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Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips could be keen to join Aston Villa because of Steven Gerrard’s influence, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Phillips rumours continue

The 26-year-old has endured an injury-plagued season for the Whites, proving to be mostly helpless in their battle to stave off the threat of relegation.

At the same time, Phillips has been continually linked with a move away from his boyhood club this summer, as he potentially eyes up a fresh challenge with a side chasing European football rather than running from the drop.

Villa are one of those to have shown an interest in the midfielder, who has been lauded as ‘phenomenal’ by former England manager Fabio Capello, with Gerrard reportedly plotting to launch a £60m bid this summer.

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The Latest: Gerrard influence key?

Speaking to Give Me Sport about those rumours, Jones believes Gerrard’s legendary reputation in the game could be enough for Villa to snap up Phillips in the summer:

“I think if Kalvin Phillips were to leave Leeds, he would be looking for certain aspects to fit what he’s looking for. Aston Villa have got Steven Gerrard and that, obviously, is a massive positive for them in terms of persuading him.

“They’re going to be pushing for European football from this point on and that’s the aim, so that’ll suit him.”

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The Verdict: Perfect mentor?

While Gerrard is clearly a legend of the game and someone any midfielder would want to learn from, a move to Villa still wouldn’t feel like a big enough step up for Phillips.

Granted, they are currently faring better than Leeds, but if the England international is to leave the club, it should be for a team playing in the Champions League rather than one currently sitting ninth in the Premier League table.

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Only Phillips knows what his decision will be – so much may hinge on whether or not Leeds are relegation – but moving solely because of a manager who may not be at Villa Park forever would feel a little like a sideways move.

In other news, Leeds are thought to be keen on signing a defender. Find out who it is here.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Graeme Smith led South Africa’s confident start with a composed 69 © Getty Images

It took nine days for the series to finally witness an absorbing battle between bat and ball. While Chennai produced a featherbed and Ahmedabad saw a track with generous sprinklings of green, Kanpur laid out a crackling surface that assisted turn. South Africa made the most of winning the toss, grinding out 265 at the end of a tense first day, but India’s spinners, with some good support from Ishant Sharma, ensured they remained in the hunt.A bone-dry pitch with conspicuous cracks gradually deteriorated through the day. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla thrived when conditions were best for batting, steering South Africa to 152 for 1, before India clawed their way back through turn and bounce. Seven of the ten wickets fell to spinners, both specialist and part-time, but plucky contributions from the lower order stretched the score past 250. With the ball stopping on the batsmen, and a few starting to stay low, it could well turn into a match-winning total.South Africa ensured they didn’t miss out on scoring opportunities. Smith led the early charge and the plucky duo of AB de Villiers and Mark Boucher made valuable contributions down the order. None of the batsmen were completely assured at the crease – they survived vociferous appeals every once in a while and the ball regularly beat the outside edge – but made sure they scored at a healthy clip.India’s shoddy fielding hurt them, as did their inability to sustain pressure. Barring Harbhajan Singh, who was miserly throughout the day, the rest regularly doled out loose deliveries that allowed the batsmen to break free. Both Piyush Chawla, in his second Test, and Ishant struggled with their accuracy and a number of misfields only hurt them further. How Anil Kumble would have wished to be out in the middle rather than nursing a groin injury back in the dressing room.Kumble’s absence, for the first time since December 2003, meant that Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper to captain India. He didn’t have a great start, though, losing the toss and then watching his faster bowlers squander the new ball. Sreesanth had a perilously close lbw appeal turned down in the fourth ball of the match – against Neil McKenzie, who shouldered arms to one that came in – but didn’t go on to make the batsmen play enough. Ishant’s first six overs cost 35 and allowed South Africa’s openers to lay a solid base.

	Hashim Amla scored 51 before Ishant Sharma removed him © Getty Images

Sreesanth didn’t cause too many flutters through the day but Ishant came back with renewed enthusiasm. Managing reverse-swing at a pace close to 140kph, he broke through Amla’s defences during his mid-afternoon spell. He returned late in the day to nip out Boucher, with one that jagged back and kept low, and polished off Paul Harris with one that uprooted leg stump.The spinners, though, had most of the say. Chawla created the first breakthrough, beating McKenzie in flight and luring him out of the crease, while Yuvraj foxed Smith with one that fizzed off the surface. It was a crucial wicket, especially because of the confidence with which Smith was handling the spinners. He appeared to have sussed up the situation perfectly – clattering the loose balls and showing the temperament to overcome the nervy moments. Along with Amla, who milked the spinners with wristy manoeuvres, he was threatening to take the game away.Yuvraj, though, should have had Smith with his very first ball, when the batsman was on 50. Turning one across Smith, he caught him on the shuffle with a ball that would have gone on to rattle leg stump. Undeterred with the decision, Yuvraj struck a few overs later and triggered a mini-collapse – Amla, who had added 91 with Smith, was undone by Ishant’s reverse-swing, deflecting a pacy ball onto his stumps, and Kallis lasted only seven balls, playing on to the stumps to Harbhajan.The rest of the day was a cat-and-mouse battle – South Africa’s middle order snaffling runs at the slightest chance, the spinners beating the bat, appeals flying and puffs of dust appearing on the pitch. Ashwell Prince was bogged down by 21 dot balls in a row while de Villiers refused to be tied down, doing his best to use his feet against the spinners. Boucher held the lower order together – with Morne Morkel and Harris chipping in – but just when he appeared to shut India out, the bowlers mopped up the tail. Harbhajan ended with 3 for 52 in a marathon 32-over effort but on another day, with more luck, he could have easily doubled the wickets tally.

Graham Ford and John Emburey on their way to the interview in Chennai © AFP

Graham Ford was appointed India’s coach on Saturday, filling a two-month-old vacancy and ending a search that seemed to have come to life in only the past week. Ford, the players’ choice for the job, has been offered a one-year contract and is expected to start work during India’s tour of Ireland later this month.After hearing the presentations of both Ford and John Emburey, the former England offspinner, the BCCI decided to go with Ford. The decision has to be ratified by the working committee of the Board of Control of Cricket in India, which meets in Delhi on June 12, but that is expected to be a mere formality.Addressing a haphazard and chaotic press conference soon after hearing presentations from both candidates, and then further deliberating among themselves, N Srinivasan, the BCCI treasurer, said, “The committee constituted to select the next Indian coach met and it was decided that the name of Mr Graham Ford would be put forward for the job of Indian coach.””It is now for the working committee of the BCCI, which meets in Delhi on June 12, to make the appointment final,” Srinivasan said. It is now up to Ford to indicate when he can seek a release from Kent, the English county where he is currently contracted till 2008.Just as there seems to be no defined season as far as the organising of matches is concerned, it appears that there’s no real system when it comes to the holding of meetings. The action began to heat up at the Park Sheraton well before 5pm, as Sharad Pawar was present in the hotel and a massive posse of policemen, in uniform and plainclothes, “secured” the area. From the portico outside the hotel to the main lobby, to the elevators, all passages were dotted withcops.The first real signs of activity began at about 7.20pm when both Emburey and Ford walked into the hotel. They’d both arrived in Chennai on a British Airways flight in the wee hours of Saturday. Once they’d posed for the gathered television cameras and still photographers, they were ushered up to the room where they would make their presentations.After the arrival of the candidates came the committee. The trio of board officials – Niranjan Shah, the secretary, Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer, and Mohinder Pandove, the joint secretary – made their way to the meeting room well before the appointed hour. Next to arrivewere two former captains, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. The last man to arrive – and he was pulled away from his holiday in Goa – was Sunil Gavaskar, who clocked in at 8.20pm.Just over two hours later, Ford had the job. Kent will doubtless be reluctant to see him leave mid-season, but if that issue is resolved quickly, Ford’s first assignment might be a three-match series against the team that he coached with distinction for three years at the turn of the millennium.

Ramesh Powar (left): a better bet than Harbhajan Singh on pitches that don’t turn © Getty Images

Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAIndia need to make changes to their side for the St Lucia Test, says Sambit Bal, Cricinfo’s editor, and Ramesh Powar would be a better inclusion than Harbhajan Singh. Listen to him explaining why to Amit Varma.Bal also says that both teams are not just equally matched, but they’re equally mediocre. Barring Anil Kumble, their bowling attacks are equivalent to those of first-class sides, and their batting is equally good, though Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 7 gives India the edge. Bal also explains why Irfan Pathan will never be another Wasim Akram, and should be groomed as a No. 6 batsman and a fifth bowler.<bDownload MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA

Paul Marsh, the son of Rod Marsh, will take over from Tim May as chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association. Ian Healy, the former Test wicketkeeper and president of the players’ union, announced the appointment today following May’s resignation in March.Healy said Marsh, who was the association’s manager of member services and operations for three years, would be an outstanding leader of the organisation. “We consider the role of ACA chief executive to be one of the most important and influential positions within the cricket community and it was essential that the role be filled by a person with a passion for the game and its players,” Healy said.The brother of Tasmania’s captain Daniel, Marsh said he was ready for the challenges of the role, which will include major dealings with Cricket Australia. “My vision for the ACA is to ensure we make a genuine difference in the lives of our members,” he said. Marsh holds a bachelor of commerce and is studying for an MBA. He will start in the position on July 1.

Western Australia 427 for 9 and 148 for 2 (Langer 88*, Goodwin 5*) v Queensland 434 (Hauritz 94)
Scorecard

Nathan Hauritz: a career-best 94 © Getty Images

Nathan Hauritz fell six runs short of his maiden first-class century, as Queensland clambered to a first-innings lead against Western Australia at Perth. Hauritz, whose previous highest score was 41, batted for nearly four hours and added 134 for the eighth wicket with Ashley Noffke. But by the close, WA had marched onto 148 for 2, with Justin Langer reaching the close on 88 not out.Queensland had resumed the day in some strife at 280 for 7, and it took Hauritz 38 minutes and 35 balls to get off the mark. He enjoyed some luck as well, as Michael Hussey dropped a hot chance in slips when he was on 12. But the pair grew in confidence, and were closing in on the first-innings points when Beau Casson struck twice in quick succession to complete his five-wicket haul.But Hauritz kept his cool with Joe Dawes for company, and was looking set for a hundred when he was cruelly adjudged lbw to a delivery that appeared to be heading down the leg side. Hauritz’s previous best of 41 had come on his Pura Cup debut against Victoria in 2001-02. He had not scored more than 20 in any of his subsequent outings.Buoyed by their unexpected batting success, Queensland removed the dangerous Mike Hussey in the 15th over. Hauritz then got in on the act with the ball as well, as Chris Rogers was caught behind for 34, slashing wildly at a wide delivery. But Langer was unmoved, and by the close, he was grinding ever closer to his fourth first-class century of the season.

Released on behalf of the International Cricket Council’sEngland fast bowler Andrew Caddick has been charged with a Level 1 offence under the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Code of Conduct.The charge relates to point 1.4 which sites as a punishable offence: “Using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or the making of an obscene gesture.”The incident under investigation took place during the 14th over of the second day’s play of the fourth Orange Test match against Australia when Caddick allegedly made a gesture.The hearing will take place on Saturday with a statement to follow.A Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct carries with it a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of a fine of 50 percent of a player or official’s match fee.

At the end of the second day’s play, Maharashtra were in a strong positionagainst Karnataka in their Cooch Behar Trophy pre quarterfinal encounter atthe Nehru Stadium at Pune on Saturday. Resuming on 301/7 the home team’sUnder-19 side managed a healthy 381 as the tail wagged merrily. KP Adhav,coming in at No 9, made a valiant 39 (94 minutes, 69 balls, five fours)while No 10 MS Palkhede made 28 with four boundaries.The home side then reduced Karnataka to 182 for eight at theend of the second of three days. The wickets were shared around equally,with Adhav, Kashinath Kadkikar and SM Kamathe scalping two wickets apiece.For the visitors, only opener DV Krishna (39) offered the only opposition.Wickets fell at regular intervals, the highest partnership being 64 for thethird wicket. When tailenders SV Lazarus (19 not out) and M Dharmichand (12not out) come out to bat tomorrow, they will have to perform a miracle ifthey want to avoid conceding the first innings lead.

Three Leeds United players could be forced to withdraw from international duty through injury, as per Leeds Live’s Beren Cross. 

The lowdown

The Whites came back from two goals down to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night, but the victory came at a cost.

A whopping four players – Illan Meslier, Diego Llorente, Mateusz Klich and Patrick Bamford – were forced off with injuries at Molineux, while Raphinha didn’t make the trip to the Midlands at all after testing positive for the virus.

The latest

Cross relayed an update on three of the casualties on Sunday morning in Leeds Live.

He shared a link to the article via Twitter, stating: “Jesse Marsch expects Raphinha will have to withdraw from Brazil duty. Diego Llorente likely too. Illan Meslier a candidate with his knock too. Could be a hugely useful fortnight for the head coach with most sticking around.”

All three nations are due to play twice during the upcoming international break, and Cross feels that the break could actually prove to be ‘hugely useful’ for Marsch, with most of his players set to remain in Yorkshire.

The verdict

Even before the Wolves game, Leeds were without left-back Junior Firpo (knee) and forward Tyler Roberts (thigh), so the returns of Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper to the substitutes’ bench were immediately offset.

Still, the Whites will hope that the three points have given them a safety net above the bottom three. They are now seven clear of the drop zone on 29 points, and it has been suggested that 35 (i.e. two more wins) should be enough to stay up.

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If they can get most of their key players back fit and healthy for the final stretch of games, Leeds should be fine.

In other news, Leeds are facing a ‘disaster’ after this off-field development

Scorecard
Points table

	Clint McKay’s three wickets, including Aaron Nye first ball, were essential to Victoria dismissing Queensland for 205 © Getty Images

Victoria experienced a few nervous moments before capping a fine preparation for Saturday’s Pura Cup final with a six-wicket victory over Queensland, who will finish with the wooden spoon. Ryan Broad’s century made sure the Bushrangers had to bat again and the target of 75 was looking uncomfortable when Scott Brant and Grant Sullivan dropped them to 4 for 34.Cameron White found a willing partner in Andrew McDonald and there were no further stumbles. White added 28 while McDonald got 13 to seal the three-day success.Broad’s 107, which included a six to bring up his century and another next ball before he was bowled by Bryce McGain, went with his 75 in the first innings, but he did not receive much assistance from his team-mates. Queensland started the day 119 behind and the task to stay competitive became even tougher when they lost five wickets before lunch. Clint McKay started the problems when he removed Nick Kruger (11) and Aaron Nye in consecutive deliveries – the hat-trick effort to Shane Watson was a no-ball.Watson skipped to 32 before falling to a diving take from Adam Crosthwaite and McDonald added to the damage when he captured the lbws of Nathan Reardon (1) and the captain Chris Simpson (0). The Bulls were 5 for 71 and struggling to force a second Bushrangers’ innings.Broad achieved that with help from Chris Hartley’s 17 and Daniel Doran’s 23, but when the tail exited quickly Queensland did not have much to defend. McKay grabbed 3 for 69 while McDonald and McGain earned two wickets each in a strong warm-up for the final against New South Wales in Sydney.