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Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Brennan Johnson to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that Leeds have now joined Brentford and Newcastle United in the race for the signing of the Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder, who is yet to agree a new deal at The City Ground – with his current contract set to expire next summer.

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The report goes on to state that, while Victor Orta is plotting a £20m offer for the 20-year-old, this move is on the basis that the Whites remain a Premier League side next season, as well as Forest failing to secure promotion to the top flight.

He’s better than Aaronson

Considering the fact that Leeds have also been linked with a move for Red Bull Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson this summer, it is clear that Orta and Jesse Marsch are targeting the signing of a new attacking midfielder ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

And, while it is undeniable that the USA international is a fantastic young talent – having scored four goals, provided four assists and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.90 over his 22 Austrian Bundesliga appearances this season – there is an argument to be made that Johnson could well be the smarter choice for Leeds.

Firstly, the 20-year-old has experience in the English game, proving himself to be one of the most exciting young prospects the Championship currently has to offer.

Indeed, over his 43 second-tier outings this season, the £900k-rated talent has been one of Steve Cooper’s standout performers, scoring 15 goals, registering ten assists and creating 14 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £2.5k-per-week sensation who Sabri Lamouchi dubbed an “unbelievable” player average an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as the Reds’ fourth-best outfielder in the league – playing a key role in his side’s late push for an automatic promotion spot.

Secondly, with Salzburg having already rejected a £20m bid for Aaronson in January, as well as the likes of AC Milan and RB Leipzig reportedly interested in the 21-year-old, it would appear likely that the Austrian side will demand a great deal more than Johnson’s own £20m price tag this summer.

As such, while Aaronson would certainly be a fantastic coup for Orta and the Whites, the signing of Johnson may well prove a better deal for Leeds to pursue – as the Wales international would not only be a cheaper option for the Spanish sporting director, considering their respective returns this season, he could also a have a brighter future than the Salzburg starlet.

AND in other news: Deal close: Agreement now in place for £63m talent, Leeds supporters will be gutted

Paddy Kenny has now been lamenting some Glasgow Rangers injury news on Aaron Ramsey ahead of tonight’s epic clash in the UEFA Europa League.

The Lowdown: Ruled out

Speaking in his pre-game press conference before they played Motherwell away from home in the Scottish Premiership last weekend, Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that Ramsey would be ruled out until the home leg of their semi-final tie against RB Leipzig, meaning that he will miss tonight’s match.

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He joins both Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe on the sidelines, in an injury list that is starting to grow for the Ibrox faithful.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds United and Sheffield United goalkeeper Kenny has now given his reaction to the news of Ramsey’s injury, as the 43-year-old claimed it is another ‘monumental blow’ after the issues with Morelos and Roofe:

“Wow, I mean, that is a big blow.

“Roofe, yes he’s been in good form but Rangers do have other attackers who can contribute.

“Ramsey, you can’t replicate what he has in terms of experience. He has played at the very top level and he is someone who the less experienced players will look towards.

“I think losing Ramsey in that midfield is a monumental blow to that team it just got harder for them.

“They can still get something but they have to hope Ramsey comes back for the second leg.”

The Verdict: Huge loss

Ramsey will no doubt be a huge loss to the Gers, given his experience of playing European football with Arsenal and Juventus and on the big international stage with Wales.

He has ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average shots and key passes per game in the competition so far, and has already demonstrated his credentials with two goals in the league during his loan spell (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, with Morelos and Roofe out, they could have done with Ramsey’s knack for goals from midfield, but van Bronckhorst will now have to find a way to get a result without some of his key players.

In other news, find out what big behind-the-scenes twist has now emerged at RFC here!

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell has been full of praise for Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou after something Kyogo Furuhashi revealed about the dressing room spirit at Parkhead.

The Lowdown: Great support network

The Hoops maintained their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon following a 1-1 draw with rivals Rangers.

27-year-old Kyogo was interviewed pre-match and told Celtic TV that his teammates have kept him motivated during his spell on the sidelines – the summer signing has missed 30 matches through injury this season.

Most of that missed time came from a three-month hamstring injury sustained in December, but he recently returned to the match-day squad and said that he “really appreciates” the support that the rest of the players have given him.

The Latest: Vital team spirit

After hearing of Kyogo’s comments on the mood around the camp, Campbell told Football Insider that it is ‘important’ news, focusing his praise on the manager.

“They clearly have a great dressing room mentality.

“The team spirit is there. When a player is injured he often feels left out.

“It sounds like the players at Celtic have the right attitude under Postecoglou. The manager has done an excellent job there. Kyogo embodies that. He is a brilliant player and character by the sounds of it.

“The dressing room culture is right at Celtic and that is so important if you want to achieve success.”

The Verdict: Prolific in attack

Despite missing a huge chunk of the campaign, the 12-time international has still been one of the Bhoys’ standout performers this term.

On his debut season for the Glasgow outfit, Furuhashi has scored 17 goals and provided five assists in 30 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt, showing just how much of a threat he can be in the final third.

Celtic are currently sitting six points clear at the top of the league table with just three games left to play, so there’s no doubt that Postecoglou will be hoping his star man is able to continue his great run of form to help his side get their hands on that trophy come the end of May.

In other news… a journalist has backed Celtic to complete a £10m transfer move this summer.

Antonio Conte has admitted something that left him ‘very angry’ despite Tottenham Hotspur giving their Premier League top-four hopes a timely boost with a 3-0 victory over north London rivals Arsenal on Thursday night.

The lowdown: UCL hopes boosted

The Lilywhites injected a whole new impetus into their chances of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League with a ruthless performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs talisman and derby day top marksman Harry Kane got the scoring underway, converting a 22nd-minute penalty. The night’s work was made easier when Arsenal centre-back Rob Holding was dismissed for two bookable offences before Kane doubled the lead ahead of half-time.

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On fire forward Son Heung-min completed the resounding display shortly after the break to take his own goalscoring tally to 21 for the season, just one behind Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

The latest: Conte admits to being ‘very angry’

Speaking in a press conference after the match, Conte spoke about his time at Spurs so far and looked ahead to the next fixture against Burnley.

As quoted by football.london he said: “Now we are very close for a big achievement. We are one point less than Arsenal. There are two games to go. I think we have an important game against Burnley.

“We lost against Burnley and you know very well that after this game it made me very, very angry. I think it was a good step for me, for my players, for the club to understand what I wanted of my players and now to stay in this position I think at that time, none of us could think that two games to we would have the possibility to play for a place in the Champions League.”

The Italian infamously offered to quit in his press conference following the 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor.

The verdict: Coming full circle?

Whilst nobody could suggest that Tottenham are the finished article under Conte, the upcoming meeting with Burnley is an opportunity to lay some demons to rest and showcase just how far the side has come under the Italian.

Clearly improving all the time, the meticulous coach has certainly got Spurs facing in the right direction on the evidence of Thursday’s result and indeed the 1-1 draw at Anfield.

Qualify for a place amongst Europe’s elite and Daniel Levy may have little choice but to offer the resources required to make fundamental changes to the squad and allow Conte to emulate his previous successes that have seen the 52-year-old lift five top-flight titles during an illustrious managerial career.

In other news: Reliable source: Tottenham agreement now ‘very likely’ as Conte closes in on ‘top signing’, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur will be delighted with UEFA’s latest U-turn, which involves awarding additional spaces in the Champions League based on a league-specific coefficient system, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed.

The Lowdown: UEFA’s plans

UEFA had originally intended to hand out two extra places in the Champions League, which fell in accordance with clubs’ 10-year coefficients. However, critics argued that this represented an unwarranted insurance policy for the ‘big clubs’ who were seen to be underperforming.

As a result, The Times have reported that UEFA will now award an extra spot based on a country’s performance in the competition, which would likely lead to a fifth team qualifying from the Premier League.

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The Latest: Maguire’s claim

With Tottenham still fighting it out for a fourth-place finish and a spot in the Champions League, Maguire has claimed that Spurs, and by association their chairman Daniel Levy, will welcome this news – especially with the potential to earn up to £150m from qualifying for the competition.

Speaking with Football Insider, he proclaimed: “It is a backstop for the likes of Spurs.

“Qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League generates more money than winning the Europa League, and the upper limit is £150m.

“We can argue about the fairness of it but this is why Tottenham would understandably be so keen to have these insurance options in place.”

The Verdict: Levy will be delighted

With the new insurance policy set to come into play, Levy will be delighted with the increased probability of gaining revenue as a result of Champions League qualification.

Furthermore, this could also act as an incentive for manager Antonio Conte to remain with the club, as it has previously been reported that it is unlikely that the Italian would stick around in N17 without Champions League football.

Therefore, the introduction of a backstop will surely be welcomed by Spurs, as Maguire has suggested.

In other news: Noel Whelan drops Richarlison/Spurs transfer claim

Rangers are reportedly eyeing up a move to bring one young talent to Ibrox during the upcoming summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to Wales Online, the Gers are among the clubs who are plotting a swoop to land 16-year-old winger Japhet Matondo ahead of the 2022/23 campaign as Ross Wilson looks to make moves in the market.

The report claims that the Glasgow giants, along with Leeds United and Premiership arch-rivals Celtic, are monitoring the teenager’s progress as they consider attempts to snap him up from English Championship outfit Cardiff.

It is stated that the player is going to wait until his current club offers him a new contract before deciding whether or not he wants to ditch Wales for Scotland.

Gio van Bronckhorst will be buzzing

The Rangers head coach will be buzzing with this news for multiple reasons.

Firstly, it shows that the club are working hard to identify players who can improve the development teams. Instead of focusing solely on first-team arrivals and leaving the Glasgow catchment area to bring in youth players, Wilson is trying to snap up prospects from elsewhere.

This could save Rangers millions in the future, as any young player who can make the breakthrough at senior level will prevent the club from needing to make a signing in that position. For example, Alex Lowry’s emergence in the first-team could mean that Wilson does not need to go out and spend money on a transfer fee and wages for another central midfielder.

Journalist Mark Hendry dubbed Matondo a “teen talent” and he has been called up by Wales at under-16 and under-17 level in recent years, with the Wales Online article also claiming that he is ‘highly rated’ at Cardiff.

If he can reach a similar to his brother Rabbi, who has won nine caps for Wales, then he will be a useful player for Rangers to have in the future. Japhet’s 21-year-old sibling has scored nine goals in 23 starts for Cercle Brugge in the Belgian Pro League this term and, from his time at Schalke 04, has also played 30 Bundesliga games by the age of 21.

Japhet may now follow in his brother’s footsteps by leaving Cardiff to try his luck elsewhere in a bid to make it at first-team level. The 16-year-old has clearly caught the eye of the Glasgow giants with his performances at youth level, and his current club rate him highly, which suggests that there is potential there for Rangers to mould if they can land him.

This is why Van Bronckhorst will be buzzing with the Light Blues’ interest in Matondo and will be hoping that he is in a position to offer the youngster first-team chances at Ibrox in the years to come.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst eyeing Rangers swoop for “phenomenal” £1m destroyer, supporters would love him…

“You have to take a bit of responsibility in these conditions and make sure you do something for your team”

Deivarayan Muthu05-Sep-2021Ajaz Patel is possibly New Zealand’s fourth-choice T20I spinner, behind Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, and Todd Astle. But, as the side’s only specialist spinner on tour in Bangladesh, he is relishing the responsibility in friendly conditions. With the series on the line in Dhaka, Patel scythed through Bangladesh in their chase of 129, returning 4 for 16 – his best T20 figures – as a second-string New Zealand pulled off a memorable 52-run win.”I guess, as a spinner, you thrive on conditions like this and you have to take a bit of responsibility in these conditions to try and make sure you can do something for your team,” Patel told the broadcaster at the post-match presentation. “It was nice to get a few [wickets] up top and I thought all our bowlers bowled brilliantly. I thought we bowled really well as a collective and our spinners [Cole McConchie (3-15) and Rachin Ravindra (1-13) were the others] did a great job.”Related

• Chance for Bangladesh to test T20 World Cup players as Shakib, Mustafizur unlikely for NZ dead rubber

• Glenn Pocknall: New Zealand 'are going to fight fire with fire'

• Batting in focus as Bangladesh eye another T20I series victory

• Inexperienced players 'learning on the job effectively' the biggest plus, says Henry Nicholls

• Patel, McConchie keep New Zealand alive in series

Patel went too short and wide with his first ball, which was laced through the covers by Liton Das, but soon eased into his rhythm and outwitted the batters with his variations, including a yorker that cannoned into Afif Hossain’s off stump.”You know, for me, it was trying to get a read for the player. I knew Mahedi (Hasan) was going to try and take me on, so I tried to tighten him up, bowl a little bit quicker and flatter and try to squeeze one through him,” Patel said after the match. “Obviously, Shakib (Al Hasan) – we know how dangerous a player he is, so it was about trying to make sure I take some pace away from him.”I was fortunate there; he kind of mistimed it, and Afif, I bowled him a couple of slower ones, so it was really about the next one, trying to make sure I can fire a quicker, flatter one in.”Patel explained that darting the ball into the Dhaka pitch on an in-between length posed the biggest threat to the batters. “Obviously, over here, we’ve realised it differs quite considerably from day to day. It’s about figuring out what the pace for the surface is and what’s the most dangerous ball,” Patel said. “So, for me, it was really about trying to get over the top of the ball today, make sure I bowl the ball into the wicket and make sure I spin the ball hard.”So, that was my main focus today, and from thereon it was about changes of pace, line and variation, using the crease. As a fingerspinner, you know that you are limited in terms of how many ways you can turn the ball, but you can definitely use the crease and changes in pace and variations that way to kind of make a difference.”Cole McConchie also earned his career -best bowling numbers•AFP via Getty Images

McConchie also netted his best T20 figures to give Patel good support from the other end. Das had picked off the offspinner for back-to-back leg-side fours and when he went for another sweep two balls later, McConchie found just enough turn from a good length to trap him for 15 off 11 balls. As for Ravindra, he got the wicket of Mohammad Naim, the other opener, and didn’t concede a single boundary in his four overs.Patel credited McConchie and Ravindra for ramping up the pressure on Bangladesh. Even Mushfiqur Rahim couldn’t put them away as he laboured to an unbeaten 20 off 37 balls. “It’s always great to have other spinners alongside you and both of them bowled brilliantly tonight,” Patel said. “And it could’ve easily been them with three or five wickets. Oh, Cole did get three wickets, but Rachin could’ve easily got three or four as well.”So, it’s great in that sense that we can communicate and have a chat about what’s working and what’s not working. I guess, for me, I’ve played a little bit more cricket; it’s a small responsibility that I take on myself to kind of make sure that I can give them some feedback on what the surface is doing and what we can look to do.”Patel acknowledged that the 66-run sixth-wicket stand between Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell was central to New Zealand keeping the series alive. Nicholls and Blundell came together at 62 for 5 in the 11th over and after bedding in, they took 46 off the last five overs. Nicholls belted Mustafizur Rahman’s whippy cutters down the ground and over extra cover for fours while Blundell pulled off eye-catching scoops despite the lack of pace from Rahman.”I thought they both batted brilliantly. Obviously, it’s not easy on that surface to kind of go out there and bat and feel comfortable,” Patel said. “But they scrapped hard and played some great cricketing shots and put some pressure on the Bangladesh bowlers. We were fortunate that they got us close to 130 [128 for 5] and we thought that was a reasonable score but we were in with a chance if we bowl well. I guess we started off quite well, which allowed us to put a bit more pressure on the Bangladesh batsmen. Batting, obviously, is the tough part out here and I thought our batters did a great job today.”Patel believed that New Zealand could yet snatch the series if they keep digging deep. “It’s great that the series is still alive,” he said. “We really feel like if we fight and scrap well, we’ve got a good chance. So, it’s just making sure we turn up next game and put our best foot forward again and make sure we’re ready for a fight.”

Knockout place secured after comfortable win against local rivals Thunder

ECB Reporters' Network12-Sep-2021Northern Diamonds booked a Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy knockout spot after hammering Thunder by 105 runs in their clash at Emirates Riverside. Diamonds put forward a brilliant effort with the bat as Bess Heath top scored with an unbeaten 78, but there were also half-centuries for Beth Langston and Sterre Kalis along with a score of 48 from Ami Campbell in their innings of 294 for 5.Although Georgie Boyce offered resistance with a knock of 67, the chase always appeared too much for the visitors amid miserly bowling from Hollie Armitage and company. Katie Levick claimed four wickets, while Armitage notched two herself to allow the hosts to ease over the line ahead of a crucial contest next week against table-topping Southern Vipers.Thunder won the toss and inserted the home side in cloudy conditions at Chester-le-Street. Armitage was unable to build on her impressive knock in Diamonds’ win over Western Storm on Friday, picking out Natalie Brown at point off the bowling of Alice Dyson for only 7. Kalis calmed proceedings alongside Rachel Hopkins, producing a stand worth 47 for the second wicket.Hopkins took her time to settle, and just when she appeared to be finding her rhythm Brown found her outside edge, allowing Eleanor Threlkeld to make a sharp grab. Kalis pressed forward in her innings and found the boundary with ease on her way to a fine half-century from 57 balls. The Netherlands international was dismissed a great catch by Sophia Turner at cover, but Campbell and Heath ensured the Diamonds maintained their momentum.Campbell took the attack to Alex Hartley dispatching two straight sixes over the head of the left-arm spinner. The left-hander tried to go for another maximum to reach her half-century, but was caught on the boundary by Laura Marshall. But Heath and Langston launched an assault on the Thunder bowlers late in the innings, putting on a stand of 91 for the seventh wicket. Heath provided the platform before Langston powered a quick-fire fifty from 28 balls to usher Diamonds to a strong total.The visitors made a measured start to their replay as Boyce found the boundary off the bowling of Ella Telford. Phoebe Graham entered the attack at the Finchale End to end the opening stand, removing Seren Smale for 12. Threlkeld and Daisy Mullan were unable to time the ball amid tight bowling from the hosts and paid the price with their wickets. Boyce held the key for the Thunder, and although she was dropped on 49 by Telford, she capitalised by reaching an 84-ball fifty.The chase was all but over for the Thunder when Armitage removed Boyce for a solid 67 as she attempted to find the boundary, before the Diamonds skipper ran out Brown at the non-striker’s end.Thunder’s required rate soared above 15 runs per over as the hosts continued their stranglehold of the contest, despite a stand worth 55 from Marshall and Laura Jackson. Levick notched late wickets to claim figures of 4 for 34 to ensure the hosts closed out a comfortable win and a place in the top three.

Tricky challenge awaits the 2014 T20 World Cup champions against a side high on confidence

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Oct-2021

Big picture

On Monday, Sri Lanka eased past a Namibia side that had rarely played under lights, and whose batters were largely unfamiliar with the type of pace they had to face. Their next opponents will not be quite so green (even if that is typically their colour).Ireland had not had a great series against the UAE, in the approach to the T20 World Cup, but they seemed to hit their stride since then. They won both their warm-up matches comfortably, then positively flew past Netherlands, who had been expected to provide them more of a challenge.Leading the charge against the Dutch was Curtis Campher, who emulated Sri Lanka’s greatest T20 player in taking four wickets in four balls. But even by that stage, Ireland’s bowlers were in control, having struck twice early, and having kept Netherlands’ scoring rate to around a run-a-ball. Their top order, which had flexed its muscles in the warm-up against Bangladesh, was not seriously tested by a target of 107.On top of all these reasons for Sri Lanka to be wary, here’s another: Ireland are coached by Graham Ford, who had been Sri Lanka’s coach until mid-2017. Though, such has been the rate of turnover in Sri Lanka’s limited-overs teams, the only players in this current squad Ford would have worked with extensively are the likes of Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Lahiru Kumara, and Dushmantha Chameera (who has grown into a much better bowler since then).Although Sri Lanka’s middle-order has been somewhat reliable over the past few weeks, thanks largely to Avishka Fernando’s contributions from No. 4, they will be desperate to sort out their issues at the top of the order. Against Namibia, they fielded a top three that featured Pathum Nissanka and Chandimal – both batters who are better suited to the Test format than this one. Problem is, Sri Lanka don’t have a lot of candidates in their squad for top-order spots, so this is not a simple problem to solve.

Form guide

Ireland WLLWL
Sri Lanka WLLLW

In the spotlight

Gareth Delany (brother of Laura Delany of the women’s team) missed Ireland’s home series against Zimbabwe in September because of a knee surgery, but since making it into the World Cup squad, has made an impression. It was his 88 not out off 50 balls that set up Ireland’s warm-up victory over Bangladesh – that innings featured eight sixes. Against Netherlands, his 44 off 29 ensured there would be no hiccups in the chase.Gareth Delany is coming off good innings against Bangladesh, in the warm-up game, and Netherlands•ICC/Getty Images

It’s a familiar Sri Lanka ploy to use a mystery spinner at a global tournament, and one match in, Maheesh Theekshana is doing exactly what the think tank hoped he might, taking 3 for 25 against Namibia. Teams with substantial analysis resources might pore over his footage and devise clear batting plans on how to pick him, but in the qualifying round, Sri Lanka face teams who perhaps do not have outsize resources. Of the three teams they will face in this round, however, Ireland probably have the best chance of demystifying him. How well he does in this match may offer some indication as to how teams further along in the tournament (provided Sri Lanka get through), play him.

Pitch and conditions

Temperatures are expected to hover around the low 30-degrees Celsius range again. No rain is expected, but there has been dew on the ground, particularly in the second innings.

Team news

Sri Lanka’s top three have not been at their best, and there might be a temptation to throw in Charith Asalanka, who had played some good T20 innings over the past few months, but Mickey Arthur they will stick with the same top three for this match.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Lahiru KumaraIreland are likely to stick with the XI that took down Netherlands.Ireland (possible): 1 Paul Stirling, 2 Kevin O’Brien, 3 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4 Gareth Delany, 5 Curtis Campher, 6 Harry Tector, 7 Neil Rock (wk), 8 Simi Singh, 9 Mark Adair, 10 Josh Little, 11 Ben WhiteSri Lanka will consider themselves favourites, but know it will be a tough day out•AFP/Getty Images

Stats and trivia

• Ireland have only played Sri Lanka in one T20I, way back in the 2009 World Cup. Ireland lost that match by nine runs.
• In 13 matches this year, Wanindu Hasaranga has 22 wickets with a strike rate of 13.9, and an economy rate of 5.62.
• Kevin O’Brien is the most experienced T20I player across both teams. Sri Lanka’s most-experienced is Chandimal, who has played in 60 matches.
  

  Quotes

  “Chandi is a little short of confidence at the moment. We had a practice match among ourselves before we came over, when he hit 84 off 48. He’s a fine batsman. We haven’t got a particularly experienced top five, and the thing that gets him in there is his experience. We’ll give Chandi another run. I’m comfortable that Chandi is in there, and I’m comfortable Chandi is one innings from showing us what he can do.”
  “Gareth’s peaking at the right time. He played a brilliant innings against Bangladesh, and he took his form into the match against Netherlands. He’s doing exactly what we want from him – he’s taking the attack to the bowlers.”

Head coach says the extra batter in the side allows them to “back ourselves to chase anything”

Alex Malcolm07-Nov-2021Australia have slain some of their demons in the ongoing T20 World Cup, having produced four successful chases to reach the semi-finals, but coach Justin Langer believes it will take “nerves of steel” to chase in a knockout game.Australia qualified for Thursday’s semi-final in Dubai on the back of a successful chase against West Indies in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and are likely to face Pakistan in the knockouts for a place in the final.The tournament has been dominated by the chasing teams, particularly in Dubai where nine of the 10 matches have been won by the chasing teams, with New Zealand the only side to win batting first, in a day match against Scotland.Related

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• Glenn Maxwell: 'I'm still in that headspace where I was during IPL'

• Australia saved their tournament, now they need to define it

• David Warner, Josh Hazlewood spoil Dwayne Bravo's farewell

Australia lost their only match of the tournament when they were sent in by England under lights in Dubai and slumped to 21 for 4. But as good as Australia have been chasing, and as dominant as the chasing teams have been overall, Langer was wary of the pressure that comes with runs on the board in a knockout final.”Most teams are winning chasing and you saw with a set-up of our side with the extra batter for most of the games in the lead up to this [semi-final] that we’ll back ourselves to chase anything,” Langer said. “That said, finals are a different proposition. So we’ll wait and see. There’s also been the dew factor that didn’t really come into it last night, we didn’t think [it did] in Sharjah.”But it takes nerves of steel to chase big scores in finals. It’s certainly worked out well so far.”Mitchell Marsh and David Warner put up a match-winning stand against West Indies on Saturday•ICC via Getty

Langer has been rewarded for a bold shift in strategy moving away from Australia’s long-time preference to play six batters and five bowlers, opting for seven batters and four bowlers with just one spinner for the majority of the tournament. The only exception in this trend was the heavy defeat at the hands of England.Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell bowled four overs between them against West Indies for just 22 runs while Australia’s three quicks took six wickets.Marsh also made a brilliant half-century in the chase batting at No. 3. But Langer was especially full of praise for David Warner who scored 89 not out, saying he never doubted his opener would come good after a lean run coming into the tournament.”I’ve never seen him as fit as he is at the moment,” Langer said. “He’s always fit. But this is at a different level at the moment. You’ve got to work very hard at his age. For him to do what he’s doing, you saw the way he played, ran between wickets yesterday, [in] hot conditions – it’s a great tribute to his professionalism and how hungry he is to keep playing great cricket. So, it’s nice to see him getting the results he’s had to play two amazing innings for us. And let’s hope he stands up again in the finals like the other boys have been doing so far.”Australia’s possible semi-final against Pakistan will also see Langer face his close mate and long-time Test opening partner, Matthew Hayden, who has been a batting consultant for Pakistan during the T20 World Cup.”The difference is we’ll be sitting on the sidelines watching,” Langer said. “But he’s enjoying it. We’ve been back and forth messaging throughout the tournament. No insights, though. We’re sort of keeping business to business.”It’s going to be good to see him. I haven’t seen him for a long time. But there’s lots of relationships in cricket and when it comes to Thursday night, we’ll put our friendship down for three hours and we’ll get to business and it should be good fun.”