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Sky Sports journalist Pete Graves has revealed that new signing Alexander Isak is ‘in line’ to make his debut for Newcastle United against Wolves in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Isak signs for Newcastle

The St James’ Park outfit confirmed the signing of the Swedish striker from Real Sociedad on Friday for a reported club-record £63m fee.

He has signed a long-term deal in the northeast and will wear the number 14 shirt.

The Latest: Debut today?

Taking to Twitter, Graves has revealed that Isak is ‘in line’ to make his debut for the Magpies at Molineux this afternoon, as the necessary paperwork was submitted in time to meet the weekend deadline for them to register their players ahead of the match.

The Sky Sports reporter stated: “Understand Alexander Isak is in line to make his Newcastle United debut on Sunday. Although #nufc are still awaiting international clearance, @SkySportsNews has learned that necessary paperwork WAS submitted by the club in time to meet the weekend deadline.”

The Verdict: Exciting

It is certainly exciting for the Toon Army to hear that Isak is able to make his Newcastle debut this afternoon, as they will be able to get a first glimpse of their new striker.

At Sociedad, he boasted a record of 44 goals in 132 games, while he also has nine senior goals for the Sweden national team (Transfermarkt).

Also, with Callum Wilson out injured at the moment, Isak should be able to come in to lead the line straight way, and it will now be up to Eddie Howe whether he plays him from the start against Wolves or uses him from the bench, with Chris Wood another option to start up top.

Southampton are reportedly looking to secure a deal for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi before the end of the current summer window.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post, journalist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano had this to say on the matter.

“Excl: Callum Hudson-Odoi could now leave Chelsea for regular game time. Southampton have already asked for CHO on loan, now pushing.”

Could he replace Walcott?

With 187 appearances to his name for the west London club across their senior and youth sides, the 21-year-old has found the net 47 times and delivered 40 assists along the way.

Last season saw the Englishman make 28 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions in which he scored three goals and provided six assists in the process.

In his 15 league appearances last season, the attacker racked up 51 shot-creating actions, which is more than the likes of Romelu Lukaku (44), Christian Pulisic (33) and Timo Werner (26) managed to make, an impressive accomplishment given their respective qualities.

In fact, only Ross Barkley (9.05), ended the campaign with a higher rate of shot-creating actions per 90 minutes than Hudson-Odoi (4.77), which shows just how dangerous he can be in the final third.

Having played in numerous midfield and attacking positions for the west London club last season, this sort of versatility could make him a very useful addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

Described as a “monster of a talent” by Nizaar Kinsella, it very much appears as if when he’s in form, he has the world at his feet.

Despite this move potentially only being on loan, his potential arrival at St. Mary’s could push one of their current attacking options out the door.

Having been linked with a move away from the south coast club back at the start of the summer, Theo Walcott’s performances last season showed why adding a player like Hudson-Odoi would be a smart move from the Saints.

With no goals or assists to his name in nine league appearances, the £72k-per-week winger ended the campaign as the lowest-rated Saints player in terms of overall performance rating, with WhoScored giving him a measly rating of 6.09/10.

Taking this into account, it could be said that the Chelsea attacker may not have too much trouble in terms of getting regular game time at St. Mary’s.

In comparison to Hudson-Odoi, the Southampton winger lacks any form of threat, ranking in the worst 92% of players in the same position across Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions in 2020/21.

With that in mind, most players would be an upgrade on him, but the lively Chelsea youngster should be the man to finally push him through the exit door for the second time in his Saints career.

Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis will miss his side’s Premier League opener away to Bournemouth this weekend, reliable journalist Ashley Preece has reported.

The Lowdown: Villa begin new season

Steven Gerrard’s side make the trip to the south coast on Saturday afternoon, as what will hopefully be a successful 2022/23 campaign gets underway.

Villa are in a fairly healthy situation in the injury department going into the game but Davis is one player who has been struggling with an ongoing hamstring issue.

A key update has now emerged, as kickoff against Bournemouth edges closer.

The Latest: Davis suffers fresh setback

Writing in a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail on Friday, Preece claimed that the young striker will miss out after ‘another hamstring setback’, adding that he’s ‘intrigued’ by the player’s future at Villa amid speculation of a move back to Nottingham Forest.

The Verdict: Cruel blow for youngster

Davis is back at Villa after being loaned out to Forest last season and he will have been hoping to hit the ground running, impressing Gerrard and proving he deserves a permanent place in the squad.

Instead, his progress has already been halted and it could be difficult for him to break into the manager’s plans regularly once the likes of Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings are firing again, while Cameron Archer’s new contract suggests he’s also a threat to the pecking order.

While Davis isn’t necessarily seen as a key starter for Villa, having him fit again will provide Gerrard with much-needed depth, as he looks to prove his worth before his current deal expires in the summer of 2024.

Arsenal have Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba in their sights, according to Gianluigi Longari. 

The lowdown

Arsenal may have Gabriel, Ben White, the returning William Saliba, Rob Holding and Pablo Mari at their disposal, but it seems they want another centre-back.

Their primary target was Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez, but he’s now said to be ‘on his way to Manchester United’ (via Football Transfers).

Tapsoba, 23, has been with the Werkself since January 2020, when he made an £18.2million move from Portuguese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes.

The latest

Longari shared the news concerning the Burkina Faso international on his Twitter page.

‘Arsenal are preparing a move for Bayer Leverkusen star Edmond Tapsoba,’ he wrote.

In the attached story for Football Transfers, he reveals that Arteta and Edu have now identified the deal as a priority.

Leverkusen are said to value him between €40million (£34million) and €50million (£42.5million).

The verdict

Tapsoba is a centre-back who would appear to be very comfortable in possession. He ranks in the 88th percentile for passes attempted and the 78th for pass completion, while he’s also in the 84th for progressive carries (via FBRef).

The data would also suggest he’s someone who defends on the front foot and who reads the game effectively (67th percentile for pressures, 81st for interceptions).

Stylistically, FBRef compare him to Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate and Tottenham Hotpsur’s Cristian Romero.

Tapsoba, who played against the Gunners in the Europa League group stage during his time at Vitoria, boasts a ‘scary’ combination of composure and physicality, in the words of European football expert Alex Barker.

He also featured in the Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament earlier this year, perhaps his most impressive achievement.

Overall, he looks like a strong plan-B after Arsenal missed out on Martinez.

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of reported Leeds United transfer target Takumi Minamino.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Italian journalist revealed that, despite being heavily linked with a move to Elland Road this summer, the Liverpool forward is now set to join AS Monaco in a deal worth €15m (£13m) plus €3m (£2.5m) in add-ons.

The transfer insider went on to state that the 27-year-old has also agreed personal terms with the Ligue 1 side, with the deal expected to be completed imminently.

In his tweet, Romano said: “AS Monaco and Liverpool are preparing paperworks for Takumi Minamino deal. Liverpool will receive €15m fee guaranteed and €3m add-ons related to performances as they initially wanted €17m. Done, sealed. Minamino has also accepted personal terms conditions.”

Supporters will be gutted

Considering just how well-suited Minamino would have been to Jesse Marsch’s tactical setup at Elland Road, in addition to the fact that the 48-year-old manager has a previous relationship with the Japan international, the news that the forward is now set to join Monaco is sure to have left both the American and supporters of the club gutted.

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Indeed, during his 22 appearances for Marsch at Red Bull Salzburg, the £10.8m-rated attacker demonstrated just how important he can be within the manager’s starting XI, scoring nine goals and registering 11 assists under the Leeds boss – including two goals and three assists in six Champions League fixtures.

Furthermore, while the 27-year-old was far from a first-team regular during his time at Liverpool, Minamino still managed to return impressive numbers, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists over 53 appearances – averaging a direct goal contribution every 125 minutes of football played.

As such, with Raphinha looking increasingly likely to move onto pastures new this summer, the Japanese forward would very much have appeared to be something of a perfect replacement for the Brazilian, however, following Romano’s latest update, it would now seem as if Victor Orta will have to turn his attention elsewhere in the summer transfer market.

AND in other news: Forget Adams: Orta can seal “unreal” deal with Leeds bid for “irreplaceable” £35m ace

Everton want to sign Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull City, according to The i’s Mark Douglas.

The lowdown

Richarlison is attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur, although the north Londoners have yet to make a bid for the 25-year-old. Everton are demanding a ‘huge’ fee for the Brazil international, but developments can still be expected in the next week.

Lewis-Potter could be a replacement, given that he’s capable of operating as a left winger and second striker in addition to playing on the right.

The 21-year-old Englishman is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, and while his contract technically expires in 12 months’ time, Hull have the option to extend it for a further year.

The latest

The i’s northern football correspondent Douglas wrote that the Toffees would like to add Lewis-Potter to their ranks.

However, it’s thought that any such move would require ‘serious finance’, and Everton are still ‘tip-toeing’ around Financial Fair Play rules.

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The verdict

You can understand why Everton are interested in Lewis-Potter.

He’s already a very good footballer, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists in the Championship last season and scooping Hull’s Player of the Year award, and he’s surely going to get even better over the next few years.

Lewis-Potter received his first England under-21 call-up in March and opened his account at that level with a goal in a 5-0 win over Kosovo on Friday.

He has generated plenty of excitement, with journalist Richard Sutcliffe heralding him as a ‘smashing player’ and his former manager Grant McCann calling him a ‘special talent’.

Everton fans may want a more established player to replace Richarlison, but it’s worth remembering where the Brazilian was at when he first came to Goodison Park in 2018. He only managed five goals in his first season in England with Watford and failed to score after 19 November in that campaign.

However, the Toffees saw something in the youngster and have reaped the rewards since, with the 25-year-old going on to score 53 goals for the Merseyside club. Also, Lewis-Potter is the same age now as Richarlison was when he came to Everton…

In other news, Everton have also enquired about this potential signing.

Nottingham Forest could be a destination for Manchester United youngster Amad Diallo this summer after the 19-year-old struggled to make an impact whilst on loan at Rangers this season.

That’s according to the Manchester Evening News, who suggest that alongside James Garner, Forest could swoop for the Ivorian winger as well as Facundo Pellistri should they secure promotion to the Premier League.

Steve Cooper’s side are one win away from a first top flight campaign since 1999 with Huddersfield Town their opponent at Wembley next Sunday for the Championship play-off final.

The East Midlands outfit has been the ideal club for Garner to develop at having joined on loan in January 2021 before rejoining for the 2021/22 campaign last summer.

For the Reds, the 20-year-old midfielder has scored eight goals and registered ten assists in 67 appearances which should provide Diallo with hope that he too could get his career in England up and running.

Forest must sign Diallo

Having been bought for £19m plus £18.2m in add ons by Manchester United, Diallo is a serious talent with hopes that he can one day become one of Europe’s biggest stars.

The former Atalanta prospect has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford since arriving in England last January, making just nine first-team appearances for the Red Devils prior to making the move to Glasgow in January.

However, in just five appearances for United’s U23s, the 19-year-old has scored six goals and assisted four, suggesting that he is certainly ready for regular first-team football at a high level.

Furthermore, former United player Dan James labelled Diallo as “unbelievable” whilst Atalanta captain Papu Gomez claimed that the winger “plays like Messi.”

Granted, Forest will only be an attractive proposition for the Ivorian if they are of Premier League status. Should they beat Huddersfield next weekend, this summer will have to be busy in preparation for the top flight.

In terms of current forward options, loanee Keinan Davis’ is not for sale according to Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard whilst Lewis Grabban’s contract is set to expire.

Moreover, plenty of Premier League clubs are interested in Brennan Johnson although promotion would surely see the 20-year-old remain at the City Ground for at least one more season.

Therefore, adding attacking quality to their ranks is an absolute must if Cooper’s side are to survive in the top flight, and bringing in Diallo for a season could provide a serious boost to their chances of staying in the Premier League.

AND in other news: Forest must secure deal for “strong” 21-goal monster, Cooper is already a big fan

The future of Leeds United appears increasingly uncertain as we enter the closing stages of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, with the Whites’ 2-1 loss at Arsenal on Sunday, coupled with Everton’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City, seeing Jesse Marsch’s side slip into the relegation zone with just three games left to play.

Indeed, these two results could very easily prove to be a sliding door moment in Leeds’ campaign, something that could render Luke Ayling’s red card for a cynical and unnecessary two-footed challenge on Gabriel Martinelli in the first half of the fixture as the moment that sealed the Whites’ fate.

This is an opinion Jamie Carragher clearly holds, with the former Liverpool centre-back telling Sky Sports (via talkSPORT): “What an idiot. The lack of professionalism from his teammates and what this could mean going forward.

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“It’s not just going down to 10 men, it’s a disgusting tackle going in with two feet and reminds me of a tackle that Vinnie Jones did a long time ago. What he thinks is going to happen on the back of that, I don’t know. It was an obvious red card.

“To put your team down to 10 men, miss the last three games of the season, that might be the last game that Luke Ayling ever plays in the Premier League.”

As Carragher suggests, the 30-year-old’s subsequent three-match suspension could well mean the Arsenal loss is the last time the right-back features in a Premier League fixture for Leeds, however, with Phil Hay recently suggesting that Victor Orta could look to replace the defender this summer, Sunday could also have been the £35k-per-week Ayling’s last outing for the club altogether.

If this does prove to be the case, before Orta spends millions of pounds on a potential replacement in the summer transfer window, it would seem an extremely wise move for Jesse Marsch to take a closer look at 20-year-old Cody Drameh, as the youngster could well be a perfect successor to the 30-year-old full-back.

Indeed, the £900k-rated talent highly impressed over his 22 Championship appearances on loan at Cardiff City this season, helping his side keep six clean sheets, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.0 interceptions, 3.8 tackles, 2.0 clearances and winning 6.9 duels – at a success rate of 57% – per game.

These returns saw the £4.4k-per-week starlet who Glen Williams dubbed “such an exciting prospect” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as the Bluebirds’ fourth-best performer in the English second tier.

As such, should Orta and Marsch indeed believe it is best to move Ayling onto pastures new this summer, they could save Andrea Radrizzani millions of pounds in transfer fees by finally handing Drameh a much-deserved shot in the first team.

AND in other news: Orta can land £60m talent’s dream replacement with Leeds bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”

Could giving the away team the choice of batting or fielding first reduce the scope for overly lopsided contests on pitches heavily skewed in the home side’s favour?

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the SSC21-Jul-2018Scenario One: Team A, the home side, win the toss, and knowing that the pitch is likely to get spicier on days two and three, decide to bat first. As expected, the second-day pitch is tougher for batsmen and Team A lose their last 7 wickets for 88 runs. Thankfully, though, their top order had scored so heavily in relatively friendly conditions the previous day that their total is a very healthy 426. They also have an attack perfectly suited to exploiting day two’s conditions, and so proceed to blast out the visiting team, dismissing them for 131 before stumps, at which point the match is nominally alive, but effectively dead. Only a big Team A victory is possible from here on in.Scenario Two: Try another game, this one on a different continent. Team B, also hosts, and also expecting conditions to worsen, win the toss and bat first, from which point a familiar course of events takes shape. Team B make 287, before letting loose a trio of bowlers who are specialists in the prevailing conditions. They scythe through the opposition, dismissing them for 126. This match too, is effectively dead before the end of the second day.Team A is South Africa, and the match in the first scenario is their 2017 Test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers, which finished inside three days after Kagiso Rabada and co. practically devoured the Sri Lanka batting line up alive, finding frightening bounce on a surface South Africa had had made to order. Team B is, of course, Sri Lanka, and the game in question is the Galle Test last week, where again, the visitors were easily thumped on a pitch which had been micromanaged to suit Sri Lanka beautifully.Which brings us to the SSC, where Sri Lanka are 364 runs ahead at stumps on day two, with seven second-innings wickets in hand. Not even Don Bradman, Brian Lara and all of the Marvel Avengers could haul South Africa to a winning position from here. For the third consecutive Sri Lanka-South Africa Test, only one result is possible by the end of the second day.There is no doubt that South Africa have batted abysmally in Sri Lanka. Bales of hay have lasted longer against flamethrowers than the majority of their batsmen have against spin on this tour. And the reverse is also true: Sri Lanka’s batsmen were lavishly woeful in South Africa. But could the toss have made a difference? Perhaps the matches would still have wound to the same conclusions, but if visiting sides had been given the chance to bat in the best conditions, there is a chance they may have put up more of a fight, made a few more clearheaded decisions, and kept hopes of victory alive into days three and four.Associated PressThe ICC’s cricket committee has raised the possibility of doing away with the toss and awarding the decision on who bats first to the visiting side, but then decided to stick with the status quo at their meeting last month. The reason provided was that they believed the toss to be “an integral part of Test cricket which forms part of the narrative of the game”. Essentially, the committee sided with tradition, for tradition’s sake.But where does this leave series such as this one? If Sri Lanka knew they would definitely be batting last in Galle and at the SSC, it is unlikely each surface would have been quite as dry to begin with. When Sri Lanka play two Tests against South Africa next year, they can also expect surfaces that will almost completely neuter their spinners. On their last tour in South Africa, Faf du Plessis publicly admitted to asking for tracks that took Sri Lanka’s matchwinner, Rangana Herath, almost completely out of the game.After Galle, Du Plessis had also made another suggestion – that the practice match at the P Sara had been played on a surface kept intentionally flat, in order to deny South Africa preparation on the kinds of surfaces they would encounter in the actual Tests. Rather than complain, he seemed to believe South Africa should adopt the same practice themselves. Is this not taking home advantage too far?The point here is not that the tracks at Galle, or the SSC have been unfair. Sri Lanka’s batsmen have found ways to score, and their bowlers are substantially more adept on such surfaces. But down this path also lies peril for Sri Lanka. They have another three-Test series against England coming up in November, and presuming that all those tracks will be spin-friendly as well, where does that leave them ahead of a southern summer in which they play six Tests across New Zealand, Australia and South Africa? The recent Test series against West Indies yielded them two young pace prospects in Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara, but it is possible that by the time these bowlers arrive in New Zealand, they would not have played a Test in five months, thanks to the three-spinners-at-home strategy. Their home-ground specialisation, could, in the end, set them up for failures abroad, which in turn leads to more low-quality cricket.There are, of course, teams capable of taking down oppositions in unfamiliar conditions – Pakistan’s victory at Lord’s being the most recent example. But Test nations are moving more confidently than ever to secure what they argue is only a fair advantage at home. If this trend leads to more lopsided series such as this one, the ICC may need to intervene. Canning the toss could be a good start.

Talking points from Mitchell Johnson’s new autobiography

Brydon Coverdale27-Oct-2016 Resilient…Recalls how he was plucked from obscurity by Dennis Lillee
As a kid, Johnson had been more interested in tennis than cricket, but by 17 he was rattling a few batsmen in Townsville’s club cricket. His own club, The Wanderers, paid his airfare to travel to Brisbane for a pace-bowling camp at which Dennis Lillee would be one of the coaches. It took only three balls for Lillee to identify Johnson as a “once-in-a-generation” quick; immediately and excitedly, he phoned Rod Marsh at the Academy in Adelaide. “I’ve found one,” Lillee said. Only once before had he rung Marsh with a similar comment. On that occasion the bowler had been Brett Lee.As a rare cricketer who had not come through the age-group system, Johnson had no idea how his life was about to change: “The next day I flew back to Brisbane and caught a plane across the country to Adelaide. It was the first time I had ever been outside of Queensland.”…Reveals how he almost punched Kevin Pietersen on the 2009 Ashes tour
The pressure of his first Ashes campaign was significant enough, and the last thing Johnson needed on the eve of the first Test was a family-related controversy. But that was exactly what happened when his mother, Vicki Harber, who Johnson described as “naïve about the media”, gave an interview in which she complained about her son having moved to Perth to be with his then girlfriend, Jessica Bratich. Johnson said he was very protective of his mother, but the developing news story of a “rift” between he and his mother left his mind scrambled.Events came to a head as the teams warmed up on the morning of the first Test, when Kevin Pietersen, hitting balls in the direction of the Australians, made some comments that Johnson believes to this day “crossed the line”. Only the cool head of Stuart Clark prevented a punch-up.”He got really personal and I’m not going to dignify his comments by repeating them. The red mist descended and I stormed in his direction with every intention in the world of hitting him. This was all being played out in full view of spectators who had arrived early and the media. Stu Clark saw it all happen and came rushing over just as we came together and jumped between us.”…Admits that the Barmy Army got under his skin in 2009
There are times when the Barmy Army might seem like a 12th member of England’s team, and Johnson certainly struggled to block them out. They had two main songs directed at Johnson: “He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is shite”; and another based on the theme that played on the perceived squabble between his mother and his girlfriend.”England knew they had their foot on my throat and they weren’t going to let me up. When I batted, the close fielders sang the Barmy Army songs. I found out later that Matt Prior had texted the leader of the Army and told them to keep at me because they could see it had got under my skin. He was right. The songs had got into my head. Even though I hated them, I found myself singing them. It was almost like I was taunting myself.”Mitchell Johnson and Kevin Pietersen get up close and personal•Getty Images…Tells of the change in atmosphere after Ricky Ponting’s retirement
Johnson was first in the Australian squad under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy back in 2005-06, and Ponting was always a big supporter of Johnson. So Johnson was pleased to be recalled to the Test side at the WACA in 2012 for what Ponting announced would be his final Test.”Even when he wasn’t captain Ricky steered things and kept them on the straight and narrow by force of his presence. He was a strong guy and would always speak up. He was the last of that era to say what was on their minds and be happy for others to do it. After that, people got more reluctant and bit their tongue a little bit more.”…Explains how rifts in the team emerged in 2012-13
After Tim Nielsen resigned as coach, Johnson told people Australia should get Mickey Arthur, who had been his coach at Western Australia. But, Johnson said, it was disappointing the way things turned out, with too many factions inside the team. “It seemed like there was a young clique who were the ‘in’ group and the rest of us were outsiders”.It all came to a head in Chandigarh in 2013. After losing the first two Tests, Australia’s players were told to write down a few ideas of where the team could improve. Johnson, not much good at “doing assignments”, thought he should just go and tell the team management his ideas, but forgot to do so. He was soon told he would not be picked because he hadn’t done his homework. “I had a chat with Mickey as well, for maybe an hour. I had lost respect for him and told him and he didn’t like it; he was gutted by it.”Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja and James Pattinson were also suspended for a match for failing to do their homework. Johnson believes Watson was being punished for speaking his mind too often. “Mickey told me I spent too much time with Watto and that was the real issue here. I was told we were too close, like we were a faction or something. I am sorry but you can’t help but be close to a bloke you have been playing cricket with since you were 19. Usi and Patto got caught in the crossfire. Watto was being punished for speaking his mind about some of the things that were going on and we all went down with him. The problems between him and Michael Clarke were well known and it just seemed to get out of hand on this tour.”…Underlines Darren Lehmann’s role in Australia’s 2013-14 Ashes whitewash
Johnson had considered his cricket future during the hard times, but there remained a burning desire to prove his doubters wrong. That was certainly what he achieved during the home Ashes triumph in 2013-14, when he was named Player of the Series. Johnson writes of how things just felt right ahead of the series. Lehmann had been named coach earlier in the year, and told the players this was supposed to be the best time of their lives, and that they should just enjoy themselves. “Nobody was walking on eggshells anymore. It felt like the approach we had when I started with Queensland and I was good with that.”…Admits that he was never the same bowler after the death of Phillip Hughes
Johnson was in Perth when the news came through that Hughes had been struck in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG. In the coming days as it became apparent how grave the situation was, he jumped on a plane to Sydney. When Johnson landed and switched on his phone, he learned that Hughes had died. “I just sat there with my cap pulled down and cried as everybody got off the flight”.The emotional aftermath put cricket into perspective, and Johnson said he was not alone in struggling to commit to the game following the death of Hughes. As a fast bowler who was expected to intimidate batsmen, the ground had forever shifted. When Australia played the delayed first Test against India and Johnson struck Virat Kohli on the helmet with a bouncer, he felt sick.”I couldn’t summon up any aggression and I don’t think I bowled a whole-hearted bouncer for the rest of that game. I struggled in the following game, too, and I am not sure if I have ever bowled one in the same way since. You have to mean it when you do it. You bowl the short ball to intimidate people. You want them to take evasive action and you want them to be frightened of getting on the front foot after that. Those are the facts of the situation and in the aftermath of what happened to Hughesy it seemed almost impossible or irresponsible to have that intent.”…Expresses his dislike of the move to day-night Tests
Johnson announced his retirement mid-series last summer, after the second Test against New Zealand in Perth and before the final Test of that series – the inaugural day-night Test at Adelaide Oval. He had played in a pink-ball Sheffield Shield game earlier in the season, and said he “didn’t enjoy it at all”.”Every time night fell, the game would shift and you started another contest … the pink ball goes soft so quickly and while it is hard to score with, it is ever harder to bowl with. All you do is set a ring field and go through the motions as best you can.”Johnson was “really unimpressed” by the day-night concept, and believes a better move would be to bring Test cricket in to four days, which would force curators to prepare better pitches that would offer a fair competition between bat and ball.Resilient,