IShowSpeed is one of the biggest online superstars, boasting over 40 million YouTube subscribers, while also having more than 36 million Instagram followers.

Speed’s real name is Darren Watkins Jr, and he was born Cincinnati, Ohio in January 2005. Best known for his energetic content, visiting numerous countries and athletic challenges, Speed has admitted that he wants to represent the United States of America at the 2028 Olympic Games.

He showcased his pace and shocked many after challenging Noah Lyles to a race towards the end of 2024, and Speed has admitted previously he has run a 100m time of 10.5 seconds.

But how does that rank against some of the best footballers in the world such as Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and his idol Cristiano Ronaldo?

Well, AI tool ChatGPT has estimated the 100m times of some of the quickest players past and present, and it looks as if the internet star has the beating of many.

Alphonso Davies

10.3 seconds

Gareth Bale (prime)

10.3 seconds

Adama Traore (prime)

10.4 seconds

IShowSpeed

10.5 seconds

Cristiano Ronaldo (prime)

10.6 seconds

Kylian Mbappe

10.6 seconds

Erling Haaland

10.8 seconds

Theo Hernandez

10.8 seconds

Theo Hernandez 10.8 seconds

Noted for his ‘excellent recovery speed’ by ChatGPT, Theo Hernandez is regarded as one of the quickest defenders around and is a must use for any player on EA FC 25.

The Frenchman once reportedly hit 35.7km per hour in the Champions League, but over 100m has been predicted to finish in 10.8 seconds, meaning Speed is quicker.

Erling Haaland 10.8 seconds

A machine and clinical finisher, Erling Haaland doesn’t seem real at times, using his pace and power to bully some of the best defenders around.

The Manchester City superstar wouldn’t have the better of Speed in a 100m race, though, according to Chat GPT, who say despite Haaland being excellent over 60m, he would record a 100m time of 10.8 seconds.

Kylian Mbappe 10.6 seconds

Regarded as one of the fastest forwards on the planet today, Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe wouldn’t be quick enough to beat Speed.

The Frenchman has been backed to clock a time of 10.6 seconds over 100m, so it would be close between Mbappe and Speed with the latter running out as the winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo (prime) 10.6 seconds

A race that millions across the world would like to see is Speed vs Cristiano Ronaldo.

ChatGPT states that Ronaldo clocked 96m in 10 seconds during his time at Real Madrid, but even in his prime, Speed could beat his idol by a tenth in a 100m dash.

Adama Traore (prime) 10.4 seconds

When you think of Adama Traore, you immediately think of speed and power. Traore wouldn’t look out of place in a professional 100m race, and he would pip Speed across that distance according to AI.

The former Barcelona youngster has been predicted to record a time of 10.4 seconds, just pipping the internet star.

Gareth Bale (prime) 10.3 seconds

Citing his famous sprint against Barcelona in 2014 Copa del Rey final, Speed wouldn’t have the better of a prime Gareth Bale, according to ChatGPT.

The Welshman was known for his pace during his time at Tottenham and Real Madrid, and reaching a top speed of 36.9km per hour, would finish a 100m race in 10.3 seconds.

Alphonso Davies 10.3 seconds

A player with ‘explosive acceleration’ who is ‘built like a sprinter’, Alphonso Davies would also have the better of Speed, ChatGPT says.

The Canada international actually watched the Champions League final with Speed and a real race between the pair looks set to be on the cards once the Bayern Munich star is back from injury.

“She can accelerate as well as play the defensive role, which is great as a batter to have”

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2025

Pratika Rawal has made one of the strongest starts to an ODI career by any batter, male or female. No woman has scored as many runs in their first six innings as Rawal has – 444 at an average of 74.00 – and only one man, South Africa’s Janneman Malan, has done better.On Wednesday, Rawal made her biggest splash yet, stroking 154 off 129 balls, adding 233 with her opening partner Smriti Mandhana, and helping India smash multiple records – including their biggest ODI total, 435 for 5 – during the third ODI against Ireland.Related

Mandhana and Rawal's tons fire India to record win

Stats – Mandhana smashes fastest ODI century for India on record-breaking day

Mandhana, India’s stand-in captain in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, was full of praise for Rawal after the match, and noted her versatility as one of her biggest strengths.”Yeah, really pleased with the way she’s batting,” Mandhana said of Rawal. “I feel [she] has a really calm head on her shoulders, knows what she’s doing, has I think both sort of games, where she can accelerate as well as play the defensive role, which is great as a batter to have.”To see her rise from the first one-dayer against West Indies [last month] to now is really nice, and good runner between the wickets as well, converts the ones into twos, which always helps in one-day cricket. So really happy for her, and I hope she keeps continuing her form, because it’s a big year for us [India are due to host the ODI World Cup in August-September].”‘Sometimes you have to go out and respect the conditions, but [on] wickets like these – if it’s in your slot, you have to go for it’•BCCI

India’s batters enjoyed a hugely productive series against Ireland, chasing down 239 in less than 35 overs in the first ODI and posting 370 in the second before Wednesday’s record-obliterating events. Mandhana felt that the Rajkot pitch was the kind where batters could play their shots with utmost freedom, and she certainly did on her way to scoring India’s fastest-ever ODI century, off 70 balls, and finishing with 135 off 80 balls.”I would love to carry this wicket [everywhere I go] as a batter for sure, but as a captain I don’t know. It’s a hard wicket to bowl on. But for me it was very clear than I wanted to go out and try and play shots which are in my arc, because it’s not every day that you get the opportunity to do that as an opening batter, because sometimes you have to go out and respect the conditions and play, but [on] wickets like these and the outfield – if it’s in your slot, you have to go for it.”There was no clear plan. I just said, if it’s in my arc, I’m going to go for it. Some days it comes off, some days it doesn’t. Today I’m happy that it came off.”Having posted a record total, India went on to defend it with aplomb, with spinners Deepti Sharma, Tanuja Kanwar and Minnu Mani sharing six wickets and help bundle Ireland out for 131. The 304-run win was India’s biggest in ODIs.Tanuja Kanwar picked up 2 for 31•BCCI

Ireland had batted through their 50 overs in the first two ODIs, but Mandhana felt India’s bowlers had been just as good in those two games – it was just that there was a bit more help for the spinners in the third ODI, with the same pitch being used through the series, and that Ireland’s batters had tried to play more shots in pursuit of their steep target.”I think today the wicket also gave a lot of assistance to our spinners, because it was the same wicket which was used in the first two ODIs as well, so there was a little bit of spin on offer,” Mandhana said. “I think first two one-dayers, there was not much in it, and also today they came out and were trying to play some shots, and sometimes, when the batters play shots, that’s the best time to get opportunity to get them out.”In the first two one-dayers I thought they were just trying to take a single or double, which again… it’s a hard wicket to bowl and try and get them out. I wouldn’t say that the bowlers did not do [well] in the first or second ODI. I think they bowled brilliantly in the first and second ODI as well, but today there was a little bit more in the wicket for them and, as I said, the batters playing shots helps.”For all the damage the spinners did, it was fast bowlers Titas Sadhu and Sayali Satghare who set the tone, taking two of the first three wickets to begin Ireland’s slide.”Yeah, I think they both bowled really well, got us the first two early wickets, which is always good to get with the new ball, sets the foundations for the spinners to come,” Mandhana said. “Saima [Thakor], Sayali, Titas, all three bowled really well throughout the three ODIs, and it’s a pretty difficult wicket and outfield to bowl [on], so really happy for them.”

Orla Prendergast, 22, has been named vice-captain

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2024Ireland Women are looking to the future with the appointment of Gaby Lewis as their new captain taking over from their most experienced player ever, Laura Delany.Delany represented Ireland 207 times across formats, and for the past eight years she’s been leading them as well. They were unable to make the Women’s T20 World Cup but have had recent success, levelling a bilateral contest with Sri Lanka 1-1 in August, when Lewis scored a century and was named Player of the Series. They beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in the ODIs that followed.”I know when I first came into the senior set-up, Dells was one of those team-mates you looked to for inspiration,” Lewis, who is currently in Melbourne, playing club cricket, said. “Moving from the amateur to professional era, she has continually looked to develop and improve her game, and I look forward to playing alongside Dells on many more occasions as we move into the next stage of our squad’s development.”Lewis made her debut for Ireland when she was just 13. She is their highest run-scorer with a tally of 3,742 at 28.95 across formats with two centuries and 21 half-centuries. The 23-year-old has also captained her country 12 times and will now take over full-time ahead of tours to Bangladesh and India coming up in November and January respectively.”I am delighted to be asked to be Ireland Women’s captain on a permanent basis,” Lewis said. “I thoroughly enjoyed acting in the role during the summer and am genuinely excited about the young talent coming through the system. While we are a young squad, the results in recent years have shown that we can compete with the best.”Ireland selector Ciara O’Brien confirmed that Delany would continue playing for the team and head coach Ed Joyce praised her contributions through the course of a career that began in 2010.”I have been privileged to work closely with Laura over the last five years,” Joyce said, “And have profound respect for the work she has done, both on-the-field and off.”Not only has she led the squad through the transition from the amateur to professional era, but the incredible support she offered the squad during those Covid years goes largely unrecognised. Laura’s one of the most competitive and focused players I have worked with, and I have greatly enjoyed every minute.”Orla Prendergast, 22, has been named Ireland’s vice-captain. She made a telling contribution with both bat and ball as Ireland came from behind to draw a T20I series against England in September.”Orla also got the opportunity to lead the team this summer when both Laura and Gaby were injured, and we were very impressed with how she handled some high-pressure situations during the Sri Lanka series,” Joyce said. “Gaby and Orla together then worked very well as the leadership team in the games where both played.”We have tours of Bangladesh and India this winter, an Under-19s Women’s T20 World Cup and a crucially important year ahead in 2025. Not only will we have another busy home summer, but there are qualifying tournaments to navigate for both the 2025 50-over World Cup and 2026 T20 World Cup. As such, we considered now the right time in the cycle to give the new leadership team time to settle in and begin planning.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da leao： O Palmeiras conquistou o bicampeonato no Brasileirão Sub-17 ao vencer o São Paulo por 3 a 0, neste sábado (21), na Arena Barueri (São Paulo). Os gols da final foram marcados por Estevão, camisa 10 do Verdão.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasGabriel Menino fratura o tornozelo e só deve voltar ao Palmeiras em 2024Palmeiras21/10/2023PalmeirasLeila Pereira viaja pra Cali para acompanhar o Palmeiras na final da Libertadores FemininaPalmeiras21/10/2023PalmeirasPalmeiras liga alerta na reta final do Brasileirão em busca de vaga na LibertadoresPalmeiras21/10/2023

da imperador bet： As “Crias da Academia” levantaram o troféu da competição pelo segundo ano consecutivo. Em 2022, o Palestra conquistou o título pela primeira vez, derrotando o Grêmio por 2 a 1 na decisão, em Porto Alegre (RS), com gols de Gabriel Vareta e Luis Guilherme.

Nesta edição do torneio, o Palmeiras disputou 14 partidas, sendo nove pela primeira fase, com 11 vitórias, dois empates e uma derrota, somando 40 gols marcados e 22 sofridos. O artilheiro da equipe em 2023 foi o atacante Estêvão, que balançou as redes adversárias sete vezes.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Você quer trabalhar no seu clube do coração? Matricule-se no curso Gestor de Futebol e entenda como!

The India T20I and Supernovas captain looks ahead to the Women’s T20 Challenge

As told to Annesha Ghosh04-Nov-2020Whatever opportunities us Indians are getting to play cricket right now, I want to enjoy them, savour every moment. Being away from cricket for about seven months because of the pandemic made me realise that you have to appreciate every such opportunity that comes your way.As the Supernovas captain, I definitely want to win the Women’s T20 Challenge trophy this year as well. There’s no feeling as good as winning a tournament. Ayabonga Khaka, the quick bowler from South Africa, is a good addition to our squad. Our entire overseas contingent is very good, and so are the uncapped Indians. Ayushi Soni from Delhi seems like a promising youngster. I think we have a squad that can put up a good fight and Supernovas can take their third straight T20 Challenge trophy.This competition comes at a vital time for us. It is important that we keep getting these opportunities to play high-level competitive cricket. So even if we continue to only get to play in countries where Covid-19 is a bit under control, I think it will be great for us. Whether it is for bilateral series or all the big tournaments in 2022, we would be able to plan and prepare ourselves better.The lead-up to the tournament has been unlike any in the past. A long break, and then a quarantine in Mumbai before coming to Dubai, which is where our hotel is, and then quarantining again.While in quarantine in Mumbai, I tried to stick to a routine. Some yoga and stretches in the morning, then I’d watch something after breakfast if I felt like it, and then I’d spend some time at the gym before lunch. I brought some of my fitness equipment from Punjab and rented the rest in Mumbai; I kept it all in my room. We’d have some team meetings over Zoom after that. I had activities to keep myself occupied with, so it wasn’t as though I had to keep staring at the walls all day long!Before that I didn’t have many problems training in Punjab during the lockdown. I have a small gym set-up in a room in my apartment in Patiala, which is where I practise. For the first month after the T20 World Cup in Australia, I didn’t do anything at all, didn’t even touch my bat or the gym stuff. But after I was mentally relaxed, I started missing the feel of holding a bat. Since then, I have kept up with my fitness regime and didn’t take any long breaks, because at the back of my mind I knew that if the two World Cups and the Commonwealth Games go ahead on schedule in 2022, I need to be up for the challenge. And avoiding laziness from setting in, knowing how much time we all had on our hands, is key to that process.

View this post on Instagram

Morning rituals . Namaskara to all Rise and shine @ekamchail

A post shared by Harmanpreet Kaur (@imharmanpreet_kaur) on Sep 15, 2020 at 10:46pm PDT

So when I turned up at the ground in Patiala the first day, I didn’t feel rusty. When in Punjab, I usually train under the state Ranji Trophy coach, Munish Bali. We have a group of about eight players there: among them myself and some four or five men’s players such as Sandeep Sharma and Mayank Markande, who are regulars on the Ranji circuit. There are a few male Under-19 Punjab players, too. During the initial part of the lockdown, we all stayed away from practice, but before some of the local boys who were headed to the IPL flew out to the UAE around mid-August, I was lucky to get a few net sessions with them.Earlier, the pause in all cricket in early March came at a significant time. On March 8 we lost the World Cup to Australia. It was a difficult day for us. Having played good cricket throughout the tournament, deep down we felt we deserved to win the title. But in the final, nothing went our way, nothing we tried went in our favour.And there’s the other thing: putting up a good fight and losing, you tell yourself, “We did our best.” But we actually didn’t show any fight in that match. At the end of the day you have to appreciate the team that plays better cricket, and Australia were certainly that team. No doubt, they were very good on that day and they deserved the trophy.The good thing is that with no cricket for several months after the final, I think it helped us process the defeat. It calmed the mind a little. At least that’s how it was for me personally. That break helped me analyse a number of things: areas we can look to improve going forward as a team, things I can personally do better. So being away from cricket brought in a lot of perspective. It gave me the opportunity to approach cricket, think about it, and treat it slightly differently. Those six months after March played a very important role in my life.In cricket we hear a lot that one needs to stay in the present, enjoy everything. But I have often found it difficult to follow this advice and I have struggled to apply it in practice. But these six months actually taught me to approach life on a day-to-day basis. I started to give myself 10-20 minutes to think about what I intended to achieve the following day. It could be a small thing on the personal front, but the thought that had to be put into the planning, especially for someone like me who loves to have a sense of planning in most things I do, it was a good reinforcement.

England wicketkeeper follows his captain’s lead to play significant innings

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Aug-2022A first hundred as captain for Ben Stokes on the day his documentary comes out? Who writes his press releases?Dean Elgar said he wouldn’t be watching Ben Stokes: Phoenix From the Ashes on Friday evening, though did suggest if Stokes sent him a screener link ahead of time he might dip in. But after watching his opposite number position himself as the focal point for three hours and 38 minutes in front of a sold-out Emirates Old Trafford, why would he subject himself to an hour and 44 more? For those that are keen, this 12th career century was a welcome spoiler. It all works out in the end.It will do for England, too, at least in this Test. Stokes arrived to the crease after the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, wings clipped on 49 when he was close to take-off. England trailed by just 17 with six wickets in hand. Off the back of just how badly they crumbled in the Lord’s Test – they lost all 20 wickets inside 83 overs – there were no guarantees. By the time Stokes departed, 103 from 163, the hosts were 169 ahead.Related

South Africa's survival guide goes out the window as Ben Stokes shows what it takes to seize the day

Ben Stokes' madcap methods enter acid test amidst mixed results with the bat

Stuart Broad steals back the limelight, just when it seems he's being shunted out of it

Spin strategy allows game to drift as South Africa lose their grip

Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes hundreds allow England to declare on 264-run lead

There were glorious straight drives on the charge alongside back- and front-foot defences. Hot steps down the pitch off both spinners – two of his three sixes among nine boundaries – sprinkled around the cold of 107 dot balls. He collapsed to the floor when his knee gave way just after midday, with just 16 to his name, and then went on to scamper ones and twos. The half-century took 101 deliveries, the second-half just 57.It was, in every dissectible way, an innings of necessary contradictions. The day before this second Test got underway, when queried about whether England’s best hopes of squaring the series 1-1 was for Stokes to chill his beans, he spoke of perhaps mellowing some time down the line, when he felt an ethos of expression and selflessness had been coopted by his fellow batters in their own unique ways. Perhaps the biggest example of practising what he preached, of putting the team at the forefront of everything he does, came when he turned to look for two from his 158th ball after Kagiso Rabada had shinned a straight drive into square leg. The single completed had already taken him to three figures.There is an underlying flaw to this “follow the leader” shtick Stokes and Brendon McCullum have installed, especially when it comes to the batting. Batters are creatures of habit, and generally set in their ways once they reach their mid-to-late 20s, which is most of this team beyond the established trio of Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. And while the rest are finding their own ways of being more demonstrative, one man has been quietly struggling to work out who he is meant to be in this England side and, by extension, what exactly about this new persona he needs to express.But the influence of the “leader” was abundantly clear for the man playing a version of himself. Ben Foakes, Essex-honed, Surrey refined, veritable No. 5, came in at No. 7 and shared a match-turning partnership of 173 with Stokes. Then when the skipper was sent on his way, Foakes took it upon himself to be the leading man among the tailenders and pocketed 113 unbeaten runs. Finally, 29 innings from a century on debut back in November 2018 against Sri Lanka, he had another. No question this one was far more nourishing for the soul.With all due respect to Foakes, it is unlikely he’ll ever command the big screen in the way his partner for 324 deliveries in the guts of this day has. But beyond the movie star looks, there’s a far more relatable, everyday uncertainty about what Foakes has been contending with this summer.Ben Foakes celebrates his first Test hundred on home soil•Getty ImagesIn an environment where no one is under pressure, Foakes has perhaps been under the most. Alex Lees and Zak Crawley have been fairly well-insulated, with plenty of dressing room encouragement to drown out the outside noise. Much of Foakes’ uncertainty has been internal.The summer started clear enough: backed as the No. 1 keeper for the first time in his career and given scope to fashion the No. 7 spot as his own. He was there at the end of the Lord’s victory against New Zealand with an unbeaten 32, then again at Trent Bridge with 12 not out to go with 56 in the first innings.Just as things were looking rosier, a bout of Covid-19 resulted in him being pulled out midway through the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley, though not before registering a maiden Test duck. His symptoms were bad enough to mean he was unable to take his spot in the XI against India at Edgbaston. He didn’t stick around, immediately down south on the train the night before the Test started. If the Covid hadn’t made him feel terrible enough, he’d have every right to feel a bit sick at the prospect of Sam Billings taking his spot given Billings is a more natural fit at No. 7 and far more familiar to McCullum thanks to the franchise circuit.That sense will have been exacerbated after a poor showing at Lord’s, undone twice by Anrich Nortje for 6 and then duck number two. Especially as he found himself privately wondering if he would ever crack being a good fit in this group. Not so much through personality, but purpose. Despite his high-calibre keeping, he was a little anxious at the fact England would not have a wicketkeeping coach for this series. McCullum put him at ease, praising his work so far and politely reminding him he did a bit of keeping in his day.When he goes to bed on Friday night, Foakes will feel more settled. Far more at ease that not only does he have a score of note, but the manner in which it was achieved dovetailed perfectly with Stokes and, more pertinently, the situation (which included seeing off 25 deliveries from Nortje). And maybe he’ll even be comforted by the fact he played as himself.In a line-up where he is the breaker between the heavyweight bashers and the chancers, he needs to be the sensible one. The bass player maintaining a consistent chord. The volunteer passing around the collection tray while Stokes is at the front preaching the word of Bazball. Tim Canterbury frowning into the fourth wall when things are a little off, knowing he’ll have to tell Gareth not to take Bertie.While Stokes charged spin, Foakes got on top of the bounce and smothered into the leg side. For every three full-blooded carves from the skipper, there was one caress by the self-diagnosed pretender. Foakes’ statistical breakdown here – the fifty off 116 deliveries, the century some ninety later – was at odds with Stokes’. However, he did press the accelerator a little harder when the latter had departed. His 45 from the 95 accrued with Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach came off 53 deliveries, leading to a declaration on 415 for 9 to give England nine overs of South Africa’s openers at the end of day two.That final portion of that knock will have been the most heartening for the management group. Foakes admitted in an interview with ESPNcricinfo earlier this summer that his limited experience working with the tail meant a need to learn by doing. Well, he has learned pretty quickly.After South Africa’s openers survived the mini-session, Stokes forcibly pushed a bashful Foakes out ahead to lead the team off. And with that, all other metaphors were deemed obsolete.

The Sydney Sixers allrounder is having fun playing cricket again, just 12 months after the lowest point of her professional career

Andrew McGlashan24-Nov-2022Ash Gardner has gone from a career low to a career high in the space of 12 months. The allrounder was named player of the tournament for this season’s WBBL after a previous campaign where she had lost all enjoyment for the game.Gardner, who signed a new three-year deal with Sydney Sixers on Thursday, has scored 339 runs with a strike-rate 153.39 and collected 23 wickets in their dominant regular season where they secured a record 11 wins to book a direct place in Saturday’s final. It is a stark contrast, both from a personal and team perspective, to last season where Sixers finished bottom for the first time with just four wins while Gardner made 197 runs and claimed just seven wickets.Related

Fire burned for Erin, but perspective most important

'Sore loser' Healy eager for WBBL glory

Sixers were consigned to the road throughout the 2021 campaign under varying restrictions due to ongoing Covid-19 border closures and Gardner has admitted she found it very difficult while the wider Sixers outfit also struggled to lift themselves.”Being able to reflect on last year, it was probably one of the lowest points of my career, not only on the field but off the field as well, I just wasn’t happy,” she said. “I wasn’t enjoying my cricket and that’s probably what led to my downfall last year. Not being able to go home, see friends and family for over three months, was pretty challenging and it kind of showed with the cricket I was putting out there. It wasn’t up to scratch.”Now, 12 months later, I’m in such a better spot. Really enjoying my cricket and that also comes down to the personnel in this side. It’s been a fantastic change and that comes from the top, Lottie [new coach Charlotte Edwards] has been fantastic at that, making sure people have smiles on their faces.”The arrival of Edwards, the former England captain, along with new overseas players Suzie Bates and Sophie Ecclestone has been a catalyst to Sixers’ huge turnaround in fortunes. However, a feature of the season has been the spread of performances in the squad: four players have passed 300 runs (while Erin Burns has made 294) and five bowlers have taken 10 or more wickets.Sydney Sixers are in the WBBL final this year, after finishing bottom last year•Getty Images”On the field she [Edwards] was a fantastic player herself so she’s got some really good insights. But off the field she makes sure to get around to every single person whether they are playing or not just to make sure they are still enjoying themselves,” Gardner said. “Because ultimately if teams aren’t enjoying themselves throughout these tournaments that’s when you seem to be at your lowest. That was probably us last year, we just weren’t having fun playing cricket. On the flipside this year we are all enjoying each other’s company and that’s been what’s helped.”Known throughout her career as someone who can clear the fence, it has been Gardner’s success with the ball that has given her most satisfaction this season and an unexpected role as a bowler in the power surge which was implemented in WBBL for the first time.”The consistency is the area of my game I’ve probably lacked in the past,” she said. “More so with the ball, taking wickets consistently is something I haven’t been able to do and ultimately have confidence in my bowling. In the past I was probably lacking that consistency of knowing what I wanted to bowl over and over again. Now I’m a lot more mature. Feel like my game has gone to another level which is really exciting.”To be honest I never thought I’d be an option for the surge but I’ve been lucky enough to take a couple of wickets – I’ve also been hit for a few runs – but that’s the beauty…with a four-over powerplay and the surge. I know as a batter it’s a fantastic thing to able to employ, but also as a bowler you feel like you are in the game. Batters feel like they have to try and target you so that’s when you tend to take wickets.”Shortly after the WBBL season finishes on Saturday, Gardner will move into Australia duty for the first time since the Commonwealth Games as they head on the T20 tour of India. They will be under the captaincy of Sixers team-mate Alyssa Healy while Tahlia McGrath will be her understudy.Gardner is widely considered a captaincy candidate for the future but believes she already has a leadership role in the team even without a title.”Yes, they’ve got the captaincy and vice-captaincy next to their name but there’s so many leaders in that side,” she said. “I’ve been fortunate to be playing there for over five years so feel as though I’m a leader, I don’t necessarily need to have the captaincy or vice-captaincy next to main name but still feel I can use my voice and raise opinions where needed.”

Paralysed by their history at World Cups, South Africa put in a performance so timid it was scarcely believable

Danyal Rasool06-Nov-2022It’s not the most famous ABBA song by any stretch, but as South Africa stumbled to another premature World Cup exit, they were at the stage where that question must have felt real.Temba Bavuma looked close to tears as he spoke to media after the match. While there was a lot of tiptoeing around the “c” word when Mark Boucher spoke at the press conference, Bavuma was far more direct at what Netherlands’ 13-run victory – and South Africa’s elimination – meant for his side. “It [the chokers’ tag] will always be there until we find ourselves in a situation when we get to a final and we come up on the right side of a result,” he said.Related

Temba Bavuma not taking 'emotional' decisions on his future as captain

Brandon Glover and the old South African gang outplay South Africa

Bavuma: 'We are still going to carry that monkey on our backs'

Shock defeat ends South Africa's World Cup

The despondency is only exacerbated by the knowledge that theirs is a very powerful side, especially in the conditions on offer. Bavuma’s own form with the bat was certainly an Achilles’ heel, but one more than covered by the explosiveness of Quinton de Kock, the consistency of David Miller’s fire and fury, the century-hitting wrecking ball that is Rilee Rossouw, and the dependable Aiden Markram. Keshav Maharaj as a nail through the middle overs? Of course. Kagiso Rabada – even an off-colour one – and Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi in Australian conditions? Yes, please.They scored 51 in three overs against Zimbabwe in Hobart. They mauled Bangladesh by 104 runs in Sydney. They held their nerve to beat India in a low-scoring thriller in Perth and go top of the group. That it came down to a sleepy Sunday morning in Adelaide was because Pakistan found the sublime best they sometimes do when on life support, with a World Cup on the line.But on a triple-header day – the last of the Super 12s – at the World Cup, South Africa’s equation was the simplest: beat Netherlands, play the semi-final. Yes, it was a knockout game, but going by the team rankings, this should have been straightforward.But, paralysed by a history South African cricket increasingly looks like it has no idea how to break free of, a side that bore little resemblance to the title contenders who had strutted about Australia this last fortnight turned in a performance scarcely credible in its timidity. Kagiso Rabada found himself carved through the offside first-ball by Stephan Myburgh, and spent the entire over, guessing and second-guessing a man who simply backed himself against one of the fastest bowlers in the world. Myburgh knew this was his last international match, and he felt the freedom to score. South Africa, fearing it was their last match this tournament, flew themselves into a cage that slammed shut on them.As the World Cup door slams shut on them once more, it’s difficult to say when it will open again•Getty ImagesWhen Netherlands posted 158, and it became clear the easy win South Africa so craved wouldn’t be handed to them, the magnitude of the moment seemed to weigh South Africa down.De Kock averages just 11.4 in T20I cricket against left-arm pace this year, and he ended up pushing that average down further when he managed just six off eight balls – out of 13 off 13 – and lost his wicket to Fred Klaassen.As the game pushed its way into the middle overs, and it became apparent that it might become a battle of nerves at the death, Netherlands grew into the contest, occupying the space a retreating South Africa were handing them. Forty-eight runs off five overs isn’t the most intimidating equation, but Netherlands had Brandon Glover to turn to for three overs – no one has a better T20I bowling average for them – and with South Africa needing to preserve wickets, that bred uncertainty.Uncertainty that translated into Miller snatching at a pull, and Roelof van der Merwe – who else, really? – snaffling a glorious catch to all but eliminate his old side.2:21

How did Netherlands pull off the unimaginable?

One of the tragedies of South Africa’s fate at World Cup competitions over the years is the power of the narrative to cloud all sensible judgements of the actual merits of the team. South Africa have taken fairly ordinary teams to world events at times. Their T20I side of the last 12 months, however, is not one of those. They were a side with a the pefect mix of youth and experience, of power-hitting and quality batting, of fast bowling and spin bowling. You might almost contend it was something of a T20 golden generation, with two cracks at breaking the hoodoo in the space of a year.But every ICC white-ball event is now something of a parole hearing for this South African side. There’s anticipation, character development, rehabilitation, and that most cruel of things: hope.But on this sun-washed Sunday morning in Adelaide, the darkness of evenings past – Sydney 1992, Birmingham 1999, Dhaka 2011, Auckland 2015 – seemed to envelop them. That amount of heartache might have made South Africa immune to such pain, but as they turned in a performance more limp than on any of those wretched days, it became clear that those wounds have never quite healed.The sun continued to burn bright in Adelaide all game, but it was just about after dawn back home in South Africa that their fate was sealed. Some might laugh, some might cry, some might just go about their day, swearing they will never place their faith in this team again. But they will be back, of course, because they can’t help believing one of these parole hearings will finally result in liberation. But as the door slams shut on them once more, it’s increasingly difficult to say when.

Agree or disagree? A number of other players had strong claims to be in this side

Andrew McGlashan07-Apr-2021As the Sheffield Shield heads into a final between Queensland and New South Wales, here’s our team of the season. In a bat-dominated competition there are some big run-scorers to miss out but the aim was to pick a balanced side so the extra bowler was selected.