All posts by n8rngtd.top

When I bowled in the international nets the first time, I was heartbroken

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

In this excerpt from his first book, the India spinner tells us about why bowling to some of his heroes at training was not what he thought it would be

R Ashwin23-Jul-2024India play against West Indies in an ODI match at Chepauk as part of preparations for the World Cup later in 2007. I am asked to bowl at the nets for both teams. International teams invite local bowlers to bowl in the nets because they don’t want to exhaust their own bowlers before the actual match. This is my first such invitation.I am excited at the prospect of bowling to Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, my hero Sachin Tendulkar, and the hottest name in Indian cricket today, MS Dhoni. I have read about how Imran Khan plucked Waqar Younis out of a nets session even before he had started playing proper domestic cricket. Appa has told me how Kris Srikkanth impressed Sunil Gavaskar in a local game, and that’s how he ended up playing for India. These thoughts are not entirely out of my mind. I am going to be bowling in flesh and blood to players I have dreamed of playing with and against.The West Indies team is the first to arrive for training. Chepauk doesn’t have separate nets, so the nets are arranged on the side pitches at the main ground. I bowl to Gayle first. I get him out caught and bowled. Later, I have him edging. I look at him for a reaction because in nets, be it at club level, Ranji Trophy level or anywhere else, the batter nods at you, appreciates you or just says “bowled”, to acknowledge you. Gayle just picks the ball up and throws it back at me. No eye contact. No reaction.Related

  • Ashwin the fastest to 100 Test wickets in over 80 years (2013)

  • How R Ashwin tweaked his line and used dip, drift and changes of pace to become the world's best Test spinner (2021)

  • Chennai super king (2016)

  • R Ashwin: 'I had to literally rewire and make a mental switch'

  • R Ashwin: 'If I am under pressure, I try to put the opposition under five times as much'

He gets out, no reaction. He tonks me, no reaction. I think Gayle is probably peculiar, but as I bowl to other batters, it is the same. They smack you, no reaction. They struggle against you, no reaction. Just pick up the ball and bowl again. I find it weird.And it is not limited to the West Indies players either. India batters are the same. During the India nets, a friend comes and watches from the stands. He wants a photo with Dhoni after the nets so that he can impress girls in college. I, too, am crazy about Dhoni. The way he hits, the way he finishes games, the long hair. He is just a phenomenon.After we are done, I click a photo with Dhoni myself. I tell him about my friend, and he obliges. My friend is over the moon, but I tell him I am not coming as a nets bowler again. He is stunned. Not only does he want to come and take more photos tomorrow to impress girls, he is generally shocked at me giving up a chance to bowl at these guys.I tell him what happened. I feel heartbroken. I don’t exactly know what I expected when I came to the nets. Yes, those fairy tales of selections of net bowlers are a thought in my mind, but not an expectation. It is something else that has hurt me. I tell my friend I have never been to a cricket match or practice session where nobody has acknowledged me. People try to find out which club you play for or which school or college you study at, but here nobody even asked me what my name was.Penguin Random HouseI call up the nets organiser who had offered me the gig and tell him I will not be coming tomorrow. Instead, I go to Chemplast and train on my own. I think playing street cricket is more fun than bowling at these internationals. Over the next few days, though, I realise they didn’t do it to me because they are bad people. It is just that these are professional cricketers in their bubble, striving for excellence. They must be facing hundreds of bowlers like me. They can’t be acknowledging everyone’s presence. Worship your heroes from a distance; when you get close to them, be good enough to be one of them.I don’t think any less of my cricket heroes because they didn’t acknowledge me when I bowled, but I also don’t want to be servicing them with nothing in it for me. I still feel like an ordinary person for servicing them without any acknowledgement when I do well or generally of my effort. So, I don’t regret pulling out of the nets. Nor do I want to be just a nets bowler ever again. I Have the Streets: a Kutti Cricket Story

Stats – Ferguson the silver lining in World Cup of lows for New Zealand

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

New Zealand went through the 2024 edition without a fifty, and a top partnership of 34

Sampath Bandarupalli17-Jun-20244 – Maiden overs from Lockie Ferguson against Papua New Guinea. He is the second to bowl four maidens in a men’s T20I after Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar in 2021 against Panama. Before Ferguson, no one had bowled more than two maidens in a men’s T20 World Cup match.Outside of internationals, Akshay Karnewar is the only other man to do it: for Vidarbha vs Manipur, only a week before Saad’s effort, in an Indian domestic T20 at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.4 – Maidens in PNG’s innings overall. It was the first instance of a team bowling as many as four maidens in an innings at a men’s T20 World Cup match. There have been six instances of three maidens at the showpiece event previously, four of which came in 2024.Getty Images81 – Dot balls played out by PNG’s batters – the second-highest in a men’s T20 World Cup game. The highest is 89 dots by Uganda against New Zealand on Saturday.78 – PNG’s total against New Zealand was their second-lowest in men’s T20Is, behind the 77 all out they made against Uganda earlier in the tournament. Three of PNG’s four lowest totals in this format have come in this World Cup.34 – Partnership runs between Devon Conway and Kane Williamson for the third wicket. It was the highest partnership for New Zealand in this T20 World Cup. It was also the lowest “highest partnership” for any team in an edition of the men’s T20 World Cup where they played four or more matches. The next is 35 for Uganda, across four games in 2024.40 – Glenn Phillips’ score against West Indies was the highest for New Zealand in this tournament. They are only the fourth team to play four or more matches at a men’s T20 World Cup without an individual 50-plus score.Ireland played five matches in the 2009 edition without an individual fifty, while the highest score for Uganda in 2024 was 33. No New Zealand batter hit a fifty in the five matches they played in the 2010 edition, played in the West Indies. England don’t have a fifty in this year’s World Cup as yet, but they have the Super Eight to set that right.

Washington Sundar bursts out of nowhere and announces his all-format chops

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

In a fairytale return to Test cricket, the allrounder demonstrated just how far he has come as a red-ball offspinner

Deivarayan Muthu24-Oct-20241:56

Manjrekar: Small sample but Washington shows promise as Ashwin’s successor

Washington Sundar wasn’t supposed to be in Pune for the second Test against New Zealand. He was supposed to be in Coimbatore with his Tamil Nadu team-mates for the Ranji Trophy. He was not in India’s Test squad three days ago. Before Thursday, he had last played a Test match three-and-a-half years ago. As it turned out, he made a serendipitous return to Test cricket, bagging career-best figures of 7 for 59.”It was all God’s plan,” Washington said.Washington. Pune. God’s plan. Sounds familiar?Related

  • Shastri: Washington Sundar 'is the future' for India

  • Washington Sundar: 'I consider myself a top-order batter'

  • Washington added to India's squad for second and third Tests

  • Washington's career-best 7 for 59 spins out New Zealand

In 2017, Washington wasn’t supposed to be part of the IPL, but after an injury to R Ashwin, he bowled Steven Smith at a trial with Rising Pune Supergiant, and they picked him to replace the senior offspinner. At 17, Washington emerged as a powerplay specialist in T20 cricket.Seven years later, at the scene of his T20 emergence, Washington showed he could grow into an all-format player. Ravi Shastri certainly saw it coming, telling ESPNcricinfo he would go on to become India’s “premier allrounder across all three formats of the game.”But even Shastri couldn’t have seen Thursday coming.Washington Sundar exactly matched R Ashwin’s career-best Test figures of 7 for 59•AFP/Getty ImagesIt’s fairly unusual for this India team to make additions to their squad in the middle of a home Test series unless there are any concerns around players’ fitness or availability. While there were hints on Tuesday that Washington might play on a low-bounce, black-soil pitch in Pune – he had a long bowling stint alongside Ashwin in the nets – it still felt like a stretch that he would replace Kuldeep Yadav in India’s attack. And no one could have expected him to do that, and then outshine Ashwin.Washington ended up matching Ashwin’s career-best Test figures exactly, with the senior offspinner clapping his potential successor off the field at the end of New Zealand’s innings.At the start of the day, it was all about Ashwin. Midway through the seventh over, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma gestured Ashwin to be ready to bowl. Ashwin got his fifth ball to turn and pin New Zealand captain Tom Latham lbw. Ashwin then had Will Young caught down the leg side with another offbreak that turned. It felt like Ashwin and India were onto something. Fans scrambling for shelter from the sweltering heat quickly filled up the stands.Washington wasn’t having quite the same effect on the Pune crowd, but he was quietly working his way back into Test cricket. There were signs of rust, especially when he bowled short and wide of off stump to Young with the leg side packed with six fielders.Then came the ball to Rachin Ravindra.Washington went wide of the crease from around the wicket and put more revs on the ball, which led first to dip and then turn. There was also inward drift, which led Ravindra to play down the wrong line. The ball slid past the outside edge and hit the top of off, providing a flashback to Ashwin’s dismissals of Alastair Cook in both innings of the 2018 Edgbaston Test.2:47

Washington opens up on Ashwin’s influence

For much of his career, Washington’s bowling has been tuned to the demands of white-ball cricket, and has generally been characterised by pace through the air and flatter trajectories often delivered with undercut. Of late, he has worked on refashioning himself into a more conventional offspinner. After IPL 2024, where he finished with zero wickets and zero runs in all of two games for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he called up S Sriram, the former India and Tamil Nadu allrounder who has worked with Australia and Bangladesh as a spin consultant, for his inputs on how he could become an all-format bowler. Having already worked with Washington at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sriram suggested a few technical tweaks.”So one thing we spoke about was his run-up speed, you know, just get more energy into his run-up rather than just ambling, and more of overspin,” Sriram, who was following Washington’s spell from Chennai, told ESPNcricinfo. “He had a little bit of a finger issue also recently, so he was recovering from that. So one of the things we spoke about is always going back to that overspin, which gives him more bounce. And overspin is possible only when you have that momentum in the run-up.”If you don’t have momentum in the run-up, it’s very difficult to get that overspin. One of the things we discussed was obviously bounce was his main weapon. And how he can use that to his advantage in both white ball and red-ball cricket.”In his next over, Washington got the ball to drift away from Tom Blundell, then dip and rip through the gate. Washington is usually a man of few emotions, but this wicket meant so much to him that he brought out an animated fist pump. Washington was primarily picked to counter a left-hander-heavy New Zealand line-up. This was evidence that he could pick off the right-handers as well.”I think once he gets that seam angle right and the release right, and with the revs, automatically the drop and the drift takes care of itself,” Sriram said. “He used the shine to get the drift with the right seam angle. And also, if the seam is upright, it drops. Like that Blundell one, it dropped on him a little bit. He went to play with the spin, but the slight drift and drop got the wicket.”Washington then kept hitting the drier, good-length band on the pitch with laser-like precision and kept the stumps in play. He was rewarded with five more wickets in nine overs.Tom Blundell was bowled by Washington on the stroke of tea•BCCI”The first two spells, I think he was settling in,” Sriram said. “He was finding the right pace and also the right sort of rhythm. But once he got those two wickets around tea, his confidence also built up. It just happened so quickly for him, which made it look casual. But it wasn’t that casual.”Gautam Gambhir welcomed Washington back into the dressing room with a round of applause and a big smile. Like Shastri, Gambhir sees an all-format player in Washington. He had trusted him with bowling the Super Over in the Pallekele T20I in July, and Washington responded by bowling India to victory from out of nowhere.Gambhir then promoted Washington up the order to No.4 in the next match – the first ODI in Colombo. He didn’t score too many in that game, but his batting potential is clear: he already has three Test fifties, including match-turning interventions in Brisbane and Ahmedabad, and his Pune call-up came on the back of a Ranji Trophy 152 while batting at No. 3.Sriram is hopeful of Washington coming of age as an allrounder under Gambhir, with whom he worked as an assistant coach at Lucknow Super Giants.”Yeah, I think credit to Gauti also,” Sriram said. “Because I think he always rates him high. Whatever little conversations I’ve had with Gauti in LSG also, he always rated Washy very high. And he is someone, I think, he’ll use him very well as an allrounder. Both with bat and ball, he’ll promote him in certain times with the bat. And he’ll make best use of him with the ball as well and give him the ideal situations where he can succeed in all formats of the game.”Perhaps that, then, is God’s long-term plan.

Stats – Noman Ali first Pakistan spinner to take a hat-trick in Tests

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

He also became the first spinner to bag six wickets in the first session on day one

Sampath Bandarupalli25-Jan-20255 Noman Ali became only the fifth bowler to take a hat-trick for Pakistan in men’s Tests and the first spinner to do so. Wasim Akram took a hat-trick in consecutive Tests against Sri Lanka in 1999, while Abdul Razzaq in 2000 and Mohammad Sami in 2002 also took hat-tricks against the same opponents. The last hat-trick by a Pakistan bowler was taken by Naseem Shah against Bangladesh in 2020.ESPNcricinfo Ltd6 Wickets taken by Noman before Lunch on Saturday. He is only the sixth bowler to take six or more wickets in the opening session of a men’s Test. He is the first spinner to bag six wickets in the first session on day one.He is also the first Pakistan bowler to achieve the feat, as only Abrar Ahmed took a five-wicket haul (On debut against England in 2022) previously before lunch on the first day’s play.38y 110d Noman’s age on Saturday, making him the second oldest to claim a hat-trick in men’s Tests. Rangana Herath was 38 years and 139 days old when he took a hat-trick against Australia in 2016.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Number of instances of a team’s top three individual scores coming from their No.s 9, 10 and 11 in a men’s Test innings: both by West Indies in the ongoing series against Pakistan.Jomel Warrican (31* at No. 10), Jayden Seales (22 at No. 11), and Gudakesh Motie (19 at No. 9) were the top contributors in West Indies’ first innings in the first Test, while Motie (55 at No. 9), Warrican (36* at No. 11) and Kemar Roach (25 at No. 10) did the same on Saturday.Related

  • Noman Ali paying no heed to pitch criticism as second Test becomes 'a one-innings match'

  • Spin runs riot again as Noman, Warrican lead the way on 20-wicket opening day

  • Kraigg Brathwaite laments inability to adapt to spinning conditions

  • Aaqib Javed says Pakistan's spinning pitches are here to stay

5 Consecutive Test matches with a five-wicket haul for Noman. Only Sydney Barnes, Charlie Turner and Alec Bedser had a longer streak than Noman, with five-fors in six successive Tests, while Yasir Shah also took five-wicket hauls in five consecutive matches.ESPNcricinfo Ltd41.72 Percentage of West Indies’ first innings total in Multan contributed by their tenth wicket partnership. It is the second highest for West Indies in men’s Tests, behind the 50% by Kemar Roach and Miguel Cummins, who added 50 out of 100 all-out against India in 2019.6 Bowlers to take a hat-trick before lunch on the first day of a men’s Test, including Noman. All the previous five bowlers were pacers only, with the last one being Irfan Pathan against Pakistan in the 2006 Karachi Test.

69 Balls Pakistan needed to take the first seven wickets to fall in the West Indies innings, the third fewest by any team in men’s Tests since 1999. Australia lost their seventh wicket in 56 balls against England in 2015 at Trent Bridge and 64 balls against South Africa in 2011 Cape Town.38 Runs were added by the West Indies before losing their seventh wicket. It is the second-lowest total for any team at the fall of the seventh wicket against Pakistan in men’s Tests, behind the 36 by West Indies in 1986 in Faisalabad. 38 is also the third-lowest total at the fall of the seventh wicket for West Indies in men’s Tests.20 Wickets that fell on Saturday in Multan, the most in a single day’s play in a Test match in Pakistan. The previous highest was 19 wickets on the second day of the first match of the ongoing Pakistan-West Indies series.These are also the most wickets to fall on the opening day of a men’s Test in Asia, surpassing the 18 between India and the West Indies in Delhi in 1987.16 Wickets picked by the spinners on the first day of the Multan Test. These are the most wickets for spin bowlers on the opening day of a men’s Test, bettering the 14 wickets by England and South Africa at Leeds in 1907.

IPL 2025 playoff scenarios – RCB need one point, KKR eliminated

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Six teams are still in contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs

S Rajesh17-May-20252:48

Cricinformed: The contrast in Capitals’ and Titans’ top-order

Royal Challengers Bangalore
After the abandoned game in Bengaluru, RCB need one more point to seal their place in the playoffs. With 17, they aren’t quite there yet as five teams can still finish on 17 or more points. That can happen if Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) but lose their last two games, to Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI). If MI beat DC, then RCB, MI, GT, DC and PBKS can all finish on 17 or more points with eight wins, in which case run rates will come into play.Punjab Kings
PBKS need one more win to be certain of qualification. At the moment, 17 points won’t guarantee a place in the top four as five teams can get to 17 or more, as explained above. However, PBKS can qualify with 17 as well but could need other results – especially in matches involving DC and MI – to go their way and net run-rate may come into play.Related

  • GT opt to chase, Rabada back

  • No cricket, no cry – white 'Virat 18' tribute lifts the gloom at wet Chinnaswamy

  • IPL 2025: which overseas players are available for the rest of the season?

  • DC face consistent GT with playoffs hopes on the line

  • PBKS resume push for playoffs; Samson set to return for knocked-out RR

Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans (GT) are just one win away from making the playoffs – 18 points will assure a team of a top-four finish. However, if they lose their three remaining games they could get knocked out as four teams can still finish on 17 or more points. Titans have a favourable itinerary too, with their last two games scheduled at home in Ahmedabad, where they have a formidable 4-1 record so far. Their net run rate is currently second only to Mumbai Indians (MI), which could help them with qualification or a top-two finish. If they beat DC on Sunday, then that result will confirm playoff spots for RCB, GT and PBKS, with MI, DC and LSG competing for the final spot.Gujarat Titans will play their last two games at home•BCCIMumbai Indians
Despite the loss to GT, MI are still in control of their destiny, as wins in their last two matches will ensure a place in the playoffs. For them to go through on 16 points, though, they’ll need help from other results, while defeats in their two remaining games will eliminate them. MI also have an excellent net run rate of 1.156, which could yet be crucial if qualification comes down to that.Delhi Capitals
LSG are struggling for momentum, having lost three in a row, and four of their last five. The best they can do now is win their three remaining matches, finish on 16 points, and hope that one or more of the in-form teams suffer a sudden reversal of fortunes. If they lose another match, though, they will be eliminated. Their terrible NRR of -0.469 doesn’t help their cause either.

Stats – Bumrah draws level with Kapil Dev; Brook gets lucky again

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Stats highlights from the third day’s play between England and India at Headingley

Sampath Bandarupalli22-Jun-20252:29

Why were Siraj and Prasidh ineffective?

12 of Jasprit Bumrah’s 14 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket have come away from home, the joint highest by any India bowler, alongside Kapil Dev.3 – Five-wicket hauls for Bumrah in Tests in England, the most by an India bowler. Bumrah has 42 Test wickets in England, only behind Ishant Sharma (51) and Kapil (43) among India bowlers.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 – Five-wicket hauls by India bowlers in Tests since the end of the 2024-25 home season, all by Bumrah. He took three five-fors in Australia. Only Anil Kumble (five between 1992 and 1994) and R Ashwin (five in 2016) have had longer streaks for India without another bowler taking a five-for.13 – Number of catches dropped off Harry Brook in Tests in the past 12 months, out of 26 chances off legal deliveries. No other batter has been let off as often in this period.Brook was dropped twice during his 99 against India in Headingley and was also caught off a no-ball.ESPNcricinfo Ltd99 – Brook became the 14th England batter to be dismissed on 99 and the first since Jonny Bairstow against South Africa at Old Trafford in 2017. Bairstow had an unbeaten 99 at the same venue against Australia in 2023.6.4 – Prasidh Krishna’s economy rate during his 3 for 128 in the first innings at Headingley – the worst in an innings for India while bowling at least 120 balls. Only five bowlers have had a higher economy rate in men’s Tests while bowling a minimum of 120 balls.4.38 – Run rate across the two first innings at Headingley, the fourth-highest in men’s Tests where both teams scored 400-plus totals.

Charlie Dean takes England vice-captaincy in her stride

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Spinner’s promotion was announced at Abu Dhabi training camp prior to World Cup

S Sudarshanan06-Oct-2025Charlie Dean hopes to be her own “sarcastic and jovial” self after her ascendancy as England’s vice-captain at the Women’s World Cup 2025. England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, announced her as Nat Sciver-Brunt’s deputy during their camp in Abu Dhabi.”Having had a bit more captaincy experience this summer and I think [England are] trying to create a leadership group that is a bit more official and structured to really help complement Nat going into this World Cup,” Dean said in Guwahati ahead of England’s game against Bangladesh.”Obviously we don’t want Nat off the pitch, but if that were to happen then I guess I’m ready to step up, with a bit of help from Tammy [Beaumont] and Jonesie [Amy Jones] and Dunks [Sophia Dunkley] as well, who are all exceptional leaders in their own right. But we’ve got a lot of characters and leaders in this team. Heather [Knight] has been brilliant. She’s come back from injury, I guess tapping into her knowledge when we can and really learning as a group.”Related

  • Marufa Akter swings her way straight into World Cup lore

  • Nahida Akter's journey comes full circle at the Women's World Cup

  • Spin-heavy Bangladesh look to challenge England in rare meeting

Dean made her international debut only in 2021 but captained London Spirit in the women’s Hundred earlier this year and was discussed as a potential successor to Knight. She is often seen discussing her bowling grip, areas to bowl and the shots batters could deploy against her after almost every delivery at the nets, bringing her thinking to the fore. Even during England’s home summer, she was often seen adjusting the angles of the fielders. Dean said her role as Sciver-Brunt’s deputy is mainly “being a bit of a sounding board”.”She’s got a brilliant cricket brain and she leads from the front with how she acts,” Dean said. “I guess for me it is about being there to complement and look after bits she hopefully shouldn’t need to, [like] getting the fielders in the right place and bits like that. [It is] trying to make sure that she has everything she needs to be really clear and be the best version of herself for us… just being there as an option more than anything.”I’m probably someone who’s not going to come forward with 10 million different ideas, but I guess [my role is] thinking about the game and having a bit of a cricket brain and trying to shout out when I feel like I see something that could really help.”England had a change of leadership after the Women’s Ashes at the start of the year. Edwards replaced Jon Lewis while Sciver-Brunt took over after Knight’s nine-year-helm. Their first series under new leadership was at home against West Indies, winning 6-0 across formats, before defeat to India again at home.”Having Nat and Lottie [Edwards] feels like a bit of a fresh start for us all,” Dean said. “The players in the team might not have changed. But the things that we’re looking to do and being really specific about how we go about our ODI cricket, that attention to detail [have changed] and we want to show our grit and determination. That comes from Nat in the way in which she goes about her cricket.”You watch her bat and she’s someone that really puts her hand up and has those big innings for the team. Just from the way she behaves that filters down. Lottie’s the coach who reads the game really well, and it seems really simple when she talks it through. We all know that cricket can be quite complicated. So, I guess breaking things down, keeping it really simple, and going into specifics has really helped us.”.Dean first grabbed headlines in India for being run-out backing up by Deepti Sharma in the Lord’s ODI in 2022. But since then she has grown leaps and bounds. She also played the WPL earlier this year for the Smriti Mandhana-led RCB. Never one to shy away from having a laugh, Dean hopes to not change with this additional responsibility.”As a person, I don’t really change, no matter what role I have,” she said. “I’m a bit sarcastic and jovial, but I really think about the game beyond that.”

Marufa dealing with ‘hype’ as Bangladesh eye statement

Marufa Akter impressed against Pakistan•ICC/Getty ImagesBangladesh will aim to use Tuesday’s match against England as a means to “show our capabilities”, according to Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana. The encounter will be only the second time the teams have met in women’s ODIs.”This is the stage where we show our capabilities so that teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us,” Nigar said.They are also hopeful that 20-year-old fast bowler Marufa Akter can continue her eye-catching start to the tournament.”We’ve had some good pacers before, but the kind of exposure Marufa has received, nobody else has had that,” Nigar said. “It’s very important for her to stay focused on the World Cup right now. Whatever is happening around her shouldn’t affect her performance. She should concentrate on herself – how to prepare for the upcoming games and how best she can perform for the team.”Marufa began the World Cup with a double-wicket blow in her opening over that softened up Pakistan in Colombo. She got the ball to hoop around at good pace, Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin undone by the inswing.”She’s very young, and that’s why we always try to keep her game plan simple. We never put her under pressure,” Nigar said. “Whether she succeeds or faces setbacks, we never burden her. We always try to keep her mindset calm. We picked her at a very young age, and everyone knows she’ll face struggles; that’s natural. From that perspective, she’s extremely hardworking, and her hard work is starting to show results gradually.”Being such a young player, nurturing her properly is very important. There was a lot of hype after the first match, and even during the T20 World Cup before that, but what I’ve seen over time is that she doesn’t let it get to her. She enjoys the game, embraces that youthful energy within her, and the entire team fully backs her.”

Bryce Harper Surprisingly Wasn’t Ejected for His Angry Reaction to Ump's Bad Call

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper was the latest player to vent his frustrations at an umpire after some very questionable calls but somehow he was able to avoid being ejected for his actions on Sunday.

With the Phillies trailing the Angels by six runs, Harper worked a 3–0 count in the bottom of the eighth inning. A pitch that seemed to be out of the strike zone made it a 3–1 count and then a few moments later a similar pitch was called for strike three by Steven Jaschinski.

Instead of earning a walk, Harper headed to the dugout. But before he did that he shrugged his shoulders and waved his hand in disgust at Jaschinski two times.

This is often enough to get you tossed from the game:

The Phillies would go on to lose the game, 8–2.

Wolves make contact to appoint Xavi as top target to replace Pereira revealed

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Wolverhampton Wanderers have now made contact with Xavi as a replacement for Vitor Pereira, with the 57-year-old being dismissed after the 3-0 defeat against Fulham on Saturday.

Pereira was given plenty of time to turn things around, but the loss against the Cottagers was the final straw for Fosun, with the Old Gold now eight points adrift of safety in the Premier League, having made a very poor start to the season.

Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was particularly critical of the performance after the match, describing it as “embarrassing.”

Wolves are still searching for their first top-flight victory, having collected just two points from their opening ten games, while they were also dumped out of the EFL Cup by Chelsea last Wednesday, with the Blues emerging as 4-3 winners at Molineux.

It is going to be a tall order for whoever replaces Pereira to dig the Wanderers out of trouble, but Fosun are now eyeing what has to be considered an ambitious move for Xavi…

Wolves make contact with Xavi to replace Pereira

That is according to a report from Spain, which states that is indeed not Gary O’Neil at the top of the wishlist. Wolves have now made contact with the former Barcelona manager, who they have identified as the main candidate to replace Pereira, given his experience of managing at an elite level.

Fosun see appointing the legendary midfielder as a golden opportunity, as they are admirers of his possession-based style of play, and believe the 45-year-old could restore confidence to the squad.

The Spaniard is the top target, but he is not the only manager on the shortlist for the Old Gold, who are working quickly to appoint a new manager, with Bologna boss Thiago Motta emerging as a potential alternative option, given the Italian side’s impressive start to the campaign.

It would no doubt be a major coup if Wolves were somehow able to tempt the former Al-Sadd manager into a move to Molineux, given that he is held in very high regard by Barca president Joan Laporta.

The Terrassa-born manager, who prefers to implement a 4-3-3 system, has won eight trophies as a coach, across spells in Qatar and La Liga, most impressively lifting the Spanish title in the 2022-23 season.

Xavi has been out of work since being dismissed by Barcelona over 18 months ago, but in truth it is difficult to picture him moving to Molineux, given the mess Wolves currently find themselves in, sitting bottom of the Premier League, having shipped 22 goals, the highest number of any side.

Wolves also targeting Brendan Rodgers as replacement for Pereira

Wolves targeting Brendan Rodgers amid doubts about Vitor Pereira

The Old Gold have made a very poor start to the season.

2

By
Dominic Lund

Oct 29, 2025

Grounding, poems and bird videos – how Paul Adams is inspiring South Africa

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The spin-bowling consultant has also taken on the role of being motivator-in-chief at the Women’s T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda16-Oct-2024Most teams are made up of certain key characters: the responsible one, the serious one, the young one, the popular one, the talented one and most importantly the funky one. In South Africa’s case, the last of those is a position taken up by one of their support staff: spin bowling lead Paul Adams.He has assumed the role of motivator-in-chief, alongside his technical coaching, and taken some of the burden off captain Laura Wolvaardt, who also has opening the batting to focus on.”I found it one of the hardest parts of the job – finding something new to say every single game,” Wolvaardt said at her pre semi-final press conference. “A lot of it doesn’t really change, especially in the series where we play the same opposition six times, so to come up with a new pre-game speech is tricky. But we’ve had Paul Adams and every game he’s come up with something really creative and really new.”Related

  • Eden Carson – NZ's reel sensation who clicked at the biggest stage

  • October 17 at T20 World Cup: Unbeaten Australia take on SA in 2023 final rematch

  • Annerie Dercksen, from farm girl to fast bowling allrounder

  • Australia to give Healy as much time as possible to be fit for semi-final

Adams started off by introducing the team to the ancient but now-popular practice of grounding, which traces its history back to ancient Egypt, and does exactly what it says on the tin. All it is is standing barefoot on a surface, preferably grass but beach sand or if circumstances are extreme, artificial turf or concrete might do just as well, and feeling the earth below. The team did it ahead of their first match to feel as though they had arrived in the UAE, the place where they will compete to win the World Cup for the first time.Then, he moved to poetry and composed four verses for the team ahead of their final group stage match against Bangladesh to urge them to stay in the moment. A taste of it reads: “So focus hard, embrace the fight, each second is our only right,” and Tazmin Brits described it to ESPNcricinfo Powerplay’s podcast as emotional and inspiring.Laura Wolvaardt: It’s an amazing opportunity we have tomorrow to have all those lights on us and have a good time•ICC/Getty ImagesNow, ahead of the semi-final, Adams has had to pull another trick out of the bag and he managed to come up with one. “Today we had a video about ebbs and flows and going with the game,” Wolvaardt said. “He absolutely loves it. He runs our spin meetings as well and every meeting there’s some kind of a video about birds that fly together and stick together and teamwork and all of that stuff.”Of course, we shouldn’t forget that spin coaching is Adams’ primary role and he has done some innovative things in that department too. He has worked on Nonkululeko Mlaba, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus and Seshnie Naidu’s actions, not by passing on his own contortionist means of delivery, but by using weighted balls to align their hips over their feet and get their arms into the optimal position for accuracy and the results, especially for Mlaba, are obvious. She is the second-leading wicket-taker of the tournament and has rediscovered an element of threat that left her after the last World Cup.Adams, who has himself been through a harrowing time after the Social Justice and Nation-Building hearing in 2021, will not necessarily be with the women’s team through all of their next series. Since the SJN, he coached a bit at the provincial team Border and has now been employed to work across all South African teams, but for now, the impact he is making is clear. “He’s very creative, he loves it, he always reads into things and he’s been really great for the group,” Wolvaardt said. “We’ve needed someone to really pump us up and bring our little fun element to each game as well, which has been awesome.”That comment is telling because this South African team, until earlier this year, had been under the same management for most of their careers. Hilton Moreeng, who oversaw the development to professionalism and years of succession in reaching semi-finals and eventually a final, was in charge for almost 12 years. Post last year’s World Cup, there was talk of a need for change in order to inject new ideas and move the team forward. That half-happened with the promotion of assistant coach Dillon du Preez to interim head coach and the appointment of other, new support staff.For the first time, the South African women’s team have a batting coach in Baakier Abrahams, and a spin-bowling consultant in Adams. They mention the pair almost every time they are asked about how this side is different, and perhaps better, than the one that reached the final in 2023. “We have a year of experience, we line up a little differently and we’ve also had a bit of change in staff,” Wolvaardt said. “So, a couple of fresh faces, fresh ideas. It’s been a bit of an up and down year for us. I think we’ve played some really good cricket in Australia and had a few disappointing series as well.”For South Africa, their first wins over Australia in an ODI and T20I earlier this year is what they are holding on to as they take on the world champions again. But whatever happens, they know they’ve already done something “very special,” as Wolvaardt put it by qualifying for another semi-final and doing it with a smile. “We don’t even realise how many people at home are following us and watching us. My mum keeps texting me that she’s been to the dentist today, and the dentist is asking about our game tomorrow, and they seem super excited,” she said. “It’s an amazing opportunity we have tomorrow to have all those lights on us and have a good time.”

Game
Register
Service
Bonus