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West Ham United need to hit the ground running after the second international pause of the season. Julen Lopetegui claimed his biggest victory at the helm so far just over a week ago, putting four past newly-promoted Ipswich Town in the Premier League.

After spending over £120m on first-team talent this summer in the wake of David Moyes’ timely departure, it’s fair that some expected more over the opening few months, even if some of the criticism has been inordinate.

There’s been something to be desired from an attacking standpoint, to be sure. It hasn’t quite clicked, and you’ve got to wonder if Lopetegui and Irons technical director Tim Steidten are rueing the failure to sign Jhon Duran from Aston Villa.

West Ham missed a trick with Jhon Duran

Duran has been tearing the Premier League to shreds this season, having scored four goals already in the flight despite having yet to be handed a starting berth.

The mercurial Colombian, aged 20, was at the centre of West Ham proposals this summer and even sparked contention within the Villa fanbase after making the Hammers gesture on a live stream, but an agreement could not be found and he still plies his trade within Unai Emery’s system.

This looks to be quite the blunder from Tim Steidten and co, for Duran is displaying the aptitude of a first-class striker and could have made a real difference at the London Stadium – scoring on the opening day against Lopetegui’s side, condemning them to defeat.

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It’s frustrating that the Irons didn’t pay their divisional rivals what they wanted, but Lopetegui might find that he has his very own version of the super-sub in Niclas Fullkrug, who has yet to show what he’s made of in West Ham colours.

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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

West Ham's own Jhon Duran

Fullkrug joined West Ham from Borussia Dortmund this summer in a deal worth £27m. The heavyset striker impressed in Germany last season, scoring 16 goals and adding ten assists across all competitions.

The 31-year-old’s start to life at the club has been disrupted by injury, but his escapades with Germany at Euro 2024 and dynamic twist to the traditional striker’s role suggest that he could indeed be West Ham’s own version of Duran.

The 6 foot 2 talent has an impressive record of 14 goals from just 22 caps for his country. What’s more remarkable is that he’s only started seven games for his nation, further emphasising his suitability for the super-sub role at West Ham.

Pundit Ally McCoist was particularly impressed with the centre-forward this bygone summer, saying: “Every time I’ve seen Fullkrug, he’s impressed me. His game knowledge is good, his touch is excellent, he can finish, he’s aggressive … I think he’s a good player.”

Fullkrug’s ability to pop up with goals at the right moments, showcasing positional awareness and ferocious ball-striking power, suggests that he could play the Duran-esque role that’s working a treat for the Villans right now, especially when considering the creative support around him from the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta.

As West Ham’s fluency knits together, the return of the German machine could bear dividends, adding the perfect dimension to the frontline.

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O Cruzeiro terá investimentos realizados pelo ex-atacante Ronaldo ‘Fenômeno’, que comprará 90% da SAF do clube por R$400 milhões, conforme anúncio realizado neste sábado. Ronaldo, que também é ‘dono’ do Valladolid, da Espanha, esteve ao lado do presidente da Raposa, Sérgio Santos Rodrigues, em Belo Horizonte. Clique no player acima e veja o que o ex-atleta falou sobre os próximos passos na gestão.

>>>Ronaldo compra o Cruzeiro: conheça os outros negócios do Fenômeno

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Notts Outlaws celebrated an impressive Vitality Blast group campaign with a crushing 78-run victory over Durham although the game was marred by a nasty injury to Brydon Carse. The pace bowler was hit on his ear by an Alex Hales drive when he slipped in his follow-through in the 4th over and played no further part in the match.”Thankfully, it’s just a couple of stitches and he should be okay. It looked ugly at first,” Durham coach Alan Walker told the BBC. “He was tripping up on his follow-through and couldn’t protect himself.”Ben Duckett, with an unbeaten 74 from 41 balls, and 43 not out off 17 balls by Steven Mullaney propelled the Outlaws to 221 for 4 which was far too much for Durham. They collapsed to 59 for 6 and were bowled out for 143 in 16 overs with Calvin Harrison taking 4 for 36 as the North Group winners claimed a ninth victory.Joe Clarke, awarded his Nottinghamshire cap before the game, and Hales gave the Outlaws early momentum before both fell in Paul van Meekeren’s second over. Clarke skied to point and Hales, missed on 14, failed to clear mid-on as the Outlaws ended the Powerplay on 70 for 2.Although Tom Moores was lbw first ball to Scott Borthwick, Duckett and Samit Patel got the Outlaws back on track by adding 67 in 7 overs. Duckett swept Liam Trevaskis for two fours and a six and made Durham pay for dropping him on 28 when Alex Lees spilled a chance at deep midwicket.Matty Potts held a much harder catch running in from long on to remove Patel for 34 off 26 balls but that only opened the way for Mullaney’s brutal late onslaught. He pulled Graham Clark’s legspin for three sixes in the 15th over which cost 24 and he and Duckett plundered 83 from 37 balls to take the Outlaws to an imposing total.Any chance Durham had of chasing it down vanished when they lost four wickets in the Powerplay with Clark and Alex Lees both failing to score. David Bedingham struck some defiant blows before he skied Dane Paterson and after Cameron Bancroft was yorked by Zak Chappell, Harrison removed Ben Raine and Borthwick in the 9th over.Potts at least went down swinging, heaving Patel for three sixes in the 13th over, but Harrison wrapped up a comprehensive win with four overs to spare.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is aiming for a fifth straight Premier League title this season in what could be his final campaign in charge.

The Spanish head coach’s contract is currently due to expire next summer and it remains to be seen whether or not he will continue his spell at The Etihad.

Guardiola has won six Premier League titles so far and his work in the transfer market has been key to that over the years, going all the way back to John Stones in his first window in charge.

The central defender joined from Everton for a reported fee of £47.5m in the summer of 2016, and has enjoyed a terrific career in Manchester.

John Stones' current market value

At the time of writing, Transfermarkt places his current market value at €38m (£32m), which is an expected decrease for the 30-year-old, who has been at the club for eight years.

The City number five has racked up 258 appearances in all competitions for Guardiola and, of course, has been there for all six of the Spaniard’s title wins in England.

He has been in the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions, for the 2020/21 and 2022/23 campaigns, and won six domestic cups, alongside the Champions League.

Stones has been a terrific signing for City because of his longevity and quality, as shown by his Team of the Year inclusions, since his move from Everton in 2016.

He may not be the best centre-back signing made by Guardiola during his reign, however, as Ruben Dias has been an exceptional piece of business so far.

Ruben Dias' current market value

At the time of his arrival from Benfica in the summer of 2020, the Portugal international was valued at €35m (£29.5m) and his current value sits at a whopping €80m (£67.6m).

That is an increase of 129% in his four years at The Etihad, which shows that Guardiola hit the jackpot when he snapped up the central defender in 2020.

Dias enjoyed a fairytale debut season in England in the 2020/21 campaign, as he won the Premier League Player of the Season award for his efforts at the back.

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As you can see in the table above, Dias was extremely reliable in possession and dominant defensively, to help his side to 15 clean sheets and the title.

The 27-year-old titan has already racked up 182 appearances for City in all competitions and was named in the aforementioned PFA Team of the Year awards alongside Stones in both the 2020/21 and 2022/23 seasons.

Despite being three years younger than Stones, Dias has already matched his number of PFA Team of the Year selections and won a Player of the Season award in the top-flight, which the England international has not managed.

Man City let a big talent leave for £76k, now he's outperforming Grealish

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This, along with his increased value, shows that City hit the jackpot when they signed the Portuguese colossus and that he may have been an even better signing than the former Everton star was.

Real Madrid will reportedly 'abandon' a January pursuit of Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold in the hope of signing him for free next summer.

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TAA out of contract in 2025Linked with Real Madrid transferJanuary move for Liverpool ace ruled outFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Madrid are ready to 'abandon' a January move for Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool are 'unlikely' to part company with him in early 2025. The Reds are trying to retain the services of the 26-year-old, whose contract expires next summer, but at present, he is no closer to signing a new deal.

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Madrid are in the market for a new right-back as Dani Carvajal is sidelined for the long term with a cruciate ligament injury. Even though the Spaniard is potentially out for the season, Los Blancos are reportedly not prepared to fork out a hefty sum for Alexander-Arnold in January. Liverpool are eager to keep onto the England international and team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – all of whom are into the last year of their Anfield contracts.

DID YOU KNOW?

If Madrid are unable to convince Alexander-Arnold to join them, GOAL revealed that they are keeping tabs on Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot – whose contract at Old Trafford runs until 2028. Sources understand he would cost around €50 million (£40m) to land in January.

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Aside from transfer speculation and whether or not Alexander-Arnold will stay at Liverpool, his Premier League table-topping side travel to Newcastle United on Wednesday.

Bangladesh’s centurion is looking forward to making an even bigger score against Sri Lanka in Pallekele

Mohammad Isam21-Apr-2021Many would’ve been surprised at seeing Najmul Hossain Shanto’s name in the Bangladesh team sheet in Pallekele. He had averaged 11.14 in seven innings against West Indies after the coach and captain publicly backed him to be their No. 3. In fact, the insistence on Shanto over Shakib Al Hasan at No. 3 in the ODIs raised many eyebrows. Then he didn’t perform against West Indies, and his only innings in New Zealand saw him bowled off a half-tracker. A team that has lost their last eight matches finds it hard to answer questions about an under-performing batter.If not the whole answer, Shanto has given a sample of his ability with an unbeaten 126 on the first day against Sri Lanka. This maiden Test century couldn’t have come at a better time for someone under pressure to perform regularly.By batting seven-and-a-half hours, Shanto did what most No. 3s around the world do on a true pitch against an inconsistent bowling attack. He helped the team recover from an early wicket, supported an aggressive batter and then controlled the innings with the No. 4. He added 144 with Tamim Iqbal and 150 with Mominul Haque, neither dominating nor falling behind. Shanto called it an “organised” innings where he didn’t want to rush into anything. But it was clear from his words that it took a lot of effort to reach this mindset after being so clumsy and wayward against West Indies couple of months ago.”I don’t think it was about proving myself,” Shanto said. “I have worked hard in the last five or six months and although I didn’t get the result, I believed in myself to score big runs. It was important for me not to rush anything. I think I played a much organised innings. Of course Tamim batted very well. He was scoring quickly, which allowed me to take a bit of time. His innings was helpful for me. I tried to bat according to the merit of the ball.””I think I was mentally relaxed today. I wasn’t too worried about scoring runs. It was more about enjoying the innings. I just reacted to every ball. I didn’t look at the scoreboard to check how much I made or how many balls I faced.”The fact that he understands the value of patience was readily apparent in how he didn’t mind taking 38 balls to move from 90 to 100. When he finally reached the three-figure mark, he smiled and gave a bow towards his dressing room.Shanto said that he didn’t show a lot of emotion because he believes he isn’t done in the innings. He also said that he tried to block out the outside noise during his run of poor form. “I believed I could make a big one so there wasn’t much to be excited about. I want to bat long tomorrow and play more matches in the future.”Honestly, I don’t focus on what’s being said about me. I heard some stuff from my family members. Maybe people believe I have the ability to do well which is why there is a lot of expectations from me,” he said.Shanto said that the pitch, with a tinge of green, was good for batting after they rode out the first hour. He is looking ahead to the second day, and particularly the first session, for a bigger score for himself and the team.”When I reached the middle, Tamim told me I should bat knowing that this is a good wicket. He told me that I shouldn’t worry too much about the wicket. Here the new ball does a bit, as you saw even at the end of the day.”It is a good wicket. I will try to bat as long as possible tomorrow by staying positive. We must bat well in the first session on the second day. Only after that, we will know what would be a good first innings total,” he said.

Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has issued an injury update on Harry Kane after he limped out of his side's draw with Borussia Dortmund.

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Dortmund take on BayernKane picks up injuryKompany issues update on strikerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Just after the hour mark of Borussia Dortmund's home Bundesliga clash with Bayern, a game that ended 1-1, the England international was forced off the field with what looked to be a thigh injury. After the match, manager Kompany quipped he could "sense the English worry" following this setback but hoped for the best for the 31-year-old.

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Kompany said on the striker: "Harry said it's not too bad. Hopefully that's the case. We'll have the tests today and let’s see what happens. I could sense the English worry there…"

The coach then spoken about Kane's chance of facing Leverkusen next: "It will be tight. I don't know many players who managed to recover in such a short time. We'll know more tonight.

"Of course Harry's goals are very difficult to replace, but we said from the beginning that we trust the squad and the team. We managed to create many chances in the second half. The team is very well equipped with a lot of quality in attack. It's tough to replace Harry's quality one on one, but we can solve it differently with the other guys we have in the team."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane has proven to be a goalscoring machine for Bayern over the past 15 months or so, notching a whopping 64 goals in as many games. The England forward became the quickest player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals earlier this month and much of Bayern's success will likely be down to him. He and his team – who are top of the Bundesliga – will hope this is not a serious injury as they bid to win silverware once again following a trophyless 2023/24. Kane said after the game he wasn't sure how bad the injury was, telling Sky Germany reporter Kerry Hau: "I don't know. We have to look. We'll do a scan today (Saturday)."

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While Kane and Bayern wait to see the extent of the former Tottenham man's injury, the Bavarians take on defending DFB-Pokal champions Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 of the competition on Tuesday night.

After missing out on European football last season, Newcastle United look set to use this summer to give Eddie Howe a squad ready to once again compete for the Premier League's top six.

The Toon target attacking reinforcements

Throughout the early passages of the summer window, the story that has dominated the headlines on Tyneside has surrounded the future of Anthony Gordon. The winger only arrived at St James' Park in a £45million move from Everton in January 2023 but is now attracting interest from numerous sides from the Premier League's top six.

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The Magpies have been chasing the player for some time.

1 ByTom Coates Jul 23, 2024

In anticipation of Gordon's exit, the Toon have seemingly started to look at potential replacements for the England international. The recent names that have been touted for a move to Newcastle are that of Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto. The Leeds United duo could leave Elland Road this summer after the Whites failed to gain promotion from the Championship.

With the Magpies still on the search for attacking talent, it looks like the club have submitted a bid to sign a highly-rated forward.

Newcastle make offer for Argentina attacker

As relayed by Sport Witness, the Italian press are claiming that Newcastle have made an attempt to sign Fiorentina’s Nicolas Gonzalez. The outlet states that the Magpies presented a bid to the Serie A outfit via an intermediary a few days ago which fell below Fiorentina's valuation of the player.

Whilst the report does not go as far as to reveal the value of the bid, it is said to be way less than the £35million offer made by fellow Premier League side Brentford back in the summer of 2023. It is added that Newcastle's offer is seen as a starting point for negotiations with the potential departure of Miguel Almiron set to raise funds to up the offer for Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has just come off the back of a strong campaign for Fiorentina that saw the 26-year-old find the back of the net 12 times in the league. Throughout the course of the previous campaign, the Argentine attacker ranked highly for his attacking output.

Non-penalty goals

0.52

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Whilst Gonzalez's goal tally is impressive, what is most striking is his ability to win the ball in the air. Standing at a little over 5 foot 9 inches, the attacker is still able to beat much taller players to the ball. The physical side of Gonzalez's game was something that was noted by his former coach Tim Walters who said of the player:

"He's always looking to get in behind, and is strong in the one-on-ones. I can always count on him."

Whilst Newcastle will no doubt have to up their offer to bring Gonzalez to Tyneside this summer, the player could prove a massive asset to Howe's side next season, making this one to watch.

Sri Lanka are due to depart for SA for a two-Test series once the LPL ends on December 16

Andrew Fidel Fernando and Firdose Moonda10-Dec-2020

The Sri Lankans celebrate their eight-wicket win in Port Elizabeth•Getty Images

Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa is set to go ahead as expected after SLC’s medical staff confirmed they were satisfied with the bio-bubble arrangements being planned for the series.SLC had reconsidered the tour following England’s withdrawal from their ODI series in South Africa last week. The board was concerned about the possibility of Sri Lanka cricketers returning unwell, something that could put their home series against England in jeopardy with the first Test against England to start roughly a week after Sri Lanka’s return.However, SLC’s medical staff has held talks with its CSA counterparts and is now confident that Sri Lanka will be able to undertake the South Africa tour with little risk of players contracting Covid-19. In addition, it is understood that CSA has agreed to strengthen their bio-security protocols as per the SLC medical team’s requests. In particular, SLC has asked for better PCR testing protocols and the hospitality staff which will cater to the teams to be kept on site.On Thursday afternoon, CSA put out a media release saying that the two-Test series would go ahead as planned.”Cricket South Africa appreciates the ongoing support from Sri Lanka Cricket under the leadership of Ashley de Silva, who has never wavered in its willingness to engage us in important and open discussions around our plans and the state of our readiness for the tour,” CSA’s interim CEO Kugandrie Govender said. “We are thankful that these discussions have allayed any trepidation around CSA’s ability to successfully host home tours in these unpredicted times.”As always, we are excited to host the Sri Lankan team in this important, World Test Championship series that will yield crucial points towards the points table for the eventual winners. We are also certain that cricket fans around the world will tune in for another series of thrilling cricket on display.”ALSO READ: Australia’s tour of South Africa may move to Perth amid Covid-19 falloutIn a meeting that the SLC’s medical team had with their ECB counterparts on Wednesday, the latter’s medical officers are also understood to have supported the idea that a tour of South Africa can be completed without a breaching of the bio-secure bubble. Although England withdrew from their own tour, no England player was found to have contracted Covid-19 despite some false positives being returned at one stage.Sri Lanka are due to depart for South Africa soon after the ongoing Lanka Premier League concludes on December 16. They are scheduled to play two Tests – in Johannesburg and Centurion – before returning home on January 8.Both teams will be housed at the Irene Country Club in Centurion, which includes a golf course, six tennis courts, squash courts and a driving range, thus eliminating the need for teams to leave the venue, as was the case during England’s curtailed visit. England left their biosecure hotel in Cape Town to play golf at several locations, which South Africa’s interim board chair Zak Yacoob described as “lax”, but necessary to keep their visitors happy.Sri Lanka’s first Test against England then begins on January 14. Both Tests in that England series will be played at Galle. SLC was especially nervous about putting that series in jeopardy because it carries substantial broadcast value, which the board cannot miss out on following a tough fiscal year in 2020.

Hobart Hurricanes’ new recruit Sandeep Lamichhane is on the mend after testing positive for Covid-19 and the Hurricanes are hopeful he will be available to play for his new BBL club in January.Lamichhane is part of the Hurricanes’ new-look squad for BBL10 with coach Adam Griffith and his list management team making a raft of signings this off-season to reshape the squad and fill the holes that left them vulnerable in last season’s Eliminator loss to Sydney Thunder.Lamichhane was poached from the Melbourne Stars and replaces Qais Ahmad as the Hurricanes’ overseas legspinner, but a positive Covid-19 diagnosis has threatened his availability. He tested negative for the first time last Thursday and appears on track to return to the BBL.ALSO READ: Hurricanes preview – Smart recruiting and top-order power provide strong mix“I’ve spoken to him a couple of times via text,” Griffith told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s very upbeat. We just got a message that he tested negative in his most recent test so that’s a good sign.”He’s still got a few more hoops to jump through from a medical perspective to make sure he’s good to go but it’s sounding as positive as it can from our end. We’ve just got to make sure that Cricket Australia is happy, the medical people are happy and he’s in a good space to get out here. Hopefully, it won’t affect our original plan of when we were going to get him out here and have him available.”

New tricks for Nathan Ellis

Hobart Hurricanes death specialist Nathan Ellis has added some new tricks to his trade ahead of his second year in the BBL.

Ellis was one of the finds of the tournament last season and coach Adam Griffith is certain he won’t suffer the second-year blues.

“We’ve added a couple of little tricks for him this year that people haven’t seen and it only takes one ball that they haven’t seen before and then they start thinking about that and that adds to his whole package,” Griffith said.

“We talk a lot about that if he actually executes what he is trying to then it’s still pretty hard to hit. He’s in a really good space. I’m looking forward to seeing him unleash next week.

“He’ll have a pretty tough job in our bowling group, being our best finisher and death bowler, he could potentially have a role in the first Powerplay, the second Powerplay and then a couple at the end.”

Afghan spinner Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman tested positive for Covid-19 while in quarantine in Australia and had to be hospitalised. But the Hurricanes are confident Lamichhane will be able to get Australia as planned.”We were looking to get him here mid-December, do his two weeks quarantine, and then like all of these guys, when they come out of quarantine, just assessing where they’re at because they’ll have been sitting in their hotel room for a couple of weeks,” Griffith said.”We don’t want to put them in a no-win situation where we are asking them to do something they’re no ready for yet. Again, that’s one of the positives of having five overseas on our books this year. We can manage them to hopefully get the best out of them and hopefully have them ready to go.”Griffith has convinced former Hurricanes player and South African international Johan Botha to come out of retirement as cover for Lamichhane prior to his arrival.The Hurricanes’ recruiting drive has been one of the boldest in the BBL signing Lamichhane, Dawid Malan, Colin Ingram, Keemo Paul, and Will Jacks as part of their overseas contingent, as well as Peter Handscomb from the Stars.Griffith said the club had set themselves up to be aggressive in their recruiting after three consecutive seasons of making the finals without claiming the ultimate prize.”After reviewing the season last year we thought we didn’t quite have the depth we needed in certain areas of our list and with how we managed our list over the last couple of years, we’ve been able to get ourselves in a really good position salary cap wise to be able to sign these guys,” Griffith said.”It’s pretty exciting for us. The options we have in front of us for the coming season, I’m really happy with the guys we’ve brought in. It’s the most even and deep list we’ve had in a while now.”Keemo Paul launches one into the night sky•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

The balance of the top order was the first problem to solve. The Hurricanes have been heavily reliant on their opening pair of D’Arcy Short and Matthew Wade over the last three seasons. The pair have made 1085 runs in 20 innings together over the last three seasons, averaging 57.10 with nine 50-plus partnerships including a stand of 203 against Adelaide last season.But Wade’s absence due to Test duty last year tested the depth of the order and the Hurricanes were found wanting. They made a play for Malan from a long way out and were delighted to sign the No.1 T20I batsman in the world, however he will be unavailable for the first four matches due to quarantine.  Handscomb might be an equally important addition given his experience in the competition.”He’s just a very good player, a very skilful, proven performer, and he makes hundreds,” Griffith said. “He’s made a hundred at BBL level which is something that we covet with our top order players.”He’s an excellent player of spin which is probably an area we’ve struggled a little bit at over the last few years. Just his experience, to be able to play different roles as well. We won’t pigeon hole him into a certain role in our batting group.”Jacks may be the surprise packet. The Hurricanes have a history of picking future England players, having had great success with Jofra Archer. Jacks has worked with Hurricanes assistant coach Michael Di Venuto at Surrey and Griffith thinks they might have found another one.ALSO READ: BBL all-time XI“What I love about him is obviously his aggression and his skill with the bat and the ball but he’s just keen to get out here for an opportunity to show what he can do,” Griffith said. “We try to do that most years, give an opportunity to an overseas player who has not necessarily burst onto the international scene yet but we’ve seen plenty of him at the domestic level and we think it’s only a matter of time before he plays for England.”We hope we can be one of those vehicles to help him achieve that and if he helps us win games of cricket along the way then it’s a win-win for both of us.”Keemo Paul was the final piece of the puzzle. James Faulkner is fit and his troublesome knees are as healthy as they have been for many years, but the Hurricanes felt they needed another bowler who could clear the fence in the later overs. Ricky Ponting was the key to getting Paul through working together at Delhi Capitals.”He was glowing in his endorsement of him,” Griffith said.  “Not only from a cricket perspective but also from a character perspective. I got a chance to catch up with Keemo in Dubai and that skill set that he brings is probably something that we don’t necessarily have in our group at the moment. To be able to bat 6-7-8, clear the fence from ball one and then bowl through the middle and at the end, so he brings something that is a little bit different.”