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Tottenham Hotspur are still in negotiations with Bayern Munich over Harry Kane, with the Bundesliga champions now confirming "their intention to go over €80m" to sign the striker, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham Hotspur this summer?

It's the transfer saga that keeps rolling on this summer, as despite the remonstrations from Daniel Levy and Co that all-time leading goalscorer Kane is not for sale for anything less than £100m, Bayern keep coming back to test their resolve.

The Bavarians have already had two offers rebuffed by the north Londoners, with the second being worth an estimated €80m (£69m), but seem as stubborn as ever.

The two sides met for in-person talks this week, and despite the gap in valuation remaining, it sounds as if some small progress has been made, with the Germans realising that they will have to up their offers significantly should they want to complete this signing.

Read the latest Tottenham Hotspur transfer news HERE…

With that in mind, the six-time European champions have now confirmed that they intend to make a bid in excess of their previous €80m offer. However, even this is likely to be deemed insufficient by Tottenham, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"At the moment still no agreement between Bayern and Tottenham for Harry Kane. Bayern have confirmed their intention to go over €80m for Harry Kane, but it's still not enough to convince Daniel Levy.

"So what happens now? The negotiations continue, the negotiations are still ongoing. Harry Kane confirmed that he's open to joining Bayern but it depends, as always, on Daniel Levy."

How good was Harry Kane last season?

It's a bit of a strange one because in any other Premier League season, bar perhaps 2013/14 when Luis Suarez scored a mind-blowingly good 31 goals in 33 games, Kane would be getting so much more attention for his performances and probably getting held up as the best in the division.

Unfortunately for the England captain, Manchester City have a certain record-breaking Norwegian among their ranks who has somewhat overshadowed the performances of the Walthamstow-born machine.

That said, Kane was absolutely magnificent last year, somehow finding another level to his game, even as the team around him did their best to fall apart on a seemingly weekly basis.

In his 38 league appearances for the Lilywhites, he scored 30 goals, provided three assists, won eight Man-of-the-Match awards and averaged a seriously impressive match rating of 7.51, per WhoScored.

His underlying numbers, unsurprisingly, are also outstanding and suggest that were he to join a team as dominant as Bayern Munich, he could well break the goalscoring records set by Robert Lewandowski only a couple of seasons ago.

According to FBref, which compares players across Europe's top five leagues, the 30-year-old "monster" sits in the top 4% for progressive passes, the top 10% for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for non-penalty goals, the top 16% for expected assists, and the top 20% for total shots, all per 90.

His performances have drawn praise from one of the all-time great managers as well, Pep Guardiola, who heaped praise on him earlier this year, saying:

"What an exceptional player – the numbers and, more than the goals, the quality. That they didn't win a title (doesn't mean) he is not a good player. I think he proved that.

"Harry Kane remains one of the best strikers I have ever seen in my life."

Ultimately, if Bayern are serious about signing a talent as rare as Kane, then the £100m odd that Levy is holding out for doesn't seem all that unreasonable.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou rejected the possibility of signing centre-back Max Kilman this summer, instead opting for Micky van de Ven, according to The Athletic's Tim Spiers.

Is Kilman leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers?

One of Tottenham's biggest targets this summer was a new centre-back. Having witnessed Spurs' lack of defensive solidity from a distance last season, Postecoglou was desperate to reinforce a porous backline.

Postecoglou's prayers have now been answered with Spurs signing two new centre-backs this summer: Ashley Phillips and Van de Ven.

Phillips is more of a project player, arriving from Blackburn Rovers at just 18-years-old, and perhaps even going out on loan to get more first-team experience. Van de Ven, however, is expected to make an immediate impact following his £43m move after a breakout season in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

It could have been very different though, with Spiers announcing that Spurs' recruitment staff were very "hot" on Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Kilman, but Postecoglou took against the idea.

Speaking on The View From The Lane podcast, Spiers suggested that Postecoglou wan not keen on Kilman, partly due to his lack of pace and ability to therefore fit into the Australian's system.

"I feel like speed is the key here, in terms of why there were so keen to bring him [Van de Ven] in. I know that they looked really closely at Max Kilman from Wolves and that the recruitment team were really hot on him and I can understand why because he and Van de Ven share an awful lot of attributes in terms of their size, their physicality. Kilman is excellent technically.

"A similar price as well, I think Kilman could be got for £40m, from what I hear. He also has family in London, I think he'd have been open to the move.

"But the issue with Kilman is he's not quick, that's what he lacks, and I do feel like speed is the key to what Postecoglou wants. And from what I'm told, the recruitment team were really hot on Kilman but Postecoglou was not, and I'd imagine it's for that reason [a lack of pace]."

Whether Spurs will sign a third centre-back this summer remains to be seen, but it seems it certainly won't be Kilman.

Postecoglou's tendency to play offensive football with attacking full-back means that his central defenders need good recovery pace as to not get caught out on the counter-attack, something Kilman lacks.

Van de Ven, however, has showcased his speed in the Bundesliga, with a now viral clip of his recovery pace to make a goal-saving block against Union Berlin documenting just how quick the 22-year-old is.

How much is Kilman worth?

As Spiers mentions, a transfer for Kilman would likely cost around £40m, similar to that Spurs have paid for new signing Van de Ven.

Although, considering Wolves have already lost two centre-backs this summer in Nathan Collins and Conor Coady, they may have pushed that price tag up even further.

The 26-year-old is a very competent Premier League player and has blossomed at Molineux since arriving from Maidenhead United in 2018, however he is four years older than Van de Ven and arguably has less potential to develop further.

The 26-year-old is also a left-footed centre-back who is tall and physical who possesses great ability with the ball at his feet, but the signing of Van de Ven perhaps represents better value for money.

Afghanistan have appointed Dean Jones for the side’s tour of Hong Kong, with the possbility of a permanent deal looming

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2017Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have appointed former Australia batsman Dean Jones as interim head coach for Afghanistan’s Intercontinental Cup fixture in Hong Kong. Afghanistan have been without a coach since August after the board chose not to renew Lalchand Rajput’s contract following a year-long stint with the side. Jones, 56, recently covered the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan’s premier T20 competition, in Kabul as a commentator, his style of commentary making him popular with the Afghanistan fans.”Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones has appointed as interim head coach of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team for the upcoming tour of Hong Kong for the Intercontinental Cup fixture,” the ACB announced in a statement. “Both sides will consider a long-term coaching agreement after the tour of Hong Kong.”Afghanistan have struggled for consistency in the coaching department, having changed five coaches over the past five years. Before Rajput, former Pakistan internationals Inzamam-ul Haq, Rashid Latif and Kabir Khan all had spells as Afghanistan head coach.Afghanistan are set to play a first-class game in the ICC Intercontinental Cup on October 20 at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Hong Kong. Afghanistan are presently unbeaten, in second place with 81 points behind Ireland, who lead the table with 89 points from six games. They won the Intercontinental Cup in 2010, beating Scotland in the final, after bursting onto international cricket’s collective consciousness in 2009 when they gained ODI status with a sixth-place finish at that year’s World Cup Qualifier in South Africa.

The captain made his fourth century of the season while the legspinner wreaked havoc over the UAE batting line-up

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi30-Nov-2017
ScorecardAsghar Stanikzai holds up four fingers after scoring his fourth century of the current Intercontinental Cup competition•Peter Della PennaAsghar Stanikzai’s fourth first-class century of the season – fifth overall – was backed up by a typically incisive spell (15-6-24-3) from Rashid Khan as Afghanistan took major steps forward in their Intercontinental Cup match against UAE in Abu Dhabi.The hosts were lively at the start of proceedings with Mohammad Naveed finding seam movement to have Nasir Jamal caught behind off the fourth ball of the day. But with Afghanistan 324 for 4 and Stanikzai looking quite assured, all thoughts of a quick finish to the innings vanished.Stanikzai had moved to 89 near the end of the first hour of play when he decided enough was enough and targeted Amjad Javed, heaving the medium pacer over midwicket for six, then charging down the pitch to smash him back over his head and finally securing a single through the covers to bring him his century off 122 balls.Mohammad Nabi was equally aggressive early on but cooled off midway through his innings. His effort to dispel the pressure that was building resulted in his being out caught at long-off and Ahmed Raza picking up his second wicket. He would go on complete his fifth five-for in 20 I-Cup matches.New batsman Afsar Zazai struggled to get UAE’s spinners away as the run-rate continued to slow down heading into the lunch break. Five balls after play resumed, Stanikzai fell to Raza with a soft flick floating gently back to the bowler.With Zazai stuck in a rut at the other end, Rashid (40 off 42) brought renewed purpose to the innings as he bashed the first delivery he faced from Raza for four through the covers. While Rahmat Shah and Stanikzai regularly used their feet to score against the spinners, Rashid profited heavily from the sweep, connecting three times for boundaries behind square. It took a drinks break to trigger a lapse in his concentration as an attempted slog against Rohan Mustafa ended up a simple catch for the wicketkeeper.Raza continued to burrow through the Afghanistan tail to finish with 5 for 148 in 53 overs. Zazai hung around long enough for team management to give him an opportunity to make a half-century before declaring the innings closed on 510 for 9 at tea.Dawlat Zadran showed his class with the new ball, consistently troubling UAE’s openers with his pace if not movement. While he was applying pressure at one end, Yamin Ahmadzai struck the first blow, coming around the wicket to trap Mustafa with a delivery angled in. Chirag Suri, the 22-year-old who gained acclaim for being picked up at last year’s IPL auction, looked uncomfortable against Dawlat early, ducking into a bouncer which ricocheted off his gloves to the fine leg boundary. Dawlat continued pushing Suri back before bowling him with a fuller delivery to leave the score at 25 for 2.With both openers gone, Rashid was brought on in the 12th over to widen the breach. It only took him 10 balls to do so, trapping Rameez Shahzad lbw with a flipper. In the 26th, he set up Muhammad Usman by floating one up to be paddle swept before coming back with a quicker ball that beat the batsman defending down the wrong line.Rashid enjoyed a lovely slice of good fortune a short while later when Adnan Mufti was caught at leg slip in peculiar circumstances. The left-hander was trying to cut the ball but ended up bottom edging it onto the wicketkeeper’s boot and into Ihsanullah’s waiting hands. Though there was no third umpire for the game – despite it being televised – Ahsan Raza’s on-field call was confirmed correct by replays that followed.The several hundred Afghanistan fans in the stadium roared louder with each Rashid wicket. When stumps was called, he returned the affection by coming over to the gated fence to take selfies. After five minutes, security decided he was on the verge of creating an unmanageable scene and asked him to finish up. Unfortunately, UAE’s batting line-up has no respite.

Manchester United have seen a fair bit of turnover in the midfield already this summer. The transfer window is far from done for them as well, although Fabrizio Romano has dealt fans of the club a blow regarding Sofyan Amrabat when speaking with GIVEMESPORT.

Could Amrabat make a domestic move instead?

Manchester United got the new season off to a winning start on home soil against a Wolverhampton Wanderers team that are in quite the sticky situation. Raphael Varane scored the only goal of the game with a towering header and now attentions can turn to a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Transfers are on the mind of the powers that be at United as well though. Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has been linked with a move to Old Trafford since way back in January, as well as the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona.

He is known for his club exploits but it was his performances on the biggest stage of them all that really brought him to the fore. Amrabat was one of the standouts for Morocco at the Qatar World Cup and as a result, is highly in demand.

The rumours that have connected him and the red half of Manchester for so long point towards a deal being on the verge of completion but that is far from true.

West Ham United previously came in for Amrabat as did multiple clubs in Saudi Arabia but he has set his heights higher than.

One club who could pose genuine issues for Erik ten Hag is Juventus as the Serie A giants attempt to continue hoovering up domestic talent from those lower down the league’s pecking order. La Viola are holding firm, particularly against Juve and as Romano has revealed where United really stand in this saga.

What is Romano's update on the Amrabat pursuit?

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano spoke to GIVEMESPORT about the status of Erik ten Hag and Manchester United’s interest in Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.

"Amrabat remains an important target for Manchester United. They never sent an official bid – this is important to clarify.

"They had positive contacts at the end of June and beginning of July, as well as in recent weeks, with the player's camp.

"But they have never sent an official proposal, so let's see when Manchester United will decide to proceed in direct conversations with Fiorentina."

What else is going on at Manchester United?

The aforementioned winning goal from Varane against Gary O’Neil’s Wolves had fans talking for a number of reasons. One of those was that an international teammate who has been linked to Man United popped up in the comments of the goal scorer’s celebratory Instagram post.

Benjamin Pavard may well be pushing for a move to England away from Bayern Munich with his heart set on the Theatre of Dreams.

At the other end of the field, Ten Hag could look to make a second big signing in the attacking third after Dane Rasmus Hojlund arrived from Atalanta. The man in question is former Chelsea loanee Joao Felix who is reportedly on the brink of cancelling his contract at Atletico Madrid due in part to his rocky relationship with manager Diego Simeone.

These are two transfers that are certainly worth keeping an eye on as September 1st looms ever closer.

Both countries will play a combined total of 29 Tests in the next cycle of the Future Tours Programme

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Dec-2017Ireland and Afghanistan’s desire to play consistent Test cricket is on the verge of fulfillment as both countries are scheduled to play a combined total of 29 Tests in the next cycle of the Future Tours Programme (2019-23).Ireland will play 16 Tests while Afghanistan are scheduled to play 13, in a calendar which is due to get a final approval at the ICC annual conference in June 2018.It is a big shot in the arm for both Ireland and Afghanistan, who secured Full Membership in June. Even before the new FTP kicks in, both countries have secured opponents for their maiden Tests. Ireland will host Pakistan in May 2018 in Malahide while Afghanistan are set to travel to India next year with the itinerary likely to be finalised shortly.Ireland and Afghanistan, along with Zimbabwe, are not part of the Test Championship league, which will commence immediately after the 2019 World Cup. Nonetheless, the new FTP allows both to cut their teeth in Test cricket, albeit at a slower pace compared to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe – the last three entrants into the format. In their first five years Bangladesh played 40 Tests while Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe played 24 Tests each.Ireland ‘s roster is somewhat richer in comparison to Afghanistan’s in that they play half of the top-nine countries. Ireland are scheduled to play a one-off Test against Australia (2019), Sri Lanka (2020), England (2021) and then host New Zealand and South Africa in 2022. In addition, Ireland will face Afghanistan (5 Tests), Zimbabwe (4 Tests) and Bangladesh (2 Tests).Both Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will play nearly equal number of Tests at home and away. Ireland will play seven home Tests and nine away while Afghanistan seven at home and six away.Presently, Australia are the only upper-tier country to play against Afghanistan in the new FTP. Both countries will play a one-off Test in 2020 and 2022. Afghanistan’s other opponents will be: Ireland (5 Tests), Zimbabwe (4 Tests), Bangladesh (1 Test) and West Indies (1 Test).Zimbabwe are scheduled to play 17 Tests in the four-year cycle. Out of the 17, Zimbabwe will play Bangladesh in six Tests followed by four each against Ireland and Afghanistan, two against Sri Lanka and one against West Indies.Playing fewer Tests and focusing on limited-overs cricket is now part of Zimbabwe Cricket’s restructuring plans.Compared to 17 Tests (12 at home) Zimbabwe will play 40 ODIs and 31 T20s during the next FTP.

Aston Villa were dealt a frustrating blow earlier this month as Tyrone Mings suffered a serious knee injury during the 5-1 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League.

Who could Aston Villa replace Tyrone Mings with?

It was recently reported that the Villans had made enquiries about a possible deal to sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United, after West Ham had struck a £30m deal for his services.

The Hammers' move for the England international fell through and the central defender is said to be settled at Old Trafford, which could also rule out a switch to Villa Park before next month's deadline.

90min journalist Graeme Bailey recently named Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier as a player who could emerge on the club's radar in their pursuit of another centre-back, as he stated that it would not be a surprise to see them target the Englishman.

"I think they will go into the central defender market now, maybe a loan somewhere. I was thinking there, maybe Eric Dier could be an option there, It wouldn’t surprise me," he said. "Villa were looking at Aymeric Laporte before Pau Torres. Do they go down that route again? For Laporte or even Dier."

How good is Eric Dier?

The 29-year-old titan is a proven Premier League performer who could be a dream alternative to Maguire for Unai Emery if he is able to recapture his form from the 2021/22 campaign.

Dier, who was once praised as being "strong" by former manager Antonio Conte, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.86 across 33 outings last season in the top-flight, which is a score that would have placed him eighth within the Villa squad and behind Ezri Konsa and Mings.

However, his performances during the previous term suggest that he has the ability to be a standout at the back for the Spanish head coach if he can get back to his best.

The former Sporting enforcer averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01 across 35 league starts for Spurs as he delivered consistently impressive displays at centre-back. Meanwhile, no Villa centre-back has averaged a score higher than 6.91 over the last two campaigns.

Maguire has failed to average a Sofascore rating higher than 6.95 over the last two seasons with Manchester United and is coming off the back of just eight league starts last term.

Dier completed 88% of his attempted passes and won 56% of his duels as his side kept 16 clean sheets, which suggests that the towering defender was reliable in possession and able to win the majority of his physical battles.

His statistics from that season suggest that the quality is there for him to be Villa's outstanding central defensive option and his experience in England, with 270 top-flight appearances, could allow him to hit the ground running in the same way that Maguire would have.

The £85k-per-week ace also won 70% of his aerial duels during the 2022/23 campaign.

This was only 2% behind Mings' dominance in the air last term and this means that he could offer a similar presence at the back in terms of his ability to deal with long balls, set-pieces, and crosses into the box.

Therefore, Dier would be a dream alternative to Maguire before next month's deadline as he is also an England international quality centre-back who is capable of delivering consistently impressive Premier League displays.

This is why Emery must swoop for the experienced brute over the coming days instead of following in West Ham's footsteps with Maguire, who seemingly wants to remain in Manchester.

Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles is “open” to leaving this summer, and a reliable journalist has named the club that are set to make an official move for him.

Is Jamaal Lascelles still captain?

Despite the centre-back having fallen significantly low down in the pecking order, Eddie Howe confirmed ahead of the start of the current season that he was indeed still the club captain, but there’s a strong possibility that he could be on the move in the final days of the window.

England’s former youth international was handed just four starts last term in the Premier League, showing how out of favour he is, and even though he admitted during a public interview that he wants to stay and fight for his place, it’s looking highly unlikely.

This is because the 29-year-old’s contract is also set to expire in less than a year meaning that now could be the perfect opportunity for PIF to cash in should they not want to risk losing him for free, and chiefs have already been assessing the market for potential replacements.

The Magpies have so far been linked with the likes of Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen, Benfica’s Antonio Silva and Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio just to name a few, and they could be set to make a late move for one of those candidates with the veteran expected to depart.

Is Jamaal Lascelles leaving Newcastle?

Taking to X, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth revealed that Lascelles is attracting significant interest from Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas, and admitted that whilst he's content at Newcastle, he will consider an exit if it means getting regular minutes under his belt. He wrote:

“Besiktas have strong interest in Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles & expected to make formal approach. Lascelles happy at Newcastle but thought to be open as he wants more game time. He was unused sub in opening two Premier League games this season.”

How good is Jamaal Lascelles?

Newcastle will know that Lascelles won’t be happy with how much of a bit-part player he’s become since last season, but as a skipper who always “gives everything”, according to BBC pundit and St. James’ Park legend Alan Shearer, Howe should do everything he can to fend off interest and retain his services beyond September 1st.

Read The Latest Newcastle Transfer News HERE…

The Unique Sports Group client, who pockets £40k-per-week, was averaging 1.9 clearances per top-flight game during the previous campaign so can still be a real rock at the heart of the backline, not to mention that also offensively he’s posted 18 senior contributions (14 goals and four assists) since putting pen to paper in the northeast.

The Derby-born talent, who has the versatility to operate out wide at both left-back and right-back alongside his usual role at centre-back, has even been previously recognised for his individual efforts having been named the club’s Player of the Year in 2017/18, showing how valued and appreciated he is by supporters and his fellow teammates, but by the looks of things, he could be on the way out before the deadline.

Clyde Cumberbatch officiated in 12 Tests and 26 ODIs from 1981 to 1997 before serving as the chairman of West Indies umpires training and examination committee for 12 years

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2018Clyde Cumberbatch, who officiated in 12 Tests and 26 ODIs from 1981 to 1997, has died aged 81, in Port-of-Spain.After his umpiring career Cumberbatch worked as the chairman of West Indies umpires training and examination committee for 12 years. After he stepped down from the committee in June 2017, he was bestowed with an honorary life membership.Peter Nero, who had replaced Cumberbatch in the committee, paid tribute to his predecessor. “I sent a message to my mother this morning and I told her I had just lost my umpiring father,” Nero told . “Mr Clyde Cumberbatch has been all the superlatives that you can think about to me since I first met him around 17 or 18 years ago – friend, mentor, coach, supporter, well wisher.”

Bryan Bloy, the curator at Centurion, described the intensity of his job as being higher than in any of his previous positions

Firdose Moonda in Centurion12-Jan-2018Bryan Bloy is looking at his first Test pitch. You might think that’s why he is nervous.The SuperSport strip is “a bit browner” than Faf du Plessis thought it would be, and considering the South African captain has ordered spicy surfaces – and that this is his home ground, and also that he was frank in saying what he saw didn’t exactly meet his expectations – it would make sense if Bloy was a little worried.But it’s not what the eye can see that has raised Bloy’s nervousness. Instead, it’s all the interest in him and the way he goes about his job, something that Bloy has done under the radar since he started in September 2016.Bloy is less than 18 months into the position as curator at SuperSport Park and this is his first Test pitch. It’s only his fourth international strip after two one-day matches and a T20, all of which were packed with runs. He’s been tasked with producing the opposite now, a bowler-friendly surface, and there are many eyes watching him. Bloy has never had this much attention lavished on him before and it’s understandable that he isn’t enjoying it, especially since he doesn’t think he will deliver anything vastly different from the Centurion pitches of the past.”We don’t try to change things around too much,” Bloy told ESPNcricinfo. “On the Highveld, conditions allow for bouncy wickets. That’s our strength at SuperSport Park and we try to play to our strength. This is the Highveld and these are the kinds of wickets we prepare.”Bloy’s predecessor Hilbert Smit spent years saying the same thing. The basic premise of an upcountry pitch is that it will have pace, bounce and good carry. The rest depends on how much grass is left on it, which will determine the amount of seam movement. At Newlands last week, Evan Flint tried to get as much live grass he could and also had mid-match rain which resulted in a surface with more movement than usual, especially in the Cape.The SuperSport Park pitch also has a lot of grass on it, but not green grass, partly because extreme heat in the build-up burnt it off. “You need a little bit of grass to assist the ball but when its 37 degrees in the build-up, everything is tricky,” Bloy said. “We don’t have a lot of live grass, but there is a lot of grass.”That means movement off the seam will not be as “extreme,” in the words of Aiden Markram, who also plays his domestic cricket in Centurion, as it was at Newlands. That, probably, is something batsmen on both sides want to hear. Du Plessis’ concern is that the brown grass will continue to burn off as the match goes on, by exposure of the surface to the blazing sun which could cause deterioration. If that happens, the pitch could take turn, but it would be unusual. “Generally Centurion doesn’t spin that much, but there is a thick layer of brown grass on it, which is not something we’re used to seeing,” du Plessis said. “So it’s an unknown. Hopefully it doesn’t turn. To get the conditions that we would like, the ball must spin as little as possible.”The SuperSport Park during a T20 a year ago•AFPBloy confirmed there will be some wear on the pitch but not enough to turn around corners and already spoke to du Plessis on what to expect. “I met Faf yesterday when they arrived for training. The guys arrived and had a look at the pitch and we discussed what we think it’s going to do. They kind of know what to expect,” Bloy said. “It’s going to be a good SuperSport Park track. On day one, the pitch plays a little slowish. Not slow, but slowish. And then it quickens and gets better. Day two and three will be better to bat on. It will quicken up. And then with the forecast, it should deteriorate a bit on day four and five. Upfront, it shouldn’t be easy and then it should flatten out and then deteriorate.”Whatever happens towards the latter part of the match, bounce will be a factor throughout and India know it. “It looks likely a really lively pitch – exactly what we expected it to be and we actually wanted it to be that way, so that both teams are into the contest provided they play some good cricket,” India captain Virat Kohli said. “This pitch will again test us to play our best cricket and that is something that we are looking forward to.”Kohli has again told his batsmen to be prepared for the rising ball. “One must not get surprised by the bounce here,” he said. “We have to maintain composure when you get sudden change of bounce which you experience in South Africa. There are other pitches around the world as well but here the bounce can be steep. It can be quite steep from length also. Those are things you mentally need to tune yourself to, get over and mentally adjust to, accept that this is going to be a major part of batting in South Africa.”Kohli and Co will be hearted by Bloy’s pre-match prediction that even though it may be tough for batting, he anticipates a match that will go into four days. “I expect it to go longer than three days. I hope it goes four days,” Bloy said. “You can never tell. You prepare the wicket and then its up to the players.”From Saturday, Bloy hopes that the attention will shift to the players and that he can sneak out of the spotlight and away from the stress. He described the intensity of this job as being higher than in any of his previous positions, none of which have involved an international sporting venue.After studying turf and grass management with a previous curator at SuperSport Park, Rudolph du Preez, Bloy started off doing golf course maintenance. From 2010, he worked at a university managing their all sports grounds – a grand total of 25. At SuperSport Park, he only has one field to worry about but it’s more than enough. “It might have been easier there (at the university). I had been there for a long time so I had things dialed in. There is a lot of focus here and a lot of hype about Test-match cricket,” Bloy said.And it’s only the beginning.