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Over the last couple of seasons, Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has put the work in on the training ground to start phasing out the shortcomings in his game.

Since the start of last season, he has made just three mistakes which have led to goals in the Premier League, compared to four in each of the two campaigns prior. However, he has attracted criticism from Jose Mourinho, who said last summer that the error-prone 28-year-old needs to “relax and calm down”.

While those mistakes still shouldn’t be happening at all, his steady improvement has helped him remain the number one choice for England and be linked with a transfer to Antonio Conte’s Tottenham.

Many Toffees fans may remain nervous about letting their number one choice depart for a rival Premier League club. However, after Asmir Begovic’s sensational performance against Newcastle, and the club’s recent transfer interest in Barcelona’s Norberto Neto, the idea of losing Pickford might not be such a nightmare after all.

A report in Spanish media outlet Sport suggested the Merseyside club were planning on signing the experienced 32-year-old from the La Liga giants for €14m (£11.8m), and after representing some of Europe’s finest clubs in Fiorentina, Juventus, Valencia and Barca over the last decade, it seems unlikely that he is willing to spend the last of his prime years as a backup at Camp Nou.

With Everton also in financial trouble, signing a competent ‘keeper with plenty of top-flight European experience for almost a third of the £30m price tag set on Pickford could represent excellent business.

Clubs often look for ready-made goalkeepers to come in and help transition the team during a rebuild, and with Neto’s leadership and impressive CV, he fits the profile of the ideal type of netminder that Everton should target if they do sell the former Sunderland star.

Former Serie A ‘keeper Sebastien Frey once described the Brazilian as someone with “natural explosiveness”, and he has ranked in the top 5% of keepers in La Liga for save percentage per 90 (81%), with just Real Madrid superstar Thibaut Courtois managing more (81.1%).

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Should Everton land Neto for just under £12m, they could use the other £18m from the potential sale of Pickford on reinforcements elsewhere on the pitch to help Frank Lampard mould the squad in his image.

In other news – 13 duels lost: Shocking Everton lightweight let Lampard down badly vs Newcastle

Scorecard

	Gautam Gambhir played a captain’s knock to lead Delhi to the Ranji Trophy final. © Cricinfo Ltd

Gautam Gambhir hit a furious ton to help Delhi defeat Baroda and enter the final of the Ranji Trophy Super league. His 136-run opening stand with Shikar Dhawan allowed Delhi to overcome the 271-run target without breaking a sweat.The victory came with an unexpected ease. The target could have proved tricky, especially considering they had lost the services of their regular opener Aakash Chopra – on drips in the hospital after a sudden bout of nausea and giddiness – but Gambhir and Dhawan attacked from the start to put Delhi on a cruise mode.Baroda had earlier folded up after stretching their lead from the overnight 209 to 270. Yusuf Pathan fell after reaching his ton. But with his aggressive knock he had shown the pitch held no demons and probably inspired the Delhi openers to adopt a similar path.Gambhir, in particular, pounced at every opportunity to attack. He had missed out on the first innings, trapped by a length delivery from Sumit Singh that curved in. He took care not to repeat the mistake here. The front leg was not pressed too far across and he negotiated the new ball easily. He started off with a couple of trademark crisp off drives before easing into his cuts and pulls when the bowlers erred on length.Known for his penchant to take the attack to the spinners, he never let Rajesh Pawar settle into any kind of rhythm. It was textbook batting on how to attack spin. Go down the track to play a few shots, force the bowler to alter the length before unfurling cut shots. Lofted drives crashed into the straight boundary, cuts pinged the point boundary and he threw in a couple of inside-out drives over cover in the mix.Gambhir also attacked the offspinner Yusuf with gusto. He drove him repeatedly before upping the ante with improvised strokes. Twice in succession he backed away, made his own room and cut deliveries outside leg stump to point boundary. The third ball, of the same over, also disappeared to long-on before he fell to a sharp diving take from Connor Williams at midwicket.Williams gave him a non-verbal but animated send-off and Gambhir stalled briefly before walking off to a generous reception from his team-mates. Gambhir had been involved in some heated exchanges throughout the day with the fielders, in particular Azharuddin Bilakhia and Pawar and his celebration upon reaching his hundred – he reversed the bat, pointed the handle to the dressing room, as his wont, and gave a furious wind-up of the wrist – had shown how badly he wanted to make his presence felt.Aditya Jain, with an unbeaten 39, ensured that Delhi would just suffer one more casualty before wrapping up the victory. Chopra had returned from the hospital by the end to see his team cross the line.Delhi would now take on Uttar Pradesh in the final, starting from January 16 in Mumbai.

‘My children attended non-racial schools when most of their contemporaries were still in one-race schools. If there’s one thing Herschelle is not, it’s a racist’ said Herman Gibbs, father of Herschell Gibbs © AFP

Herman Gibbs, the father of Herschelle Gibbs, has lashed out at the ICC for banning his son on charges of racist abuse. He accused the ICC of looking away when South African players were victims of racist remarks in Australia last year.”There are a bunch of incorrigible old men in the ICC,” Gibbs senior said to Supersport website. “They were unable to do anything about match fixing and are too afraid to tackle any controversial matter properly.”He said that Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, seemed to have a vendetta against the South African team and now his son, Herschelle, had become a convenient stick in the team for him to hit at.”To describe Herschelle as a racist is laughable; it makes me angry. My children attended non-racial schools when most of their contemporaries were still in one-race schools. If there’s one thing Herschelle is not, it’s a racist.”Gibbs was handed a two-Test ban after he was heard over the stump microphone making allegedly racist remarks about a section of the crowd on the fourth day of the Centurion Test against Pakistan. Gibbs has appealed against the ban and will be able to play the second Test at Port Elizabeth starting January 19 as all punishments are suspended between the appeal and its decision.

Sourav Ganguly could be the fall-guy as India push for a series lead © AFP

India’s selectors are toying with the idea of playing five specialist bowlers when the second Test against Pakistan gets underway at Faisalabad tomorrow, with RP Singh and Zaheer Khan fighting over the final slot in the starting XI.The change in tactics has been discussed after last week’s stalemate at Lahore, in which both India and Pakistan posted massive first-innings totals on a featherbed of a wicket. The team meeting went on late into Friday evening, and a final decision will be taken before the toss.The need to take 20 wickets per match, coupled with the form of India’s top order – in particular the openers Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, who added 410 at Lahore – means that there may be no need for a sixth specialist batsman, which would be bad news for the former captain, Sourav Ganguly, who is the most likely man to miss out.Whether or not India play five bowlers, Dravid is certain to remain at the top of the order after last week’s century. “The hundred I got in Lahore it has given us some options for this series and I will continue doing the job,” he told reporters at Faisalabad, as he mulled over the final selections for his team.Ganguly’s demise has been predicted and disproved on several occasions in recent weeks, so it would be no surprise if he does retain his place in tomorrow’s line-up after all. But tactically, it would make more sense to add another seamer to the equation, with RP Singh the favourite to sneak into the team ahead of the more experienced Zaheer.Pakistan, meanwhile, are likely to make one enforced change, with Mohammad Asif expected to step in for Mohammad Sami, and one optional one. Sami has come down with a sore throat and a high fever and is a doubtful starter, while Abdul Razzaq is in line for a recall, at the expense of the ever-willing Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.Pakistan (likely) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Shoaib Malik, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Mohammad Asif, 11 Danish KaneriaIndia (likely) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Rahul Dravid (capt), 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 RP Singh, 11 Anil Kumble

Javed Miandad to engage in court battle with PCB© Getty Images

Javed Miandad, former Pakistan captain and coach, is considering taking the Pakistan Cricket Board to court over the controversial circumstances in which his coaching contract was terminated. Miandad, who was sacked in June last year after the series defeat against India, had 11 months left on his two-year contract. The board then appointed Bob Woolmer, the former South African coach.”My lawyer had sent the Board a notice few weeks back in which he had asked them to properly explain the reasons behind my contract’s termination prematurely (in June),” said Miandad. “The Board first asked for some time and then finally sent its reply but my lawyer is not satisfied with their explanation. He is now planning to file a suit against PCB shortly as he feels the circumstances in which they have terminated my contract is not proper.”Earlier, Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, was reportedly quoted as saying that there were “other reasons” besides the home loss to India for sacking Miandad from the job. Miandad responded in a vehement manner by sending a notice to the board demanding a public apology for terminating his contract.”Basically, my lawyer had sent them the notice because he wanted an explanation from Chairman Shaharyar Khan for some of the statements he had made on my removal as coach and the premature termination of my coaching contract,” he said. “They have now said in their reply that the home-series loss to India was the primary reason for removing me as coach and appointing Bob Woolmer.”

The war of words over the pricing of tickets for the forthcoming West Indies-England series is warming up, and now a group of disgruntled England supporters have launched a website aimed at becoming a focal point for protests.The website (www.wishame.org) is still in embryonic form, but the organisers claim that the full version will be up and running within the next week or so.One plan mooted by the organisers is the staging of a silent protest during the third Test in Barbados, and they are considering printing special banners for spectators to hold up expressing their disgust at the special ticket tax.The organisers have written to both the West Indies board (WICB) and the England & Wales Cricket Board. In a letter to the WICB, they complain that “England supporters are being milked in an extraordinarily partisan manner”. The letters adds that “it is particularly offensive that the levy was introduced long after most bookings for Caribbean holidays had already been made.”

It is difficult being Stuart Carlisle these days. With Andy Flower struggling, Zimbabwe has been at the receiving end in recent Tests in the sub-continent. After being whitewashed by the Sri Lankans in the previous series, they are faced with the prospect of another rout in India. The Zimbabwean captain spoke about his team’s hopes ahead of the second Test at Delhi.What are Zimbabwe’s chances after being 1-0 down?Well, we have come here to play and are doing exactly that. We did lose the first Test but it happens. Our spirits are not down and we are hopeful that we will win this Test and square the series. We have to play well, though, and show faith in our own abilities.Have you seen the pitch?Yeah, it’s a typical slow Indian wicket. It doesn’t seem to have anything in it for the fast bowlers. In fact, I would believe it will help the spinners and could break early, as early as the third day itself. India will have the upper hand but we have to look at our options. Ray Price bowled well at Nagpur, and I would have been very happy if our main spinners had also toured this time, rather than resting at home with injuries. But, there is nothing we can do.What total will Zimbabwe be comfortable with?We have to try and get scores of around 400 in our first innings. We did that in our last tour here and need to repeat it. For that every body will have to pitch in with useful effort. But I am confident that they would do it now.Why is Zimbabwe always under pressure once Andy Flower fails to come up with big scores?Well, Zimbabwe have to learn that we cannot only depend on Andy Flower every time. Others also have to contribute and they are not doing it right now. It is the job of the batsmen to score runs and play to their own potential rather than rely on just one player.

KwaZulu-Natal and Border ended the second day of their encounter pretty much all square, the visitors finishing on 126 for four when rain and bad light brought an early close, after the Dolphins had batted on for just 5.2 overs to take their total to 253 for seven, an addition of 22 runs for no further loss, before declaring.The reason for that was that they need every bonus point they can get, as well as the 10 match points, to secure a spot in the Super Eight phase of the competition and a third batting point was just 19 runs away. However, with rain having wiped out Saturday’s entire morning session, they couldn’t really afford to bat on.The decision to declare initially seemed a poor one, as Piet Botha and Craig Sugden frustrated the KwaZulu-Natal bowlers in an opening stand of 80, but once Botha had been pouched by wicketkeeper Errol Stewart, off the bowling of Jon Kent for 39, Sugden was not long in following, falling victim to the same pairing with just 17 more runs having been added, for 34.By the close, both Wayne Wiblin, who made just seven, and Steven Pope, with 25, had also fallen, leaving skipper Pieter Strydom and Laden Gamiet, on five and nought respectively overnight, to see Border through to a first innings lead.It doesn’t really matter to Border from a statistical point of view whether they win or not. They’ve secured their place in the Super Eight and a victory would rule the Dolphins out, so they wouldn’t carry the points gained in Durban.However, victory is vital for the home side and they may yet find theconstant weather interruptions keeping them from that target.

Southampton host Newcastle this evening, in a must win game for the visitors who are looking to avoid relegation but still have to face five out of the ‘big six’ after this fixture.

On the other hand, the Saints will be looking to bounce back from Saturday’s 4-0 humiliation away to Aston Villa.

While it isn’t an excuse for the terrible performance, the South-coast club have been without key defender Mohammed Salisu since the end of February, but manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that the Ghanaian could return to the team tonight.

“Sali [Salisu], we will have a look if he manages to play tomorrow,” the Austrian manager said yesterday. “We will have a look how he is.”

Not only does the centre-back bring stability to the backline, he is the type of player that instals a certain level of confidence and composure among his teammates.

The 22-year-old ranks in the top 1% among central defenders in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for tackles per 90 (3.02), top 9% for ball recoveries per 90 (11.11), and top 10% for aerials won per 90 (3.84).

Salisu has also demonstrated how press-resistant he is time and time again too, evident by the fact that he ranks in the top 6% for passes completed under pressure per 90 (8.00).

Ranking at number four among Southampton players for highest average match rating with 7.00, he has demonstrated time and time again how important he has become for the team, and to have him return from injury will be a huge boost for Hasenhuttl and something that will undoubtedly excite supporters.

Meanwhile, Nathan Tella is also nearing a return to first-team action after being out for two months with a groin injury.

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Hasenhuttl said: ”Tella was back in session, but not available for the game.”

Elsewhere, just Lyanco and Alex McCarthy remain out, with both suffering from hamstring injuries and it is unclear at the moment when they will be back and available for selection.

In other news: Ward-Prowse 2.0: Ralph must seal Saints swoop for “absolutely superb” £3.6m-rated gem

Stuart Clark: “What was in our favour was the ball scuffed up nicely and we got some reverse-swing, which made it easier to bowl” © Getty Images

Stuart Clark arrived at the MCG expecting nothing from the pitch, but with the assistance of reverse-swing he was able to overcome his pessimism and seriously damage India. The surface did not inspire him during a Pura Cup match for New South Wales at the start of the month – it still doesn’t – and he requested series-opening matches in conditions that would give the home side an advantage, such as Brisbane and Perth.When Clark operates like he did on day two, there is no need for Australia to have any extra benefits. In a pace attack that complemented each other, restricting runs without negating the aggression, Clark caused the most problems, curling the ball to capture four of India’s most wanted while giving up only 28 from 15 overs.Despite his success, his view of the pitch remained. “Nothing has changed,” he said. “If you bowl badly you can go for plenty of runs, but it’s flat, low and slow. What was in our favour was the ball scuffed up nicely and we got some reverse-swing, which made it easier to bowl.”His spell either side of tea was the most destructive as he snuffed out India’s recovery by removing Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni in 12 balls. Tendulkar had crafted a delightful 62 when he tried to force Clark through the offside to a ball that was too close to his body and ended up under-edging on to the stumps. It came off the pitch slower than Tendulkar expected, but Clark had cramped him and relieved Australia’s concern over his 65-run partnership with Sourav Ganguly.Yuvraj was given out wafting outside the off stump from the final ball before tea, a decision which convinced the Australians but not the batsman, and two deliveries after the break the threat of Dhoni was extinguished when an inswinger caught him in front. In the first session Rahul Dravid needed serious effort to remove after three false alarms, including a dropped catch, a take off a no-ball and a huge lbw appeal, but Clark finally raised Billy Bowden’s finger with an off-cutter that stayed low and struck the pad.Clark had a relatively quiet series against Sri Lanka, taking seven wickets in the two Tests, and was cut from the one-day squad to face New Zealand. “It was nice to get out there today, get a few wickets and make some of the doubters who thought I shouldn’t be in the team to think otherwise,” he said. He also provided some more concerns for India.