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There is no immediate threat to the Chennai Test as the TNCA is confident of staging the match as it it slated to start only after the seven-day state mourning for former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who died on Monday night

Arun Venugopal06-Dec-20161:40

No paucity of venues for hosting Tests – Shirke

The BCCI is yet to decide on moving the fifth and final Test between India and England from December 16 out of Chennai following the death of Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday. Ajay Shirke, the secretary, said the board was seeking inputs from the host association – the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) – and monitoring the situation closely. He also said no deadline had been set for naming an alternate venue since it was an evolving situation.”We haven’t taken any decision with regard to the Chennai Test match,” Shirke told reporters after the meeting of the senior tournament committee in Mumbai. “It’s a very sensitive decision. We are keeping a close watch on the situation and we are taking the inputs from the local host association as to what is the mood and the sentiment of the people, and based on what evolves, the final decision for the match will be taken.”TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan, however, wrote to the board that Chennai was ready to host the Test. “We have communicated to the BCCI this morning that we won’t be able to host the ongoing Ranji Trophy game [between Odisha and Jharkhand in Natham near Dindigul] and Under-19 match because of state mourning for seven days and closure of schools and colleges for three days,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But, we will host the Test match because after December 12 the [week-long] mourning period is over.”Shirke said there was no shortage of of back-up venues should the need arise. “We are monitoring the situation almost on an hourly or a daily basis,” he said. “The BCCI has got a number of alternate venues; in fact, there are new venues which have been added so there is no paucity of venues for hosting a Test match. Again, that should not be read as a decision [of the game] having been shifted.” It is understood that Pune and Bangalore are front runners to host the final Test if it is moved out of Chennai.The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai last hosted a Test match three years ago against Australia, while its most recent international game came last year in an ODI against South Africa. During England’s tour of India in 2008, Chennai emerged as one the two alternate venues after the terror attacks in Mumbai forced the Test matches to be moved out of Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

An update has emerged on Burnley and their efforts to improve their defensive options in the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Cody Drameh to Burnley?

Journalist Sacha Tavolieri has claimed that the Clarets are in talks with Leeds United over a deal to sign right-back Cody Drameh ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Vincent Kompany is eyeing a swoop to bring the defender, who is interested in joining the newly-promoted side, to Turf Moor and is still trying to snap him up after having an offer turned down.

The reporter revealed:

"#BurnleyFC pushing for Cody #Drameh ! A first offer has been refused by #LeedsUnited who's waiting for an improved offer from the newly promoted. Discussions continue to find an agreement. Player keen on the move."

How would Cody Drameh fit in at Burnley?

He is a right-back by trade and his form on loan at playoff winners Luton Town in the Championship in the season just gone suggests that the talented enforcer could be an excellent partner for Manuel Benson down the right flank.

In 2022/23, Drameh averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.09 across 16 appearances for the Hatters in the second half of the campaign and made 4.2 tackles and interceptions per game for his side.

Over the last 365 days, the English dynamo ranks in the top 3% or higher of players in his position in the Men's 'Next Eight Competitions' for tackles and blocks made respectively per 90. This shows that the terrific youngster excels at making defensive interventions to cut out opposition attacks when they threaten his goal.

Benson, on the other hand, is a winger who does not make a huge defensive contribution to his team.

Amongst his positional peers in the Men's 'Next Eight Competitions' over the last 365 days, the Belgian forward is in the bottom 17% or lower for tackles, blocks, clearances, aerial battles won, and interceptions per 90.

He does, however, rank in the top 3% for progressive carries and non-penalty goals per 90 and ended the Championship season with 11 goals in 33 appearances for the Clarets, meaning he represents an ideal outlet for the aforementioned target.

Therefore, the £4.4k-per-week Leeds ace, who was once hailed as a "Duracell bunny" by former boss Steve Morison, could be the perfect right-back to play behind Benson as his outstanding defensive qualities could allow the winger to focus on what he does best in the final third.

The current Burnley magician would be able to focus on making a big impact at the top end of the pitch to win the team vital points in the Premier League and Drameh could cover for him on the defensive end with his ability to make consistent interventions.

Perth Scorchers moved to the top of the Big Bash League table with an emphatic win over Sydney Thunder at the WACA

The Report by Will Macpherson01-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIan Bell top scored with 45 as Perth Scorchers put up 177 on the board•Getty ImagesPerth Scorchers moved to the top of the Big Bash League table with an emphatic win over Sydney Thunder at the WACA.This was the Scorchers well-worn blueprint down to a tee: bat first – they were invited to do so by Thunder – let the top order accumulate – Michael Klinger and Ian Bell this time – before the allrounders bash them to an intimidating total – Mitchell Marsh took care of that part – then the bowlers squeeze out a comfortable win – Andrew Tye and David Willey were front and centre in that regard.The outcome was a 50-run victory, which left champions Thunder rooted to the bottom of the table with four defeats from four games. Another against Melbourne Stars on Wednesday would end their title defence.Morgan to be replaced by James Vince

Sydney Thunder batsman Eoin Morgan will be replaced by James Vince when he heads to India to captain England this week, ESPNcricinfo understands.
Morgan will depart after the Thunder’s game against Melbourne Stars on Wednesday, with Vince playing the final three fixtures of a tricky campaign for the BBL champions.
Vince was dropped by England after managing just 53 runs in three ODI innings in Bangladesh in October, while he failed to reach 50 in seven Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan during the English summer.
He has a fine record as a top order batsman in T20, however, with almost 3,000 runs at a strike rate of 128.44, and 20 scores of more than 50.

Thunder’s fielding returns
One of the most memorable aspects of Thunder’s three-wicket defeat to Brisbane Heat last week was their horrific catching as the chase got tight. Jake Doran, Shane Watson and Andre Russell were all guilty, but from the first over in Perth, Thunder were much improved.Ben Rohrer took a wonderful diving catch at cover to set the tone, then Pat Cummins’ tumbling take at mid-on dismissed Michael Klinger and broke an 85-run partnership for the second wicket. The whole performance in the field was raised, with Chris Green notably impressive in the deep and debutant Jay Lenton tidy behind the stumps, even if he did miss a very sharp stumping. Adam Voges, the reprieved batsman, had to go back to the pavilion anyway, twinging his hamstring while attempting a big sweep shot.Thunder’s poor batting meant very little of that mattered on Sunday, but it was a small step in the right direction.Scorchers blazing towards final
Like their female counterparts, the Scorchers look the strongest side in the BBL. They have a settled combination, and their additions slot perfectly into their plans. Bell builds a platform at the top of the batting order while Mitchell Johnson is a wicket-taking threat in the middle overs. In the absence of Brad Hogg, their spin bowling reserves seem weak, but Ashton Turner continues to impress as a resourceful and intelligent cricketer. He added a handy 20 runs in the slog overs, took an important wicket – Eoin Morgan’s – and three good catches, too.…And are set to be unfazed by further absentees
Given they are missing bowlers of the quality of Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Joel Paris, the Scorchers’ depth and excellence is remarkable. They did not have Ashton Agar today and it will be interesting to see how they handle the absence of the injured Voges and the outstanding David Willey – who again picked up wickets by swinging the white ball in the Powerplay. He dismissed both Thunder openers, with Ryan Gibson, bowled, and Kurtis Patterson, caught behind. Willey will be replaced in the squad by Tim Bresnan.Thunder’s batting woes
Nothing sums up Thunder’s slide like the fact that their top scorer was Cummins, a bowler unlikely to describe himself as an allrounder. He has more runs than any of his team-mates this summer.They may have lost the experience of Michael Hussey and Jacques Kallis to retirement, and the excellence of Usman Khawaja to international duty, but the fact is their senior batsmen have not performed. Watson, Russell, and to a lesser extent Morgan are struggling for form – all three fell very softly in Perth – failing to shape games and leaving the lower order too much to do.The debutant Lenton, Chris Green and Cummins, until he was brilliantly run out by wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman with a direct hit from square leg, battled gamely, but it was too late. The same may be true of their season as a whole.The weakness of Thunder’s batting makes it even stranger that Watson, upon winning the toss, chose to bowl – although that is the current trend, with 11 of 13 captains opting to chase so far in the tournament. Scorchers, with their excellent record defending modest totals, must have been licking their lips.

Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma have been included in Delhi’s squad, led by Gautam Gambhir, for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2017Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma have been included in Delhi’s squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament. Gautam Gambhir will lead Delhi in the competition, which begins on January 29.Dhawan, currently in India’s ODI squad, scored 1 and 11 in two games against England before being left out of the third. He is not part of India’s T20 squad for the three T20s against England, which start from next week. Since the beginning of 2016, Dhawan has scored 756 runs in 25 matches across formats at an average of 30.24 with just one century.Ishant, who was left out of India’s ODI squad after the series against Australia in January 2016, was also released by his IPL franchise, Rising Pune Supergiants, and will look at this competition as a platform to impress ahead of the upcoming IPL auction in February.Wicketkeeper Arjun Gupta was named as a replacement for Rishabh Pant, who was selected in India’s T20 squad for the England series.In June last year, the BCCI had decided to revamp the structure of the tournament in favour of an inter-zonal league. The new tournament will be divided into two stages – an inter-state one, followed by the main inter-zonal one featuring the top-performing players from the states. Earlier, the tournament comprised teams spread across four groups with the top two from each qualifying for the knockouts.Delhi squad: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Unmukt Chand, Shikhar Dhawan, Nitish Rana, Milind Kumar, Kshitij Sharma, Sarthak Ranjan, Arjun Gupta, Pawan Negi, Manan Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Vikas Tokas, Pradeep Sangwan, Subodh Bhati

Tottenham Hotspur announced their first signing of the Ange Postecoglou era last week, as they made Dejan Kulusevski's loan move a permanent one.

Although the second season of his stint in north London had not impressed as much as his first, scoring just twice, he remained an important cog of this side, and a fine option to have within the squad.

However, the Australian will be far from content to allow that to be his sole purchase of the summer, given the vast scale of the revolution that is required in north London.

He will likely look to other teams around him, akin to Manchester United and Arsenal, and hope to replicate how they have improved to steadily climb the Premier League table. This means that his transfer dealings must be shrewd and focused on a brighter future, likely relinquishing any chance of instant success to get to that level.

Investment in a younger type of player is a must, rather than those just entering their prime.

Whilst a war wages on with Newcastle United to sign James Maddison from Leicester City, another star resides within the King Power Stadium which they also seem to be working on tempting. That man is Harvey Barnes.

In acquiring this wide man, Postecoglou could copy Erik ten Hag even more than he could have imagined, by securing his very own version of Marcus Rashford to terrorise full-backs down the wing.

Would Harvey Barnes be able to emulate Marcus Rashford?

Whilst both Barnes and the England international are right-footed left-wingers, their direct play style and decisive pace and power further draw comparisons. Pundit Alan Hutton even suggested that the former was a true "livewire", to emphasise these claims.

FBref seeks to outline these similarities too, as the 25-year-old is included in the former's similar players model.

It is not just their play style that is shared though, as both boast a penchant for goalscoring from the flank.

It is likely just the comparative quality of their respective squads that led to the gulf in actual goals, as Barnes' tally of 13 is not a far cry from the 17 league goals Rashford notched, whilst one finished third and the other got relegated.

The 24-year-old shone in a lacklustre Leicester side that fell to the drop, just like Maddison, and it seems like Postecoglou has developed an interest in these downtrodden stars who have already overcome hardship in their short careers.

The £35m-rated speedster has seen both the highs and lows of English football, having been lauded in the past by Jurgen Klopp whilst his side was in form: "Barnes is probably one of the biggest talents, I’m not sure if he is respected or appreciated as much as he should be, he is an unbelievable player to be honest, a proper Leicester product."

Opta's analyst tool serves to showcase the foremost assets of such a star, with a clear emphasis on his outstanding figures for dribbles completed, shots taken and all-around goalscoring. He is a constant threat, never afraid to shoot or take on his man. Defenders will never feel comfortable around this sparkling gem, just as they never do around a certain Rashford.

With the Manchester club having finished third in their most recent term, it seems the platform is there for future success of which Rashford will be an imperative cog.

Postecoglou will hope that he too can make steady progress with each year he is in charge, using Barnes as his dynamic left-sided star to emulate an already-successful formula.

Newcastle United are one of a number of top clubs who are interested in signing Fenerbahce youngster Arda Guler in the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

How good is Arda Guler?

The 18-year-old is arguably one of the most exciting young players in Europe at the moment, already producing a string of impressive performances for Fenerbahce.

Last season, Guler scored four goals and registered three assists in the Turkish Super Lig, also chipping in with one apiece in the Europa League, becoming a regular despite still being such a young player.

It is no secret that there is a huge amount of interest in the teenager this summer, with many top Premier League sides interested in signing him due to a relatively low £15m release clause. Newcastle are one of the clubs who have been linked with a move, as the Magpies look to complete some exciting transfer business ahead of their return to the Champions League.

A fresh update suggests that their interest isn't going away, although it may not be easy for them to acquire the services of the £2,500-a-week ace.

Could Newcastle sign Guler this summer?

According to TEAMtalk, Fenerbahce are desperately trying to persuade Guler to stay put this summer, but Newcastle are falling in love with the player after their scouting trips:

"Newcastle are huge fans of the player and have tracked him for a number of months. But they are not alone as several other Premier League clubs are keen too. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Brighton were also in attendance for Turkey’s victory.

"Major European sides Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Inter, Juventus, Dortmund, Leipzig, Benfica and Porto watched Guler’s brilliant goal as well."

Guler is clearly a special prospect, with Italian legend Andrea Pirlo claiming there is "no limit to his potential", as well as hailing his "great technique", so Newcastle signing him could feel like a massive coup.

At just 18, he is already a four-cap Turkey international, scoring once in that time, and he is only going to mature further as a player as the years pass, starring in a central midfield role and being able to take up a more attack-minded position, too.

It is vital that Newcastle sign both players for the present and the future, ensuring they continue to grow into a major force in English football, and Guler is someone who could arrive as an exciting squad player to begin with, before eventually becoming a genuine star and one of the first names on the team sheet.

With South Africa’s tour of England beginning in mid-May, followed by the Champions Trophy, both boards are keen to make their players available and ready for the series

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Feb-2017South African players are likely to leave IPL 2017 after May 7 while the England players are scheduled to depart the tournament in two batches – a few after May 1 and the rest after May 14. Making players available and ready for the bilateral series – South Africa’s tour of England begins in mid-May – and the Champions Trophy, which starts from June 1 in England, is the chief reason why both boards want to pull out their players early.ESPNcricinfo understands that the IPL had informed the franchises about this in an email this week along with the final updated player roster for the auction on February 20.The franchises were also told that the BCCI is trying to discuss the issue with the Cricket South Africa to see if the South African players’ stay can be extended. It is not known whether either board will release players in the event their franchise makes it to the final on May 21.AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Faf du Plessis (Rising Pune Supergiants), JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock and Chris Morris (Delhi Daredevils), David Miller and Hashim Amla (Kings XI Punjab) have been retained by their respective franchises, along with England’s Jos Buttler (Mumbai Indians) and Sam Billings (Daredevils).A total of 351 players, including 122 capped internationals, will feature in the auction, which will be held in Bangalore on February 20. Although franchise officials had earlier indicated that this season’s auction could be a short event, with teams trying to plug a few gaps, the likely early departure of South Africa and England players could impact the teams’ auction strategies.Of the 13 South African players who have entered the auction, CSA is interested specifically in the release of Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Farhaan Behardien, Wayne Parnell, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius. Except for Ngidi, who is recovering from a hip injury, the other six players are part of the limited-overs squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand.An official privy to the discussions between the BCCI and CSA said that it was a one-off situation which could not be avoided. South Africa’s tour of England will begin with two practice matches followed by the three-ODI series scheduled between May 24 and 29. The three T20Is and the four Tests will be played after the Champions Trophy. The official said that CSA is keen on getting the best possible preparation for the Champions Trophy, given the team’s record in ICC tournaments, and had thus sought an early release of its main players from the IPL.As for the England players, a few may leave for the two ODIs against Ireland on May 5 and 7. An official with one of the franchises said that prominent players like Buttler and some of the players who have entered the auction, like Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes, could leave after May 14 to prepare for the ODIs against South Africa.Morgan, Stokes and fast bowler Chris Woakes are part of the list of marquee players who have listed the maximum base price of INR 2 crore (approx US $298,000) for the auction. The other England players in the auction are wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow (INR 1.5 crore), opening batsmen Alex Hales and Jason Roy (INR 1 crore), and fast bowlers Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills (INR 50 lakh).

A round-up form the latest action in the Plunket Shield which featured the first round of pink-ball floodlit matches

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2017Wellington were denied the chance to move closer to the top of the table by a defiant Otago lower order at the Westpac Stadium. Otago’s eighth-wicket pair of Sam Wells (118) and Nathan Smith (59) added 141 as their team survived having been made to follow-on. They began the final day 59 for 4 in their second innings which became 135 for 7 – still a deficit of 69 – but Wells and Smith repelled Wellington for the next 53 overs. Wells made his fourth first-class hundred and when he fell there was enough resistance from the last two wickets – Smith batted for three and a half hours – to ensure Wellington would not have time for the chase. On the opening day Michael Papps had become New Zealand’s first century maker against the pink ball. Hamish Bennett then helped conjure the chance of a result after the second day was washed out as his 4 for 19 skittled Otago for 98 – the last eight wickets falling for 44 – but despite the continued effort of Bennett, alongside Brent Arnel, they were thwarted.Canterbury remained leaders after their match against Auckland at Eden Park turned into a quest for bonus points following the middle two days being washed out. On the ground set to host the floodlit Test against England next year, Canterbury slipped to 25 for 4 before they were rescued by fifth-wicket stand of 183 between Ken McClure (92) Andrew Ellis (103) which lifted them to 305 for 8 after the opening day. The next two days were lost and on the last Auckland made 333 as wicketkeeper Ben Horne (93) fell just short of a maiden first-class hundred. Legspinner Todd Astle finished with 5 for 75. There had been a first-class debut for Glenn Phillips, who made his New Zealand T20 debut against South Africa last month, while it was Mitchell McClenaghan’s first first-class outing since December 2015.Rain also ruined the match-up between Northern Districts and Central Districts in Hamilton, but Ish Sodhi and Seth Rance achieved significant personal success. On the opening day Sodhi, who was left out of the Test squad to face South Africa, claimed 7 for 107 as Central Districts fell from 176 for 2 to 272 for 9 when they declared in the night-time session. The move worked a treat as Rance ripped through the Northern Districts top order, ending the first day with 4 for 6 and a career-best 6 for 31 overall. Adam Milne, also making a first-class comeback after 15 months, bowled 14 wicketless overs but scored an unbeaten 51. Northern Districts remained second and Central Districts bottom with three rounds to play.

Mauricio Pochettino appears to have already made his first major call as Chelsea head coach by informing the club he intends to stick with Kepa Arrizabalaga as first choice.

While that view may not go down all that well with Chelsea supporters, Pochettino has clearly seen enough in the Spain international to put his faith in him – for now, at least.

What is the latest with Chelsea's goalkeeper situation?

Chelsea had been linked with Andre Onana and Mike Maignan, which would suggest Kepa's time as first choice between the sticks was surely coming to an end. Edouard Mendy may have departed for Saudi Arabia, but neither Onana nor Maignan were being brought in to provide cover.

Interestingly, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano now suggests Chelsea are instead tempted to sign Anatoliy Trubin from Shakhtar Donetsk, with the Blues said to be seriously considering an offer.

That suggests Pochettino has got his wish, though 21-year-old Trubin – valued at £17m by Football Observatory – could well rival Kepa for a starting spot as early as this coming season should he join.

Who is Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin?

Trubin led the way for clean sheets in the Ukrainian Premier League last season with 14, one more than Yevhenii Volynets of FK Kolos, as Shakhtar were crowned champions with the best defensive record in the division.

Despite his young age, Trubin has already played 94 times for Shakhtar, including 17 appearances in the Champions League.

It is on the continent he has really caught the eye, right from the moment he made a wonder save to deny Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku – a possible future Chelsea team-mate – from a free-kick as a 19-year-old in 2020.

Coincidentally, the stopper has silenced Lukaku on two occasions, keeping clean sheets in both of his meetings with Inter that season.

Indeed, the Ukrainian slowly built up a showreel of impressive stops and has earned widespread praise, with football writer Josh Bunting describing him as "superb" for such a young 'keeper, one who is capable of coming out for crosses as well as making huge saves.

Trubin would have to bide his time if he is recruited by Chelsea, but there is every chance he will succeed Kepa one day soon, making it a smart piece of business from the Blues' perspective.

Across a very similar number of Champions League appearances (17 for Kepa, 14 for Trubin), the Shakhtar goalkeeper has a better save percentage (71.3% v 67.2%), as per FBref, and also completes more passes per 90 minutes (29.2 v 22.5).

Kepa does come out on top in terms of pass-completion percentage (76 v 71.8), but the numbers are certainly positive from Trubin's perspective so early in his career.

As he showed last season when making the fourth-most saves of anyone in the Champions League, Trubin is a goalkeeper that can stand up to most tests, the next of which could see him rival Kepa to become Pochettino's number one at Stamford Bridge.

Mark Robinson, England Women’s head coach, believes his squad has turned a corner from the nadir at the World T20 last year, but is keen they don’t get ahead of themselves leading into the World Cup

Andrew Miller13-Mar-2017Mark Robinson, England’s head coach, has praised the professional manner in which his new-look squad has built towards this summer’s Women’s World Cup, and believes they are entering the right frame of mind to manage the expectation that will come with being the host nation at cricket’s oldest global event.England will not go into the World Cup as favourites – that is the top-to-bottom message from the squad as they begin the countdown to their opening fixture, against India at Derby on June 24. But, after a year of dramatic upheaval in 2016 that centred around the enforced retirement of Charlotte Edwards, Robinson feels that the squad’s ambitions have been recalibrated and their professionalism renewed ahead of what promises to be a defining year.”There’s nothing bigger than a World Cup in England, so I’m feeling that excitement and so are the girls,” Robinson told ESPNcricinfo during the launch event at Lord’s. “This is one of the reasons why I came to do this job, to take part in the big global events.Taylor could yet return for World Cup

Mark Robinson says that Sarah Taylor has not yet given up hope playing a part in England’s World Cup campaign, despite missing much of the past year while battling anxiety issues.
Taylor, 27, is arguably England’s most talented female cricketer, and retained her ECB contract this winter while undergoing treatment, having not played since England’s World T20 exit last March.
“There is hope,” said Robinson. “It’s her dream to get back and playing. She’s done really well, I suppose the most important thing is that she gets fitter and feels well again as a person, but she’s working hard on both.
“She’s back in training, and everything we do is a graduated level of return. Sometimes she’s in and has to pull herself out slightly again as her progression continues towards that dream.
“Whether she makes the World Cup or it’s a bit too early, remains to be seen, but at the moment she’s back, she’s training and we are doing it step by step with her.”

“The goal is to get back to being the No.1 country in the world. We’re not there yet, but we’ve made some big strides and big improvements, and this will be a big test to see how far we’ve come this summer.”Twelve months ago, the challenge awaiting England’s women was made abundantly clear as Australia dumped them out of the World T20 with a five-run victory in their semi-final in Delhi. Though the margin may have been tight, the gulf between the teams was not, and in a remarkable post-match press conference that effectively marked the end of Edwards’ decade-long reign as captain, Robinson blamed their shortcomings on an inability to run sufficiently quickly between the wickets.”The fitness should be a non-negotiable,” Robinson said. “It shouldn’t be an issue that you have to talk about as an England coach, so hopefully we’ve addressed that. There’s still some room to go, and there always will be to a degree, but we’ve made such a big shift.”Now, with Heather Knight installed as Edwards’ replacement as captain, England are unbeaten in four series to date (three in ODIs and one T20) during which time many of the players who could help them challenge once again for major honours have been identified.At the top of the order, Lauren Winfield and Tammy Beaumont have emerged as a dynamic and record-breaking opening partnership, Nat Sciver has blossomed to become one of the leading allrounders in the world, while Alex Hartley’s emerging left-arm spin was a critical factor in a hard-earned 3-2 series win in the Caribbean in October.”We went to the West Indies for a tough series in incredibly tough conditions and our fitness stood up, so that’s all you want as a coach,” said Robinson. “We’ve won, and won in a style that probably hasn’t been seen before. We’ve made some really good progress, all we can do is keeping having attention to detail on the little things and see where it goes. Embrace the expectation, but manage it at the same time. Don’t live with any challenges that you might regret down the line.”Lauren Winfield’s hunger to succeed has helped propel England’s regeneration•Getty ImagesOne of the key moments of England’s regeneration came against Pakistan at Worcester in June, during Knight’s second match in charge. As if primed to produce a statement of intent, Winfield led the line with a career-best 123, adding a record 235 with Beaumont, before Sciver applied the coup de grace with a remarkable 80 from 33 balls. England finished on 378 for 5, their highest ODI total of all time, and set themselves a template for the season to come.”It’s about trying to let them go, and let them understand they are allowed to make mistakes,” Robinson said. “Heather is a young player at 26, her best years are ahead of her, and that is exciting. It’s about not thinking of the burden and worrying that ‘if I don’t get these runs, we’ve lost’. And that is the case for all of our batting line-up.”Winfield’s opportunities had been distinctly limited in the previous regime. In 29 appearances spread over three years, she had mustered a solitary half-century in a T20 at Edgbaston, and played no part in the World T20 after yo-yoing up and down the batting order in both forms of white-ball cricket.”In the previous era, there was probably talk of the team relying on one or two players and if those players failed then we generally failed,” she said. “I don’t think there was extra motivation in terms of wanting to perform, but we were hugely excited about the opportunity. Myself and Tammy had been in and out of the team in various different positions at the top and in the middle of the order, and we finally got an opportunity to do the role we’d always wanted to do.”As a team it was important not just to win, but to really heavily dominate, and we managed to do that. We were convincing and showed the world what we can do.”We’ve got the foundations and performances under our belts now that give us confidence and belief that we belong in the arena which, to be honest, when you’re in and out a lot, you don’t have that. You go in and tell yourself you’re confident, but it’s a little bit false. Once you’ve got a few performances under your belt, it’s more instilled and the belief is really there.”Winfield epitomises the more hardened professional edge that Robinson has brought to the England regime in the past few months. “Something we are striving towards as a team is being the best possible athletes that we can be,” she said. “And if we do that, we’ve got half a chance of being pretty good cricketers as well.”A talking point for a number of years has been our fielding,” she added. “The game has moved on, and the gaps are not as big between the teams now. If you have ten runs between a win or a loss, then that special catch or that boundary save, or that over where you are up and down for twos, is crucial.”