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Aston Villa have a wide range of forward players but Steven Gerrard has struggled to establish which combination of a front three is the best for the team, and despite having a number of options there is no doubt that the Villa manager will bring in even more players if he can identify the right player to get the job done.

Moussa Diaby has been linked to Aston Villa yet again, after he was a hot prospect for the club last summer ahead of the signing of Leon Bailey, and now the winger is reportedly drumming up interest from other Premier League clubs including Newcastle United.

The Frenchman has been making a huge impact on his Bayer Leverkusen team in the Bundesliga this season, with 15 goals and nine assists across all competitions in 31 appearances, so it is no wonder that the 22-year-old is gaining lots of attention from other clubs.

According to One Versus One, only Thomas Muller and Christopher Nkunku have created more chances in the Bundesliga this season so far, with the £47k-per-week gem who was hailed “clever” by team mate Kerem Demirbay, currently the fourth highest assister and has the second most key passes in the German league.

This attacking output and creativity is something Gerrard will find hard to ignore, and will definitely not want to lose out on the opportunity to have a young player of Diaby’s calibre going to Newcastle United who will be easily competing for a higher position in the Premier League alongside Villa next season.

Ollie Watkins was predicted to have a goal rich relationship with his strike partner, Danny Ings, when Villa signed the Southampton striker to work with the 26-year-old last summer. However the pair have failed to find that connection on the pitch, and Watkins definitely benefits playing in a centre forward role, as opposed to out wide.

As a result, bringing in a winger with the creativity levels Diaby is displaying and combining it with Watkins’ finishing means the pair could form a fantastic partnership.

However, the former Rangers boss does have a large amount of attacking players on his books and would surely need to offload some of his current attacking options to accommodate any new arrivals in the forward line to actually enable him to offer them first-team football. That’s especially when many of the current forward players are struggling with getting consistent game time.

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Gerrard will have a lot of decisions to make about his attacking players at Villa this summer, and will need to put a plan in place to either make his forward players happy with consistent rotation, or offload the ones that he won’t get the best out or be able to offer game time to, which could then in turn open up a spot for Diaby to come into the team.

In other news: Jacob Ramsey let down Gerrard vs Southampton

It was the first match of the 2000-01 Carlton Series of one-day internationals. But it was barely distinguishable from the Test series which went before it. Amid sweltering heat, Australia crushed West Indies by seventy-four runs to claim victory in the opening ‘contest’ of this triangular tournament here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.On a day during which the temperature ascended to forty degrees on the Celsius scale, the Australians’ play had the same glow of discipline and efficiency about it that it has carried for so much of this summer. But, for as hot as it was, so their opponents’ form was icy cold. Glacial even.Theoretically, there was much to which to look forward during the course of this match. A shift away from a largely lopsided and predictable Test series to the potentially more exciting one-day international arena should have brought with it new possibilities and new challenges for each of these two teams. Alas, it merely allowed the Australians to saunter to victory again.As the pipe-opener to something more enthralling, it was a damp squib. Once the Australians had overcome the inconvenience of losing Adam Gilchrist (7) to an impetuous stroke in the match’s third over, the West Indians barely seemed to make an effort to thwart them. Instead, their bowling, fielding and their batting became part of an exercise in damage limitation.Following Gilchrist’s hasty exit – as he tried to lift a Cameron Cuffy (2/45 off nine overs) delivery over the leg side only to balloon the shot in the direction of third man – Ricky Ponting (73) and Mark Waugh (51) joined to add 111 in partnership in the space of 134 deliveries. It was an association that made light of any difficulties that might have been posed on a slowish MCG pitch that has offered encouragement to new ball bowlers all season. Neither found too many difficulties in piercing the field; through the opening fifteen overs, a succession of strokes were slammed over the infield and, later, shots were cleverly eased into yawning gaps that were paradoxically created as West Indian captain Jimmy Adams sought to discover a method of imposing more restrictive field settings.A way through for the West Indians finally came via a lazy stroke from Waugh at the medium pace of Laurie Williams (2/39 from eight overs) in the twenty-fifth over. A further trickle of breakthroughs in the overs thereafter also helped retrieve the cause to an extent. But the tourists did not really help themselves; only a wonderful catch from Ricardo Powell at deep mid wicket to remove Ponting and a fine running interception from Nixon McLean at third man to remove Gilchrist assisting eliminate the stains on a copybook blotted by erratic bowling and sloppy ground fielding. Matters in the field became so unpleasant, in fact, that Williams even had to depart the arena in the forty-ninth over after his attempt at backward point to leap and catch a mistimed cut by Andrew Symonds (38*) resulted in him crashing head first into the MCG turf.In truth, the Australians didn’t completely capitalise as they might have done upon their victory at the toss. Wickets were thrown away needlessly in the middle and latter stages of the innings in particular: Mark Waugh (51) lobbed a stroke to long on; Michael Bevan (17) failed to ground a cut shot; Ponting (73) mistimed a pull; and, Steve Waugh (29) presented a regulation catch to long off. Notwithstanding the impact of a half-century stand at the end between Damien Martyn (42) and Symonds, fewer runs came from the closing overs of the innings than might originally have been expected too. But, virtually from the moment that Ponting and Waugh came together in the third over of the innings, things still flowed smoothly Australia’s way.It was an impression reinforced by a terrible start to the West Indian innings – one that quickly settled any lingering doubts about the way in which the match was headed. There was nothing startling in the opening bowling of either Glenn McGrath (1/7 off six overs) or debutant Nathan Bracken (1/30 from nine) as the West Indian response began. But it was made to look as though the pair was bowling on a minefield; poor shots from openers Wavell Hinds (1) and Sherwin Campbell (4) leading to a disastrous early decline that condemned the tourists to the mark of 2/9 as they pursued the Australians’ 6/267.Hinds was dismissed after being drawn into driving at a delivery wide of off stump from McGrath and playing uppishly into the point region. Campbell failed to last much longer and was, in fact, guilty of playing an even more irresponsible shot. He chased a short, wide delivery from Bracken and attempted to play a scything shot through point. Instead, a ball that he could have planted to virtually any part of the ground ended in the hands of Bevan at third man.That set the scene for a period of inactivity from a West Indian point of view so chronic that it looked as though they have already resigned themselves to the exercise of trying to play for second place in a triangular series that also involves Zimbabwe. At number three, Brian Lara (28) issued a few typically daring strokes through the field but he was restrained in his shot selection for the most part. Youngster Marlon Samuels (57) did what he has done for most of the tour and unleashed a rearguard action. Williams (26*) and Adams (25*) also fought determinedly toward the end. But by that stage there were simply no battles of any consequence left to fight.”We knew we had them in big trouble after ten overs,” said Steve Waugh of his opponents’ grisly predicament.Like a vulture, Symonds (4/35 from ten overs) helped himself to the spoils with his nagging off spin. Even a slightly nervous-looking Shane Warne (0/38 off ten) was allowed to slip his way seamlessly back into international cricketing ranks. Australia’s entire attack, based around just three specialist bowlers, encountered very few problems.”Their body language wasn’t that great,” added Waugh in a masterful piece of understatement about his rivals.”They probably dropped a couple of catches which could have been costly. If they’d taken those catches, we might have only made 230 and it would have been a different game.”Three hundred matches into his one-day international career, it’s doubtful that Waugh could have experienced too many easier, or too many more predictable, victories. It was amazing that so many of the 56732 people who came to the ground stayed until he and his team formally completed the job.

Darrell Hair told the Central London Employment Tribunal that he was barred from standing in top-level matches because of decisions “motivated along racial lines”.Giving evidence on the second day of his claim of racial discrimination against the ICC, Hair, who argues that his colleague at The Oval in 2006, Billy Doctrove, was treated differently by the ICC because of the colour of his skin, said: “If I had been from West Indies or Pakistan or India, I might have been treated differently, like Doctrove.”At the time we told Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, that we believed the marks we found on the ball were deliberately put there. After the match I was continually pilloried in the media by Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and Inzamam, which was clearly in breach of ICC conduct … and yet it did nothing to prevent this.”In the week after the Oval Test, Hair said that he was not given time to consult lawyers before his email exchange, in which he offered to stand down for payment of US$500,000, was made public. He added that Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive who was in the hearing, listening to the evidence, told him in the aftermath of the Test: “We have something in common … the ICC wants to sack both of us.”Under cross-examination, Hair revealed that he would lose about £1.7 million (US$3.4 million) in fees for Tests and one day internationals on the assumption his career as an ICC umpire did not continue after his contract with the ICC ends next March. Hair said that while he has been retained on the ICC’s panel of elite umpires since August 2006, he has not received any match fees in that time.

Had he officiated in the number of games he would usually have been expected to stand in, he estimated that in 2007 his income would have been around £50,000 (US$100,000). “My projected earnings from fees in ICC Associate matches in this year would now appear to be a maximum of US$30,000 (£15,000),” he said. “Since returning to Australia I have been trying to find permanent employment without success. I have applied for positions at the Australian Rugby League and with a charity as a fund-raising manager, but I have been unsuccessful on each occasion. I do not have any confidence in being able to find a suitable place in the workforce for some considerable time, if at all.”I feel devastated and let down by the ICC. Since … the final Test at The Oval, no-one from ICC has shown any concern for my welfare or for the welfare of my family. My family has suffered the pain of reading headlines such as ‘disgraced former umpire’ and ‘sacked former umpire’ and I have found it difficult to cope with daily life in the knowledge that I have not been given a reasonable opportunity to defend myself or make a representation to the board in person.”Hair explained that at no time has his ability as an umpire been questioned by the authorities. “There has never been any criticism about my match management capabilities by either Doug Cowie, the ICC umpire manager, the match referees or the captains. I find it incredulous that an ICC sub-committee adopted a position leading to my removal from umpiring top level cricket without me being given a chance to defend the charges against me or even to know what I am alleged to have done wrong.

“Even more astonishing to me is the fact that the ICC maintains there are no minutes or transcript of either the sub-committee’s discussion or the subsequent board discussion or the voting on the resolution.”I asked Speed if it could possibly be performance related but he agreed that my performances since joining the elite panel had been generally very good and I had been continually ranked in the top three umpires. I was at a loss to understand how my career could possibly be effectively ended unless it was by a racially motivated and racially-discriminated process.”In his cross examination, Michael Beloff QC, the ICC’s barrister, stated to Hair that the decision to sack him had been unanimous – it had not, and he also asked if he thought it appropriate to call the action of Muttiah Muralitharan, who Hair infamously no-balled during a Test in Australia, “diabolical”. Hair replied that he was applying the Laws of Cricket as they existed at the time.The hearing continues on Wednesday.

Scorecard

South Africa’s bowling limitations were further exposed in a warm-upmatch at Centurion on Sunday, as the Titans swept to a 26-run win to raise concerns over the side’s form and preparations ahead of next month’s Champions Trophy.After electing to field first Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini and JacquesKallis kept things relatively tight but there are concerns as to the backup bowlers. As was the case against a relatively weak Zimbabwean team the South African support bowlers lacked the cutting edge in the middle and latter stages of the Titans’ innings, and were incapable of closing off the match. Andrew Hall, for example, was only disciplined for five out of six balls, the last being severely punished. Andre Nel also has a lot of work to do, both in terms of line, length and especially pace, while Robin Peterson simply cannot be relied to tie up one end for 10 overs.Early wickets had the Titans struggling at 30 for 2 after 10 overs but AlbieMorkel soon put paid to that as he played aggressively for 37 runs off 33balls and twice hit Nel for towering sixes. Goolam Bodi paced his innings well andpunished wayward balls to reach 100 off 129 balls but threw it away with awild swing at Nel in the final overs.Johann Myburgh was similarly untroubled, breezing to a 55-ball fifty and shared a 100-run partnership with Bodi at a run-a-ball. Myburgh batted through to the end and finished with 75 off 76 balls as the Titans set the South Africans a target of 270.But South Africa’s innings never really got going with the top four only managing twenties. Both Loots Bosman and Boeta Dippenaar fatally chased wide deliveries while Jacques Kallis was too late in defence. AB de Villiers, his first outing of the season, was clearly very rusty and will need more time in the middle if he is to be a threat in India. Mark Boucher and Kemp could not recreate their form of late and suddenly the South Africans, thanks to 25 extras (11 wides and 12 no balls) from the Titans, found themselves at 156 for 6 after 29 overs. It became 177 for 7 when Hall held out at mid-on and the writing was on the wall.Shaun Pollock was the one, last hope for South Africa and he took control of proceedings, smashing 50 from 56 balls and starring in a 48-run partnership with Makhaya Ntini – whose contribution to their stand was just two. However, it was too little, too late and South Africa were dismissed for 243.To add to all the woes, the South Africans were once again slow in bowlingthe 50 overs in the required time, but were excused because a rather lenient19 minutes were added for a few hold-ups in play. Will those in control beas lenient during the Champions Trophy? Only time will tell.

Marvan Atapattu, the Sri Lankan captain, refused to join calls for Bangladesh to be stripped of Test status despite the thrashing his team handed out at Colombo.”True, it was a two-and-a-half-day match, but we do not want to insult the opposition and deprive them of competing with the big boys,” Atapattu said. Bangladesh were beaten by an innings and 96 runs in the opening Test of the two-match series.Trailing by 182 runs, Bangladesh were shot out for 86, their lowest-ever total, in the second innings to suffer their 34th defeat in 39 matches since gaining Test status in 2000. The loss was their 23rd by an innings margin. Bangladesh’s previous lowest total was 87 against the West Indies at Dhaka in 2002. They have won just one Test, against a depleted Zimbabwean side at home early this year.Atapattu said Bangladesh, the lowest-ranked team in international cricket, needed to be tolerated and allowed to play against the best sides. “We have also suffered similar defeats in our early years,” Atapattu said. Sri Lanka were granted Test status in 1981 but gradually forged into a powerful Test side and won the one-day World Cup 1996.”We honestly did not think the win would come so easily after the way they batted and reached 155 for two after lunch on the first day. Then, one bad shot changed everything and allowed us to come back,” Atapattu said. He was referring to the Bangladeshi collapse in the first innings following an irresponsible shot by Mohammad Ashraful, who was caught in the deep while attempting a big hit off spinner Rangana Herath. Bangladesh lost their last eight wickets for 33 runs to slump to 188 all out.Muttiah Muralitharan triggered the Bangladesh collapse in the second innings, finishing with 6-18 off 10.4 overs. “It was a spinner-friendly track,” Muralitharan said after his 47th haul of five or more wickets in an innings in 94 Tests. “The pitch was two paced, with some deliveries keeping low. There was also plenty of spin and bounce. I did not bowl particularly well in the first innings, but got my rhythm back in the second.”Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach, was disappointed with his team’s batting performance on the third morning which saw the tourists lose seven wickets for 50 runs in less than 19 overs after resuming at 36-3. “I am upset with the lack of resistance,” he said. “Sri Lanka were going to win the match and there is no question about that. I am disappointed that we did not fight hard to delay the inevitable.”

In 1964, after winning the Ashes in England, Australia went over to Holland for a friendly game against the Dutch, and were rather embarrassingly beaten by three wickets. Forty years on, they travel to Holland again, to take on India and Pakistan in a triangular tournament, and once again, they are the overwhelming favourites.No disrespect is meant to India and Pakistan by this: both sides have won more than they have lost in the last two years, but Australia have been in a league of their own. They have won 44 of the 53 one-day internationals they have played since the start of 2003, a win percentage of 85. In the same period, India have won 27 out of 49, while Pakistan have won 28 out of 48. Ricky Ponting has won 56 of the 70 games in which he has captained, a win-loss ratio of 5.6. Ganguly’s is 1.22, while Inzamam’s is 2.11.The figures lay out the story accurately enough: this Australian side is one of the greatest one-day teams ever, a one-day version of The Invincibles, under a captain who will certainly end as one of the most successful; India and Pakistan are both strong up-and-coming sides, but not quite in the same league as Ponting’s men.Australia have never won the Champions Trophy, and that is their first big target this season. The Videocon Cup is just low-hanging fruit, a good tournament to get the players into match practice against decent opposition. Adam Gilchrist won’t be there in Holland, and the world is still getting used to an Australian one-day side without Michael Bevan, but Australia’s bench strength is still awesome.India come into this tournament after a defeat in the Asia Cup final, and desperately need to get some kind of momentum going before the Champions Trophy. They have 15 men in their squad here, one more than they did at the Asia Cup, which means that they do have the batting back-up that they missed there when VVS Laxman was injured. Ironically, now some of their bowlers are falling ill, but they have enough back-up for that.The Indian selectors, led by Syed Kirmani, probably India’s greatest wicketkeeper, have made a serious effort to find a keeper-batsman who can relieve Rahul Dravid of his burden behind the stumps. But Dinesh Karthik, the man they have picked, is unlikely to play in this competition, as Ganguly has made no secret of his preference for the seven-batsmen strategy. Karthik may get a game at the NatWest Challenge a few days from now, though.Pakistan may feel they were unfairly done in by the bonus-point system in the Asia Cup. Well, they begin this competition by playing India, whom they had beaten then, so here’s an excellent chance to prove a point. Inzamam has done a difficult job with quiet dignity since taking over as captain, and has won 20 of his 29 matches in charge. Bob Woolmer’s appointment as coach could play a big role in harnessing Pakistan’s talent, and their progress will be interesting to watch over the next few months. There are bound to be patches of outstanding play, but can they perform consistently over an extended period of time?It isn’t yet known how the pitch at Amstelveen will behave, but expect some high-scoring matches. The straight boundaries are less than 60 yards away, and there are plenty of big hitters on both sides who will relish the opportunity to hit some sixes. Shahid Afridi, Virender Sehwag and Matthew Hayden must all be licking their lips, and the spinners won’t fancy bowling to Ganguly and Inzamam either. The cricket will be entertaining and, fingers crossed, it will be hard-fought as well.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India. He writes the blog, 23 Yards, for this site.