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Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, has claimed ball tampering is not new to cricket and that there are legal and illegal methods to change the condition of the ball

Umar Farooq02-Oct-2011Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, has claimed ball tampering is not new to cricket and that there are legal and illegal methods to change the condition of the ball. He was also opposed to legalising ball tampering, in contrast to Shoaib Akhtar, who wrote in his recent autobiography that it wasn’t a bad idea to “set rules” for tampering.”The claims [of ball tampering] have always emerged against Pakistan but have never been proved,” Gul told reporters at National Cricket Stadium in Karachi. “There are many ways to tamper with the ball that are illegal, like using your nail, but there are other ways to change the condition that are legal. A player can throw the ball on the bounce to make it rough or the ball can be damaged when it hits the advertising boards on the boundary.”During the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009, Gul’s ability to reverse-swing the ball early had drawn concern from the New Zealand camp but he shrugged it off. Gul did not think ball tampering should be made legal, though, saying it would make it too easy to bowl reverse swing, which is an art, and some of the beauty of the game would be lost if the practice was legalised. “I don’t think the way is to legalise it. Leave cricket with its traditional ways rather than making changes that would take all the charm out of it.”Gul also responded to comments in Akhtar’s autobiography about Sachin Tendulkar being afraid of the former Pakistan fast bowler. “I can’t say specifically that I saw Tendulkar running away from Shoaib, but no one can deny that when Shoaib was at his fastest and best the world’s best batsmen were nervous against him and there is no batsmen who is not nervous or ruffled when facing a pure fast bowler,” Gul said. “Even Brian Lara, who I rate as the world’s best batsman, admitted to feeling ruffled when he was hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Shoaib.”Pakistan leave for the UAE on October 15 to take on Sri Lanka in two Tests, three ODIs and two Twenty20s, and Gul, who was rested for the tour of Zimbabwe, is likely to be back in the squad. “I am all fit but need a flow for which I have to have lengthy bowling spells,” Gul said. “I am bowling regularly and will be playing first-class cricket. If selected, I will train in the nets to quickly get back my form.”

Last year’s losing Intercontinental Cup finalists Scotland will be hoping to go one better this time, as they begin their 2011-13 campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2011Last year’s Intercontinental Cup runners-up Scotland will be hoping to go one better this time, as they begin their campaign in the opening game of the 2011-13 season of the tournament against Netherlands on Tuesday in Aberdeen.”We’re looking forward to it,” Peter Steindl, Scotland’s head coach said. “It’s our first international since the final last year and we’re looking to hit the ground running. We’ve been involved in the English county 40-over competition and so it will be a switch but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”It’s going to be a tough game with the Netherlands putting up a strong squad and few new faces who haven’t previously played for the side in this format. They’ve got some depth and experience there which will be a real challenge for us but we’re looking forward to it.”Scotland will be boosted by the return of Durham batsman Kyle Coetzer, who has five ODI caps to his name, and brings some experience to the middle order.Meanwhile, Netherlands have an almost full-strength squad available for selection, though allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate misses out, due to county commitments. Captain Peter Borren said he expected the conditions to suit his team. “[Neil] Kruger and [Michael] Swart are experienced cricketers who will add to our batting line-up having been performing well for us in the English 40-over competition that we participate in,” he said.”We’ve also got a young bowler in Ashan Malik who is an exciting prospect and hopefully when bowling long spells with the Kookaburra ball will get some good swing and perform well.”I’m not concerned about our batting at all. It’s a strong line-up and although we have a young bowling attack, I think the conditions will suit us,” Borren said. “I think we’ve a team that is good – a bit more of an experienced team than our previous outings in this event, particularly with the batting line up, so hopefully we can get the points.”Netherlands last played international cricket in the 2011 World Cup, in which they failed to win a single game. They finished sixth in last season’s Intercontinental Cup, losing five of their six games, with one draw.Scotland squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), Fraser Watts, Preston Mommsen, Alasdair Evans, Kyle Coetzer, Ryan Flannigan, Neil McCallum, Simon Smith (w/k), Gordon Goudie, Calum MacLeod, Majid Haq, Richie BerringtonNetherlands squad: Peter Borren (c), Wesley Barresi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari , Tom Cooper, Tom Whol, Tom Heggelman, Neil Kruger, Matthijs Luten, Ahsan Malik, Peter Seelaar , Eric Szwarczynski , Michael Swart, Berend Westdijk

Eoin Morgan and Jade Dernbach once again produced their one-day best as England scraped home by six wickets in a tense Twenty20 against India at Old Trafford

The Report by Andrew Miller31-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Eoin Morgan was, once again, the key to an England run chase with a thrilling 49•Getty ImagesEoin Morgan and Jade Dernbach, England’s matchwinners in their jaunt to Ireland earlier in the week, once again produced their one-day best as England scraped home by six wickets in a tense Twenty20 against India at Old Trafford. Morgan made 49 from 27 balls to break the back of a stiff 166-run target, after Dernbach’s array of slower balls and yorkers had stopped India’s big hitters in their tracks with career-best figures of 4 for 22 from 3.4 overs.On a sluggish pitch, India chose to bat first and posted a competitive total of 165, thanks largely to an eye-catching 61 from 39 balls from the debutant Ajinkya Rahane. Rahul Dravid, in his first and last Twenty20 international appearance, smacked three consecutive sixes off Samit Patel to turn a previously laborious knock into a sprightly 31 from 21, while Suresh Raina put his miserable Test series to one side with a useful 33 from 19.Dernbach and Morgan, however, produced the day’s most captivating performances, and thanks to their combined efforts, England appeared to have the game in the bag with 32 runs still required from the final 29 deliveries of the contest. However, an exceptional 19th over from Munaf Patel went for just three runs, as Patel smashed his bat in two with an attempted cover drive, before Ravi Bopara was suckered by Munaf’s line outside off and struggled to put bat on ball.Needing ten from the final over, England then had a stroke of major fortune when umpire Rob Bailey erroneously called wide when Vinay Kumar pitched his first delivery just inside the tramlines. Suitably buoyed, Patel then squeezed a pair of fours through third man before sealing the match with a lofted drive over extra cover with three balls of the contest remaining.England’s innings had started ignominiously when the debutant Alex Hales – whose only other slice of the action had been a juggled catch at long-on which deflected off his shoulder – was suckered by Praveen Kumar’s command of swing and pinned lbw for a second-ball duck. After three of their Powerplay overs England were floundering on 17 for 1, with a hyperactive Kevin Pietersen inside-edging their only boundary through third man, and they scarcely looked any more composed when Pietersen was dropped by a diving Parthiv Patel at third man.Two balls later Craig Kieswetter found a thick edge for six off Munaf, and it wasn’t until Pietersen whistled a conventional pull through square leg that their innings really found its feet. Vinay was muscled expertly through the covers twice in four balls by Kieswetter, before R Ashwin’s first nine-ball over was bookended by two more Pietersen boundaries. At 58 for 1 after six, England were suddenly up and running.Smart stats

The target of 166 is the second-highest chased by England in Twenty-20 internationals. Their highest successfully-chased target is 170 against West Indies in 2007.

The 73-run stand between Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara is the second-highest for the fourth wicket for England in Twenty-20 internationals.

Ajinkya Rahane’s 61 is the second-highest score by an Indian batsman against England in a Twenty-20 international.

Rahane’s 61 is also the highest score by an Indian batsman on debut in a Twenty-20 international. The highest remains Ricky Ponting’s 98 against New Zealand in 2005.

The 65-run stand between Rahul Dravid and Rahane is the fourth-highest second-wicket stand for India in Twenty-20 internationals.

India’s 165 is their second-highest total against England and their sixth-highest overall (first innings only).

From a total of 104 for 2, India lost the last eight wickets for 61 runs. The 61-run aggregate from the third wicket to the tenth wicket is the lowest for India in Twenty-20 internationals.

That solid position was dented twice in the next seven balls, however. First Kieswetter holed out to short cover, then Pietersen’s international summer was ended by a flash of inspiration from MS Dhoni, who moved down the leg side to gather a swinging delivery from the part-timer Virat Kohli, and whipped off the bails as Pietersen toppled out of his crease. He was gone for 33 from 23 balls, and at 60 for 3 after 7.1 overs, England were suddenly tottering.It didn’t take Morgan long to find his range, however. After seeing out Kohli’s over, he drilled his first three balls from Rohit Sharma for four, four, six – two threaded cover-drives and a massive mow over deep midwicket. He added two more fours in Kohli’s next two overs, then marked the resumption of play after a lengthy delay by clipping a Praveen full-toss off his pads through fine leg.At the other end, Bopara struggled to match either Morgan’s poise or placement, as he was made to wait 24 deliveries before cuffing his first boundary through deep midwicket off Ashwin. But while Morgan was in the zone, all he needed to do was stay with his partner. The pair added 73 for the fourth wicket in 8.1 overs, before Morgan was sweetly caught at point by Sharma. The decision required ratification from the third umpire, but was never seriously in doubt. And nor, at that stage, was the result.Bopara’s unconvincing 31 from 36 balls allowed India to regain a toe-hold in the game, and it wasn’t the only aspect of England’s performance that lacked conviction. Earlier, the notion of unsettling India’s openers with the short ball backfired spectacularly as Rahane unveiled a range of cultured but aggressive strokes, including four fours in Stuart Broad’s first two overs. His first-class average of 67 points to a player with a rounded technique that can cope with all eventualities, and as India muscled along to 49 for 1 in the six-over Powerplay, their prospects looked sky-high.Bopara ended a second-wicket stand of 65 in seven overs when Dravid’s debut ended with a drill to short extra cover. Five balls later, Rahane was on his way as well, as Dernbach at third man pocketed a cramped uppercut off Broad. Kohli came and went in the same Broad over as he flung his bat at a lifter outside off, and when Graeme Swann had Sharma stumped for 1, India had lost four wickets in 16 balls.The stage was set for Raina, whose Test series had ended in such ignominy with a 42-ball pair at The Oval. His struggles against the short ball had been a recurring theme of the summer, although he proved a point of sorts by smashing a Broad bouncer with alacrity over midwicket for six. Two more sixes off Tim Bresnan gave India’s innings a late lift, but Dernbach’s variations were too cunning for the tail. India were bowled out with two balls of their allocation remaining, and how vital would those prove to be in the final analysis?

Chris Gayle continues to miss out on West Indies selection and is not part of the 13-man squad for the third ODI against India. Danza Hyatt and Kemar Roach have replaced the rested duo of Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2011Chris Gayle continues to miss out on West Indies selection and is not part of the 13-man squad for the third one-dayer against India. Gayle has been out of favour with the West Indies Cricket Board since his controversial radio interview and was not selected for the first two one-dayers. The board has reiterated that since it been unable to meet Gayle, he has again not been considered for selection. The date for the proposed meeting is yet to be finalised.There are two changes to the squad that was selected for the first two ODIs: Dwayne Bravo’s request to be given a break has been granted and Jamaica batsman Danza Hyatt – who played in the only Twenty20 against India – has been selected in his place. The board has also decided to rest fast bowler Ravi Rampaul for the Antigua leg of the series which comprises the third and the fourth ODIs. Kemar Roach has returned to the squad to replace Rampaul.Adrian Barath, the opener, will spend a week working at the Sagicor High Performance Centre undergoing practice in order to be considered for selection for the Test series against India starting on June 20 in Jamaica. Barath has been undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the 2011 World Cup.West Indies trail India 0-2 in the five-match series. The third ODI will be played at North Sound in Antigua on June 11.West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Carlton Baugh (wk), Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Danza Hyatt, Anthony Martin, Kieron Pollard, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons.

Australia’s new pace bowling coach Craig McDermott believes empathy can be his most valuable addition to the dressing room, after a career he admits had plenty of “bad days at the office”

Daniel Brettig17-May-2011Australia’s new pace bowling coach Craig McDermott believes empathy can be his most valuable addition to the dressing room, after a career he admits had plenty of “bad days at the office”.Handed a Test debut at 19 in 1984 and then shuffled in and out of the Australian team until he re-emerged at his fittest and most incisive to make a place his own in 1990, McDermott knows very well the range of emotions and anxieties that can grip a young player. He was appointed to replace Troy Cooley as the man to guide the current crop of fast bowlers while preparing the way for the next, and is in a pivotal role for a pace battery that was made to look very ordinary indeed during the Ashes.”Everybody has a bad day at the office and I certainly had my fair share of bad days at the office when I was playing cricket,” McDermott told ESPNcricinfo. “I was dropped a number of times, re-selected a number of times and then stayed in the team for a seven-year period straight towards the end, so I’ve been through all the roller-coaster stuff and you’ve got to have a plan A, plan B and plan C.”We’ve got a number of young players in and around the team now and some young quicks who may get a guernsey over the next one or two years. So I think it’s good to have somebody there who can actually talk them through the nerves and the butterflies in the dressing room where you walk in there for the first time and you’re standing next to Ricky Ponting at 150 Tests. (For them) it’s the opposite end of the scale there by a big margin.”There’s a lot of feelings and emotions to help those younger guys through, and even guys who’ve played 10 or 15 Tests, it’s not a lot of games and they’re still settling in; there are some things off the field that you can give them advice on.”Allan Donald was the most high-profile applicant for the job, but McDermott’s coaching apprenticeship at Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence gave him worthwhile knowledge of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and James Pattinson among others, all expected to push for Test spots in the near future. He has also spent time with Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and Ben Hilfenhaus during the Ashes, and has “some ideas of my own” about their faltering progress during that series.”I’ve had a little bit to do with most of the guys during the Test series against England before the first Test and on a couple of other occasions on very short camps and then in Bangladesh,” said McDermott. “I’ve found it quite easy to fit back into the dressing room scene because I’ve been there before myself. It certainly has changed a little bit from when I was playing and it’s all for the positive and I really enjoyed Bangladesh with the new squad and under a new captain.”I think it’s going to be a difficult period for Australia, we’ve got tough series, Sri Lanka, South Africa and then India out here, which all adds up to a tough summer. We’ve got our work cut out, but I’m sure if we do the work and execute correctly I’ve no doubt we can come up trumps.”Truism though it might be, hard work is a key to McDermott’s coaching philosophy, because it was by that route that he pushed himself back into the Australian team and stayed there as the spearhead of the attack before Glenn McGrath emerged from Narromine. He was perhaps the first Australian cricketer to commit himself fully to the fitness regime of a professional athlete, and reaped handsome results whenever he wasn’t struck down by freak injuries: a twisted bowel ended his 1993 Ashes tour, while a badly sprained ankle culled him from Mark Taylor’s 1995 Caribbean triumph. McDermott isn’t sure Australia’s bowlers are as fit as they need to be, in order to avoid the fatigue that can blur the mind and cause the ball to be sprayed around.”That becomes part and parcel of planning, the top of end of the game is actually more in the head than in the body,” he said. “You’ve got to be physically fit no doubt, extremely fit to be a fast bowler for a long period of time, but certainly the mental side of the game, it is very important to be able to think batsmen out and spot their weaknesses, and to be able to execute your skills, being able to pursue those weaknesses in batsmen.”It’s okay putting one ball or two balls in the right spot, but you’ve got to do it 25 times in a row to build up pressure. Execution only comes with hard work and practice and being fit enough to be able to execute for long enough, you don’t want to have fatigue come into it.”I think we’ve got a number of players who can do that, we’ve just got to make sure we do the work and making sure we’re physically fit enough to execute for long enough to create problems for batsmen. Glenn McGrath was strong, fit and bowled a lot of balls in the right spot, there’s no secret to that. It’s been no secret that’s the way to get batsmen out since WG Grace.”

An exciting claim has been made regarding Newcastle United and Kalvin Phillips…

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed that the club are looking at a move for the England international ahead of the summer window.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “They’re very aware of the fact that the players have to fit into that team. Something somebody said to me earlier on was that they are interested in Kalvin Phillips.

“Can you imagine Kalvin Phillips also now going into that Newcastle midfield and taking them to another level?”

Eddie Howe is surely buzzing

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe will be buzzing with this claim, because the prospect of the holding midfielder playing for the club is an exciting one.

The 44-year-old will be delighted with PIF’s interest in Phillips’ services and will be hoping that they can get a deal over the line for him in the coming months, as he would be a superb addition to the Magpies’ team.

The 26-year-old has proven himself at Premier League level with Leeds over the past 18 months. This season, he has made 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game across 16 league appearances, after managing 4.2 per match across 29 top-flight outings last term.

Phillips has shown that he can be a destroyer in the middle of the park by constantly breaking up opposition attacks to win the ball back for his team.

He has also caught the eye at international level, with England boss Gareth Southgate saying: “He’s been excellent. The way he has taken to international football, it hasn’t surprised us because what we’d seen with Leeds, even in the Championship, we felt could convert into our team.

“We felt he could play an important role with us. To play in the enormity of the matches he did in the summer and play as well as he did is massive credit to him.”

This shows that Phillips can handle the pressure of playing on the biggest stage whilst also readily adapting to playing different styles of football under Marcelo Bielsa, Gareth Southgate and now Jesse Marsch, which suggests that he will be able to cope with a switch to St James’ Park.

Imagine the 26-year-old throwing himself into challenges and being the defensive lynchpin of Newcastle’s midfield next season. It is an exciting prospect for the Toon Army, and that is why Howe will be buzzing with the club’s pursuit of the Yorkshire-born colossus.

AND in other news, “Phenomenal” £18m-rated Premier League star now wants NUFC move, he’d be their new Gazza…

Goa squeaked past Andhra by one wicket with one ball to spare in a thrilling encounter at the Perintalmanna Cricket Stadium in Malappuram

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2011
ScorecardShadab Jakati contributed with ball and bat in Goa’s thrilling win•AFPGoa squeaked past Andhra by one wicket with one ball to spare in a thrilling encounter at the Perintalmanna Cricket Stadium in Malappuram. The win was Goa’s third in five games, leaving them tied on points with Karnataka though after playing an extra match, while Andhra languished close to the bottom of the table after their fourth loss in five games.Goa chose to field and the decision was vindicated by the opening bowlers who restricted Andhra to 17 for 2. Satyakumar Verma hit five fours in his 23 to revive the innings, but his dismissal in the 17th over prompted Venugopal Rao into consolidation mode. Bodapati Sumanth played in a similar vein and the pair played through the bulk of the innings, adding 112 in 33.1 overs before Rao departed for 82 off 96 balls. Sumanth lost his wicket soon after, and the lower crumbled in a spate of wickets, depriving the innings of late momentum. Harshad Gadekar and Shadab Jakati snared seven wickets, making up for the fact that they conceded 117 runs between them, as Andhra were bowled out for 241.Goa’s chase was stalled by Ajay Kumar and Deepak Kumar and, when Ajay Ratra departed at 42 for 4 in the 13th over, they seemed in line for a defeat. Reagan Pinto, however, had other ideas and calmly revived the innings in the company of Jakati and Amit Yadav. The duo helped Pinto add 45 and 66 runs respectively, before the game changed once again. Goa crumbled from 153 for 4 to 192 for 9 in the 44th over, raising Kerala’s hopes of a second win. Pinto kept going, bringing up his maiden first-class century, while No. 11 Gadekar swung a four and a six in his 17 off 16 balls. The pair scored the winning runs off the penultimate ball, with Pinto unbeaten on a memorable 119, with ten fours and a six in his innings.

It’s a historic night in east London as West Ham host the first leg of their Europa League semi-final clash with Frankfurt later this evening.

David Moyes’ have enjoyed a stunning campaign across Europe, already defeating both 2020 champions Sevilla and Ligue 1 outfit Lyon in the knockout stages.

The Scotsman heavily rotated his starting XI at the weekend, even despite the tricky test of Chelsea, so we can expect plenty of changes ahead of kick-off tonight.

Here’s the lineup we could expect to see from the Irons…

There may be as many as five changes from the side that were narrowly defeated by the Blues 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.

Between the sticks, designated cup keeper Alphonse Areola is set to resume his shot-stopping duties over veteran Lukasz Fabianski, though the back three is likely to be unchanged.

Craig Dawson is the Hammers’ only fit senior centre-back and he was sent off late on at Stamford Bridge but he remains available for this encounter, so he’ll continue to partner left-back Aaron Cresswell and young versatile gem Ben Johnson in the backline.

Vladimir Coufal and Arthur Masuaku are likely to continue on either flank as wing-backs, too.

In midfield, you can expect to see a return for the well-rested Declan Rice, who will undoubtedly take the armband as he replaces club captain Mark Noble in the slot next to Thomas Soucek, and they will be joined by Argentinian playmaker Manuel Lanzini, who takes over from Pablo Fornals in the no.10 role.

Both of the Irons’ big attacking threats, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, were also on the bench against Chelsea and they too are likely to come straight back into the starting XI.

That’s at the expense of Andriy Yarmolenko, 32 – who was once dubbed the dud “embarrassing” for a dive against non-league Kidderminster Harriers by BBC Sport pundit Dion Dublin, and Algerian winger Said Benrahma.

Predicted West Ham XI (3-4-1-2): Areola; Cresswell, Dawson, Johnson; Masuaku, Rice, Soucek, Coufal; Lanzini; Antonio, Bowen.

AND in other news, Moyes must unleash “unplayable” £31.5m-rated West Ham machine, he’ll terrify Frankfurt…

West Bromwich Albion are one of several Championship clubs interested in securing the services of Newcastle United youngster Elliot Anderson on a loan deal next season.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to the latest reports from TEAMtalk, who claim that the 19-year-old’s performances on loan at Bristol Rovers have attracted interest from several Championship sides.

West Brom are among the quintet of second-tier clubs keen on the youngster, although, it will not be easy for the Baggies to tie this deal up – with the likes of Middlesborough, Coventry City, Reading and Stoke City all interested in signing the starlet.

Earlier reports also claim that Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End are keeping tabs on the midfielder – making things even tougher from Albion’s perspective.

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton understandably would like to keep Anderson if he can aid the club in securing promotion to League One, though it is understood that Eddie Howe wants the England U19 international to be playing Championship football next season.

Bruce’s goal-scoring solution

The £180k-rated talent has been a key player in the Pirates’ pursuit of promotion, with the 19-year-old establishing himself as a Rovers regular – finding himself in the starting XI 94% of the time.

Anderson, who has had manager Joey Barton waxing lyrical over his performances, has also notched up an impressive total of nine goal contributions in 18 appearances in League Two this season.

The attacking midfielder has since been described as a “superb” player who “gets you off your seat” by the Bristol Rovers boss:

“I think our fans have taken to him because he gets you off your seat. You would be really pleased for him to have the ball for ninety minutes because he’s got such quality.”

Steve Bruce would be right to move for Anderson who looks to be a supreme talent with his ability to score and create goals – something which could well solve the Baggies’ own scoring problems next season.

AND in other news: £10.7m wasted: WBA had howler over “absolute nightmare” who rinsed Peace for 147 weeks

Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips is desperate to be offered a new Whites contract, according to a significant update which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Phillips not yet signed deal

The 26-year-old is a strong contender for Leeds’ best player of the last decade or so, making 226 appearances overall and also becoming a key figure for England.

However, it is a worrying time from a Whites perspective, with Phillips constantly linked with a move away from Elland Road and a new contract not yet signed.

A big update has emerged on the matter, though, and it’s one which will likely be music to the ears of Leeds supporters.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Key update emerges

According to The Daily Mirror print edition (7 February) [via MOT Leeds News], Phillips is ‘keener than ever’ to sign a contract extension at the club he has grown up supporting.

His current deal expires in the summer of 2024.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-33/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Leeds simply must extend his stay

This is hugely positive news for Leeds, with Phillips seemingly happy at the club and not looking for a fresh challenge any time soon, having been hailed as ‘world-class’ by Paul Robinson.

A new deal would also put the Whites in a strong bargaining position should the midfielder want to exit the club in terms of demanding an enormous fee for his services.

Phillips is at the peak of his powers and looks increasingly likely to spend his best years at Elland Road, as long as the club adheres to his demands.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly showing strong interest in one player. Find out who it is here.