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There has been a lot of speculation over the past week regarding the future of Manchester United’s goalkeeper, David de Gea. Many media outlets are reporting that Real Madrid are likely to pursue their interest in the Spanish goalkeeper, either during this transfer window or in the summer. And with the Independent suggesting de Gea will be available for £50 million; this begs the question, should United cash in on their number one with Victor Valdes waiting in the wings?

There is no doubting that de Gea has been United’s standout player this season, saving them from countless situations and winning points on his own. Without him it is very possible United wouldn’t be in the top four, suggesting what a great influence he has been this season.

The Spanish international joined the Red Devils from Athletico Madrid in 2011 for around £18 million at just 20-years of age. He endured a difficult first season at Old Trafford, with many experts stating that de Gea wasn’t ready to be the number one keeper at United. But in his second season he helped United secure their 20th and last top flight title to date, putting in a much improved season.

Over the past 18 months or so, de Gea has proven to be one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, if not in World football. But now with over 150 United appearances under his belt, it might be time for him to leave for bigger and better things at Real Madrid. Madrid are in search for a long term successor to Iker Casillas and, at 24, de Gea seems like the perfect man to take over.

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With the Red Devils obviously reluctant to sell now, the summer will more than likely be the best time to consider cashing in in order to get the most money for him. If the rumoured £50 million price tag is accurate then it would make de Gea comfortably the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of the game. De gea has 18 months left on his current Old Trafford contract and it is not guaranteed that he will sign a new deal.

So with that in mind, and Financial Fair Play forcing the need to function at a profit, selling de Gea might not be a bad option, especially for the astronomical fee reported. They shouldn’t stand in the Spaniard’s way should he want to leave and it isn’t the end of the world, not with another world-class goalkeeper ready to take over.

Victor Valdes has been one of the world’s most outstanding goalkeepers in the last decade or so. At 33, he still has plenty of years left in the game at the very highest level. He made over 500 appearances for Barcelona, winning six La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues and two Club World Cups. Valdes will go down as one of, if not the, best goalkeepers in Barcelona’s history. Whilst Barcelona had a world-class defence, Valdes often bailed his team out with quality and consistent performances that made him so highly regarded.

He was one of a host of world-class players for Barcelona and, despite injury ruling him out for the best part of a year, there is no doubt that he can still put in those types of performances for United in the Premier League. Valdes also has a lot more experience than de Gea, especially in big matches, which would benefit Van Gaal’s side should de Gea leave the club. There’s also no doubting that Valdes is at a very similar level to de Gea quality wise, with Valdes’ experience perhaps just edging it in terms of being the better goalkeeper. That might be an unpopular statement, but it’s accurate nonetheless.

If David de Gea was to leave for United, either now or in the summer, then Victor Valdes is exactly the type of goalkeeper Van Gaal would want to call upon as a replacement.

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Baring in mind Valdes is already at the club, then it might not necessarily be a bad thing if de Gea left.

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Martin O’Neill is preparing to offer Connor Wickham to Swansea in order to push through the transfer of Danny Graham, the Telegraph understand.

The Sunderland boss is desperate to sign Graham before the transfer deadline shuts up shop on Thursday evening, with a £5million feel thought to have been agreed with the South Wales club.

It’s believed the Gateshead-born frontman wants to return to the North East after struggling for game time at the Liberty Stadium this season, due to the impressive form of Michu, with personal reasons also being cited.

Swans boss Michael Laudrup is prepared to offload the 27-year-old and O’Neill is now scrambling to push the deal over the line before the deadline with Premier League rivals Norwich and Stoke still interested.

Reports are now suggesting that England under-21 international Wickham will be used as a makeweight to speed up Graham’s protracted switch and O’Neill is hoping Swansea will agree to take him on loan until May.

The 19-year-old has struggled to make the desired impact since arriving at the Stadium of Light in an £8m move from Ipswich in June 2011.

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He has struggled to dislodge Steven Fletcher as Sunderland’s central striker this term, making just two starts, and O’Neill is hoping the extra exposure to first team football will stand him in good stead.

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James Vince, Tim David and Shimron Hetmyer were with Gulf Giants while Jason Holder and Andre Russell were with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Mohammad Isam03-Feb-2025A cluster of big names joined the playoff stage of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), all arriving from the International League T20 (ILT20) tournament in the UAE after being eliminated in that competition. James Vince, Tim David and Shimron Hetmyer have come from Gulf Giants (GG) while Andre Russell and Jason Holder have arrived after playing for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR).All five were in action at Monday’s BPL eliminator match. David, Russell and Vince turned out for Rangpur Riders while Khulna Tigers have Hetmyer and Holder in their corner.Kyle Mayers is reportedly also returning for Fortune Barishal after his stint with the Abu Dhabi franchise in the ILT20. Mayers had initially played five matches for Barishal, before hopping off to the ILT20 where he played ten matches.Related

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It is a timely boost for the BPL after a plethora of controversies over allegations of corruption and salary payment issues.The inclusion of these T20 A-listers will give the tournament some legitimacy. But the swift player transfer highlights the absurdity of the T20 market where a player gets to play more franchise leagues in the same window if his team is eliminated earlier than others. Vince has played in the Big Bash League, before making it to the ILT20 and now have arrived for the BPL.The injection of big stars created an early problem for Rangpur in the eliminator though. Vince had a mix-up with Soumya Sarkar in the first over of the eliminator, resulting in the latter getting run-out. Vince then fell for just one run, unable to read a two-paced wicket. David and Russell fell for seven and four respectively.The BPL hasn’t had a lot of big names playing this season. Alex Hales and Shaheen Afridi featured for the first couple of weeks while Jason Roy and Reece Topley also appeared for a few matches. In fact, there has been criticism of the large number of lesser-known and former overseas cricketers in the BPL.

With the tour clashing with the SA20, many of the first-choice players, including all of the bowling attack, is missing

Firdose Moonda30-Dec-2023Uncapped opening batter Neil Brand has been named South Africa’s captain for their two-Test tour to New Zealand, which starts on February 4 and clashes with the SA20. South Africa will travel with a makeshift squad, which features only three players that are part of the ongoing series against India: Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham and Zubayr Hamza, who was added as a replacement following Temba Bavuma’s hamstring injury. None of the first-choice bowling attack are available for the series, which is part of the World Test Championship (WTC).The bulk of the squad currently playing the India series will be unavailable because they will be engaged in the SA20 which begins on January 10. That ruled out Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Nandre Burger, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj. Dean Elgar will not be involved in the T20 tournament but he is retiring from Test cricket in the New Year.Red-ball coach Shukri Conrad’s plans were dealt a last-minute blow as well when Durban’s Super Giants signed Tony de Zorzi, who was slated to open the batting for South Africa in New Zealand, on Thursday morning. In all South Africa have seven uncapped players to go with seven capped players. Seamer Duanne Olivier, who played 15 Tests between 2017 and 2022 is the most experienced, followed by Petersen (12).Related

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• Edward Moore added to South Africa Test squad for New Zealand tour

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• SA in player availability conundrum for NZ Tests as T20 leagues encroach on bilateral commitments

South Africa’s 2023-25 WTC campaign began on Boxing Day, where they beat India by an innings and 32 runs to get their first points on the board. They will only play two-Test series for the entirety of this campaign including away trips to New Zealand, the West Indies and Bangladesh, and home series against India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. CSA attempted to get the New Zealand series moved in order to choose a stronger squad but was unable to and has left Conrad with the task of trying to get away points without his best players. But, South Africa have never lost a Test series to New Zealand and Conrad had earlier said he “backs himself to come back with something” from a trip where he could hand on as many as seven debuts.”The players picked for this tour have every chance of challenging New Zealand and we have full confidence they will do exactly that when we arrive for the first Test match at Mount Maunganui,” he said in a statement put out by CSA. “Most of these guys participated in the recent A series against West Indies where they showed that they have what it takes against players of international calibre. That experience will no doubt leave them in a better position for what we expect to be a testing series in New Zealand.”South Africa will travel with their usual support staff, none of whom are involved in the SA20, apart from batting consultant Ashwell Prince, who joined them for the India Tests. Prince is commentating on the SA20 and Imraan Khan, former Test batter and current Dolphins coach, will go to New Zealand in that role for this series.South Africa Test squad: Neil Brand (capt), David Bedingham, Ruan de Swardt, Clyde Fortuin (wk), Zubayr Hamza, Tshepo Moreki, Mihlali Mpongwana, Duanne Olivier, Dane Paterson, Keegan Petersen, Dane Piedt, Raynard van Tonder, Shaun von Berg, Khaya Zondo

Suraiya Azmin and Fariha Trisna have been left out

Mohammad Isam04-Sep-2022Bangladesh have made two changes to their 15-member squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier to be held later this month. Sanjida Akter and the uncapped Marufa Akter have been included in place of Suraiya Azmin and Fariha Trisna, but the core of the side that played in this year’s Commonwealth Games Qualifier and Women’s World Cup has been kept intact.The eight-team Qualifier will be held in Abu Dhabi from September 14 to 25. Bangladesh have been drawn in Group A alongside USA, Ireland and Scotland. All three of Bangladesh’s group matches will be held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.Sanjida is a left-arm orthodox spinner who has played four T20Is since making her debut in 2019. She was in the Commonwealth Games Qualifier squad, but wasn’t in the World Cup side. Marufa is an uncapped medium-pacer who was the second-highest wicket-taker in the Women’s National Cricket League T20s last month.These two players have replaced medium-pacer Suraiya and left-arm seamer Trisna, who was surprisingly left out despite taking 12 wickets in the same T20 competition as Marufa.The squad will travel to Abu Dhabi on September 8 for a pre-event conditioning camp which will go on for five days.Bangladesh squad: Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), Sharmin Akter, Shamima Sultana, Fargana Hoque, Rumana Ahmed, Ritu Moni, Lata Mondal, Salma Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Fahima Khatun, Sanjida Akter, Marufa Akter

New limited-overs captain is focused on defining a style of play in his early days

Firdose Moonda29-Mar-2021The Temba Bavuma era of white-ball cricket begins later this week, with a series against Pakistan which is intended to kickstart South Africa’s next three World Cup campaigns. Bavuma has been appointed until 2023 and will be in charge for two T20 World Cups and a fifty-over one, and while it is too early to list things like becoming global champions among his aims, Bavuma hopes to use this series to establish a brand of cricket that South Africa can carry through his tenure.”We have the opportunity now, building up to 2023 to the World Cup, to define our style of play and how we want to go about our business,” he said. “If you look at South Africa, we have always been a more than competitive ODI unit, even to the point where the guys have got to positions of No.1. For me, it’s about trying to define a style of play, create something that makes us accountable, and most importantly, to be able to institute that style of play in any conditions or any occasion.”While Bavuma did not specify what this new strategy will entail – team management has spoken about playing ‘smart but aggressive’ in the recent past – he has identified one area that needs improvement. “Mentally, that’s somewhere we probably need to improve a lot more in terms of getting stronger,” he said.South Africa have become known for crumbling under pressure in big moments at major tournaments but since the 2019 World Cup – where they were the first team to bow out – they have also become known for their rapid decline. They currently sit fifth on the ODI rankings and sixth in T20s and have only won one of their last six white-ball series as administrative chaos has bled onto the field and uncertainty has engulfed their approach.As an indication of the level of experimentation South Africa reached, they have handed out six ODI and seven T20 caps since the 2019-20 summer, and are on to their third captain.After Faf du Plessis was replaced by Quinton de Kock in February last year, de Kock has now been succeeded by Bavuma. None of these appointments appear to have been part of a plan. Du Plessis stood down as Test captain following South Africa’s defeat to England last year and was then stripped of the white-ball leadership. De Kock took over, and was also asked to temporarily lead South Africa in Tests which unfairly overburdened him. He was thensidelined from the leadership role in all formats. It is understood that de Kock wanted to continue the white-ball captaincy but after South Africa’s sorry trip to Pakistan earlier this year, they believed wholesale changes were necessary.Now, they face Pakistan again, having had two months of international inaction thanks to Australia’s cancelled Test tour and they seem to have a clean slate. At least, that’s how Bavuma makes it sound. “The mood is optimistic,” he said. Though the challenge is steep.For a start, South Africa will lose a quintet of key players after the second ODI as Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje head to the IPL. Their absence could well be a major disruption to Bavuma’s first series in charge, but he chose not to see it that way. “It’s not as disturbing now that we are aware of the arrangement that is in place,” he said. “For the first two games, we’ve got all our best players. It’s important that we get positive results. That’s not to say we are conceding the result in the third game. We believe we have got worthy enough replacements. I don’t think it’s that disturbing and we respect the relationship between CSA and the BCCI.”When the big five leave, South Africa are likely to award more new caps, and players like slog-overs specialist Sisanda Magala, seamer Lizaad Williams and allrounder Wihan Lubbe are among those in contention.”The guys who are here can take comfort in the fact that the World Cup squads will be coming from this group, so it’s important that guys acknowledge that there is an opportunity and that they know where they can fit in within that squad,” Bavuma said. “My message to the young guys is that the opportunity is there and make sure you keep churning out those performances.”It will help that Magala and Williams will be used to conditions at the Wanderers and SuperSport Park, their domestic home grounds, because it’s rare to play cricket in South Africa in April. Bavuma expects the Highveld to be even more bowler-friendly than usual. From his recollection of a T20 competition played in April 2018, he said: “it seemed to suit seam bowling a bit more, with the ball swinging. But the wickets still become favourable for batting, so even though the challenge will be a bit more with the seam but I think there’s something in there for the batters.”He also sees it as an opportunity for the team to test their adaptability, knowing that surfaces won’t always suit them. “In the long run we want to test ourselves a lot more in unfavourable conditions and see if we can execute our brand of cricket in all conditions,” he said.At this point, South Africa are still in their short run, with just seven fixtures against Pakistan before a two-month winter break. Their real work will start in June, when they hope to tour West Indies in a series that was postponed from last year, before heading to Ireland and possibly Sri Lanka and India before the T20 World Cup. That will be the first true test of Bavuma’s leadership and so for now his task “is to inspire and try and get the guys in spaces where they can perform as well as they can for the team.”

England’s “cursed” tour continues with Zak Crawley in line to replace injured opener

George Dobell in Cape Town02-Jan-2020England’s troubled tour of South Africa has taken a further turn for the worse, with the news that Rory Burns has been ruled out for the rest of the trip*. Burns, England’s senior opener, sustained ankle ligament damage during a game of warm-up football before training on Thursday, and is set to return home for treatment at the earliest opportunity.The beneficiary of Burns’ misfortune looks likely to be Zak Crawley. While there might have been a case for promoting Joe Denly to open and retaining Jonny Bairstow, it instead appears England will stick with Denly at No. 3, recall Ollie Pope in place of Bairstow and give Crawley, who batted at No. 6 on debut in Hamilton a few weeks ago but opens for Kent in the County Championship, a chance in his favoured spot.An opening partnership of Crawley and Dom Sibley already sounds like the answer to a quiz question in years to come. But Crawley can bat. While his opportunity may come a year or two before is ideal – he is just 21 and has a modest first-class average of 30.79 – he has played a couple of innings, notably centuries against strong Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire attacks, that really caught the eye. Crucially, he seems to play pace well and has impressed with his equable temperament.ALSO READ: Hosts’ strengths back in spotlight as England start againIt was Ben Stokes, in his Mirror column, who first referred to this as England’s “cursed tour.” And as Burns was carried from the field at Newlands, the day after Jofra Archer was revealed to be suffering from an elbow problem, you could see what Stokes meant.Burns was initially diagnosed only with a twisted left ankle and sent for a scan and X-ray. The manner in which he left the field – in obvious pain and unable to support his own weight – did not augur especially well, however, and it would have been a surprise to see him in the team on Friday morning.England have been coy about the involvement of Archer in the second Test. But, for the second day in succession, he took almost no part in training and must be considered highly unlikely. He, too, has been sent for a scan on his troublesome elbow and, in the circumstances, it would be a surprise if he was risked. As Joe Root put it, “we need to make sure we don’t blow him out for six months.” Mark Wood, who might have been the man to replace him, is not yet fit to do so.For a team 1-0 down in the series to lose their highest run-scorer and highest wicket-taker from the previous Test would be a considerable blow. But such has been England’s fortune on this tour – 11 players have been struck down with illness in the last couple of weeks – that it’s getting to the stage where you expect little better. During training the coach, Chris Silverwood – who claimed his only Test five-for here 20 years ago, bowling at a pace (around 95 mph) that would impress even Archer – narrowly missed a collision with a fork-lift truck. He responded with the rolled eyes of a man who isn’t expecting a lottery windfall any time soon.Much of these setbacks have simply been poor fortune. But the Burns incident may well revive calls to abandon football in training. Notably Ashley Giles, the director of England’s men’s teams, has raised doubts about the wisdom of the activity. This episode will do nothing to dissuade him, though it is worth clarifying that Burns was not the victim of a tackle, but instead landed badly after kicking the ball. To some extent, these things happen.But, as Root is wont to say, such setbacks provide opportunities for others. And the plucky young bowler likely to benefit from Archer’s absence is 37-year-old James Anderson. For, odd though it sounds, he was most likely to miss out had Archer been available. His record in South Africa – he has a bowling average of 41.25 here – is notably worse than Stuart Broad’s – 25.16 – and another look at the pitch has rendered it essential to include a spin bowler. It looks flat, slow and dry. It should be full of runs. And the captain that wins the toss should elect to bat.Zak Crawley looks on during training at Newlands•Getty Images

That spinner will almost certainly be Dom Bess. While he was not an original selection for this tour, he was called up as cover for Jack Leach and has impressed sufficiently in the nets to edge ahead of Matt Parkinson in the pecking order. Leach, while back in training, is not considered fit to be considered for selection, while Parkinson, who has few pretensions as a batsman or fielder, is seen by the England management at this stage of his career as much more of a white-ball prospect. Increasingly his selection for this tour is looking puzzling; he was picked for just four first-class games by Lancashire in 2019.It’s an incredible opportunity for Bess. A few months ago, he was so frustrated with his lack of opportunity at Somerset – where his progress has sometimes been blocked by the presence of Leach – that he went on loan to Yorkshire. He only won a recall to the Somerset side when Leach was selected by England. But he is seen as fiercely competitive, unlikely to be intimidated by the occasion – and a full-house crowd at one of the world’s great Test venues really does promise to be quite the occasion – and made scores of 57 and 49 in the two Tests he played at the start of the English summer of 2018. As a result, he will strengthen the tail considerably and is expected to come in at No. 9. He is also an outstanding fielder, as he showed when claiming a superb catch off Anderson in his second Test.The only concerns relate to his bowling. All six of his five-fors in Championship cricket have come on a Taunton ground tailor-made for spin bowling and the concern is, on a flatter surface, he may lack the weapons to counter high-quality batsmen. The England camp feel he has progressed substantially for the time he has spent working with Rangana Herath at a spin camp in Mumabi, but he is yet to have an opportunity to put such learning into practice; he played his last first-class game in September. While Simon Harmer and Leach both claimed five-fors in the game, he claimed 1-34 from 17 overs in Essex’s first innings and 1-8 from seven in the second. If he can, in the first innings, go for under three-an-over and allow his captain to rest and rotate the seamers, his selection can probably be considered a success.But there’s no pretending that any of this is ideal. For reasons that are, in general, beyond the control of the captain and the coach, there is a makeshift look to this team and a chaotic feel to the tour. Cursed? Let’s see how the next week goes.*1930 GMT – This story was updated with news of Burns’ injury

Close to 20 millimeters of rain fell on the fourth morning prior to the start of play which left a large chunk of the MCG outfield under water

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2018Torrential rain in Melbourne has ruined hopes of an entertaining finish between the Victoria and South Australia at the MCG.Close to 20 millimeters of rain fell in Melbourne on the fourth morning prior to the start of play which left a large chunk of the MCG outfield under water.The ground staff did an outstanding job in the middle of the day to dry the outfield and prepare the ground for a start at 4pm with Victoria needing just 102 runs from a potential 40 overs with eight wickets in hand for a third-straight victory to start the season.But another downpour just before the restart soaked the outfield again forcing the match to be called off.

Jarvis’s return will be the completion of work started by Zimbabwe’s convener of selectors Tatenda Taibu, to bring prominent internationals who chose to further their career elsewhere home

Firdose Moonda26-Sep-2017Pace bowler Kyle Jarvis is leaving Lancashire before the end of his current deal to resume his international career with Zimbabwe.Jarvis’ return will be the completion of work started by Zimbabwe’s convener of selectors Tatenda Taibu, to bring prominent internationals who chose to further their career elsewhere home. Last week, Brendan Taylor left Nottinghamshire in order to return to Zimbabwe, where he was immediately re-signed on a national deal. Taylor is expected to make his comeback in the two Test series against West Indies in October, two-and-a-half years after he signed a Kolpak deal at the end of the 2015 World Cup.Jarvis’s absence has been much longer. He left for Lancashire in 2013, just two years after making his debut. At the time, Zimbabwe Cricket was experiencing one of its myriad financial crisis and players had not been paid. Jarvis sought a county deal in the hope of financial security and established himself as one of the club’s most valuable players. Zimbabwe would say the same.Though they have had several bowlers come through, injuries to Tinashe Panyangara, Tendai Chatara, Brian Vitori and Chris Mpofu over the years have meant they have been unable to establish a regular opening pair. With Zimbabwe set to play more matches, especially Test matches, and the World Cup qualifiers ahead of them, Jarvis will be seen as someone who can fill that role.”I have absolutely loved my time at Lancashire over the last four years,” Jarvis said. “It’s a very special place and I have made some fantastic friends here. I am immensely proud to have played a part in the history of this great club. I would like to thank everyone that for making me feel part of it.”In eight Test, Jarvis has taken 30 wickets at 31.73 alongside 27 at 45.22 in ODIs and 10 wickets in nine T20Is.

Steven Davies struck 82 to lead his side away from trouble, after which the Surrey batsman reiterated his desire to retake the gloves

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval19-Jun-2016
ScorecardSteven Davies struck a valuable 82•Getty Images

On March 15 2009, a ragtag England side, fresh from being bundled out for 51 en route to defeat in the Test series, faced West Indies in a T20 game in Trinidad. That Andrew Strauss led England’s T20 side embodied their frazzled state.Predictably, England were thrashed. Amid the wreckage of an ignominious defeat a little solace came from the bat of Steven Davies: making his international debut aged 22, Davies top scored with a crisp 27.On Friday, Davies turned 30, an age that invites self-reflection among all of us, but especially in those with career as short as that of professional sportsmen. Davies has much to be proud of: over 10,000 first-class runs at a tick above 40 apiece, and each made with an élan rarely spied on the county circuit.And yet all these runs cannot quite detract from the abiding sense of Davies’ career as being a little unfulfilled. In the seven years since his England debut, Davies has added just 12 more international caps, and has yet to play a Test match. “I’m fairly happy with it,” Davies said of his career to date. “I’ve represented England, which was one of my goals as a young boy.”All his batting qualities were in evidence against Nottinghamshire at The Oval. While Surrey slipped to 172 for 6, Davies remained impervious to the sense of crisis mounting over Surrey’s Division One status. As much as any shots that Kumar Sangakkara played during his 29, Davies’s every stroke oozed elegance.Consecutive boundaries off Brett Hutton – one glided through third man, the other caressed to fine leg of his hips – encapsulated Davies’ ability to reach the boundary without any discernible effort. There are few more aesthetic batsmen on the county circuit, and here that elegance was married with grit: Davies played Jake Ball with meticulous care, leaving the ball with great precision. The shame was that Davies played on for 82 in the evening gloom. In his own judgement, it was a microcosm of his wider challenge to capitalise upon his good starts.”It’s just application. It’s turning those 80s, like I got today, into 120 or 130. I once spoke to Rob Key about batting and he said, ‘You can’t score runs every day, but when it is your day, make sure it’s a massive score.’ For me, it’s turning those decent scores into really big ones, and that will take me to the next level.”Davies’ delicate cuts, played so late that the ball already seemed safely nestled inside the wicketkeeper’s gloves, were also infused with a rather elegiac quality. His aptitude in the first-class game befits a stage greater than a dingy day at The Oval, but Davies might never get it.The debate over Jonny Barstow’s readiness as a Test wicketkeeper, for all his gluttonous recent run-scoring, emphasises that England have lacked an established Test keeper since Matt Prior’s form deserted him three years ago.It was once assumed that Davies would replace Prior. But the tragic death of Tom Maynard, a close friend, in 2012 triggered a collapse in his form, and later a battle with depression. After that fateful year Davies’ form has remained good without ever quite being scintillating, but his England ambitions have been undermined by a decision he made early in the summer of 2014, to stop keeping wicket and play as a specialist batsman instead. Surrey were taken aback. Davies has still made easily enough runs to justify his place in the team, but far from enough to suggest to the England selectors he could play international cricket as a specialist batsman.At the start of this season Davies declared his intent to regain the gloves and, in so doing, maximise his England ambitions. But halfway through the summer, Davies has not kept wicket in a single game, in any format. With each match that passes, so his international ambitions subtly recede.To keep for Surrey, Davies needs to usurp Ben Foakes and also Gary Wilson, who has kept ahead of Davies in white-ball cricket. “I’ve got to bide my time,” he said. “It’s frustrating, but it’s just the way it is. I’m in the last year of my contract so we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”If he did choose to leave, Davies would not be short of suitors – Essex, Nottinghamshire and Somerset are among the counties potentially attracted by his consistent run-scoring – but might need to accept less than his hefty wage at The Oval. Davies could face a conflict between pursuing his England ambitions and safeguarding his financial future.The greatest reason for that is the eminent potential of Foakes. Trevor Bayliss has spoken about Foakes’ potential as a future England keeper. Here there were glimpses of why: consecutive flicks to the leg-side boundary off Harry Gurney brimmed with panache, even if Foakes’ stay at the crease was too fleeting. Despite Arun Harinath’s 73, which became progressively more fluent as it progressed, there was something worryingly familiar about the meekness of Surrey’s top order.”We need to play tougher, smarter cricket,” Davies said. That he did just that, allied to Nottinghamshire’s reliance upon their opener pair of quicks and the counterpunching of Tom Curran, meant that Surrey were able to salvage a position of near-parity by the close. But, once again, both Davies and his club would have hoped for even better.