests in the UAE in 2014-15, Pakistan batsmen had scored nine centuries while in the first two Tests in England there was only one century.”And let us be straight, so far we have not encountered any typical English pitch in the ongoing series,” he said.He backed any move by the PCB to try to organise its home series at some other neutral venue. “Sri Lanka or Bangladesh are far better options as conditions there are more suited for cricket,” he said.The PCB has been forced to organise its home series at neutral venues since the attack by gunmen on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009.

Hampshire’s bowlers held their nerve to complete a nine-run win over Sussex at Hove and keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2016
ScorecardJimmy Adams’ 92 helped lay the platform for Hampshire•Getty ImagesHampshire’s bowlers held their nerve to complete a nine-run win over Sussex at Hove and keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup.Chasing 269 to win, a fifth wicket stand of 125 in 17.3 overs between Chris Nash and Ben Brown gave Sussex hope after they had been 109 for 4 from 29. But Brown was superbly caught by wicketkeeper Lewis McManus diving to his right after making a List A best of 62 from 56 balls midway through the 47th over.The 48th over began with 31 needed but Brad Wheal conceded just three runs from it and Sussex’s race was run when Chris Jordan, who had just driven the second ball of the 49th over for six over extra cover, was bowled off the next delivery by Ryan McLaren. Sussex required 17 from the final over but Wheal restricted them to seven runs as they finished on 259 for 6 with Nash undefeated on 68 from 74 balls.Hampshire had earlier been indebted to a stylish 92 from opener Jimmy Adams and some late-order hitting by South African allrounder McLaren after they had been put in under overcast skies with the floodlights on from the start.Adams scored his runs from 97 balls with ten fours, and a six off Harry Finch in the same over that he reached his half-century. The opener shared a second-wicket stand of 87 in 15.2 overs with Adam Wheater (42) who was superbly run out by Jordan’s throw on the run from extra cover with only one stump to aim at.Hampshire struggled for momentum for a while after Wheater’s dismissal. Adams was fourth out in the 34th over, one of three victims for left-armer George Garton who surprised Adams with a bouncer which he could only touch to wicket keeper Brown.Garton, fresh from taking four wickets for England Lions on Tuesday, bowled with good pace in three spells down the slope to finish with 3 for 40 and also pulled off a stunning catch at square leg to remove Tom Alsop.In the absence of Bangladesh left-armer Mustafizur Rahman, who is unlikely to play for the county again because of a shoulder injury, Jofra Archer impressed on his first List A appearance at Hove with 1 for 46, occasionally finding some steepling bounce on a good pitch. It needed some robust hitting from McLaren to get Hampshire to a competitive score. He made an unbeaten 46 from 39 balls from No.6 and those runs were to prove crucial.Sussex were 81 for 3 after 22 overs of their reply with Ed Joyce, Phil Salt and Finch all unable to capitalise on starts but their chase was given impetus by Luke Wright, who made 45 from 60 balls. The Sussex skipper looked in the mood until he drove a full toss from Wheal to mid-on and departed mortified by his misjudgement.Brown and Nash took responsibility but fell short and a fifth defeat out of six has left Sussex with virtually no chance of reaching the last eight.

ScorecardAzharullah made significant inroads into Glamorgan’s top order•Getty Images

Northamptonshire ended the second day in Swansea with the advantage after Rory Kleinveldt clubbed 91 before reducing Glamorgan to 139 for 5.At one stage they lost 3 for 1 in five deliveries and will hope Nick Selman, who closed unbeaten on a career-best 79, can continue the impressive form he’s showed in the last three games, and also receive support from the middle and lower order. Azharullah was the most successful of the Northants attack finishing with 3 for 34.Earlier, Northants had continued their recovery from 38 for 4 to post 321 with their stand-in captain Kleinveldt leading the way with a furious attack on the Glamorgan bowlers.He scored 91 from 88 balls, with four fours and seven sixes – four struck in the space of six balls. Kleinveldt shared a partnership of 130 in only 24 overs with Saif Zaib – playing in only his second Championship game – before the captain departed attempting to hit his eighth six.Zaib was undefeated on a career-best 65, which complemented an earlier partnership of 97 between David Murphy and Laurie Evans for the fifth wicket. Murphy made 45, and Evans, in his first innings for Northants since joining as a loan player this week, a patient innings of 74 before edging David Lloyd to the wicketkeeper.The young and inexperienced Glamorgan attack stuck to their task, despite the seven bowlers used having not taken 100 first-class wickets between them.Selman and Mark Wallace gave Glamorgan a positive start, adding 52 at four an over, before Wallace was bowled in Azharullah’s third over. Will Bragg scored a single from the last ball of the over, but was leg before to the first ball of Ben Sanderson’s next over before Jacques Rudolph was caught behind two balls later.Selman was untroubled at the other end, reaching his third successive fifty from 67 balls with seven fours, but Glamorgan soon lost two more wickets when Aneurin Donald and Lloyd were both caught in the slip cordon, driving at Azharullah’s outswing.Both teams have suffered casualties, with Rory Smith unable to bowl for Glamorgan again in the game, while Northants had two players off the field for the final half hour, with the team’s strength and conditioning coach making a rare appearance as a sub fielder.

Sunderland's 2022/23 campaign unfortunately came crashing to an end earlier this week as they lost to Luton Town in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs.

The Black Cats, who were missing the likes of Dennis Cirkin, Danny Batth, and Ross Stewart, lost 3-2 on aggregate and will be playing in the second tier next season.

Tony Mowbray is reportedly set to continue as the head coach and planning is underway for the club to bolster the squad heading into the following year.

It was recently reported that they are interested in a potential swoop to sign Northern Irish attacking midfielder Charlie Lindsay on a free transfer.

Who is Charlie Lindsay?

The 19-year-old talent is a versatile forward who has the potential to score and assist goals on a regular basis and could be an excellent addition to Sunderland.

He is going to be a free agent this summer upon the expiry of his contract with Scottish giants Rangers and Black Cats sporting director Kristjaan Speakman could land Mowbray his dream Alex Pritchard heir by securing a bargain swoop for the gem.

The Northern Ireland U21 international did not make a senior appearance during his time at Ibrox but his form for their academy side suggests that there is a big talent to be unearthed.

Lindsay scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 48 appearances for their B and U19 teams and David Lowry, who was his coach at Glentoran, previously hailed the maestro's attributes in the middle of the park by saying:

"He is a box-to-box midfielder who covers every blade of grass. He is powerful and quick, and his range of passing is first-class. He also knows when to pick a pass, and then he delivers it with precision. He ticks so many boxes as a footballer."

The teenager could be the ideal heir to Pritchard's throne at the Stadium of Light as, like the Englishman, he is a creative player with an eye for goal.

Lindsay, who racked up 12 goals and six assists in 33 games in the Lowland League this season, has not proven himself at first-team level yet but could learn from the ex-Tottenham and Norwich dynamo as he adjusts to playing senior football.

Pritchard, 30, scored four goals and provided six assists in 28 Championship starts in 2022/23 and has been a reliable option for Mowbray to call upon in the no.10 role.

The wizard has the quality to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch, by breaking down an opposition defence with a pass or finishing off a move himself, and Lindsay's form at youth level for Rangers indicates that he could grow into being a similar player.