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Nottingham Forest could be set to make another foray into the summer market, with reliable reports suggesting their interest in a fresh target…

Who are Nottingham Forest signing this summer?

Those claims come courtesy of transfer guru David Ornstein, who admittedly sought to pen an article surrounding Arsenal's interest in Brentford shot-stopper David Raya.

However, later on in the piece, he briefly detailed the potential goalkeeper domino effect that such a swoop could have, benefitting a Tricky Trees side searching for a new number one.

Should the Spaniard make that Emirates switch, it would make Matt Turner somewhat obsolete, just one year after joining the Gunners. Steve Cooper has likely envisioned this, and is considering a move for the USA international despite there being a clear distance between both clubs on the valuation of the 29-year-old.

Some reports suggest a fee as much as £18m may be required, and his arrival would supplement the other additions of Chris Wood, Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga from this window thus far.

How good is Matt Turner?

Although far from experienced within the English game, the keeper in question does boast some special attributes that obviously caught the attention of Mikel Arteta and Edu.

After all, before his move he had shone in his homeland, making 111 appearances for the New England Revolution and starring,

His final full year before making the switch saw him maintain a 7.04 average rating in the MLS, bolstered by his fine shot-stopping and ability on the ball. As such he recorded an admirable 64% pass accuracy alongside 3.6 saves per game at a success rate of 74%, via Sofascore.

For comparison, even Keylor Navas failed to reach the levels of these three attributes during his recent loan stint at the City Ground.

This fed into his fine recent Gold Cup performances too, where his average rating rose to 7.28, a figure that no other goalkeeper at the tournament could better. Perhaps by moving to Nottingham, where he would be regarded as a far more important figure than at Arsenal, he could recapture those levels found only when he is trusted with plenty of game time.

That is not to suggest that Arteta has completely discredited the ace though, as he did laud him back in October: "I think he was phenomenal in the goal in situations especially when defending the area in behind the centre halves, and in the one-against-one situations he was really good."

To now pair such efficiency in between the sticks with Joe Worrall, Cooper's staunch defensive leader, and he could find the perfect balance that retains their Premier League status once again.

Especially given how the 26-year-old impressed in his first year in the top flight, maintaining a 6.82 average rating (seventh best in the squad) that is only set to improve with added experience at this level alongside 3.6 clearances per game in the league.

The hope will be they can replicate that feat once again, building a fine foundation with which such a historic club can sustain a top-flight stay for many years.

With the defensive foundation that Worrall and Turner will offer for the next few seasons at least, this is certainly a task that will be eased by such an addition.

Leeds United are interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Edouard Michut this summer as newly-appointed head coach Daniel Farke crafts a team capable of securing promotion from the Championship.

Farke has already completed his first deal as Whites boss, landing 22-year-old defender Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea for £7m earlier this week, and looks set to invest in youth to ensure the framework at Elland Road breeds success for a lasting period.

And according to the Daily Mail print edition on 20th July [page 70] (via MOT Leeds News), Leeds have now approached the French Ligue 1 champions for the talented French gem, having been handed a boost after the 20-year-old was left out of PSG's pre-season tour, indicating that he is not within the club's plans.

Sunderland, where he had been on loan last season, decided against activating the €2.5m (£2.2m) buy clause this summer despite impressing during his year-long stint in the Championship, but Leeds could now entice the player into returning to England's second tier and cementing a regular starting berth in an outfit hoping for a swift and immediate return to the Premier League.

Could Leeds sign Edouard Michut?

Despite rejecting the Black Cats, transfer insider Dean Jones, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, recently stated that the dynamic midfielder is willing to consider a move to West Yorkshire.

Jones said:

"Michut would offer something a bit different to Leeds and he is open-minded about the move as it could fit his style of play.

"He could have stayed at Sunderland but he wasn’t getting on the ball enough and at Leeds, a side we have to expect will dominate games, would give him more opportunity to get on the ball and make things happen.

"Leeds do have limitations in terms of their spending in the Championship this season and this could be an astute addition."

How good is Edouard Michut?

As per Sofascore, the Frenchman made 24 appearances during his Stadium of Light loan spell last term, starting only 50% of those games, and impressed with the slickness of his passing – completing 88% of his passes – and the consistency and robustness of his tackling – averaging 1.7 per game, on top of 58% total ground duels won per game.

A versatile and dynamic midfielder, scout Jacek Kulig previously illustrated his flexibility and aptitude across the defensive, central and attacking sections of the middle third, highlighting his most notable qualities as a playmaker with 'great agility, flair and coordination' and a 'very good technical ability.'

Farke's position in the Leeds dugout could well be the defining factor that could edge a deal over the line, should it indeed be completed, with the German boss's previous experience in nurturing promising talent underscoring the wave that Michut could ride.

James Maddison plied his trade under the 46-year-old manager at Norwich City, making 49 appearances under Farke's wing and scoring 15 goals and supplying 12 assists before completing a £24m transfer to Leicester City in 2018.

Maddison, while primarily playing as an attacking midfielder, is also adept from a deeper position at the kernel of the midfield, and given his own playmaking prowess, ranking among the top 11% of positional peers for assists and the top 13% for shot-creating actions per 90 over the past year, as per FBref, could be the perfect player for Michut to emulate.

Journalist Josh Bunting also highlighted Michut's unrelenting intensity by waxing lyrical over his knack at covering "every blade" on the pitch, and for such a diligent, hard-working youngster, it might just be that he harnesses his prodigious talent under Farke's tutelage at Leeds.

As such, the German head coach could unearth his next young midfield star if the Whites' hierarchy sanctions a move for the PSG whiz.

Suzie Bates will become only the eighth New Zealand woman to play 100 ODIs when she takes the field against South Africa in their second World Cup game on Wednesday

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2017Suzie Bates will become only the eighth New Zealand woman to play 100 ODIs when she takes the field against South Africa in their second World Cup game on Wednesday. She will join the likes of Debbie Hockley, Sara McGlashan and Haidee Tiffin, the former captain and current head coach. The milestone, Bates said, was the result of doing “something right” over the last decade.”As an 18-year old, I remember being pretty excited just to play the likes of Rebecca Rolls and Emily Drumm. I never thought I’d play this long. I was at university and cricket was bit of a hobby,” she said. “I really didn’t see it going professional. So to still be playing at 29, and be able to play in my 100th game on Wednesday is exciting. I can’t remember how the last 10-11 years have gone.”You look at the other names on the list; there are some greats – Debbie Hockley, Sara McGlashan, Amy Watkins. Then there’s Haidee Tiffin, who was captain when I was playing. I looked up to Rebecca when I was growing up, a hard-hitting opening batsman who also played a lot of football. That was pretty inspiring to be playing with these players, and now to be in the same list is amazing.”Bates was still a rookie when New Zealand last came close to winning the World Cup, in 2009, when they were pipped by England in the final. It’s a memory which hasn’t escaped Bates, who is now into captaining New Zealand for the sixth-year running. Bates was the highest run-scorer at the 2013 edition in India and the Player of the Series, but could only watch her team finish fourth. A different outlook, one that stems with experience, has helped her approach cricket differently, she says.”When I first started and got really serious about trying to be as serious as I can be. When I started leading the team, I probably didn’t have a lot of things outside of cricket,” she said. “When it didn’t go well, it was terrible. When it did, you were on top of the world.”Probably, I’ve become a lot more balanced on my outlook on cricket and trying to just take each game as it comes and not get too up and down along the way. Hopefully, captaining the side at this World Cup, we can maintain that sort of approach and not get too high or too low, because it’s a long-old slog if you ride the highs and lows.”Having been around since 2006, Bates, a double international who also represented New Zealand in basketball at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, has had a ringside view of how the women’s game has evolved over the last decade or so. For starters, she admits to being surprised at the exponential growth.”It’s unrecognisable from when I started,” she said. “You got 30 dollars daily allowance if you were staying at home, and I used to with mum and dad. That was still a bit of pocket money. It was hobby for everyone. Many were studying, some were at school. People got away from their day jobs for tours and live a dream. When you got together for tours, it was the best thing ever, since you got to live the dream.”Now, half a dozen of us do it 10 months of the year, full-time, and also get paid for it. When I first started, not just as a cricketer but just as a girl who loved sport, I never really thought it was going to be a career. I had study on the side and I just wanted to play sport because I loved it. I always thought I had to get a real job at some stage and I still haven’t had to.”

Southampton could soon be able to breathe a sigh of relief in regards to the future of Nathan Tella, with reliable journalist Darren Witcoop reporting that Burnley are now looking at former Saint Nathan Redmond instead.

How many goals did Nathan Tella score for Burnley?

The 24-year-old spent the 2022/23 season out on loan with the Clarets in the Championship, helping them to storm to the league title under the stewardship of new manager Vincent Kompany. Having never managed more than 18 league games in a season before his move to Turf Moor, he went on to feature in 39 games for the side in the second tier and was a key member of their first-team. He bagged 17 goals, with five assists along the way, and ended the campaign with a rate of 0.79 goal contributions per 90 – the best rate of his career.

Prior to this spell with Burnley, he had spent the entirety of his career playing for Southampton and their reserve side. He was handed his league debut for the Saints back in 2019/20 and has so far managed 33 games in the Premier League with them. However, his goal and assist rate at St Mary's Stadium hasn't been as exceptional as what he managed with Burnley, as he has just one goal and two assists over those fixtures with the club.

Are Southampton selling Nathan Tella to Burnley?

Having finally realised his potential and shown his ability in that Clarets team, Kompany has been keen to reunite with Tella again for the 2023/24 campaign. He has already expressed his interest in adding the winger on a permanent basis, but as of yet there has been no deal done to send him back to the club.

And it now appears as though Burnley could be moving on from the Southampton man. According to a report from reliable journalist Darren Witcoop, the Saints have whacked a large price tag on the head of the 24-year-old after his displays for Burnley.

It means that the Clarets are currently being "priced out" of a transfer move for the forward this summer. With no end in sight in terms of sorting out the financials, it appears as though they could now be looking elsewhere to boost their wings as the journalist also adds that they have turned towards Redmond. He also formerly played for Southampton, but has most recently spent time with Besiktas and is now a free agent.

It's no surprise that Burnley have been desperate to try and bring Tella back to Turf Moor, with their current boss Vincent Kompany viewing the winger very highly. During his tenure with the Clarets, the manager stated that the forward was a "raw diamond" and was able to help the side "in so many ways" because he "has all the tools".

Tella really did shine at Championship level then, so if Southampton can hold on to the 24-year-old, it could do their chances of an instant promotion the world of good next season.

West Indies’ limited-overs stars could be back in the ODI team if the WICB considers a proposal to revisit the eligibility criterion for selection

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2017West Indies could have their limited-overs stars in the fray for national selection, particularly for the 50-over format, after Courtney Browne, the chairman of selectors, hinted at the possibility of the WICB revisiting the eligibility criterion.Currently, the WICB has followed a stringent policy of considering only those players who have featured in the domestic 50-over competition, one that goes back to 2010, under the regime of Julian Hunte and Ernest Hilaire.The current criterion has ruled out a bunch of senior players including Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. None of them were part of West Indies’ most recent series against Pakistan, which they lost 2-1, falling further behind in their race to be among the top eight teams in the ICC rankings and so qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup. But if this change in selection policy is cleared, West Indies could significantly boost their chances of fielding a full-strength team leading up to the showpiece event.”There is some discussion going on about revisiting the eligibility rule,” Browne told , a Barbados-based network. “I know it’s with a working committee. That will then go to the board. But we have to understand our domestic cricket is key.”Players coming out of domestic cricket and showing they can perform at the international level is important. Yes, we have to look at it [the eligibility rule] but also be mindful that we have to develop our own domestic product, a stage where we can have a very good standard of regional cricket.”However, Browne also made it clear he would rather not have a situation where young players who have come through the regional system are ignored. Vishaul Singh and Shimron Hetmyer, who captained West Indies to the Under-19 World Cup title last year, are two examples he cited while explaining the need to maintain continuity. The pair gave modest returns – 159 runs in 12 innings between them – having played their first three Tests over the last couple of months.”We have a lot of young developing players, they’re all bunched together in terms of number of Tests, that’s par for the course. When you have a bunch of people you’re exposing to international cricket, you will tend to get these sorts of performances. But the good thing about it is, you have the coaching team and you have to give them some time to develop players.”There’s no regret [in giving them opportunities]. They came through the system, we understand they’re young players and need time to develop. When you’re looking at development process, it’s going to be a slow process. We’re not going to find a sensation overnight.”Browne was pleased with the enthusiasm of the new recruits. “They’ve shown the fans here’s a bunch of young people who are showing fight. It has shown the players too that with determination and passion like that, you can be competitive.”Bravo had recently said he was available for T20 selection but would not give up his contracts around the world to play domestic cricket in the West Indies because playing in those tournaments did not guarantee selection. He had also said things could change if “structure changes or something different happens”.

Alongside Zaha’s seemingly inevitable exit from Selhurst Park, the news on Michael Olise is another huge blow to Crystal Palace.

The 21-year-old is facing up to three months out after injuring his hamstring in a game for France against Norway in the UEFA U21 European Championship.

The incident is reported to be a grade three tear, the most serious category of hamstring injury, which could mean that the Eagles will be deprived of one of their most productive assets until the end of September.

This leaves Palace in a precarious predicament as Jordan Ayew is the only recognised senior winger under contract. This means that Roy Hodgson will need to accelerate his search for fresh faces and Demarai Gray has emerged as a possible option.

What’s the latest on Demarai Gray to Crystal Palace?

According to a report from 90min earlier this week, Everton are ‘ready to listen to offers’ for Gray, who is the subject of interest from several Premier League and Saudi Pro League sides.

The possible English suitors include Palace, as well as West Ham and Brentford, who are all keenly tracking the 27-year-old’s uncertain future on Merseyside.

Is Demarai Gray a good signing for Crystal Palace?

After bursting onto the scene for Birmingham City back in 2013, the career of Gray reflects the age-old narrative of ‘untapped potential.’

A move to Bayer Leverkusen at the beginning of 2021 was seen as the new dawn for the winger, but six months later with just 12 appearances to his name, he left Germany and joined Everton.

The 5 foot 11 phenom began his time at Goodison Park in scintillating fashion, notching five goal contributions in his first nine games for the club. This impressive start laid the foundation for a commendable debut season in which Gray reached double figures (11) for goals and assists in 30 starts. That season, he averaged the most dribbles (1.6) in the squad, to underline how was beginning to unlock his brimming potential.

However, it is difficult to consistently shine in a challenging and disjointed Everton setup is difficult, but the £25k-per-week man still ended the season with a degree of respect. He ranked third-highest in the squad for dribbles and key passes per game in the side. His stunning long-range curler against Manchester City was the biggest highlight of the term and proposes the unanswered question of what he could achieve in a more stable and attack-minded environment.

Therefore, the possibility of a move to Selhurst Park is an interesting idea, especially when you assess the meteoric rise of Olise since his arrival in the English capital.

The former Reading prodigy has exploded into top-flight prominence thanks to a marvellous year.

The youngster was named as Palace’s Players’ Player of the Season and clinched the club’s Goal of the Season award. He also became the first Palace man to claim 10 or more assists in a league campaign and remarkably was the youngest Premier League player to record three open-play assists in the same match. This meant the France U21 international ranks within the top 7% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for assists per 90.

Similarly, Gray is somewhat of a creative hub for Everton, creating 38 chances in 36 matches last season and if afforded more freedom and more possession in a more dominant side, he could flourish. It is murky and questionable terrority, but with the Eagles’ notoriously slim budget, it seems low-risk.

Previously labelled as “unbelievable” by Rio Ferdinand, Gray could elevate his career to the long-awaited next level at Palace in a similar way to Olise.

ESPNcricinfo understands the CAC will first speak to both Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli in an attempt to resolve any differences that may have emerged between the pair

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Jun-2017The three-member cricket advisory committee (CAC) tasked with finding a new coach for India will first attempt to keep hold of the incumbent, Anil Kumble. ESPNcricinfo understands the CAC will speak to both Kumble and captain Virat Kohli in an attempt to resolve differences that have emerged between the pair. In case that fails, the CAC is likely to sit separately with Kohli – who has publicly maintained he has no issues with Kumble – to reach a deeper understanding of the reasons why he, and some players, are finding it hard to cope with his approach, which has been said to be headmasterly.Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, the CAC trio, met for the first time formally on June 8 in London and are understood to have had “good detailed discussions” on the matter. Also present were BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary and the board’s chief executive officer Rahul Johri.And as it stands now the role of the CAC is a problem-solving one. Only if the differences cannot be resolved will they move on and invite the rest of the shortlisted candidates for interviews. According to one official, one reason the CAC and BCCI are keen for Kumble to stay on – beyond the obvious importance of continuity – is that they believe there is no certainty similar issues will not arise with a new man in charge. The committee understands the “onus” is on them to make the right choice, especially as Kumble was their choice in the first place.Given the significance of the task, the CAC is not likely to be pushed into making any hasty decisions. With Kumble’s contract coming to an end after the Champions Trophy, and India’s tour of West Indies starting on June 23, the BCCI was in favour of appointing the new coach as soon as possible. But the CAC has asked the BCCI to allow it time and space to work through the situation, facilitating where needed in arranging various meetings.The BCCI’s acting president CK Khanna has sent out an email to Choudhary asking the interview process to be postponed to after the board’s special general meeting on June 26, though there is an element within the administration that would prefer the issue to be resolved sooner rather than later.The performances of the Indian team in the ongoing Champions Trophy will not have any bearing on the CAC process. With Ganguly and Laxman in the UK on broadcast assignments and Tendulkar also present, much of the CAC’s deliberating will take place in the country.

West Ham United have made an offer of €21m (£18m) for Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, and he would be open to a move to the London Stadium, according to reports from Italy.

What's the latest West Ham transfer news?

With Declan Rice inching ever closer to finally completing his move to Arsenal, West Ham are tasked with replacing the midfielder, and they have their eye on several potential options, including Sao Paulo youngster Pablo Maia.

The Hammers hierarchy have scheduled a meeting with the representative of the 21-year-old to discuss a summer move, with his current club likely to sell him this summer, in order to raise some much-needed funds.

Meanwhile, transfer insider Dean Jones has recently confirmed the Irons' interest in Fulham's Joao Palhinha is "definitely real", but he also claims David Moyes may look at bringing in another midfielder, saying:

"West Ham is obviously one that is going to get interesting in the next few days. They're going for Denis Zakaria, looking at a loan with a view to an option to sign him further down the line but they are also looking at Palhinha as a signing that would happen alongside him."

Now, West Ham have made their first move to sign the Juventus midfielder, with Tuttosport reporting they have made a formal bid, which amounts to €21m (£18m) including bonuses. However, that amount is a little below the Italian club's asking price (via Sport Witness).

Juventus are said to be holding out for €25m (£21m) and they do not want to go below that figure, so it seems as though the Hammers' initial offer may be rejected.

There is still work to be done to conclude a deal, with the two clubs needing to discuss whether the move would be a full transfer now or a loan, with either an option or obligation to buy.

In what could be a real boost for the Irons, there may not be much work needing to be done on the player's side, as he has given a "favourable opinion" to the move, due to being "comforted by the idea of a five-year contract".

How good is Denis Zakaria?

The Swiss midfielder spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Chelsea, with writer Bobby Vincent hailing him as "fantastic" despite the Blues' 1-0 loss against Manchester City back in January.

There is some evidence the 26-year-old could be a quality addition for West Ham, given that he ranks in the 89th percentile for clearances per 90 over the past year compared to players in his position in Europe's top five leagues, showcasing his defensive talents, while he is also in the 95th percentile for his pass completion rate.

Those statistics indicate the Juventus ace could be a replacement for Rice, who also specialises in those areas. However, in truth, he is probably not going to hit the heights of the England international.

Zakaria found it very difficult to break into a poor Chelsea side last season, making just seven appearances in the Premier League, and it would probably be wise for West Ham to focus on signing midfielders who are more proven in England.

Shannon Gabriel’s second five-for helped West Indies skittle Pakistan for 81 and level the three-match series at 1-1

The Report by Danyal Rasool04-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:22

Great to have some success – Gabriel

Twenty years ago, a West Indies side led by Brian Lara set India 120 for victory at the Kensington Oval. They had never lost a Test in Bridgetown to a subcontinent side, but that record looked in serious threat against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. West Indies, however, took just 35.5 overs to skittle India out for 81 to extend a glorious run at their stronghold.Fast forward to 2017 and a completely different West Indies side, both in personnel and prestige, took on another subcontinent powerhouse, Pakistan, at the same venue. West Indies were dominated for most parts of four days, but Shai Hope’s 90 that set a 188-run target helped script a remarkable turnaround.On the final day, Shannon Gabriel took five wickets in a hostile spell as Pakistan were skittled for 81 again. This Bajan fortress might have creaked, but it did not tumble as the hosts put in an inspired bowling performance to level the series.Pakistan found their legs turning to jelly in a chase of 188 on a pitch that had shown signs of deterioration very early in the Test. They played for the demons in the pitch, and paid the price. Azhar Ali and Ahmed Shehzad’s conservative approach – they scored six in the first six overs – set the tone.Azhar was the first to fall, attempting to pull a short delivery from Gabriel over midwicket, unwisely trusting the bounce. He mistimed the shot horribly, sending it straight to midwicket. Babar Azam nicked down leg two deliveries later to record his first pair in Tests. That one of Pakistan’s brightest prospects was undone by an innocuous delivery could arguably be seen as the decisive wicket.More misery awaited Pakistan as Younis Khan was dismissed shortly after. Jason Holder banged one in slightly short of a good length, well outside off stump. As Younis shaped up, it darted back in, kept low and made a beeline for his pads. It struck him dead in front of middle.Shannon Gabriel’s hostile spell in the first session set up West Indies’ series-leveling win•AFPMisbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq both came and went within minutes of each other, their wickets brought about by Gabriel’s brilliance. Misbah got a thick inside edge that lobbed to gully, but West Indies may not have had the wicket if they did not review, for the original appeal was for lbw. Two balls later, Shafiq’s poke was taken on the third attempt at first slip by Kieran Powell, who had reprieved Ahmed Shehzad earlier.The procession continued after lunch as Shehzad and debutant Shadab Khan fell within three overs of the resumption. Shehzad was unfortunate, falling to a delivery from Alzarri Joseph that was almost a replica of the ball that accounted for Younis, but Shadab – whose introduction to Test cricket has been less spectacular than his limited-overs debuts – was removed by a delivery that held its off-stump line. Shadab could only nick to the wicketkeeper.Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Amir counter-attacked to take Pakistan past their lowest Test score of 49, but they were riding their luck. When Amir sliced a drive into the hands of point, it was a wicket that had been coming all along.There was time for Gabriel to clinch a richly deserved five-wicket haul with the perfect fast bowler’s delivery. It pitched on off stump and clipped the top of off, and batsmen better than Yasir Shah would have done well to keep that out. The knockout blow came next over as Sarfraz lofted Holder to wide long-on, with Roston Chase stationed there for precisely that shot.The man who had got West Indies’ fightback started with a first-innings century made no mistake, but Pakistan, dazed and shell-shocked after a remarkable morning’s cricket from the hosts, had plenty to rue.

Former England captain Graham Gooch has committed £50,000 to funding PCA-run courses for all 18 English counties on gambling awareness education

George Dobell23-Mar-2017A contribution from Graham Gooch has helped the PCA fund gambling awareness courses at all 18 first-class counties.Gooch, the former England captain, has run a scholarship scheme designed to encourage the development of young players for many years. It has, in the past, led to the likes of Alastair Cook spending time abroad to work on his game.But this year, to mark their 50th anniversary, the PCA appealed to its members – both current and former professional cricketers – for extra contributions to help them increase their annual funding from £400,000 to £600,000. Gooch responded by offering £50,000 from his scholarship fund with the proviso that it would be used for a specific project rather than split across several. The PCA suggested the gambling awareness scheme and Gooch agreed.”There are a lot of dangers in the world for young people now and I am particularly interested in helping out with the education of young cricketers with all the worries and concerns of online gambling and getting into bad habits,” Gooch said. “If we can educate people, make them aware of the pitfalls and get insight from people who have been down that route and fallen foul then hopefully they can be warned about the potential dangers.”Gooch’s donation helped the PCA fund not just courses – to be run by Paul Buck, whose gambling addiction resulted in a 32-month jail sentence of which he served 11-and-a-half months – but a helpline for those who feel they might be struggling with gambling addiction.The statistics are alarming. Gambling is the fastest growing offence in the UK that leads to a prison sentence – 1,444 custodial years over the last five years – and the fastest-growing addiction both in the UK and across the world. A recent study from Lincoln University suggests there are 1.1 million gambling addicts in the UK. Bankruptcy, divorce, depression and suicide are all common consequences. Gambling addiction has also been reclassified to full addiction status, the same as heroin, by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.Professional cricketers, with time on their hands and a relatively large amount of expendable income at a young age, are considered a high-risk category. That means they – or the young male ones, at least – are considered three times more likely to be “problem gamblers” than people in the general population. With one in four males between the ages of 18 and 24 “likely to have some form of gambling problem” according to PCA chief executive, David Leatherdale, it is, as he says, “definitely an issue.”The world has changed a great deal in recent years. Not so long ago, sporting events were sponsored by tobacco companies – the John Player Special League was the NatWest T20 Blast of its day – and cigarettes were distributed free of charge in press boxes. In 1994, for a bit of fun, the Warwickshire committee made an accumulator bet on their team winning all four domestic trophies. They ended up with three.Since those days, there has been a crackdown on tobacco advertising and some tightening of regulation as regards alcohol sponsorship and advertising, though the ECB retain several sponsorship deals with companies that sell alcohol. Most of all, there is greater awareness of the dangers of match-fixing and an absolute ban on players or officials betting on the sport.But gambling advertising has filled the void left by the departure of tobacco sponsorship. It has grown by 1,300 percent over the last decade with the growth in the use of smart phones making it easier than ever before. According to statistical survey data, eighty-seven percent of first-class players in England have gambled on some other form of sport in the last 12-months and 67 percent in the last month.Gambling is fully legal in the UK and there are no rules prohibiting cricketers from gambling on other sports. Buck says it is “normalised” to the extent that perimeter advertising at many sporting events offers in-game betting and, at a recent awareness session at a PCA rookie camp, 20 of 22 players admitted to having an online gambling account. It was the two who did not admit to having one that worried the people taking the session.”Personally I have never been a gambler,” Gooch continued. “But I do like going to a horse racing track and having a bet there. I’ve also hosted Ladbrokes in hospitality boxes at Test Matches so I don’t have any issues with gambling.”But sportsmen, in particular, do find themselves with time on their hands. When I played, people would go to a betting shop if they wanted to have a flutter. Now the temptation to bet online is great. In the social media world it’s very easy to get into that. You have to be very careful that it doesn’t consume you and cause major problems for you and your family down the line.”Both Buck and Leatherdale believe that cricket is “ahead of the game” in trying to prevent the problem growing. “Cricket is a long way ahead of the other sports we work with, football and rugby, in this regard,” says Buck. They hope that by showing young players where uncontrolled gambling can lead, they can shock them out of potentially bad habits.There will be practical help too. While no debts will be paid off, players will be given psychological help where appropriate and given assistance in restructuring their finances where possible. The key, though, is intervening before that stage is reached. And, thanks in part to Gooch, the PCA have a decent chance of achieving that aim.