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West Ham are plotting a move to sign Fenerbahce right back Bright Osayi-Samuel ahead of next season as David Moyes looks to boost his defensive options.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Football Insider, who states that West Ham, Southampton, and Brentford are in the running for the player ahead of the summer transfer window.

The player could be reportedly available for €3m (£2.5m) and this would represent a fantastic deal for whoever goes on to sign Osayi-Samuel.

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Forget Coufal

It’s no secret that Moyes wants to enhance his West Ham squad as they aim to repeat their European heroics from this season in next year’s campaign.

More goals from the defence would be more than welcomed and Moyes could land a big Coufal upgrade with the younger, more attacking Osayi-Samuel.

Coufal hasn’t scored any goals this season, although he has registered four assists, whereas the young Englishman has netted once, as well as providing three assists during the campaign.

The Fenerbahce right-back has more than double the number of shots than Coufal (24 to 11) and lands a greater percentage on target (45.8% to 36.4%).

Osayi-Samuel’s ability to operate in various positions would also give him an advantage over Coufal and this is something Moyes should be seriously considering.

The aforementioned fee for the 24-year-old is a bargain, especially in today’s world of sheer greed and overinflated transfer fees.

Not only that, but he could make the club millions in profit if he is successful over the next few seasons. The Premier League is one of the finest in the world and his value could skyrocket following excellent performances.

Former manager Mark Warburton stated in the past that he is a “real handful” and has the pace that can “terrify defenders” and if this isn’t a glowing recommendation of his skill set, then I don’t know what is.

AND in other news, 11 games, 0 goals: Bilic made “huge mistake” on WHU dud who cost £2.5m per yellow card

And how many times have two batsmen scored double-centuries in the same innings of a Test?

Steven Lynch19-Dec-2017The new West Indian batsman Sunil Ambris was out hit wicket in two of his first three Test innings. Was this unique? asked David George from New Zealand

Sunil Ambris uniquely hit his own wicket to the first ball he received in Test cricket, from New Zealand’s Neil Wagner in Wellington recently. After getting off the mark in the second innings with a six, he then hit his wicket again in the first innings of the second Test, in Hamilton. To complete the unusual start to his Test career, Ambris retired hurt in the second innings.As to whether it was unique, that’s problematic: most published scorecards suggest it was, but actually I think it might have happened before – to another West Indian. In his maiden Test innings, against England in Bridgetown in 1929-30, the great George Headley is shown, on ESPNcricinfo and elsewhere, as bowled. But Wisden 1931 records the dismissal as hit wicket, and the rare 1974 Jamaican biography of Headley says of that debut innings: “But he was batting too close to the wicket; this was dangerous because he had a high backlift. When, finally, a ball came off the pitch very slowly his bat hit the wicket and he was out.”Bill Ponsford, the prolific Australian, was out hit wicket in successive innings in his final Test series, in England in 1934. He probably wasn’t too bothered, though, as he had 181 and 266 at the time!England have now lost seven overseas Tests in a row. Is this their worst ever run? asked James Lavender from England

Seven away defeats in a row – four in India last winter, and the first three Ashes Tests this time – equals England’s worst ever run. In 1992-93 they lost three in India and one in Sri Lanka, then the following winter lost the first three Tests in the West Indies. And there’s worrying news for England fans planning to turn up (possibly in disguise) for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG: Australia have now won their last eight Ashes Tests at home, equalling their best ever run – a 5-0 whitewash in 1920-21, followed by the first three matches of the next series, in 1924-25.How often have England scored 400 in the first innings of a Test and lost by an innings, as they did at the WACA? asked Michael Peters from England

The remarkable turnaround in Perth was only the ninth time England had reached 400 in the opening innings of a Test and lost. Four of those were by an innings – and three of them have been in the last 13 months. In the fourth Test in Mumbai last December, England opened up with exactly 400, but lost by an innings after India made 631. A week later, in Chennai, England managed 477 – and again lost by an innings after India’s 759 for 7. The only other time it happened was back in 1930, when England scored 405 at The Oval, but lost to Australia, whose 695 featured 232 from Don Bradman.Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan are the two fastest Indian batsmen to 4000 ODI runs•Associated PressIt’s only happened twice to other countries: in Cardiff in 2011 Sri Lanka opened up with 400 but lost to England (496 for 5) by an innings and 14 runs, while in Melbourne in 2016-17, Pakistan lost to Australia (624 for 8) by an innings and 18 despite opening the match with 443 for 9 declared.In all there have been 47 occasions when a team has scored 400 or more in the opening innings of a Test but ended up losing. The highest total among them is Bangladesh’s 595 for 8 declared against New Zealand in Wellington in January 2017. If you included any first innings – the first or second innings of the match – there have been 79 occasions when 400-plus was not enough to avoid defeat, 16 of them by both England and Australia, and nine by India.It didn’t quite happen in Perth, but how often have two players made a double-century in the same Ashes innings? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England

Mitchell Marsh’s eventual departure for 181 in the third Test in Perth at the weekend meant there have still been only two Ashes Test innings which contained two double-centuries. And it’s no great surprise that Don Bradman featured in both of them: at The Oval in 1934 he scored 244 and Bill Ponsford 266, while in Sydney in 1946-47 both Bradman and Sid Barnes made 234.In all Tests, there have been 16 instances of two double-centuries in the same innings, most recently by Ricky Ponting (221) and Michael Clarke (210) for Australia against India in Adelaide in 2011-12.Shikhar Dhawan went past 4000 runs in one-day internationals the other day. Is he the fastest Indian player to reach this milestone? asked Richard Daniels from Bahrain

Shikhar Dhawan reached 4000 runs in ODIs during his rapid undefeated 100 against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam at the weekend. It was his 95th innings, in his 96th match. The only Indian to get there quicker is Virat Kohli, in 93 innings, although he also did it in his 96th match. The overall record is 81 innings (84 matches) by Hashim Amla: Viv Richards (88), Joe Root (91) and David Warner (93) also reached 4000 in fewer innings than Dhawan.Leave your questions in the comments

Batsman, captain, innovator, inventor, mentor, commentator and writer – Martin Crowe was all of that during a career that did not end after he retired from the game

Compiled by George Binoy03-Mar-2016Martin David Crowe was born on September 22, 1962 in Henderson, Auckland, to parents Audrey and David Crowe. He had a sister Deb and an older brother Jeff, who played 39 Tests and 75 ODIs for New Zealand. Russell Crowe, the actor, was a younger cousin.In 1968 at the age of around 6, Crowe joined Cornwall Cricket Club in Auckland, the start of a lifelong association. In fact, on February 27, 2015, during his battle with lymphoma, Crowe took part in a match to mark the club’s 60th anniversary. “My dad’s ashes are up there on that bench so I thought it would be nice to bat an over, if I last the over,” Crowe told ONE News ahead of the game “I was going to treat this as my last outing on the old ground.” He made 25 not out off 20 balls in his final innings.Crowe attended Auckland Grammar School as a 13-year old in 1976 and spent five years in the institution. This is what his headmaster Sir John Graham, a former All Black, wrote about him in 1980 (taken from martincrowe.com): “MD Crowe is one of the outstanding young men to have attended Auckland Grammar. He has excelled in every aspect of school life in which he has been involved and no boy in the School’s history has done more for his school’s reputation than Martin Crowe. He is a young man of the highest quality and all-round potential. He is dedicated and determined in all he does, he has the intelligence and the ability to do all things well. His character is strong, dependable and independent. I have the highest regard for him as a young New Zealander.”Crowe was fast tracked in domestic and international cricket. The rapid progress he made, however, wasn’t always beneficial. “From the age of 14 when I was picked for the Auckland under-23 side and then as 12th man for a Shell Trophy final. I was basically given a script that was way beyond my years. Emotionally I was totally unprepared and ever since, I’ve always been playing catch-up with that emotional stability,” Crowe told in 2006. “All I kept feeding was an ego. In terms of my emotional development I was always three years out of my depth and I’ve had issues throughout my career with it.”On January 19, 1980, at the age of 17, Crowe made his first-class debut for Auckland against Canterbury, scoring 51 in the first innings. His domestic career ended in the 1995-96 season and he finished with 19,608 first-class runs at an average of 56 in 247 matches, representing Auckland, Central Districts, Somerset and Wellington. His List A career comprised 261 matches in which he scored 8740 runs at an average of 38.16.The 1992 World Cup was the zenith of Martin Crowe’s career – he led New Zealand to the semi-final and was Player of the Tournament•Getty ImagesCrowe was 19 when he made his ODI debut , against Australia at Eden Park in Auckland, on February 13, 1982. He did not bat in New Zealand’s 46-run victory that day, despite them losing six wickets. Two weeks later, Crowe made his Test debut, at Basin Reserve, where he was run out for 9 in a rain-hit draw against Australia. “When I played for New Zealand when I was 19, against Lillee and Thomson, I rattled off scores of 9, 2, 0 and 9. And then I ran up to the far north of New Zealand to be with my sister. I couldn’t face anyone in public,” Crowe told in 2014. “And then I finally went down to the pub to play a game of pool. At the bar there was this big Maori man, and he said, “Hey, Crowe! I hope you can play pool better than you can play cricket. I was trapped. I couldn’t go anywhere. This was the farthest pub in New Zealand, and in that moment I realised I had to fix this problem of failure.”After seven Tests, in which he scored only 183 runs at 15.25, Crowe made his maiden Test century – a match-saving 100 against England in Wellington. “But Martin, the younger of the Crowe brothers, showed exceptional maturity for a 21-year-old, batting for 276 minutes without making a visible mistake until the stroke that got him out, an edge to slip that gave Gatting his first Test wicket,” reported. “Crowe’s driving, reminiscent of Greg Chappell’s in its rifling precision, accounted for most of his 19 fours.” Crowe went on to make 17 Test hundreds, a New Zealand record that still stands.Between 1984 and 1988, Crowe played county cricket for Somerset, where he replaced Viv Richards. Ian Botham was not happy at losing the West Indian batsman and disparagingly called Crowe “a good club cricketer”. Crowe went on to play 48 matches for Somerset, making 3984 runs at an average of 59.Crowe’s second and third Test hundreds were a brace of 188s in April and November 1985. The second of those came in a famous innings win at the Gabba, where Crowe’s performance complemented Richard Hadlee’s 15 wickets to seal New Zealand’s first Test victory in Australia. “Martin was sublime, really. Watching from the other end I was constantly amazed at the time he had to play his shots,” John Reid, who scored 108 in that innings, told ESPNcricinfo in 2015. “When they pitched the ball up, he drove it well. When they pitched it short he cut, hooked and pulled the ball. He dominated their attack to an extent I could not emulate. I was actually consciously feeding him the strike to ensure that his ability to dominate the attack could be utilised to better the chances of winning.” In contrast, the first of those 188s had been an exercise in patience that helped New Zealand draw a Test in Guyana. Crowe had batted nine and a half hours, longer than any of his previous first-class innings.In 2011, Martin Crowe attempted a comeback to club cricket at the age of 48. It lasted one match•Getty Images”At the age of eight, I said to my dad that I am going to score a century at Lord’s one day,” Crowe told . He made two – the first in July 1986 and the second in 1994.Bruce Reid struck Crowe on the jaw during the Christchurch Test in 1986. Crowe was on 51 when he mistimed the hook and had to leave the field to get ten stitches. He returned with New Zealand 190 for 6 in the first innings, in response to Australia’s 364, and counterattacked to make 137 off 226 balls. “It was a display which drew comparisons with Sutcliffe’s epic innings for New Zealand at Johannesburg in 1953-54,” Wisden reported.Crowe made 1348 first-class runs at an average of 103.69 for Central Districts in the 1986-87 domestic season to help win the Shell Trophy for his team. The 1676 runs Crowe scored that summer remains the New Zealand record for the most runs in a season.In early 1987, Crowe made 119, 104 and 83 in three Tests against attacks comprising Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh and Tony Gray to help New Zealand draw the series against West Indies 1-1. “Sometimes you got too conscious because you tried too hard to deal with the challenge,” Crowe told about what could trip him up in the middle. “And against West Indies you had to accept it was hit or miss. Out of five, you were going to have three failures but if you could have one good innings and a half-good innings, you would average 40 and that would be okay in that era of the ’80s.”Crowe captained New Zealand for the first time in a Test against Pakistan in October 1990. He led his country in 16 Tests – of which New Zealand won two and lost seven – and 44 ODIs (21 wins, 22 defeats). As captain, he averaged 54 with the bat in Tests and 45 in ODIs.Martin Crowe contributed to New Zealand cricket even after he stopped playing, mentoring players such as Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill•Getty ImagesOn February 4, 1991, Crowe made the highest individual Test score for New Zealand – a record that stood for 23 years – but also became the only batsman to be dismissed for 299. He batted 610 minutes in that innings against Sri Lanka, and said after the game: “It’s a bit like climbing Everest and pulling a hamstring in the last stride.” His 467-run partnership with Andrew Jones was also a world record at the time.In February and March 1992, Crowe led New Zealand to the semi-finals of the World Cup, the highlight of his captaincy career. He was Player of the Tournament for being the top-scorer – 456 runs at an average of 114 – and for his innovative captaincy: Crowe used a spinner to open the bowling and restrict batsmen during the fielding restrictions, and also deployed a pinch-hitter to exploit those very restrictions when New Zealand batted. “Marty was a very creative and brilliant thinker, the genesis came from him. Tactically he was light years ahead of anyone else I played under,” former New Zealand bowler Gavin Larsen said in 2014. “He was the boss, he ran the gig. He was like a chess master, the way he moved his players around. He was just clever.” Crowe, however, did not field in the semi-final against Pakistan, and New Zealand failed to defend their total. “With what unfolded, I had made a massive mistake in not taking the field despite a hamstring injury, because I was trying to be fit for the final as opposed to getting the team through to the final,” Crowe said in 2015.His international career ended in India, in November 1995. Crowe’s final innings was 63 off 62 balls in Nagpur, where New Zealand won by 99 runs to draw the ODI series 2-2. Crowe finished with 5444 runs at an average of 45 in 77 Tests, and 4704 runs in 143 ODIs at an average of 38.55.In 1996, Crowe launched his invention, Cricket Max – a shortened form of the game with a funky format and rules. “I invented and designed Cricket Max because I felt it was time to provide to our spectators and TV viewers a game of cricket that was short in duration, very colourful, kept some old traditions and highlighted the best skills in the game,” Crowe said at the time. The format was not played after 2003.Crowe began his broadcast career in 1997, when he joined Sky Television. “Marty embodies the quality that businesses often dislike but desperately need – the desire to change something before it gets stale,” Nate Smith, former Sky TV CEO, said on martincrowe.com. “I saw that way back when he saw the world of cricket needed a shorter formatted game. Did all the ideas tested last? No, but it did move the code forward in its thinking. Marty may not always say what people want to hear, but that is why he would be the perfect choice.”Martin Crowe was inducted into the ICC’s hall of fame during the 2015 World Cup•Getty ImagesCrowe was inducted into the New Zealand sports hall of fame and awarded an MBE for services to cricket in 2001. He had plenty more to give the game. Crowe was a mentor, most notably to New Zealand batsmen Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor. “Martin has been a mentor to me for almost my entire first-class career. In both the good times and the more trying times Martin has always been there for me,” Taylor said in a testimonial on martincrowe.com. “His advice, technical understanding and nous, coupled with his unwavering belief and loyalty in me have made my job as a professional cricketer that much easier. I shall always be grateful to him.”At the age of 48, in May 2011, Crowe said he was returning to club cricket at Cornwall with a view to making a comeback for Auckland, 15 years after he had retired. “Every now and then you find yourself drifting along. I needed to do something to stay at the top of things,” Crowe told ESPNcricinfo.” It’s a little bit of fun but it’s based on the need to get off my butt. When you get to my age, you need to do something. Physically, I am a person who needs more than going to gym. I need to fire myself up. I don’t like swimming, cycling, or lifting weights. I can’t climb, I can’t run; why not bat? It’s a serious goal to get fit but it’s a fun and light-hearted attempt to see if a 48-year old can play and at what level. Unless you try you will never know.” A thigh injury ended his comeback in his first innings.Crowe was diagnosed with lymphoma in October 2012. “In the past, on travels during my cricket career, suffering salmonella and glandular fever has compromised me,” he said at the time. “The result of a weakened immune system over the last two decades is basically why I have become exposed to this sort of disease.” After going into remission for a while, Crowe revealed the cancer had returned in September 2014. “After a brilliant year of self discovery and recovery, I have more work to do. My friend and tough taskmaster Lymphoma is back to teach me,” Crowe said on Twitter. “To say you can’t beat lymphoma is not quite true, many have. Yet follicular lymphoma is incurable, and can be treated and tamed for many long years.”On February 28, 2015, Crowe was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, during the World Cup. His presence at the final at the MCG was his last public appearance.Martin Crowe died on March 3, 2016, at the age of 53. People around the world paid tribute to him.

Back in training for the first time since the death of Phillip Hughes, Australia’s players and staff made conscious attempts at fun and games, at bonding, at being there for each other

Sidharth Monga05-Dec-20141:00

‘Important to stick together and get on with the game’ – Lehmann

Getting back on your feet after losing a close one is a tricky business, especially when that close one was a constant presence at work. After a while, you want to get out of the mourning atmosphere and itch to go back to work, but you can never be sure what is in store for you. You can take all the counselling you want, you can psyche yourself up, you can want to get back all you want, but nothing prepares you for what actually happens on the first day back. During their first training session after the loss of Phillip Hughes, Australia made conscious attempts at fun and games, at bonding, at being there for each other.It worked for the most part; there were smiles, laughter, cheers, dives, plenty of bouncers, quite a few blows on the thigh pad and above. David Warner, though, walked out early from his net session – possibly his first since Hughes’ death – after which team psychologist Michael Lloyd spoke to him for about 20 minutes. Warner then went indoors, removed his pads, and came out to bowl to some of his team-mates. That he was back on the field, even if just bowling medium-pace and dodgy offbreaks, would have come as relief to his team-mates, but they will keep a close eye on him in the lead-up to the Test, which begins on Tuesday.There was a certain deliberateness to how Australia went about their first day back at work. They didn’t go to Adelaide Oval, choosing instead Park 25 Cricket Ground, which is open from all sides. One reason could be that they wanted to be able to bat in the middle, which might not have been possible at a ground getting ready for a Test. “We felt doing it in the open air would be better,” coach Darren Lehmann commented before the session began. His answers remained short, suggesting even he didn’t – as expected – know how the return was going to go, and promised normal – good, hard – Test cricket.”We have plenty of steps to be honest, but we would like to keep it to ourselves for now to be honest,” Lehmann said when asked if any of the players came out of a training session not feeling too good about playing the Test. “It’s all about facing that first ball on Tuesday. So that’s what we are trying to do: get them to that first ball over the next few days.”Team bonding was a major focus during Australia’s first training session since Phillip Hughes’ death•Getty ImagesYou could tell Lehmann himself didn’t know what lay ahead. He had all the support, though. A familiar face welcomed the team to the ground. Barry “Nugget” Rees, the former Adelaide Oval dressing-room attendant, a motivating figure and a favourite among the players, was the first person they met as they walked in to the ground. The 70-year-old had that calming look on his face, one that said “I know what you have been through”, and he shook hands and patted the shoulders of everyone.The focus clearly was on easing the players back in. Selector Rod Marsh was present too, and he took part in the huddle, which ended in loud applause. The players were then divided into pairs, almost like they were at a dance. Brad Haddin, who could be captaining at the Adelaide Oval should Michael Clarke not be fit, and Ryan Harris, who is coming back from a career-threatening injury, responded by getting into a mock ball-room dance. Some others started doing the worm. The actual exercise was for the players to send their partner in circles, like a revolving door, until they felt dizzy. They all had a good laugh or three over it.Fielding consultant Greg Blewett then made his way towards the cameramen, speaking to the one from , presumably telling him to focus on something in particular. Presumably that something in particular was the same warm-up game with a football that Hughes is seen playing and enjoying immensely in the endearing tribute video. After that they played another warm-up game, that of handball with a cricket ball, except that in this game the ball had to be kept close to the ground. Dives, slides, passes, dribbles, goals, all had the players expressing themselves freely, which would have been a struggle over the last few days.When the nets began, the fast bowlers were given the centre pitch. No one held back. Bouncers flew from every arm. Thighs pads and ribs were hit. Hooks were played. There was no visible stigma around the bouncer. Finally you could see the players were getting some much-needed release.However, it’s when you are alone that your recovery from a personal loss is tested. And batting is a lonely job. When Warner went into the net, to face throwdowns from batting coach Michael Di Venuto, he was all alone. He didn’t seem pleased with the way he hit the ball. The first bouncer at him, though, he hooked away comfortably. At other times he kicked the ground whenever he mis-hit. He cussed when he wore one in the rib. Eventually he hit the stumps with the bat when he edged one towards gully, ending his session. Di Venuto walked towards Warner, asking him if he was all right, but didn’t get much of a response.Warner walked straight to the tent outside the nets, seeming to wipe his face with his arm. He sat with his face in his hands until Lloyd joined him. What stood out was that the other players went on with their work even though Lehmann and Rod Marsh did have conversations with Lloyd.Warner then walked back into the sheds, emerged about half an hour later with a ball in hand, and had a long bowl at the centre wicket. The usual legbreaks were missing. He bowled energetic seam-up for quite some time before bowling offbreaks with an action that would have had the ICC technical committee in knots had they been watching. Blewett, who kept wicket with a baseball mitt on, kept calling every delivery a no-ball. Warner didn’t react much, but seemed more at ease. Bowling provides a release, batting draws you inwards. After he was done, Warner walked back to his hotel with his fellow opener Chris Rogers.The first session was now out of the way. Three more of these, many press conferences where they will be asked emotional questions, some ceremony on Tuesday morning, and the Test match will be upon Australia. If this training session was emotional for Australia, Tuesday morning will be many times more so. As Harris said earlier this week, this is a great unknown, and nothing can prepare Australia enough for the morning of the first Test after Hughes.

Cricket has built up more than its fair share of urban legends over the years.
Perhaps the most interesting of the legends are those on the middle ground: improbable, but not inconceivable; difficult to prove, yet also difficult to disprove

Michael Jones25-Feb-2013
Cricket has built up more than its fair share of urban legends over the years. Just as with any other subject, some of them are so far-fetched and easily proved false it’s surprising that anyone could believe them at all.It only takes a brief check of the results between the two teams to show that Pakistan have not beaten India in every ODI they’ve played on a Friday, while the story that Adolf Hitler had the German cricket team killed suffers from the rather obvious flaw that Germany did not have a national team during the years of the Nazi regime. A few, on the other hand, turn out to be true: CK Nayudu really did hit a ball into the next county (batting in a tour match at Edgbaston, he hit a six onto the opposite bank of the River Rea, which at the time formed the boundary between Warwickshire and Worcestershire), and Ajay Jadeja is indeed related to KS Ranjitsinhji, albeit by adoption rather than blood.Perhaps the most interesting of the legends are those on the middle ground: improbable, but not inconceivable; difficult to prove, yet also difficult to disprove. A common theme for such stories is the sought-after record for the most runs scored from a single hit. The first class record is 10 (set by Albert Hornby in 1873 and equalled by Samuel Wood in 1900), but tales from club cricket claim figures far higher than this.In Fore’s Sporting Notes and Sketches in 1894, Somerville Gibney writes: “Without doubt the biggest hit of the year was one for 93! It was recorded in an evening paper — and I give it as there stated. The Peckham Pushers were playing Camberwell Albion, on the 26th of May. Albion made 129, and there remained fifty-five minutes for play. The Pushers could only look for a draw, and sent in JH Brown and A Archer. From the very first ball Brown made a big drive, the ball lodging in a rook’s nest. While a fielder was getting the ball, which could be seen, and was therefore not lost, they ran 93. The Pushers eventually knocked off the remainder, and won by four wickets.”The story travelled halfway around the world, appearing in the in New Zealand in July of the same year – but is it true? What was the evening paper which Gibney mentions as his source, but does not name? The was widely circulated in the area in the 1890s, and regularly carried reports of club matches in Peckham – but no trace of this one. Perhaps, more tellingly, it does not even mention the Peckham Pushers or Camberwell Albion at all. Nor, as far as I can find, does any other publication except in relation to the rook’s nest story. Two active clubs could scarcely have escaped the notice of a newspaper which regularly reported on cricket in the area. It seems that the story is a fabrication, and whoever made it up also made up the names of two clubs to feature in it.Among its ‘Sporting Notes and News’, the of 15th January 1894 carried this: “Western Australia is advancing rapidly, but it seems to be still a little behind in the matter of scientific cricket. A match was recently played at Bonbury, Western Australia, between the Victorian team and a scratch XI from the neighbourhood. The ‘gumsuckers’ went in first, and the first ball bowled was skied into a three-pronged branch of a tall jarrah tree. The home team cried ‘lost ball’, but the umpire ruled that as it was in sight it could not be lost. The Victorians started running, while the West Australians sent for an axe to cut down the tree. No axe being obtainable, somebody brought out a rifle, and the ball, after numerous misses, was shot down. The score on the one hit was 286, and the Victorians ‘stood’ [declared] on that, and put the other side in. The Victorians won.”The most noticeable point about this story is that the match is supposed to have taken place in Australia, but the newspaper reporting it is one published in England. Is there any contemporary Australian source for the story? Apparently not: its first mention there is on 2nd March that year in the in Perth – but that article does not vouch for its truth, only for the fact that the published it.The story appeared in other Australian newspapers in the following months, and even made it to the US, with a mention in the in Massachusetts on 15th May the same year – but while the latter published it as fact, all the mentions in the country where the feat was allegedly achieved express scepticism, with the in Perth referring to it as ‘that enormous fairy tale’ and saying ‘a hit for 286 licks all cricket creation, using the word in its imaginary sense, of course’. The story of the hit for 286 has been repeated countless times over the years, and is probably the most popular answer when the question of most runs off one ball comes up on internet forums, but appears to be nothing more than an invention of the .A more modest claim, but one which appears to be true, is one ball for 17 by Garry Chapman in a club match in Australia, when the ball was hit into a patch of long grass and the fielders struggled to find it. As luck would have it, the Banyule CC website features a collection of anecdotes from the club’s history written by Chapman himself, so we have an account from the horse’s mouth: “Vinny umpired against Macleod as Borrie and I ran, walked and, finally, staggered our way to the world record of 17 runs from a single ball (p. 247 Guinness Book of Records 1992). We were enjoying ourselves. ‘Twelve…’ we’d shout as we headed back for another. “Thirteen…” and so on. At the end of it all Vinny had the final say. He turned to the scorers and, in his wonderful Yorkshire voice, he announced, ‘Scorers, that be seventeen!’ He turned to me and confided, ‘Aven’t got signal for seventeen!’ He then proceeded to lecture the Macleod blokes on the intricacies of the Lost Ball rule.”In the absence of evidence in support of any of the higher figures claimed, it seems likely that Chapman’s 17 is indeed the world record for most runs scored off one ball, but if anyone knows of a substantiated instance of more than that, I would be fascinated to hear of it.

Suresh Raina talks about trying to get better against the short delivery, becoming India captain, and coming back from knee surgery

Sriram Veera25-Jun-2011You are at a critical stage in your career. You became the ODI captain, now you are trying to cement yourself as a Test player. Unlike a few others, your attitude has rarely been questioned. How do you see yourself at this stage?
Gary Kirsten told me one thing when he met me: “Look to be honest with yourself, you have a different kind of approach to the game, you are a brilliant person on and off the field.” It has been my motto to give my 100% on the field every time, and if I think I have done that, then I don’t need to worry about anyone else.I came up the hard way and the eight-nine years I spent in the hostel was really tough, away from family and friends. The quality of food was really low. I used to have a lot of discipline in life because I was studying in a boarding school, and there we needed to sleep at 9.30 pm and get up at 5 in the morning. When you lead India there will be lot of expectations, from family, from friends, and if you remain honest with yourself you can sleep peacefully.So, is it now all about improving your skills as a Test batsman and grabbing that middle-order spot? The opposition bowlers like to target you with the short ball. What you doing to cope with it?
The issue with short balls is in the mind. I have got out to short balls a couple of times in Twenty20s, but I never got out that way in Test cricket. I have worked hard on it (facing short balls) since my debut. When there’s pace and bounce you are bound to get out at times, but it’s not that we [Indian batsmen] are unable to play the short balls.From a personal point of view, I would like to keep my thinking clear and play straight as much as possible, and it’s important because you won’t often play bowlers who have pace of 140-150 kph at the domestic level. So you need to put that extra effort while training. I used to practice at the hockey ground on synthetic surface while I was in the sports hostel. So Test cricket is certainly going to be a challenge for me. It’s an important season with series in England and Australia, so a big chance for me.Have you spoken to anyone?
I have spoken to Rahul Dravid, and he told me to keep the thoughts clear. Try to have a blank mind. Players like Steve Waugh and Brian Lara had problems facing short-pitched balls, so it’s all about your mental approach. It was a great advantage for me that Gary was also a left-hander in his playing days, and it helped me expand my areas as a batsman. I spent a lot of time with him in Dambulla ahead of my Test debut and in South Africa, and those were quality meetings. He taught me the importance of understanding the thought process of bowlers, building an innings and believing in my instincts.Waugh rarely pulled or hooked. He either swayed out of the line or somehow managed to defend it. Have you decided on an approach?
I have not decided on any particular method like Waugh (not to use the pull shot). I have been practicing a lot against short-pitched balls in the nets, and in the IPL also I got some chance to play the short balls. After training with Gary I have learned to keep my pull shot down, as earlier it used to go a lot more in the air. Now I also go behind the ball and play a few taps through the gaps that help me to rotate the strike. I have to try to spend some more at the crease, and it’s important to keep control over little things like head position, footwork, and how to approach each ball.How has Duncan Fletcher helped you in this area?
He was telling me that you have to feel the fear [at net sessions], and you have to double the intensity in the match situations. He’s an interesting person with a lot of different ideas. Once he was suggesting to us that why not take the batting Powerplay in the 20th over, instead of waiting for the 40th or the 45th over. I told him that we didn’t have a great record in Powerplays in the World Cup. He has some ideas to improve our record in the Powerplays, which are very important in the one-dayers.Have you been speaking to a mental-conditioning coach like Paddy Upton to understand the mind process in those moments?
I have spoken to Paddy Upton, and it’s useful to a certain extent. I believe I am the best person to judge my mind, and I have to think about how I need to execute my plans. So, if I don’t understand my mind and thought process, then nobody else can help me. When you watch Rahul, Sachin and Laxman bat, they are in a different zone as they hardly get disturbed by their surroundings, and you have to learn a lot from their sincerity.Those players talk a lot about being in the zone.
I too have been in that zone a few times, when the ball connects with the sweet spot of the bat easily. I was in that frame of mind before the World Cup game against Australia. To be honest with you, when we were going for the pre-World Cup camp, the thought flashed across my mind that we are going to win this tournament. There will be a lot of expectations on you when you play a tournament like the World Cup, and if you can draw inspiration from those expectations then your game goes a notch higher. Sometimes it can add pressure on you, but I like that pressure. If you do well in those pressure situations then you’ll get a lot of respect from your senior players.

“I had no godfather. I came up the hard way and the 8-9 years I spent in the hostel was really tough, away from family and friends. I used to have a lot of discipline in life because I was studying in a boarding school”

What’s your emotional support system? How have you been coping with fame at such a young age?

I am very close to my family. I have learned a lot from my father. He used to tell me to be honest with yourself and not to argue with your seniors. You don’t need to be involved in any quarrel, as sometimes you need to remain silent intelligently.I never have issues in handling the fame. I was in a boarding school as I am from a middle-class family. We didn’t have a lot of money, so we all learned to respect money, and understood its real value. I have four brothers and one sister, and they go through a lot to get proper education. I have always maintained that if you work hard, it won’t go waste, as recognition will come to you at some stage, whether in studies or sports. You need to have good intentions and intent to move ahead in life as well as in sports.You were out of cricket for a year almost. It was feared you might drift away.
I was out of cricket for more than a year after I had the knee operation, and I was walking on crutches. It was a tough period for me and I just stayed at my mother’s house in Lucknow. A lot of people were saying that it’s tough to come back from a knee operation, but I was determined to prove them wrong. After the operation I was struggling with my throw as well, so I used to play a bit of basketball, badminton and table tennis to get a bit of strength back in my shoulder. I also used to play carom so that the nerves on my fingers got stronger. I used to play in my room, as I couldn’t move around a lot, but that training was important because I needed to get some strength back after six months of total inaction.I did all this on my own, looking at books, and it’s an advantage for me because I know my body well. I never was afraid of my comeback because I had a good domestic season. I got some runs in the Ranji Trophy, I became Man of the Match in the Challenger Trophy, and I used to speak to Viru (Sehwag). He’s a very positive person, and he used to tell me go out there and play (without fear) and enjoy the cricket.And now you have not only come back but also became the ODI captain. Are you enjoying it?
I felt good when I got to know about the captaincy from the selectors. It’s a great honour to lead your country, and Sachin too wished me during a function in Mumbai. I also got messages from Rahul and Anil [Kumble]. I was just trying to enjoy the game and stay in touch with the team-mates, and yes it was a dream come true for me.I had a small meeting with Harbhajan. He’s the senior bowler and handles the bowlers well. I have played with Dhoni for some five-six years and I know how his mind works and how he handles each player and respects them. We had a lot of meetings with Gary before the World Cup, and though small, those were quality meetings. I learned a lot of things from those meetings – how to plan, how to dominate a bowler, how to bat according to situations. In Chennai Super Kings, we had meetings where cricketers like Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, our coach Stephen Fleming, Ashwin, Badrinath, Vijay and Doug Bollinger used to attend, and those meetings were really useful for me.And now the Tests. After this, the big tours of England and Australia coming up.
I am getting stronger mentally as a player and an individual. As long as I remain mentally strong, nobody can stop me from achieving my goals. At the same time, I have to be disciplined, respectful to my seniors and I have to respect the game. I need to play my natural game but I also need to be clever and realise against which bowler I need to take risks and whom I should leave alone.

One innings from Umar Akmal can change everything, say his coach. He can win the game in ten overs

George Binoy in Kuala Lumpur28-Feb-2008
The highly-rated Umar Akmal hasn’t quite set the World Cup on fire yet © Faras Ghani
While scrolling down the Pakistan team list, the name Akmal is impossibleto miss for it’s right on top. The obvious question follows, is he the Pakistan wicketkeeperKamran’s brother? Indeed he is. Umar, the youngest of the Akmal brothers,has had a quiet Under-19 World Cup but has a reputation as a fearsome striker of the ball.Just ask England or Sri Lanka against whom he scored 269 runs in sixmatches in a tri-series before the World Cup or the bowlers of KarachiBlues against whom Umar smashed 248 – 215 in a day – in the Quaid-e-Azamtrophy in 2007-08. Akmal scored 855 runs in his maiden first-class seasonin Pakistan and it’s just one of the reasons his coach Mansoor Ranaand Ijaz Ahmed, the fielding coach, have so much praise for him.”One innings from Umar can change everything,” Rana said. “He candemolish, he can win the game in ten overs.”That destructive ability hasn’t been on view in Malaysia. Umar was dismissed for single-digit scores in the group matches and he made 17 in the quarter-final against Australia. Histechnique against Australia did not impress, he backed away to good length balls and tried to hit towards cover or moved across his stumps and attempted to pull through midwicket. Rana, however, insisted that the innings was an aberration rather than the norm.”Only in the previous game against Australia did Umar play across theline, otherwise he plays straight,” Rana said. “That innings was unlikehim. Maybe he was excited because of the television coverage; perhaps hegot carried away on a good pitch after the seaming tracks in Johor.”Those are indications that Umar still has a long way to go to mature intoa rounded batsman; after all he is only 17. Rana even sees a bit of ShahidAfridi in Umar.”What ever you tell Afridi, he will keep nodding and saying yes. I askUmar ‘what is your plan?’ He says ‘I’ll bat for 50 overs’ and I startlaughing. When he gets out after scoring 40-50 off seven-eight overs Itell him there are still 40 overs to go. He says ‘that was my planMansoor but I don’t know what happens’.”Umar realises he’s been given a free hand to play his natural game,but even though his failures have been in Johor where the conditions weredifficult for batting he says the “bad pitches were no excuse”. His aim is to play an innings that “will make people forget the failures”.Rana and Ijaz haven’t tried to change Umar’s aggressive approach for thatis his USP. Instead they have encouraged him by asking him to open, which hedoesn’t do at first-class level, and urged him to show discretion in shot selection.”I want him to play shots but once you hit a four or a six you need toblock to keep the good balls out,” Rana said. “The reason he is opening isso that he can take advantage of an open field. He doesn’t look at wherethe fielders are. Even if long-off and long-on are deep and you give him aflighted ball he’ll take it as a challenge and will try to hit.”Umar has one, possibly two more innings, to show a worldwide TV audiencewhat he can do. His role is pivotal for depending on how he fares, Pakistan could either get off to a flier against South Africa in the semi-final, or lose a very early wicket.

A Virat Kohli masterclass in a tricky chase at a packed Chinnaswamy Stadium. A last-over thriller. An RCB win.Everything that Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans would have wanted from their team’s first home game of the season, they got it. In spades. But, it didn’t come without a scare.For the longest time, Kohli – the king of the chase – had things under control. Chasing 177, he had the crowd dancing to his tune as he smashed the Punjab Kings bowlers all around the park for a 49-ball 77.Till he didn’t.Harpreet Brar’s frugal spell of 2 for 13 after Kagiso Rabada’s two-wicket burst in the powerplay had RCB in a bind. The crowd was silenced. Were RCB going to become the first team this IPL to lose a home game?Enter finisher Dinesh Karthik.His bio says he is 38. He is! But you wouldn’t believe that seeing him move around the crease, and up and down the pitch. With RCB requiring 47 off 22, Karthik walked in and smoked an unbeaten 28 off ten balls, with three fours and two sixes, to take RCB over the line with four balls to spare.Virat Kohli did the early scoring in RCB’s chase and ended with a 49-ball 77•BCCI

A Kohli special for the Chinnaswamy to remember

But, it so nearly wasn’t.Striding out to bat with a vociferous crowd behind him, Kohli took strike. Sam Curran got the ball to tail away from him first ball. It took a thick edge and went to short third. The next ball, Curran went closer, inviting a drive. Kohli took the bait and got a thick edge but the ball went too fast for Bairstow to react at first slip and burst through his hands. That was just the luck Kohli needed. He drove Curran through the covers next ball, then clipped him past short fine-leg, before creaming a half-volley through the covers to make it 16 runs off the first over.Rabada then came on but Kohli was in no mood to show any respect, haring down the track and slamming him over cover. Kohli then took on Arshdeep Singh, thumping him for three fours in an over to race to 33 off 15 balls, the most runs he has scored in the first 15 balls ever in a T20 innings. Eight fours in his first 15 balls. Kohli was away, RCB were away.Harpreet Brar bowled brilliantly, keeping RCB quiet and picking up wickets at the same time•Associated Press

RCB slow down, courtesy Brar and Rabada

Rabada got among the wickets first. He accounted for Faf du Plessis – the third time in three IPL innings – and then had Cameron Green edging behind with Jitesh Sharma taking a good low catch.The real squeeze, though, was applied by Harpreet Brar and he did it with his length.Four overs, 13 runs, two wickets and that’s while Kohli was on a rampage.Sixteen of the 24 balls Brar bowled were on a length. From quite high up. He kept the speed on the quicker side, and more importantly, didn’t give the batters a chance to get under the ball. Both his wickets came off balls bowled at a length.Rajat Patidar, frustrated at not getting anything away, went back to a flatter delivery looking for a hoick to the leg side, but missed and looked back to see his stumps in a mess. Glenn Maxwell then tried to open the off side up but was undone by an arm ball, and could only get an under-edge back on to his stumps. Brar did not concede a single boundary in his four-over spell. In fact, he only went for one double. The rest of it was all singles.Dinesh Karthik lived up to his billing as a cool finisher•BCCI

The scare and the finish

Kohli, meanwhile, reached his 100th 50-plus score in T20 cricket. But the required rate was soaring. He got two fours away off Harshal but fell soon after with his slash reaching only as far as deep third. Anuj Rawat fell two balls later and the equation suddenly seemed to be going out of hand for RCB.Karthik, though, found an ally in Mahipal Lomror, the impact sub. Lomror clipped Curran past short fine-leg for four first ball and then slammed Arshdeep for a six and four next over. Karthik took over after that as Harshal Patel leaked 13 off the penultimate over. With ten to win in the final over, Karthik brought out the scoop first ball against Arshdeep for six. A wide followed, before Karthik aced the chase with a hit over the bowler’s head.The Chinnaswamy went delirious, and so did the RCB changeroom.But there were big performances in the first half of the match too.1:29

Yash Dayal was ‘absolutely phenomenal’ in powerplay – McClenaghan

Yash Dayal puts the brakes on in the powerplay

Before Monday, Yash Dayal had played only one game at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in his T20 career. That was last season against RCB when he was with Gujarat Titans. He didn’t have the best of times finishing with 1 for 39 off his four overs.But on the day, or night, Dayal was on the money.He bowled three overs in the powerplay and went for just ten runs, conceding only one four.Mohammed Siraj was picked up for a four first ball of the innings, and then conceded two more against Jonny Bairstow, but he had the last laugh. Bairstow took a swipe at a length ball, only to get a top-edge that ballooned straight up.Dayal kept things tight at the other end, even if he didn’t get wickets.It was that Test-match length that did the job for him. He kept the ball short of a good length 12 out of 18 times in the first six overs, and went for just four runs with those. There was not a lot of swing on offer, but he made sure to keep the ball as close to the batter, and found just a hint of movement, not giving room to the batters to swing. The Kings batters could only manage 40 for 1 in the first six overs.1:07

‘Punjab Kings’ tactics an absolute disaster’

RCB chip away with the ball

None of the Kings batters were able to convert their starts into anything substantial. Shikhar Dhawan scored 45 but took 37 balls for it. Prabhsimran Singh got 25, Jitesh 27, Liam Livingstone 17. And that hurt them as RCB kept chipping away.Maxwell picked up two wickets in the middle over, while Siraj also got two and it seemed Kings would fall well short of a par score, which is quite high at the venue. But Shashank Singh clobbered Alzarri Joseph for two sixes and a four in the last over to take Kings to a respectable total, even if it seemed a bit below par at the halfway stage. And that’s how it turned out to be.

Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson took five wickets on debut but South Australia face a big chase

AAP21-Feb-2023

Matt Short scored his maiden Sheffield Shield century in stunning fashion to put Victoria in a strong position at the midway point of their match against South Australia in Melbourne.A low-scoring contest was turned on its head as Short mastered the tricky Junction Oval pitch to score 119 – a tally nearly three times better than any other batter in the match.The century continues a rich vein of form for Short, who broke through for his first 50-over century last week, more than seven years after his senior debut.Related

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Victoria ended the day at 8 for 285 for a massive 340-run lead that seemed highly improbable just 24 hours earlier.South Australia’s lower order capitulated earlier in the day. Having resumed at 5 for 75, they were dismissed for 114 to concede a 55-run first-innings deficit.Short played a major role in building that advantage, with his 70 off 69 balls on day one more than double the next best for either side in the first innings.In the second innings, he punched 15 boundaries and a six in his 135-ball knock of 119, and it took some fancy footwork to dismiss him, with Jordan Buckingham taking a juggling catch on the boundary rope.Short’s wicket earned Spencer Johnson a five-wicket haul, with the debutant paceman returning figures of 5 for 72.At the time of his dismissal, Short had, incredibly, scored some 36 percent of the runs in the match across the three innings.Batting seemed much simpler during the latter two sessions of the day, highlighted by an 82-run stand – easily the largest in the match – for the seventh wicket between Short and Will Sutherland (43).The news wasn’t so good for returning short-form star Glenn Maxwell, who was clean bowled second ball after playing an expansive drive off Wes Agar.Maxwell made just 5 in the first innings, though his dismissal came via a contentious lbw decision.Earlier, in his first game back after suffering a broken leg, Maxwell left the field during SA’s innings after being struck on a wrist by a ball when fielding at slip.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na terceira posição da competição estadual, a Aparecidense venceu seu compromisso, por 2 a 1, contra o Morrinhos, em jogo da 7ª rodada do Campeonato Goiano. João Diogo, um dos expoentes da equipe, anotou um dos gols no triunfo. Com o bom momento em campo, o atacante comemorou o rendimento da equipe.

– Graças a Deus, juntamente com os meus companheiros, tenho feito um bom início de temporada, podendo marcar gols e ajudar a equipe nas vitórias. O jogo contra o Morrinhos foi muito duro, uma equipe forte, mas conseguimos a vitória. Fui muito feliz no chute de fora da área e pude marcar um belo gol. Vou seguir trabalhando muito para poder ajudar a Aparecidense no decorrer da temporada – relatou o jogador.

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A Aparecidense almeja ficar na melhor posição possível na fase dos pontos corridos. João Diogo comentou sobre o valor da última vitória e relatou a ambição de conquistar a classificação para a próxima fase.

– Foi uma vitória muito importante. Nosso time vinha de um revés na última partida e precisávamos conquistar essa vitória para podermos permanecer entre os primeiros da classificação. Vamos ter jogos difíceis pela frente e precisamos estar preparados para seguirmos pontuando e garantirmos a nossa vaga na próxima fase da competição – finalizou João Diogo.