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New Zealand’s world record lasts for a matter of hours on extraordinary day at Taunton

Andrew Miller20-Jun-20181:48

‘I just felt like it was my day’ – Beaumont

England 250 for 3 (Beaumont 116, Wyatt 56) beat South Africa 129 for 6 (van Niekerk 72) by 121 runs
ScorecardIt’s been a week of scarcely credible run-scoring feats – starting with New Zealand women’s twin demolition of Ireland (491 team runs in one innings, 232 individual runs for Amelia Kerr in another) and continuing on Tuesday with England’s men’s ODI-record total of 481 for 6 against Australia at Trent Bridge.But on a ludicrous day of run-feasting at Taunton, England’s women might just have taken the biscuit. A matter of hours after watching New Zealand add the highest T20 innings total to their records-chest, with a Suzie Bates-inspired total of 216 for 1, Tammy Beaumont and her team-mates marched out to the middle to obliterate that mark from the annals.Twenty overs after winning the toss against the same hapless South African opposition, England had amassed an extraordinary 250 for 3. Their effort was powered by a 47-ball century from Beaumont – her third for England in as many innings after her ODI-series-sealing knocks last week. With five overs still to come, she had the individual record at her mercy as well, when she miscued a return catch to Stacy Lackay to depart for 116 from 52.At the top of Beaumont’s innings, Danni Wyatt had offered a high-octane supporting role with 56 from 36 balls in an opening stand of 147 in 13.1 overs, whereupon Nat Sciver, with 33 from 15 and Katherine Brunt, 42 not out from 16, applied the finishing touches with a murderous series of blows.It was brutal, compelling, and – for South Africa – utterly soul-destroying, as they limped away from the field having conceded 466 runs in the space of 40 overs across two (non)-contests. Even Beaumont, whose 116 from 52 balls had contained four of England’s nine sixes and 18 of their 33 fours, later admitted some sympathy for a side who had drawn the short straw in having to play twice in one day in this fledgling round-robin competition.”We saw the Kiwi girls broke [the record] this morning,” Beaumont told Sky Sports. “Robbo [Mark Robinson] told us in the pre-match chat not to try and break it, but I think a few of the girls got a bit of a challenge on. It’s an incredible wicket, and we feel a bit sorry for the South Africa girls having to go two in two, but that’s the way it goes in this T20 series and we’ve all got one of those.”On this evidence, England will be itching not only for the rematch against South Africa – on this same ground on Saturday – but for their first encounter with the New Zealand big guns later that same day.Doubtless encouraged by the ruthlessness shown by Bates and Sophie Devine in their morning stand of 182, England’s ball-striking was clean and awesome from the get-go – and to think they had been suffering from power failure only a couple of years ago.Wyatt’s cover drive was purring from the very outset of her innings, while Beaumont’s ferocity in the arc from square leg to long-on was a sight to behold. There was finesse at times too, but it was scarcely required as the innings progressed and South Africa’s morale deserted them.Their captain, Dane van Niekerk, had given her team a ferocious talking-to in the break between matches, but it proved fruitless as England rattled along to their first hundred in just 53 balls – New Zealand, by contrast, had taken 66 earlier in the day.South Africa’s woes had been summed up by two polarised moments in the field – a missed stumping from Lizelle Lee which cannoned off her knee for byes, and a brilliant catch in the deep from Sune Luus to intercept another Beaumont smear over long-on, which she was forced to relinquish as her momentum dragged her over the rope.England, in reply, had one or two moments to forget in the field – not least Jenny Gunn, who dropped a sitter off Laura Wolvaardt in Brunt’s first over (she made amends moments later), then clung onto a one-handed screamer at long-on off van Niekerk, only to spill the simplest of relay lobs as she too was forced to take a second bite of the cherry with the boundary rope looming.The match was over as a contest almost before the second innings began, but for the second match running, van Niekerk provided her team with some cheer, as she clubbed her second defiant fifty of the day, this time off 40 balls with seven fours and a six. She finished on 72 from 51, as Anya Shrubsole pulled off a blinder, diving to her right at mid-off to intercept a flat drive.That catch, however, was arguably less impressive than Shrubsole’s final bowling figures. On a pitch on which every other bowler had come across as cannon fodder, not least Mackay and Masabata Klaas, both of whom conceded a record 59 runs in their spells, Shrubsole wheeled through her four overs for a cost of just eight runs.

Even for a man who has been in the centre of the media spotlight for 23 years, the hype about the 100th century was unnerving

Siddarth Ravindran in Dhaka17-Mar-2012In the early hours of Saturday morning, word spread that Sachin Tendulkar was going to address the Indian press around noon at the team hotel in Dhaka. Several journalists began to wonder why. He had already spoken, at a longer than usual press conference, on Friday night about the 100th hundred and the defeat to Bangladesh. Was there going to be a major announcement?There was not, but he was even more candid as he spoke to around a dozen print journalists in a small, tightly guarded hall at the hotel. A photojournalist first presented him with a cake, with “Tons of love for you Master” written on it, and then fumbled with nervousness trying to fix in candles reading 100 X 100. Looking relaxed in a casual T-shirt, Tendulkar waited patiently, before blowing out the candles and taking a bite of the cake, and then taking questions.Even as the reporters vied with each other to get their say in a rare interaction with the biggest name in Indian cricket, Tendulkar stayed calm and answered eloquently. Over the past year, even as India tumbled to new lows in England and Australia, Tendulkar stayed away from the media, not fronting up a single press conference. His was an influential voice, and he had not wanted to increase the already relentless, and sometimes perspective-less, coverage of the latest of his many landmarks.”This anticipation and disappointment when I didn’t get (the 100th hundred) was way greater than anything else. I don’t know how to explain to you. I wish there was someone to guide me about how to deal with this,” he said, sounding helpless, as if he was faced with a new and intractable problem.Tendulkar, though, has been in the centre of the media spotlight longer than his current vice-captain has been alive. As long ago as 1988, some were asking whether he was the greatest schoolboy cricketer ever , and his coach was upset about the distractions faced by the 15-year-old Tendulkar.It showed that even for someone who had almost casually shouldered the impossible demands of his fans for over two decades, and already owned most of the batting records worth owning, the expectations and media pressure can weigh heavy. “I have to admit I was relieved. This is now out of the way and I can start a new chapter. It was possibly the toughest phase of my life. There was so much hype and attention about the 100th hundred. I thought I possibly batted the best in my life, got close in a couple of games but I couldn’t achieve it.”An instance of particular disappointment? “In Delhi (where he made a second-innings 76 against West Indies), I went in to bat in the second innings, it was a critical phase and we won that game but people were only talking about how I missed my hundred.”As the brouhaha over the pending milestone increased, and the team slid from its No. 1 Test ranking, Tendulkar said the support of his family and friends kept him going, especially that of his brother and mentor Ajit. “I talk a lot about cricket with my brother. He has guided me throughout and this is something I want to dedicate to him. We have lived our dream together. Whenever I went in to bat I knew that mentally he was always there with me.”Aside from the hundredth hundred, when asked, he duly produced a list of favourites. Perth 1992, Chennai 2008, Manchester 1990, Chennai 1999, Sydney 2004 were his favourite Test innings, a comical bit of running with Anil Kumble that miraculously didn’t end up in a run-out against Bangladesh in 2004 counted as his funniest on-field incident. The only question he hedged on was when asked to pick a hypothetical best bowling attack. “You need one ball to get out,” he joked, “I can name at least 25 different bowlers.”The promised 15 minutes with Tendulkar was stretched to 20, at which point the media manager firmly brought an end to the interaction. Those hoping to get Tendulkar’s views on the defeats in England and Australia, or even Sunday’s key match against Pakistan, were disappointed. Before being ushered out, several of the journalists, even those that had recently questioned Tendulkar’s place in the team, lined up for autographs.

Vivianne Miedema says that her recent start for the Netherlands "couldn't make the damage any worse" following the news that she needs knee surgery.

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Miedema started for Netherlands last weekThen left camp early to return to ArsenalDefends start after news she requires knee surgeryWHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall confirmed on Friday that Miedema requires 'minor knee surgery' just days after starting for the Netherlands against Spain. Asked about those minutes in the international break, which were followed by the forward having to leave the Dutch camp prematurely, he added: "She doesn't need a surgery because of those 45 minutes she played against Spain. She would have needed the surgery anyway. It was nothing that the Dutch team did that complicated this here or made the situation worse. It was a situation that needed to be fixed anyway."

AdvertisementWHAT MIEDEMA SAID

Miedema has now spoken herself about the situation, which comes just four months after her return from an ACL rupture. "It's the same knee again," she wrote in her column for . "I already knew this surgery was coming. We decided to join the Netherlands camp anyway to see if I could still contribute. In consultation with all the medical specialists, of course. I couldn't make the damage any worse. So what remains is another rehabilitation in which I'll listen to my body very carefully.

"I was just on the way back and felt myself getting stronger mentally and physically," she added. "Soon, I'll have to go back to the gym. It's hard and frustrating. When will this stop for me? But following my previous injury, I'm used to this now."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Miedema will be absent for 'several weeks', which is a real blow for an Arsenal team that still has a chance of winning the Women's Super League title and is in the semi-finals of the Continental Cup. The Gunners are already without three players who are at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup and Eidevall revealed on Friday that Amanda Ilestedt will be missing be Sunday's clash with rivals Tottenham, too.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Spurs beat Arsenal for the first-time in the history of the women's team in December. Prior to that, the Gunners were unbeaten in 14 meetings with their north London rivals, winning 11 of those in 90 minutes, two on penalties and drawing once.

West Ham United boss David Moyes is eager for Kalvin Phillips to return to his best form before his loan deal expires in east London.

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Phillips joins West HamStruggles to find form and snubbed by EnglandMoyes warns PhillipsWHAT HAPPENED?

Moyes, 60, has outlined his ambitions to get the former England Player of the Year back to his very best, after the Manchester City loanee was left out of Gareth Southgate's most-recent Three Lions squad. Phillips, 28, has endured a tough return to playing regularly at the Hammers, but his new boss is hoping he can rekindle his finest form before 'time runs out' on his loan deal at West Ham.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MOYES SAID

Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash against Aston Villa, Moyes said: "I'm speaking to him regularly because he's such a good boy to talk to as well. He wants to listen, he's willing to give feedback and he wants to get better.

"There is no doubt he is going to come back to his best form and I hope we can crack the code before our time runs out, I really do. That's the key because I said to him the other day, you don't get the England manager giving you 30-odd caps and you don't get signed by the best manager in the world if there isn't something there.

"I've also been trying to sign him for three years, that might not mean nothing but certainly with the other two, there has to be something that everybody has seen so we have to crack the code to get him back on it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Phillips secured a temporary loan switch to West Ham during the January transfer window, after starting just two Premier League games since making the £45 million ($57m) transfer from his boyhood club Leeds United to City back in 2022.

The defensive midfielder was eager to get regular minutes under his belt ahead of this summer, as he looks to solidify himself in Southgate's England plans for Euro 2024.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PHILLIPS?

Phillips played just five minutes during the rampant 5-0 win over Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday. The former Leeds man will be hoping he can break back into the starting line-up for the first time since the 2-2 draw with Burnley, as West Ham prepare to face Villa at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

With the new appointment of Mauricio Pochettino to Stamford Bridge as manager, Chelsea were meant to be entering a new era with a world-class manager steering them back to their previous best.

The Blues hadn't messed around in the transfer window either, breaking the bank to add the likes of Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, and more to their squad – notably paying £115m for the Brighton and Hove Albion central midfielder.

Yet, Pochettino's side find themselves in an unsatisfactory mid-table position at this current point in time with three defeats from their opening eight matches which included two narrow 1-0 home losses to Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

An injury to young Blues talent Cole Palmer – who signed for the club in the recent transfer window from Manchester City – sustained on England U21 duty won't fill Pochettino up with much confidence either ahead of Arsenal hopping over to west London next Saturday.

How is Cole Palmer playing?

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder relocated from his place of birth in Manchester to Chelsea in order to get more first-team minutes, with Palmer frustrated by being on the periphery at at the Etihad under Pep Guardiola – making 41 first-team appearances under Pep over a number of seasons, contributing six goals and two assists.

He's made six appearances for Pochettino this campaign so far, scoring his first goal in his new colours versus Burnley in the Blues' last outing before the international break from the penalty spot.

He also assisted Chelsea's fourth goal of the afternoon at Turf Moor, linking up with another new signing in Nicholas Jackson who scored late on to clinch an impressive 4-1 victory.

Fans of the west London outfit will hope Palmer's injury isn't a serious knock, with manager Lee Carsley having commented on the injury situation directly after his young Three Lions side emphatically beat Serbia 9-1 in Nottingham, stating: “There are a few bumps and bruises and we will monitor Cole, but we will not be taking any chances”.

If he isn't fit, this could leave Pochettino with a selection dilemma.

But, this dilemma could be solved by starting a "forgotten" transfer buy at Stamford Bridge – as described by journalist Felix Johnston – who also featured for his country in that 9-1 demolition, in the form of Noni Madueke.

How is Noni Madueke playing?

The 21-year-old will be desperate to break into his Argentine head coach's first-team plans, especially if his fellow countryman, Palmer, is to be sidelined.

Madueke scored two goals in the win versus Serbia, the ex-PSV Eindhoven winger starring at the City Ground despite a lack of first-team opportunities afforded to him recently at Chelsea.

Speaking whilst with the England camp, the young attacker – who has only made 16 appearances for the Blues since signing from the Netherlands in January – is still confident he can break into the Chelsea starting line-up after signing for £29m in January this year.

He said: "I love coming over here and showing everyone what I can do. It's a great squad, just as good as the last one. I've got a lot of belief in my ability and I'm sure things will click sooner rather than later. I think I've got it in me."

Despite having been cast out of late – after being an unused substitute against Burnley last time out – Madueke does appear to have the tools to be a real weapon for Pochettino, after previously recording 34 goal involvements in just 80 games for PSV.

As much as Palmer's thigh knock is a blow for the Blues, Madeuke could well benefit from his teammate's potential absence and seek to put himself back into Pochettino's good books when the international break is at an end.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl must surely be looking forward to the January transfer window after his side were beaten 2-1 by Ferencvaros on Thursday night.

The Light Blues boss arrived after the summer transfer window, led by Russell Martin and Kevin Thelwell, which means that he has not had a chance to bring in any of his own players.

Rangers made 12 signings in the summer, though, and that means that they may have to part ways with a few players to make room for new signings to come through the door at Ibrox.

Players who could leave Rangers in January

Clinton Nsiala and Rabbi Matondo could be candidates to move on because they are the only two senior outfield players who have yet to play a single minute in any competition, per Transfermarkt.

If they want to play regular football in the second half of the campaign, Nsiala and Matondo may need to force their way out of Ibrox, on loan or permanently, next month.

Kieran Dowell, meanwhile, played six games under Russell Martin at the start of the season and has now been linked with a loan move to Hull, which could see him see out the rest of his Rangers contract down south.

Another player who has been linked with a move away from Ibrox in January is Djeidi Gassama. He is a reported target for Spanish side Villarreal, who are said to be ‘exploring’ the possibility of a deal for the winger next month.

Villarreal’s interest in signing the Frenchman presents the Light Blues with an intriguing dilemma ahead of the January transfer window, as they may have a big decision to make.

Why Rangers should sell Djeidi Gassama

Rangers signed the 22-year-old attacker from Sheffield Wednesday for a fee of £2.2m in the summer, and they should ruthlessly cash in on him if the Spanish team are willing to offer a decent profit on that.

The Frenchman’s performances for the Gers this season have been inconsistent, at best, and his recent displays on the pitch suggest that he should be dropped from the team.

Rangers have four more Scottish Premiership matches before the January window opens and he should not start another match for Rohl before being sold to Villarreal in January, as he has not done enough to warrant a starting berth.

Appearances

15

6

Starts

13

6

Goals

1

1

Minutes per goal

1,171

480

Key passes per game

0.9

0.7

Big chances created

1

1

Assists

1

0

As you can see in the table above, Gassama has only produced two goals in 21 appearances in the Premiership and the Europa League, despite starting almost every game, which shows that he has not been reliable in front of goal.

His dismal form in the final third in those competitions came as a bit of a surprise after he started his career at Ibrox with four goals in six matches in the Champions League qualifiers.

The 23-year-old attacker has been unable to live up to the hype that his early burst of goals created, with just two goals in all competitions since the end of the Champions League qualifiers.

Rangers Journal creator Kai Watson said that Gassama has “been a ghost” since those early weeks of the season, and it is hard to argue with that assessment when you consider his form in the Premiership and the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Mikey Moore, who has scored two goals in his last three appearances, and Findlay Curtis, who created a ‘big chance’ off the bench against Ferencvaros (Sofascore), are waiting in the wings to take his place on the left flank.

As Rangers have two other viable left-sided options, in Moore and Curtis, Rohl can afford to take Gassama out of the starting line-up for the next four matches, using him as an impact substitute instead.

This would then give the other two players a chance to prove that they have what it takes to hold down that position moving forward, allowing Rangers to ruthlessly cash in on Gassama if Villarreal come knocking in January.

Selling the French ‘ghost’ could also provide Rohl with funds to bring in his own players in other positions, depending on how much the Spaniards are willing to pay for his services.

Aasgaard upgrade: Rangers "could" re-sign £70k-per-week star in 2026

Rangers have been tipped to sign an attacking midfielder who would be a big upgrade on Thelo Aasgaard.

ByDan Emery 4 days ago

Therefore, placing Gassama on the bench for the next few weeks before selling him in January could be a move that is in the club’s best interests, if Villarreal’s interest is serious.

BBL stint gives England Test captain chance to expand T20 game

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2018Joe Root, England’s Test captain, and Jos Buttler have signed to play for Sydney Thunder in the 2018-19 Big Bash League. Both players will be available for seven games before heading to the West Indies with England in January.The move is particularly significant for Root, who was overlooked when entering the IPL auction earlier in the year. He has previously spoken about his desire to improve in the shortest format but has had few opportunities to develop his game since taking on the Test captaincy, and was dropped from England’s T20 XI last month.Root will link up again with Shane Bond, the former New Zealand bowler who is Thunder’s head coach. Bond worked with England’s Test squad as bowling coach during last winter’s Ashes.”Everyone you speak to that has played in the Big Bash finds it a really interesting tournament and watching it you can see that,” Root said. “You want to be involved in it and I’m really excited to get that opportunity with Sydney Thunder.”I’ve had some really good experiences with Shane Bond in the past when I’ve worked with him and I’m really looking forward to doing that again.”Buttler, by contrast, is one of most sought-after players in T20, having enjoyed a stellar 2018 IPL with Rajasthan Royals. He returns to Sydney Thunder after scoring 202 runs in six innings during last year’s BBL.”I loved my time there, there’s a great atmosphere in the group,” Buttler said. “There’s a lot of young guys but some experience in there as well, including Shane Watson who I really enjoyed getting to know and playing under his captaincy. It’s a great part of the world and a really fun dressing room.”England’s winter shedule allows centrally contracted players such as Root and Buttler a rare window to play in the BBL. Their tour of Sri Lanka concludes on November 27, and they do not leave for the Caribbean until January 11.

Between the foreword, written by pets, and the afterword, written by a two-year-old, lies an honest, funny and fascinating account of life as England cricketer

Andrew Miller20-Jun-2009

Mark my words, Matthew Hoggard will never play for England again. He will no doubt be mentioned in dispatches when the Ashes injuries begin to stack up this summer, and the Barmy Army will sing hymns of praise if his gurning mug appears on the giant screen midway through the Headingley Test. But England’s sixth most successful wicket-taker of all time is already ancient history, thanks in no small part to this wonderful, honest and characteristically unhinged autobiography.”A suicide note to rank alongside Labour’s 1983 manifesto” was how Mike Atherton described , which is some achievement for a book that opens with a foreword (actually a paw-word) from Hoggard’s dogs, Billy and Mollie, and closes with a postscript from his two-year- old son, Ernie. But in between the doodles and digressions, and cutting through an (at times contrived) air of silliness, this is a painful but laugh-out-loud sign-off from one of the most popular England cricketers of recent times.The book’s style is utterly puerile at times, littered with block capitals, quadruple exclamation marks and all manner of devices to make his detractors harrumph, and by referring to the press pack as a “cunch of bunts” he has probably diddled himself out of several favourable reviews. But Hoggard has come up with an autobiography in the fullest and frankest sense. It is often felt that he cultivated an air of mild lunacy to mask his insecurities, but he clearly missed nothing in his near-decade as an England player. To the delight of his fans but the chagrin of his former employers he has collected a massive pile of dirty laundry and is happy to parade it just as his Yorkshire team-mates used to do with the Y-fronts of the second-team coach.The grubbiest underpants on show are those belonging to the England and Wales Cricket Board, whose methods and man-management are held up for ridicule in almost every chapter. In many ways Hoggard’s gripes are ungracious, considering he was one of the earliest beneficiaries of the central contract system that transformed the livelihoods of England’s players. Then again, the brutality of his axing in Wellington and subsequent banishment from the national set-up, coming at a time of intense personal stress, makes his indignation entirely righteous.No doubt emboldened by Marcus Trescothick’s candour in his own book last summer, Hoggard is not afraid to tackle the dark side of England life. The chapters co-written with his wife Sarah, addressing their struggles to conceive and the descent into post-natal depression that turned that last tour of New Zealand into a living nightmare, are poignant and brave. But whereas Trescothick’s tale was groundbreaking yet bleak, humour remains Hoggard’s default setting. His book is the more readable thanks to that essential levity.At any rate those newsworthy chapters come late in the proceedings, by which stage the tale has all but written itself thanks to a single relationship that creates enough friction to carry the entire narrative. Perhaps uniquely among those players who thrived in the England “bubble” Hoggard’s relationship with Duncan Fletcher was never better than suspicious: he felt, with some justification, that the coach never rated him, and as he dryly notes in his chapter on the 2005 Ashes, it could so easily have been James Kirtley making up the famous “Awesome Foursome”.Without such a powerful figure in his corner it is little wonder that Hoggard could not be persuaded to buy into the wider team ethic. But conformity’s loss is literature’s gain. From first chapter to last he goes triumphantly off message, not least on the subject of diet and fitness, in which he sounds like the reincarnation of Fred Trueman as he concludes a rollicking diatribe with the declaration: “Fast bowlers do not eat salad!” (although even Trueman might have stopped short of advocating Roast Chicken Monster Munch as the ideal energy food).If at times it feels as if he is playing to the gallery, clowning around for the Barmy Army on a tedious final day in Galle, then the only response is “Hoggy is a monkey, tra-la-la-la!” This book will surely prove to be the vehicle that has whisked him into the sporting afterlife, but at least he has chosen to travel in style.Hoggy: Welcome to My World
by Matthew Hoggard
HarperSport, hb, 352pp,£18.99

They are the first opening pair from England with a 500-plus aggregate in a Test series since Strauss and Cook in the 2010-11 Ashes

Sampath Bandarupalli01-Aug-20251:58

Bangar on Crawley-Duckett: Haven’t seen batting of that quality

7224 – Runs scored by Joe Root in Tests in England. His tally is the second-highest for any batter in a single country, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 7216 in India, and only behind Ricky Ponting’s 7578 in Australia.Root has scored 2006 runs against India at home so far. He is only the second batter to aggregate 2000-plus Test runs against a single opposition at home after Don Bradman, who had scored 2354 runs against England.8 – Number of 50-plus stands between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in Tests against India, the joint-highest by an opening pair, alongside Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. Crawley and Duckett have 984 runs in 18 innings against India, only behind Greenidge-Haynes, who had 1325 runs in 30 partnerships.Related

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7.16 – The run rate during Crawley and Duckett’s 92-run partnership, which came in 12.5 overs. It is the second-highest run rate for a 50-plus opening stand against India in men’s Tests. .The highest is 7.18 by Shahid Afridi and Yasir Hameed, who added 91 in 12.4 overs in Bengaluru in 2005. Four of the top 15 fastest 50-plus opening stands against India have been by the Crawley and Duckett pair.539 – Partnership runs between Crawley and Duckett in this series so far. They are the first opening pair to aggregate 500-plus runs in a Test series since David Warner and Joe Burns’ 547 against New Zealand in 2015. They are also the first opening pair from England with a 500-plus aggregate in a Test series since Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook in the 2010-11 Ashes.48 – Runs scored in boundaries by Crawley at the time of reaching his half-century. It is the joint-second-highest runs scored in boundaries while completing a half-century in men’s Tests (Since 2002). Only Tim Southee scored more, with 50, on debut against England in 2008.Harry Brook falls over after nailing a jaw-dropping slog sweep•Getty ImagesCrawley’s 64-run knock featured 56 boundary runs, a percentage of 87.50. It is the third-highest boundary percentage in a 50-plus score for England in men’s Tests, behind only Andrew Flintoff’s 88.89% (48 out of 54) against New Zealand in 2004 and 88% by Chris Woakes (44 out of 50) against India in 2021.6 – Bowlers to take a four-plus wicket haul for India in this series, with Prasidh Krishna the latest. Only once have more bowlers had a higher tally in a Test series for India – seven against Pakistan at home in 1960-61, while six bowlers did so against West Indies in 1974-75 and also in the 2018 tour of England.1066 – Balls that KL Rahul faced in this series against England, the second-highest by an India opener in a Test series in England, behind Sunil Gavaskar’s 1199 on the 1979 tour. Only six visiting players have faced more balls than Rahul’s tally in this series while opening the batting in a series in England.Rahul’s 532 runs are the most for any opener in a Test series in England in nearly 22 years and the second-highest for India behind Gavaskar’s 542 in 1979.

An ICC panel picked the best Test and ODI teams of the year based on performances in the last 12 months. There’s no disagreeing with their wisdom but, had they gone by statistics alone, would their choices have been a bit different

11-Sep-2008An ICC panel, chaired by Clive Lloyd, and including Greg Chappell, Shaun Pollock, Sidath Wettimuny and Athar Ali Khan, picked the best Test and ODI teams of the year based on performances in the last 12 months. There’s no disagreeing with their wisdom but, had they gone by statistics alone, would their choices have been a bit different? Mathew Varghese looks at the ones that got away.
Mohammad Yousuf was in contention for the ICC ODI Player of the Year, but wasn’t picked in the ODI Team of the Year © AFP
Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan batsman, was one of the players nominated for ICC’s ODI Player-of-the-Year Award. Yousuf didn’t win; Mahendra Singh Dhoni did. And Dhoni and fellow nominees, Sachin Tendulkar and Nathan Bracken, were named in the ODI Team of the Year, Yousuf wasn’t. Yousuf’s omission was puzzling not only because he was one of the nominees for the top award, but also one of the prolific run-scorers in the period considered by the ICC.The awards were based on performances from August 9, 2007 to August 12, 2008. In that period, Yousuf scored 1161 runs at 68.29; among batsmen with at least 500 runs, only Shivnarine Chanderpaul had a better average and he wasn’t in the ODI team either. Pakistan did play back-to-back series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh but even if you considered performances only against the top eight ODI teams, Yousuf’s average is 59.09. (Click here for the top batsmen with at least 10 ODI innings.)In the ICC’s XI, only Yousuf’s team-mate Younis Khan averaged as much. Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds were the other middle-order batsmen in the team but Ponting, the captain, averaged only 42.23 in 20 innings, while Symonds fared marginally better with an average of 45.Another surprise pick was allrounder Farveez Maharoof, who played only seven matches in the period. Granted that he took 14 wickets at 17.42, but he scored only 45 runs in four innings. (Click here to see the best bowlers against the top eight teams.)In the ICC’s Test Team of the Year, Kumar Sangakkara was chosen as the wicketkeeper but he kept wickets in only one Test out of Sri Lanka’s ten during the period under consideration. He’s played as a specialist batsman while Prasanna Jayawardene has impressed one and all with his sharp glove work while keeping to Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis. However, the other Test keepers fared poorly with the bat, a factor that could have swung the vote Sangakkara’s way. England may have seen a turnaround under Kevin Pietersen’s leadership, but his position in the middle order denies a place to either of AB De Villiers, Andrew Symonds or Michael Clarke – all three averaged over 55, while Pietersen managed only 47.25. (Click here for the top batsmen during the selection period.)