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Celtic have been circling Israeli midfielder Mohammed Abu Fani ahead of a potential summer move, according to Record Sport.

The Lowdown: Abu Fani’s career

Abu Fani has spent his entire professional career in his native country, where he currently plays for Israeli Premier League side Maccabi Haifa.

For the 2017/18 season, the midfielder was sent out on loan to second-tier outfit H. Ramat Gan, before returning and quickly heading straight back out to Hapoel Hadera, where he enjoyed two separate loan spells with the club.

All in all, the versatile midfielder has 18 goals and 11 assists in 182 club appearances.

The Latest: Hoops interested

According to a report by Record Sport, Celtic are keen to strengthen their squad further after their Premiership win and have identified Abu Fani as a potential arrival.

It is said that the Hoops are now circling the midfielder ahead of a potential summer switch.

As per Sport 5, Celtic will send scouts to watch Israel face Iceland and Albania in the UEFA Nations League, as they assess the 24-year-old before making a move.

The Verdict: Good signing for depth

Taking to Twitter, football analyst Julien San James has analysed the Israel international’s game, claiming that he has a ‘fearsome’ long-ball strike, and that he is ‘mobile and technical’ on the ball.

Following the departure of midfielder Nir Bitton, Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou needs to bring in a fresh face as a means of developing the squad’s depth, as the Glasgow side will look to make a push in next year’s UEFA Champions League.

Therefore, the Israeli’s arrival could prove useful for Celtic’s busy schedule next season, as rotation will be a key for success.

In other news: Alex McLeish makes Hoops transfer claim

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Piotr Zielinski to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a number of recent reports in Italy (via Sport Witness), who claim that both Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte are known to be big fans of the Napoli midfielder, with Spurs said to have already approached the Serie A side concerning a move for the 28-year-old.

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However, the report goes on to state that Aurelio de Laurentiis informed the Tottenham transfer team that it would require a fee of around €50m (£43m) in order for him to sanction the sale of the Poland international this summer.

“Out of the ordinary”

Considering how impressive Zielinski was for Napoli this season, in addition to the signing of a new central midfielder being reported to be one of Conte’s priorities in the summer market, it is unsurprising to learn of Tottenham’s interest in a move for the 28-year-old.

Indeed, over his 35 Serie A appearances this term, the £45m-rated talent was in sensational form in the heart of Luciano Spalletti’s side, scoring six goals, registering five assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

Furthermore, according to FBref data, the £106k-per-week Pole also ranks in the top 4% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the top 3% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for shots, the top 9% for xG, the top 12% for assists, the top 4% for progressive passes received and the top 19 % for progressive carries.

The midfielder’s impressive returns during his six-year stay in Naples have also seen him come in for a considerable amount of praise, none more so than from Pepe Reina, who stated of the playmaker back in 2020:

“There is a player who I fell in love with from the first time I saw him – the Napoli midfielder Zielinski. He’s a Real Madrid or Barcelona player. He is out of the ordinary. He is higher than Serie A.”

As such, with the likes of Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso all looking as if they could be moving on this summer, Zielinski would very much appear to be an ideal replacement for any of this trio, as the Napoli star would evidently be a much better fit for the 52-year-old Italian’s setup in north London.

AND in other news: Conte now plotting £50m offer for “frightening” £200k-p/w Spurs target, he’s Salah 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move to bring Victor Osimhen to north London next summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Rudy Galetti, with the Italian journalist revealing in a recent report that, in the event Harry Kane does go on to seal a reported move to Bayern Munich at the end of the current campaign, Antonio Conte has already informed Fabio Paratici that he would want the SS Napoli centre-forward as the England international’s replacement.

The Sportitalia reporter went on to state that Tottenham would be willing to offer the Serie A side a figure in the region of €85m (£74m) for the 23-year-old striker, with Conte believed to be enamoured with the attacking skills of the Nigeria international.

Dream Kane replacement

While the prospect of losing the services of Kane is not likely a thought most Tottenham supporters want to consider, should the 29-year-old’s unthinkable move happen next summer, it is not difficult to understand why Conte would want Osimhen to replace the 254-goal Spurs star.

Indeed, after sealing an €80m (£70m) move to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in the summer of 2020, the £58.5m-rated forward has been in devastating form for Luciano Spalletti’s side, scoring ten goals, registering three assists and creating six big chances over his 24 Serie A appearances – only 14 of which came as starts – in 2020/21, before bagging 14 goals, providing two assists and creating three big chances over 27 league fixtures – 23 of which came as starts – last time out.

The £97k-per-week hitman also impressed over his five Europa League appearances last season, notching four goals and creating one big chance for his teammates – with these returns seeing the player who Nizaar Kinsella dubbed a “goal machine” and Casey Evans labelled a “dream” signing average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.34.

Furthermore, according to FBref, Osimhen’s returns in the final third actually better Kane’s in a number of important metrics, with the Napoli striker ranking in the top 6% of centre-forwards in Europe’s big five leagues and European competitions for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the top 5% for non-penalty xG and the top 3% for shots over the last 365 days.

Meanwhile, FBref rank the Tottenham talisman in the top 27% for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the top 10% for non-penalty xG and the top 5% for shots over the past 12 months – proving just how deadly an attacker Osimhen truly is.

As such, while waving goodbye to Kane would certainly be an extremely sad day for everyone involved with Spurs, Napoli’s Nigerian sensation would undoubtedly be a dream replacement for the England international – leading us to believe that Paratici must do everything he can to bring Osimhen to north London should the 29-year-old leave next summer.

He’s not flashy. He always ends up in a support role. But he never shirks the dirty work

Mohammad Isam at Eden Gardens23-Nov-2019Virat Kohli had a wry smile on his face, shaking his head as he watched Taijul Islam taking a remarkable catch at fine leg. Taijul’s body was parallel to the ground as he leapt to his right and made the grab while mid-air. He landed awkwardly, and threw the ball up. Team-mates stood stunned, but as soon as Taijul got up, they raced towards him.Behind by 202 runs, down 1-0 in the Test series and having just been subjected to a batting masterclass by arguably the best in the world, Taijul’s catch suddenly injected a bout of energy to the entire side. They smiled and had a bit of fun. Ebadot Hossain, the bowler, even gave a salute goodbye to Kohli, all in good fun.This wasn’t just about a great catch. They were celebrating Taijul – quiet, almost forgotten, until there’s need for dirty work. Bangladesh turn to him for those long spells to hold up one end while Shakib Al Hasan or Mehidy Hasan take wickets at the other because he always gives it his all. Even when he’s batting.On the second day, he was probably the only bowler to ask Kohli some tough questions, varying his pace and length expertly. In the middle of his marathon 17-over spell from the start of the second day till the new ball was available after lunch, he beat Kohli twice in five balls drawing the batsman onto the front foot both times and spinning it past his outside edge.This, remember, was a bowler who was originally dropped from the XI, who is only playing this game after being called in as a concussion substitute for offspinner Nayeem Hassan. It is easy to drop someone like Taijul. The team management, much like any other in a normal office setting, knows there are certain individuals who can “take it in the chin and move on”. Taijul is one of those who would happily do the dirty work – he took on 12th man duties in addition to everything else – and then be happy to fade away into the background.Taijul Islam keeps his eyes on the ball•BCBLast month he became only the third bowler in Bangladesh Test history to take 100 wickets. He has taken 87 of those at home, where he averages 27.04 in 18 Tests. His overseas average, to take 19 wickets, is 59.05, which is a major concern and one of the reasons he is easily dropped from the side away from home.His experience, however, always keeps him in the fray. The selectors can’t keep him out of the Test squad, one of the reasons being his “Test specialist” tag. He also offers more with the bat than the average Bangladesh tail-ender. Taijul often provides confidence to the main batsmen with his sheer willingness to play time. He doesn’t run away from the ball, presents a straight bat on most occasions and ends up scoring useful runs. He is a safe fielder, but not someone who would pull off something flashy every day. Today he did, and he also gave us a reminder of his value.Even early in his career, Taijul found himself working overtime. When he took 8 for 39 against Zimbabwe in 2014, the best innings figures by a Bangladesh bowler, his team still needed his dogged batting to pull off the victory.But Mehidy Hasan’s emergence, particularly his 19-wicket haul against England in 2016, put Taijul further behind in the pecking order. As long as Bangladesh use spin-friendly pitches at home, though, Taijul will keep hanging on. And he will never give up.He will bowl through tough phases, like 17 overs non-stop on the second day of a lost-cause Test match against the best batsman in the world. He will have to bat ugly against tough bowling attacks, letting the other batsmen get to their milestones. He will field well, occasionally taking a great catch.When Ebadot lifted him up in the middle of their jubilation following the Kohli catch, Taijul’s smile turned into a scowl. He told Ebadot to put him down. Enough of this. It was not the occasion for merry-making. If there’s one Bangladesh player who was aware even in that moment what was happening at Eden Gardens, it was Taijul. He has seen and fought through it all before.

Nathan Lyon became only the second non-Asian, after Ian Botham, to take 13 wickets in a Test in Asia

Gaurav Sundararaman07-Sep-2017Record-breaking LyonNathan Lyon was on a roll in the two-Test series in Bangladesh. His Chittagong match-haul of 13 for 154 was his second ten-for, and also his best figures in Tests. In fact, he became only the third off-spinner from Australia and the first in over 110 years to take two ten-wicket hauls. The 22 wickets he has taken in this series against Bangladesh is the joint second-highest in any two-match series, next only to Rangana Herath’s 23-wicket haul against Pakistan in 2014.ESPNcricinfo LtdSolving the Asia puzzleLyon’s first three Asian tours – to Sri Lanka, India and UAE between 2011 and 2014 – were nightmarish. He averaged 49.11, and took a wicket once every 14 overs. The series against Pakistan in the UAE was especially poor, when he managed only three wickets from 660 deliveries.However, he has learnt from those experiences and come back strongly on his next three tours. In nine Tests in Asia since 2015, Lyon has picked up 57 wickets, averaging one every eight overs. Among all the bowlers who have bowled in Asia in this period, Lyon has the second-best strike-rate, ahead of subcontinent-specialists Yasir Shah, Ravindra Jadeja and Shakib Al Hasan. He has also taken five five-wicket hauls and now has the second most five-fors for Australia in Asia, behind Shane Warne.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Left is right Like most offspinners, Lyon is at his best against left-hand batsmen, and this Bangladesh line-up gave him plenty of opportunity to be at his best. Against a top-order that included five left-handers, Lyon was lethal: of the 22 wickets he took in the series, 15 were of left-handers, whom he dismissed at an average of 10.46. The right-handers, however, made him work much harder; he averaged 22.57 against them. He took a wicket every 29 balls against the left-handers compared to one every 53 balls against right-hand batsmen. Imrul Kayes was dismissed three times in 39 balls, scoring just four runs, while Shakib Al Hasan scored 37 from 89, and was out thrice as well.Of those 15 dismissals of left-handers, 13 were from around the stumps, at an average of 11.30. When bowling to right-handers, he took seven wickets from over the stumps, at an average of 17.42, demonstrating an ability to bowl effectively from both sides of the stumps.

Over his entire career, he averages 34.75 against right-handers and 25.50 against the left, but in Asia the difference is even starker. On his first three tours, Lyon averaged over 35 runs and took a wicket every 10 overs against the left-handers. Having bowled a lot in these conditions, Lyon’s record has made a stark improvement.

The second-innings challengeOn pitches that usually tend to wear pretty rapidly, Lyon had been strangely ineffective in the second innings in Asia before this series. His second-innings average in Asia, prior to this series, was 49.47, compared to 32.43 in the first.However with his two consecutive five-fors in the second innings against Bangladesh, Lyon has improved on those numbers too. In this series, Lyon took 12 second-innings wickets at 11.83, compared to 10 in the first innings at 17.30.Lyon is only 29 and his experience in Asian conditions would only help him further these extraordinary numbers. In Lyon, perhaps, Australia have found a worthy successor to Warne.

JP Duminy has struggled to prove his worth in recent years, but with the World Twenty20 looming, now is not the time to give up on his abilities

Firdose Moonda11-Feb-2016″You beauty. You superstar,” is what Mark Nicholas called JP Duminy when he hit the winning runs on his Test debut against Australia at Perth in 2008. The question he might ask now, more than seven years later, is: “Where the hell have you gone?” A large portion of public perception is that Duminy is still living off the reputation he built back then.Duminy’s flagging Test form – he averaged just 14.00 in six Tests in 2015 and was dropped from the Test side – has been the biggest contributor to the growing concerns over his role in the national side. But that is not the only worry. Duminy still averages under 40 in ODIs, where he can show sparks of brilliance as a finisher but can just as easily find himself in a middle-order meltdown. His worth is starting to decrease.On these pages, he was described as South Africa’s most “frustratingly inconsistent” player and that just about sums it up, except for one thing. He is also South Africa’s most successful T20 batsmen and the fourth-most successful overall.Only Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill and Tillakeratne Dilshan have more international T20 runs than Duminy and even his own modest assumption that he is that high on the run-charts because “I played more games than others” is not true. He has played the same number of matches as AB de Villiers (63) batted in two fewer innings (58 compared to de Villiers’ 60) and has scored 361 more runs than de Villiers.Duminy’s 1528 runs have come at an average of 38.20, including eight fifties, and have been collected against a backdrop of confidence in Duminy’s ability to assume responsibility.”It was about understanding what my role was in the positions I’ve batted – between four and six – and trying to contribute the best way,” Duminy explained at the announcement of the World T20 squad on Wednesday, where he also revealed his preferred position in the line-up. “In the last series I batted No.4 which I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s probably a position I really enjoy batting in T20 cricket. Batting at No.4 in this tournament will be a good opportunity to make some influential performances.”But Duminy has a dual role to fill and so, even if he is pushed further down the order, he will also be relied on to bowl. And that’s where he could show that he is more valuable than some have suggested.Belief in Duminy as an allrounder only really started in ODI cricket in after he had properly established himself in the team, following that breakthrough series in Australia. Before then, Duminy had played 37 ODIs and bowled just 54.1 overs. From January 2009, he has played 112 ODIs and bowled 404.2 overs, including a full quota of 10 overs on four occasions.In T20 cricket, Duminy’s bowling was called a little later. His first 29 matches saw him bowl only 10 overs but from January 2011 to date, he has played 34 matches and bowled 48.1 overs including a full quota of four overs three times. Those were as recent as July last year, when Duminy bowled four overs in each of the two T20s South Africa played in Bangladesh. They won that series 2-0 to begin a victorious streak on the subcontinent in the shortest format, in which they also beat India in the build-up to the World T20.Conditions at the tournament will be similar, which suggests Duminy will be used in a bowling capacity again and despite lack of match practice – he has only bowled nine overs in three matches in the ongoing ODI series against England – he is looking forward to another chance at an all-round effort.”It all depends on the combinations, that will determine my role with the ball, but I am definitely willing and wanting to contribute with the ball,” he said. “Yes, of late I haven’t been having opportunities and I haven’t bowled as well as I could have but that doesn’t take away the fact that I can contribute. Hopefully when opportunities arise, I stand up and make it count.”Perhaps some of those opportunities will crop up in the remaining matches at home this summer. South Africa still have two ODIs and two T20s against England before three T20s against Australia and Duminy could use them to find some form. “It’s just going back to what has worked for me and trying to be more consistent in my areas. I haven’t had great success with the ball but there’s still two ODIs and five T20s left,” he said. And a major tournament in his favourite format to show that he has not gone anywhere at all.

Stats highlight from New Zealand’s resilient victory over Sri Lanka in Wellington, to seal the series 2-0

Shiva Jayaraman07-Jan-2015 12 Tests won by New Zealand against Sri Lanka, to establish a win-loss ratio of 1.5 – their best against teams other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. West Indies is the only team they’ve beaten more times.2 Times New Zealand have recovered from a deficit of 100 or more runs to win a Test. The only other instance was against Pakistan at Lancaster Park in Christchurch in 1994, when the hosts trailed by 144 in the first innings, and made 324 for 5 in the fourth to win by five wickets.5 Times Sri Lanka have squandered 100-plus leads to lose a Test. The biggest lead they’ve let slip was 291, against Australia in Colombo in 1992. They lost to Australia again after taking a 161-run lead in Galle in 2004, to Pakistan after a 109-run lead in Kandy in 2006, and to South Africa after pulling ahead by 103 in Centurion in 1998.3 Times New Zealand have won three consecutive Tests against teams other than Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. This is their second such sequence in little more than a year after successive wins over West Indies and India in 2013-14. They had been on the same roll in 2005-06 as well, beating West Indies and Sri Lanka. 5 Test series won by New Zealand over Sri Lanka. This is also the fourth time that New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka in a Test series by a margin of 2-0 – the most they have beaten any team by a similar or better margin. 2 Man-of-the-Match awards for Kane Williamson. His previous one had come against West Indies in Bridgetown. 62 Runs scored by Lahiru Thirimanne in Sri Lanka’s second innings, his first fifty in 15 Test innings. He has scored 148 runs at an average of 12.33 in his last 14 innings.

They couldn’t quite stick it to the old enemy, but hey, watching cricket in Ireland seems to be becoming cool

Gary Murphy04-Sep-2013Choice of game
Marquee game of the Irish summer? Check. Biggest cricket game ever held here? Check. Chance to beat The Oul Enemy, use up the last of the holidays and catch a rays of sun? Check, check and checkmate. This game was simply unmissable for an Irish cricket fan.Team supported
Ireland, except not the Irishmen playing for England. But including the Englishman playing for Ireland. But definitely including the Irishman who used to play for England but now plays for Ireland. It was a complex day for nationalities.Key performers
William Porterfield’s sublime century left many scratching their heads as to how he’s had such a dismal season, and along with Tim Murtagh, he had left England reeling away behind their neighbours from across the Irish Sea. Alas, Eoin Morgan did what Eoin Morgan does best and steadied his rapidly sinking ship before directing it full speed at its target destination.One thing I’d have changed
The result. While it was an awesome display of hitting that Morgan and Ravi Bopara produced, you could feel the crowd giving up hope after about 35 overs. A wicket there followed by an England collapse would have been a perfect end to the day, whilst still giving us a chance to watch the exhibition.Face-off I relished
Eoin Morgan v the home crowd. Morgan incensed many Irish supporters with his comments during the week, particularly in what appears to be some dubious tapping up of Paul Stirling as a future England player. The crowd gave him some stick for most of the day but warm applause was to be found upon reaching his hundred. It was mostly deserved.Wow moment
Murtagh’s demolition job of James Taylor’s stumps brought a huge roar from the crowd, England were hurt, and they smelled blood. Kevin O’Brien kicked the stump out of the ground for added emphasis.Close encounters
Michael Carberry got a right rollicking from the crowd following his series of comical drops, spills and slips. Every ball he collected recieved (slightly) sarcastic hoots from the stand he was in front of. He seemed to shrug it off every time until the ball made its way back to him.Crowd meter
This was a crowd unlike ever seen before at a home Ireland cricket match; 10,000 spilled in Malahide cricket ground and brought with them good cheer and friendliness. A Mexican wave wound its way around the stands during England’s middle overs, while one brave man decided to lead an entire tier in a cheerleading chant of I-R-E-L-A-N-D by himself. He wasn’t half bad.Fancy dress index
Not too much on show on a Tuesday morning but fair play to the Irish sponsors RSA, who handed out free Ireland t-shirts to about half the crowd. It was hard not to feel at home in the sea of green.Entertainment
I fully recommend that whoever was in charge of music cues be sacked. Late entries, entries during play, clashing two songs together, everything was heard from him (and hopefully won’t be heard again). The local clubs’ junior teams gave a frantic exhibition during the interval and it was hard not to get a giggle watching seven-year-olds try to reverse-paddle.Stadium
A fantastic first outing for Fortress Malahide, with excellent seating and availability of refreshments. The pitch looked a good one too. Hopefully its excellent standard will help Ireland progress even further. The outfield had its (literal) ups and downs, with several balls bobbling unpredicably at times, but this should improve in future. A second scoreboard screen would be useful too for those sitting right beside the only one.Overall
This day was more about the future of Irish cricket than the match itself, but both lived up to expectations tremendously. This day will have boosted the image of cricket on these shores by immeasureable amounts, with many at the game making their first visit to such a match. For the first time in my life following Irish cricket, being there and watching it unfold seemed just that little bit cool.Marks out of ten
10. High scores, Irishmen dominating and a day that will go down in the history books – what more could you want for 40 quid? On a lesser occasion the relative lack of entertainment may have reduced the enjoyment but none of that mattered today, today was about the future, and the future is green.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the day from the second Twenty20 between New Zealand and Zimbabwe, in Hamilton

Andrew Fernando14-Feb-2012The wrong ball
Hamilton Masakadza’s first six of the evening was launched onto the roof of a beer stall beyond the square leg boundary, but getting it back proved more vexing than most retrievals usually are. The first man who managed to hoist himself up, picked up a ball and got it back to the bowler, only to be told it wasn’t the right one. Someone else went up, had a look around and discovered the correct ball under a ledge. The previous ball had been hit onto the same roof during warm ups.The surprise
Cricket fans who had foregone a Valentine’s day date in order to watch the cricket were able to partake in the day’s sentiment, thanks to the efforts of the Seddon Park groundstaff. The field had been shorn in the shape of a giant heart, and each of the white dots that comprised the 30-yard circle were also hearts. Ignoring your partner to watch sport has never been so romantic.The mishit
When James Franklin couldn’t quite get to the pitch of the last delivery of the ninth over, Ray Price thought he had a wicket. The ball seemed to travel straight up after hitting the outside part of Franklin’s bat, but even the mishit was enough to clear the short boundaries at Seddon Park, sparking the mandatory discussion about the power of modern bats in the commentary box.The throw
Zimbabwe had been woeful in the field all throughout their tour of New Zealand, and had even missed a crucial run-out opportunity off Rob Nicol earlier in the game, but Keegan Meth produced their finest bit of fielding in the final match. Franklin hit to the leg side and took off, calling for two immediately, but hesitated when Brendon McCullum was unsure at the other end. The two ended up going for it, but Meth’s direct hit from square leg with one stump to aim at, found Franklin short, and brought Zimbabwe back into the match.The celebration
When Brendon McCullum hit the first ball of the 19th over for six, New Zealand seemed destined to close out the match. He departed next ball, and when his brother Nathan was caught at the point boundary off the following delivery, momentum seemed to have swung emphatically in Zimbabwe’s favour – something that was not lost on the catcher Elton Chigumbura. He began running around the boundary in absolute ecstasy, and didn’t stop until his team-mates swarmed in to mob him.

Brendon McCullum’s attitude doesn’t reflect his ambition to become the world’s premier wicketkeeper-batsman

Jamie Alter at the SSC28-Aug-2009Is Brendon McCullum becoming a problem? He won’t admit so, but his inability to curb his natural aggression is hurting New Zealand.McCullum’s presence means so much to this New Zealand side. Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder, before him, are sandwiched between a woeful top order and the absence of a quality allrounder at No. 6. After McCullum comes a weak tail and he hasn’t been successful at batting with the lower order. When the chips are down he almost always starts swinging. New Zealand’s batsmen are largely inexperienced in subcontinent conditions but McCullum’s dismissals this series – and a few times this year – have been more due to poor application.McCullum is a supremely talented player but his Test figures don’t reveal that. While his limited-overs career has soared, McCullum’s batting in Tests leaves a lot to be desired. Just three centuries in 45 matches, including one each against Bangladesh – five years ago – and Zimbabwe.McCullum’s talent and ball-striking ability have never been in doubt. His promotion to the international scene was seen as a major investment by selectors. He had a credible CV on the domestic front, yet a couple years into his international career it was evident he was more skilled in limited-overs cricket. While over the past two years he’s shown a maturity to carry the innings in times of trouble in ODIs, McCullum hasn’t repeated the feat in Tests. True, he’s been shunted up and down the order due to New Zealand’s relatively inexperienced but perennially shaky line-up. But this is an explosive player who wants to be the world’s best wicketkeeper-batsman. His attitude doesn’t reflect it.What has stood out most is his frequent lapse in concentration. On his maiden trip to England, in 2004, McCullum was promoted to No. 3 and responded with a ballsy 96 to give New Zealand an outside chance of victory at at Lord’s. McCullum was pushed up the order during the Tests against England in early 2008 and when he fell for 97 at Lord’s again, he admitted that for four years he’d thought about that 96 and how hungry he was to get a century in England. “You do have to rein yourself in a touch, not because of the Twenty20 stuff, but because of my natural aggressiveness,” he said then. “It’s not so much the technical change, it’s the mental shift.”

Something isn’t working. Maybe it’s a healthy diet of limited-overs cricket. Maybe it’s the pressure of a wobbling top order. But the most glaring reason is a lack of patience.

Something isn’t working. Maybe it’s a healthy diet of limited-overs cricket. Maybe it’s the pressure of a wobbling top order. But the most glaring reason is a lack of patience. He just doesn’t seem capable of batting out sessions when the chips are down. True, he has been on the wrong end of some poor decisions this year, notably against West Indies and India, but McCullum is not pulling his weight. Rarely has McCullum grinded his way out of tough situations.The difference between a good and a very good batsman is the ability to make starts count. In McCullum’s case, what is hampering his average is his tendency to throw it away after getting a start. After judging the measure of the attack and crossing 20, he has fallen 23 times before 49. In recent times, Daniel Vettori has been a better batsman. He averages 39.11 in his last 26 Tests, against McCullum’s 29.32. Vettori has been exceptionally gifted in judgment, patience, technique and run-scoring. McCullum has appeared as if caught in a fog of indecision.Against Bangladesh in Chittagong last October, he threw away his wicket when New Zealand were 99 for 5, chipping to mid-on. In the first innings in Adelaide last year, he batted 100 balls for 30 before playing a half-hearted drive, seemingly anxious to do something. In the deciding Test at home against India in April, he edged a cut off a wide delivery from Harbhajan Singh when New Zealand were 181 for 8. In the next innings, McCullum was out playing an expansive drive when the need of the hour was solidity. He can point to an aggressive 115 the Test before – his first century against formidable opposition in Tests – but when he walked in the score was 415 for 5.In the first innings in Galle, with New Zealand 188 for 5, McCullum walked in and made 1 before he pushed feebly at Thilan Thushara and had his middle stump uprooted. At the SSC today, he remained torn between attacking and defending, and edged a doosra to slip. Taylor put it down to inexperience in the subcontinent. “Not just Brendon, we’ve all struggled. I won’t single him out; we all had a job to do and haven’t done it.”But McCullum is something of a veteran in this side and his indifference in the middle has hurt New Zealand. You expected more from him in Sri Lanka. McCullum has typically been used at No. 7, but New Zealand’s relatively inexperienced batting line-up meant he became a more important middle-order man. Vettori has supported McCullum’s desire to settle at No. 5 but that always hasn’t worked out. Against Australia last year, McCullum moved back down to No. 7 and was uncharacteristically restrained; in fact he admitted his approach had changed since moving down a spot. He hasn’t replicated it here.Having kept wickets for long periods in this series, he would have watched Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera, two men as outwardly tranquil as an entire ashram, bat hours on end before turning aggressive. For New Zealand’s future, McCullum must soon find that perfect balance.