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Gautam Gambhir, who scored 92 runs in India’s tight win against Australia, has said the match should never have got as close as it did

Sidharth Monga at Adelaide Oval12-Feb-2012Gautam Gambhir, who scored 92 runs in India’s tight win against Australia, has said the match should never have got as close as it did. India needed 12 off the last four balls and Gambhir’s captain, MS Dhoni, hit a massive six under pressure to help India cross the line. Gambhir had fallen at 4 for 178 in the 35th over, leaving India 92 to get in 15.5 overs. Dhoni started slowly, scoring 2 off the first 16 balls he faced, but as wickets fell around him, he stayed calm and delivered the six when it was needed.”We should have finished this game in the 48th over,” Gambhir said. “We shouldn’t have taken the game to the 50th over, that’s my personal observation. I know it’s always easier to talk when you are in the dressing room, and it’s always tough in the middle, but my personal observation is we shouldn’t have let this game go into the last over. Obviously when you put yourself in that situation, someone has to pick his hand up and say, ‘I want to finish this game’. It shouldn’t have gone into the last over.”It was an interesting observation from Gambhir. Over the last few years, Dhoni has been India’s best ODI batsman, especially when it comes to finishing games off. He has his method of doing things: he takes the game deep, and more often than not it pays off. Gambhir, however, feels otherwise. He said that perhaps Dhoni wanted someone else to take the responsibility of going for the final assault.”I know it’s easier said than done,” Gambhir said. “It’s always different. The pressure on players in the middle is far more. It’s they who have to take that decision. It’s their game plan. I don’t know what was going through MS’s mind, but maybe he wanted to delay it, maybe he wanted someone else to take that responsibility. Cometh the hour, I think the most important shot of the match was made by him. Six balls, 13 runs, with the kind of shot he played, he has done a fantastic job, he has always been a finisher, but that’s his game plan. He wants to delay it.”Someone like me, if I was there, I wouldn’t have taken it to the last over, because I always feel that any runs in the last over is far more pressure than finishing one or two overs before. Even if you need five or six runs in the last over, the pressure is far more on the batting side. We are different human beings, we think differently, we have different gameplans.”Gambhir was asked if he was happy with the rotation policy, which has him sitting out every third game, and when India would start playing their best playing XI in this tournament. Gambhir said even tonight’s side was the best XI, and that it was not about big names.”To be honest, any [XI] – for me this is the best XI too,” Gambhir said. “For me, the best XI is if 11 players have the belief they can beat any opposition on the park. And this playing XI had the belief that they could beat Australia in Australia and in this ODI. For me, one or two individuals don’t make a difference. It’s about 11 people who have the belief that they can beat any opposition on that given day.”This XI had that belief that we can beat Australia today. For me this was the best playing XI. It’s not about names, it’s about people who can go out there and have that belief from No. 1 to No. 11. If they have the belief that ‘yes, we can win this game’, that’s the best playing XI. You don’t want names, you want people who can deliver. We have shown it, I think.”

India Red chased successfully for the second night on the trot to become the first team to book their place in the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Like in the Champions League, Yusuf Pathan continued toe be a force with the ball•AFPIndia Red chased successfully for the second night on the trot to become the first team to book their place in the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. India Green made their job easier with a spineless batting performance, as they crumbled from 100 for 0 at better than a run-a-ball, to 170 all out in the 38th over.That collapse was made possible by an incisive spell from Yusuf Pathan, who bowled clever lines on a pitch that was assisting spin. Assisted by Jalaj Saxena and TP Sudhindra, he made fatal incisions through the India Green line-up, to set up an easy chase. The target was reduced to 152 off 42 overs after a VJD method correction for rain, but the result was a foregone conclusion after Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund put on the second century-opening stand of the game.The one-sided finish seemed a far cry when Robin Uthappa and S Anirudha were clattering the new ball after India Red chose to bowl. Uthappa looked out of sorts for the first couple of overs, but then opened up with a series of typically emphatic strokes against the opening bowlers. Anirudha played second fiddle in the 100-run stand, working six fours in 37 off 51 balls, while Uthappa merrily progressed past his half-century, with eight fours and a six.Uthappa threw away the advantage with a poor shot, miscuing Sudhindra to long-on, and that opened the floodgates. T Suman, who had a forgettable Champions League, became Yusuf’s first victim when he walked past an offbreak on zero. Anirudha departed in the next over to leave India Greens gasping, and Yusuf drove home the advantage with Mohnish Mishra’s wicket to make it 114 for 4.Mohammad Kaif and CM Gautam tried to repair the innings with a 36-run association that lasted nine overs, before Piyush Chawla intervened with Gautam’s wicket. Harbhajan Singh then bagged a duck, leaving the tail exposed. Yusuf and Saxena quickly dismantled the lower order, to leave India Red faced with an easy chase.Gambhir and Abhinav raced to 45 in eight overs before the dinner break. They resumed their dominance after a brief rain delay following the interval. Few chances came India Green’s way after Kaif dropped Gambhir early on, and the captain cashed in with an aggressive half-century. Abhinav was more controlled at the crease, as he followed up his century in the opening game with another impressive show. Both batsmen perished after starts, but India Red won the game with time to spare.

A round-up of the fourth day of the final round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2011Water and Power Development Authority’s third defeat of the season – by 82 runs to National Bank of Pakistan – cost them a place in the Quaid-e-Azam Division One final. Set to chase 304 on the final day at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, a win would have given WAPDA six points and taken them to first place in the table. After losing opener Asif Khan for a duck, Rafatullah Mohmand and Imranullah Aslam set about building their chase. They scored briskly, taking WAPDA to 93 for 1 before left-arm spinner Raza Hasan had Aslam caught behind for 38. After Bilal Khilji fell quickly, Hasan struck again, bowling Mohmand for 51, to reduce WAPDA to 102 for 4.Ammer Sajjid and Ali Azmat attemped to revive their side’s fortunes, adding 57 before Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz bowled Azmat for 33. Hasan’s fellow left-arm spinner, Qaiser Abbas, took over from that point, taking four of the final five wickets to fall – Hasan grabbing the other – as WAPDA capitulated for 221 from 63.1 overs. Abbas ended up with 4 for 57, and 8 for 111 in the match.The result means the QEA final will take place between Pakistan International Airlines and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the National Stadium from December 20 to 24. The final will be a day-night game, and will be played using pink balls.Mohammad Imran and Prince Abbas took eight wickets between them to set up Sialkot’s 185-run win over Faisalabad at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Needing to make 380 on the final day for victory, Faisalabad were never in with a realistic chance of winning the game but instead of their batsmen settling in for the long haul, most of them chose to attack the bowling. Zeeshan Butt made 50 from 59 balls and Shoaib Shah a more patient 44 from 79, but given the approach of the majority – nine of the 11 batsmen had strike-rates over 60 – Faisalabad succumbed in 50.3 overs. Abbas ripped through the lower order to finish with 4 for 95, while Imran finished with 4 for 77.Battling half-centuries from Faraz Patel and Javed Mansoor helped Karachi Blues secure a draw with Islamabad at the National Stadium in Karachi. Having begun the day still trailing by five runs, Karachi needed a strong batting effort to save the game. Yasir Mushtaq fell early on the final morning but Patel and Mansoor were up for the fight, scraping together 98 runs before Mansoor fell leg-before to Nasrullah Khan for 56. At that point, the lead was only 93 but Patel fought on, batting for four hours and five minutes for his 77 as Karachi posted 303 and set Islamabad 170 to win. The openers added 78 in 25 overs as the game meandered to the close.

England Women revived their Twenty20 standing by beating Australia Women by 16 runs in the final of the Natwest quadrangular series at the Rose Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2011
ScorecardLydia Greenway’s 48 set up England’s victory•Getty ImagesEngland Women revived their Twenty20 standing by beating Australia Women by 16 runs in the final of the Natwest quadrangular series at the Rose Bowl. After falling in the group stages of the World Twenty20 last year, England once again showed they belong on the top rung by winning all four of their games in this tournament.The final lacked the atmosphere of the weekend games – Monday afternoons will struggle to draw large crowds – but it was a closely fought encounter that hinged on Lydia Greenway’s career-best 48 from 36 balls that proved the difference between the sides.Set 133 on a sluggish track thanks to Greenway, Australia were immediately under pressure. Arran Brindle had Leah Poulton caught in her first over before the spinners took control. Holly Colvin took the crucial wicket of Meg Lanning for 13 before Laura Marsh bowled Jess Cameron. Shelly Nitschke became Colvin’s second wicket to leave Australia wobbling at 37 for 4 off 8.2 overs. Colvin finished with 2 for 16 from her four overs and was named Player of the Tournament for her seven wickets.Lisa Sthalekar led a recovery with Alex Blackwell; the two added 73 to give England a scare but they couldn’t quite generate the pace of scoring that Greenway had managed for England. Defending a modest total was always a tough task but England’s fielding was superb.England’s batting effort was less fluent however. After a sound start they were grounding to a halt before Greenway – England’s reigning player of the year – turned it around. She demonstrated solid composure in giving herself time to get in before accelerating in the latter stages of the innings. In the end she struck five boundaries in all, including a fine reverse-sweep through the wicketkeeper’s legs. She received vital support from Arran Brindle who made 18. The pair were instrumental in England adding 53 in the last five overs.The dynamic end masked a sluggish batting effort from England. Unable to come to terms with the slowness of the track they never quite got going despite a sound foundation. Charlotte Edwards, whose form has been so strong this tournament, made 21 before lofting Sthalekar to mid-off and Marsh ran herself out for 11.Danielle Wyatt and Claire Taylor, who had been instrumental in England’s win against India, both failed with Wyatt running down the wicket and yorking herself against Nitschke and Taylor playing across the line to fall lbw to Erin Osborne for 7. Sarah Taylor soon followed and England were rocking at 76 for 5 before the recovery started. By the time it finished England had enough.Edwards praised the young players in the squad for their contributions to the win. “We have a great mix of players in the squad at the moment, some of the youngsters are really stepping up to the mark and everyone has contributed to the success,” she said. “It’s been fantastic to play in front of such good crowds during the series: the players enjoy it and it’s great for the profile of the women’s game.”England, Australia, India and New Zealand will now play a 50-over quadrangular series which starts on Thursday and England have recalled fast bowler Isa Guha to replace the injured Anya Shrubsole.

There was plenty for Australia to celebrate on the third day in Pallekele – Shaun Marsh’s hundred on debut, and Michael Hussey’s 14th Test century – but Sri Lanka ended the day with some hope of salvaging a draw after rain washed out almost the entire aft

The Report by Brydon Coverdale10-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Hussey and Shaun Marsh put on 258 for the fourth wicket•Associated PressThere was plenty for Australia to celebrate on the third day in Pallekele – Shaun Marsh’s hundred on debut, and Michael Hussey’s 14th Test century – but Sri Lanka ended the day with some hope of salvaging a draw after rain washed out almost the entire afternoon’s play. Only 40.3 overs were bowled, mostly before lunch, and Australia extended their lead to 237, but with further showers expected over the next two days, Michael Clarke’s men were wondering if they would have time to knock Sri Lanka over again and take a 2-0 series lead.An overnight declaration loomed as a possibility as the Australians would not wish to waste their big advantage, set up during a terrific 258-run stand between Marsh and Hussey, the second highest for Australia in Tests against Sri Lanka, and the highest for any country for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka. And while Hussey’s composure was expected, the way Marsh played in his first innings made him look like a Test natural.He became the 19th Australian to score a century on his Test debut, and the only one of his countrymen to achieve the feat batting at No.3 was the great Bill Ponsford. Marsh started the day on 87 and quickly moved off the unlucky number with a glide past gully for four.Negotiating the nineties proved slightly tougher; Hussey was on 76 when Marsh moved out of the eighties, yet he reached triple-figures before his younger partner. Both men got there in the same over, Hussey pushing a two past midwicket off Suraj Randiv, before Marsh swept two from the final ball of the over.It was a wonderful moment for the Marsh family; his father Geoff jumped to his feet in the stands, riding the two runs home like he was cheering on a race-horse, and Shaun raised his bat and high-fived Hussey when he caught his breath. Both batsmen soon lifted their tempo and Marsh brought out some of his limited-overs strokes, including a brutal drive back over the bowler’s head for four off Chanaka Welegedara.Hussey eventually fell for 142 when he lofted Thilan Samaraweera – who hadn’t taken a Test wicket since 2004 – to deep cover. It was the third hundred in seven Tests for Hussey, who since the start of the Ashes he has averaged 68.50, and it continued a remarkable Test for him after he took a stunning catch hurling himself to his left at gully on the first day, and bowled a wicket maiden to get rid of Kumar Sangakkara.Hussey was the only wicket to fall before lunch, but in the eight overs delivered after the break Australia suffered a mini-collapse. On 141, Marsh pulled Suranga Lakmal to deep midwicket, and in the next over the out-of-form Brad Haddin lofted a catch tamely to mid-on off the bowling of Randiv for 1.Randiv was on a hat-trick after he bowled Mitchell Johnson next ball; Johnson expected the ball to turn away from him and shouldered arms, only to see the topspinner go straight on and rattle his stumps. Ryan Harris negotiated the hat-trick ball – barely – and was 9 not out when the rain came, while Usman Khawaja was on 13.But such a collapse meant little, next to Marsh’s milestone and Australia’s weather worries. There will be some nervous Australians looking out the window at daybreak on Sunday.

The short boundaries in Indore proved to be bad masters for Rajasthan Royals

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga15-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Shane Warne is bowled by fellow Victorian Brad Hodge•AFPThe short boundaries in Indore proved to be bad masters for Rajasthan Royals. The small playing field seemed to be playing on their minds as batsman after batsman in the middle order perished to reckless strokes. Brad Hodge was at the receiving end of those gifts, ending up with a career-best 4 for 13, but it was perhaps a tight first spell from Sreesanth – three overs for 15 runs and the wickets of Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane – that set the desperation in. Kochi chased the paltry 98 in style, giving their net run-rate a boost too.Coming into the game, both the teams had an outside chance of making it to the play-offs, but Rajasthan didn’t seem too optimistic on that front. They knew the remoteness of the outside chance, and took the opportunity to make six changes to their side. Rajasthan now stand knocked out, and Kochi, with 12 points from 13 games, need to win their last game and need Kolkata and Punjab to lose theirs.None of Rajasthan’s experiments worked. RP Singh and Sreesanth offered no freebies. Faiz Fazal was caught plumb in front by a full toss before Sreesanth got Dravid with a nice outswinger. Rahane followed up a flick from wide outside off to mid-on with a shuffle too far across, making it 26 for 3 in 5.2 overs.Rajasthan didn’t look to rebuild; they knew they would need a substantial total here. Ashok Menaria began with a six off Sreesanth, Shane Watson with three off debutant left-arm spinner P Prashanth. At 56 for 3 after eight, it seemed like Rajasthan were on their way back, but Watson played all around a full delivery from Prasanth Parameswaran.Now began the Hodge show. He kept tossing the ball up, the Rajasthan batsmen kept trying to hit the ball into the jungles of Madhya Pradesh. All of Hodge’s four victims thought they could hit him for sixes; they could not have been more wrong. Pinal Shah managed to go as far as long-on, Jacob Oram failed to even get a touch, Shane Warne dragged one slog-sweep on, and Menaria found long-off. When Menaria fell, Rajasthan had slumped to 89 for 9 in the 16th over, and they were not going to get many more.Brendon McCullum came out obsessed with improving his team’s net run-rate, charging at Shaun Tait first ball. Tait didn’t do himself any favours, bowling two no-balls in the first over. One of them – when he cut the side crease – had bowled McCullum. After hitting Tait for a four and six in the first over, McCullum proceeded to treat Oram as a club bowler, nonchalantly flicking him for three straight sixes. When MCullum fell for a 12-ball 29, it was important for Kochi to keep scoring fast. Hodge and Parthiv Patel didn’t disappoint, ending the chase in 7.2 overs. It was the second-biggest win in terms of balls remaining in IPLs and the fourth-biggest in all Twenty20 matches.

Amit Bhandari, the Delhi seamer, has announced him retirement from first-class cricket at the age of 32

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2011Amit Bhandari, the Delhi seamer, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket at the age of 32. Bhandari, who played two one-day internationals for India, has not been picked in the Delhi squad since being dropped in 2008.Bhandari, who made his first-class debut in the 1997-98 season, played in 95 first-class matches for Delhi, and became only the second Delhi bowler after Madan Lal to go past 300 wickets. He was called up to the national team in 2000 but got smashed for 75 runs in his 10 overs in his debut one-day international. He didn’t play for the national side after that till 2004, when he took 3 for 31 against Zimbabwe, and still rues the fact he didn’t play more international cricket.”I sat on the bench for 32 matches,” Bhandari said. “None of the coaches or captains ever told me that why I didn’t play enough despite taking lots of wickets. They talked about my lack of pace but then how many in India are tearaway fast bowlers?”Though opportunities at the India level weren’t too forthcoming, Bhandari enjoyed a successful career with Delhi and also played under Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. “Amit was a bowler any captain could count on for making the breakthroughs,” Sehwag said of Bhandari. “He could bowl with precision and was easily one of the best I had seen. Seam was his strong point and he could adapt to conditions easily He was a superb fielder too, inside and outside the circle. It is sad he could not play more than two matches for India.” Gambhir, who captained Bhandari in Delhi’s successful Ranji Trophy campaign in 2008, said he used Bhadari’s inputs regularly. “His experience was priceless for the team in that season. He was an asset,” Gambhir said.Bhandari now wants to get involved in coaching and believes he can contribute to developing young Indian fast bowlers. “I would like to do all the NCA level coaching starting from this year. I would definitely like to get involved in active coaching. There are lot of subtle things about pace bowling that I still don’t know. Getting involved in active coaching would give me a chance to pass on some knowledge to the younger generations.”

England captain Andrew Strauss has refused to panic despite his team falling 3-0 behind in the one-day series against Australia

Andrew McGlashan at the SCG23-Jan-2011England captain Andrew Strauss has refused to panic despite his team falling 3-0 behind in the one-day series against Australia, leaving the visitors needing to win all four remaining matches to take the contest. The latest reversal was by four wickets at the SCG after another poor batting display which totalled 214.Strauss insists that post-Ashes malaise isn’t to blame for the decline in form, but it’s hard not to think that the players have found it difficult to raise themselves to the same level that they found for the five Tests when the urn was at stake. Although England began the series with 294 at Melbourne, which still didn’t prove enough, the last two matches have produced a return to the bad old days of their one-day cricket.There is some mitigation in that the bowling attack is missing key personnel with Tim Bresnan the latest to join the list after he was ruled out of the series. But it’s unfortunate timing because over the last 18 months the team have made considerable strides in the 50-over game and have won their last five series against South Africa, Bangladesh home and away, Australia and Pakistan.Those past performances are what gives Strauss faith that the players can turn the series around when it resumes in Adelaide on Wednesday. “It’s not the time to panic,” he said. “There’s obviously a couple of guys who are not in brilliant form at the moment but that can change around very quickly. Now’s the time that you have got to have confidence in players rather than damage them.”You have to give credit to the way Australia have bowled. We haven’t been as smart as we should have been. I don’t know the exact answer to it, all I can say is we need to look forward and improve. There’s no point us crying into our cornflakes tomorrow morning.”While it’s true Australia have bowled well, especially Brett Lee, there have been a range of loose strokes and some poor decisions by the England batsmen. In the latest match the captain was run out in a horrid mix-up, Eoin Morgan pulled a long hop to midwicket and Chris Tremlett produced a schoolboy howler by not grounding his bat.For Strauss it’s the running between the wickets that causes the most frustration and he will continue to back his batsmen to play in a positive manner because he believes risk brings reward.”I hate run outs, I hate seeing run outs because it is needless,” he said. “You have to understand that in one-day cricket you are going to get one or two soft dismissals an innings because you are pushing things pretty hard. What we need to avoid is the four, five or six that we’ve shown so far in this series.”I still want us to play positive, aggressive, attacking cricket. That’s the only way we are going to succeed in Australia or in the World Cup,” he added. “I don’t want too many of our batsmen scratching their heads wondering whether they should play a shot or not. I want them to play with freedom. If we keep doing that and keep believing then I think things will turn around.”However, there is a growing concern about the impact a heavy series defeat here would have on England’s World Cup campaign even though conditions will be very different. Those players heading to the subcontinent only have three days at home, but Strauss won’t hear any talk of weariness. “If fatigue is setting in, then that’s not good enough,” he said. “If we keep believing we’ll turn things around.”

Dale Steyn, South Africa’s premier fast bowler, has said the mandatory ball change after 34 overs in an ODI innings could benefit seamers this tournament

Firdose Moonda01-Mar-2011Dale Steyn, South Africa’s premier fast bowler, has said the mandatory ball change after 34 overs in an ODI innings could benefit seamers in this tournament. “The change of ball helped to get some reverse swing,” he said from Chandigarh. “We worked nicely on the second ball, and it has become clear that it’s going to play a massive role.”On Thursday, at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, the West Indies lost six wickets for 68 runs after the change of ball, with three of the scalps going Steyn’s way. The effect of the second ball was also pronounced in the game between England and India in Bangalore. England lost six wickets for 109 runs, as their slide was sparked by a spell from Zaheer Khan, who took three wickets. “He got [Andrew] Strauss and [Ian Bell] with reverse,” Steyn said.Conventional wisdom suggested that the batting team would benefit more from having a harder ball two-thirds of the way through their innings. New Zealand’s Danny Morrison said that in the subcontinent, it may prompt teams to take the Powerplay at the ball change. “In these conditions that makes a lot of sense, provided you have wickets in hand. That’s when you can launch,” Morrison said.Now, Steyn has added a new twist to the third Powerplay tale, which will come as good news to the seamers who may have felt that they were coming off second best to the spinners in this tournament. South Africa’s pace quartet of Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell have said that there is no substitute for out-and-out pace and that even if the conditions favour spinners, a genuine quick is still a threat.Dale Steyn expects the ball change to aid reverse-swing•AFPThey may be able to prove that on Thursday against Netherlands, who crumbled to the pace of Kemar Roach in Delhi. Steyn said that the Mohali pitch, where he’s only played during the IPL, may suit the pacemen more. “From the stats apparently it’s a bit better for fast bowling. I’ve heard it’s a bit of a quicker deck.” He’s right in that the quicks usually find a bit more life in the pitch at the PCA Stadium.Even if the conditions work to a seam bowler’s advantage, Steyn said there are still significant differences between bowling in the subcontinent and bowling in South Africa. “You’ve got to be more street-smart over here. The full, wide ball doesn’t bounce and finds the middle of the bat, it flies for four. In South Africa, it will bounce more and find the edge.” Steyn’s solution is in variation. “You can’t bowl every single ball at the same pace in the same place.” That’s why he has been “throwing in a few cutters to reduce the speed from 140 to 120 kmph.”Steyn and the rest of the South African team have had ample time to think about different strategies, having spent two weeks in India before their first game against West Indies and then a week in between their first and second match. With a packed international schedule, Steyn said the players have welcomed the break and used it to ensure all the squad members are at their peak.”There’s a nice competition going on, because with everyone being fit for selection we’re all competing for positions. When everyone is fit and there’s so much time, everyone has a point to prove in practice sessions. It makes the coach and selection panel’s job a bit difficult, but that’s good.”It’s also given players with niggles, such as Steyn, who hurt his right side during the warm-ups on Sunday, and JP Duminy, who had lower back pain, time to recover. Imran Tahir has also recovered from the respiratory tract infection he picked up. Although Tahir had an outstanding debut, conditions in Mohali may prompt Graeme Smith to leave out a spinner in favour of Tsotsobe, to give the left-armer some game time in the tournament. Tahir may get a few more days off but Steyn said if that is the case, it won’t be because South Africa are resting players. “It won’t be an easy game.”

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has backed goalkeeper Illan Meslier to earn a new contract at Elland Road this summer. 

The lowdown: ‘Big future’

Signed from Ligue 1 outfit Lorient in 2020, Meslier was rewarded for a fine start to a career in England with a new deal until 2026 soon after his arrival.

The four-cap France Under 21 international has kept 25 clean sheets in 84 outings for the club and already looks to have made the number one spot his own for many years to come.

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After new manager Jesse Marsch predicted that the 22-year-old stopper had a ‘big future’ ahead of him, one former Elland Road favourite urged the club to further extend the French youngster’s stay…

The latest: Mills urges fresh talks

Speaking to Football Insider, the full-back who made 139 appearances for Leeds before moving into punditry work with talkSPORT has had his say on Meslier’s future.

“He’s a good young goalkeeper. He’s clearly improving all the time. There’s no thought of replacing him whatsoever.

“If you give him a longer-term contract he retains his value too. Extending it by a year or two, why wouldn’t you? That makes perfect sense.

“With his age profile and the ability that he’s got, without a doubt extend his deal.”

The verdict: Get it done

Already a high-quality operator despite his tender years, Leeds would be wise to tie down Meslier for as long as possible in order to stave off potential suitors as Jesse Marsch looks to build a squad around key players.

So far this season the French starlet has earned an impressive 6.89 rating whilst making 3.7 saves on average per game from 34 Premier League appearances (Sofascore).

Described as being ‘cool under pressure’ by journalist Graham Smyth following a standout display against Leicester City, Meslier has previously been indexed with a move to Manchester United and therefore the 49ers group and Andrea Radrizzani would be wise to tie down their talented stopper regardless of their Premier League status.

In other news, BBC pundit criticises Leeds ace for ‘poor’ display against Manchester City…