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Mohammad Nawaz was oozing confidence after defending six runs in the final over against Peshawar

Osman Samiuddin in Sharjah01-Mar-20170:50

WATCH – Mohammad Nawaz concedes no runs off the last three balls to take Quetta Gladiators to the final

Mohammad Nawaz was having a rough night with the ball in Sharjah. The three overs he had bowled until the 20th had already gone for 46. Excessive dew meant he could barely grip the ball and it hadn’t helped that he was bowling one-over spells. There had been moments of smartness – the key dismissal of Mohammad Hafeez was one, and without the ball the catch to dismiss Shahid Afridi was, in hindsight, the moment the game turned.But he had already conceded four sixes and three fours, thus defending six off this final over, with a two-time World T20I winner on strike, could only produce an unhappy ending.Leaving him, or the rookie left-arm spinner Hasan Khan (3-0-36-0) with the last over, in fact, had seemed like a mistake. And when Tymal Mills’ valiant but unsuccessful effort at short third man off the second ball actually helped the ball along to the boundary, the game was done. Except it wasn’t.Nawaz conceded a single off the next four balls. He dismissed Chris Jordan first, a flatter, quicker delivery that found the edge and which Sarfraz Ahmed did well to hold on to. And then two inch-perfect yorkers in succession forced two run-outs, allowing Quetta to pull off a sensational one-run win – a margin replicating last year’s playoff win over the same opponents.”There was a lot of pressure, the way the ball had been coming on to the bat and how wet it was,” Nawaz told Geo TV. “But our plan was to bowl the first three balls outside off and break it away.”Once the equation came down to two off three, the plan changed. Among others, Kevin Pietersen, playing his last game of the tournament, suggested going for yorkers.”KP said on the fifth ball ‘just bowl a yorker’. It came out perfect. On the last ball a few said bowl length, some said go for the yorker. But we agreed to bowl a yorker and they just came out perfect.”I had a lot going through my mind at the time. But I was also calm, thinking I could do this.”Nawaz was one of the poster boys of the PSL’s first season, the very reason such a league was created in the first place – to bring to the fore young players like him and turn them into big-game players.He was the third-highest wicket-taker last year and his 13 wickets included arguably the ball of the tournament: a delicious, orthodox spinner that undid Brad Hodge, incidentally also in the playoff win over Peshawar.Finding his feet with Pakistan has not been as simple, in any of the formats, even with their desperate search for any kind of allrounder. But bowling an over like this – all of it to international cricketers – can be an important developmental landmark.”Absolutely, this is one of the best overs I have bowled. In such a big match, on this pitch, with so much dew. Especially after that kind of over I can’t help but feel pretty confident.”This is how big players are made, when they perform in big matches like this. This is only the start of my career, but in future I hope to learn more from it and keep performing.”

Stephen Cook’s third Test hundred moved South Africa into a dominant position on a third day of rain delays and rapid scoring in Port Elizabeth

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy28-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:53

Moonda: Still concerns over Amla’s form, but Cook has established himself

Stephen Cook’s third Test hundred moved South Africa into a dominant position on a third day of rain delays and rapid scoring in Port Elizabeth. Sri Lanka caused a brief flutter with four wickets for 56 runs, but that only came after South Africa had moved to 221 for 1. At stumps, South Africa were 351 for 5, their lead 432 with two days remaining.For most of the day, the only force that seemed capable of halting South Africa’s march was the weather: Bad light and rain halted play twice, either side of an early lunch break, for roughly an hour cumulatively. Then, belatedly, Sri Lanka’s bowlers began to find some success.Nuwan Pradeep dismissed Amla with the last ball before tea, making him the 10,000th lbw victim in Test history. Dushmantha Chameera got Cook to nick behind in the sixth over after tea, before Dhananjaya de Silva, bowling his offbreaks from around the wicket to both right- and left-hand batsmen, began turning the ball appreciably. He got JP Duminy to edge to slip, and then had Temba Bavuma caught at short leg – Bavuma walked off without reviewing after being given out, despite replays suggesting there was no bat involved.Rangana Herath could have had Quinton de Kock three overs later, but Dinesh Chandimal, possibly unsighted by the batsman as the ball spun out of the rough and between bat and pad, missed the stumping. De Kock and Faf du Plessis went on to add an unbroken 74 for the sixth wicket, at 4.82 per over, reinforcing South Africa’s hold on the Test match.South Africa dominated right from the start of play, taking only 7.5 overs to wrap up Sri Lanka’s lower order, with Vernon Philander completing his 11th Test-match five-for, and gain an 81-run first-innings lead. Then Cook, courtesy century stands for the first and second wicket with Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla, ensured Sri Lanka remained on the mat.Amla fell two short of a half-century, Pradeep trapping him on the shuffle, spearing one full and straight the ball after that shuffle had brought the batsman a cheeky four, a leg glance off an off-stump delivery. By then, Amla had batted as fluently as he has done at any point this season, delighted his fans with some vintage strokeplay including scorching drives through the covers and down the ground, his balance and timing inch-perfect.After two days dominated by seamers, Sri Lanka may have hoped for continuing assistance from the pitch, but after some early help for the new ball – Cook and Elgar sent three edges streaking through gaps in the slip cordon in the first four overs – conditions seemed to ease out considerably. Given South Africa’s lead, Sri Lanka couldn’t attack for too long, and the innings eventually settled into a pattern of easily available runs against defensive fields.Elgar was the dominant opening partner before lunch – which was taken half an hour early thanks to bad light and later rain – scoring 26 to Cook’s 12 and hitting three fours including a muscular swat over midwicket when Suranga Lakmal dropped marginally short and a crisply timed back-foot drive down the ground off Angelo Mathews.Cook caught up when play resumed, with three fours in two overs – not all of them entirely controlled – when the seamers began bowling short. With singles now plentifully available against the deep-set fields, Cook’s strike rate climbed, and he reached fifty in style, punching Pradeep through the covers to bring up the landmark and slashing the next one backward of point for another four.Elgar soon joined him in the 50s before falling to a miscued pull off Suranga Lakmal. By then, Cook and Elgar had brought up their second century partnership of the match. It was only the tenth time in Test history that an opening pair had achieved this feat.South Africa began scoring even more freely with Amla at the crease: the second-wicket pair scored at 5.57 while the openers had gone at 3.60. Cook, who took 81 balls to score his first fifty, scored his second in 71 balls, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers went through the motions. Cook went from 95 to 99 with the shot of his innings, a straight punch off the front foot against Chameera, before getting to his hundred the next ball with a trademark nurdle into the leg side for two.South Africa’s day began in the best way possible. Philander struck with his very first ball, shaping it away from the fourth-stump channel to induce a poke and an edge from Dhananjaya de Silva, who, on 43 overnight, had held Sri Lanka’s hopes of narrowing South Africa’s lead to manageable proportions. Five balls later, Lakmal realised he wasn’t quite to the pitch of a fullish ball to drive, checked his shot, and popped a low catch to mid-on, giving Philander his fifth wicket.Philander and Kyle Abbott beat the edges of Chameera and Pradeep frequently, but Sri Lanka’s Nos. 9 and 11 managed to stretch their total by 20 runs along the way. There were a couple of audacious shots as well – Pradeep punched Abbott off the back foot to the point boundary, and Chameera hit Philander for a straight-bat scoop over mid-on. Eventually, having just got past the 50-ball mark, Chameera jabbed at an away-swinger from Abbott and nicked to first slip.

Maharashtra picked up the four remaining wickets early on the fourth day to beat Assam by an innings and 52 runs in Chennai. Their second successive win brought them storming back into contention for a berth in the quarter-finals. Assam, resuming on 115 for 6, needed to wipe out a deficit of 171 more. KB Arun Karthik and Swarupam Purkayastha added 83, before left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bacchav sent back Purkayastha for 69. Two overs later, Mohsin Sayyad dismissed Abu Nechim Ahmed for a duck.Anupam Sanklecha, who took eight wickets in the first innings, fittingly picked up the last wicket – his 12th in the match and 26th in two games – as Assam were all out for 234, with Karthik stranded on 87. Earlier in the match, tons from Kedar Jadhav and Chirag Khurana took Maharashtra to 542 before Sanklecha ran through Assam’s batting. His eight wickets in Assam’s first innings, gave them a 286 run lead.Delhi survived a final day collapse before they reached 153 to beat Rajasthan by two wickets in Wayanad. They started the day on 51 for 3, needing 102 runs more to win. But overnight batsman Vikas Tokas was bowled by Pankaj Singh ten runs later, before Shikhar Dhawan, on a comeback trail after recovering from a broken finger, was out on 49.Delhi were at 76 for 5 at this stage, still needing another 77. But Nitish Rana (31), added 24 runs with Milind Kumar and another 37 with Sumit Narwal, before being run out. Narwal then batted with the tail to take Delhi to victory. He remained unbeaten on 27. Rajasthan’s Amitkumar Gautam, playing his second first-class match, was adjudged Player of the Match. He scored 106 in the first innings to notch up his maiden first-class ton.CM Gautam (95) and Shreyas Gopal (77) helped Karnataka stave off defeat and walk away with one point against Odisha in New Delhi. Karnataka were 81 ahead with four wickets in hand when play began. They drove ahead to 393, with he last four wickets contributing 162. K Gowtham, the offspinner, made 46 of those at No. 9. Set a target of 231 in 32 overs, Odisha’s openers batted cautiously to end on 63 without loss and walk away with the first-innings honours. This was the first time this season that Karnataka conceded a lead. However, they continued to top the group.Vidarbha recorded their first win of the season by beating Saurashtra by eight wickets at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi. Akshay Wakhare and Mohammad Shaikh picked up seven wickets between them as Saurashtra, who conceded a 46-run lead, were bowled out for 189, with opener Snell Patel top scoring with 63. Vidarbha lost Faiz Fazal early in chase of 144, but were driven by half-centuries from Sanjay Ramaswamy and Ganesh Satish as they completed the chase in 35 overs. The loss meant Saurashtra were rooted to the bottom of the group.

Imrul Kayes is confident about his prospects of returning to Bangladesh’s ODI side after his century against the England tourists in their warm-up in Fatullah

Mohammad Isam04-Oct-2016

Imrul Kayes said that the 121 against England in the Fatullah practice match will strengthen his case for a place in Bangladesh’s playing XI for the first ODI on Friday.He was dropped after making 37 in the first game against Afghanistan last week which, he said, made him understood what he has to do to keep his place.Imrul, a regular opener, was made to bat at No 3 against Afghanistan and though he was hitting the ball nicely, he did not last too long and subsequently lost his place. Soumya Sarkar, however, continued as Tamim Iqbal’s opening partner despite making 31 runs in that ODI series.England survive the heat

Chris Woakes, who recovered from being hit for 14 in the day’s first over to finish with 3 for 52 in England’s four-wicket win over BCB Select XI, said that it was a good win to achieve in the oppressive heat and humidity in Fatullah.
“It is something we are not used to,” Woakes said. “We have only been here for a few days. So it was a good run out, a good performance. To win out here in any conditions against any team is a good result, and to chase down over 300 on any pitch is also a good chase.”
England are likely to field the same line-up against Bangladesh in the first ODI on Friday. Liam Plunkett and Ben Stokes left the field during the BCB XI innings after cramping up, but they returned and bowled impressive late spells.”

With Bangladesh having decided that Sabbir Rahman will be their No. 3 against England, Imrul and Soumya are contesting a single opening slot. Both were sent to open in Fatullah in this practice game in what turned out to be a bat-off.”There is a lot of competition for places in the Bangladesh team,” Imrul said. “You have to do something extraordinary to stay in this team. You can’t stay if your performance is average. I played the first ODI but was left out for the next two and I felt that maybe I need to do something better, which is why this innings feels really good.”It was not an international match but the atmosphere was similar. I needed an innings like this after a long time. It is definitely a big confidence boost to score a century against a team like this.”In Fatullah, Imrul was unusually attacking during his 91-ball innings. He started off with a flurry of boundaries before seeing Soumya beaten by Chris Woakes’ pace in the fifth over. He continued the attack, and reached his hundred off just 81 balls.He has credited coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who told him to be in a frame of mind in which he is ready to play shots square of the wicket on both sides. According to Imrul, the changed mindset kept him alert to put away every bad delivery. With plenty on offer, he struck 11 fours and six sixes.”The mindset was very important. My mindset in the last few matches was to stay at the wicket. Today I was positive from the start and I connected well with the first ball. In the last two days the coach gave me some very good advice which helped.”He told me to be prepared to play the cut and pull, and then maybe take singles off good balls. Your body will always be positive and you will react quickly. I practised that in the last two days, so for that my balance, everything was positive,” he said.

Junior Firpo is fortunate that his careless red card didn't cost Leeds United a point in their recent draw against Newcastle United, although the Spaniard was at fault when he handballed Joe Willock's cross in the second half.

The former Barcelona man has certainly proven himself to be error-prone during his time at Elland Road and his red card may be something of a blessing in disguise for Sam Allardyce ahead of this weekend's game against West Ham United.

The Hammers are all but safe so this represents arguably Leeds' best chance to pick up three points in their fight for survival against Allardyce's former side, and while not having Firpo available may be seen as a blow, it could allow Pascal Struijk to make his return to the side at left-back.

Is losing Firpo a blow for Leeds?

This season has seen the 26-year-old make 18 appearances in the Premier League, contributing one goal and one assist, with a shocking 6.42 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Considering this ranks him as the 19th-best performer at Elland Road, while he has previously been dubbed a "liability" defensively by journalist David Anderson, it is something of a surprise that he has started both of Allardyce's games in charge thus far, given the Englishman's reputation as a defensive-minded coach.

He certainly didn't repay Allardyce's faith in him over the weekend against Newcastle, giving away the second penalty before earning a red card after bringing down Anthony Gordon when he was the last man late on, with his performance lambasted by the pundits on BT Sport following the game.

Gary McAllister said (via Daily Mail): "It's unexplainable why he goes so high with his hand, he gets himself in a terrible position, it's a desperate and wrong decision."

These are exactly the sort of decisions Leeds need to avoid in the final two games if they are going to retain their Premier League status, so Firpo's red card may actually work in the Yorkshire outfit's favour.

Should Allardyce unleash Struijk?

This leaves the English manager with two to choose from at left-back, and considering Max Wober has been featuring as a centre-back in recent fixtures, it would not be a surprise to see Struijk given the nod at left-back.

The former Ajax man may have struggled in the heavy defeats against Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Liverpool, earning below a 6/10 rating from WhoScored in all three of those fixtures, but he has still ranked as the third-best performer at Elland Road so far this campaign.

Dubbed a "ridiculous talent" by journalist Conor McGilligan earlier in the season, the 23-year-old can offer Allardyce physicality and defensive nous against West Ham, as he ranks second for tackles, fourth for clearances and fifth for blocks per game in Leeds' squad.

He could perhaps find himself unfortunate to have been dropped by Allardyce for his two games in charge thus far but the Belgian-born defender certainly has the quality to make a real difference and could be one to really benefit from Firpo's rash red card last weekend.

Leeds United are keeping tabs on Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou ahead of a possible summer move.

What’s the latest Leeds manager news?

The Whites are currently on their fourth head coach of the campaign, with Jesse Marsch, Michael Skubala and Javi Gracia all leading the club at points this season.

Sam Allardyce is the man tasked with keeping Leeds in the Premier League and now has just three games to turn things around at Elland Road. It seems as if the 68-year-old is an interim appointment until the summer, with the club seemingly on the search for a long-term replacement.

Fulham’s Marco Silva was named as a possible target for the Whites, and it appears as if Postecoglou, who was linked with Leeds following Marsch’s departure, could also be an option.

According to Football Insider, ‘Celtic are anticipating interest from Premier League clubs and teams abroad’ when it comes to Postecoglou. Their report states that ‘Leeds have continuously shown an interest in the Australian and are monitoring his situation’ ahead of the summer.

Ambitious target for Leeds?

Postecoglou has just won a second successive Scottish Premiership crown in Glasgow and is on course to guide the Hoops to a domestic treble, should they beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final next month.

As a result, Celtic will be playing in the Champions League next season, whereas Leeds could be turning out in the Championship if things don’t go to plan under Allardyce.

You’d expect that the Whites would need to survive in the top flight over the coming weeks to have any chance of luring Postecoglou to Yorkshire, but it does seem to be an ambitious move.

The Australian has won 39 of his 48 games this season (81%) and has been lauded as "incredible" by members of the media, so could be a shrewd manager to come in and turn things around at Leeds. He has transformed Celtic's fortunes after replacing Neil Lennon, immediately getting the club back to winning ways after a disappointing 2020/21 season which saw rivals Rangers win the league.

However, with Chelsea and Tottenham previously named as suitors for the 57-year-old, it could be a bridge too far for Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises, with Postecoglou potentially holding out for a move south to a club that can offer European football.

Tottenham Hotspur have shown a renewed sense of spirit under Ryan Mason. That much is clearly visible.

For a club that could not stop dropping points, it is at least commendable to see the 31-year-old force them to continue doing so with a little bit of heart, in an attempt to convince the fanbase that, against popular belief, these players do care about the club.

Battling from two goals down garnered a well-earned 2-2 draw with Manchester United before Sunday's blockbuster saw Anfield play host to a ludicrous 4-3 scoreline, where Liverpool ran out the eventual victors. This time, it was a three-goal deficit that they overcame before throwing it away at the death.

With some semblance of encouragement returning, despite still failing to pick up a win, it shows the foundation for a new manager to at least build from. That being said, this remains a squad that desperately needs gutting this summer.

Whoever Daniel Levy selects to take the hot seat in north London will likely demand wholesale changes in order to remove this loser's mentality that persists, whether it be under legendary management like Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte, or young and passionate fan favourites like Mason.

If Julian Nagelsmann is decided as the man to lead them into the future, as links persist, the German could offer a fine blend of both redeeming characteristics.

Will Julian Nagelsmann join Spurs?

Transfer insider Dean Jones gave his verdict on the potential appointment of the 35-year-old, and just how he would seek to alter Spurs' core issues: "I don't even know where you would begin apart from trying to get rid of half of them.”

Enjoying a high-octane, counter-pressing philosophy built around a 4-2-3-1 shape, the former RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich boss demands attractive football that very often results in wins.

As such, across his short but successful manager career thus far, the young coach has won 221 of the 388 matches he has overseen, winning two Super Cups and a Bundesliga title too.

Despite this, and arguably the most important facet that could truly rid the Lilywhites of their suffering mentality, is the words uttered by the man himself: "Thirty per cent of coaching is tactics, 70 per cent social competence."

By prioritising the mental side of the game, he can expunge this mediocrity from within the dressing room with a thrilling play style billed as "high-intensity" by reporter Philipp Hinze.

Levy could do far worse than to hand huge amounts of control of the club to this young manager with a sparkling future ahead, that is hopefully set to be spent thriving in N17.

Arsenal are now leading the race for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, having overtaken London rivals Chelsea, according to a recent report from Football Insider.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Gunners are in the market for a new central midfielder this summer, and they have reportedly held talks about signing Chelsea's Mason Mount, in what would be a shock deal, amid his stalling contract negotiations at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal's interest in Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo is not dead, despite the fact he has signed a new contract at the Amex Stadium, while they are also said to be in "constant contact" with the representatives of Everton's Amadou Onana.

In a recent update from talkSPORT, it was detailed that Rice is "excited" by the prospect of a move to north London, and he is now growing more likely to get his wish this summer.

According to a report from Football Insider, the Gunners are now in pole position for the £60k-per-week England international, and they are becoming increasingly confident about being able to win the race for his signature in the summer.

Chelsea had been considered favourites, but their financial struggles mean that a deal may be difficult to orchestrate, while Newcastle United are also said to have halted their pursuit.

Both Newcastle and Chelsea are unwilling to match West Ham's valuation of the 24-year-old, meaning Arsenal have now leapfrogged their rivals, becoming strong favourites to win the race.

Should Arsenal sign Declan Rice?

One of the major perks of qualifying for the Champions League is being able to attract players of the West Ham captain's calibre, and the Gunners must seize the opportunity to bring him to the Emirates Stadium.

Lauded as an "absolute monster" by members of the media, the Englishman would be an upgrade on Mikel Arteta's current options defensively, having averaged more interceptions, clearances and blocks per 90 than Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey in the past year.

Not only that, but the central midfielder displayed his threat on the front foot in West Ham's 4-1 victory against Gent, scoring a "stunning" individual goal after initially acquiring possession in his own half.

Rice is exactly the type of signing that Arsenal need to cement themselves as consistent challengers near the top of the Premier League, and it is fantastic news they have moved to the front of the queue for his signature.

Everton have struggled to comfortably compete in the Premier League once again this season and Sean Dyche has been working hard to save the club from relegation.

The Toffees have just ten games left to secure survival and are currently just two points clear of the bottom three going into their clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night and after going unbeaten in their last three league games will be hoping they can continue to pick up crucial points.

Indeed, Everton have suffered a number of troubling injury concerns this season with Dominic Calvert-Lewin again unable to retain his fitness which has weakened the forward line considerably over the campaign so far.

Not only that, Richarlison's summer exit and Anthony Gordon's shock move to Newcastle United in January have both heavily contributed to the lack of options and depth Dyche has in his attacking threat, which has left Everton with the joint-worst goal tally (22) in the entire Premier League season.

As a result, should the former Burnley boss keep his team up this season the club must focus on finding new additions who can properly replace those departed forwards and significantly increase the goal contributions in the team.

One player who has long been linked with a move to Goodison Park is Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres, a goal-scoring machine who could be exactly what Everton needs next season to avoid another relegation scrap and dominate games more frequently.

Will Everton sign Viktor Gyokeres this summer?

There is no doubt that big changes need to be made and reinforcements need to be signed this summer if Everton maintain their Premier League status.

The club has been waiting for 18 months to see Calvert-Lewin get back to his best without success, and they are now in a position where they cannot afford to wait any longer or rely on the England striker to regain his form.

That is why the signing of Gyokeres could be monumental for the Merseysiders this summer as the presence of a prolific goalscorer has been sorely missed over the last two seasons.

Over 38 Championship appearances, the Swedish striker – who Jamie Mackie claimed is the "full package" – has scored 18 goals, registered eight assists and created nine big chances, as well as averaging 3.1 shots on goal and 1.6 key passes per game, which has led to the 24-year-old becoming the second-highest scoring player in the entire second tier so far.

It is clear that the Coventry star is a hard-working and creative contributor, something that would be massively valuable to Dyche if he could continue his incredible form on the blue side of Merseyside next season.

Despite Everton's serious financial concerns, the reported £20m fee set on Gyokeres should be an achievable price to meet due to the £45m sale of Gordon and the €28m (£25m) agreement in place with Juventus for Moise Kean.

With that being said, Dyche could get Goodison Park rocking again next season if the club can complete the signing of Gyokeres and ultimately improve the performances to get the Toffees back to competing comfortably.

Newcastle United are making the increments requisite for success under the affluence of the Saudi-backed owners, with the Premier League outfit now distinguishing Roma marksman Tammy Abraham as a potential summer signing.

According to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs, speaking on the NUFC Matters Podcast, the English striker would be open to a transfer to St. James's Park, having impressed during his time under Jose Mourinho's wing in Italy's capital.

Jacobs' comments follow a report from The Athletic that states that the towering attacker has a plethora of Premier League suitors after suffering an indifferent second campaign with I Giallorossi following exceptional feats in his debut season.

A prospective deal could be complicated by former club Chelsea's perpetual interest in the 25-year-old, with the Blues holding an €80m (£71m) buy-back clause in Abraham's contract after selling him for £34m in 2021 and currently lacking a prolific out-and-out centre-forward.

Should Howe ditch Wilson for Tammy Abraham?

Since signing for his Italian Serie A outfit, Abraham has plundered 34 goals and 11 assists across his two campaigns abroad, remarkably scoring 27 goals and serving five assists from 53 matches last season, integral in gleaning the UEFA Conference League having netted nine times from 13 games in the competition, proclaiming that Mourinho is turning him into a "monster".

This term, however, he has only landed seven successful strikes from 37 appearances, somewhat failing to emulate the feats of last year and consequently starting just one of the past four fixtures in the top-flight.

The 11-cap international boasts a wealth of experience, however, having triumphed in the 20/21 Champions League with Chelsea and scoring 30 goals from 82 total matches for the Blues.

As per Sofascore, the "goal machine" – as dubbed by former footballer Stephen Elliott – still averages 1.9 shots and 1.0 key passes per league match this year, illustrating the energetic robustness of his trade, and should Magpies technical director Dan Ashworth succeed in a bid, Howe could finally wave goodbye to Callum Wilson.

Wilson arrived on Tyneside for £20m from relegated Bournemouth in 2020, having scored 67 goals from 187 appearances for the Cherries, since scoring a respectable 27 goals from 63 divisional outings for his current outfit.

And while the 31-year-old has scored seven times in the Premier League this season, he has been subject to criticism, even being called "woeful" by reporter Luke Edwards for a recent subpar effort.

With Abraham younger, more vibrant and ostensibly more dynamic, he could be the perfect heir to Wilson's position in the squad, especially when considering his proven mettle in sniffing out silverware.