Chelsea full-back Ben Chilwell has suffered another injury set-back, this time to his knee, and will seek medical consultation as a result.
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Leeds United are on a roll as they aim to put together a tilt at promotion from the Sky Bet Championship and their good mood is spreading throughout the squad, as latest developments now indicate at Elland Road.
The Whites have gone on a six-match unbeaten streak in the Sky Bet Championship and sit sixth in the league standings, representing a solid start to proceedings for Daniel Farke since taking charge at Elland Road.
As per Sky Sports via Leeds Live, pundit Don Goodman has claimed that Leeds United trio Joel Piroe, Wilfried Gnonto and Georginio Rutter are too good for the Sky Bet Championship.
Goodman stated: "In those forward areas, we’re starting to see genuine Championship quality. Quality that’s probably too good for the Championship in Joel Piroe. I’m glad that Georginio Rutter has found his feet and found his confidence, throw into the mix (Wilfried) Gnonto and more behind that as well, their options are brilliant. Look, it was a really, really unsettled pre-season with all the comings and goings, contract clauses, and who was going to be there when the transfer window shut."
Piroe in particular has impressed for the Whites since joining from divisional rivals Swansea City in the summer transfer window, racking up six goals in his opening nine appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Meanwhile, journalist Phil Hay has indicated that the 49ers could look to pay up the remainder of out-of-favour star Helder Costa's contract at Elland Road after a move to new surroundings failed to materialise for the Angola international during the summer transfer window.
Next up for Leeds United is a trip to St Mary's Stadium to face an out-of-sorts Southampton, with Russell Martin's men coming off the back of four straight defeats in the English second-tier.
Taking to Instagram, Leeds United forward Georginio Rutter posted a compilation of his best moments from their 3-0 win over Watford last weekend, in which he claimed a stunning late assist to set up Jaidon Anthony for the Whites' crowning third goal.
In reply, Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling replied with a comment which read: "Love that happy face of yours!!" Further down, Wales international Ethan Ampadu also chimed in with a simple one-word response that said "Wow" in reference to the France Under-21 gem's exploits in the victory.
Looking like a man full of confidence all of a sudden, Rutter has managed to appear eight times in all competitions for Leeds United, registering two goals and two assists, as per Transfermarkt. Acting as a foil for Piroe in attack against Watford, Rutter managed to complete seven of his nine dribbles attempted during the clash and also laid on three key passes against the Hornets, according to Sofascore.
Leeds United boss Farke said that the 21-year-old was "top-class" across proceedings last weekend and he now slowly looks to be paying back the club-record £35 million fee shelled out for his services in January, as per talkSPORT.
Ayling and Ampadu have clearly caught a buzz off of his recent performances and everyone connected with the club will hope he can play a key part in their push for promotion over the coming months.
Farhad Moshiri's seven years as owner of Everton football club have been chaotic, to say the least.
Record-breaking transfers, relegation battles and a whole host of managerial sackings have all culminated in their demise towards the foot of the Premier League table and while moving into a state-of-the-art stadium in 2024 could transform their mood, it could have the opposite effect if the Toffees are a Championship club by that point.
The Toffees have survived relegation by the skin of their teeth in recent campaigns and unless Sean Dyche somehow performs some miracles, another battle against the drop is on the cards.
Unfortunately, the main reason for their downward spiral has been their constant lapses of misjudgement in the transfer market, paying the price for shelling obscene amounts of cash on disappointing talent.
The likes of Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Sandro Ramirez, Yannick Bolasie, Davy Klaasen and Cenk Tosun – a list that is by no means exhaustive – have all foregrounded the bitterly disappointing transfer strategy that has been carried out since Moshiri took to the helm.
Everton have ultimately fallen victim to throwing money down the drain on talent that promised to deliver so much and it was the arrivals of Bolasie and Morgan Schneiderlin in 2016/17 that kickstarted this trend.
The background behind Everton's signing of Morgan Schneiderlin
Everton captured the defensive midfielder for £24m from Manchester United in January 2017, reuniting him with former manager Ronald Koeman, who he spent a season under at Southampton.
The Frenchman originally left St Mary's for Old Trafford in 2015 for a similar fee but struggled to make inroads into the first team during Jose Mourinho's time in charge.
He only featured on 47 occasions for the club and struggled to hold down his place in the matchday squad, perhaps foreshadowing how the rest of his career would plan out.
Departing the club in acrimonious circumstances, Schneiderlin later revealed that he "lost himself as a player" at Man United due to a multitude of reasons, but it was the demands set by then manager Louis van Gaal that affected him the most.
He said: "It was not just the manager's fault, it was my fault, too. My role was not the one I had at Southampton. I felt restricted in my game. I felt they wanted to change things in me. I was not thinking as me, I was thinking about what pleased the coach.
"When you reach that point, every pass you make, everything you do, you don't play free. Something stopped me from being who I was. I wanted so much to do well and it is one of the most frustrating things ever."
Having lost himself at one of the biggest clubs in the world, the Frenchman struggled to recapture the form that saw him burst onto the scene at Southampton as a youngster, and pay back the original price tag with exceptional performances.
Morgan Schneiderlin's statistical record at Everton
Schneiderlin arrived at Everton when Ronald Koeman was spearheading their charge towards Europe and he would have expected the 27-year-old, at the time, to become the anchor of their ship.
A tough-tackling defensive midfielder with a sublime passing range, Schneiderlin boasted the desirable ingredients for a European charge in the Dutchman's possession-based style.
The 6 foot 1 anchorman had previously showcased an ability to recycle possession for his team, caress line-breaking passes through to his attackers and read the game superbly to sniff out danger.
Those were all attributes that saw Rio Ferdinand earmark him as a replacement for Michael Carrick at Man United and Koeman partnered him next to the energetic and tenacious midfielder, Idrissa Gueye.
Although he promised to deliver those sought-after attributes for the Toffees, instead the Frenchman, quite simply, didn't endear himself well to the Goodison Park faithful and this was embodied by his lack of discipline on and off the field. In 88 appearances for the club, he was shown 14 yellow cards and three red cards, channelling his aggression in the wrong way.
Given his subpar performances, Schneiderlin's exit was mooted for a while, but it didn't happen till the summer of 2020 as OGC Nice paid £2m to lure him back to France.
The total cost of Schneiderlin's time at Everton
During his three-and-a-half-year stint at the club, he earned a whopping £22.8m in wages, as per Capology.
Indeed, when adding his initial transfer fee of £24m to that total, Schneiderlin drained Everton of a staggering £46.8m, as the club's finances took a monumental hit without significant returns on the pitch.
Everton's highest earners 2016/17
Weekly wage
Morgan Schneiderlin
£120k
Romelu Lukaku
£90k
Yannick Bolasie
£75k
Kevin Mirallas
£70k
Ashley Williams
£70k
Remarkably, the Frenchman's wage of £120k per week saw him become the club's highest earner after signing in the 2016/17 campaign. He was on more money than several key players in the squad, including Romelu Lukaku, Idrissa Gueye and Ross Barkley.
Schneiderlin unfortunately symbolises Everton's habit of draining the club's resources on woeful talent.
Schneiderlin's career path since leaving Everton
Since leaving Goodison Park in 2020, the 33-year-old has become a journeyman, plying his trade in three different countries.
Having made 59 appearances for Ligue 1 giants OGC Nice, he moved to the other side of the world to sign for Western Sydney Wanderers, but only made 11 appearances in the A-League before packing his bags once more and relocating to Greek Super League side, A.E Kifisias.
While his career has taken a downward spiral, much like Everton's fortunes, Schneiderlin admitted in a recent interview during his brief time in Australia that he could still be at Manchester United if he played to his full potential, as per the Daily Mail.
He said: "I know if I played to my full potential, with freedom, I would not be in Australia right now.
"Maybe I would still be at Manchester United. When I signed, I wanted to be a legend there. That is why I am mad with myself and it will be hard until the end of my life.
"My friends ask, 'Why are you saying this?' But I know myself and what I can bring. I know this time at Manchester United affected me for the longest period in my career. I was so frustrated I couldn't give what I wanted."
The Frenchman failed to recapture the form that saw him become one of several big-money departures out of Southampton and ultimately, never recovered from his damaging spell at Man United, nor his disastrous time at Everton.
After a difficult start, Leeds United have finally found their feet under Daniel Farke, and now look on course to challenge for a place at the top of the Championship. Much of the credit for their turnaround deserves to go to the recruitment team, with Joel Piroe's arrival particularly strengthening the Yorkshire side in the final third this season.
That same team could be at the centre of things once more come January, too, when they'll look to find the players capable of making a difference for Leeds in the final stages of the campaign. And that could include the addition of one particular goalkeeper who is a man in demand.
What's the latest Leeds United transfer news?
In total, the Whites welcomed nine reinforcements during the summer transfer window, with Leeds' summer spending reaching around the £36m mark. Proving their ability to spend, the winter transfer window may open the door for further reinforcements for the 49ers Enterprises and Farke at Elland Road.
Player
Price
Joel Piroe
€14m
Ethan Ampadu
€8m
Ilia Gruev
€6.5m
Glen Kamara
€6m
Djed Spence
€1m loan fee
Karl Darlow
€400k
Sam Byram
Free
Jaidon Anthony
Loan
Joe Rodon
Loan
One position that Farke could strengthen is the goalkeeper role, with the latest Noel Tornqvist transfer news reporting that Leeds are interested in the shot-stopper. According to Fotbollskanalen, via Leeds Live, officials of the Yorkshire club actually sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old goalkeeper in action for Mjallby AIF prior to the international break. Mjallby AIF sporting director Hasse Larsson confirmed that scouts were there to watch Tornqvist, saying, via Leeds Live:
"That’s right. There were two more clubs, two Dutch clubs, who were also there to watch. There is an interest, absolutely. We’ll see what happens, we haven’t received anything concrete. We have only received requests.
“I think we have a contract for four more years. It is difficult to answer [of retaining him beyond January], but we are happy to keep him for a while longer. Then we’ll see, it depends on what comes. It’s fairly broad. There were four clubs that looked at him and there have been clubs that looked at him before.”
Who is Noel Tornqvist?
A left-footed goalkeeper, Tornqvist played an important role for Mjallby AIF last season, starting 23 of his side's 25 Allsvenskan games. Tornqvist's clean sheets were also impressive, with the 21-year-old keeping an impressive total of 11 throughout the season in all competitions. With that said, he could provide current Leeds number one Illan Meslier with plenty of competition, perhaps even taking the starting role from the Frenchman, should he end up leaving in the future.
Mjallby coach Anders Torstensson has previously been full of praise for his goalkeeper, saying:
“It was a question mark we had before the season. We know that Noel is a good goalkeeper. Then it’s about defending the shirt as the first-choice goalkeeper. He made a mistake against Varberg and also had back problems in that game, but I think he responded in a fantastic way.”
When the January transfer window swings open, the Whites may well be a club to keep an eye on, with their interest in Tornqvist potentially taking centre stage.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou snapped at questions regarding the race for a place in the top four after the defeat to Fulham.
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Spurs face FulhamLose 3-0 at Craven CottagePostecoglou snaps at reporterWHAT HAPPENED?
Postecoglou, 58, sarcastically joked that hopes of Spurs finishing in the top four was 'all over' following a shock 3-0 defeat to Fulham away from home. Rodrigo Muniz opened the scoring just before half-time, after Fulham had dominated the vast majority of the game in front of their home crowd. Sasa Lukic would double the lead just after the break before Muniz added his second of the evening on the hour mark.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID
In the aftermath of the shock defeat at Craven Cottage, the Spurs boss snapped at questions regarding the race for the top four this season. "Yeah look it's all over [the top four race] so we will just go for sixth," he said to Sky Sports.
"I mean what am I supposed to say to that, we are two points behind Villa. Yeah? What does that mean with 10 games to go, what are 10 games to go.
"Psychologically I don't really worry about that stuff. It is 10 games there is so much football to be played. If we had one today nothing was guaranteed, could've lost last week nothing was guaranteed. So I don't worry about that stuff and never have. It's not about just falling into a place in the ladder."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Following a dominant 4-0 victory against fellow Champions League chasers Aston Villa last weekend, Spurs had a golden opportunity to leap-frog Unai Emery's side in the table with a win against Fulham. As it stands, they remain two points behind Villa in fifth and will now have to hope West Ham United can get a result against the Villans at the London Stadium on Sunday.
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR SPURS?
The north London side will be back in action after the international break, as they prepare to host Luton Town on March 30. Following that fixture, they will face a quick turnaround before a midweek clash against West Ham on April 2. Spurs currently hold a game in hand on Villa, so every outing is absolutely vital for Postecoglou's side.
West Ham United have been far better in the early stages of the current campaign compared to the 2022/23 Premier League season, with the summer transfer activity breeding sustained success once again.
Last season's Europa Conference League winners have thus qualified for this term's Europa League, finishing on an immense high after toiling for much of the domestic campaign and finishing 14th after successive top seven seasons.
Among the new recruits, David Moyes will be particularly delighted with the impact of James Ward-Prowse, whose creativity and composure has been integral in mounting an early push for European qualification.
Last season, Ward-Prowse captained Southampton to relegation from the top flight, but make no mistake, the 28-year-old was not culpable for their demise, scoring 11 goals and receiving praise for his "world-class" qualities from former manager Nathan Jones.
This season, the midfielder has already scored twice and provided six assists for the Hammers since joining for £30m in August, very much the "outstanding” component, as he has been hailed by journalist Josh Bunting.
In the Premier League alone, the £115k-per-week machine has recorded an average match rating of 7.69 – as per Sofascore – completing 91% of his passes, making 2.1 key passes, 1.4 tackles and 5.9 ball recoveries per game and winning 59% of his ground duels.
To emphasise his all-encompassing skills, he ranks among the top 7% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals and assists, the top 13% for shot-creating actions, and the top 17% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.
While Ward-Prowse has probably been the pick of the bunch regarding the new arrivals, there has arguably been an unsung hero proving to be just as important this year, with right-back Vladimir Coufal in one of his richest veins of form since joining the Irons.
Coufal joined the fold in east London for just over £5m in 2020, and has since cemented himself as a regular presence on the pitch for Moyes' side, hailed for his "brilliant" displays by pundit Jamie Carragher.
The 38-cap Czech Republic international is not usually the most striking of full-backs on English shores, but he conducts his business diligently and with confidence, ranking among the top 14% of positional peers for tackles, the top 20% for interceptions, the top 6% for clearances and the top 11% for aerial wins per 90.
Moreover, he works expertly in tandem with Jarrod Bowen down the right flank, offering both stability and supplementing the clinical England international, who has scored five goals from eight Premier League appearances this season.
The 31-year-old has recently unlocked his creative flair, registering an assist across his past four outings in the top flight, with two such passes providing Bowen with a goal.
But furthermore, he has averaged 2.4 tackles and 2,8 clearances per game, as per Sofascore, which highlights the defensive assurance that slots him into West Ham's system potently.
Having provided just one assist from 27 outings last year, there is clear evidence of a developing understanding down that right side, which is already proving instrumental in the pursuit of a fourth consecutive year on the continental scene.
Defensively solid, offensively improving and praised for his "incredible" start to the season by journalist Jack Elderton, Coufal really is one of the unsung heroes of this thriving Hammers squad, and his work down the right is charging the fine form that has kickstarted the current campaign.
West Ham United are eyeing up a high-earning forward with his club now open to loaning him out, according to a report this week.
West Ham's January transfer targets
David Moyes' side have impressed in parts over the early-season; beating the likes of serial spenders Chelsea and high-flying Brighton while remaining unbeaten in Europe over a record-breaking 17-game run. However, their last match against Aston Villa exposed some real chinks in West Ham's armour. Moyes watched on from the sidelines as his side succumbed to a dismal 4-1 defeat at Villa Park.
Arguably their worst 90 minutes of the Premier League season to date, West Ham will be looking to get back to winning ways as soon as possible, and January could also represent a chance to strengthen in key areas they need to address. Uncertainty surrounds the futures of some key players as well, with reports suggesting both Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd could leave West Ham amid interest from Saudi Arabia.
Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Ben Johnson, Vladimir Coufal, Michail Antonio, Conor Coventry, Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski and veteran defender Angelo Ogbonna are the West Ham players out of contract next summer as things stand, too, meaning Moyes and co could have to think about replacing some of them.
A new defender and striker are rumoured to be on the agenda. Indeed, West Ham could make a move for Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy, and it's also claimed that Moyes is interested in signing Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah to shore up his backline.
Jadon Sancho update
Now, it is also believed that West Ham are monitoring Man United forward Jadon Sancho amid his currently uncertain situation at Old Trafford. The Englishman, who has been outcasted by Erik ten Hag, is looking very likely to leave United. Man United spent £73 million to sign Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021, but he has since gone on to become a peripheral figure.
According to SpotRac, Sancho is on around £250,000-per-week at Man United, so the Red Devils are eager to get him off their books. According to 90min, the 23-year-old may even be allowed to leave on a "long term" temporary deal as United consider how to get rid. This has apparently alerted those at the London Stadium, with West Ham now eyeing Sancho as a potential transfer option.
Despite being largely shunned by ten Hag, Sancho has received endorsements for a handful of United performances in the past. Former midfielder and interim manager Micheal Carrick heaped praise on Sancho after a 2-0 win over Villarreal in the Champions League nearly two years ago.
Ball retention
Aerial duels
Passing
Crossing
Through balls
Defensive contribution
Dribbling
“To finish it off with Jadon was brilliant," said Carrick. "I know how much he loves the ball at his feet, making stuff happen, that's where he's the happiest, but I thought he put a real defensive effort in as well, it was a big night for him."
Ankit Bawne had a bittersweet end to his innings during the first day of the second unofficial Test against South Africa A in Alur.Batting on 80, and looking set for a big innings, Bawne was stumped in the 74th over trying to use his feet and slog offspinner Dane Piedt out of the ground for the second time in as many overs.Bawne’s knock helped rescue India A from 80 for 3 after the first session but missing out on an 18th first-class hundred – that too against a quality attack – left the Maharashtra batsman crestfallen.”I was very disappointed on missing out on hundred. Maybe I just lost my temperament,” Bawne said after the day’s play. “It happens in the game, I wanted to accelerate for a bit and get to 100. I thought that the new ball will come, so wanted to get my hundred before the new ball. I got out in the 74th over, I wanted to bat till the 80th.”But great satisfaction from the knock to score runs on such a track. This is what A-cricket is all about. We are here to improve, so every opportunity we get is important because it can impact our careers.”Bawne came to the crease just before lunch, after captain Shreyas Iyer’s departure for a brisk 39 forced the middle order to rebuild after an initial stumble. A wicketless second session was ideal for India, and that’s exactly what Bawne and centurion Hanuma Vihari delivered after lunch; the duo churned out 102 runs in the middle session, but more importantly remained unbeaten until tea.The initial overs after lunch weren’t easy, with Duanne Olivier and Anrich Nortje teasing the batsmen with length deliveries just outside off, but Bawne said that patient batting helped him overcome the challenge thrown by the South Africa pacers.”The time when I went in to bat, they were on top and we badly needed a partnership. So mine and Hanuma’s partnership was very crucial that time,” Bawne said. “We needed to play well because their fast bowlers were bowling well. The main thing was I was leaving the ball very well; as a Test batsman, you need to leave well. So that was my highlight.”We’ve [the India A team] been playing together for a while, so I knew that our job was to bat for a session. If we bat for a session, we would get 60-70 runs. So it was important to play the overs because we knew we would get runs when the spinners come.”After his innings, Bawne was also sure to tip his hat to India A (and Under-19) coach Rahul Dravid, who observed the first day from the pavilion as well as from the boundary line. Bawne praised the former India captain’s ‘less-is-more’ policy in the changing room.”Rahul sir has been a big support for me,” Bawne said. “I started with him since the South Africa tour, and he speaks very few words but they’re very powerful words. You get to learn every day from him.”
يصر المهاجم الإسباني داني أولمو على أن بيلينجهام لا يخيفه ولكنه سارع إلى الاعتراف بأهميته بالنسبة لإنجلترا، في حديثه قبل نهائي كأس أمم أوروبا “يورو 2024”.
ونجحت إنجلترا في التأهل على حساب هولندا بفوز قاتل في الدقائق الأخيرة، وإسبانيا أقصت فرنسا بفوز بهدفين لهدف، ويلتقي الفريقان في نهائي يورو 2024 يوم الأحد المقبل.
كان أولمو أحد أبرز نجوم إسبانيا في هذه البطولة بتسجيله هدفين والمساهمة بثلاث تمريرات حاسمة، وشارك أساسيًا في مباراة واحدة فقط من أول أربع مباريات.
وقال أولمو في تصريحاته إلى “El Larguero”: “أنا لست خائفًا، بيلينجهام هو مجرد نقطة مرجعية هناك، كرة القدم تُلعب من خلال حذائه”.
اقرأ أيضًا | رايس: حاولت الحصول على منحة دراسية في عمر لامين يامال.. وإيطاليا تطاردني للأبد
وأضاف: “إنه دائمًا في خضم الأمور، إنه لاعب يجب أن يؤخذ في الاعتبار، لكنني لا أخشى أحدًا”.
ويلعب أولمو لصفوف لايبزيج الألماني ويعد هدفًا لأندية ليفربول ومانشستر يونايتد في إنجلترا.
اللاعب البالغ من العمر 26 عامًا، انضم إلى نادي لايبزيج منذ عام 2020، قادمًا من دينامو زغرب، ومنذ ذلك الحين سجل 29 هدفًا في 148 مباراة مع الفريق الألماني.
ESPNcricinfo understands that talks have been held between the ECB and the owner of the inaugural T10 league in the UAE
George Dobell and Umar Farooq21-Jul-2018
Shahid Afridi took the T10 format’s first hat-trick in his first over•Francois Nel/Getty Images
The ECB has considered introducing 10-over cricket to the English domestic game, after it emerged that talks have taken place between high-level ECB officials and the owner of the inaugural T10 league in the UAE.ESPNcricinfo understands that a meeting took place in March between Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, and Shaji Ul Mulk, the founder of the T10 league, at which the possibility of bringing the format to England was discussed.There is no suggestion at this stage that T10 cricket is being lined up to replace the existing plans for “The Hundred”, despite the outspoken criticism of the proposed new competition in recent days.However, given an already crowded domestic calendar that features first-class and 50-over cricket as well as the planned continuation of the T20 Blast, the introduction of a fifth format of the game would doubtless raise eyebrows.Instead, it is thought that the format could be under consideration as an extension of the ECB’s wide-ranging participation remit, to be treated as a separate entity, much like Rugby Sevens, with a view to bridging the gap between the recreational and professional games.It has also been suggested that the meeting, which took place in Dubai, may have been part of an ECB fact-finding mission, with the board keen to leave no stone unturned as they formulate their vision for the game from 2020 onwards. Women’s softball is understood to be another sport from which officials have recently sought learnings.Neither the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) nor the ECB’s own working party examining the future structure of the game appear to have had any prior knowledge of the meeting.The inaugural T10 competition, run by the Emirates Cricket Board, took place in Sharjah last December, with several English players receiving no-objections certificates to take part – not least the limited-overs captain, Eoin Morgan, and Alex Hales, for whom the competition marked a return to action after he missed the end of the 2017 season due to his involvement in the Ben Stokes incident in Bristol.That tournament, which was won by Kerala Kings, was enough of a success for the format to be expanded from six teams to eight for the 2018 edition, with the next event to be played out over ten days instead of four.The status of the ECB’s new city-based competition is currently up in the air, with the original proposal for The Hundred – 15 six-ball overs and a solitary ten-ball over – being scrapped following opposition from the PCA.Recent reports suggest that the concept could be tweaked to 20 five-ball overs, with the option of a single bowler completing ten balls in a row if the match situation warranted it.Were it to be considered as a direct replacement for the Hundred, T10 would at least retain cricket’s traditional parameters. Also, given that the ECB’s own findings suggest that the length of matches is the most off-putting aspect of the sport as it stands, the move from 120 balls in an innings to 60 would presumably meet the criteria for attracting a new audience.