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Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank admits he is not enjoying the challenge in North London, and the club are now set to say goodbye to one of his out of favour players in January.

Spurs head into Sunday’s Premier League clash against Sunderland with just one win in their last four matches in the competition, and Frank is feeling the pressure.

“The short answer is no,” he said when asked if he is enjoying the challenge in North London. “But the reality is you can’t (enjoy), but when I put myself out of it and look down, I think what a learning, what a privilege to be in charge of this fantastic club in a period where it’s a big transition.”

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“Someone told me we have changed eight leadership guys at the top of the club. The transformation of 2025 has never happened as much in 140 years. There’s a lot of changes but the potential is huge.

“I’m looking forward to looking back and thinking, ‘hmm, a big learning, but now I’m enjoying it’.

“It’s definitely a marathon. It definitely seems like it’s one of the more heavy miles I’m on now, but head down and keep going.”

The absence of Dominic Solanke and James Maddison has hampered Frank’s cause, and it was perhaps a surprise to see Brennan Johnson join Crystal Palace given the lack of quality and depth in the attacking ranks.

The former Brentford boss has had no hesitation in leaving certain players out if they don’t fit his system however, and another player who falls into that category is now set to leave.

Tel unhappy with Frank and set to leave Spurs

Indeed, according to reports in Turkey, via Sport Witness, Galatasaray are eyeing a move for Mathys Tel and Tottenham have decided to allow him to leave on loan.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Spurs transfer insight Curious about Tottenham’s squad shake-up? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth coverage and practical analysis of transfer rumours, loan decisions and tactical impacts — essential context on Tel, Maddison, Solanke and squad planning.

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The 20 year-old is unhappy with Frank having not started a top flight game since October and not featuring at all in the last three games.

The club will now ‘evaluate loan offers for the France U21 international’, who is not one of Spurs’ highest earners on £55,000-a-week, having joined from a similarly out of favour role at Bayern Munich.

Top Tottenham earners

Gross pay per week

Gross pay per year

=1

Xavi Simons

£195,000

£10,140,000

=1

Cristian Romero

£195,000

£10,140,000

3

James Maddison

£170,000

£8,840,000

=4

Mohammed Kudus

£150,000

£7,800,000

=4

Randal Kolo Muani

£150,000

£7,800,000

=21

Mathys Tel

£55,000

£2,860,000

Tel has scored crucial goals this season against Leeds and Manchester United, and the club will be forced to bring in a new forward having already lost Johnson, with Manchester City winger Savinho still a target.

Seamer Gurinder Sandhu and batsman Jimmy Peirson starred in Australia‘s 71-run win over Scotland in Brisbane. Australia put up 315 runs after Peirson smashed his way to a 123-ball 128. Scotland stayed in contention during the chase, courtesy Mathew Cross’ 104, but Sandhu’s five-wicket haul, which included a hat-trick, finished the contest.Sandhu’s effort overshadowed Scotland left-arm seamer Aman Bailwal’s 5 for 52; he ran through the Scotland’s middle and lower-order as the last six wickets fell for four runs to eliminate Scotland’s chances of an upset.In a last-over thriller, captain and opening batsman Chad Bowes’ 104 not out carried South Africa to a four-wicket win against Bangladesh. When the sixth wicket fell in the last ball of the 49th over, South Africa still needed 10 runs to win. But a nerveless No. 8 Prenelan Subrayen, who smashed a six in the last over, helped them reach home with a ball to spare. For Bangladesh, Al-Amin shone with both bat and ball; he scored a 73-ball 60 and later picked up a couple of crucial wickets.Naresh Budayair’s 114 wasn’t enough to help Nepal beat the target of 268 against New Zealand, as the team fell short by 19 runs. In a spirited chase, Nepal was well on course after opener Subash Khakurel, who scored 59, and Budayair added 129 for the second wicket. But only one other batsman made a double-figure score as New Zealand came back into the match by picking wickets regularly. With Budayair’s wicket in the 48th over with 37 runs to win, Nepal lost their chance to inflict an upset.New Zealand’s innings revolved around captain Will Young, who scored 97, and middle-order batsmen Henry Walsh, who scored a half-century, and wicketkeeper Cam Fletcher. Seamer Saurav Khanal took three wickets.Left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh’s five for 32 helped India dismiss Afghanistan for 219 to allow India to record a 52-run victory. India’s innings was based on three half-centuries by the top three batsmen – Prashant Chopra, captain Unmukt Chand and Baba Aparajith. Their innings faltered later with the last five wickets falling for 38 runs, as they ended up with 271 for 7.Afghanistan got off to a positive start with an opening stand of 42 runs, and half-centuries by captain Javed Ahmadi and Shabir Noori seemed to be guiding them towards victory. But a flurry of wickets, similar to the Indian collapse, with seven wickets falling for 56 runs as Harmeet ran through the middle and lower-order, put paid to their hopes.Zimbabwe collapsed for 89 against England to lose by 131 runs, with only three of their batsmen registering double-digit scores. They were in deep trouble at 31 for five before Campbell Light and Nyasha Mayawo briefly led a recovery with a 29-run stand, but the contest was over by then, with a target of 221 well out of reach. Seamer Brett Hutton took three for 28 in his nine overs; Shozair Ali, captain Adam Ball and Tom Knight were the other wicket-takers.Hutton also shone with the bat, with 55 off 66 balls, to rescue his side after they were eight down for 167 in the 42nd over.In a low-scoring match, a six-wicket haul by offspinner Tharindu Kaushal ripped apart Ireland‘s middle-order, allowing Sri Lanka to win by 50 runs. A 55 by Ireland opener Ryan Hunter, which was the highest any batsman had scored in the match, was the only contribution of note. Wickets fell regularly throughout the match but unlike Sri lanka, Ireland couldn’t string small partnerships together. Apart from a 65-run stand for the second wicket there was little the Ireland batsmen could offer.The highest scorer in Sri Lanka’s innings was 29 by opener Pabasara Waduge, but with four batsmen scoring in the 20s, and 32 extras, they reached 188.West Indies crushed Namibia under a weight of a commanding total of 328, limiting them to 182 to win by 146 runs, thanks to a century by Sunil Ambris, half-centuries by captain John Campbell and Anthony Alleyne, and contributions from fast bowlers Ronsford Beaton and Marquino Mindley.For Namibia, No. 3 Jano Coetzee put up a resistance with 89, but four wickets by Beaton and three by Mindley put paid to Namibia’s hopes. Beaton destroyed the top-order, reducing Namibia to 41 for 3, and Mindley took the final few wickets to complete the win.Pakistan opener Sami Aslam scored a 99-ball 132 to guide them to an eight-wicket victory over Papua New Guinea. Aslam’s century contained 22 fours and three sixes as Pakistan reached the target of 195 in the 33rd over. For Papua New Guinea, opener Lega Siaka, who scored a century in their previous warm-up game against Nepal, top-scored with 46, as middle-order batsmen Dogodo Bau and Nigel Boge struck a 91-run partnership to help them reach 194. Legspinner Usman Qadir took three wickets.

ScorecardDurham scraped home by six runs against Lancashire in an exciting match in the FP Trophy at the Riverside Ground. With the balance swinging first one way and then the other, the result was in doubt until the end, and it was the home crowd who went home celebrating.Despite a reasonably sunny morning after days of cloud at Chester-le-Street, Lancashire put Durham in bat, presumably because of a lot of moisture in the pitch. Quick scoring was difficult for everybody.Not that this appeared to be the case when Sajid Mahmood bowled a short, widefirst ball of the match to Michael Di Venuto, who slashed it through the coversfor four. Di Venuto was not permitted to continue the good form he showed againstYorkshire, however, as with just 9 to his credit, his partner Phil Mustard soldhim a dummy by calling for a single straight to square leg. He was run out forthe third time in four dismissals, and the fourth time this season.After 15 overs, Durham had struggled to 35 for 3, the bowler mainly responsiblebeing the impressive Kyle Hogg, who bowled his ten overs off the reel for 19runs, collecting the wickets of Mustard and Kyle Coetzer. Recovery came through thetwo South Africans, who added 101 together. Neil McKenzie fought his way tosome sort of form with 32, while Dale Benkenstein was more fluent with 64 off108 balls. He eventually skied a pull off Lancashire’s debutant StephenCheetham, whom he had earlier pulled for six. Cheetham took two wickets, butgenerally bowled too short.As Durham’s later batsmen struggled, a total of 200 seemed unlikely, but GaryPark came to their rescue. After playing himself in, he ran to 42 not out off37 balls, hitting two successive sixes in the final over, bowled by Mahmood. Mahmood is not proving successful as a death bowler at present,following his final over that conceded 17 to Yorkshire a week ago.Graham Onions, Durham’s pace bowling hero in their mid-week championship matchagainst Yorkshire, began with a ragged over, but tightened up to ensureLancashire struggled for runs. The real strangler was Callum Thorp, whoseopening spell of eight overs cost only eight runs, and Lancashire began to losewickets as they fought in vain to keep up – after 30 overs, they were only 81 for3. A vital blow to them was the loss of Stuart Law for 8, run out by a finepiece of fielding from Park. On the other hand, their opener Mal Loye wascrucially dropped at slip off Steve Harmison when he had 32.Slowly Loye and Steven Croft fought back, but they were struggling against arequired run rate of more than six an over. They needed 54 from the last eightovers, but there were six wickets in hand and a close finish beckoned. SteveHarmison was Durham’s man for the moment. Loye, looking a little desperate,finally skied a catch for 77, trying to hit him out of the ground, and Croftsoon followed, caught at the wicket for 48. At 170 for 6 in the 45th over,Lancashire were up against it.They needed 26 from the last three, but an over from Gareth Breese cost 11, despiteseeing Luke Sutton dismissed. Hogg, the most likely batsman to do the job,edged Thorp to the keeper for 15, and 11 were needed from the final over,bowled by Onions. Two runs scored off three balls, then Marshall was caught atthird man; the last wicket needed nine runs off the final two balls. AlthoughOnions was not at his best, Mahmood was unable to pull off the near-miracle,and Durham were home. Harmison had the best figures of 3 for 44, but Thorp’sten overs for just 14 runs and a wicket was also crucial.

Michael Vaughan: “I knew I could probably just about get through a game. But I might have struggled a bit in the field” © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan is confident he will be back to lead England in the second Test against West Indies next week after opting to miss the series opener to ensure he recovers fully from a broken finger. Vaughan had set his heart on making his first Test appearance since December 2005 at Lord’s on Thursday after finally overcoming a string of injuries, mainly to his knee.A broken middle finger on his right hand put paid to that, although Vaughan admits he was sorely tempted to declare himself ready to play. “My heart was saying ‘just go out and play’ – but my head overruled the heart,” Vaughan said.”I knew I could probably just about get through a game. But I might have struggled a bit in the field. I just thought it might be too big a risk. I was told if I get one more hit on it I could be out for two months.”In the meantime, Vaughan will be part of Team England at Lord’s and he makes no apologies for his intended presence, while his stand-in Andrew Strauss is directing affairs on the field. Vaughan wants to establish a successful working relationship with new coach Peter Moores, himself preparing for his first Test after replacing Duncan Fletcher.”I’m going to be around this week,” Vaughan said. “I know it’s a magnificent talking point for many – but I am the England cricket captain, looking like missing just one game.”Andrew will take the team out and make the decisions on the pitch, but I have to have a huge say in and around the team because of the fact it’s a new regime. Peter and I are working together for the first time – and a week later I hope I’ll be back as England captain.”

North Conference

Darren Lehmann’s 92* and three wickets sunk Lancashire by six wickets © Getty Images

A fine allround performance from Yorkshire’s Darren Lehmann kept them alive in the C&G Trophy with an exciting six-wicket win over Lancashire, who were previously unbeaten this season, at Headingley. Mal Loye clobbered 95, and there were a pair of 40s from Brad Hodge and Mark Chilton, but Lehmann pegged Lancashire back with two wickets while conceding just 38 from his 10 overs. Set 288 to win, Craig White got Yorkshire off to a steady start with 59, but it was Lehmann’s perfectly-paced and unbeaten 92 which saw off Lancashire. He and Anthony McGrath (54) put on 111 in just 13 overs as Yorkshire sneaked home with an over to spare.Ryan Watson’s magnificent 108 led Scotland to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire, after a polished bowling performance knocked over the hosts for just 180 at Derby. Dewald Nel, the South African, struck two early blows when he removed Michael Di Venuto and Chris Taylor to rock Derbyshire who stumbled to 53 for 5. That they reached the lofty heights of 180 was thanks to 39 from their captain, Graeme Welch, and a solid 42 from Ant Botha – but Scotland’s bowling was too disciplined and tight, with Derbyshire failing by two balls to bat out their 50 overs. After the early loss of Corey Richards (1), Scotland were never in any trouble, with Watson punching nine fours and a six in his 110-ball 108 as the visitors reached their target inside 41 overs.Four wickets from Zaheer Khan prevented Northamptonshire from chasing down 257 against Worcestershire at Worcester, after Phil Jaques had smashed 112 from 117 balls. Jaques was indebted to Ben Smith (60) with whom he put on 133 for the third wicket to set Northamptonshire a tricky-but-gettable 257. However the visitors were never in the hunt after Khan reduced them to 14 for 3. Though Chris Rogers (51) and Lance Klusener (85*) entertained, Gareth Batty’s three tidy wickets helped mop up the tail to hand Worcestershire a 50-run win as Northants ran out of overs.

South Conference

Middlesex cruised to a nine-wicket win over Ireland at Lord’s, with Chad Keegan continuing his good form and Ed Joyce hitting a feisty 95. Joyce’s 24-year-old brother, Dominick, helped lay a platform for Ireland with a breezy 45, containing four fours – but Keegan removed both Jeremy Bray (11) and Andre Botha (0) as Ireland fell to 109 for 5. Peter Gillespie played enterprisingly for his 43, but Keegan (4 for 24) and Jamie Dalrymple (2 for 33) mopped up the tail as Ireland reached 184. Ed Smith creamed 13 fours and a six in his unbeaten 81 for Middlesex, and Joyce – though he fell with his side needing just four more for a win – was equally punishing, as Middlesex reached their target inside 25 oversA magnificent 158 from Murray Goodwin helped Sussex edge past Essex in a thriller against Essex at Chelmsford. Chasing a sizeable 297, Sussex were in disarray at 56 for 4 after Andre Adams nipped out Matt Prior (0), Richard Montgomerie (13) and Mike Yardy (5). However, Goodwin was unfazed; together with Carl Hopkinson, the pair put on a brilliant fifth-wicket stand of 146 as Sussex crept home from the last ball of the penultimate over. Earlier, Ronnie Irani struck a characteristically pugnacious 132 not out, containing three sizes and 11 fours – and the promising young batsman, Ravinder Bopara made a fifty – but in the end their competitive total was simply not enough.As he has so often done, Ian Harvey’s fearless fifty led Gloucestershire to an easy five-wicket win over Glamorgan at Bristol. In a reduced-overs match of 36 overs per side, Glamorgan hobbled to a paltry 168 for 9 with the captain, Robert Croft – in his role as pinch-hitter – top-scoring with a brisk 27. Though Gloucestershire lost five wickets, with Croft picking up two, Harvey (53) and Chris Taylor (34*) led the hosts to a convincing win.

Leicestershire 217 (Rogers 56, Lee 4-58) and 363 for 5 (Rogers 209, Robinson 81, MacGill 4-122) drew with Australian XI 582 for 7 (Martyn 154*, Ponting 119, Langer 115)
Scorecard

Jason Gillespie failed to take a wicket on a frustrating final day for Australia © Getty Images

Another day, another Australian century. Only this time it was Leicestershire’s Australian, Chris Rogers, who took the attack to the tourists with a crashing double ton that ensured the draw at Grace Road in the final warm-up match before the Ashes. Only Stuart MacGill was anywhere near convincing for Australia, taking four of the five wickets they managed on the final day of the three-day match.Brett Lee captured the other wicket, although he was unable to replicate his first-innings form, and his 13 overs cost 78. Still, the Test selector David Boon will have taken note of Lee’s five wickets for the match. Boon will have also kept a careful eye on Jason Gillespie, who was wicketless in the second innings. But so was Gillespie’s close rival Michael Kasprowicz, and the match has done little to split the two on form – both were largely ineffective.Instead the day belonged to Rogers and his 209 saved the match. Leicestershire had started the morning needing 365 to avoid an innings defeat after Australia declared on their overnight total off 582 for 7. And a buoyant Australia fancied their chances of skittling out Leicestershire in the same clinical manner as they had done in the first innings.Any plans Australia had of recording victory were soon dashed by the openers Rogers and Darren Robinson, who made the game safe by adding 247 for the first wicket. Robinson collected 81 before being bowled by Lee, but Rogers continued in punishing form to put the result beyond any doubt. His 209 came from 219 balls, containing 32 fours and three sixes, and although his demise at the hands of MacGill heralded a mini collapse, Leicestershire still had five wickets remaining at stumps.“All in all it was a pretty disappointing day for us,” Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting told . “We thought if we could take some wickets with the new ball we might beable to bowl them out at some stage. All the guys really tried their hardest, but unfortunately weweren’t quite good enough to win. Everybody is pretty exhausted tonight – there was nothing left in thetank.”

Scorecard

Marcus Trescothick: a half-century in only 36 balls© Getty Images

England ended their long tour of the Caribbean on a high note with a five-wicket victory in the seventh and final one-dayer at Bridgetown. After Ramnaresh Sarwan boosted West Indies with a sparkling unbeaten century in their total of 261 for 6, England, thanks to a rasping 82 from Marcus Trescothick, cruised home with 16 balls remaining to level the series 2-2.After Michael Vaughan won the toss and inserted the opposition, England started as they went on with a disciplined display with the ball and in the field. Sarwan threatened to blow them of course with his 104 not out, but an early fall of West Indian wickets, followed by a romping start to England’s innings meant the result was rarely in doubt.Trescothick’s rocket-fuelled innings of 82 from 57 balls set the platform for England’s victory. After Vaughan was unluckily given out caught behind for 14, Trescothick took charge. Not afraid to go the ariel route, he belted out shot after shot, displaying impeccable timing and placing. He raced to his half-century from only 36 balls, slapping nine boundaries in that time. He was particularly harsh on Ravi Rampaul and Merv Dillon. He frequently waltzed down the track to Rampaul, whipping him over and through the fielders on both sides of the wicket. Dillon got even rougher treatment, as he went for 17 in one over. Trescothick smashed him for three boundaries in that over, the last of which notched up his half-century. Dillon looked a broken man, going for 59 from his first eight overs.Ricardo Powell was next in the firing line. He was caressed for two consecutive cover-drives, and Trescothick launched him for a huge six over mid-on in the final ball of the 15th over. However, just as Trescothick was threatening to score one of the fastest one-day centuries, he was stumped down the leg side by Ridley Jacobs off Chris Gayle (123 for 2). But, by that stage, the damage had been done.Trescothick’s typhoon meant that England could afford to take their time and do it in singles from then on. The main driving force was Andrew Strauss, who quietly went about his business on the way to his second consecutive one-day half-century. He had no choice but to take a back seat while Trescothick went bananas, but he then took responsibility while others fell around him. Content to work the slow bowlers in the gaps, he slowly began to open up with a few boundaries, including a delicate cut off Dillon, and a thumping pull of Ian Bradshaw. It would have been fitting if he had finished the job off, but he chopped Bradshaw onto the stumps for 66 with 12 overs remaining (218 for 5).In that time, Rikki Clarke, who promoted to No. 4, failed to make an impression as he tamely patted Bradshaw to Dwayne Smith at short midwicket for 9 (146 for 3). Andrew Flintoff then drove Bradshaw through the covers, but he was caught and bowled by Sarwan, driving the ball on the up where the bowler took a good low catch (169 for 4). At that stage, England threatened to choke, but Paul Collingwood made sure it was West Indies who swallowed their pride.He took advantage of some tired and dispirited bowling – and some shaky fielding – in his unbeaten 49. He heaved Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s part-time legspin for six, and pulled Sarwan for two fours. He added an unbroken 44 with Chris Read, who thumped three fours towards the end to hurry England to victory before Collingwood hit the winning boundary in the 48th over.England’s win was thoroughly deserved, but it overshadowed another eye-catching knock from Sarwan, who at least gave his side a chance of victory after they had slumped to 90 for 4. While the other batsmen struggled to come to terms with the quick and bouncy pitch, Sarwan stood out and held the innings together. He scored 13 fours in all, cutting and driving beautifully, and running intelligently between the wickets.

Ramnaresh Sarwan celebrates his second one-day century© Getty Images

He brought up his half-century from 60 balls and then continued to play shots all round the wicket. He smacked two imperious fours from Stephen Harmison to go the 90s, hit two more off Darren Gough to go 99, and scrambled a single to go through to his second one-day century. His innings also included a vital partnership of 69 with Smith, and that stand revived West Indies just when it looked like a mini-collapse was on the cards.England’s first breakthrough came in the sixth over when Chanderpaul clipped Harmison to James Anderson. Powell was then run out by a marvellous direct throw from Flintoff at mid-off (57 for 2), and Gayle, who looked in the mood for runs with four fours and a six, was undone by an Anderson yorker for 41 (57 for 3).Sarwan and Lara set about repairing the damage. They had added a watchful 33 until Clarke struck gold with Lara’s wicket in the 23rd over. Attempting to guide the bowler down to third man, Lara nicked the ball too near to Read, who flew to his left to take a stunning catch (90 for 4). Smith announced his arrival by flicking Clarke out of the ground, St Lucia-style. He again impressed with an entertaining cameo of 39 from 36 balls, including three fours and two sixes, before he was trapped lbw by Gough (159 for 5).Dwayne Bravo again kept a cool head, keeping Sarwan good company for 18 balls until he played on to a full ball from Flintoff for 11 (193 for 6). Jacobs chipped in his own solid style, clubbing three fours and scoring a valuable, unbeaten 31 to lift West Indies further, but in the end it never looked enough.

New Zealand may be well into their World Cup campaign but soon after the Cup is completed, however far New Zealand progresses, a side has still to be picked for the tour of Sri Lanka.The tour, which starts on April 15, involves two two-day warm-up games, two Tests, starting on April 25 and May 3 respectively, and a one-day tri-series with Sri Lanka and Pakistan starting on May 10, with New Zealand’s first game on May 11, in which the New Zealanders will play the other two sides twice with a final being played on May 23.Given the fact that Nathan Astle will be missing from the side in order to have surgery on his knee, and that top-order batting spaces, as well as possible bowling spaces will be available, there is plenty of incentive for batsmen playing in the State Championship to be making a mark.With that in mind, the top of the run scoring list for the Championship lacks some names that might normally be expected to be there, most notably Mark Richardson and Matt Horne.Both are potential Test openers for New Zealand.Lou Vincent was used as Richardson’s opening partner in the home series against India this year but there was never the sense that he had claimed the position for himself.And if run scoring is anything to go by, it may not be an issue that has been cleared up, to this stage at least.Going into today’s seventh round of games in the Championship, Richardson had scored 227 runs at 32.42 so far from his five matches. That placed him in 21st place on the list for most runs and with Pakistan’s Mohammad Wasim and Gloucestershire county professional Craig Spearman out of the running, 19th on the list.Horne was four places further back on 220 runs at 31.42.Sitting on top of the list was Wellington’s consistent Richard Jones, who had 438 runs at 43.80, but perhaps more significantly with the longer term aim in view, in second was Rob Nicol with 436 runs at 54.50 and Tim McIntosh 425 at 53.12.Wasim was next in line with Michael Papps the only other New Zealander to have scored more than 400 runs with his 402 at 44.66.Given that Richardson is unlikely to be overlooked unless affected by injury, the way may well be clear for the selectors to look at introducing new blood.Where does Mathew Sinclair fit into all this? Is Jones at 29 years out of the selectors thoughts? Or is the inclination to draft a younger player into the side?The other area of interest is in the faster bowling stakes.Shane Bond is a must to be in the side before joining with Warwickshire in the County Championship. But who might accompany him: World Cup squad members Daryl Tuffey, Kyle Mills, or the recovering from injury Ian Butler and Shayne O’Connor?Where do Jacob Oram and Andre Adams fit into the picture? Will some of the players be regarded as one-day specialists and sent for the latter part of the tour? Where does the 12th man from the Indian series Michael Mason fit into the scheme of things? And what of Chris Cairns?At the moment, Iain O’Brien heads the bowling list with 25 wickets at 15.60. Andrew Penn is second on 23 wickets at 18.91 while O’Connor has 22 wickets at 18.13.Mason is behind Wellington’s Matthew Walker (22 wickets) on 21 wickets at 18.95 while Butler, who has played only three games has 14 wickets at 18.71.And what of the spinning situation? Clearly a slow bowler will be needed to accompany Daniel Vettori. The best-performed to date is the former international Paul Wiseman with 12 wickets at an average of 38.33.Left-arm slow Bruce Martin has nine wickets, as does Glen Sulzberger, but their respective averages are 23.22 and 53.11. Leg-spinners Brooke Walker and Aaron Redmond have eight wickets each, at averages of 33.75 and 30.37.It is not exactly the most dazzling case to put before the selectors. So the last four rounds offer plenty of scope for potential team-members.Although there has been a plethora of one-day cricket, it is worth remembering that the incumbent Test team is: Richardson, Vincent, Stephen Fleming, Craig McMillan, Astle, Scott Styris, Oram, Robbie Hart, Vettori, Tuffey and Bond.

In a new twist of event in what now seems to be an unending saga, it appears as though certain members of the WICB’s Management Committee are determined to see the back of CEO, Gregory Shillingford. The revelation was contained in a letter to board members seeking clarification on his further employment with the WICB.Shillingford, who along with former president and vice president (Rousseau and Joseph) in May fired West Indies team manager, Ricky Skerritt by email, now seems headed out of office himself.According to Shillingford, he was told by Marketing Manager Chris Dehring on Thursday that he (Dehring) had been asked to act as CEO by two board members since they were going to ask him (Shillingford) to leave office within 30 days. This of course, came as a surprise and was the reason for Shillingford’s latest letter to board members.In his letter dated 5th July, Shillingford wrote: “This afternoon Mr. Chris Dehring disclosed to me that Board members Messrs DeSouza (Richard) and Singh (Chetram) of the WICB management committee asked him to act as CEO because they were going to ask me to leave the WICB within thirty days.””This information has been confirmed to me by other members of staff who relate that the same members of the management committee told them that ‘come what may Shillingford will be out of here within 30 days.’ “It is useful to note that all of this was happening while both the president and vice president designate of the WICB (Wes Hall and Val Banks), were visiting the board’s headquarters and meeting the staff in Antigua.The CEO’s letter continues thus “This afternoon, prior to Chris Dehring and other staff disclosing the above to me, I had a meeting with Messrs DeSouza and Singh who spoke to me about plans for Andrew Sealy to hold on until December 2001, for Richard Jodhan to hold on for a month to six weeks following his letter of resignation dated July 3, 2001, and the hiring of staff to be deferred until the new president and vice-president were installed.””At no time did they disclose to me their plans to terminate or sever my services at the WICB. No evaluation of my performance since taking up the post as CEO has been carried out by Messrs DeSouza and Singh, nor has there been an evaluation by the members of the current management committee.””In the circumstances I find the behaviour of the two directors strangeand certainly not in keeping with proper professional practice. I therefore require clarification by the Board of the above action and of my position as chief executive officer. Please treat this matter with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.””I hate to forecast where we are going. The same fellows who accused Pat (Rousseau), Clarvis (Joseph) and myself of not going through the proper channels in dealing with Skerritt, are the same ones who are doing this. On top of that, they have not evaluated me, they have said nothing to me. My file is clean. The only thing in it is my letter of appointment.”However, the WICB in response to the above admitted that “the management committee was concerned about issues that emerged from that process (firing of Skerritt) in connection with Mr Shillingford.” The release further confirmed that “while a meeting took place between Mr Shillingford and two members of the management committee on Thursday the issues pertinent to Mr Shillingford were not addressed at that meeting since the two members opted to defer the discussion until the full committee was available.”One thing that was confirmed though, was that “the management committee had however considered the option of discussing an amicable separation agreement, if this was felt to be necessary and appropriate following discussions with Mr Shillingford.” The approval of the full board would be required to implement such action. Shillingford was appointed CEO in November to replace the retired Steve Comacho.

It was not that long ago that it looked like Dominic Calvert-Lewin was a poor piece of business by Leeds United during the summer transfer window.

The former England international joined on a free transfer from Everton, reportedly on £100k-per-week, and only scored one goal in his first 11 appearances of the campaign, missing nine ‘big chances’ in that time, per Sofascore.

Since then, though, the ex-Toffees centre-forward has plundered an eye-catching six goals in five appearances in the Premier League, which has taken him to seven league goals for the season.

How Dominic Calvert-Lewin has ignited his Leeds career

Leeds started the season playing a 4-3-3 formation and, essentially, attempted to soft-launch themselves in the top-flight by playing a slightly more reserved version of the 4-2-3-1 system and style of football that led them to 100 points in the Championship.

With Leeds in the relegation zone heading into home games against Chelsea and Liverpool, Daniel Farke opted to change the formation to a 3-5-2 and started to play more direct and aggressive football to chase results.

Since he first utilised the formation, at half-time against Man City, Calvert-Lewin has scored six goals in four-and-a-half matches, clearly benefitting from the new style.

As shown in the graphic above, the English striker needs service into the middle of the box to thrive, and that is what the new system has generated, with more set-pieces and crosses into the box for the towering forward to attack.

Now, Calvert-Lewin looks undroppable for the newly-promoted side, having previously looked like a flop, and Farke may be thinking about how they will ever replace him.

The Leeds teen who could replace Calvert-Lewin

Leeds will need to replace the former Everton man at some point, as with every other player, in the future, and they may already have the perfect long-term replacement in their academy.

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17-year-old striker Harry Gray has made the bench for one Premier League match, the 3-1 win over Wolves, this season, but is yet to make his top-flight bow for the club.

The teenage centre-forward made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old against Stoke City in the Championship last season, which shows that he is in Farke’s thoughts.

Gray deserves to be in the German manager’s thoughts for the first-team because his form at academy level for the Whites as a centre-forward has been incredibly impressive.

The England youth international has plundered ten goals and two assists in 13 appearances in all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign, per Transfermarkt, which includes a hat-trick against Scunthorpe in the National League Cup.

Gray has shown that he can deliver goals at an incredible rate as a striker at youth level, which suggests that he may have the potential to provide as much of a threat as Calvert-Lewin has in the first-team this season.

Harry Gray’s impressive goalscoring

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Premier League 2

13

8

U18 Premier League

11

8

National League Cup

4

4

EFL Trophy

2

2

Premier League International Cup

2

0

Championship

1

0

FA Youth Cup

1

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the 17-year-old striker has scored goals in almost every competition that he has made more than one appearance in, which speaks to how prolific he has been in the academy.

Subscribe for Deeper Leeds Insight on Calvert-Lewin & Prospects Get the newsletter for in-depth analysis of Leeds: tactical shifts behind Calvert-Lewin’s revival, scouting breakdowns on Harry Gray, and what this means for the club’s forward options. Subscribe Subscribe for Deeper Leeds Insight on Calvert-Lewin & Prospects Get the newsletter for in-depth analysis of Leeds: tactical shifts behind Calvert-Lewin’s revival, scouting breakdowns on Harry Gray, and what this means for the club’s forward options.

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Como scout Ben Mattinson once stated that Gray is “going to the very top” and that he is “one of England’s best prospects in his generation”. It is hard to argue with that assessment when you look at the numbers he has put up for the U18s and the U21s.

Leeds have a right to get excited about the English marksman and the potential that he has to develop into a first-team star in the future, because of how impressive he has been as a goalscorer for the academy.

Whilst Calvert-Lewin is currently thriving as a goalscorer in the first-team in the Premier League, Leeds are already brewing their long-term replacement for him in Gray.

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