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Liverpool focused exclusively on the reshaping of the midfield this summer after falling by the wayside last season, with manager Jurgen Klopp and sporting director Jorg Schamdtke working tirelessly to get the Premier League club back on track this year.

When the German manager took the reins in 2015, Anfield was in a state of disarray, with the club failing to sustain a spot at the upper echelon of the league ladder and yielding just one Carabao Cup title – in 2012 – since Steven Gerrard's unforgettable ranged volley saved Liverpool from defeat against West Ham United in the 2006 FA Cup final, with Rafa Benitez's side then prevailing on penalties.

Klopp transformed the Reds and has led them to success across nearly every possible front – notably winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup – but last season the wheels fell off and Liverpool languished to a fifth-placed finish, missing out on this year's Champions League edition.

To replenish the ranks, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all left in June upon the expiry of their contracts, while Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were sold to Saudi Arabian sides – Fabio Carvalho also left for RB Leipzig on loan.

Alexis Mac Allister

£35m

Dominik Szoboszlai

£60m

Wataru Endo

£16m

Ryan Gravenberch

£34m

All fees sourced via Sky Sports

Four new faces have been introduced to the centre, and while the 2023/24 campaign is still in its early phase, ten points from a possible 12 in the English top-flight tantalises a season of far greater success.

While the acquisitions have mostly sent the Kop into rapture, there were a few missed tricks on the summer market, with two notable blunders resulting in the unlikely and unanticipated signing of Wataru Endo from German side Stuttgart.

Why did Liverpool sign Wataru Endo?

After signing Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to commence what was promised to be an exciting summer, a rich profusion of optimism sprouted across the red half of Merseyside.

The subsequent £40m sale of Fabinho to Al-Ittihad did open a hole in the defensive section of the midfield, however, and the next port of call was clear for all to see.

Romeo Lavia was the No. 1 target to replace the Brazilian anchor, with Liverpool the clear favourites after pushing for the player for the majority of July, though following a triad of unsuccessful bids, the fan disgruntlement started to be heard.

In a shocking turn of events, Liverpool lodged a £111m bid for Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, and while this staggering offer was accepted by the Seagulls, the player's preference to join Chelsea – who had been in pursuit all summer – stuffed Liverpool's advances and left Klopp and co hot under the collar.

Lavia and Caicedo would both ultimately join Chelsea, with the Stamford Bridge side prevailing in a high-profile transfer battle and leaving Liverpool to delve down a deeper path to sign the experienced Endo.

The 30-year-old, who has been described as a "proper warrior and leader" by Bundesliga commentator Kevin Thatchard, was an impressive cog for Stuttgart and crucial to their battles against relegation, making 133 appearances.

As per FBref, the £50k-per-week ace ranks among the top 12% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for clearances, the top 9% for aerial wins and the top 22% for blocks per 90 – highlighting the tenacity and defensive application that Liverpool so craved to thread their midfield together.

The 50-cap Japan captain has made three displays for Liverpool so far and has completed 89% of his passes, and while he looks to be a dependable option for the side, he's not the man to cement a starring role for years to come.

While both Lavia and Caicedo would have been preferable at the time, Liverpool could have prevented an entire summer of tumult had they acted on interest in Manuel Ugarte, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in a €60m (£51m) deal in the early days of July.

How good is Manuel Ugarte?

With a summer rebuild on the horizon, the murmurings in the months preceding the transfer window were that Liverpool were going to ruthlessly target a defensive midfielder to replace Fabinho.

The 29-year-old had been a stalwart for the Reds but had declined during the 2022/23 season, at the epicentre of the club's strife and branded "awful" by pundit Jamie Carragher for his shoddy performances.

Ugarte, plying his trade for Sporting Lisbon at the time, was attracting attention from Europe's most imperious outfits after impressing in Portugal.

According to Portuguese outlet Record – via Sport Witness – Liverpool were even mooted to be favourites for the Uruguayan titan's signature in May, but they failed to follow up their interest and he ultimately joined the Ligue 1 champions despite the best efforts of Chelsea.

Having been dubbed a "warrior" – just like Endo – by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Ugarte chalked up 85 appearances for the Leões, winning the 21/22 Taca da Liga.

The 22-year-old ranks among the top 9% of midfielders across Europe for pass completion, the top 4% for successful take-ons, the top 1% for tackles and the top 11% for interceptions per 90.

These metrics highlight the player's robustness and ubiquity in the midfield of the park, snuffing out danger and ploughing into opposing attackers with the strength and vigour of a charging bull, also among the best, most crisp passers the game has to offer.

Endo simply doesn't have the same level of natural energy or technicality, ranking only among the top 61% of midfielders for pass completion and the top 55% for tackles per 90.

His high rate of clearances illuminates his workrate and dedication to sweeping away trouble, but Ugarte trumps him across the most important facets of the defensive midfield game.

Once praised as a "machine" in midfield by Kulig, Ugarte is thriving in France and has been noted for his "amazing" start to the campaign by one discerning football writer.

Liverpool may yet enjoy a successful campaign, but Klopp must have rued the missed chance to snap up an immense talent in Ugarte this summer, who would have been perfect to hold the Anfield centre together with a steely grip for the coming age.

As Premier League games begin to come thick and fast, the last thing that clubs will want is an injury to a first-team player, particularly this early on. Yet, that's exactly what Jurgen Klopp will likely have to contend with against Newcastle United.

The Liverpool boss revealed in his press conference that Ibrahima Konate is an injury doubt for the Reds' upcoming trip to St James' Park. The German wasted no time in directing the blame for the defender's injury, either, sharing his frustration.

Without the centre-back, Klopp will likely be forced to call on Joe Gomez or Joel Matip for the first time this season.

What happened in Liverpool's win over Bournemouth?

Taking a shock lead through Antoine Semenyo's third minute strike, Bournemouth would have been in dream land at Anfield, before goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah turned the game on its head.

The controversial moment didn't come through the goals, however. Instead, it came through referee Thomas Bramall, who issued a red card to Alexis Mac Allister for his challenge on Ryan Christie. Racing for the ball, Mac Allister was beaten by Christie, and, therefore, followed through to catch the Bournemouth man just above his ankle.

The Argentine couldn't hide his shock at his dismissal, and has since been given vindication for his disbelief, seeing the red card overturned following Liverpool's appeal.

Even after the successful appeal, though, Klopp believes that his side have been made to pay the price for the red card.

What did Jurgen Klopp say?

Speaking in his press conference in the build-up to Liverpool's clash with Newcastle this weekend, Klopp revealed Konate's muscle injury, appearing to place blame on last week's referee. He said: "Trent (Alexander-Arnold), yes, [trained] from Monday on… Curtis (Jones) from Monday on. Ibou (Konate) is a doubt…. playing 40 minutes with ten men didn't help."

It's no surprise that the Reds boss is a frustrated figure, considering that the red card proved to be a mistake, and could have cost his side all three points, let alone the availability of Konate this weekend.

Fortunately, Diogo Jota's second-half strike ensured that the hosts secured all three points at Anfield, but it is still a mistake that all involved would rather forget.

Now that Mac Allister is available, however, Liverpool will hope to finally unleash their summer signing from the shackles of defensive midfield, handing recent arrival Wataru Endo his full debut in the process.

Newcastle won't be an easy challenge, though, that's for sure. Eddie Howe's side got off to a perfect start on the opening day, ruthlessly easing past Aston Villa, winning 5-1, before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

Now, with Liverpool up next, the Magpies will have a point to prove, and have a chance to show that last season's top four finish was no fluke.

The Reds, meanwhile, will be looking to make a statement of their own. Earning seven points from a possible nine, having already ticked off trips to Stamford Bridge and St James' Park, would represent an impressive start for those in Merseyside.

West Ham United have agreed a deal to sign another new player this summer ahead of the new Premier League season.

What’s the latest West Ham transfer news?

The Hammers and David Moyes have been quiet in the transfer market, with business so far on departures for Declan Rice, Gianluca Scamacca, Nikola Vlasic and Arthur Masuaku.

However, it looks set to be a busy final few weeks of the window when it comes to new signings. Ajax holding midfielder Edson Alvarez is on course to become the first addition of the summer in a deal worth £35m.

After Alvarez, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is on course to move to the London Stadium, with a £30m agreement being reached on Wednesday. However, the centre-back won’t be the only England international to join the Hammers, with Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse the latest who the club have agreed to sign.

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth shared an update on Wednesday evening regarding West Ham and Ward-Prowse, claiming ‘everything is done’ when it comes to terms being agreed in a £30m transfer.

“Good news for West Ham United. In the past few minutes, it’s just been confirmed to me, I’ll read it word by word – ‘Everything is done with JWP (James Ward-Prowse)’.

“We have an agreement between West Ham United and Southampton. We have an agreement, we think, on personal terms as well. It’s a £30m deal, it breaks down into a £30m deal but the conditions and the payment structure was more favourable for Southampton after that amount was rejected last month.

So that’s the deal that’s in place now, it’s a case of when and not if now that James Ward-Prowse will become a West Ham United player. Timetable wise, we think he will start his medical tomorrow and go into Friday as well. I’m told it is touch and go whether he will be registered in time to be available against Bournemouth.”

How good is James Ward-Prowse?

Ward-Prowse has made an impressive 410 appearances for Southampton – 343 of which have come in the Premier League – so the central midfielder should offer plenty of experience to Moyes’ side.

The 28-year-old appears to be in his prime with a career-high Transfermarkt valuation and can play as a central, attacking or right midfielder. Former Saints manager Nathan Jones hailed the player last season, describing him as “world-class”.

"He's been outstanding. When I arrived at the club my first conversation with him was ten minutes after he didn't get picked for the England squad.

"Since that moment, he's been absolutely world-class for me. For me, the way he's been around it and the way he reacted – we're seeing his performances now that are motivated and driven."

As per FBref, Ward-Prowse has impressed over the past 12 months, ranking in the top 10% of midfielders for goals, key passes and crosses. He also places fairly highly for interceptions and clearances, showing his quality both on and off the balls.

It looks as if the Hammers will get their man, and alongside Alvarez, Ward-Prowse could form part of a new-look midfield for the upcoming campaign.

In Lucknow, Akshdeep Nath’s 75 and incisive new-ball spells from Praveen Kumar and Ankit Rajpoot helped Uttar Pradesh get on top of Railways

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2017Associated PressThe big names fired for Delhi, with a five-wicket haul from Ishant Sharma and centuries from Gautam Gambhir and Nitish Rana leaving Assam chasing the game at the Feroz Shah Kotla At stumps, Delhi were 11 runs ahead with six wickets in hand, with Gambhir batting on 136 (245b, 21×4).Delhi began shakily in reply to Assam’s 258, and were 44 for 2 when Rana joined Gambhir at the crease. The two left-handers proceeded to add 207 for the third wicket in 55.2 overs, with Rana the more aggressive partner, scoring 110 off 158 balls, with 18 fours, before being caught behind off Abu Nechim. He struck again 5.2 overs later, bowling Milind Kumar to pick up his third wicket, before Gambhir and Pulkit Narang saw Delhi through to stumps.Assam were 224 for 7 overnight, and were bowled out 12.4 overs into the second morning. Ishant took two of the last three wickets, including that of the half-centurion Swarupam Purkayastha, to complete his 12th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.Akshdeep Nath’s 75 and incisive new-ball spells from Praveen Kumar and Ankit Rajpoot led Uttar Pradesh to a dominant position against Railways in Lucknow. Praveen and Rajpoot ripped through Railways’ top order when they began their second innings late in the day, trailing by 68 runs. Two of the top three fell for ducks as Railways slumped to 10 for 3, before Arindam Ghosh and Vidhyadhar Kamath survived the last 7.1 overs of the day to take their side to stumps at 27 for 3, still trailing by 41.UP began the day 9 for 0 in response to Railways’ 182, and lost Himanshu Asnora in the first over of the morning. Shivam Chaudhary and Umang Sharma then added 56 for the second wicket before the left-arm spinner Avinash Yadav struck twice in quick succession to remove Umang and Suresh Raina.That was when Nath came to the crease. He forged important partnerships of 40 with Chaudhary (44), 41 with Ekalavya Dwivedi, and 70 with Rinku Singh (42) for the fourth, fifth and sixth wickets to move UP into the lead. Nath was eventually seventh out, having faced 160 balls and struck 11 fours. His wicket was part of a late collapse, as Railways took the last five wickets for 24 runs to bowl UP out for 250. Avinash and the seamer Anureet Singh finished with three wickets each.Meanwhile, for the second day in a row, there was no play possible in the match between Hyderabad and Maharashtra in Hyderabad.

Graeme Welch, currently the Leicestershire bowling coach, will work with England in the lead up to the fourth ODI at The Oval and then remain with them during the game

George Dobell12-Sep-2017Graeme Welch and Chris Silverwood have emerged as serious candidates for the role of England bowling coach after being asked to work with the ODI squad during the forthcoming West Indies series.Welch, currently the Leicestershire bowling coach, will work with the side in the lead up to the fourth ODI at The Oval and then remain with them during the game, while Silverwood has been given permission by Essex to work with England during the third ODI in Bristol.Wasim Khan, the Leicestershire chief executive, spoke to Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, on Tuesday afternoon and agreed to release Welch from his county obligations for a couple of days.”This is a great opportunity for Graeme,” Wasim told ESPNcricinfo. “He is proving an excellent coach and we wouldn’t want to stand in his way.”Welch confirmed to ESPNcricinfo he was interested in the role, calling it “the pinnacle of my profession” and said he was not going to apply for the role of head coach at Leicestershire vacated by the departure of Pierre de Bruyn. After a troubled reign as head coach of Derbyshire, Welch has concluded he is better suited to the role of bowling coach.The England bowling coach role became available when Ottis Gibson left to take up the position of head coach with South Africa.Trevor Bayliss, the England head coach, has previously stated that the ODI series will be utilised to look at some of the options for the bowling coach role.Andy Pick, the Nottinghamshire bowling coach, will be with the side for the T20I at Chester-le-Street and in the build-up to the match.

West Ham United have a new target on their radar it seems, with The Athletic reporting they are now keeping a close eye on Chelsea's Ian Maatsen, who starred on loan at Burnley last season.

How many goals has Ian Maatsen scored for Burnley?

The 21-year-old has come up through the ranks with Chelsea but has still yet to make his Premier League debut for his parent club. He's had to make do with only reserve team showings for the Blues and a variety of loan spells to get regular minutes and experience.

Given the chance to play a prominent role for Burnley, he grasped it with both hands. The left-back helped the Clarets to a Championship title and promotion, with the defender featuring in 39 games. It led to him bagging four goals and six assists, despite the fact he was a part of their backline. It marked the first time he had hit a double digit amount of goal contributions in his career.

It isn't the first time he has proven to be a solid option in the Championship either. A year earlier, he spent some time with Coventry and missed only six games throughout the entire league season for the Sky Blues. He didn't bag as many goals or assists – he hit the back of the net three times and teed up a teammate once – but was still a reliable option and featured heavily for his side as they finished 12th.

Are West Ham United signing Ian Maatsen?

Now, he could have the chance to play in the Premier League for the first time in his career. That's because West Ham have entered the race to sign Maatsen this summer, with Burnley also still keen. The Clarets have been linked with a move for most of the summer, but according to a report from The Athletic, the Hammers have recently added him to their own transfer wanted list.

No official bid is on the table yet, from the Irons or any other club, but there appear to be a handful of sides all monitoring the situation of the left-back now. Whether he does leave or stay with Chelsea could depend on whether they offer him more gametime, or whether any other players in his position are shown the door by Mauricio Pochettino before the transfer window shuts.

It has been his showings with Burnley that really seem to have caught the attention of many. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig highlighted that Maatsen bagged a "superb" brace for the Clarets during their run to the Championship title and also picked on the fact he had four goals and assists for the club at the time.

It shows that he has really shone when given the opportunity to play regularly in the second tier, and may now have earned the opportunity to try his luck more frequently further up the pyramid. That could now come with West Ham, as the Hammers look to build on their European success and push on next season.

To say that Harry Maguire's £80m move to Manchester United hasn't worked out would be an understatement. The defender was signed with the intention of replicating Virgil van Dijk's impact at Liverpool, but he's done anything but, and arguably the opposite.

Handed the captain's armband in 2020, the former Leicester defender has since lost his place at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag often preferring a centre-back partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

The 6 foot 4 England international particularly struggled in the 2021/22 season, making mistake after mistake as United endured a campaign to forget, finishing outside the Premier League's top four, and as low as sixth.

His struggles have culminated in reports suggesting that a move away could be on the cards this summer, but United may be forced into a significant loss on Maguire's initial record-breaking fee, believes transfer insider Dean Jones.

Jones told Football FanCast: “He’s, at the very least, a £30m defender. If you were to really argue his case, you might be able to say he’s a £50m defender, given the fact that he’s got over 50 England caps to his name, and captain of Man United, he’s been established in that England set-up.”

How much is Harry Maguire worth right now?

Making just eight starts last season, Maguire's valuation has never been lower. According to Transfermarkt, the 30-year-old is currently worth just €20m (£17.06m), which is £62.94m less than the fee that United paid for his arrival back in the summer of 2019.

It's no real surprise that his valuation has collapsed, however, given just how mistake-prone he has become over the years. During his time at Old Trafford, he has made seven errors leading to goal, with his performance against Brentford at the start of last season particularly concerning.

If you could point out just where Maguire's United career really looked on its way to ending, it was the 4-0 loss against the Bees, who scored four goals in the space of 35 first-half minutes to run riot against the Red Devils.

The result came just one week after Ten Hag's side lost to Brighton & Hove Albion, and saw the club captain lose his place. United went onto defeat Liverpool 2-1 in their next game without Maguire.

Speaking on the defender, Simon Jordan criticised Maguire, saying on talkSPORT: “I’m not worried about people like Maguire being fit. Personally I think he’s a bit of a liability.

“He’s a colossus of a player but turns like an ocean liner. A quick forward is going to run him!”

What happens next with the centre-back remains to be seen, but it looks as though a starting place at United is a long way off from ever happening again. The Red Devils had the third best defensive record in the league without him, and will only continue to improve.

Those at the club may well be forced to simply cut their losses this summer, and move on from what, quite frankly, has been a horrible transfer mistake.

The ECB has confirmed that Jason Roy will cut short his IPL stint with Gujarat Lions, and will instead turn out for Surrey in two Royal London One-Day Cup fixtures later this month, following the completion of this week’s ODI series against Ireland.Roy, who was picked up by Gujarat in the second round of bidding at the IPL auction in February, had originally been expected to return to India to complete his stint with the franchise following the completion of the second ODI at Lord’s on Sunday.However, he has played a peripheral role for Gujarat in his maiden IPL stint, with just three outings and a top-score of 31 from 21 balls to date, and having indicated last month that an early return to county cricket was on the cards, he has now been released by the ECB to play in two RLODC matches against Essex on May 12 and Hampshire on May 14.Roy’s presence in Surrey’s ranks will be a significant boost to the club’s hopes of qualifying for the competition’s knockouts, following a stunning defeat in their opening fixture at Taunton last week, in which Roelof van der Merwe’s unbeaten century rescued Somerset from a scoreline of 22 for 5.The majority of England’s 14-man squad will be made available to their counties after the Ireland series, as the selectors look to squeeze as much white-ball practice into their players ahead of the Champions Trophy which gets underway on June 1.Durham’s Mark Wood is due to face Nottinghamshire’s Alex Hales, Stuart Broad and Jake Ball in the televised match at Trent Bridge next Wednesday, while Moeen Ali is in line to face his former club Warwickshire in the midlands derby at New Road on May 12.Yorkshire Vikings will have Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid available for Wednesday’s home game against Durham, although the England seamers from both counties – Liam Plunkett, David Willey and Wood – have been advised to rest ahead of England’s first match against Ireland in Bristol on Friday.Further afield, England’s Test specialists – Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Alastair Cook, Haseeb Hameed, Keaton Jennings and Gary Balance – will be available for the majority of matches in the next block of County Championship fixtures up until the end of June, which will include a round of floodlit pink-ball matches that will be used as practice for the day-night Test again West Indies at Edgbaston on August 17-21.”This was always going to be a difficult summer in terms of managing the workload on our England players,” Andrew Strauss, the director, England cricket, said, “with such a hectic schedule including the Champions Trophy as well as seven Tests, followed by an equally busy winter in Australia and New Zealand.”All these decisions are taken after consultation with the players, and I know they will be pleased to have the opportunity to play in some important Royal London One-Day Cup matches next week, and then in the Specsavers County Championship later in May and June.”

Jake Ball could be forced out of England’s Caribbean tour after suffering an injury to his right knee

George Dobell27-Feb-2017Jake Ball could be forced out of England’s Caribbean tour after suffering an injury to his right knee.Ball, who played all three of the ODIs in the recent series in India, limped off the field after the first delivery of his third over in England’s final warm-up game before the three-match ODI series against Wets Indies. He subsequently broke down when attempting to run in the net area as the England support staff tried to assess the extent of the problem. He will play no further part in the match against a WICB President’s XI.The England management hope to arrange a scan on Ball’s knee in St Kitts today, but may be obliged to wait until the tour party reach Antigua tomorrow. They believe the problem is at the back of the right knee.If Ball is forced home, the tour management may well consider calling up a replacement seamer. Chris Jordan, who has recently been playing in the PSL, would be one obvious option, while one of the Curran brothers might be another. Stuart Broad, who performed well in the BBL and has made no secret of his desire to return to the ODI side, is also a possibility.The England squad is already without Mark Wood, David Willey and Reece Topley due to injury, while Jason Roy was left out of the side for the second warm-up game due to a badly bruised right hand sustained as a result of several recent tough sessions of fielding training.They had better news as regards Alex Hales, though. He will fly out to Antigua on Tuesday and continue his rehab with the rest of the squad following a hand injury. He has not, as yet, been officially added to the squad but that could change in the coming days if the medical team deem his recovery complete.The first ODI takes place in Antigua on Friday.
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo. He will be covering England’s tour of the Caribbean in association with Smile Group Travel, specialists in hosted supporters’ packages.

Steven Smith turned the heat on India on the eve of the second Test in Bengaluru, declaring Australia are just “one or two sessions” away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy, while Virat Kohli dismissed Smith’s words as “mind games.”After starting the series as underdogs and given little chance of drawing, let alone winning a match, Australia would take an unassailable lead in the four-Test series if they win at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, a ground where Australia has an encouraging record of two wins, two draws and just one loss.”I think they will feel under a little bit of pressure,” Smith said. “Obviously, going into this series, all I heard was 4-0 to them. So they’re one down and need to come back. We’re one win away from [retaining] the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Things can happen pretty quickly here.”So we might be one or two sessions away from getting that back. I’m sure they’ll feel under a bit of pressure.”But Kohli was quick to brush off the suggestion that India would be feeling under pressure when he learned of Smith’s comments.”Me? As a team? Does it look like [we’re under pressure]?” Kohli said, smilingly. “I’m pretty relaxed. I’m happy. I’m smiling. It’s fine, those are his views and [he can say] whatever he wants to say. I think it’s time we focus on our skills more than what Australia is saying or preparing like. I know these minds games in these press conferences are something they’re very good at.”We’re still going to play the cricket that we’ve played for the last two years and see where the series ends after the fourth game.”Kohli also refused to be drawn on the importance of stopping Smith, whose gritty knock at Pune defied the conditions and was his third century from his past seven Test innings, instead pointing to the fact that India gave Smith several lives during his second innings.”The whole team has to play well against Australia to win a Test match, that’s something we’ve identified,” said Kohli. “We’re not focusing on one player at all.”If we don’t hold onto our chances it doesn’t matter, at the end of the day, how many runs we score. We’re not focusing on one player only. The whole ten wickets have to be taken twice to win a Test match. The comments and headlines don’t matter. They never have, and we won’t base our cricket on it.”