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Steven Gerrard is reportedly keen on bringing Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres to Aston Villa.

That’s according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, and the links have naturally had a number of Villa fans talking on social media.

According to Fichajes earlier this week, Torres is a player who Gerrard admires, with the new Villa boss keen on upgrading his centre-back options. It will cost around €50m (£42m) for Villarreal to part ways with the 24-year-old, who has also been attracting interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Torres appears to be at the top of his game, with a career-high £45m Transfermarkt valuation, and he reached 100 appearances for his current club earlier this month. Notably, his 89.1% passing accuracy rate in La Liga is better than anyone to have started a league match for Villa this term.

Villa fans react

Total Villa relayed Fichajes’ claim regarding Gerrard’s interest in Torres via Twitter early on Thursday morning.

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to the rumours, with one labelling a possible transfer as ‘immense’.

“Dream waiting to be shattered, Gerrard pull is going to be massive for us and it’s good to we’re looking at players like this not every Rangers player like other papers. Won’t happen but I can see Gerrard pulling in massive players like this for us.”

Credit: @Jamie_UTV

“Exactly what we need imo. A left footed fast, pacy, 6’3, ballplaying central defender. 42M?? Just get it done! Easy peasy!!”

Credit: @espenstrand

“If we could pull this off it would be immense for our team, looks like it would be the replacement for Mings as he’s a left CB but will depend on Mings’ form up until Jan”

Credit: @JMavfc82

“Would be a massive upgrade on Mings if we can pull this off”

Credit: @UTVlLLA

“Absolutely no chance”

Credit: @matty__jeff

“Surely he wouldn’t come to us”

Credit: @BenSpittle

In other news: ‘No way’ – Lots of Villa fans erupt as exit rumour emerges

Following on from their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in midweek, Leeds United are back in action this afternoon with a clash against Brentford at Elland Road next up for the Yorkshire club. 

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Bielsa could pick to be in his starting XI to take on Thomas Frank’s side, one player that featured in the win against Palace that should not be in the team on this occasion is midfielder Mateusz Klich, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £34k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

In the 45 minutes that he was on the pitch for before being replaced by Rodrigo for the second half against the Eagles, Klich failed to have any sort of impact in the game by having just 16 touches of the ball and completing just five of the ten passes he attempted. 

The midfielder also managed to lose two of the three duels he was involved in, lost possession of the ball on six occasions, committed one foul and got dribbled past on one occasion as well, showing why Bielsa chose to replace him at half time.

This overall performance ultimately earned Klich an uninspiring match rating of 6.5/10, making him the joint-lowest rated Leeds player that started the game against Patrick Vieira’s side according to SofaScore.

Before being named as an unused substitute for their 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, Klich put in a similar sort of disappointing performance in their 2-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last month, being hooked on the hour mark after winning no defensive duels.

This shows that despite previously being labelled as Leeds’ “unsung hero” by Sky Sports journalist David Prutton, Klich is becoming more of a liability for the team rather than a useful and influential midfield option.

Looking ahead to the Brentford match, it could be Bielsa’s best option if he took Klich out of the team on this occasion and put someone in who could have more of an impact on the game and how Leeds play in their latest attempt at picking up three points and moving further up the league table after their win against Palace.

However, with Leeds set to take on Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in their next four league games after today’s match, it seems likely that Bielsa will have to rely on Klich at some point in those games, meaning that he will have to be in top form if he’s going to help his side pick up as many points as possible against those tough sides.

In other news: Bielsa could repeat Gelhardt masterclass with Leeds swoop for 20 y/o “manager’s dream”

Australia’s victory in Adelaide decided the series and consigned the two matches in Perth to dead-rubber status. But like most dead rubbers, there remain several individual storylines to keep the fans interested

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale28-Jan-2010Match FactsShaun Marsh is hoping for his first major international contribution at his home ground•Getty ImagesFriday, January 29, WACA
Start time 1230 (0430 GMT)The Big PictureAustralia’s victory in Adelaide decided the series and consigned the two matches in Perth to dead-rubber status. But like most dead rubbers, there remain several individual storylines to keep the fans interested. Can Australia make it a 5-0 whitewash? Is there anything Mohammad Yousuf can do to save his captaincy? Can Ricky Ponting find form after yet another missed pull brought him a duck in Adelaide? Will Ryan Harris make himself a permanent ODI player or was his five-for a one-off? And will the Perth fans turn up to two games in three days, neither of which has any bearing on the series result?Pakistan could be forgiven for feeling browbeaten after losing all three Tests and all three one-dayers so far. But this could be their best chance of getting a win on the board on this trip. Australia have taken the opportunity to rest Shane Watson, who over the past six months has been so important to Australia that he has been not only their leading ODI run scorer but also their top wicket taker. Doug Bollinger is also taking a break but Mitchell Johnson returns to the squad having sat out of the first three games. Australia will be keen to keep up their winning form with five ODIs against West Indies just around the corner.Ponting will be hoping for a big personal effort after his misjudged-pull-lbw on Tuesday. He has come under fire for getting his cross-bat strokes wrong this summer but he said he was not worried about the trend. “Not at all. I’m not worried about getting a short ball from Rana, that’s for sure,” Ponting said. “The first couple that I faced I actually felt the ball bounced quite normally. The one I got out on I felt it didn’t bounce … as much. “I felt it was pretty much the same length as the last two. The last couple of games I’ve felt I haven’t scored quickly enough. I wanted to be a bit more positive and put it back on the bowlers a little bit more and as it turned out I made a zero.”Form guide (most recent first)Australia WWWNW
Pakistan LLLLL
Watch out for…Shaun Marsh has made plenty of runs at his home ground, the WACA, over the past few years. But at international level, his only two appearances there have brought scores of 5 and 15. Marsh is in promising touch, having scored 41 and 83 in the past two games and without his opening partner Watson the Australians will be looking to him for a strong start.Salman Butt has been Pakistan’s most consistent batsman over the past month. He was on the way to another anchoring innings in Adelaide when he was sent packing for 34 thanks to an atrocious lbw decision. A good start from Butt will be one of the keys if Pakistan are to get a victory on the board.Team newsAustralia will make at least two changes, with Bollinger and Watson to be rested from the remaining two ODIs. Johnson will take Bollinger’s position and James Hopes is the logical replacement for Watson, as a fellow medium-pace allrounder, which means Adam Voges is unlikely to break into the team unless a middle-order man like Michael Hussey or Michael Clarke is rotated out. There are several options as to who could open with Shaun Marsh in Watson’s absence but the most likely is Brad Haddin, who has done the job 13 times in the past year for an average of 46.58. The success of Harris in Adelaide could encourage the selectors to be cautious with Peter Siddle’s back soreness and give him extra time to recuperate.Australia (possible) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Clint McKay.Mohammad Aamer is likely to be left out of the final two games with a groin problem that also kept him on the sidelines in Adelaide. Fawad Alam showed enough fight to keep his place ahead of Shoaib Malik and with the series lost, there is no reason not to give Rao Iftikhar and Khalid Latif a run, neither having played yet on this tour. But trying to predict what the Pakistan selectors will do is an unrewarding task.Pakistan (possible) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Asif, 11 Saeed Ajmal.Pitch and conditionsThe WACA usually provides runs in abundance and in three of the past five one-day internationals there, the team batting first has posted 280-plus. The players will need plenty of drinks breaks: the forecast for Friday is very hot and sunny with a maximum temperature of 37C.Stats and triviaAustralia have won 54% of their ODIs at the WACA, which is their second-lowest winning percentage of any ground in Australia. Their only worse venue is the Gabba, where they have won 46%Australia are enjoying a purple patch and have won 21 of their past 26 ODIs. By contrast, Pakistan have won 11 of their past 26Quotes”We are trying to make the opposition feel as uncomfortable as we possibly can and win all the games we play.”

“I try my level best but I think this is the best team in the world to play against. I think we play good cricket, not bad cricket.”

A round-up of matches at the ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Nepal

Cricinfo staff23-Feb-2010USA notched up their third straight victory, upstaging Jersey by 66 runs in Kirtipur. Aditya Thyagarajan top scored with 83, striking seven fours and a six, and added 118 for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Carl Wright, who had made 76, to rescue USA from a precarious 55 for 5 at one stage. Rashard Marshall then supported Thyagarajan in an unbeaten 80-run seventh-wicket stand which proved match-winning. Marshall helped in a late surge, where he smacked five sixes, to lift USA to a competitive 253. In response, Jersey struggled, for the target proved too imposing. Opener Dean Morrison’s 36 came off 82 balls, and though there were useful contributions from the middle order – Samuel de la Haye and Andy Dewhurst made quickfire 30s – none were substantial enough for USA to feel insecure about their total. Lennox Cush and Saurabh Verma grabbed seven wickets between them to limit Jersey to 187 for 9. “I’m delighted – it was a real team effort to achieve the victory,” Wright, who was named Man of the Match, said. “The pitch was difficult to bat on so I aimed to occupy the crease for as long as possible and eventually it paid off for me. The situation called for that type of innings so I just tried my best. We still have two games to go and we are just trying to take it one game at a time and hopefully in our next match we can put in a good performance.”Singapore recorded their first success of the tournament, winning a tense fixture against Fiji in Lalitpur by two wickets. Captain Monish Arora starred with an unbeaten 94, and was helped by a spirited effort by the lower order, as Singapore overtook Fiji’s total of 194 with 14 balls to spare. They had been struggling at 107 for 6, dented by Sakaria Lomani’s three-wicket burst, but Arora stood firm, striking 12 fours and a six in his determined knock. He added 56 for the eighth wicket with Saad Janua and then took it upon himself to see his side through, taking the bulk of the strike and adding an unbeaten 36 for the ninth wicket, of which Mohamed Shoaib, his partner, made just six. Singapore’s own bowling effort had been led by fast bowler Pramodh Raja, who grabbed 4 for 26 to limit Fiji to a chaseable total.Hosts Nepal continued their impressive run in the tournament, easing to an eight-wicket win over Bahrain in Bhaktapur to make it three victories in as many games. Medium-pacer Basanta Regmi and offspinner Sanjam Regmi were the stars with the ball, sharing seven wickets between them, to skittle out Bahrain for 114. Wicketkeeper Shehzad Ahmed top scored with 27, an indication of how dominating Nepal were with the ball. In their reply, Nepal suffered two early setbacks but that had no effect on captain Paras Khadka, who struck nine fours and three sixes in his 71 and added an unbeaten 108 with Shakti Gauchan to seal victory with almost 27 overs to spare. “We have done very well so far and tomorrow we may be in a position where we have qualified,” Khadka said. “I am looking forward to playing at the university ground tomorrow as that is where we train every day so we’re happy to be back there.”

Kalvin Phillips’ future at Leeds United is hanging in the balance amid speculation over his future, according to former England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.

The Lowdown: Phillips’ future up in the air

The 25-year-old has become one of the most impressive midfielders in the country, not only shining for Leeds but also becoming a key man for England, being hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Alex McLeish for his performance in a Three Lions shirt.

Constant rumours have linked Phillips with a summer move away from Elland Road, however, with some of the country’s biggest teams eyeing him up.

The midfielder’s current Leeds deal expires in the summer of 2024 and there is little sign of him extending his stay at the club.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Pundit makes worrying claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor is adamant that Phillips won’t sign a new contract, further suggesting that his long-term future could lie away from the Whites:

“Someone like Phillips should only not play if he’s injured or he’s tired. Otherwise, he plays every minute.

“Somethings not right and they have to get it right. There’s no chance of him signing a new contract at the moment.”

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The Verdict: Coming to the end?

Phillips hasn’t quite managed to get going this season, with injuries hampering him a little and his form not quite as dominant as it was last term.

He averaged 2.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season, for example, whereas his tally is 2.3 and 1.2 this time around, respectively – hardly a drastic difference, but a drop-off nonetheless.

It does feel as though Phillips’ Leeds career may be reaching a natural conclusion, with a move to a Champions League-playing club potentially taking place in the summer, as he looks to test himself at an even higher level and land the Whites a hefty profit in the process.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly closing in on a move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Shahid Afridi gave Surrey a few headaches and almost caused an upset in the opening game of the inaugural Emirates Airline Twenty20 event in Dubai

Mark Pennell in Dubai19-Mar-2010
ScorecardRory Hamilton-Brown impressed with 41 and two wickets•Ineke ZondagShahid Afridi gave Surrey a few headaches and almost caused an upset in the opening game of the inaugural Emirates Airline Twenty20 event in Dubai.Unable to play in the IPL, Afridi agreed to guest for the Fly Emirates side consisting of airline admin staff and baggage handlers, and he lit up their pursuit of 160 by clattering a cameo 35 from 20 balls before Surrey regained the initiative to win by eight runs.On a slow, low and grassless surface at 7he Sevens stadium in the sandy suburbs of Dubai, the Fly Emirates side were struggling to chase at eight an over until Afridi’s incredible bat speed showed the part-timers how it should be done. He collected three fours and two sixes in taking his side to 121 before becoming the fourth man out as he lofted a catch to long on against new Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown.Inevitably, without the influence of Afridi the Emirates side capitulated thereafter as Matthew Spriegel, Jonathan Batty and Hamilton-Brown bagged two wickets apiece to secure their win.On his captaincy debut, Hamilton-Brown led from the front with a top-score of 41 from 23 balls as he and second-wicket partner Usman Afzaal (23) added 73 in 10 overs. With no pace in the pitch, cross-batted shots proved difficult, but power hitting through the line appeared effective for Spriegel, who chipped in with a late, unbeaten 40 from 34 balls that took Surrey to a score they just felt able to defend.

Valerien Ismael will be absolutely thrilled with another three points for West Brom today as they saw off Reading at The Hawthorns with a 1-0 win.

Callum Robinson found the back of the net for the fourth time this season for the Baggies, after Karlan Grant set up the 26-year-old in the 62nd minute of the game as West Brom landed their second consecutive win. That saw them close the gap between themselves and Bournemouth to just three points behind the automatic promotion spot in second.

One man who was an unsung hero on the day was 19-year-old prodigy Taylor Gardner-Hickman, whose work as left wing-back should not go unnoticed for Albion.

Valerien Ismael is a huge fan of the youngster and recently praised the teenager after spotting him in the youth team, saying: “We first spotted him in pre-season. Taylor was the first one because of the intensity he plays at.

“He’s fast, he’s able to cover big distances, he has high speed, he can sprint, he has quality on the ball, he is calm and he has no fear.”As per SofaScore, Gardner-Hickman deservedly had the highest rating on the entire pitch with 8.3, and when you look at his statistics for the game, it’s not hard to see why that was the case. The 19-year-old won 12 duels, with 80 touches and a 92% pass accuracy, which is very impressive and proves just how influential he was to the win today.With only four appearances for West Brom in the Championship so far, and continuing to double up on his under-23 duties in Premier League 2, where he has one goal and two assists, Gardner-Hickman is surely showing Ismael that he is worthy of a regular spot starting in the senior team going forward. Indeed, the youngster is already becoming one of the 46-year-old’s main men at The Hawthorns, as we saw today.In other news: Journalist drops West Brom January transfer claim

Aston Villa have been linked with a January move for Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo by The Daily Record.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been quick to give their thoughts to the rumour on social media.

Steven Gerrard left Ibrox for Villa Park last month and was promised a huge January kitty by owners NSWE.

Rangers quartet Glen Kamara, Ryan Kent, Borna Barisic and Nathan Patterson were all linked with moves to the Midlands last month, whereas rumours regarding centre-back Connor Goldson have recently emerged.

It now seems as if Aribo is another player of interest, with The Daily Record name-checking Villa, Brentford, Burnley and Southampton with an interest.

The 25-year-old, who has 18 months remaining on his Ibrox contract, has played as a central and attacking midfielder this season while also playing on the right-hand side on eight occasions. [Transfermarkt]

He’s contributed to 10 goals in 31 appearances and it now seems as if Gerrard wants to bring the Nigeria international to the Premier League.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful shared The Daily Record’s claim regarding Villa and three other Premier League clubs being keen on Aribo. This is what some Villa fans had to say in reply, with one labelling the midfielder as ‘a baller’.

“If we want any Rangers players they will join us over anyone else.”

Credit: @AVFCTranstweet

“I expected this”

Credit: @JackAVFC77

“Only want Kamara from Rangers to fill Nakambia void.”

Credit: @Villaste1

“He’s a baller”

Credit: @Brad_AVFC11

“Looool we really skipped this guy a couple years ago just to sign him for about 20x the price”

Credit: @OcBen

“Wonder who wins that one”

Credit: @ryan8653

In other news: ‘Confused’ – Many Villa fans stunned by ‘absurd’ club update.

Matthew Hayden touched upon a variety of issues ranging from the genesis of the Mongoose, Chennai Super Kings’ plans to turn around their season, and standing outside the crease to Lasith Malinga, in his chat with Cricinfo readers

Cricinfo staff30-Mar-2010As the IPL season heads to the halfway mark, Chennai Super Kings star batsman Matthew Hayden, who participated in an online chat with Cricinfo’s readers, believed that the key to reviving his side’s lukewarm campaign was to get on a winning roll.”I love the Chennai Super Kings and being in Chennai and I still believe we have a good chance to make the semi-finals, but as you know we have to start winning and keep winning,” Hayden said. “Unfortunately we have had a few results which could have easily gone the other way and which would have made a great difference to our season. However I do not like to look backwards and I’m now looking forward with a very positive mind and with a very determined team to deliver the results that we know that we can achieve.”Chennai’s plans of making the semi-finals have hit a rut, with five defeats, including four on the trot, out of seven games. Hayden thinks that the side’s inability to strike a winning combination is to blame, but is confident that they can turn it around. “I think we have been trying to establish in the first half of this tournament what our best side is, it has changed a number of times, with mixed results. This game, coming tomorrow night, is the opportunity to have that decision to find our balance and play the cricket that our talent is capable of,” Hayden said.As expected, a lot of questions were aboutn Hayden’s revolutionary Mongoose bat, which he has used with mixed results in the IPL. “I actually first started toying with the idea before the last World Cup, when I started hitting balls at practice sessions with a baseball bat and was surprised at how well I was hitting them and how far the ball would travel.”It gave me great leverage, as you would have seen already, and there is no question it gives you extra power when you are in an attacking position and wanting to dominate the bowlers,” Hayden said.When asked whether the unusual dimensions of the Mongoose – it has a longer handle and a shorter blade than normal bats – made it difficult to wield, especially while facing short-pitched bowling, Hayden admitted that it took him a while adapting. “It was a bit intimidating at first with the shorter blade. After hitting thousands of balls with it, I was mentally prepared to play with it,” he said.Hayden welcomed the expansion of the IPL and was of the opinion that the inherent tight schedules were not to blame for the high number of player injuries during the tournament.”I’m pleased with the introduction of the two new teams into the IPL for next season and also very happy that Mr Modi has announced there will be no more expansion for many years to come, as I believe that 10 teams is the perfect number. And I also know that if you train and prepare well for the IPL and have a very good support team around you, that injuries can be kept to a minimum, but then again, injuries are a part of the game,” he said.Hayden shed light on his unique tendency of standing well outside the crease to fast bowlers. “Standing out of the crease is a sign of strategy rather than of straight out aggression. For instance, against [Lasith] Malinga, whose execution of the yorker is second to none, I stand two metres out of the crease and the yorker becomes a knee-high full toss. This is a way of changing someone’s game,” Hayden explained.He may have intimidated several bowlers during his time, with his imposing presence and aggressive intent, but Hayden admitted that it was the other way around. “Truth is I was afraid of every bowler, but I soon realised the only thing a bowler could do that could hurt me was the thing that he held in his hand, the cricket ball. Only if I watched it and executed the hundreds of thousands of balls that I have hit over my lifetime could I focus my energy on that,” he said.Hayden singled out Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Robin Uthappa and Shikhar Dhawan as the young Indian players to watch out for in the future.

Adil Rashid did not enjoy the most satisfactory of winters. Surely, however, he still possesses a golden future and on the second day at Edgbaston played an important role with the bat

George Dobell at Edgbaston 10-Apr-2010
ScorecardYorkshire lost wickets at regular intervals but managed to gain a valuable lead•Getty ImagesAdil Rashid did not enjoy the most satisfactory of winters. Included in the England party to tour South Africa, he produced just four expensive overs in international cricket and slipped down the pecking order to such an extent that he lost his place in the limited-overs squad to James Tredwell.Surely, however, he still possesses a golden future. He has already claimed over 170 first-class wickets and scored four first-class centuries. And, aged just 22, he has plenty of time to improve. It was Rashid’s batting that caught the eye on the second day at Edgbaston. Coming to the crease with the match in the balance, Rashid demonstrated technique, talent and intelligence to earn his side a narrow advantage after the first innings.It was not just the shots Rashid played that impressed – pleasing though many were – but those he did not. He left the ball with a discipline that put several of his more experienced colleagues to shame and, by reaching further forward to defend than anyone on either side, nullified the unpredictable bounce and movement this pitch continues to offer.In between the defence, he unfurled some delightful attacking strokes. Waiting for the poor ball, he cut with a flourish and whipped the ball off his legs with real panache. On this evidence there’s no reason why he should not, in due course, bat in the top six for Yorkshire and, perhaps, England.He was offered steadfast support by Ajmal Shahzad. Shuffling into his shots in a manner reminiscent of Kim Barnett, Shahzad was admirably patient (his 30 occupied 125 deliveries) and helped Rashid add 63 runs in 36 overs. With Azeem Rafiq also progressing through the county’s system, it suggests that whatever problems Yorkshire may have had utilising the talent of its Asian community in the past, they have been corrected now.If progress was painstaking at times – at one stage Shahzad went 49 minutes and 44 deliveries without adding to his score – this was also an absorbing contest, offering a far more complete display of cricketing skills than can ever be produced by a Twenty20 match. Those that decry the championship should take note; tinker with it and we tinker with the foundations of the Test team.Rashid and Shahzad’s defiance helped Yorkshire eek out a first-innings lead of 57. Had Jonathan Trott, usually so reliable in the slips, clung on to a relatively straightforward chance offered by Rashid off the deserving Naqaash Tahir when the batsman had just 7, the hosts may even have earned a lead. Trott eventually made amends with the ball by extracting some extra bounce to find the edge of Rashid’s bat.Yorkshire may still reflect that they squandered a golden opportunity, however. At 176 for 3, they had the chance to put this game beyond Warwickshire, but paid the price for an inappropriately aggressive approach.While there was little Andrew Gale could do about the horrible low bounce of the delivery that dismissed him, many of his colleagues were less innocent. Jacques Rudolph, having batted beautifully and survived a ‘catch’ off an Andrew Miller no-ball when he had 55, undermined his good work by driving loosely at a sharp leg-break, while Tim Bresnan prodded, leaded footed, at one he could have left and Jonathan Bairstow pulled obligingly to square-leg.In their second innings, Warwickshire lost their captain early. There was little Ian Westwood could do to avoid the brute of a lifter that reared and took his glove, however, providing a reminder that this pitch, though slow, is likely to continue to offer bowlers assistance throughout the game.Not that any demons were apparent from the way Ian Bell batted in the last hour. Bell has looked imperious in this match. He seems to have grown in stature over the winter and now appears on the brink of flourishing into the world-class player his talent always suggested he could become. An almost dismissive pull for six off Rashid in the last over of the day underlined his dominance and, but for a run-out chance offered when he had just eight (Joe Sayers failed to hit the stumps from close range), he looked quite untroubled.Varun Chopra was less convincing, but remained unbeaten at stumps. Warwickshire have fought their way back into this game but, with two days to go, it remains a compelling and unpredictable contest.