All posts by n8rngtd.top

Aston Villa fans will be glad the football is back doing the main talking again when it comes to their beloved side.

After a turbulent summer saw PSR-related issues trouble their transfer activity, a slow start out of the blocks in the Premier League further piled on the misery.

Thankfully, after a winless six-game stretch of form in both August and early September, Unai Emery’s men have now bounced back with four straight victories collected in all competitions.

Still, after this season is over and done with, Villa will likely have to come to terms with some disastrous casualties, alongside also getting rid of some personnel that won’t irk fans that much at Villa Park.

How Aston Villa can solve their PSR headache

While they haven’t been at their terrifying best so far this season, it goes without saying that keeping both Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers at the West Midlands giants this summer was a big relief to the Villans.

After all, even if they have only accumulated three goal contributions between them this campaign so far, losing both star assets would have been disastrous, with a crazy 42 goal contributions picked up in league action between them across the 2024/25 campaign.

Villa will surely have their resolve tested again in the summer when it comes to their standout duo, with Chelsea once touted to be considering a colossal £100m bid for the services of Rogers, a move that would no doubt ease any existing PSR worries.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have also consistently been tipped to make a statement move for the 29-year-old striker, but in the back end of his prime is unlikely to fetch a similar sum.

Not every potential sale will be seen as a demoralising development, however, with Emiliano Buendia perhaps finally getting the move away he desires.

Recent reports suggest that the rejuvenated South American – who recently scored in the Europa League for Emery’s men against Feyenoord – might well be offloaded still to smooth out PSR-related difficulties.

While the ex-Norwich City attacker has managed to turn his up-and-down Villans career around in recent times, there is one figure in Emery’s camp who is seriously on borrowed time as his contract begins to wind down.

Not just Buendia: Emery signing is on borrowed time at Aston Villa

Buendia has miraculously fought back from some very serious injury issues to return to the Spaniard’s first team picture, having been sidelined for a mammoth 56 games courtesy of a cruciate ligament tear.

Ross Barkley might well have been looking at the Argentine midfielder for some inspiration, having had various injury issues of his own to contend with, but he doesn’t look as if he’s capable of a similar resurrection story to the rejuvenated 28-year-old, as he continues to stare his Villa Park exit in the face.

It’s been a sad decline for the former Everton playmaker, with Barkley actually once cutting a refreshed figure pulling on a Villa strip.

He initially joined on loan five years ago and tallied up three league strikes across his debut season in the West Midlands, which included a fierce effort which helped Villa pick up all three points against Leicester City in 2020.

He eventually return for good in the summer of 2024, with an alleged £5m forked out to obtain his services from Luton Town.

At the Hatters, Barkley rediscovered the swagger and vigour that made him such an exciting commodity back in the day at Everton.

Teammate at the time, Andros Townsend, said he was “outstanding”, while Paul Merson claimed that “Barkley is not far off player of the season” when lighting up Kenilworth Road for one season.

Five goals and seven assists came his way but he has struggled to pin down a starting spot since his return to the claret and blue half of Birmingham, as his exit now looks to be on the horizon.

Worryingly, only six minutes of Premier League action has been handed to the ex-England international in 2025/26, with the decision to leave him out of Villa’s Europa League squad entirely only further reinforcing his precarious status in the camp.

With his contract also expiring next June, and his wage coming in at a high £60k-per-week despite being a reserve presence, it does feel as if it’s a foregone conclusion that Barkley will depart Villa very soon, with his promising first spell at the club now feeling like a lifetime ago.

Blow for Emery as £130,000-a-week Aston Villa star's injury worse than first claimed

The Villa star faces a race against time to be fit to play against Spurs.

By
Ben Goodwin

Oct 13, 2025

Cal Raleigh made MLB history on Sunday by hitting his 49th home run this season and becoming the record-holder for most home runs hit in a single season by a catcher.

Well, Raleigh followed up one historic game with another on Monday as he crushed his 50th homer of the year. With this home run, he joined two MLB legends in two separate records.

Raleigh is now just the second Mariners player in franchise history to record 50 or more home runs in a single season, joining Ken Griffey Jr. on the short list. Griffey logged 56 home runs in both the 1997 and '98 seasons with Seattle. Raleigh could be on his way to reaching, or surpassing, that Mariners record held by Griffey for nearly three decades.

Additionally, Raleigh is now just the second switch hitter in MLB history to record 50 or more home runs in a single season, joining Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, per Mariners PR. The late MLB legend has remained the only switch hitter ever to hit this milestone since he did so in both 1956 and '61—that was until Monday night when Raleigh hit this mark. Mantle hit 52 homers in '56 and 54 in '61, so Raleigh could surpass both of Mantle's home run numbers in a single season.

There's still about a month left of the MLB regular season. Let's see what other history Raleigh makes.

On Wednesday, the Pohlad family announced a shocking reversal of course regarding the sale of the Twins.

In a statement, the Pohlads revealed they would no longer be pursuing a sale of the franchise and instead will retain ownership of the Twins while adding two "significant limited partnership groups." The ownership group had spent the last year looking into selling the franchise.

"For more than four decades, our family has had the privilege of owning the Minnesota Twins," the statement read. "This franchise has become part of our family story, as it has for our employees, our players, this community, and Twins fans everywhere.

"Over the past several months, we explored a wide range of potential investment and ownership opportunities. Our focus throughout has been on what's best for the long-term future of the Twins. We have been fully open to all possibilities.

"After a detailed and robust process, our family will remain the principal owner of the Minnesota Twins. To strengthen the club in a rapidly evolving sports landscape – one that demands strong partnerships, fresh ideas, and long-term vision – we are in the process of adding two significant limited partnership groups, each of whom will bring a wealth of experience and share our family values.

"We see and hear the passion from our partners, the community, and Twins fans. This ownership group is committed to building a winning team and culture for this region, one that Twins fans are proud to cheer for."

Back in March reported the Pohlads were seeking a sale price of at least $1.7 billion and that the team had accrued over $425 million in debt, which may have complicated a possible sale.

The Pohlads now embark upon their promised quest of building a "winning team and culture" in Minnesota, which has proven difficult during their 40-plus year stewardship. It will be even more difficult going forward after the Twins underwent a dramatic firesale at the MLB trade deadline and shipped off most of the top talent on the roster, headlined by Jhoan Duran and Carlos Correa.

Well, that was nothing short of unbelievable.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays gave us an instant classic Monday night in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, though it took a long time to get there. After 18 grueling innings, Freddie Freeman sent most of Dodger Stadium home happy with a walk-off bomb in the bottom of the 18th inning, giving L.A. a 6–5 win and a 2–1 lead in the series.

Monday night's contest was one of the best World Series games we've seen in years. A back-and-forth affair that saw several huge plays and just as many blunders. And it ended with a classic, walk-off moment that will stand the test of time.

It was the kind of game that reminds us why we love baseball.

Freddie Freeman does it again

Can this guy get any more clutch? Freeman won Game 1 of the 2025 World Series with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning, and was back at it again Monday night. He launched a 3–2 pitch from Brendon Little over the center field wall to give the Dodgers an enormous victory and a 2–1 lead in the series.

Freeman hasn't had the best postseason. Before Game 3, he was slashing .222/.340/.400, with a solo homer representing his only RBI in 12 games. But when L.A. needed him the most, he was there, coming up with one of the biggest hits in franchise history. Again.

With all the ink Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts get, it's easy to forget Freeman is a former MVP himself. He's a nine-time All-Star, the 2020 National League MVP and was the MVP of the 2024 World Series. Moments like the one he created Monday night are a reminder that he’ll almost certainly end up in the Hall of Fame.

Eric Lauer and Will Klein were phenomenal

In an 18-inning game, teams need pitchers to step up, and both teams got stellar performances from their bullpens, especially from lesser-known guys.

Blue Jays lefty Eric Lauer entered the game with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning and proceeded to go 4 2/3 shutout innings, while allowing two hits and four walks and striking out two. He walked a tightrope at times, but threw 68 pitches and battled his way through the Dodgers' powerful lineup several times. In the end, he recorded as many outs as Max Scherzer, who started the game for Toronto. Lauer was phenomenal and kept his team in the game and fighting.

On the other side, Dodgers righty Will Klein was outstanding in just his second postseason appearance. The 25-year-old tossed four shutout innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out four. He was exceptional and kept the Blue Jays' lineup off-balance. He eventually earned the win for his efforts.

Klein's previous high for pitches thrown in an outing this year was 36. He threw 72 on Monday night. He earned a well-deserved day off on Tuesday.

Shohei Ohtani is still unbelievable

There are no words for how good Shohei Ohtani is and how he can completely wreck a game. On Monday night, he was at his absolute best at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two home runs and two doubles. But it gets better.

Ohtani came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh with Toronto leading 5–4 with one out and the bases empty. He was already 3-for-3 with a home run and two doubles, yet for some reason the Blue Jays allowed Seranthony Domínguez to attack him. Big mistake. Ohtani launched the first pitch he saw into the left-center field stands to tie the game 5–5, where it stayed for what felt like three days.

That was enough for Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who decided to walk Ohtani in every at-bat after that. Four came via the intentional variety, and one was all but on purpose. Frankly, I'd be shocked if Ohtani sees a decent pitch with first base empty the rest of the series.

The soon-to-be four-time MVP reached base a postseason record times in Game 3. We saw a lot of crazy things Monday night, but nothing topped that stat.

John Schneider over-managed the game, and it cost Toronto

The decisions managers make are put under a microscope during extra-inning games, and whether it's fair or not, Schneider is getting that treatment here.

In a piece of bad luck, George Springer exited the game in the seventh inning after suffering an injury. Then, after Bo Bichette hit an RBI single to score Vladimir Guerrero Jr. later that frame, Toronto's manager pulled his second-best hitter, using Isiah Kiner-Falefa to run for him. That move was understandable. The Blue Jays had a 5–4 lead, and Bichette just returned from a knee injury. Kiner-Falefa went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a walk over the next 11 innings. In hindsight, it may not have been the best move, but it was at least understandable. A few others were not.

Addison Barger has been on fire in the postseason, and in the top of the eighth, he reached on a throwing error by Mookie Betts. With the score 5–5, Schneider opted to pull him in favor of the faster Myles Straw. It seemed like a bad idea at the time and is worse in hindsight. Straw wound up stranded on third base, then over the course of the next 10 innings, he went 0-for-4 and looked mostly helpless at the plate, including when he popped out on an attempted bunt in the 12th inning. Toronto missed Barger in those spots.

Schneider's most egregious move came in the top of the 12th after catcher Alejandro Kirk walked to start the inning. He brought in the faster Tyler Heineman to pinch run for his star catcher, then watched as Straw failed to bunt him over. Heineman wound up stranded at third, and the Blue Jays lost one of their best hitters, not to mention one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. In the top of the 18th, Heineman came to the plate with runners on first and second and two outs, and struck out to end the inning. That should have been Kirk.

Straw and Heineman combined to go 0-for-7 with two strikeouts after entering the game. It's a reminder that it's a terrible idea to take out your best bats in a tie game. Schneider simply outsmarted himself by overthinking and over-managing. It cost the Blue Jays.

Losing George Springer is a huge blow for the Blue Jays

George Springer suffered what appeared to be an oblique injury while fouling off a pitch in the seventh inning. The 36-year-old has been enormous for the Blue Jays this season, and if he's out, it is a massive blow to the team's lineup.

Springer turned back the clock in 2025, as he finished the season slashing .309/.339/.593 with 32 home runs, 84 RBIs, 106 runs, a career-best wRC+ of 166 and 5.2 fWAR. He had continued that momentum in the postseason, as he's slashed .246/.323/.571 with four home runs, nine RBIs and a wRC+ of 153.

We don't definitively know if Springer will miss time, but if it is an oblique injury, it could end his season. Losing his bat for the rest of Game 3 hurt Toronto; losing him for the rest of the World Series could be devastating. With Bo Bichette already hobbled, injuries are piling up for the Blue Jays' lineup.

The Afghanistan director of cricket talks about getting used to a prosthetic leg after an emergency amputation and looking forward to getting back to Kabul

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Jul-2020″Surgeon spoke to me at 7.30am. By 20 to eight, I told him: ‘Let’s get it done,'” Andy Moles says. “By 12.30pm, I was wheeled down to the operation theatre. And I woke up between 4 and 4.30 and the amputation had been done.”Moles talks about the events of April 4 in a matter-of-fact way from Cape Town, where he lives with his partner Megan when he is not in Kabul, serving as the director of cricket and chairman of selectors for Afghanistan. From early in the year he was regularly in touch with his surgeon to deal with an infection in his left little toe. While Moles was in India with the Afghanistan team at the start of the year, the team doctor had been nursing the wound, but it did not get better. Moles, who is diabetic, did not want to take chances.The diagnosis in Cape Town revealed the little toe had been infected with a “superbug”, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). A person usually gets infected with MRSA in hospitals but can also get it by touching or sharing clothing with someone who has it, or by touching objects on which the bug might reside. Moles has no idea how he caught it. The infection was aggressive and he was admitted to Cape Town’s Mediclinic Louis Leipoldt hospital in late March. Soon after, his left toe was amputated to stop the infection spreading, but the move did not work.While Moles agrees that the day of his surgery was the toughest of his life, it was “just something that had to be dealt with.”They had tried to cut away the dead flesh for two weeks, but the infection was resistant to antibiotics and it was getting worse and worse. The options were trying to cut away the infected flesh and try to flush out the bacteria. But whilst it was spreading there was a danger of septicaemia, which would have meant either I could have lost the whole leg or, even worse, my life. So with those options, it was a simple decision: either to risk my life or to lose the leg below my knee.”It was traumatic. When you are told you are going to lose your left foot, it comes as a shock.”Moles is planning to raise money for the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, which paid for his prosthetic leg•Andy MolesUnderstanding that he did not really have an alternative and that many in the world could not even afford to get treatment, Moles decided to stay positive and “tackle it head on”. He says he was “knocked out by painkillers” for nearly a day and slept for over 24 hours after the operation.”I went into the operation knowing what’s going to happen. The surgeon was excellent. He explained everything that would happen and what the process would be after the operation. As soon as I woke, once I had got over the first 24 hours of grogginess and pain, it was just a case of moving on. My biggest fear was to make sure there was no infection to the wound.”How difficult was it for his family to come to terms with?”They all were shocked,” Moles says. “My sons [one in China and the other in the UK] first didn’t how to approach it – whether to joke with me or feel sorry. I just told them, ‘It is what it is.’ You just have to get on with it. We just face this challenge together.”About a month after the surgery, having used a wheelchair or crutches to move around, Moles was fitted for his prosthetic leg, which he has named Jake. He has been practising walking on it for the past month with the help of crutches.ALSO READ: Jarrod Kimber: In the classroom with Andy Moles (2015)“It obviously feels a bit different. When you wear a brand new pair of shoes, you have a new sole. Similarly, my stump [left leg] is inside the prosthetic leg. When I am walking, I have to just gain the confidence and that will come as I walk more and more.”This week Moles has had pain in his left knee, which doctors have told him is due to “wear and tear” from his playing sport in the past. He plans to take cortisone injections to start walking on the prosthetic again.Depending on how sore the leg is, he walks anywhere between 100 and 400 metres a day. He intends to walk an aggregate of ten kilometres before or during the second Test between England and West Indies in Manchester, with the aim of walking the final kilometre unaided if he can. He is using the 10k challenge to raise money for the Professional Cricketers’ Trust in the UK, which paid for his prosthetic.”They have been very supportive to me. [They have paid] for this new leg that I’ve got, which is around £10,000. Also, they have given me a lot of support on the mental-health front to make sure I am fine.”Moles has created a Just Giving page and donations made there will go to the trust. “I am using this challenge to get myself up and mobile, but also hopefully [looking to] use it as an inspiration to other people, so that they can get over difficulties in their life. And also use it to raise funds for this great charity that looks after first-class cricketers in England that have fallen on difficult times.”Moles is looking forward to returning to Kabul to work with the Afghanistan players once the pandemic situation eases up•Mark Nolan/ICC/Getty ImagesIn 2014 when Moles took over as Afghanistan’s head coach, he knew it was going to be the most challenging assignment of his career. He had earned his badge as a solid and dependable batsman at Warwickshire, and had served as head coach for New Zealand, Kenya and Scotland after retirement.The thrill of working in a land of untapped cricketing talent drew him to Afghanistan. Even a warning from his brother, who works in counter-terrorism, to not work in a country considered one of the most dangerous in the world did not dissuade him. In Kabul, even when he only travels between the hotel and the Afghanistan Cricket Board office, Moles sees the ravages of war, including people living without limbs.”None of us know what is in store in our future. I would have never thought I would walk on a prosthetic, but there you are. I have got to make the best of the situation that I find myself in.”Lutfullah Stanikzai, the ACB chief executive, says that Moles has been brave to stay and work for the last five years in a country that hardly gets any overseas visitors.”He is a very courageous guy. That is what is important.”Moles has been integral to the development of the region’s cricket, especially young talent, and he is well respected by the players. In 2018, he was the coach when Afghanistan reached the U-19 World Cup semi-finals, and last year he was the interim head coach when they won a Test in Bangladesh.”His disability actually has not been a problem for us,” Stanikzai says. “We haven’t considered that as part of him not being able to do his job well. It is his experience, expertise, knowledge and understanding of Afghan cricket that matter to us. He is a very passionate guy. We as the administration have tried to retain him for as long as we can. He has been a good member of our [management] team.”Moles is looking forward to cricket restarting after the Covid-19 pandemic, which has given him time to recuperate. “I am lucky there has been no cricket going, so I have been able to rest at home. But I am looking forward to getting back to Kabul, seeing the players and plotting fixtures and camps.”Cricket remains the same. I haven’t got my brain cut. I haven’t lost my vision or mobility or tactical awareness. It is just a case of: I have got half a leg. That’s it. That’s all it is. I still have to assist and help many players and teams be the best they can be. That’s my role as a coach.”It is a new challenge. So far as work is concerned, it is all the same. The main work at the moment is basically ensuring cricket restarts in the country and make sure everybody is safe and looking after themselves.”

Sometimes in one-day cricket, an innings is never in more peril than when it’s almost in the bag

Himanshu Agrawal15-Sep-2020Australia squandered a golden opportunity to inflict a rare ODI series defeat on the world champions England, when they lost 7 for 32 in a stunning collapse at Old Trafford this week. Here are nine other occasions when a one-day innings imploded in styleEcstasy and dejection: Kane Williamson and Pat Cummins display contrasting emotions•Getty ImagesIndia v New Zealand, Vizag 2016
R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had tormented the visitors in the Tests, and in the ODI decider, it was the turn – in every sense of the word – of the wily legspinner Amit Mishra to fox New Zealand. They restricted India to 269 on a turning pitch with the ball coming on slowly, enough ingredients for Mishra and his men to exploit.At 63 for 2, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor looked ready for the long haul, but Williamson’s attempted loft off Axar Patel found long off. In the next over, Taylor departed while cutting Mishra and two balls later, a clueless BJ Watling was bowled by a googly. Not to be left behind, even debutant offspinner Jayant Yadav stepped in to trap Corey Anderson plumb lbw. New Zealand were six-down in a flash, but Mishra wanted more. He drifted one away from the left-handed Jimmy Neesham to castle him in typical legspinner fashion and in the same over, had Tim Southee stumped.Mishra then got five after Sodhi top-edged a heave in his next over and soon, the game ended when Patel bowled Santner. New Zealand were cleaned up in ten overs of spin, but who knew Mishra – Man of the Match and the Series – would never play an ODI again despite figures of 5 for 18.Australia v India, Canberra 2016
Has there ever been a more bizarre way to throw away a game? Australia posted 348 and India’s chase took off in a hurry. Though Rohit Sharma fell for 41, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli batted with ridiculous ease. Both found boundaries ruthlessly to give the impression of 349 being a routine chase in modern ODI cricket, only for India to be stung by panic.Having added 212 in less than 30 overs, Dhawan and Kohli were left with just 72 to get from 75 deliveries. But that is when the mockery started: Dhawan, on 126, slashed John Hastings to point and three balls later, MS Dhoni tickled one to the keeper for nought. Kane Richardson then returned and with a sudden new-found zing, rushed through India.He first persuaded Kohli to spoon one to mid-off for 106; and in each of his next three overs, Richardson had Ajinkya Rahane, Rishi Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar effortlessly caught. In between, Gurkeerat Mann fell while sweeping Nathan Lyon and soon enough, Mitchell Marsh wiped out the tail. Richardson finished with 5 for 68, as India slumped from 277 for 1 to 323 all out – in spite of three dropped catches in the mix – with Australia dancing to victory by 25 runs.New Zealand v Australia, Auckland 2015
In an excruciating day of cricket, this game showed how the ball remains a handy weapon despite the rarely contested dominance of the bat in ODIs. Both sides slipped, fumbled and jostled to keep the tension alive until the final ball was bowled. Australia were the first to throw away all the momentum, as despite being 80 for 1, they were skittled for 151 as Trent Bo(u)lt ran through the middle order for fun to claim 5 for 27.In reply, Brendon McCullum flew to a 23-ball 50 to all but kill the contest. But despite taking New Zealand to 78 for 1, McCullum started a procession by falling to Pat Cummins. Next over, Mitchell Starc got two in two balls by firing searing yorkers at Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott. Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson calmly added 52 after what seemed only like a temporary jolt; but once Anderson departed, the chase turned into a farce. Luke Ronchi gloved one behind off Starc, Daniel Vettori chipped a catch to mid on and Starc again fired consecutive yorkers to the tail. Watching all the drama was Williamson, as New Zealand required six runs with 27 overs but – shockingly – just one wicket remaining.Next ball – as if unmoved with whatever happened around him – Williamson deposited Cummins for six over long on as Starc’s 6 for 28 went in vain. Game over. Eden Park erupts.Dale Steyn is pumped after dismissing Yusuf Pathan for a duck•AFPIndia v South Africa, Nagpur 2011
During the 2011 World Cup, India had collapsed against England, South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan, but this one was the worst of the lot. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar had added 142 in less than 18 overs in a sensational start, and Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir continued by adding another 125 before Dale Steyn and company took matters into their hands.In the batting Powerplay, first Tendulkar fell to Morne Morkel for 111, sparking the fire to come. Steyn immediately had Gambhir caught at mid off before Yusuf Pathan mistimed one to cover. Yuvraj Singh hit a six – India’s only boundary after Tendulkar’s wicket until the innings concluded – before holing out for 12 and Virat Kohli’s return catch to Robin Peterson meant India’s Powerplay was wasted. Two overs later, Steyn struck again when a dead-straight yorker accounted for Harbhajan Singh. Peterson also removed Zaheer Khan before Steyn proved too hot to handle for Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel to finish with a Man-of-the-Match performance of 5 for 50.In no time, India crashed from 267 for 1 to 296 all out as MS Dhoni witnessed everything unfold. Half-centuries from Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers then meant South Africa hunted down the target in the final over, confining India to their only defeat of an otherwise successful campaign.Sri Lanka v South Africa, Providence 2007
A target of 210 was meant to be a cakewalk for South Africa after Charl Langeveldt’s 5 for 39 had bowled Sri Lanka out for just about a competitive score. They were steady at 160 for 2 in the 33rd over with the well-set pair of Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs at the crease. That is when the veteran Muttiah Muralitharan arose to give the opposition some trembling. He first dived for a fine return catch off Gibbs before trapping Mark Boucher on the crease next ball. Five overs later, South Africa were still firm favourites when Kumar Sangakkara nimbly stumped Justin Kemp for 5, but who knew what was coming.With four runs to get from more than five overs, Lasith Malinga started a carnage that lasted four balls. First, he bamboozled Shaun Pollock with a dipping yorker, then made Andrew Hall balloon a catch to cover, completed his hat-trick as Kallis was caught behind and finally, crashed Makhaya Ntini’s stumps to become the first man in international cricket to take four wickets in as many deliveries.Moments earlier, a South Africa win had been a formality. Now they were reduced to 207 for 9 and it required an outside edge from Robin Peterson off Malinga to help his side over the line.Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Sharjah 1999
It was a comedy of errors from all the batsmen. Pakistan surrendered when 250 seemed imminent after wickets were given to even part-timer Russell Arnold amidst a flurry of run outs of Mohammad Yousuf, Wasim Akram and Azhar Mahmood, as 131 for 2 became 196 all out.But that was not it. More drama was reserved for Sri Lanka’s innings. Sri Lanka were cruising courtesy of a stable stand of 115 between Romesh Kaluwitharana and Arnold. All they needed was 40 from more than 14 overs with nine wickets in hand. But Abdul Razzaq dealt the first blow by having Kaluwitharana caught behind for 75 before Shoaib Malik bowled Arnold for 61. Soon after, Wasim Akram got his counterpart Sanath Jayasuriya for 1 and Aravinda de Silva for 9 before Razzaq ran riot.His next four overs accounted for four scalps, including two off successive balls. Razzaq got rid of Mahela Jayawardene and Suresh Perera in the 46th over, and bowled Chaminda Vaas in the 48th. That left Sri Lanka with three to get from two overs with Chamara Silva still lurking. But to add to Pakistan’s momentum, Malik’s direct hit from square leg ran out Muttiah Muralitharan and next ball, Razzaq also removed Silva for 13. On a day of high-class thrill, the match ended in a tie after Razzaq bagged 5 for 31.Makhaya Ntini is bowled by Lasitha Malinga, who took four wickets in four balls•Associated PressSouth Africa v Pakistan, East London 1993
Rain had knocked South Africa out of the 1992 World Cup just about a year earlier, and it once again pushed their required run rate in an otherwise gettable chase. Pakistan were restricted to 214 by Fanie de Villiers but the hosts had their target reduced to 172 in 31 overs after rain during the lunch break. South Africa needed to go at nearly six an over but remained on course with Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes batting with command.The requirement was down to 25 from 30 balls with seven wickets in the bank. But the magician Wasim Akram had far from given up. He attacked the right-handers from around the wicket, bowling Rhodes in the 27th over to open the floodgates. Waqar Younis didn’t take time to send the new batsman, the free-scoring Dave Callaghan, packing either and Akram then spoiled the debut of wicketkeeper Errol Stewart.With pressure mounting, Brian McMillan’s attempted flick had him trapped, leaving Cronje as the only dependable batsman to score the remaining 15 runs from 13 balls. But Cronje ran himself out by getting into a tangle with tailender Meyrick Pringle in search of a desperate single. Soon after with ten to get, Pringle himself was caught short of his crease in a case of utter hustle and bustle, as Akram bagged the last man Allan Donald to wrap up the game by nine runs.South Africa v Pakistan, Durban 1993
Just days earlier, South Africa had suffered another hurtful collapse as Pakistan scripted a miraculous comeback win. In yet another low scoring thriller, Pakistan had put on 208, another manageable chase even by the then-ODI standards. Openers Andrew Hudson and Kepler Wessels knocked off 101 out of the required 209 before Wessels went back for 42. Hudson and Peter Kirsten then added 58, but Asif Mujtaba – after a crucial 49 not out with the bat – removed Kirsten to start the fun.Quickly, Hudson also found himself back in the hut when a rapid Waqar Younis yorker castled him for 93 in the 43rd over. Two balls later, Daryll Cullinan suffered similar fate and abruptly, South Africa’s required rate had risen above six with 29 to get from 27 balls after Hansie Cronje was also bowled by Younis for 11.The situation had become so demanding that Jonty Rhodes ran himself out in a suicidal attempt to sneak a bye; what followed was even more shambolic with Wasim Akram running out Brian McMillan by a yard. Craig Matthews couldn’t survive the threat of Younis either, who – after Dave Richardson was also found short while running – finished with 5 for 25 for Pakistan to win by ten runs in an astonishing choke that South Africa would soon become famous for.West Indies v Sri Lanka, Sharjah 1986
Fancy chasing 249 against West Indies with Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh and Roger Harper to face? Sri Lanka did, only to end up folding for 55, the last eight of those wickets nabbed for just ten runs. Brendon Kuruppu’s lackadaisical run-out was signal enough of what was to come, and Roshan Mahanama’s needless poke against Marshall proved just that. Asanka Gurusinha and Arjuna Ranatunga struggled while adding 23 for the third wicket, but Harper had Ranatunga caught by Walsh at long off, then bowled Gurusinha in the same over and soon ran out de Silva.Sri Lanka were five down for 50, and from there on, the game was all about Walsh, who commenced an unstoppable onslaught. After getting the opposition captain Duleep Mendis, he scythed through the tail with all four of Asantha de Mel, Ravi Ratnayeke, Rumesh Ratnayake and Graeme Labrooy clean bowled with pace and movement. At one stage, Walsh’s figures read a surreal 4 for 0, and ended with a stupendous 5 for 1 to hand West Indies victory by 193 runs.

Also, was this the game to send Narine in to bat at No. 4? More on Talking Points

Varun Shetty07-Oct-2020Why did Narine bowl so late?
Sunil Narine came on to bowl in the 12th over for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Chennai Super Kings, when the partnership between Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu was on 64 and CSK needed 74 to win in nine overs. Pat Cummins had just finished his fourth.The delay in his bowling could not have been down to a match-up thing: before this game, Watson had made 88 off 83 Narine deliveries, with eight dismissals. Rayudu had scored 41 off 50 off him, with three dismissals. Clearly, they are not players who are very comfortable against Narine.Which suggests that maybe the plan right from the start was to use Narine in the second half of the innings. We know he has supreme numbers against Dhoni, but surely you don’t hinge your entire plan on that one match-up? What else could it have been, though? Perhaps the fact that the Knight Riders like using Cummins up front, which means the young fast bowlers have to bowl at the death alongside Andre Russell. Instead of handing them that responsibility entirely, it’s possible they decided to give it to Narine instead.The use of Varun Chakravarthy later on in the innings also suggests they might have felt there was something about the conditions that was aiding spin bowling. Chakravarthy got them Dhoni’s wicket, which put serious pressure on CSK at the end of their chase and ultimately turned out to be the finishing touch on a fine tactical win, sealed by Narine’s 19th that went for only 10 when 36 were required.Getty ImagesWhy didn’t Jadeja bowl, and why was Karn so effective?
It’s feels out-of-character for CSK to not rely on spinners, and the numbers back up that feeling: out of 170 bowling innings in the IPL, only on 23 occasions – one of them being tonight – have they bowled only four overs of spin or fewer. It’s also strange that none of those four overs tonight came from Ravindra Jadeja, presumably because there was a left-hand KKR batsman in at almost every stage before the slog overs tonight.Legspinner Karn Sharma, meanwhile, did a tight job. He didn’t bowl a single short ball according to ESPNcricinfo’s length data and finished with 4-0-25-2 despite an expensive first over. It was a terrific return for the legspinner who is big in trivia contests because of how many IPL titles he has won (three in three years with Sunrisers, Mumbai and CSK), without ever being a sure-shot pick for any of his teams. Our data suggests he bowled on off stump or wider for the most part against right-hand batsmen today, so he was rarely in the hitting zone for them.More impressively, left-handers had no hitting options against him either: he didn’t concede a single boundary to left-handers and also got two of them out.Getty ImagesWhy did KKR choose to bat?
They never do that. Well, not since May 2015 anyway. The last time was when Gautam Gambhir was still captain and Delhi were still the Daredevils.This season too, they’d bowled on both occasions after winning the toss. Perhaps when you have batsmen like Andre Russell, Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik – who has been a decent finisher himself over time even if he’s not in the best of form at the moment – it is a tempting option to chase.But then the batting hadn’t quite fallen into place for them, in many ways. They were losing early wickets at the top and there hadn’t been consistently memorable performances from the big names mentioned above. They lost chasing in Sharjah in their previous game, so perhaps that factored into the decision to bat today. Or it could just be simply that they were following the tide – captains have started batting first with success in this tournament, and it happened again tonight.Why did Tripathi open, and was this the game to send Narine in at No. 4?
Rahul Tripathi took Narine’s opening spot, and it worked out nicely enough for everyone involved. Tripathi has three fifties in his last four innings as an IPL opener, so it was justified that he was pushed up. There were several perplexed voices around – Ben Stokes among them – when Narine came in ahead of Morgan at No. 4, but Narine did a decent job of it, making 17 off 9. That said, should it have been in this match that Narine lost the opening spot?

Narine before Morgan???

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) October 7, 2020

There isn’t elite pace in the CSK line-up, the kind that troubles Narine the batsman a great deal, so in many ways KKR were blunting their own attack. But his 17 off 9 is an innings KKR would accept from him no matter where he’s batting. He, a left-hand batsman, also ended up taking deliveries away from legspinner Karn Sharma, which was a bonus that KKR’s right-handers didn’t make use of later.Why did Russell bowl only at the death?
That is Andre Russell’s designated role this season. He’s bowled 42 of his 60 deliveries after the 16th over so far, and his death-overs economy rate of 8.57 and five wickets show that it’s a plan that’s coming off for KKR.They’ve tried various bowling strategies in the season already, including bowling six and seven bowlers. That depth in bowling is allowing them to bowl Pat Cummins out early on and attack top orders. And, so, it helps to have another seasoned fast bowler in Russell to take over at the death.When he came on today, CSK had been rattled by the loss of Dhoni, but still needed only 13 an over with Sam Curran, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo available. Russell’s pace, direction and length – decidedly short, for all six balls of his first over – gave them no hitting oppportunity at all and effectively killed the game off as they got only three runs of that over.Russell said later that he had decided to go only cross-seam at the end, because he’d assessed that that was difficult to put away based on the delivery that got him out earlier. Intuition and perception of that kind – and the skills to build a plan around it – could mean we’ll see Russell don this role for a while yet, especially as KKR try to groom two young fast bowlers who they might not want to expose at the death.

Who needs what ahead of Tuesday’s triple-header, the final round of group games?

Gaurav Sundararaman25-Jan-2021Perth Scorchers –
: Brisbane HeatAn amazing second half of the season has put Perth Scorchers in pole position. The Scorchers have guaranteed themselves a top two-spot owing to their superior Net Run-Rate. The only team that can go past them is the Sixers. The Scorchers need to win their final game against Brisbane Heat to guarantee finishing top of the league stage. If the Scorchers lose and the Sixers win, then the Scorchers would finish second.The Sixers will play the Scorchers in the Qualifier•Getty ImagesSydney Sixers –

: Melbourne StarsSimilar to the Scorchers, the Sixers have also guaranteed themselves a top two-spot in the play-offs thanks to Adelaide Strikers’ loss against Sydney Thunder on Monday night. The Sixers can aim for top-of-the-table finish by beating the Stars and hoping the Scorchers lose their game against the Heat.ESPNcricinfo LtdHobart Hurricanes –
: Melbourne RenegadesHurricanes have their fate in their control. Although they cannot finish in the top two, all they need is a win against bottom-ranked team Melbourne Renegades to qualify for the play-offs. This would take the Hurricanes to 31 points and a spot in the final five. Even if they lose, they can still qualify if the Stars lose to the Sixers and the Heat lose to the Scorchers. However, if one among Heat or Stars win then the Hurricanes will find it hard to qualify even if they get a Bash Boost point due to their inferior Net Run-Rate.The Stars need other results to fall their way – and to win, preferably with a bonus point•Getty ImagesMelbourne Stars –
: Sydney SixersThe Stars do not have their fate in their control. The Stars play the Sixers in the last league game. The Stars could be eliminated by the time the game starts if the Heat and Hurricanes both win their last league match. However, if the Heat and the Hurricanes both lose then the Stars just need to win their last league game – possibly with a bonus point – to make the final five since they have a higher Net Run-Rate than Adelaide Strikers or Hobart Hurricanes.The Heat will need to win well against the Scorchers•Getty ImagesBrisbane Heat –
: Perth Scorchers The Heat need the full four points against the Scorchers to guarantee they reach final five. The maximum they can get is 29 points and that would put them ahead of both the Strikers and also the Stars. If the Heat fail to win the Bash Boost point and win with three points then they would finish with 28 points, and would need to hope that the Hurricanes lose to the Renegades and the Stars do not get four points against the Sixers since the Stars have a superior Net Run-Rate.Adelaide Strikers – The Strikers missed an opportunity to qualify for the play-offs of their own accord when they lost to Sydney Thunder on Monday. Their best chance is if Hurricanes lose their last league match against the Renegades, and the Stars and the Heat don’t get four points from their matches. This would mean that the Strikers would qualify in fourth with 28 points.However, if the Hurricanes do win their last league match, the Strikers need the Heat and Stars to win without a Bash Boost point (or lose). This would mean that Strikers will go past Heat in terms of Net Run-Rate while they will be ahead of the Stars by one point.

His contribution of 52.91% of runs to New Zealand’s total is the second-highest in maiden innings in men’s Tests

Sampath Bandarupalli03-Jun-2021200 – Devon Conway is only the second player to score a double century on Test debut for New Zealand. Matthew Sinclair became the first when he scored 214 against West Indies in 1999.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 – Number of players who have scored a century in their maiden innings in men’s Tests before Conway. Seven players have a double century on debut in men’s Tests, including 210* by Kyle Mayers during the second essay. Conway is also the oldest of the seven players with a double hundred on debut, at 29 years and 329 days old at the start of the match.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 – Numbers of openers who have smashed a double century on Test debut, with Conway being one of them. Sri Lankan opener Brendon Kuruppu ended up with an unbeaten 201 in his debut Test against New Zealand in 1987.578 – Minutes Conway spent at the crease for his 200 off 347 balls, the second-longest innings on Test debut in terms of minutes. Kuruppu stood 777 minutes at the crease for his 201 in 1987.ESPNcricinfo Ltd0 – There have been no individual scores on debut in men’s Tests in England higher than Conway’s 200. He went past Ranjitsinhji’s 154*, coming against Australia in 1896 at the Old Trafford.52.91– Percentage of New Zealand’s total accounted by Conway, the second-highest contribution in the maiden innings in men’s Tests (completed innings). Charles Bannerman’s 165* in the first-ever Test match turned out to be 67.34 per cent of Australia’s 245, which is also the highest-ever contribution made to a completed innings in men’s Tests.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3– Number of New Zealand players who have converted their maiden Test century into a double ton, including Conway against England. In addition to Sinclair, who scored a double hundred on his Test debut, Martin Donnelly converted his only Test century to 206, also at Lord’s, in 1949.2003 – The last instance of an opener scoring a double century against England in Test cricket, before Conway at Lord’s. South Africa’s Graeme Smith struck 259, also at Lord’s, in 2003. KL Rahul narrowly missed out in 2016 when he got out on 199 at Chepauk.1 – Only one player has scored a double century for New Zealand in Tests on English soil before Conway. Donnelly scored 206 while batting at No.5 in 1949, also at Lord’s. Nathan Astle ( 222 in Christchurch, 2002) and BJ Watling ( 205 in Mount Maunganui, 2019) are the other players to score a double hundred for New Zealand against England.3 – Openers to have batted till the fall of the tenth wicket in an innings on men’s Test debut before Conway. Jack Barrett against England in 1890 and Pelham Warner against South Africa in 1899 both carried the bat in their team’s second innings, while Kepler Wessels was the tenth wicket to fall in Australia’s first innings during his debut against England in 1982. (Javed Omar also carried the bat in the second innings on his debut against Zimbabwe in 2001, but the last batter was absent hurt)

Kohli’s first-ball dismissal ends seven-year wait for prized scalp, and renews a defining rivalry

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Aug-2021He takes leg-stump guard. Flicks his bat, puts his head down, taps the bat and gets ready to face James Anderson.The ball lands right around where he would have visualised it: on a length, fourth stump. It starts shaping in. He is standing a little outside the popping crease. He moves his back foot back and across, the right toe angled to point and takes a big front-foot stride. On pitching, the ball has begun to straighten and Virat Kohli, in trying to defend, pushes at it. The edge flies through to Jos Buttler, moving a yard to his right.There’s a bit of disbelief and a bit of dejection in Kohli’s reaction. Out for a duck, his first delivery of the series, from the man who has played such a big role in him becoming the batter he is, one of the greatest of all time. Having entered the ground minutes earlier, bustling with a heavyweight boxer’s energy, Kohli retreats to the dressing room defeated and deflated: how did this happen?This on-field sparring between two greats is up there with Test cricket’s historic one-on-one duels and has become one of the defining strands of the modern England-India rivalry. After the 2014 England trip, Kohli admitted he was playing for himself and that Anderson, who dismissed him four times including a duck in Manchester, had made him return to India feeling like “the loneliest guy”.In 2018, Kohli, now captain and so unable to think just about himself, was unperturbed by Anderson dissecting his technique during the very first Test at Edgbaston. Three times, Anderson found his edge and three times he was dropped in an unbroken 15-over spell. Kohli was lucky that day, but he buried his ego and scored a memorable century.Anderson vs Kohli between dismissals•ESPNcricinfo LtdIn a chat with Michael Atherton for the , Kohli explained two key changes he made before the 2018 series. In 2014 Kohli said he was exposing his right hip and shoulder as well as moving his back foot too early which left him exposed to Anderson’s inswinger. So he became more sideways in his stance. “I was expecting inswingers too much and opened up my hip a lot more than I should have done,” he said. “I was in no position to counter the outswing.”The second change was a suggestion from Sachin Tendulkar who asked Kohli to stand outside the crease “to get on top of the ball, not worry about pace or swing; you have got to get towards the ball and give the ball less chance to move around and trouble you.”On the eve of this Test Kohli was asked what he would do to combat Anderson this time around. Without batting an eyelid he replied: “I’ll bat.” If only facing Anderson was that simple. But this is Kohli and you can be sure that Kohli would have fine-tuned every little aspect of his batting in preparation to face Anderson.Even on Thursday morning, more than an hour before the start of play, Kohli was in the nets practising against exactly the kind of delivery that would ultimately get him. In that session though, Kohli, having stretched forward, was either leaving the ball well alone or playing it confidently. But practising for it, preparing for it, and then facing it in a live Test are two different scenarios.On Sky Sports, Atherton asked co-commentator Dinesh Karthik whether Kohli could have left the ball. Karthik said what made it difficult to do so was the hint of the ball swinging in before it pitched, forcing Kohli to think he had to play it, which is where muscle memory also kicks in. That is how Anderson creates those doubts in the batter’s mind.Related

• Sachin Tendulkar lauds James Anderson's 'reverse' reverse swing

• James Anderson admits his wife talked him out of retirement after injury setbacks

• Masterful Anderson leaves India wobbling on rain-hit day

• Stats – James Anderson's 454-ball wait against Virat Kohli comes to an end

Only the previous delivery, Anderson had sucked in Pujara with nearly the same plan: ball moving in from the channel, pitched slightly fuller, drawing in Pujara to play before straightening and taking the edge. We cannot say for certain whether Kohli saw that Anderson had kept the shiny side on the outside, but possibly he picked up on the wrist, which might have suggested the ball was going to come in. And that is how it started, but upon pitching on the seam it moved away. By then Kohli had committed to the stroke.One of Kohli’s strengths, he has always maintained, is that he doesn’t do half measures, so the option Atherton raised with Karthik – whether he could have left the ball – might not have entered the Indian captain’s mind. The only thing that Karthik felt Kohli could have done differently was to play with softer hands.Anderson has now has got that first strike and set the tone for what should be an engrossing individual battle. Kohli will not say it, or show it but Anderson has a way of creeping into a batter’s mind and crippling all their plans. Anderson is at a stage now where even the greatest of his opponents are furiously theorising about his tricks: last year Sachin Tendulkar was talking about Anderson’s reverse-reverse swing.Anderson did not do anything unthinkable on Thursday against Kohli. He simply bowled a delivery that he can bowl blindfolded. In his own words later, Anderson said he “bowled the ball exactly where I wanted to” and also that Kohli nicking it that early does not happen so often.August 9, 2014 was the last time Anderson dismissed Kohli in a Test. For seven years he has waited patiently through two India tours and then at home in 2018. During this time he has “challenged” Kohli’s fourth stump consistently, but Anderson said the Indian captain “either play and missed, or left it, or he’s been good enough to get through it”, but today he got him to nick it.Some of the best moments in life are also the shortest, but they live in the mind forever. The entire sequence of Kohli’s innings lasted barely a minute. It left Kohli in despair and Anderson ecstatic. And the rest of us will be talking about it for as long as the memory is working.