The wait is Over: Six balls and a lifetime later, Jofra Archer returns with a bang

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Four years after his last Test appearance, England’s fast bowler scripts a perfect return to the big time

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-Jul-20250:50

Manjrekar: Great comeback story for Archer

There was a touch of anxiety in the England camp on Friday morning, when eight of the Test squad set off on Lime bikes for the near four-mile journey from the team’s Royal Garden Hotel to Lord’s.The one-day squad did similar to beat the traffic for an ODI against West Indies at the Kia Oval last month, but this was different. Once you are through the picturesque Kensington Gardens, you enter the realm of the main roads, tangling treacherously like competing interests as Paddington becomes Edgware Road.In May, the NHS reported a surge in A&E admissions for people who had suffered trapped legs in falls, colloquially known as “Lime Bike Leg”. Imagine the uproar if an active member of England’s XI in this third Test did himself a mischief on the commute, when even Brendon McCullum chose to walk in this morning?Jofra Archer was one of the “Lime Bike Eight”. And maybe it was only right for there to be a hint of jeopardy on his final journey before returning as an active Test cricketer.When he walked out to bat, it was Archer’s first competitive act in England whites in more than 1500 days. And it is no reach to suggest that each day had carried an associated risk, such as simply commuting to work, which might have added to the wait.Jofra Archer claimed a wicket on his Sussex return after four years out of red-ball cricket•PA Photos/Getty ImagesIt was not just those five days across a 25-month period in which he underwent surgery on his elbow, lower back and hand. Nor the 77 matches he has played in the four-year period since that 13th Test cap in Ahmedabad back in February 2021. Every time Archer got out of bed in the morning during this period, including this Friday, there will have been a fleeting moment of wondering whether he was about to feel the wrong thing in the wrong place.So, really, what was a bike-ride to work, other than a final journey for Archer: a man already incarcerated by hours of doubt, contained within the months of rehabilitation, and years of uncertainty over getting back to Test cricket. The air on his face as he ventured back to where this all began, against Australia in 2019, weeks after hisSuper Over heroics at the same venue in the World Cup final, must have felt like liberation.Even more so as he steamed down from the Pavilion End. Out came the first ball, played judderingly by Yashasvi Jaiswal. The crowd, already swelling with pride, swelled even more, yearning to burst.

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It was no surprise Archer’s follow-up was near perfection. One of his understated super-strengths is unerring accuracy. During his early, pre-England days with Sussex, he could sit into a holding pattern, hammering out the same length, over after over. His former coaches, Jason Gillespie and Jon Lewis, often reiterated the importance of marrying such precision with patience. And though Archer often indulged his frustrations with the odd short ball, he understood the value in testing a batter’s substance with his restraint.Related

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  • Archer returns to England's ODI squad for South Africa tour

His patience has certainly come in for a serious examination. From messaging Ben Stokes “Zim?” ahead of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe earlier this summer, to turning out for his old school team, Foundation, in December 2023 – much to the surprise of men’s managing director Rob Key ­ Archer has veered towards the impetuous in the final stages of this comeback.You can understand why. England’s plans to get him back as a three-format bowler have come in two phases – heavily planned and .Ahead of the 2022 Pakistan tour, he bowled for England Lions against the full side in the UAE, the first steps on a roadmap that required a good deal of politicking.Earlier that year, Key and SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith had struck a gentleman’s agreement that, within reason, all centrally contracted England players would be granted an NOC for the inaugural competition. In turn, a stint for Archer with MI Cape Town was worked out for the new year, which led neatly into a series against South Africa that marked Archer’s first England appearance in close to two years.Everything was on course until another stress fracture in his elbow ruled him out of the 2023 Ashes. From that point on, England decided to be less proactive and more reactive. Though the coaches and medical staff hive-minded a PDF on Archer’s next steps – common practice for all their bowlers – it was only after regular assessments, at each of his homes in Brighton and Barbados, that the next plan was put in place.3:04

Root: ‘Great to see Archer smiling, enjoying his cricket’

The 2024 T20 World Cup was a personal success, even if England were as underwhelming as a team could be in reaching the semi-finals. A fixture against Scotland in Barbados brought Archer’s two worlds together, and felt, outwardly, like a springboard. Cheered on by kids from his former school, he admitted to tearing up, even if the game ended as a no-result.ODIs against Australia later that summer brought the enticing prospect of an Ashes series to the fore. It felt, at the very least, that a corner had been turned: even when Archer returned to the IPL with a thumb injury, the light at the end of the tunnel was illuminating the final steps.He missed the ODIs against West Indies at the start of this summer, but stepped up his bowling loads. Barring that text to Stokes, he bided his time, ticked a box with a first County Championship match in four years for Sussex against Durham, and did enough in the intervals during the second Test at Edgbaston last week to show England’s hierarchy he was ready. On the eve of the match, he gave his captain such a beasting in the nets that Stokes was late for his captain’s pre-match press conference, as he went back in for another hit.

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Who knows what would have happened had Bashir not been there. Archer might have run all the way through the Lord’s Grandstand, into another dimension. And those in the ground who had cheered his return, then hugged each other at this crowning moment, would have followed.The beauty of true fast bowling is not about destroying stumps or ending batters, but creating worlds in an instant. And wherever Archer had ended up – whether he’d stopped at square leg or not at all, he was at the centre of it.The visceral screams. The straining of his face. The thrusting of his limbs, as if more outlets were needed for his emotions. His gold chains bounced on his reinforced chest and shoulders, as if they were extensions of the man, rather than the impediments they were first made out to be when he arrived on to the international scene.It’s worth noting there are now two chains around Archer’s neck. In ancient Egypt, the wealthy would be buried with their gold, which they would then exchange for passage into the afterlife. Such has been Archer’s toil in this realm already, the extra one has the feel of a souvenir of his journey through purgatory.Archer was a regular attendee at England training sessions while rehabbing from his elbow injury•PA Photos/Getty Images

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Part of Archer “injury-proofing” his body has been a more muscular physique. His trunk is thicker, his upper body more welter- than lightweight.As a result, the way he delivers the ball has changed. Where once his trajectory came over his right shoulder, with the smoothest path from A to B, his release-point now comes from slightly further out. It’s not a conscious choice from Archer but a case of his body adapting to new restrictions, and finding a way to avoid the pain.Undoubtedly, Archer has lost the whippiness of his first incarnation, along with the ability to get front-on, and come over the top of his front leg in the manner that he used to. And yet it took him just four balls to unleash the fastest delivery of the series so far.He would deliver another close to it – 93.3mph, third ball of his second over. By the end of his initial spell of 1 for 16, he was averaging 89.8mph, the third-fastest new-ball spell of five or more overs since 2006.Archer returned to the IPL with a bang this season•BCCI

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Having watched the previous delivery go by in a flash, Karun Nair barely moved his feet to this one. An impulsive twitch brought the inside half of his bat into play, which just about saved him from the nip down the slope that had done for Jaiswal. This delivery had designs on Nair’s front pad, maybe even some stumps.By now, the near-30,000 spectators inside Lord’s were transfixed. Just as Jasprit Bumrah had demanded their attention earlier in the day, here was Archer, keeping them on the edge of their seats, with only that familiar shuffle – head down, back to the top of his mark – allowing them a moment to lean back and catch their breath.The nagging length was there, his pace with the new Dukes ball was amplifying every available bit of movement and drama. This is why so many fans kept faith with the idea of Archer. That he could come again, eliciting bygone brilliance here and now.It is also why the ECB has invested so much in him. The central contracts, the round-the-clock care, the expertise of industry-leading surgeons such as Rowan Schouten (back) and Roger van Riet (elbow), and the leeway to indulge home comforts and, eventually, cede to his forceful request to enter the recent edition of the IPL.That caused some alarm. The IPL’s stipulation on entering 2025’s auction or risk being banned from the next two editions was, understandably, too big a risk for Archer, even if the ECB wanted him fresh for as much or as little of this India series and the winter’s Ashes as possible. The masterplan was into his final throes – but was Archer getting cold feet?Far from it. Sure, he was wary, as much about his luck as history and his age. But the 30-year-old’s desire to get back to Test cricket has never dimmed.Jofra Archer returned to his native Barbados for the T20 World Cup last year•Getty ImagesThe kid at home in Barbados, posting constantly about the cricket he was watching, had become an adult posting intermittently about the cricket he was watching. Stokes bit back at the suggestion that Archer had been kept around for the Headingley Test in order to persuade him to keep the format on his agenda. “Look, he didn’t need any more reason to find any more desire,” Stokes said, and he should know, having never stopped checking in on Archer through his years of rehab.Rightly or wrongly, Archer also carries guilt. Speaking during last year’s T20 World Cup, he revealed that not playing made him feel like a burden. “I’ve seen a few comments, people saying ‘he’s on the longest paid holiday they’ve ever seen’,” he said of barbs from keyboard warriors in his mentions and comments.Here, in real life, there were no haters.

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Can you really come back if you have never been away?Since Ahmedabad 2021, Archer has played 41 matches for England. All have come in white-ball cricket, and featuring in two international tournaments in that period skewers the notion of one returning from the wilderness. Nair, the man who placed meaningful bat on ball for this final delivery of the over, has more of a claim for that narrative.Archer in his delivery stride on his return to Test cricket•Getty ImagesThere was a moment, when that final ball was gathered at midwicket, that the crescendo-ed whoops that had greeted Archer’s run-up tailed off into a drop of silence.It was a pause to catch your breath. A moment to glance at the scoreboard and realise Archer’s first over was done. A realisation that now, this Dukes, in other hands, won’t dance as smooth, sing as sweet, or sting as sharp.All those emotions from all those people soon joined as one again, as they coo-ed for an encore from Archer who, simply by collecting his cap off umpire Sharfuddoula, had already exited the stage.Archer would bowl nine more overs, closing out the day with 1 for 22, to finish as England’s most economical and threatening bowler. Like Bumrah, a singular threat, a singular thrill. But unlike Bumrah, a vindication of the excitement and anticipation that had been underpinned by trepidation.This is a new Archer. One we have seen building out in the open in patches, but behind the scenes for years.In an era when most blockbuster Hollywood productions are modern remakes of beloved classics, it is not unfair to suggest that Archer will be seen as a peak example of this trend. He is not quite the original, and probably never will be.But he remains compelling theatre, heart-warmingly brilliant and, now, an embodiment of spirit. If you need to know how deep a man must go to reclaim what he really wants, you’d do well to chart his return to the Test stage.And that’s just from one over.

What if teams got more points for taking Tests longer (without drawing)?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The current WTC system is weighed in favour of bowler-friendly pitches. Here’s one that aims to incentivise longer Test matches that end in an outright result

Kartikeya Date01-Dec-2025The World Test Championship points system awards 12 points for a Test win, four points for a draw, and none for a Test defeat. This makes a Test win significantly more valuable compared to a draw.Consider two hypothetical three-match series, where in the first, the winning side wins 2-1, earning 24 points to the losing team’s 12. In the other, the winning side wins 1-0, earning 20 points (12 for the win, four each for the draws), while the losing side earns eight. In terms of raw points, the side winning 2-1 earns more points than the side winning 1-0. It also earns a higher percentage of the available points (24 out of a possible 36, or 66.7%) compared to the 1-0 winning side (20 points out of a possible 36, or 55.6%). This is significant because a team’s position on the WTC table is decided based on the percentage of available points that they collect.It is fair to say that the WTC points system disincentives draws in Test cricket. Only 26 of the 216 Test matches (one in eight) in the WTC era have been drawn. It would not be fair to say, however, that the WTC system singularly has caused teams to chase results. That tendency precedes the championship.In the 214 Tests just before the WTC era, 32 were drawn. It is also not the case that the more successful teams in the WTC era play fewer draws. In the last two editions of the championship (2021-23 and 2023-25), the top four teams in the final table played at least as many, if not more, draws than the bottom four teams.Nevertheless, Test matches have been getting shorter. This is partly because scoring rates have been rising, and consequently, dismissals are occurring more frequently than they used to. This is also due to the DRS. Other interesting causes are evident in the record, but those are best left for a separate discussion. For now, let’s focus on the cause that keeps attracting much discussion every time a short Test match is played – the pitch.Home teams have the privilege of producing pitches of their choice in Test cricket. Different parts of the world have different types of soil, weather and traditions, and produce a variety of pitches, all of which are not equally well suited to the same styles of bowling. The ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process acknowledges this reality. In the WTC era, all home teams have produced bowler-friendly, result-oriented, pitches.Home teams cannot produce pitches that make only their own victory more likely, especially when the visiting team has sufficient quality and variety in bowling, as New Zealand, South Africa, England, India, Australia and Pakistan invariably have had for all conditions in recent times. The best home teams can hope for is that even against a fairly complete opponent, their own quality and depth in bowling on their pitches will outgun that of the visitors in the long run. The Australians, for instance, successfully made this bet when India toured in 2024-25. They lost the first Test, in Perth, on a very quick, seaming pitch, but in the end, their superior fast-bowling depth and quality told on five fast-bowler-friendly surfaces. In a short series, there isn’t always time for this type of benefit to play out. But even there, as we have seen above, 1-1 is a better result than 0-0 under the WTC points system.In the 865 non-WTC Test matches since the start of 2000 that were not played at neutral venues, the median game lasted 1982 balls. Of the 432 Tests that were completed in 1982 balls or fewer, the home team won 255 and lost 129 (or 59 wins and 30 defeats per 100 Tests). Of the 432 Tests that lasted more than 1982 balls, the home team won 170 and lost 122 (or 39 wins and 28 defeats per 100 Tests). Longer Tests make winning less likely but don’t reduce the frequency of defeat; they increase the probability of draws.Under the current points system, matches less than about 300 overs long fetch the home team 60% of available points, while longer ones produce 56%. Which makes home teams interested in risking defeat chasing victory with bowler-friendly pitches•Gallo ImagesIn the WTC era the median Test has lasted 1765 balls. Of the 109 matches that lasted 1765 balls or fewer during this period, the home team won 61 and lost 40 (or 56 wins, 37 defeats per 100 Tests). Of the 106 matches that lasted more than 1765 balls, the home team won 53 and lost 34 (50 wins and 32 defeats per 100 Tests). Matches have become shorter in the WTC era; longer WTC matches (those longer than the median) produce 18 draws per 100 Tests, compared to nine draws per 100 Tests in shorter matches. But under the WTC points system shorter matches produce 59% of available points for the home team (56 wins, nine draws), while longer matches produce 56% of available points for the home team (50 wins, 18 draws). So it is in the interests of the home team to risk defeat chasing victory in the WTC era by preparing more bowler-friendly pitches.The general understanding that better batting pitches increase the probability of the draw by reducing the likelihood of winning more than they reduce the likelihood of losing, precedes the WTC era. It is no surprise that England sought old-fashioned English pitches after losing by 405 runs to Australia in the Lord’s Test of the 2015 Ashes. The cost of an English fast bowler’s wicket in England dropped from 29.1 runs in the 2011-2015 period (including that Lord’s Ashes Test), to 23.9 runs from the end of that 2015 Test to the start of the Bazball era in June 2022. The 2011-15 period was already a strong era for England, with Stuart Broad and James Anderson forming a great seam-bowling new-ball pair.India’s desire for turning pitches at home has a much longer history in modern cricket. Most Indian captains have sought such conditions, believing (correctly) that, (a) in the long run, their superior depth and quality of spin bowling will mean they will win a lot more than they lose, and (b) that a turning pitch mitigates consequences arising from the outcome of the toss.The conventional wisdom, which has found new voice following India’s defeat at Eden Gardens – that better wickets will amplify India’s spin bowling quality – is not borne out by the record. Since the start of 1993, India have played 151 Tests at home, won 90 and lost 24. Anil Kumble played his first home Test against England in January 1993, marking the start of a prolonged period of Indian spin domination at home. India’s median home Test in this period has lasted 2059 balls. Of 75 home Tests that lasted 2061 balls or fewer, India won 55 and lost 11. Of the 75 that lasted longer than 2061 balls, India won 35 and lost 12. While it is true, as Himanish Ganjoo has showed on these pages that, relative to better batting pitches, bowler-friendly pitches reduce India’s batting average more than they do the opposition’s (since the visiting team’s batting average is lower to begin with), this does not, in the long run, translate to more frequent defeats for India.If the current points system rewards bowler-friendly pitches because teams don’t want to risk draws, how might a points system that aims to produce longer Test matches without incentivising draws be devised? Such a system would, for instance, reward a win in 400 overs more than it does a win in 280 overs. The requirement is for a system that makes the choice less obvious for home teams when it comes to preferring result pitches. It will do this by finding a way to penalise shorter Tests (and consequently, pitches at the bowler-friendly end of the spectrum) without rewarding draws. Rewarding draws is likely to encourage home teams to ask for featherbeds.The current WTC points system also does not consider the balance of play; it only considers the result. A draw is a draw, and teams get the same number of points whether it is a team hanging on by one wicket in a thrilling finish or a Test in which only 21 wickets fall over 400 overs of play.A few years ago I proposed a method of measuring the dominance of a Test team. It is sensitive to the outcome of every delivery in the match. Under that system, the two teams in the Kanpur and Ahmedabad Tests above would not finish on an equal number of points. That system also avoids arbitrary thresholds (for instance, the WTC system prescribes a 3:1 ratio for wins to draws). How points are allotted using this hypothetical system is shown below with the examples of two recent Tests. (Note, the intermediate figures are rounded to three decimal places here. In the actual calculation, they are not.)1. India vs South Africa at Eden Gardens, 2025
Result: SA won by 30 runs
SA: 312 for 20 in 654 balls
IND: 282 for 18 in 584 ballsRuns per wicket for the match (312 + 282) / (20 + 18) = 15.63IND batting points: 282 / 584 = 0.483
IND bowling points: 20*15.63 / 654 = 0.478
SA batting points: 312 / 654 = 0.477
SA bowling points: 18*15.63 / 584 = 0.482
IND total points: 0.959
SA total points: 0.961Since South Africa won outright, they get a win bonus – equal to the average number of points each team earned in the match – which in this case is 0.960 (0.959 + 0.961) / 2South Africa’s total points for the match: 0.961 + 0.960 = 1.919, and India’s total points for the match: 0.959. So South Africa has +0.960 points net.2. India v England at Edgbaston, 2025
Result: India won by 336 runs
IND: 1014 for 16 in 1404 balls
ENG: 678 for 20 in 946 ballsRuns per wicket for the match: 47IND total points: 3.200
ENG total points: 1.252
IND net points: 1.948In draws, each team’s final points tally is simply the sum of their bowling and batting points. For instance, in the 2023 Ahmedabad Test referenced above, India collected 1.008 points and Australia 0.934 points. In other words, India collected a net 0.069 points and Australia a net -0.069 points.This method of assessing teams in Test matches is sensitive to the outcome of each delivery, and to the margin of victory (or even the margin of the draw). For the hypothetical WTC version of this system, I propose scaling the winning team’s points by a match-length factor to arrive at the win bonus for outright wins.The average outright result in WTC Tests takes 1738 deliveries. So we divide the number of deliveries in a match by 1800 (300 overs), or the average length. If a match lasts 2000 deliveries, the match length factor is 2000 / 1800. The consequence of this method of deriving the win-bonus figure is shown in the graph below, which compares the net points teams earn in all the outright results in WTC Tests using this modified system to their net points in the original system. The net points decrease for shorter matches and increase for longer matches.Kartikeya DateThe calculation of the net points per match for each team in the 2021-23 WTC Test cycle is below. This comparison is difficult to make because pitch preparation is shaped by the points system at work. If pitches that last five days give teams a chance to earn more points than quicker victories on more precarious pitches, then pitches will become less bowler-friendly. The comparison also depends on which matches a team loses and which it wins. For instance, the average Test match won by South Africa in the 2021-23 WTC cycle lasted 1703 balls, while the average Test they lost lasted 1319 balls. Five of their six defeats in this cycle came in New Zealand, England and Australia. The sixth was a defeat to India in the 2021 Boxing Day Test in Centurion.

Under the proposed system, a team that wins a Test match by one wicket, scoring 301 for 19 in 600 balls and conceding 300 for 20 in 600 balls earns a net points tally of 0.704, using a 300-overs threshold. Using the same threshold, a one-wicket win achieved scoring 601 for 19 in 1200 balls and conceding 600 for 20 in 1200 balls earns a net points tally of 1.379. It is worth nearly two wins of the first kind.By making the outcome of each ball count in the final net points tally (since it is calculated from the runs, balls and wickets for each team), this new points system shifts the focus to the management of resources. For instance, if a team reaches 400 for 4 in this system, there is an incentive to declare, to deny the opposition the opportunity to take a few cheap wickets and acquire some extra points.The proposed approach raises the possibility of an interesting perverse incentive. If a team, say, like Australia in the Perth Test of the current Ashes were to have reached 162 for 1 in 25 overs, chasing 205, and wondered whether it was worth blocking a few overs and taking, say, 40 overs to score the last 43 runs, instead of 20 balls as they did, how much would their points tally improve?In the match as it occurred, Australia finish with 1.248 net points under the new system. In the alternative match, where Australia chased 205 in 68 overs instead of 28, they would end with 1.254 net points (given an otherwise identical eight-wicket margin of victory). The points system rewards quick runs and a greater number of runs. It also rewards efficient management of resources. The proportion in which it does this can be adjusted by weighting the match length-scale factor.If the fans and the authorities want to see Test cricket on pitches that are gentler to the batter, then the competitive incentives need to be shaped to make home teams amenable to it. A points system that is sensitive to these competitive instincts and can reward winning on the fifth day more than it rewards winning on the third is necessary.The system proposed in this article attempts to pursue each of these ends. It is sensitive to the outcome of each delivery. And it rewards wins in longer Tests more than it rewards wins in shorter ones. It (or something like it) should be adopted in the WTC.

Stats – Deepti Sharma in a league of her own in World Cups

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Stats highlights from the Women’s World Cup final between India and South Africa

Sampath Bandarupalli02-Nov-2025

Deepti Sharma had an exceptional tournament with bat and ball•ICC/Getty Images

298 for 7 India’s total against South Africa was the second highest in a Women’s World Cup final, behind Australia’s 356 for 5 against England in 2022.They are the fourth team to win the Women’s World Cup, after Australia (seven titles), England (four titles) and New Zealand (one title).58 and 5 for 39 Deepti Sharma’s performance in the World Cup final – she’s the first player with a half-century and a five-wicket haul in an ODI knockout match (men or women). She’s also the first player with a fifty and a five-for in a women’s World Cup match.Deepti is only the second player to take a five-wicket haul in a Women’s World Cup final. England’s Anya Shrubsole was the first, who took 6 for 46 against India in the final of the 2017 edition.22 Wickets for Deepti in the tournament, the joint second highest in a Women’s World Cup. Lyn Fullston took 23 wickets in the 1982 World Cup, while Jackie Lord also took 22 in 1982.Deepti is also the first player to do the double of 200-plus runs and 20-plus wickets in a World Cup, having scored 215 runs, including three fifties, and taken two four-plus wicket hauls.Related

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21 years & 278 days Shafali Verma’s age, making her the youngest to win the Player-of-the-Match award at an ODI World Cup final. The previous youngest was Australia’s Jess Duffin, who was 23 years and 235 days old in the 2013 women’s World Cup final against West Indies.571 Runs scored by Laura Wolvaardt, the most in a Women’s World Cup, surpassing Alyssa Healy’s tally of 509 runs in 2022. Wolvaardt also matched Healy’s feat from the 2022 edition of scoring hundreds in the semi-final and final.ESPNcricinfo Ltd14 Fifty-plus scores for Wolvaardt in Women’s World Cups, the most by any batter. She is also the second highest run-getter in the Women’s World Cup, behind Debbie Hockley (1501).104 Partnership runs between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali for the first wicket – only the second century opening stand in a Women’s World Cup final, after the 160 by Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes against England in 2022.

خاص | تغيير ملعب مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في دوري اليد

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

استقر الاتحاد المصري لكرة اليد، على تغيير مكان مباراة الأهلي والزمالك، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري.

ويلتقي الأهلي والزمالك، ضمن منافسات الجولة الخامسة من بطولة دوري المحترفين لكرة اليد.

وعلم بطولات أن اتحاد اليد يداستقر على إقامة قمة كرة اليد المصرية بين الأهلي والزمالك على صالة هليوبوليس في الشروق بدلا من صالة حسن مصطفى.

طالع.. خاص | عقوبة ضد المهدي سليمان في الزمالك.. واجتماع منتظر

ومن المقرر أن تقام المباراة بين الأهلي والزمالك في تمام السادسة مساءٌ يوم 5 ديسمبر.

يذكر أن الزمالك فاز على نظيره الشمس بنتيجة 35-21 بينما فاز الأهلي على نظيره البنك الأهلي بنتيجة 38-26.

Perrin, 18, showcases sparkling talent in Superchargers thrashing

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Opener hits unbeaten 72 off 40 balls to keep Rockets winless

ECB Media10-Aug-2025Eighteen-year-old Davina Perrin continued her impressive domestic form with a sparkling 42-ball 70 to overpower Trent Rockets in The Hundred.It was Perrin’s first half-century in The Hundred, and the second-highest score by a female English player uncapped at international level. More importantly for Perrin and Northern Superchargers, it took them to the top of the table with two wins from two.”I had a conversation with one of the coaches before and he said: ‘What are you going to do when you go out?’ And I was like: ‘have fun,'” Perrin said. “It was a pretty decent deck, it was coming onto the bat nicely, so it allowed me to lean into it and just try and play strong shots. It’s nice to do it front of so many people and on a decent ground, so happy days.”It was a dominant performance from the team in purple, who were on top straight away and rarely let their foot off the gas, save some customary excellence from Trent Rockets skipper Ash Gardner.The Superchargers had Rockets at 5 for 3 after 18 balls and right up against it, Gardner did her thing to fight back with a 32-ball 61 but it was essentially a lone hand and her side’s eventual total of 128 felt light at a sun-dappled Trent Bridge.Ash Gardner forces one away through the off side•Warren Little/Getty ImagesPerrin dominated the opening partnership of 62 with Alice Davidson-Richards and entertained the crowd throughout, with strong shots all around the wicket and even a one-handed scoop. Phoebe Litchfield matched her stroke for stroke with her 10-ball 22 and Annabel Sutherland finished things off in a fittingly creative way, reverse-sweeping through the off-side.It was a performance of great promise from the Superchargers who will feel they’re laying down a marker, for Rockets the need to get a win on the board is getting ever greater.

Tendulkar: Siraj 'doesn't get the credit he deserves'

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Sachin Tendulkar has hailed the efforts of some of the India players who played a key role in the five-match Test series against England that ended 2-2 after a heart-stopping finish on the final day. Tendulkar heaped praise on “unbelievable” Mohammed Siraj, talked about how KL Rahul tightened his game around off stump with “precise footwork”, how Yashasvi Jaiswal showed a lot of character and maturity during his twin hundreds, and how Shubman Gill remained “calm and composed” as a captain.Apart from the high-octane finish and the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy being shared, the series saw a number of twists and turns, dramatic face-offs and some extraordinary individual efforts, such as Rishabh Pant and Chris Woakes walking out to bat with injuries. Pant played four of the five Tests and scored two centuries and three half-centuries, the last of them with a fractured right foot to average 68.42 with a strike rate of 77.63.”The sweep shot that he played, he likes to get under the ball to scoop it with some elevation,” Tendulkar said on Reddit. “People think he has fallen, but it is intentional so that he can get under the ball. The secret to play those shots is to be able to get under the ball. So it’s a planned fall, he doesn’t go off-balance. All that depends on the length of the ball.”Related

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While calling Pant’s strokeplay and the “punch” he adds to them a “god’s gift”, Tendulkar said, “There were occasions where people felt he doesn’t have to play that shot, it’s not the right time, but someone like Rishabh should be left alone. But when he’s looking to save a match, he has to have a different approach, like in the last 15-20 overs of a match. But he has figured out [how to approach an innings] depending on the match situation.”

Gill was ‘so much in control’, Rahul played some ‘magnificent shots’

The two batting stalwarts for India in this series were Gill and opener Rahul, who racked up 754 runs and 532 runs respectively with six hundreds between them. Tendulkar pointed out both batters had “precise footwork” on the challenging conditions in England. Gill’s series aggregate was the second-highest tally of a captain, only behind Don Bradman’s 810 in 1936.”He was extremely consistent as far as his thought process was concerned because it reflects on your footwork,” he said of Gill. “If you’re not clear in your head, your body doesn’t respond accordingly, and his body was responding brilliantly. He looked so much in control, he had so much time to play the ball. The most important thing I noticed was the respect to a good ball where the tendency sometimes is to push the ball on the front foot, even if it’s not close to your foot. He was able to defend there and consistently defend well on the front foot. His front-foot defence was solid.”On Rahul, who scored more than one hundred in a series for the first time in a Test series, Tendulkar said: “He was terrific, possibly one of the best I’ve seen him bat. The way he was defending close to the body, he was leaving in a completely organised manner, he knew exactly where his off stump was and which balls to leave. I got the feeling sometimes he was able to frustrate the bowler, that where should they bowl to him if he’s letting so many balls go. So he got the bowlers to come back to him, and when the ball was in striking range he played some magnificent shots. I thought he looked in that zone, calm and composed.”4:04

How do you move on from such an epic series?

Siraj ‘doesn’t get the credit he deserves’

Among the bowlers, Siraj impressed Tendulkar. Siraj was the only bowler across both teams to play all five Tests and sent down 1113 balls in all, 361 more than anyone, and led the wicket-takers’ list with a haul of 23. He had to do the heavy lifting in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah in two Tests.”Unbelievable. Superb approach. I love his attitude. I love the spring in his legs,” Tendulkar said. “For a fast bowler to be constantly in your face like that, no batsman will like it. And the approach he had till the end on the last day, I could hear commentators also saying he bowled around 90mph (145kph) on the last day after having bowled more than 1000 deliveries in the series. That shows his courage and big heart.”The way he started on the last day was remarkable and he has always been instrumental, playing a key role whenever we need him, whenever we want him to deliver that knockout punch, he’s been able to do that consistently in the past, and so was the case in this series. The way he picked all those wickets and performed, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.”

Jaiswal was ‘a treat to watch’

Rahul’s batting partner Jaiswal ended the tour with a century at The Oval, just like he had started at Leeds in the first Test. He scored two more half-centuries in between and drew particular praise for his century in the fifth Test, where he stitched a crucial century stand with nightwatcher Akash Deep. Jaiswal finished the series with 411 runs at an average of 41.10.”I was impressed with Yashasvi’s mindset. He’s a fearless batsman and he knows when to accelerate, when to see through a phase, and when to go to the non-striker’s end. He scored a hundred on a difficult track in the first Test where the ball moved around a bit, not as much and not for as long as we expected, but he played an important role there.”In the last Test he scored a magnificent hundred on a difficult track. Before that the tracks weren’t as challenging, but the last one was a difficult one to bat on. He showed a lot of character, maturity and determination. The way he was guiding Akash Deep…a batter’s responsibility is not to score his own runs, it’s also how you build partnerships. He played a role in how to motivate Akash Deep. All in all, a fantastic series for Yashasvi, a treat to watch.”

Rihanna has to wait, it's family time for Salt and Bethell at Kensington Oval

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

England’s Bajan boys Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell had a party of their own in front of family, friends and fans in the first T20I

Cameron Ponsonby10-Nov-2024There’s many reasons why you’re sat reading about the West Indies vs England T20I, and Phil Salt was out there playing it.Talent, for one. Desire, another. And that’s before we mention ability, the coach at Under-13s who didn’t back you and that knee injury you had at 16. You could have made it.But one of the main reasons is because on Thursday, Salt was invited to a party with Rihanna and turned it down in favour of an early night. You choose to have five beers on a Friday with your mate who works in finance and says “inflation” every other word, Salt chooses not to hang out with one of the world’s most successful and talented mega stars even with 48 hours to spare to pop a Berocca or two.Related

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  • Salt's century, Mahmood's four power England to big win

“Rihanna’s parties can wait,” Salt joked after the game.It is, objectively, the wrong decision and one might think less of Salt as a result. When the new era of player welfare came in, where they were asked to prioritise themselves as much as the game, this is what they were talking about. Going to parties with pop stars. Not golf.But he did score a century. So there’s that.On a genuinely wonderful evening at Kensington Oval, Salt, who spent part of his childhood here, registered his third hundred in five matches against West Indies, while Jacob Bethell, for whom Barbados is home, registered his maiden T20I fifty in front of a crowd that appeared to be 90% friends and family.The Bajan boys did the business for England. Both of them played their cricket for Harrison College down the road, a school where Bethell was a pupil, while Salt was a loanee, attending a nearby private school but being released on daycare to play cricket.Salt himself described Kensington Oval as the ground he has watched the most cricket at through his youth. The tale of him watching Paul Collingwood carry the T20 trophy past him in 2010 is well trodden for a reason. This place means something to him and when he reached three figures, the outpouring of emotion spoke to that.”I don’t get very emotional on the cricket field,” he said afterwards. “But that’s as close as I’ve come I think for so many reasons. That’s number one for me.”Jacob Bethell scored his first T20I fifty in front of a crowd that looked 90% friends and family•Getty ImagesA lifelong Manchester City fan, Salt added, “It’s something you can’t really put into words without wanting to sound too cheesy. That’s what you dream of as a kid. That is the cricket equivalent of the 30-yard screamer at Maine Road in the 89th minute.”Barbados is a small place. As of 2023, the population stood at 282,000. So when one of their own takes to the field people know about it. Salt has played here for England many times, but for Bethell it was a first.His school coach, Corey Edwards, a former Barbadian seamer, said he knew Bethell was destined for the top from the beginning. While Barry Wilkinson, a local commentator, remembered Bethell from when he was three years old and described watching him walk out at Kensington Oval as the closest thing to “watching his son” do the same. Whether he would play at this ground as an international cricketer seems of less debate than who it would be for. Wilkinson always thought it would be for West Indies, Edwards wasn’t so sure.Regardless, the locals supported both as their own. Mainly because they are.”There was a turning point in the chase where we could both sort of feel the crowd had turned and were now supporting us,” Salt said of their partnership.”Is that his old school?” Salt asked, looking over to a throng of supporters still in the stands supporting their friend. “Good on him, I love that. I’m more pleased for him than I am myself right now, seeing that. There’s a lot of happy people with smiling faces there, it was Beth’s first 50 on this ground.”Phil Salt made his third T20I century, all of them in the Caribbean•Getty ImagesFor Salt, his innings added to his incredible record against West Indies. In his last five matches against them, he has made three centuries and scored 456 runs at an average of 228 with a strike rate of 193.The three centuries represent his only in T20I cricket and one of the two innings where he didn’t reach three figures was an 87 not out in the World Cup. On the surface, asking Salt what the secret sauce against these lot appears to be a dull question, it is surely a coincidence, but it is one he has wondered himself.”The secret is there is no secret,” he said. “I had a look into it to see if there is anything I could take in other places in different conditions and there really wasn’t that much. It just seems to be that I’ve played a bit better here, that’s it.”On paper, it was a routine victory for England. But everywhere you looked across the evening there was entertainment to hand. Andre Russell launching Liam Livingstone onto the roof and out of the stadium before being caught next ball. Jos Buttler snaring a one-handed catch at slip before being caught even more preposterously by Gudakesh Motie at third for a golden duck. Motie himself walking out at 117 for 8 and blazing his first two balls for sixes. It was full throttle, played out in front of an invested, passionate crowd that was evenly split between tourists and locals. If there is a way to watch cricket that is better than a T20 on a Saturday night in Bridgetown, I’m yet to see it.But even after all that, you’d think you’d still rather party with Rihanna on a Thursday.

Australia search for Smith, Maxwell replacements; Brevis likely to earn ODI debut

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The two sides will play each other in an ODI for the first time since the 2023 World Cup

Andrew McGlashan18-Aug-2025

Big Picture: Another World Cup build begins

There’s always another World Cup to plan for. The recent T20I series had the more immediate focus of next February’s tournament, but these three ODIs – the first for Australia and South Africa since the Champions Trophy – are the first step towards the 2027 50-over edition which the visitors will jointly host with Zimbabwe and Namibia.These two teams have so much ODI history and in 2023 traded blows in India with South Africa winning the group game but Australia taking the semi-final. They were due to meet at the Champions Trophy but the match was washed out.Related

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Since the Champions Trophy there have been three significant retirements between the sides: Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell from ODIs and Heinrich Klaasen from all internationals. They leave considerable holes to fill on the way to 2027.Australia have had to make changes to their initial squad for this series with Matt Short (side), Mitchell Owen (concussion) and Lance Morris (back) ruled out which has opened the door for Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie and Matt Kuhnemann. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins continue to rest but Marnus Labuschagne is in the squad and could play for the first time since losing his Test place in the West Indies.South Africa will be led by Temba Bavuma who was last seen holding the World Test Championship mace aloft in emotional scenes at Lord’s. Keshav Maharaj also returns to bring experience to the spin attack.

Form guide

Australia LWLLL
South Africa LWWLL

In the spotlight: Marnus Labuschagne and Wiann Mulder

Does Marnus Labuschagne‘s road to the Ashes start in Cairns? It’s perhaps a stretch, but despite the different format, runs in this series would certainly not be a bad thing as he embarks on trying to regain his place to face England in November. Labuschagne was dropped before the 2023 World Cup but earned a reprieve when called up as cover on a tour of South Africa and ended up making a vital 58 not out in the final against India. In a 12-month period from September 2023 to September 2024 he averaged 52.11 in ODIs with a strike rate of 85.43 but his last eight innings have brought a top score of 47.Last month, Wiaan Mulder sent the cricket world into meltdown when he declared on 367 against Zimbabwe. He’ll do well to stir quite as big a talking point in this series. His ODI record needs some work if he’s to cement a long-term spot. At the Champions Trophy his bowling had more of an impact than his batting where he finished as South Africa’s joint-leading wicket-taker including career-best figures of 3 for 25 against England.Dewald Brevis lit up the T20 series•Getty Images

Team news: Hardie could fill allrounder role; Brevis likely to debut

Green will return to the middle order, or potentially No. 3, while Josh Inglis and Alex Carey are set to continue featuring together. There will likely be some rotation among the quicks with three games in five days. Josh Hazlewood played all three T20Is so may be due to sit out.Australia (possible): 1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Alex Carey, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodBrevis is set to make his ODI debut after a starring role in the T20Is. Kwena Maphaka has been added to the one-day squad after his success but may not make the XI with tall left-armer Nandre Burger available. Bavuma confirmed he would bat at No. 3.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

Conditions were good for batting in the deciding T20I although there were occasional signs of the ball holding in the surface and slower deliveries from the quicks gripped. Dew will be a factor for the bowling side in the second innings although Aiden Markram said he would have batted first on Saturday. When Australia played New Zealand in three matches in Cairns in 2022 there was help for the bowlers with the highest total across six innings being 267. There won’t be any concerns with the weather.

Stats and trivia

  • The 2022 series between Australia and New Zealand in Cairns were the first ODIs at venue in 19 years.
  • Green’s highest ODI score of 89 not out came on this ground in that New Zealand series. Since that innings he has averaged 42.72 in ODIs
  • Marsh has won the toss 20 times as captain across T20Is and ODIs – choosing to bowl on every occasion
  • If Bavuma and Maharaj play two matches in this series they will reach 50 ODIs

Quotes

“Getting ready to spend three-and-a-half hours in the field will be a little bit different for a few of the boys. But as a group and as a whole, nothing really changes. [There’s a] bit of a mindset change, it’s obviously different format. But the same stuff rolls on.”
“It’s always exciting when you see the young faces. Obviously the big talk has been on Brevis…excited to see what he can also bring within the one-day stuff.”

Potts grinds away with the right attitude and skill, and a smile

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Matthew Potts continues to be a seat-filler, a plugger of gaps in the side, but England know they can lean on him and he will not let them down

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Dec-2024The Birkenstock slip-on clog has become must-have accessory for international cricketers across the world.After a long day’s graft, the boots are kicked off for luxury sandals that occupy that handy middle ground between aesthetic style and orthopaedic substance. The game has not gone – it’s still here, just standing a little comfier.Bowlers, especially, swear by them. A few pairs are knocking around both teams, with so many in the England dressing room it may as well be a showroom. After day one of this third and final Test in the Crowe-Thorpe trophy, Matthew Potts deserved his.Potts has owned some for a while, recommended by, among others, Ben Stokes. Both deserved the day-to-day relief of their closed-toe Bostons as the two who bowled the most of England’s 82 overs. Stokes is currently the clubhouse leader with 23. Potts’ 21 – the most he has sent down in a single day – was more concentrated.Related

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The first 20 came inside the first 67, split across fours spells in conditions that veered from “sapping” to “baking”. The Durham seamer, opening England’s innings for just the second time in typically humid Hamilton conditions, finished his work at 6:32pm when an uninhibited sun was still beating down on Seddon Park like it had come to collect a debt. With 3 for 75 at the time of writing, it is just the fifth time in 18 attempts he has taken more than two wickets in an innings.Potts has always worn graft well, even if the Birkenstocks have helped over the 12 months. Accompanying the heart and engine that can run for days is the build – and tenacity – of a prize fighter. Not to mention a marvel of a bowler’s backside. “It’s pretty obvious by looking at him,” Stokes said ahead of this match. “He looks after himself very well.”Looking after yourself does not automatically mean the cricket looks after you. Potts can vouch for that; a Test career that began with five consecutive caps in the 2022 summer has taken almost 28 more months to tick off as many. But the manner of the 26-year-old’s three wickets in New Zealand’s first innings suggests the game might be warming to him once more.Tom Latham, driver of a dominant start, was caught down the leg side with 63 to his name. Glenn Phillips’ lazy drive scuffed a catch to Zak Crawley at gully. And Kane Williamson was unable to evoke the hot feet of fellow countryman Chris Wood and kick away a delivery that was heading towards his stumps after he had defended it.It was the fourth time in five innings Potts has nabbed the prized Williamson, three of those coming across four in the quick’s maiden series two summers ago. The 14 wickets at 23.28 in Stokes’ first assignment as permanent Test captain was meant to be a springboard for Potts. Things have not panned out that way.Kane Williamson tries – and fails – to prevent the ball bouncing back on to his stumps•Getty ImagesDropped for the returning Ollie Robinson after the first Test against South Africa, Potts would play just one Test in 2023 – a four-day affair at Lord’s against Ireland ahead of the 2023 Ashes, which he watched from the sidelines. A go in the Sri Lanka series at the end of this summer was capped at two matches with England using the final match at the Kia Oval to roll the dice and select raw, tall left-armer Josh Hull. A solitary appearance in Pakistan for the second Test, on a newly scuffed used deck was a thankless task. Still, he managed to turn that into a positive with three dismissals in 31.2 overs.All of that exacerbates the sense Potts exists as something of a seat filler. Trusted to plug gaps, but not necessarily get a go outright. Set aside for others that selectors deem better. Brought in for those same options to rest up. Even parked for a relative novice. He’s sharp without being express. Reliable but unsexy. The shoes you would wear into the garden but not when you’re leaving through the front door.Potts’ opportunity comes on similar grounds. The series is already won, and Chris Woakes, after six wickets across two back-to-back Tests, has nothing to prove, as Stokes intimated. Naturally, Potts did not regard his selection as anything other than an honour, even with the time spent waiting and miles clocked around the world, desperate for an in.”I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating, no,” he said in his press conference, bowling boots still on having sent down the last over of the day. “I enjoy every single moment being part of this squad. There’s always jobs I can be doing, helping out. There’s opportunity to tinker with a few things and tinker with things.”That tinkering has involved a combination of run-up work, how he holds and releases the ball, and some extra deliveries – all honed under the watchful eye of bowling consultant James Anderson. And though he was fulfilling a role Anderson had mastered for the best part of two decades, Potts did not look out of place.

“I’d been a fraction wide to Kane early on, trying to swing a few. [Ollie Pope] felt we could go wide of the crease, angle it in a bit more towards the stumps. Bowl fourth stump, off stump, just keep smashing away on a hard length. I think [Kane Williamson’s] dismissal comes from that clarity”Matthew Potts

His opening spell from the City End – six overs, 0 for 17 – could have featured a wicket and ended an eventual opening stand of 105 for just 25 had Ben Duckett managed to cling on to Will Young’s low edge. The second spell (four overs, 0 for 16) featured a few more edges, and one that reared to catch the glove.Both spells averaged out at 131kph. England did not bowl well in the morning session, a touch too short and wide as New Zealand went into lunch on 93 for 0. Potts, however, was the least culpable of the four.Potts’ second spells only clocked in at 129kph, but housed the three wickets. Williamson’s, contained within the second – 2 for 10 from five – was an example of how Potts’ stamina gives his skills a better chance to come to the fore, even with a Kookaburra 58 overs old.Williamson was his typical self, tidy yet devastating, and completely at ease at a venue where he averages 94.26. With six centuries from the 11 times he has past fifty, England were fearful as he rounded on another half-century.However Potts, with the help of Stokes and vice-captain Ollie Pope – armed with a perfect view from behind the stumps – came up with a plan.”I’d been a fraction wide to Kane early on, trying to swing a few,” said Potts, before the brains trust got together. “Popey felt we could go wide of the crease, angle it in a bit more towards the stumps. Bowl fourth stump, off stump, just keep smashing away on a hard length. I think that dismissal comes from that clarity.”Considering how things have panned out, it is likely Matthew Potts’ career may be one of constant flux•Getty ImagesPotts did not have a great view of the dismissal, but was at least able to make out the falling of a bail. Williamson jarred his head back in disgust, while Potts raised his arms with unexpected glee. That “smashing away” had not been in vain. “To get a good player like that, a player like Kane who can play the long game and score quite quickly as well. To get a massive scalp like that for the team… I’m proud of that.”The knock-on effect was just as important. Daryl Mitchell had been playing possum – 0 off 17 – while Williamson was attracting most of the attention at the other end. His attempt at thrashing a few quick boundaries off Gus Atkinson resulted in a catch to Stokes at cover. The errors to come from Phillips and Tom Blundell – who Potts could have snared had Joe Root reacted quicker to an edge – made it a middle-order collapse of 4 for 46 in exactly ten overs.After that graft, it was a shame for Potts that the day would close with his final ball launched back over his head for six to bring up Mitchell Santner’s valiant 50 not out, taking New Zealand to 315 for 9 at stumps. A handy score after being put in to bat.It was a reminder of how unforgiving a day’s graft can be, even if you approach it with the right attitude and skill. Not that Potts saw any downside to today, his career to date or the fact he is filling in. “It was fantastic,” he beamed. “With the sun beating down it can be seen as hard work but I enjoy every moment that I put this England shirt on and I hope I do it justice.”Considering how things have panned out, it is likely Potts’ career may be one of constant flux. But on a day like today, he showed England can lean on him whenever they need to – a vital reminder ahead of 2025 and the challenges that come with five-Test series against India and Australia. He is a bowler capable of fulfilling a variety of roles and easing whatever situation arises, planned or otherwise.A classy, dependable load-bearer – England’s very own Birkenstocks.

Yankees Designate Former Batting Champ for Assignment After Benching

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

After seven years, New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu's tenure with the team has come to an abrupt end.

The Yankees designated LeMahieu for assignment in a surprise move Wednesday afternoon, following indications that the team would move him to the bench after the return of infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.

LeMahieu, 36, is slashing .266/.338/.336 with two home runs and 12 RBIs in 45 games this season—a solid-if-not-spectacular rebound from a 2024 where he cost his team 1.6 wins above replacement.

New York signed LeMahieu away from the Colorado Rockies in January 2019, and he briefly threatened to become one of the best players in baseball around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. He slashed a sizzling .327/.375/.518 with 102 RBIs in 2019, and nearly won the American League MVP in a 2020 season that saw him hit .364.

LeMahieu added a Gold Glove, the fourth of his career, in 2022.

The Yankees are currently 50-41, and sit 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East division.

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