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Aston Villa remain interested in signing midfielder Yves Bissouma from fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins. 

The lowdown: Villa interested in Bissouma

Initially linked during the January transfer window, a report from The Athletic claimed that Steven Gerrard would return with a swoop for the Mali international in the summer.

Since then, the Villans have added versatile French ace Boubacar Kamara to their squad as NSWE look to back the manager in his quest to take the club to the next level.

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Despite the ex-Marseille midfielder’s arrival, it appears that a move for Bissouma could remain in the offing…

The latest: Villa ‘still there’ for Bissouma

Taking to Twitter, reputable French journalist Hawkins discussed the possible interest from AS Monaco in the Brighton colossus, as well as the ongoing admiration from Villa Park.

Translated from French, he said: “To replace Aurélien Tchouaméni, Monaco is thinking of Yves Bissouma. The Brighton midfielder has several offers. Aston Villa is still there. ASM is in the process of completing the sale of Aurélien Tchouaméni. It still blocks on the transfer fee.”

The verdict: Statement signing

During the 2021/22 campaign, the 25-year-old Brighton enforcer scored twice and provided a further two assists in 28 appearances across all competitions in a disjointed season interrupted by injuries and Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Overall he earned an impressive 7.07 Sofascore rating whilst winning 5.6 duels and making 1.9 interceptions and 1.8 clearances on average per top-flight match, demonstrating a particular competency in the defensive facets of a midfielder’s game.

With the futures of Douglas Luiz and Bodymoor Heath academy graduate Carney Chukwuemeka up in the air, Gerrard may certainly be hoping to bolster the central midfield options at his disposal in the coming weeks.

With Bissouma heading into the final 12 months of his contract on the south coast (Transfermarkt), signing the 18-cap star – who was dubbed ‘world class’ by former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour – could well be a statement signing by Villa to add to the captures of Kamara and Philippe Coutinho already this month.

In other news: NSWE now eyeing another defender; Villa chiefs sent to club after Gerrard approves

Portuguese sources have now shared a big transfer update on Tottenham Hotspur’s chase for Sporting Lisbon star Joao Palhinha.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites in mix…

The defensive midfielder with a £50 million release clause has been at the centre of interest from Spurs in recent weeks, according to reports.

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It is believed that Antonio Conte’s side are firmly in the mix to sign Palhinha this summer as transfer chief Fabio Paratici seemingly still holds a real interest in bringing him to north London.

Following on from their interest last year, the Premier League top-four chasers seem to have their eyes on Sporting’s touch-tackling gem as O Jogo (via Sport Witness) now share a big update.

The Latest: Spurs ‘in front row’…

The newspaper’s sources (translated by SW) claim that Conte and co are in the ‘front row’ for Palhinha’s signing as Spurs enter pole position – with O Jogo going on to add that he should leave Sporting at the end of 2021/2022.

In a further boost, not only will his club have to sell for less than the player’s £50m clause, but they may even have to settle for a fee lower than the ‘€35m (£29.9m) or €40m (£34m)’ they had originally hoped for.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Tottenham’s manager reportedly has his sights on two new midfield additions in the next window and we believe Palhinha could be a seriously credible candidate.

According to WhoScored, the 26-year-old holds his own as a defensive anchor, making a brilliant three tackles per 90 on average in the Portuguese top flight – far more than anyone in Sporting’s squad.

He’s also one of their most fouled players every game, standing out as a frustrating opponent Conte would surely love, leaving little wonder members of the press have branded Palhinha a ‘sensational’ player (Josh Bunting, Islington Gazette).

The international ace may well be a fruitful source of quality and gamesmanship for Conte.

In other news: Offer ready: Paratici sets sights on ‘very Spursy signing’ for Conte at Tottenham! Find out more here.

Also: are Sri Lanka brilliant or dreadful? Answers on a postcard

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Nov-2019Why is nothing being done?
Sure, cricket has come a long way in the area of player safety. But if you think it can rest on its laurels, you’ve got another think coming. Even now, there are players out there unaware of the danger they are in. Did poor Mitchell Marsh know, for example, that when he was out for 53 in a Sheffield Shield game last month, he was only moments away from having his unsuspecting hand fractured by the dressing-room wall? Did he understand that he could hurt himself so badly, he is at risk of missing the first Test against Pakistan?And is it not a travesty that in the 21st century cricket still keeps failing to keep its comically enraged and stupidly volatile players safe? When will they be free from the tyranny of concrete structures, metal lockers, bar toilet windows, and the eye sockets of drunken homophobes.Maybe it’s time player areas were fitted with foam padding. Perhaps pavilions could be torn down altogether and replaced with cloth gazebos. And if all that sounds too expensive, there is also the option of lining dressing-room walls with South Africa bowlers, who, judging by the tour of India, are not currently capable of being a threat to anyone.The strike-out
It was a tumultuous month for Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan. Just last week he was the leading figure in Bangladesh’s player strike, threatening to pull out of matches against India, in order to get better pay from the cricket board. Later, he also failed to show up to team training sessions. Then he was suspended for at least a year, for not informing the ICC about phone contact with a bookie.Which means that although Shakib spent parts of last month failing to report to the cricket in order to send a message, in the end he got himself sent away from cricket for failing to report a message.Strap a turbine to this mess
Are Sri Lanka a decent team? Or are they terrible? Early in October, they went to Pakistan with a team missing several first-choice T20 players (including captain Lasith Malinga), and thrashed the No. 1 ranked team in the world. In the third match, they even made five changes to an already depleted XI, and still won comfortably. Then they went to Australia (where they have never lost a T20 series before) with a full-strength side, and have been steamrolled in profound and embarrasing ways.It’s been like this all year. They were thumped in Tests in Australia, weeks before they changed the captain, dropped a bunch of players, and became just the third nation to win a Test series in South Africa. They stank up limited-overs cricket for the first five months, before breathing life into the World Cup by beating England, and then crushed Bangladesh at home in a bilateral series soon after.It feels like global-warming energy challenges could be solved if we could just work out a way to harness the rate at which they oscillate from awful to awesome and back again, week by week. At the very least the collective blood pressure of Sri Lanka fans could power a major city.Forward planning
Congratulations to the ECB, who in retrospect produced a masterstroke in announcing the Hundred more than three years ahead of its scheduled start, ensuring that all criticism had time to wear itself out and become replaced by resignation by the time this revolutionary competition begins.What kind of smart are you?
Cricketers generally benefit from some of the best hospitality of any city they visit, but for Dean Elgar the hotels and food in “some of the smaller places” in India were not entirely satisfactory. “[India] is the one place I find where they are very streetwise and clever with the touring teams,” he went on to say. “They definitely push your boundaries and test you.” Which is fascinating because last year he had suggested that Sri Lanka had been “pretty streetsmart” for supposedly giving South Africa a flat surface for their practice match, before decking them on turning surfaces in the actual Tests.Is there a pattern here? Has someone really been unfluffing players’ hotel room pillows in the knowledge that it will correspond directly to low batting averages? Have showers been depressurised to ensure batsmen’s feet get tangled up against spin?And how much conniving exactly has gone into each of South Africa’s seven consecutive Test match defeats in Asia?Next month on The Briefing:- Dean Elgar reacts to getting a speeding ticket. “What I will say about the police is that they made this stretch of road very straight. They’re streetsmart like that, and that’s a learning I’ll take with me.”- The ECB pushes the Hundred back another few months to cleverly ensure even the last straggling critics will have lost interest by then.

Thilanga Sumathipala’s board has done as much for Sri Lanka’s cricket as any other, but the chairman’s desperation for the limelight does them no favours

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Apr-2017Five men stand in front of the sponsors’ backdrop at the presentation that follows Sri Lanka’s T20 win over Bangladesh.Four of them are holding cheques; the man who holds nothing is Thilanga Sumathipala, SLC president and unelected deputy speaker of the House. He stands closest to the presenter. His presence seems gratuitous at first.When proceedings begin, however, it becomes clear that the camera is smitten with Sumathipala and that he is smitten with it. When Kusal Perera comes up to be interviewed about his Player-of-the-Match performance, there Sumathipala is, looking paternally over the player’s shoulder, grinning benevolently. While other awards are being handed out, the camera may stray, but as if bound by fate, always has a way of finding its way back to Sumathipala, to capture his coy smirks and his firm handshakes.It is tempting to wonder if Sumathipala is just presentation eye candy, because he is the fifth man and there are only four awards to be handed out. Is he like the placard-wielding model at a boxing match? The sex scene in an episode of ?

In 16 months in office so far, Sumathipala has pursued publicity with unmitigated desperation – fronting up to every camera in his vicinity, schmoozing every journalist who has made his acquaintance

But no, it seems – he does, in fact, have a purpose here. To him goes the honour of bringing the presentation to its climax. When it comes time for Sri Lanka’s captain to receive his winners’ cheque, an unusual announcement is made by the presenter: “You can collect the $2000 cheque from Mr Sumathipala, who will receive it from Mr Arosha Athukorala.”If Athukorala feels miffed here, he can at least take some satisfaction in having broken new ground: in the fabled history of South Asian cricket presentations, no man, perhaps, has previously stood at a presentation merely to present a winners’ cheque to the eventual presenter of the cheque.The whole shenanigan was peak Sumathipala. This had been a fortnight in which SLC was endlessly besieged, following the Test loss to Bangladesh, and a tied ODI series. So why not seize on the chance to have your face beamed across the nation immediately after a clinical win? Why not milk this winning performance from Perera – a player Sumathipala had played a substantial role in rescuing from doping allegations last year?In fact, in 16 months in office so far, Sumathipala has pursued publicity with unmitigated desperation – bouncing up to every camera in his vicinity, schmoozing every journalist who has made his acquaintance. A relentless carousel of PR stunts has been his term: if there is a media dinner this month, there will be a pre-series song-and-dance tamasha the next; if there is a high-flying hour-long press conference this week, a charity dinner or a grandiose tournament announcement is perpetually around the corner.Sumathipala (right) chats with chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya. Some suspect that Sumathipala is using SLC as a tool to further his political goals•AFPAll that effort, and yet, for what? What does Sumathipala think he is achieving? Sri Lanka’s public certainly hasn’t been fooled by his overtures. When Sumathipala took on Mahela Jayawardene over his consulting position with England ahead of last year’s World T20, for example, fans flocked almost unanimously to Jayawardene’s side. “[He knows] the team’s strengths when [he is] inside the team,” Sumathipala had said. “England didn’t hire me to give information on the Sri Lankan team – they have analysts and coaches to do that,” Jayawardene responded. Sumathipala found it difficult to argue with that.Later that year, mounting a similar campaign against Muttiah Muralitharan, who took a temporary position with the visiting Australia team, Sumathipala deployed the Sinhala word – literally: “ourness” – in a brazen appeal to Sri Lankan nationalism. In attempting to play to the gallery, however, he found the gallery was not having it. Fans rallied around Murali, who was ordained into the ICC’s Hall of Fame later that week. “Sri Lanka didn’t want me, and Australia wanted me,” Murali spat. “How could I be a traitor to this country […] my foundation has built 1000 houses.”So much of SLC’s past year has been spent lurching from one PR gaffe to the other. Ahead of last year’s World T20, the board organised a lavish send-off event for the side, was panned in the media for wastefulness, and had the team perform abysmally in the tournament in any case. This year, the board launched its club-based limited-overs tournament with another extravagant production, only for that competition to be halted by a judicial injunction, and a low-brow district tournament to be played in its stead.At the ICC last month, Sumathipala suffered his greatest humiliation of all. In jockeying for the position of chairman, he galvanised the other ICC directors into convincing sitting chairman Shashank Manohar to reverse his resignation from the post. “What we did not want was to have a whole load of toxic electioneering, which Sumathipala exemplified,” one director had said at the time. “His conduct actually brought the board very fast together.”

What does Sumathipala think he is achieving? Sri Lanka’s public certainly hasn’t been fooled by his overtures

It is a shame Sumathipala seeks public validation, because by one measure, he has been as impressive an SLC president as there ever has been. For the special-interest group that is Sri Lanka’s clubs, there have been large financial grants and increased security and status – where last year only 14 first-class clubs existed, this season there were 23. And it is the clubs, of course, that really matter: their votes have put Sumathipala in his current position.So why bother with this endless pursuit of positive press? If you have the clubs in your pocket and next year’s election all sewn up, why pretend to care about a provincial first-class tournament that has failed to materialise in your two seasons in charge? Why continue to attempt points-scoring decisions that almost never end up scoring any actual points?Fans seem to understand a Sumathipala presidency is the product of SLC’s broken constitution, which grants board votes to an array of clubs and vestigial cricketing institutions. Many, perhaps, have guessed he is attempting to use SLC as a political tool, with which he might regain the favour of the public, who voted him out of parliament in the most recent election (though he was later appointed to parliament through the national list).Eventually, if the lackeys he has surrounded himself with ever stop flattering him, Sumathipala may realise his PR blitzes have backfired spectacularly. He has sold and sold and sold himself as SLC president. Not many seem to be buying.

After three undefeated seasons at home, New Zealand’s mode of operation is clear: talk up the visiting teams and then set about traumatising them

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Dunedin10-Dec-2015Prior to this match Brendon McCullum spent almost as much time complimenting the opposition as he did endorsing his own, recently-defeated team. New Zealand are familiar with Rangana Herath’s calibre, of course, but McCullum made particular mention of Sri Lanka’s “world-class” batsmen, and their “underrated” seam attack. “They’ve gone through a lot of changes,” McCullum surmised. “But we’re respectful of the challenge these guys will put to us.”These are interesting comments to have made in light of his own innings, and New Zealand’s general progress, on day one.In a 57-ball knock that sent the hosts hurtling past 300, McCullum respected Sri Lanka to all parts of University Oval. He began by respecting Nuwan Pradeep for three consecutive fours after just 11 previous balls at the crease, then, later on, raced at Sri Lanka’s quickest bowler to launch him high over cover for a six forged from deep, abiding, money-can’t-buy respect.Overall, 60 Sri Lanka deliveries were hit to the boundary in the day. New Zealand advanced at a run rate of 4.53. And all batsmen who crossed 25 had a strike rate of 65 – the captain’s was 131.McCullum’s comments were probably meant in earnest, because on the surface at least, New Zealand have made a point of treating opponents well over the last two years. It is part of the reason they have begun to be so admired across the world. But now touring the country for the second time in 12 months, Sri Lanka may feel they have just about had it. They may be sick to death of McCullum’s particular brand of respect.

Capped off a lot of hard work for Test return – Guptill

Martin Guptill said positivity at the crease drove his 156 – an innings he also described as a welcome boost of confidence. Guptill had averaged 13.66 in Australia last month.
“I tried to go out and be as positive as I could be,” Guptill said. “To be able to show good intent, be able to rotate strike, and get some good partnerships going – that helped me to get through the day. I’ll take a lot of confidence from it.”
Guptill has been persevered with in this New Zealand outfit, and he expressed pleasure at being able to justify the belief in him. He has also been working in private sessions with Martin Crowe over the past 18 months.
“The coaches and management have been good to me, and have given me a good run in the Test side. I thank them very much for that. Today I guess capped off a lot hard work over last 18 months to get back in the Test side. A lot of that was with Martin Crowe. Today it came together.”

It had been the same when they were here last year. That series had also been preceded by glowing appraisals as several New Zealand players invoked Sri Lanka’s recent Test series win in England. When Kumar Sangakkara struck a double-hundred at the Basin Reserve in January, the hosts spoke so effusively about the batsman it sounded like they all wanted to take turns cuddling him. Then on the field, New Zealand took catches that verged on the supernatural, hit rapid, monumental innings, and swung the ball viciously in both directions, and judging by the reactions of the batsmen, through undiscovered spatial planes.After three undefeated seasons at home now, this seems to be New Zealand’s mode of operation in the country. They talk up the visiting teams, then set about traumatising them.Things just appear to start clicking for them on home soil. McCullum’s 71 was a sort of return to runs, after an Australia series in which he averaged 27.4. He wasn’t the only batsman to regain confidence on Thursday. Martin Guptill had had an even worse tour across the Tasman, but was at ease almost from the outset in Dunedin. He began with a series of serene drives on a green-tinged surface, then moved to more bruising square blows. When he was finally caught behind in the 85th over, he had 156 from 234 deliveries.At times it felt like this whole Test-match day was staged just to get Guptill back into form. Virtually everyone on the field was complicit in his twin lbw escapes on 78. Bowler Dushmantha Chameera was half-hearted in appeal when Guptill was first struck in line, in the 38th over. The umpire quickly turned that appeal down, then shook his head at another shout next over. Sri Lanka should have reviewed that second decision, but it was Guptill and New Zealand’s day. Angelo Mathews, in consultation with the bowler and fielders behind the wicket, opted not to pursue it. The hosts’ second-wicket partnership would grow to 173.Chameera bowled with good pace – at times reaching 146 kph – but didn’t get his first wicket until the second new ball was nearly due. By then New Zealand’s total was already more than 350. Sri Lanka claimed five wickets for 65 in a 14-over stretch towards stumps, but with the inexperience in their top order on this tour, New Zealand’s 409 for 8 already feels like 60 runs too many.What’s more, even the pitch appeared to be colluding with the home team. There wasn’t a lot of bounce in the morning session, but plenty of zip was visible towards the close. “Towards the end of the day, when the pitch was drying out, the ball started doing funny things,” Guptill said. “So that’s good signs for us when we start bowling.”Sri Lanka will hope that despite a tough first day, this tour ends more happily than their last visit to this corner of the world. On that occasion New Zealand mauled Sri Lanka in the Tests, then dragged their carcass around the country during the ODI series, all the while suggesting the visitors were a dangerous side.New Zealand are widely described as the nice guys of world cricket. It’s just that on days like this, Sri Lanka may wish they were off being nice to someone bloody else.

Plays of the day from the Champions League T20 final between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders

Abhishek Purohit04-Oct-2014Uthappa’s timing
Robin Uthappa temporarily became the leading run-getter of the main edition of the tournament during his 39, and his timing was as good as it has been through the IPL and CLT20. Off the last ball of R Ashwin’s first over, Uthappa took a step out and drove at a pitched up delivery. He checked the shot in the end and held his followthrough. But the ball took flight and went soaring over long-on as if it had been clobbered.Raina’s miss
Two balls after he had put down a diving chance off Jacques Kallis at slip, Suresh Raina tried to anticipate a stroke from Gautam Gambhir at short fine leg. Gambhir prepared to tuck Ravindra Jadeja off his pads behind square and Raina started to move to his right early. However, Gambhir ended up going finer than Raina had expected him to, and the ball ran away for four to the fielder’s left, leaving Jadeja furious.Du Plessis’ attempt
Gambhir swung Pawan Negi flat down the ground and the commentator said it was heading for six, but Faf du Plessis decided to intervene at long-on. He jumped high and plucked the ball with both hands. He landed back on the ground, threw the ball up as he teetered beyond the rope and came back in to take it again. Replays showed he had stepped onto the boundary the first time he took the ball, and Gambhir stayed.Cummins’ slow yorker
Dwayne Smith had already cracked Pat Cummins for two fours in the first over of the chase when the fast bowler slipped in a slow yorker. Smith brought his bat down too early to try and keep it out. It hit the ground before the ball arrived and bounced up. The ball now hit the bat, and slid under the small opening to disturb the bails.Yadav’s misfields
Suryakumar Yadav seemed to have a sweep from Brendon McCullum covered with a sprint and a slide at deep square leg. Only, the ball slid under his slide to roll into the rope. The next ball was swept straight to him, and he bent down on his knee for a regulation stop, only to let the ball slip through his fingers for another embarrassing four.

Ahead of the meeting of the national selection panel, which coincides with the final day of the ongoing Irani Cup, a look at what’s on offer for the selectors for the upcoming Australia series

Siddhartha Talya in Mumbai09-Feb-2013Rohit Sharma’s careless dismissal in the Irani Cup could dampen his chances of being selected for the Australia series•West Indies Cricket Board

Openers

• Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the match due to a stomach upset, when he perhaps needed a stint in the middle before the Australia Tests since being dropped from the ODI side.
• M Vijay did his case no harm with a century in the first innings, but played a loose drive, not for the first time, to be dismissed in the second. Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir could still be likely starters, so Vijay, who had a poor Ranji season but has been a Test opener, could be in contention as a back-up option.
• Likewise with Wasim Jaffer. With an average of 76 this domestic season, and a fluent 80 in the first innings of the Irani Cup, he’s in better nick than most.
• Shikhar Dhawan missed out on a good chance to score a century in the first innings, having played a solid innings, and was dismissed cheaply in the second while trying to pull Dhawal Kulkarni in the first over. He is part of the India A squad for the warm-up game against Australia, but that’s after the selectors have picked the 15 for the Tests.

Middle order

• Ajinkya Rahane has been part of India’s Test squads in the past, and he strengthened his case during his 83 against Rest of India. He looked set for another ton, but was at the receiving end of a poor lbw decision. The selectors, in the past, have said he is a middle-order option, and he is a strong candidate for the No.6 slot.
• Rohit Sharma played a reckless shot against Harbhajan Singh to be dismissed for a duck. He played out 11 dot balls before trying to slog-sweep Harbhajan, and got a top edge. He has been long tipped for a Test place, but that dismissal is unlikely to sit well with selectors.
• Suresh Raina, together with Rahane, will be a contender for a No. 6 slot. He made an attacking century in the first innings, coming in to the Irani Cup with runs in the ODI series against England.
• Ravindra Jadeja, who is not playing the Irani Cup, could still be favoured over his competitors; he made his debut in the Nagpur Test against England.
• Manoj Tiwary had trouble against Abhishek Nayar, but reached a fifty in the second innings. Ambati Rayudu batted positively in both innings, making an attractive century in the second, but he and Tiwary are still down in the pecking order for a middle-order position.

Pace

• Dhawal Kulkarni, leading an inexperienced attack, didn’t put the batsmen under enough pressure. He picked up nine wickets in the Ranji Trophy final but faces stiff competition.
• Parwinder Awana and Ashok Dinda were part of the squad for the Nagpur Test, but are not part of the Irani Cup. Sreesanth bowled some testing bouncers, but Rest of India’s seamers hardly got any movement and were low on pace.
• Abhimanyu Mithun and Ishwar Pandey picked up wickets but didn’t make a compelling case. Like Sreesanth, they, too, had problems with overstepping, were taken for runs during a seventh-wicket stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Ankeet Chavan, and rarely beat the bat.
• Shami Ahmed bowled well in the nets on the eve of the game, but wasn’t picked in the XI. He’s part of the India A squad, but it’s unclear if he’s done enough to break through for the Tests. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who made his international debut this home season, is also in contention.

Spin

• Pragyan Ojha had a poor game, unable to impart much spin on the ball, and was toyed with by Tendulkar. But he and R Ashwin, away playing the Corporate Trophy, are almost certain to be picked.
• Harbhajan Singh is keen to return to India colours; he’s one game away from playing his 100th Test and has a good record against Australia. He was the better of the two Rest of India spinners in Mumbai but was a beneficiary of some poor shot selection and an umpiring error. That the selectors are looking at Harbhajan again says much about the lack of spin options emerging from the domestic circuit.

ESPNcricinfo looks back at some memorable New Zealand victories in global tournaments

Nitin Sundar26-Mar-2011New Zealand’s stunning win against South Africa in Mirpur is the latest addition to a list of memorable barn-storming performances from a team that has invariably brought its A-game to the big events. ESPNcricinfo looks back at some other memorable New Zealand victories in global tournaments.Stephen Fleming was the protagonist when New Zealand toppled South Africa in the 2003 and the 2007 World Cups•Getty Images2007 World Cup Super Eights v South AfricaThe tournament format left New Zealand needing just one upset to make it to the last four. It came in their Super Eights game against South Africa, on a damp and dark Grenada pitch that made batting a nightmare. Shane Bond and James Franklin were close to unplayable with the new ball, as South Africa lost their openers with just three runs on the board. Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Ashwell Prince grafted hard to put up 193 for 7, a score that bordered on the defendable, given South Africa’s pace arsenal. Stephen Fleming and Scott Styris, though, stone-walled their way to half-centuries, as New Zealand ground out a win in the 49th over.
2003 World Cup v South AfricaHaving lost to Sri Lanka and forfeiting their game in Kenya, New Zealand had to upset South Africa to sneak into the Super Sixes, and Stephen Fleming’s best one-day innings helped them do that. Herschelle Gibbs’ energetic 143 had propelled South Africa to 306, but New Zealand came out throwing punches in all directions. Craig McMillan kickstarted the chase with typical flamboyance, but his dismissal, sandwiched between a power breakdown and a rain interruption, did little to thwart New Zealand’s momentum. Fleming waded into the seamers with an array of explosive drives and cuts, and when Mark Boucher dropped him on 53, an upset seemed to be on the cards. Things got considerably easier for the visitors after a 52-minute rain break in the 31st over, that reduced the target to 226 off 39. Nathan Astle joined in the fun as New Zealand charged to a famous nine-wicket win.1999 World Cup Super Sixes v IndiaWith their World Cup dreams already shattered, India sleep-walked through their final Super Six fixture, much to New Zealand’s joy. On a track with early movement, against a steadily incisive seam attack, India’s in-form top three exited after making promising starts. Ajay Jadeja held things together and took them past 250, a score that had proved defendable in all but one game in the World Cup. New Zealand galloped off the blocks as Nathan Astle thumped anything loose, while Matt Horne scrapped a valuable 74. Roger Twose carried the baton for the middle order, but a late rain break and an unusually subdued Chris Cairns brought India back into the game. Adam Parore had plans of his own though, stealing five fours in 14 balls to win the game with ten balls to spare, and put his side in the semi-finals.1992 World Cup v Australia Martin Crowe inaugurated New Zealand’s most consistent World Cup campaign with a measured 100 that paved the way for an upset of the defending champions in the opening game of the 1992 World Cup. Three early wickets had New Zealand in some strife before Crowe and Ken Rutherford revived the innings with a 118-run stand, setting Australia a target of 249. David Boon matched Crowe’s effort with an even 100 of his own, but New Zealand’s merry army of dibbly-dobblies, led by the miserly Gavin Larsen pulled the plug on the chase with ease. The win set the template for New Zealand’s dominance in the group stage, that included wins against West Indies, India and England.ICC KnockOut, 2001 New Zealand first sprinted past Pakistan to ruin a potential India-Pakistan final clash in the ICC KnockOut, and then went on to spoil India’s party with another upset in the final. Saeed Anwar scored an attractive century to set Pakistan up for a big score in the semi-final, but New Zealand restored parity through Shayne O’Connor’s five-wicket haul in the end overs. Roger Twose anchored the chase of 253 with a typically gritty 87, while Craig McMillan played the finisher’s role to perfection, scoring a risk-free 51 off 56 balls to set up an encounter with India. Things began to fall apart early in the final, as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly added 141 in 26.3 overs, but New Zealand clawed their way back into the game through two run-outs. India’s innings went into tailspin in the end overs, closing at 264, at least 30 runs short of what the openers had set them up for. Chris Cairns, who had missed the Pakistan game, played the innings of his life to hustle New Zealand past the finish line with two overs to spare, giving them their only piece of ICC silverware to date.

Captains keeping and scoring hundreds; and most runs scored in the first and last 10 overs

Steven Lynch09-Oct-2007The regular Tuesday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket.

Adam Gilchrist and Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Captains who also happen to keep wicket © AFP
Both captains in the first two ODIs between India and Australia were wicketkeepers. How often has this happened in international cricket? asked Sriram from the United States, and many others
Last week’s games involving Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist were the 11th and 12th occasions in ODIs in which both captains were wicketkeepers. The first three were in 1995-96, when the rival captains in the New Zealand-Zimbabwe series were Lee Germon and Andy Flower, and Flower was half of the equation on the next four occasions too, all of them in 2000 – twice against Pakistan (captained by Moin Khan) and twice in England (captained by Alec Stewart). The last three instances came in the Bangladesh-West Indies series late in 2002, when Khaled Mashud faced Ridley Jacobs in three matches. There have been only five Test matches in which both sides were captained by their wicketkeeper: two involving Germon and Flower in New Zealand in 1995-96, and two involving Mashud and Jacobs in 2002-03. The other instance was also in 2002-03, when Mark Boucher stood in as South Africa’s captain against Bangladesh (led by Mashud) in East London.In a recent ODI between Zimbabwe and South Africa, both wicketkeepers scored centuries. Has this happened before? asked Hans Eric Paree from the Netherlands
That match in Harare was only the second time both wicketkeepers had scored centuries in the same ODI. The first one was the game between India and Sri Lanka in Jaipur in 2005-06, when Dhoni answered Kumar Sangakkara’s ton with an amazing 183 not out.I was stumped by a quiz question recently: which record was set in the very first Test of all, and still stands? asked Vijay Bhosle from Kolkata
The record set in the inaugural Test match, in Melbourne in 1876-77, that still stands concerns the highest percentage of runs scored by an individual player in a completed innings. Charles Bannerman, who scored the first run and went on to the first century in Test cricket, retired hurt with 165 towards the end of Australia’s innings of 245, which represents 67.35% of the total. More than 130 years later, that percentage has never been beaten: the closest was by another Australian opener, Michael Slater, with 123 out of 184 (66.85%) against England in Sydney in 1998-99. In all, 14 batsmen have made more than 60% of the runs in a completed innings of a Test.

Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have a laugh as the records tumble © Getty Images
What’s the highest score in Tests by a right-hander? asked Tom Bowman from Canterbury
That record changed hands last year after belonging to England’s Len Hutton (364 against Australia at The Oval) since 1938. The man who broke it was Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene, who made 374 against South Africa in Colombo, in the match in which he and Sangakkara broke the world record for any partnership with a stand of 624 for the third wicket. Of the top seven individual scores in Tests, five have been by left-handers – Brian Lara’s 400 not out and 375, Matthew Hayden’s 380, Garry Sobers’ undefeated 365, and Sanath Jayasuriya’s 340.Which team holds the record for hitting the most runs in the first ten overs, and which team has made the most in the last ten? asked Sandeep from India
We can’t be definitive here, as we are missing a lot of the over-by-over scores – particularly from Sri Lanka’s record score of 443 for 7 against Holland in Amstelveen in 2006, which obviously must have seen some very quick scoring – but Cricinfo’s own Travis Basevi, the man who built Statsguru, has dug out two instances which it would be hard to better. When Sri Lanka beat England at Headingley in 2006, they had reached 133 for 0 after 10 overs. And when New Zealand slaughtered the United States at The Oval during the 2004 Champions Trophy, they scored 142 (for the loss of two wickets) in the last 10 overs, including an amazing 110 runs in the last five.Whose autobiography was called I’ll Spin You a Tale? asked Robin Ritchie from Cambridge
This was Eric Hollies, the Warwickshire and England legspinner, whose life story was published by the Museum Press in 1955. Hollies had an unusual career: he played his first three Tests on tour in the West Indies in 1934-35, then (not helped by the War) didn’t win another cap for more than 12 years, at the end of which he was recalled to play South Africa in 1947 and took 5 for 123 in his first innings back, at Trent Bridge. But Hollies made his indelible mark on Test history the following year, at The Oval in 1948, when he bowled Don Bradman for a duck in his final Test innings, when Bradman needed just four runs to finish with a Test average of 100. Hollies took 44 wickets in 13 Tests in all, at an average of 30.27. A famously inept batsman, he ended up with many more first-class wickets (2323) than runs (1673) in his long career, which stretched from 1932 to 1957. He died in 1981.

Stunning all-round performance against Ireland at home has lifted Hayley Matthews in all three tables

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2023

Suzie Bates has moved up three spots to No. 5 in the women’s T20I batting rankings following scores of 44 and 52 in the first two games in Sri Lanka, while Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr have both closed in on Ashleigh Gardner at the top of the allrounders’ table.Chamari Athapaththu batted New Zealand out of the ODI series that preceded the T20Is, totalling 248 runs while being dismissed just once in three innings to give her side a 2-1 win, but New Zealand hit back in the T20Is, winning the first two to pocket the series. Their star performers in the two T20Is were Bates and Kerr with the bat and Lea Tahuhu with the ball, and that reflected in the ICC rankings.Bates went up to 677 rating points, behind Tahlia McGrath (784), Beth Mooney (777), Smriti Mandhana (728) and team-mate Sophie Devine (683), and another good performance could take her higher before she leaves Sri Lanka.Full rankings tables

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Kerr has scored 34 and 33 not out in Sri Lanka so far and the two wickets she picked up in the two games took her closer to the top of the allrounders’ chart, placing her at No. 3.The standout all-round performance of the week came from Matthews, the West Indies captain, who scored 135 runs and picked up eight wickets, including a hat-trick in the final game, to script a 3-0 sweep of Ireland at home. She is at No. 2 among allrounders, up two spots to No. 17 among batters, and up three spots to seventh among bowlers.Tahuhu also moved up within the top ten among bowlers, her four-for in the second T20I against Sri Lanka lifting her two places to sixth.On to Bangladesh vs India, where Harmanpreet Kaur was the Player of the Match with her 35-ball 54 not out to lead India to a comfortable win in the first T20I. That took her up four places to joint tenth.At the end of the T20I leg of the Ashes, which got over on July 8 with England winning 2-1 and bouncing right back in the contest after conceding the one-off Test, Mooney, who scored 115 runs, closed in on McGrath at the top of the batters’ table, just seven points separating the two.